Hey everyone, it's the weekend again, and that means another chapter, yay!

Been a bit of a slow week here, as the weather hasn't really cooperated to allow yard work, so the means I got to get some writing done…a lot of it. But this coming week is 'supposed' to be clear skies and the such, so hopefully I can get that work done and over with.

No reviews to answer this week, so I'll keep this short for you all and get right into the story. Hope you enjoy.

(I DO NOT OWN BLEACH; ITS CHARACTORS, NAMES, LOCATIONS, OR STORY! THAT HONOR BELONGS SOLELY TO TITE KUBO AND HIS TEAM! ONLY THE OC, AND RANDOM NAMES NOT MENTIONED IN THE BOOKS OR ANIME ARE MY OWN!)

Chapter 16

(Meeting the Espada)

World of the Living, Urahara Shop, The Next Morning

Kisuke Urahara and his large friend Tessai sat peacefully at the dining room table drinking their tea; watching in amusement as Timothy struggled with getting used to the gigai the shop owner had made for him.

But while they were inwardly laughing, Timothy was getting outright annoyed. The faux body was an absolute pain to wear and felt exceedingly weird. He felt like he was wearing a full body mascot suit to a football game.

"God, why does this thing feel so weird?" he complained as he scratched his neck roughly.

"Just give it a few moments, Tim. When a gigai is first used, it takes a little bit for it to adjust to you." Kisuke replied, trying his hardest not to laugh out loud at his suffering.

"Oh, for fucks sakes, it feels like my whole body is stuffed into a latex glove!" the Lieutenant growled further, now scratching his arm.

Kisuke chuckled lightly, no longer able to hold it in. "You'll get used to it, my friend. Now…" he paused and pointed at a small device on the table. "…this is the mod soul dispenser. Press on the top of it and a soul pill will come out. Just swallow that pill and your soul form will be forced out while the mod soul takes over the gigai." He instructed.

Timothy picked the dispenser up and looked at it from different sides. "So, just swallow one of these and the fake soul will take over the body; forcing my soul out?" he asked in confirmation.

The shop owner nodded. "Yes. If you need to take the body back over, just jump back in it and the soul pill will be forced out. The pills are reusable, so simply wash it off and place it back in the dispenser. Each dispenser has five soul pills inside, just in case something happens, and you drop, or lose one."

This got the Lieutenant's attention. "Wait, if I somehow lose one, aren't you worried that a human might find it?" he inquired.

Kisuke smiled a bit. "Nonsense, humans can't see them; not even the dispenser. Besides, they're designed to have no effect if a person's chain of fate is still connected. They'll simply pass through their body." He assured.

Timothy nodded as he rotated his shoulder, that was now suddenly starting to get a little tight. He put the soul dispenser in his pocket and took a sip of tea before standing up and walking over to a wall mirror to take a look at his temporary body.

As his mirror image came into sight he rose a brow; a little impressed. The body was the spitting image of his true self; the only exception being that this body's hair was a bit shorter. Where his real hair came down to his shoulders on all sides, this body's hair was cut down to a nice, clean, professional appearance.

He took a look at the clothes he was wearing and actually found it to his liking. He was wearing traditional style men's blue jeans with the sleeves rolled over a few inches twice. His shirt was a black t-shirt with gold lettering going diagonal across his chest that read 'Metallica'. He had a plain white t-shirt underneath the black one, and was wearing a standard watch on his right wrist.

He gave a short whistle at himself. "Nice. Thanks, Kisuke." He said kindly.

The man chuckled back. "Not a problem, Tim. Though, before you leave, I would like to discuss further on our little problem we discovered yesterday." He said, now with a serious look.

Timothy turned and walked back to the table to rejoin them. He took another sip and sighed before speaking. "I agree. So, what do you suggest, Kisuke?" he asked.

The man started to fan himself gently. "First of all, we can all agree that this needs to somehow reach the Head Captain's ears." He paused, getting a nodded of agreeance. "So, the problem we face, is 'how' we get this to him. So, let me ask you Tim; if you were to tell this to Captain Komamura, then ask him to remain here longer, under the guise of seeking confirmation on the information, do you think he would accept?" the owner inquired.

The Lieutenant started rubbing his goatee as he considered the possibility. The matter could go either way. The Captain was somewhat of a cautious person, and may ask more about the information, or where he got it. But then again, the Captain also had a great deal of trust in him, so he may accept Timothy's answer and let him remain in the living world to 'look into' the matter more.

"I'll be honest Kisuke, I really don't know. I'd say the chances of him accepting it and letting me stay here are fifty-fifty." He then dropped his hand to the table lightly. "I can't really say what the Captain would do if he knew about her, even though she's agreed to help us. Do you think it's worth the risk? I did promise Nel I'd look out for her, and we really need any information she has on Aizen." Timothy cautioned.

Kisuke nodded in agreeance. "I would have to agree. I can't say I know enough about the man to guess what he would do. So, let's say we don't tell him, do you have any other ideas?"

Timothy crossed his arms with a sigh and shook his head. "No, I don't. Telling the Captain is the only thing I can think of at the moment." He admitted.

The owner closed his fan and sighed. "I guess we'll have to think a little more on it for now. So why don't you head out for a while and see the sights. We'll talk more on this later, but for now we'll go with talking to Captain Komamura about it." He said, then reached down next to him and produced a small black wallet. "This contains a little bit of money for you to spend, along with some basic identification. You name is the same and you are currently a visiting businessman from America. That is where you lived when you were alive, right?"

The Lieutenant opened the wallet to reveal a fake, but very convincing Louisiana state driver's license, a fake ID for a business company that was most likely in Louisiana, and roughly sixteen to seventeen thousand yen. He raised a brow at the shop keeper.

"Ok, one, how did you know I lived in America? Two, exactly how much money is this, in dollars I mean? And three, Louisiana? Really? Do I 'look' like I'm from that backwoods place? I'm a Texan. You know; cowboy hats and boots, spurs, six-shooters, and whatever other crazy myths and rumors you've heard about us." He complained.

Urahara held up a finger. "One, you look like an American." He started, then raised a second finger. "Two, it's about a hundred and fifty American dollars…" He then dropped his hand and shrugged a shoulder. "And three, close enough. They're neighbors, aren't they?" he teased.

Timothy sighed in defeat as he shook his head, pocketing the wallet. "I really hate you right now." He moaned, then stood up. "I'll be back in a couple hours." He said as he turned to leave.

"One second, Tim." Kisuke said, stopping him. He tossed the younger man a small device, who caught it and looked at it strangely. "It's a cell phone." He informed.

The Lieutenant gave him a puzzled look. "This' is a cell phone? How the hell is it so small? They used to literally be the size of a brick when I was alive." He stated.

Kisuke chuckled. "You'll find that technology has greatly improved since you were last here, Tim. If you need to call me, just flip it open, press one, then press the green button. My number is programed into the first speed dial. If it starts ringing, just flip it open and start listening. That's all there is to it." He educated.

Timothy looked at the phone for a few seconds longer before shrugging his shoulders and putting it in his right-front pocket. He waved at the two men as he walked to the door and left the shop.

Karakura Town City Center, 30 Minutes Later

After walking around for a bit, he found himself coming up to the entertainment district of the city. He was already shocked by the numerous changes in technology, and the apparel everyone was wearing.

He watched the passing cars to see that they were far more advanced than he could have pictured. Everywhere he looked, he would see people walking around and talking on those ridiculously small cell phones like the one Kisuke had given him.

'I can't believe how far technology has advanced in the past twelve years!' he thought.

"I agree, things are definitely not the same anymore." Kit added further.

Timothy smiled a bit. "So, you can see everything as well, huh?" he asked her.

"If you thought I was gonna miss seeing how things have changed since we've been gone, think again. So, what do you plan to do first?" she inquired.

He chuckled quietly at her question, then looked at a building across the street. "Something I've wanted to do for twelve years." He answered simply.

After going to a crosswalk and making it to the other side of the street, he backtracked to where the building was. He stopped in front of it, looked at the sign, then smiled. It was still a bit early, but the place was open.

He walked inside and sat down at one of the stools in front of a long wooden bench. He looked at the man behind the bench, who was putting a few things away, and signaled for him. The man started walking to him when Kit spoke up again.

"You waited twelve years…to drink?" she asked incredulously.

The bartender stopped in front of Timothy and gaze him a curious look. The Lieutenant held up two fingers and grinned.

"I'll have a shot of Jack and a shot of Jameson." He ordered.

The man nodded and went to grab the drinks.

"No, I've waited twelve years to taste 'real' liquor again. I'm tired of nothing but that damn sake." He clarified.

A moment later, the man returned and set down two small glasses filled with the appropriate dark liquids. "That's six-hundred yen." The bartender said.

Timothy placed a one-thousand yen bill on the bench, where the man took it and went to the register to bring back his change. Timothy took a whiff of his first drink and sighed in relaxation and remembrance before downing the glass in one gulp.

He closed his eyes and moaned in happiness as the pungent liquid ran down his throat. "Ah, I've forgotten how good that tasted." He stated as the bartender returned with his change.

Timothy took the money from the man and pocketed it before turning to his second drink. He took his time with this one, taking very shallow sips and sighing with each one.

"I may not have been much of a drinker when we were alive, but I did miss that taste." He told her.

He could hear her chuckling inside his head. "I'm sure. That poor girl Hinata has no idea what she's got herself into; challenging you to drink with her." He joked.

He chuckled at her comment. "Well, she'll learn her lesson the hard way I guess. I'm definitely gonna get a couple bottles to take back with me to the soul society." He stated firmly.

"At least you wouldn't have to worry about anyone taking them; they wouldn't be able to handle it." She finished in a laugh.

He quietly snorted, then finished the rest of his drink. "Nope."

He waved at the bartender, then left the building to continue looking around. He came back to the crosswalk from before and waited, then saw another store that really interested him.

"A steak house?! Oh yes!" he thought in glee as he strutted through the crossing with purpose.

Urahara Shop, 1 Hour Later

Kisuke sat outside his 'humble' shop on the porch next to the door; one arm resting in his lap and the other hand lightly fanning himself. He let out a long yawn as the quiet, and 'customer less' day dragged on; while waiting for Timothy to return.

The quiet was broken when an audible rip tore the air in front of the shop open. The opening widened slowly to reveal three figures standing inside the dark abyss. As the hole came to its widest, the three men stepped out of it, allowing it to close behind them and leave them standing in the empty lot in front of the store.

The man in the center with emerald eyes looked at the wooden building, then up at the large sign posted above it that read 'Urahara Shop'. He stared at the sign for a moment before returning his gaze to the door.

"It would seem that we are in the right place." He stated in an emotionless voice.

Kisuke immediately perked up and smiled widely as he waved his fan at the newcomers. "Well well, good day to you, my friends!" he greeted cheerfully, gaining their attention. "Welcome to my humble shop! Are you per chance customers?! We have a sweet deal going on, twenty percent off any purchase! Doesn't that sound great?!" he stated with glee.

The middle man's expression didn't change. "We have not come here to listen to your pervasive words, Kisuke Urahara. We are here for the woman." He informed, keeping his cold voice level.

Urahara held his fan to cover his mouth with raised brows. "Oh? I'm sorry, but Yoruichi is not here at the moment. She should return later, if you wish to wait for her." He offered.

"We did not come here for your feline friend either; we are here for the Arrancar you have under your care. Hand her over to us, and we will not have to resort to conflict." The cold man informed.

Kisuke narrowed his gaze a bit. "Oh? So, you must be friends of hers, am I right? So, who might you be, if I may ask?" the owner inquired.

"I am Ulquiorra Cifer, the Cuatro Espada. Now, hand over the woman. I shall not ask again." The Espada threatened.

Urahara didn't so much as move a muscle. "Is that so? Well then, by all means, go ahead and take her…" he paused and pulled his fan down, revealing his wide grin. "…if you can." He finished in a suggestive tone.

The man on the right with blue hair scoffed. "So, you wanna fight then? And here I was all depressed that this would go over too smoothly." He stated with a wide smile. "If you wanna fight, I would be so happy to do so." He added as his hand rested on his zanpakutō.

The man on the left, a very large and muscular one, laughed. "Yeah! I'm ready to cut you to pieces; so, bring it on!" he yelled as he took a step forward.

Ulquiorra held an arm out, stopping him. "Don't be rash, Yammy. Are you honestly so dense that you cannot sense the barrier he has around his shop? You do not possess the power to break it; and since it is Kisuke Urahara we are dealing with, he has more than likely placed a counter measure against high powered attacks." He cautioned.

Kisuke hummed contently. "So, you saw right through my trap, did you? Like I said, you can try to take her, 'if' you can get to her."

The owner's smile fell a bit when Ulquiorra's mouth raised just a hair to hint at a smirk. "Did you believe that Lord Aizen had not anticipated such an action from you? In fact, he informed us that you would likely use something like this to protect the woman." He informed, then pulled one of his hands out of his pockets, holding it out to the owner.

He opened his hand to show that he was holding a small device. "He had also given us a way to overcome your barrier." He stated, then pressed a tiny button on the device.

It instantly emitted a loud and powerful pulse of spiritual pressure directly at the shop. The air around it suddenly started to distort, waving like heat rising from the ground as an orange square shape that enclosed the entire building started to appear.

Kisuke's eyes widened as he saw cracks start to form of the barrier wall, spreading more and more; until after only a few moments, the entire shell shattered. The pulsing died away as Ulquiorra pocketed the device and began to walk forward, the two others in tow.

The shop owner dropped his head with a heavy sigh. "And here I was hoping for a quiet and relaxing day." He stated as he stood up, cane in hand.

Grasping the lower part of the wooden stick, he pulled his hands apart to reveal a thin blade hidden inside the bottom of the cane. Tossing the, now empty, part of the cane to the side and holding the weapon in his right hand, he held it out towards them with a serious glare.

"Awaken, Benihime."

Karakura Town City Center, 2 Minutes Earlier

Timothy was in one of the shops looking through books and mentally talking with Kitsune about the many changes they have seen so far, when he suddenly felt a massive burst of spiritual pressure coming from the direction the shop was in.

'Shit! Time to go!' he mentally stated as he quickly bolted out the door and started running towards the shop, looking for a place to use his mod soul dispenser.

He noticed that he was coming up to an alley and decided that would be the best place to change out. He darted into the small opening between buildings and pulled the dispenser out of his pocket.

"Let's see how this works." He mumbled.

He pressed his thumb on the top of the device, popping out a small green pill into his hand. He looked at it for a split second before tossing it into his mouth and swallowing it. When the pill went down his throat, his soul form was instantly pushed out of the faux body.

The body turned around and looked at him with an odd face, as if it was waiting for something. Timothy rose a brow at it.

"Uh, I guess go somewhere you won't get hurt or killed?" He tried.

The soul nodded at him. "Got it." It answered, then quickly ran off. Timothy started scratching his head in confusion.

"Well that's something you don't see every day." He commented.

"Tim! Quit screwing around and get back to the shop!" Kitsune yelled.

He snapped back to his senses and immediately flashed away. He flashed from rooftop to rooftop as fast as he could manage with the limited training he had so far in shunpo; but after a short time, he could finally see the shop ahead.

He flashed into place to see Kisuke with his zanpakutō released and Ichigo standing to next him with his hand on Zangetsu's hilt. He turned to see three men clothed it white garments, zanpakutōs on their hips; and from what he could tell, bone like features of different styles on their faces.

The three men had stopped walking when Timothy arrived, and the one on the right with blue hair turned to the one in the middle.

"Hey, ain't this the guy that Lord Aizen told us about with those funny fire things, Ulquiorra?" the blue haired man asked.

"That is correct, Grimmjow. This is the companion of Lord Aizen's failed subject, Timothy Durn." Ulquiorra confirmed.

Timothy flinched in anger while Ichigo looked at him with confusion. "What the hell is he talking about?" he inquired.

The Lieutenant glanced at the teen. "Not your concern, Ichigo. Just let it go." he asked him calmly.

Ichigo simply shrugged a shoulder, then turned back to the men in front. Holding his zanpakutō to his side, Kisuke opened his fan and waved air at himself with a grin.

"Well, it seems the party is all here. Ichigo, why don't you take the one on the right; and Tim, how about you take on the big guy? I'll stay here and keep our calm looking fellow here entertained." The owner instructed cheekily.

Timothy nodded and turned to his assigned target. "Let's go somewhere where we won't cause a lot of racket." He stated, then flashed away.

Yammy scoffed and turned to Ulquiorra; who looked at the large Espada for second, then back front with closed eyes.

"Finish him quickly, Yammy; then return here." He ordered.

The large man smiled, then disappeared through sonído. Grimmjow and Ichigo stared each other down for a moment before the blue haired man grinned.

"Looks like I'm gonna have a good fight today!" he stated in a pleased manner.

The next assigned pair then sped off to their own fighting area using their respective methods; leaving the humble shop owner and the Cuatro Espada alone in the empty lot. The two men stared at each other silently; one grinning, the other with no emotion.

"Are you not going to attack, Kisuke Urahara?" the cold man asked.

The owner hummed at the inquiry. "Not unless I have to. To be frank, I was still hoping you would consider leaving." He admitted.

"You should know that is not possible. We have come here to remove that woman from existence. If you had truly wished for us to leave without any confrontation, you would have allowed us to eliminate her. Yet you still insist on protecting her. What is she to you? Are you not enemies with the Arrancar?" Ulquiorra questioned.

"Oh? So, you would expect me to turn a blind eye to a lovely woman such as her? That is such a cold thing to say, mister Espada." Kisuke taunted.

"I am well aware of your antics towards the opposite sex, Kisuke Urahara. However, you have not answered my question. Why are you defending someone who you consider an enemy?" the Cuatro pressed harder.

"Does it matter? She simply needed some help, and I'm not a kind of person to turn others down. But my offer still stands; you're more than welcome to take her, if you are still alive to do so." Kisuke warned.

"Your threat has no meaning to me, nor does it have any merit. Since you persist in defending her, then I must remove you with force." Ulquiorra finished as he drew his zanpakutō.

Kisuke placed a hand on the top of his hat and lowered his head. "Well, it was worth a try. Perhaps we should find our own place to handle this; I'd rather not damage my own store."

"I am afraid I must agree with you; I would rather not be drawn into a confrontation with both you, and your companion inside." The Espada said, then vanished along with Kisuke.

Above the Shop

They both reappeared high in the skies above Urahara's shop with the owner slashing down on top of the Espada. Ulquiorra kept an unchanged face as he blocked the attack; his other hand still in his pocket.

"So, you intend to fight me with only one hand, do you?" Urahara asked in a cheerful manner.

"I am well aware of your strength, Urahara. It is for that reason that I do not intend to engage you fully on my own; I intend to simply keep you occupied until my own companions return after defeating your friends." The Cuatro clarified as he pushed Kisuke back with a thrust of his blade.

The owner fell back a bit, landing on his feet. "Is that right? You sound awfully confident that Ichigo and Tim will lose."

"Merely stating a fact." Ulquiorra stated as he pointed a finger at Kisuke. "Cero."

After the words left his mouth, a large beam of green energy shot from Ulquiorra's finger at a high speed towards Urahara.

"Scream, Benihime!" he yelled as he swung out at the attack, sending a red blast of energy from the blade.

The two attacks collided, canceling each other out in a large explosion between them. Kisuke watched as the dust blew away, but his eyes widened as the Espada appeared behind him with his finger pointed at his back. Kisuke tried to turn to face him, but he knew he too late.

"Cero." Ulquiorra called again, sending another green beam of energy right into the man's back.

The beam went right through the man's upper back, exiting out his sternum, before he began to fall towards the ground.

"An afterimage." The Espada calmly stated as he watched the man continue to fall, but then suddenly vanish; his charred hat flying off towards the ground.

"Whew, I'm sure glad Yoruichi taught me a few of her moves. It took years to get her to teach me that one. She's not too keen on giving away her secrets. Too bad my poor hat had to pay the price for it." A voice sounded off behind the cold man.

Kisuke was now a few yards behind him; unharmed and now hatless. Ulquiorra didn't so much as move a muscle to face him, keeping his back to him.

"If you believe that one of Yoruichi Shihōin's flash step techniques will save you when my companions arrive, you are surely mistaken, Kisuke Urahara." Ulquiorra informs him.

"Oh please, you misled me. Didn't you say that you were not intending to fight me all out?" Urahara said with a grin.

The Cuatro turned slightly to glance at him. "You misunderstood, Kisuke Urahara. I stated that I would not fully engage you, not that I would go easy on you. I would advise you take better care to not underestimate me; I do not fall for the same tricks twice."

Urahara kept his calm smile as he replied. "Is that so? Well then, I guess I better put more effort into this then."

Ulquiorra turned to face the man fully as he held his sword to his side. The two men stare each other down for what felt like hours, before Kisuke finally flashed forward at the cold Espada to strike.

With Timothy and Yammy, 5 Minutes Earlier

Timothy glared sternly at his large opponent, sizing him up and deciding on the best way to handle him.

"You're a pretty big guy, no offence. So, might I ask who you are?" Timothy inquired.

The man widely grinned at him. "My name's Yammy. I'm the Diez Espada. And you're that guy with the floating flame things, right?"

Timothy lightly scoffed at the man's vague description of Kitsune's abilities. "Yeah, I'm 'that guy'. The name's Timothy Durn, Lieutenant of Squad 7." He corrected.

Yammy grinned more at his introduction. "That's great. Lord Aizen told us about you; said you might be a challenge. I'm looking forward to it." He stated as he continued to stand there, not drawing his weapon.

Timothy watched him and waited, but then rose a brow in confusion. "You not gonna draw your zanpakutō?" he inquired.

"Hah! I don't need to draw my zanpakutō to fight you! I can take you on with my fists!" he claimed as he got into a stance.

The Lieutenant narrowed his gaze. 'What's he getting at?' he wondered.

"Tim, you really need to be careful with this guy. His spiritual pressure is ridiculous, and you're not at your max yet. I strongly suggest you finish this quickly." Kit warned.

"I know, I can feel it. His spiritual pressure is way higher than mine. But he's a big guy, so chances are he's really strong, but slow. Your abilities should be perfect against him." He observed.

"Even so, you should be cautious when you attack him. I suggest you avoid using too many higher level kidōs on him. Also, don't spawn too many flames at once, as you'll have to use your spirit energy to keep them lit. If you have too many lit at once, it'll tire you out quickly."

"Yeah, I'd have to agree on that one." He concluded, then held his zanpakutō out in front of him.

"Tease, Moeru Kitsune." He called out.

Yammy watched with amusement as his opponent's zanpakutō start to change its shape and multiple flames start to appear around their battle field. He looked at a few of the closer ones for a few seconds, then returned to him.

"Bringing them out already, huh? I'll squash them just like I'm about to do to you; like a bug!" Yammy taunted.

Timothy smiled at him. "If you can catch me that is." He sent back, then vanished.

The Diez turned around quickly as he raised his arm, blocking Timothy's blade as he swung across at his back. The younger man's eyes widened a bit at seeing the large man's skin take the hit without a scratch.

"Lord Aizen told us you had a habit of coming at your opponents from behind! Too easy!" the Espada said as he threw a punch at the man's chest.

Timothy managed to react in time by moving his zanpakutō around in order to block the large fist. The impact on the side of his blade had enough force to send Timothy flying back several yards; but he managed to land back on his feet.

His sword hand was throbbing so bad from having to absorb so much power behind the man's punch, that he had to release his grip on his sword and shake the pain away.

'Damn! This guy is solid as a fucking rock! And my attack didn't even cut his damn uniform, let alone his arm!' he mentally fretted.

"Tim, don't get into a boxing match with this guy! Even 'I' felt that one!" Kit stated in panic.

"No fucking shit, dummy! You think I haven't noticed that yet?!" he yelled back.

He was broken from his inward argument by Yammy using sonído to appear right in from of him with his fist held back to swing down on him. Quickly dodging and rolling to the right, he found that he was now in a position where he was unable to use his flames.

'Gotta find a way to get him…' he thought.

Yammy turned to him in annoyance. "Hey! Quit rolling around, you damn bug!" he yelled as he stepped forward and threw another punch.

Timothy darted forward and rolled between the man's legs. Yammy followed his movement as he looked down to his legs, then turned around to face the man with a scowl.

"I said, knock it off!" he yelled again as he tried to swat him away with an open palm.

Fortunately, one of Timothy's flames were near where he stopped, so he used it to transport over to the Espada's left, several feet away. The large man turned to him and Timothy could clearly see that he was highly annoyed.

"Hey! What the hell you doing over there?! Quit your damn running away and fight!" Yammy demanded angrily.

Timothy stood his ground as he watched the man throw a tantrum. "He seems to get pissed off exceedingly easy." He mentally observed to Kit.

"This could work to your advantage, just like when we both fought the Captain. You thinking of the same play?" she asked with a suggestive voice.

He grinned at her words as he remembered how mad Captain Komamura had gotten when he used his abilities on him the first time. The guy in front of him obviously had a far worse temper, so his psychological attacks would be absolutely perfect against him.

"Oh yeah! Ready for some entertainment?" he asked.

Her cackling in his head clearly answered the question for him, so he decided to put the plan into effect. He stood up straight as he lowered his zanpakutō to his side and dropped his face to one of mock sadness.

"I ain't running, you stupid oaf; you're just too damn stupid to keep up with me." He taunted.

The veins in Yammy's forehead began twitching as his face started to turn red. "What the hell did you say to me, you damn insect?!" he yelled with a fist raised.

Timothy inwardly smiled. "You heard me; or are you stupid 'and' hard of hearing? Seriously, did Kisuke 'have' to pick 'you' as my opponent? I'd have a harder time fighting a fucking mouse." He mocked.

Although he couldn't see her, he 'knew' that Kitsune was rolling on the ground laughing her ass off in his inner world. Yammy yelled out in fury as he thrusted his fist forward, surprising Timothy with a sudden, and ridiculously fast red burst of energy.

'Oh shit!'

He didn't have enough time to react as the energy burst hit him in the chest, sending him flying back through the air in pain.

"Hah! That'll teach ya!" Yammy yelled as Timothy's body flew through the air.

Landing on his back, then rolling back onto his feet, Timothy clutched his chest with a hiss. He looked down to see he had a large scorch mark on his skin with some of the front part of his kosode burned off.

"Tim! You ok?!" Kit yelled in worry.

He hissed again, then looked back at the Espada. "I'm fine…for now. What…the hell was that? It was so damn fast." He said as he straightened up and flashed back to where he was.

"What the hell was that?" he asked the large man.

Yammy grinned widely at him. "That? That was a Bala. It's a projectile cero that's several times faster than a normal cero." He enlightened.

Timothy scoffed. 'Great…now I gotta worry about that little surprise. I guess it's time to pick this up a notch.' He thought, then vanished.

With Ichigo and Grimmjow, 5 Minutes Earlier

Ichigo flashed into being a good distance from the others, Grimmjow buzzing into place immediately afterward. The substitute was already in his combat stance with Zangetsu drawn, while his opponent stood in front of him in a calm manner; hands in his pockets.

Giving the man a deep scowl, Ichigo looked his opponent over closely. The man had blue ruffled hair with a bone like structure over the right side of his jaw. He was staring at him with arrogant eyes that told the teen that the man was likely not going to take him seriously.

"So, who the hell are you?" Ichigo asked in annoyance.

The man kept his stern look as he answered. "The name's Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, I'm Espada number six. And who are you?" he returned.

Ichigo also kept his stare at his opponent. "Ichigo Kurosaki, substitute soul reaper."

Grimmjow rose a brow. "Substitute? Does that mean you're not a 'real' soul reaper?" he mocked.

The teen scoffed in annoyance. "What the hell does that matter?" he shot back.

The Espada grinned. "If you can fight good enough, it doesn't matter. So how about we end the small talk and get on with this?" he said as he drew his zanpakutō.

Ichigo smiled at his 'request'. "Fine by me." He answered and charged at his opponent.

The substitute swung across at the man's chest, but his opponent was suddenly now right behind the teen delivering at roundhouse kick to his back; sending him forward with the force. Ichigo recovered quickly and turned just in time to block a punch with the side of Zangetsu.

Ichigo was wide eyed at the Espada's impressive speed. 'What the?!' he thought as he pushed his blade against the man's fist.

He grabbed his zanpakutō with both hands and swung with force to catch him across his chest. But with the buzz of a sonído, Grimmjow was now to the young substitute's side, his fist thrusting forward.

The punch contacted the teen's shoulder, and with a brief gasp of pain, was sent flying across the sky several feet away. Grimmjow was on him again in an instant with another punch ready to be delivered.

"Heh, is that all you got?" the Espada asked calmly as his fist struck the man in the gut.

A mixture of saliva and blood shot from Ichigo's mouth as he doubled over from the force of the impact. His body was yet again sent flying as Grimmjow straightened himself and returned his hands to his pockets.

Ichigo finally came to a stop a hundred feet away and gasping for breath as his body slowly recovered from the heavy blow. Grimmjow stared at the teen with a skeptical and disappointed look.

"Come on, is that really the best you got? I'm going easy on you kid, so that way you can release your bankai. I'd hate to beat you down without seeing what you're really capable of; so quit messing around and release already. I ain't got all day you know." The blue haired man stated with annoyance.

The teen finally recovered from the earlier attack and glared at the Espada. 'What the hell is this guy?! I can't believe he's so fast! I guess I got no choice.' He pondered in his head.

"Fine, but you asked for it." He scowled at the man.

Grimmjow grinned as he watched the substitute held his zanpakutō extended out in front of him and placed his off hand on top of his wrist. The white fabric that extended from the bottom of the hilt became longer and wrapped itself around the teen's sword arm tightly as his spiritual pressure began rising at a fast pace.

"Bankai!" Ichigo called out.

A torrent of mass spirit energy immediately surrounded the younger man, obscuring him from the Espada's view. The blue haired man waited patiently as the torrent continued for a few moments.

He grinned more when the torrent vanished to reveal his opponent charging at him with incredible speed. The teen swung out with both hands as Grimmjow quickly held up a hand. The Espada caught the blade in his hand and very briefly glanced at the substitutes new weapon.

It looked just like a regular katana, albeit a little bit longer and slimmer. The entire weapon was solid black with the guard looking like a cross with the ends bent ninety degrees. Off the end of the hilt hung a one-and-a-half-foot black chain that swung freely with the sword's movements.

"Heh, very impressive. Now we can start the fun!" Grimmjow stated and swung his leg out to catch the soul reaper in his side.

Ichigo jumped up, pulling the blade from the Espada's grip, and attempted to swing across the top of his opponent's shoulders. Grimmjow held up his forearm, letting the blade make contact and effectively halting the attack.

The teen's eyes widened yet again at seeing his attack, his released attack, being held back by the man's arm.

'What the hell?!' he mentally fretted.

The Espada used his opponent's shock the grab the blade with his other hand. Pulling his arm over his shoulder, he pulled Ichigo, who was holding onto his weapon with a firm grip, over top of him and threw him out to the distance.

Grimmjow buzzed after the flying teen to stop in front of his direction of travel. Bringing his leg up, he delivered a solid roundhouse kick to Ichigo's back, sending back to opposite way with an audible gasp from the teen.

The man stood straight as he watched the teen's body fly off. "Damn, kid, at least 'try' to put up a fight." He said with a hint of boredom in his voice.

Ichigo flipped his body around and managed to come to a stop several yards away. A small trail of blood ran down the side of his mouth, so he brought his hand up and wiped it away with the back of it.

"Shut the hell up!" he shot back.

Grimmjow simply stared at him, clearly not convinced of the teen's threatening tone. "Is that really the best you've got? Come on, kid. After what Aizen told us about your little rescue trip in the soul society, I thought you would at 'least' give me a little bit of a challenge. I haven't even drawn my zanpakutō, and you can't even lay a single scratch on me. Talk about pathetic."

Ichigo flinched and growled in anger. "What did you say?!" he seethed.

"Do I really need to repeat it? It should be plainly obvious to you that, compared to me, you're weak." The Espada pointed out.

"Why you…!" the teen started. He held Zangetsu above his head, gathering a large amount of his spirit energy into the blade. "Getsuga Tenshou!" he yelled as he swung down and across, sending a compressed wave of energy at the Espada.

Grimmjow smiled, then held up his hand towards the incoming attack with his fingers opened halfway. A ball of raw blue energy gathered in the palm of his outstretched hand as the teen's attack closed in.

"Cero." He said with confidence.

With a low hum, the mass of energy in his hand shot out in a beam towards Ichigo's attack. The two forces of energy collided, obscuring Ichigo's view. His body instantly tensed, and his eyes widened when the Espada's blue cero got past his Getsuga and was barreling straight at him.

'Crap!' he thought as the hollow attack came close to him.

Because of his surprise, and the short amount of time to react, the cero impacted the teen; sending him straight down to the ground. He landed with a powerful crash, creating a small crater around his body.

Luckily, Ichigo had had just enough time to bring Zangetsu up to take up most of the force of the attack; but it still left him in a pretty rough shape. His clothes were singed, and most of the left sleeve of his overcoat was now missing.

Ichigo pulled himself back up to his feet with heavy breathing before he looked up to see Grimmjow now standing right above him, only about a hundred feet off the ground. He had a very disappointed look on his face; his hands back in his pockets again.

"You bastard!" the teen growled as he got ready to attack again.

The Espada scoffed at him. "Give it up, kid. I'll admit you've got some pretty good reflexes, and your speed ain't half bad; but you've got no chance against me. This was all just a waste of my time. I'm cutting you a break here kid, so take this opportunity to leave with your life. If you keep this up, I might have to end up killing you." He stated sternly.

Ichigo gritted his teeth. "Shut up!" he shot back, then held Zangetsu with both hands, now to his side. "Getsuga Tenshou!" he yelled, now swinging up across his chest.

Grimmjow's eyes widened at the teen's attack, because this time, instead of the blue colored wave, the burst of energy was deep black and was much stronger than before. He quickly charged another cero and shot it at the wave.

But the wave had already gotten too close, resulting in the Espada getting caught in the blast of his own attack. As he was pushed back from his cero, he slightly gasped to see the black Getsuga still coming at him. He held up both arms to shield his face as the wave of energy collided with his body.

Ichigo watched as the attack struck the man, creating a lightshow of spirit energy in the afternoon sky. Once the energy dissipated, his eyes widened to see Grimmjow still standing with his arms over his face.

The man's white clothes were scorched a bit with soot marks in random places. The man's body was slightly burned from the attack and he could see a long, light red line across his arms were the attack had impacted.

Grimmjow started to chuckle, then it slowly evolved into a light laugh as he dropped his arms to his sides. The man's face had a look of surprise and impression.

"Well now, that's a new one! I didn't expect that! Maybe I misjudged you! You just might prove to be worth my time after all!" the Espada yelled in excitement.

He then charged down towards the ground right at the teen, who was still standing in the crater made by his body. Ichigo jumped into the air towards his opponent as he held Zangetsu with both hands at his side.

Grimmjow threw a fist out at Ichigo as the teen swung his zanpakutō. Blade and fist made contact, the force of the impact creating a large shockwave that shattered some of the windows on nearby structures.

The two forces rebounded with Grimmjow using this moment to throw his other fist at Ichigo's exposed face. His head was thrown to the side as his body twisted around. The Espada swung a leg around, catching the teen in the side.

Another expenditure of blood and saliva resulted from the substitutes mouth as his body was once again thrown back down to the ground; landing in the same crater his body had made previously.

The blue haired man was quick to follow as he charged in from the sky with his fist held back to deliver a hefty blow on the teen. Ichigo managed to recover quickly enough to stand back up and jump back away from the hole he made; Grimmjow's fist colliding with the ground where the substitute was just a split second ago.

He landed on his feet in a combat stance as the dust made from Grimmjow's attack started to clear. He could hear the crunching sound of footsteps as the Espada came walking into view on the edge of the crater. His face of disappointment had returned, with a slight grin still present.

"Are you done already? Come on, hit me with another one of your black wave attacks." He calmly demanded as he continued to walk towards the teen.

World of the Living, Urahara Shop, Present

Nelliel and Tessai anxiously remained inside the shop sitting at the back of the dining room table; Nelliel sitting with her hands in her lap clutched together, while Tessai sat upright, head lowered, and his hands intertwined in a unique posture.

The instant that Ulquiorra had used his device to destroy the barrier surrounding the shop, Tessai had immediately grabbed Nel and took her to the main room. Upon sitting down, he uttered a long enchantment that she could barely catch and erected the strongest barrier he could manage around the two of them.

Nelliel knew the moment that the garganta had opened outside and felt the familiar spiritual pressures of the Cuatro, Sexta, and Diez Espadas, that they were coming for her; more than likely to kill her.

She knew that it wouldn't be long before she was found, especially if Aizen really wanted her disposed of. Her thoughts were filled mixed emotions; ranging from fear, worry, and anger. But the one that she was filled the most with was confusion.

She was an Arrancar, and a former Espada; an enemy of the soul society. Yet, here they were; Urahara, the young teen, and the blonde Lieutenant, even the large man next to her; all of them fighting their hardest to 'protect' her. To keep her out of harm's way.

Sure, the Lieutenant had stated he would do everything he could to protect her and keep her hidden, but she was still technically a prisoner. She had information that they would want, and they would try to keep her safe, so they could acquire that information.

But she could sense that was not all; she could sense that they genuinely wanted to keep her safe. Like they cared for her wellbeing. She had never once even considered the possibility that the soul reapers would do something like that for an enemy.

Even behind Tessai's strong barrier, she could feel the three separate sets of spiritual pressures flaring to great proportions.

The shop keeper was somewhere overhead fighting Ulquiorra; the orange haired teen was off to the west facing Grimmjow, and she could tell that the teen was not doing well; and the Lieutenant that she had saved, was far to the north against Yammy, who also seemed to be having a hard time.

She clenched her hands tighter as the battles continued on outside. For some reason, she had the urge inside her that told her she needed to go help them; to help her 'captors'. But more than that, she felt that she needed to help the man she saved the day before.

She didn't know why, but she somehow felt like she needed…wanted to go protect him. She couldn't understand why she felt like this, like the man's life was somehow important to her. She only saw the man twice, talked to him once; but she still felt this way.

These odd feelings kept pulling on her mind, telling her to join the fight; but she knew she needed to remain there and stay hidden. But the longer she sat there, the more the feeling tugged on her resolve.

A sudden, and strong burst of spiritual pressure coming from the direction of where the Lieutenant was fighting finally crumbled the last bit of resistance she had.

She swiftly stood up and turned to Tessai. "I'm going, let me out." She instructed.

The man answered her with any movement. "I'm afraid I can't allow that, miss Nelliel. Your life is in danger at the moment, and it is my job to protect you." He informed her sternly.

She turned her head away and lowered it. "I do not care. They need help out there, and we can give that to them." She insisted.

Tessai looked at her with understanding. "I'm aware of that; but the boss said you are to remain here and out of their reach. Now please, sit back down, miss Nelliel." He politely asked.

She turned around to him fully. "I will not sit here while others are fighting to keep me safe. I may be an Arrancar, but I do have my morals."

The man kept an even face as he answered. "I can understand that, and I do respect it as well. However, you 'must' remain here until the boss returns."

Nel narrowed her gaze at him to a look of seriousness. "And you believe that he is a match for Ulquiorra? I can feel that mister Urahara is powerful, but if Ulquiorra decides to fight seriously, he will kill him in a matter of seconds." She stated firmly.

Tessai actually began to sweat a bit at her warning, as he could also tell that Urahara was not fighting an easy opponent. He could feel that, although neither Kisuke, nor his opponent were taking their fight seriously at the moment, the person the boss was fighting was obviously very dangerous.

"I am sorry, but I cannot allow you to leave, miss Nelliel." He finally stated in a serious tone.

Nel deeply sighed as her shoulders dropped. "Then I am sorry for this." She said sadly.

She raised her hand up, her index and middle fingers pointed right at the large man, and charged a pink cero at the tip of her fingers. Tessai raised both of his brows in shock at her as she kept the fully charged cero, ready to fire, pointed at his chest.

"I honestly don't want to do this, mister Tessai, and I really hope that you'll forgive me, but I will not stay here. I am going to go help them, and you will not stop me." She informed with regret in her voice.

Tessai remained as calm as he could while still maintaining his barrier. "Miss Nelliel, surely you realize that, even 'if' you kill me here, my barrier will not fade in time for the blast of your cero to escape. At such a close proximity, the blast will surely kill you in your current condition." The man advised.

She closed her eyes with a sigh. "That is true, I will receive quite a bit of damage in the blast. But that does not guarantee that it will kill me. The thing is, mister Tessai, that unless we step in and assist them, all three of them will die. And when that happens, do you think you will be able to fight all three of them at once? You and I both know the answer to that. So, these are the choices you have; we can sit here and wait for them to die, then die ourselves; or, we can go help them and increase our chances of living. As I said, I really don't want to use this to get out of here; but I will if I must."

She opened her eyes and he could plainly see that she meant every word. "I am not afraid of death, mister Tessai; but I am afraid of dying knowing I could have done something to prevent it." She stated calmly, still holding the cero at the end of her fingers.

Sweat began to drip down the man's forehead as he considered his predicament. In her condition, she wouldn't be able to kill him, nor cause him catastrophic damage; but it would be enough to break his concentration enough to cause the barrier to fail and allow her to leave; 'if' the blast didn't outright kill her.

"Let her go, Tessai." A deep feminine voice instructed.

Both of them turned to the voice to see a tan skinned woman with long hair that was a light black, giving off a dark purple sheen, tied into a single tail. She was standing in the doorway to the main shop area with her arms crossed and a stern gaze.

"Lady Yoruichi!" Tessai greeted in surprise.

A slight chill shot up Nel's back when the woman's golden eyes turned to her. "What she says is true; we need to go help Kisuke and the others." She said, then returned to Tessai. "You go help Kisuke, I'll give Ichigo a hand, and you…" she paused to look back at Nel. "…you can go help the other soul reaper. But I would strongly suggest you not try anything. Kisuke might trust you, but I don't." she finished with a serious stare.

Nel nodded. "Mister Urahara is fighting the Cuatro Espada, do 'not' take his calm demeaner lightly. The orange haired soul reaper is fighting Grimmjow, who has a bit of lust for combat." She briefly informed as Tessai dropped his barrier and stood while Nel dissipated her cero and dropped her hand.

Yoruichi nodded. "Thanks for the info. Now let's get to it." She concluded, then turned around and left the store; the other two right behind.

With Urahara and Ulquiorra, 3 Minutes Earlier

A loud screeching sound resonated through the air as an intense red wave of energy shot forth at the Cuatro Espada. Ulquiorra swung his off hand at the attack, swatting it away to his side. Kisuke was immediately in front of the green-eyed man with his zanpakutō held across his chest to swing at his head.

The Espada held his own blade up and caught the attack as he brought his other hand back to the owner's chest, charging another one of his green ceros.

"Cero." He said in his cold voice.

The green beam of energy shot out from his fingers, but Urahara was gone the brief instant before the attack reached him; now standing behind the Espada to strike again.

"Scream Benihime!" he yelled, sending another of his zanpakutō's red energy waves at the man.

Ulquiorra sonídoed out of the attack's path and reappeared right below Kisuke's feet; swinging out at him. Rotating his body forward, Urahara met the Espada's blade with his own. A calm and content face met a cold and hardened one as the two combatants stared each other off.

"You are a skilled warrior, Kisuke Urahara. You are not the incompetent individual you lead others to believe." Ulquiorra stated in his usual tone.

Urahara pushed back against his opponent's blade, forcing the two to separate a few yards. The two men returned to their feet with Ulquiorra holding a solid and straight stance while Kisuke maintained his ready stance.

"Why thank you, I'll take that as a complement. I'm afraid I'd have to say the same about you, mister Espada." He returned with a grin.

"It is pointless to maintain your façade any longer with me, Kisuke Urahara. Lord Aizen has made us well aware of your skills and abilities, and I can assure you that they will not save you from me." The Espada coldly informed.

The humble shop owner grinned more. "Oh? Then perhaps you would be so kind as to show me then." He half taunted.

Ulquiorra did not buy it. "I have no intention of releasing my powers here. Such an action would only prove to be counterproductive to Lord Aizen's intentions."

"Is that so? So, you're saying you can defeat me in your current form?" the owner tried again at a taunt.

"Don't be foolish. Even I will admit that I cannot defeat you while in this state. However, do not be fooled to believe that you can defeat me easily. As I had said, my intention is merely to keep you occupied until my companions have finished your friends. Once they have succeeded, we will destroy you, and kill the woman." The green-eyed man concluded.

As soon as he had finished speaking, Ulquiorra was gone with a buzz of sonído. Kisuke quickly turned while holding his zanpakutō sideways in front of him.

"Cry Benihime!"

Ulquiorra's swinging blade stopped when it struck a one meter wide, two-meter-tall red barrier floating right in front of his target. The man pulled back his blade as he looked at the barrier, only to see the barrier fading with Kisuke holding his half open palm towards him. The Espada's eyes very slightly widened when he noticed that the man already had a ball of yellow energy charged in his hand.

"Hadō #63, Raikōhō." Urahara chanted with a grin.

'Damn' Ulquiorra mentally cursed.

The Espada's body was instantly consumed in a large blast of electrical energy while Kisuke managed to perfectly time an escape with shunpo, appearing several feet away. He watched as the explosion dissipated to leave behind a large cloud of smoke and dust.

He knew that the blast of kidō would be nowhere near enough to defeat the Espada, but he was hoping that it would at least cause some significant damage.

His hopes were shattered when the cold being buzzed into place a few yards to his front right. The shop owner turned to see that the man had his hand close to his chest with smoke flowing from it; only covered in a light layer of soot. The rest of the man's body was completely unharmed.

"I admit, I had not expected that move from you, Kisuke Urahara. However, it will not be enough to defeat me. I have grown tired of our little confrontation, so I believe it is time that I put forth more effort in this fight." Ulquiorra stated.

Raising his zanpakutō to his off hand, the Espada slowly slid his index finger along the blade; creating a small slit in the finger and allowing blood to be drawn. He then held his hand out to the shop owner with his index finger pointing at him.

Kisuke's eyes widened when a large, dark green mass of energy with a solid black outline began to form at the tip of Ulquiorra's outstretched finger. The mass continued to steadily grow until it was almost as large as his own body.

"I would have liked to avoid using this due to its power, but sadly that is no longer an option." Ulquiorra stated. "Gran Rey…"

He stopped when a solid greenish yellow barrier suddenly formed around him, trapping him, with his still charged cero, in a diamond shaped energy prison.

"Roku-ten Daiyamondo Keimusho." A deep voice spoke.

Ulquiorra dissipated his cero and looked to see a large, broad shouldered man wearing thick glasses standing several feet to his right. He had both of his hands close to his chest with his two index and middle fingers extended and touching; pointing down in the shape of a 'V'.

"Do you believe this will contain me?" he asked the newcomer in skepticism.

"It is not meant to hold you, but to force you not to release that powerful technique that would kill many innocent humans." Tessai said, then turned to Kisuke. "My apologies boss, but certain circumstances had prevented me from continuing to protect our guest." He offered.

Kisuke smiled. "Not to worry, Tessai. I believe that I held him as long as I could without causing unfortunate losses." The owner reassured, then turned back to Ulquiorra. "Now, my Espada friend, shall we continue?"

With Ichigo and Grimmjow, 3 Minutes Earlier

A trail of dust ran down one of the streets as Ichigo's body flew by, bouncing off the ground in a roll every thirty or forty feet. His tumbling continued for almost a block and a half until his body collided with a brick wall surrounding the yard of a residence.

He let out an involuntary yell of pain as he body came to the sudden stop from the collision before dropping to the ground. Grimmjow landed on his feet a little ways down the paved street and stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"Tsk, pathetic. I can't believe I got stuck with you. I would've rather fought the guy with the stupid hat. At lease he looked like someone who could have put up a fight." Grimmjow mocked.

Ichigo was breathing heavily as he pushed to try and get back to his feet; only managing to make it to his hands and knees as he fought to catch his breath. Using Zangetsu as a crutch, he slowly pushed himself to where he could get to a single knee.

"This is fucking stupid, you can barely stand up. Face it, kid, you can't beat me. How many times do I have to kick your ass to get that into your thick skull?" Grimmjow pointed out.

As he looked back up at the Espada, the blue haired man could faintly see a black shadow beginning to obscure the teen's left eye, slowly encroaching towards his retina. He could tell that the two black wave attacks that the young man used had obviously taken a great toll on him.

But the teen's next action confused him a bit when he suddenly shook his head violently, then clutched his head with his off hand.

"Damn it! Don't…get in my way!" he growled.

Grimmjow rose a brow. "Who the hell you talking to, huh? Did getting your ass kicked around make you lose it?" he inquired.

"Shut up!" Ichigo yelled.

He dropped his hand and charge back at the Espada at a high speed. Grimmjow held out a hand and caught the teen's blade as he swung. Pulling the blade back to him a bit, he drew the younger man's face closer to his.

"Just give it up! You've lost! Are you ready that desperate to die?! I ain't got the time to waste killing you, but if you 'really' want to die…" he paused and held up a half open hand to the man's chest, charging a cero. "…I'll gladly help you out." He finished with a grin.

He was just about to end to pathetic teen's life, when his body was suddenly sent flying out to the side several feet. With a twist of his body, Grimmjow was able to slide to a stop in a crouched position with a hand on the ground.

"What the?' he wondered.

He looked back to where he was just a second ago to see a dark-skinned woman standing there and helping the teen to his feet. He then scoffed and stood straight as he placed his hand on the hilt of his zanpakutō.

"Well well, aren't you the looker. So, who might you be, pretty thing?" he asked with a wide grin.

She turned to him with a devious smirk. "You talking about me?" she asked back in a seductive tone.

Grimmjow gave her a burst of a laugh. "Who else would I be talking to? Definitely not that orange haired weakling. The name's Grimmjow, and I have to say you've got a mean kick there, lady. So, does that mean you wanna play with me next?" he teased.

Her grin grew wider as she crossed her arms. "Oh? Is that an offer, or a challenge? I can't quite tell the difference with your tone." She increased.

The Espada busted out laughing, the jaw like bone fragment moving with his mouth. "Take it however you want, I'm just hoping that wasn't the best you had to offer just now."

Yoruichi closed her eyes with a smile. "Oh, you'll find that I can be pretty entertaining. So…" she paused and opened a single eye at him. "…care to try me on for size?"

Grimmjow gave her a wide, toothy grin with eyes wide open. "Absolutely!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he was already closing the distance at high speed. He shot a fist out at her, where she simply stepped to the side. As she did, she grabbed his arm and planted a hand on his back as she tripped him.

Pushing down hard on his back as he fell forward, she planted him into the ground with a crash; creating a small imprint of his body on the ground. He quickly turned and kicked out with his leg to her side.

Holding an arm out, she blocked the kick with the force of it pushing her back a few feet. Ichigo swung down at him while he was still on the ground, but the Espada darted toward him with his elbow extended.

The attack was just about to make contact, but Yoruichi was immediately there with her hand taking the blow. The blue haired man turned to her with a wide grin as he threw out his other fist to her face.

She leaned back, letting the attack go right over her head, before doing a backwards kick to the man's chin; sending him up and back. He flipped back around and landed on his feet before dashing right back at the female opponent.

"Now that's more like it! Just like that, you damn vixen!" he yelled as he started a flurry of punches at the woman.

She smiled as she backed up, step by step, ducking and weaving her head around each and every one of his throws.

"Now this is the fight I was looking for! Come on!" he yelled further as he stopped his punches to kick out at her.

She jumped up with a half flip to land with a handstand on his outstretched leg. He flinched when her lower body twisted around to deliver a double kick to the man's face; sending him back towards Ichigo, who swung down on the man's back and sent him back to the ground.

Ichigo yelled as he recovered and sent another swing down on the man. Holding up a hand, Grimmjow caught the blade and pulled the young soul reaper down to him. As he came down, the Espada thrusted his fist up into the man's gut.

The teen gasped as more blood and spit was forced from his mouth and his body sent to the sky. Yoruichi was on Grimmjow in a flash as she grabbed the man's coat; pulling him up to her as she sent her own fist into the bottom of his jaw, sending him back into the sky.

She then disappeared with a flash step, reappearing right in front of Ichigo's direction of travel and catching him. Grimmjow recovered and sonídoed to be level with them a few yards away.

His uniform was a bit messed up and he had a few scratches on his face. He looked at the two of them with a wide and jagged smile as he chuckled.

"Well now, I never expected a pretty girl like you to be able handle me like that. I'll admit you got some good skills there, but I really hope that's not 'all' you got." He said in a teasing voice.

Yoruichi was 'not' about to back down from a challenge in the 'teasing' department. She stood straight as she planted a hand on her hip with a seductive smile.

"Oh, there's plenty more where that came from, Grimmjow. And I'm sure I could handle you all day long. 'I'm' the one that 'you' can't handle." She shot back.

Grimmjow laughed at her alluring tone. "Oh really? Care to put that to the test? What do ya say we cut the fore play and have some 'real' fun?" he suggested as he began to draw his zanpakutō.

But his blade never left the sheath as a hand planted itself on his sword wrist, preventing him from fully drawing his sword. Everyone's eyes widened as Grimmjow turned his head towards the hand's owner.

Ulquiorra was standing right behind him from out of nowhere and glaring at Yoruichi with his cold eyes.

"What do you want, Ulquiorra?" the Sexta asked in annoyance.

The Cuatro glanced at him with a turn of his eyes. "We are leaving, Grimmjow. Our mission has failed, and we must return while we are still able." He then returned the glare to the woman. "That is Yoruichi Shihōin, and you cannot possibly hope to defeat her on your own." He informed.

Grimmjow turned back to her with a smirk. "Sorry, vixen, but I guess our play date is over." He said mockingly.

She grinned at him. "Oh, that's too bad. I was actually starting to have fun there, Grimmjow. Perhaps we could have some more 'interesting' fun another time?" she said seductively.

The Sexta briefly laughed at her. "Definitely! I can't wait until we can have some 'personal' time to have some fun with each other! But for now, later vixen!" he concluded, then both Espadas vanished in sonído with Yoruichi and Ichigo right behind.

With Timothy and Yammy, 3 Minutes Earlier

"Hold still, you damn insect!" Yammy yelled as he sent another Bala at one of Timothy's clones.

The Diez Espada had lost all control of his temper after a few more of the Lieutenant's taunts while using his cloning technique. Yammy was now looking at at least a dozen individual 'Timothys' scattered around him.

"Missed me again, idiot." The officer taunted.

Yammy sent another Bala at the one that spoke, the supersonic burst of energy flying right through the image. He then grunted when Timothy's blade struck him across the back, sending him forward a step from the force.

Timothy scoffed in annoyance when his attacks were barely doing any damage at all. Since his battle with the Diez Espada started, he had landed at least a dozen hits on the large man; but less than half of them did any damage, what little they did do.

"Tim, you can't keep this up for much longer. Your image clones are taking more spirit energy than you think." Kit warned.

Yammy swung his arm around at the younger man, but missed when he flashed back away from the man a few yards.

"I know that, but no matter how hard I hit him, I just barely scratch him. And not only that, but are his Bala things getting stronger, or am I going crazy?" he asked as Yammy sent one of the said attacks at him.

Timothy used one of his flames to reappeared to the man's rear just as the attack was about to hit him.

"I've noticed that too. I can't say for certain, but that last one feels like it's two or three times as strong as the first. I don't know why, but I can say that at least the speed is unchanged for the moment. But that might change as well, so keep a watch out." She advised.

"Got it." He finished then spawned a few more of his clones.

Yammy twisted around to see his familiars and yelled out once again. "I'm getting tired of these damn fakes! Where the hell are you?!" he demanded.

"Right here, moron." Timothy answered in a low tone.

The Diez reflexively turned and sent another Bala at the copy that spoke. Once again, Timothy was right behind the Espada and about to swing down. But he froze when Yammy quickly turned back with a prepared cero in his mouth.

'Fuck!' he fretted as he abandoned his attack and hopped back as fast as he could.

It was not fast enough, as the Diez released the attack right at him. His eyes went wide as possible when he saw that there was no way he could avoid it.

'Damn it!'

"Tim!" Kit yelled in horror.

Timothy closed his eyes as he awaited the pain he was about to face. But the attack never came.

He landed on his feet and opened an eye, then both eyes were open in surprise and shock to see Nelliel standing in front of him. She had her hand outstretched and was holding the cero at bay; not appearing to be fazed by it at all.

She had a stern look on her face while Yammy had one of surprise and confusion. She then tilted her head back and opened her mouth wide. Both Lieutenant and Espada were shocked when the Diez's cero started to pour into her mouth.

Bit by bit, the red mass of energy was absorbed into her mouth, until after a few seconds it was gone. Her mouth was now closed with her cheeks puffed out as she leaned back a bit. She then lurched forward as she opened her mouth and released a far more powerful blast of pink energy right back at the large Espada.

The large mass sailed right at Yammy, who held his arms up to block the attack. The attack collided with him and exploded, creating a massive shockwave that Timothy had to brace himself against, shielding his eyes with his arm.

With a quick hop backwards, Nel was now right next to Timothy and glancing at him. "You shouldn't have made him mad. Doing so only makes him stronger, Timothy. That's his unique ability." She informed.

He growled as he looked back at the dissipating forces from the explosion. "Wish I would have known that from the get-go. So, what the hell was that just now? You just swallowed his cero and sent something much more powerful at him." He inquired.

She turned back to the explosion sight as well. "It's one of 'my' abilities. I can temporarily absorb an incoming cero, then mix it with my own and send it back at the one who sent it. It's called Cero Doble. But that won't be enough to kill him, as you're about to see." she stated.

And she was indeed right. As the smoke and dust blew away, they could now see Yammy still standing there. Pieces of his sleeves were burnt away, and his white uniform was charred in some places. His forearms were also slightly burnt, but besides that, he was relatively unharmed.

He lowered his arms they could see a look of fury and annoyance. "You damn witch! So, you've decided to make our job easier by coming to us, huh?"

She kept an emotionless face towards him. "I did not come here to die, I came here to fight. I've never had a quarrel with you Yammy, and I would prefer not to fight you; but if you won't leave, then I'll have no choice."

Yammy lowered one hand while pointing at her with the other. "Hah! Like you could fight me like that! You don't have a zanpakutō anymore!" he pointed out.

She flinched as she lowered and turned her head away. Yammy started laughing at her before Timothy took a step forward.

"She may not have her zanpakutō, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to get her. She's under 'my' protection, and you'll have to kill me first before you can ever get to her." he stated in a stern voice.

She quietly gasped and turned to him with slightly widened eyes; surprised at his words. He did tell her that he would protect her, but now he's saying that he would rather die than to let them get to her. With her aspect being loyalty, his determination and devotion was something she admired.

"You'll' protect her?! The only reason you're still standing is because she saved your ass! Seems to me like 'she's' the one doing the protecting!" Yammy pointed out.

"Don't matter. I've already failed one person in my life, and I will die before I let that happen again. If you really want her so bad, then come at me." He taunted.

"Both of us." Nel added as she stepped up next to Timothy.

He glanced at her to see a look of determination in her eyes, a look that he knew all too well. He then turned back to Yammy who now had his hand on his Zanpakutō.

"If you wanna die, then I'll be happy to help!" he concluded as he drew his zanpakutō.

Timothy and Nel got into their respective stances as Yammy dashed at them. But the Espada was suddenly clotheslined and fell onto his back. Right in front of where he landed was Ulquiorra, with Grimmjow standing next to him looking very annoyed.

Both Lieutenant and former Espada widened their eyes as the green-eyed man looked at them. They then heard multiple wisps of shunpo around an in front of them as Kisuke, Yoruichi, Ichigo, and Tessai all appeared; surrounding the two.

Yammy got back to his feet with a growl, then turned to his superior. "What the hell did you do that for?!" he yelled.

The cold man kept his stare on Nel. "We must retreat for now, Yammy. We are outnumbered, and cannot fight against Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihōin, and Tessai Tsukabishi at the same time. We have failed in our mission, so we must return." He stated calmly.

The Cuatro held a hand out to the side, and with a flick of his wrist, ripped open the sky to reveal the black abyss known as the garganta. Yammy turned to Timothy with anger.

"This ain't over, bug! I'll be back for you!" He declared, then walked into the void.

"Yeah, you be sure to wait for me, vixen." Grimmjow added with a wide grin.

Yoruichi returned the grin with a seductive one. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here for ya." She teased.

Grimmjow laughed as he walked into the portal as well, followed by Ulquiorra.

"Come back soon~" Kisuke stated with a wide smile and his 'shop keeper' tone as the dark portal snapped shut behind the three Espada.

Kisuke's face then turned serious as he turned back to his friends. "We should all head back to the shop. With those three showing up, and the nature of their mission, things just got a whole lot more complicated." He then turned to the teen. "Ichigo, it would be best if you're present as well. Also, I think you should give Orihime a call to help with our injuries." He advised further.

Ichigo nodded, then flashed away as Urahara turned to Nel. "You should be present as well, miss Nel. It would seem that you've become quite more involved in this matter." He informed her where she nodded in understanding. "We'll rest up a bit before we begin. Tim, if would be so kind as to escort miss Nel back to the shop."

Timothy nodded, then turned to her to see her nod at him before they, too, dashed away with shunpo and sonído. Yoruichi waited a few seconds before speaking up.

"How bad is it, Kisuke?" she inquired with a serious face.

The shop owner sighed as he closed his eyes. "Much worse than we thought. I would seem that Aizen has developed a way to seal a zanpakutō."

Her eyes widened. "Is that even possible?!" she asked in shock.

Kisuke opened his eyes back to her. "Miss Nel is the living proof that it is. He somehow managed to seal her zanpakutō that contains her hollow powers, then shattered it. Ever since Tim and Ichigo brought her in yesterday, I've been looking into a way to counteract this device that Aizen has made. So far, no luck. I'll have to do some research on miss Nel and her zanpakutō; possibly see if it is feasible for her to regain her connection with her hollow powers."

She rose a brow at him. "Are you sure that's wise? She's a former Espada, right?"

"She is, but I believe we can trust her, Yoruichi." Kisuke insisted.

The ex-Captain sighed heavily. "If you say we can trust her Kisuke, then I will as well." She said, then the three of them flashed away back to the shop.

Squad 1 Headquarters, Captain's Meeting Room, Seireitei, 30 Minutes Later

Sajin stood in his respective place amongst the other remaining Captains of the Court Guard Squads; for the exception of Captain Kurotsuchi and the Head Captain. Only a few minutes ago, he, along with the other Captains, had been summoned to an emergency meeting by the Head Captain.

Normally, they would be waiting outside the room until the Head Captain had arrived, but when it's an emergency meeting, they are expected to be in their places before the meeting began. That way, they could begin immediately instead of waiting for everyone to take their respective positions.

"I wonder what all the fuss is about. What do you think, Captain Hitsugaya?" Shunsui asked the smaller, white haired Captain standing next to him.

The small Captain glanced at him. "I have no idea. Whatever it is, I hope it doesn't take long." He said in annoyance.

Ukitake leaned forward a bit to look at Sajin. "Do you think it might have something to do with your Lieutenant, Sajin?" he asked with a bit of worry.

The furry Captain turned to him. "I am not sure. The last report I received from him this morning said that everything was fine at the moment."

Their conversation was interrupted when the Head Captain, followed by Mayuri, walked into the room. Yamamoto walked between the rows of Captains towards his chair at the front while Mayuri took his place next to Toshiro. Once Yamamoto got to his chair, he sat down and thumped his cane on the floor.

"Thank you all for coming so quickly. This meeting is in regards to a serious occurrence in the world of the living. Captain Kurotsuchi, deliver your report." The old man said in a deep and commanding tone.

The deranged scientist took a step forward and turned to face the Head Captain. "Of course. For those of you who are not aware, exactly forty-seven minutes ago, our sensors picked up three strong spiritual pressures. From the data we have, we have been able to determine that these three beings are Arrancar." He said informatively.

Everyone's eyes immediately turned to him widened. "Arrancar?" Toshiro asked, not having heard the term before.

Mayuri looked at him. "Yes, they are hollows that have purposely removed their masks in an attempt to acquire the powers of a soul reaper. While Vasto Lorde are exceedingly rare, an Arrancar is by far more so. In fact, there have been less than a dozen cases that have ever been recorded." He informed, then returned to Yamamoto. "But these are 'not' your standard Arrancar; these three beings were Espada." He added.

Shunsui gave him a serious look. "Espada?! Are you sure about this?!" he asked in surprise.

"Of course, but that's not all. Exactly eleven minutes after the first three arrived, our sensors detected a fourth individual with a similar spiritual pressure. However, the spiritual pressure was quite low, far lower than the others. I cannot confirm at this time if this fourth being is an Espada or not. It was only thirty-five minutes ago that the first three had left the world of the living, with the fourth one disappearing two minutes after." Mayuri informed.

Unohana leaned forward to look the man in the eyes. "Is there any evidence to suggest why they were in the world of the living?" she asked calmly.

Kurotsuchi faced her. "Unfortunately, no. We were able to determine that former Captains Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihōin, Tessai Tsukabishi, Squad 7 Lieutenant Timothy Durn, and the substitute soul reaper Ichigo Kurosaki had fought the three Espada; with the fourth individual also close by."

Sajin's eyes widened a bit at the mention of his Lieutenant. "Pardon me, Captain Kurotsuchi, you said Lieutenant Durn was involved in the fighting?" he inquired.

The man faced him. "Indeed." He answered simply.

"Do you think Aizen has anything to do with this?" Jūshirō asked in worry.

Mayuri closed his eyes with a tilt of the head. "One would assume that's the case. It would seem that the Espada may have been after something; but it is as I said, we cannot make that determination at this time."

The room thundered when Yamamoto slammed his cane on the ground. "This cannot go unanswered. These Espada are a direct threat to the 13 Court Guard Squads, and the soul society; and they will be handled accordingly. We will send a team to the world of the living to act as a force to stand against the Espada, should they return." The man turned to Toshiro.

"Captain Hitsugaya, I am placing you in charge of this team. I want you to choose four higher ranking officers to assist you. I expect you to come to me with your choices for final approval." He paused, getting a nod from the short Captain. He then turned to Jūshirō. "Captain Ukitake, I will be assigning Rukia Kuchiki to the team as well, considering she has extensive knowledge of the world of the living." He added, getting a nodded from Jūshirō.

He finally turned to Sajin. "Captain Komamura, considering that your Lieutenant is already in the world of the living, and that fact that he has already fought against these Espada once, he will be remaining in the world of the living and will also be assigned to the team."

Sajin nodded in understanding, but was still a bit concerned inside. The old man turned back to Toshiro. "The team is to work together with substitute soul reaper Ichigo Kurosaki, as well with Kisuke Urahara and his companions on this matter. You have twenty-four hours to select your team and deploy to the world of the living. This concludes the Captain's meeting." He finished as he tapped his cane on the floor.

The Captains left their spots and began leaving the room. Sajin strode swiftly to walk next to Toshiro.

"Captain Hitsugaya, might I have a moment of your time?" he asked.

The short Captain kept walking as he glanced at his much taller peer. "I know what you're going to ask, Captain Komamura. I'll keep an eye on your Lieutenant." He said with a hint of a smile.

"Thank you, but allow me to offer a word of caution." He said, getting the younger man's full attention. Sajin looked down at him. "Tim has a bit of a temper on him at times, but he means nothing by it. As long as your straightforward with him, you won't have any problems." He advised.

Toshiro chuckled as he closed his eyes. "So I've heard. I'll be sure I keep it in mind." He offered as they came to the front doors of the building.

The two of them stopped just outside and turned to face each other. "Good luck, Captain Hitsugaya. And please send Lieutenant Durn my regards. Also, please inform him that I'll be allowing him to access the squad's mission budget in case of emergencies."

The short Captain bowed at the man before flashing away. Sajin sighed as he dropped his head in thought about the situation. His squad had just lost three members, and he was hoping and praying that Timothy would not become a forth.

So, as you all have noticed, I decided to veer away from the original timeline of the series. Now, keep in mind please, that there are 'some' events that may still occur from the original, but essentially, everything is being changed in one form or another. Rather than give you a story with one or two minor changes or such, why not give you all a whole different story?

I know some of you will wonder if I will be including the 'Hueco Mundo Arc', and the answer is yes; albeit, the arc will be heavily changed, and will have a very interesting twist to it.

So Timothy got to meet a few of the Espada, and my original plan was to have him fight Grimmjow (for obvious reasons, he's everyone's favorite Espada), but then it dawned on me that since Yammy gets stronger the madder he gets, it was the perfect way to balance it all out. Besides, way too many funny taunts were flooding my mind, and I couldn't pass up a perfect humor sequence. Lol.

So I'll end this here, and I hope to see you all next week. Later friends.