Hey readers, got the next chapter for you all. Hope the past couple of months have been good to you all, been somewhat okay for myself. Nothing to really put out on my end, just the usual work and home life, that sorta thing. So I'm going to keep this nice and short and step right into reviews.

Oboi: Glad you're enjoying the story so far, and there's much more to come. Just 'FYI' for everyone reading, we're a little past the halfway point of the story as of this chapter, so yeah, lots more to go.

Sithlord16: I realize this is a review for way earlier in the story, and that your question is likely answered by now, so this was more to just let you know that you're being heard and all.

Reviews done, on to the story.

(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 50

(The Chaos Escalates)

Las Noches, Top of the Quatro Espada's Palace, With Renji's Team, Present

Though it was shortly past midnight in the world of the living, inside the confines of Las Noches the sun-less daylight of the artificial sky shone brightly as Renji, Uryū, and Rudbornn flashed and buzzed into existence atop the large, flat, open expanse of the roof of the Tres Espada's palace, only a few yards separating the two opposing forces.

Renji and Uryū took a quick moment to observe the area around them that the leader of the Exequias led them to. Unlike the tight confines of the hallways within the palace itself, they now found themselves in a wide, open area, an area that was far more suitable to their fighting styles. The first thoughts that crossed the two's minds was that their sudden relocation was some sort of trap; what that trap could possibly be, they had no idea.

"I trust this arena is more suitable to your preferred choice of fighting locations?" Rudbornn inquired in his deep tone as his Exequias soldiers appeared behind him, nearly twenty in total.

The soul reaper and Quincy turned their gazes back to the Arrancar and narrowed their eyes. "What kinda game you playing, Arrancar?" the red-headed Lieutenant questioned. "You're obviously at a disadvantage now."

Uryū hummed in agreeance as he pressed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "I agree. You stood a better chance engaging us inside the palace, so why the sudden change in theater?"

Rudbornn chuckled twice. "As I told you, I seek to fight you at your strongest. Nothing more. This location should serve to allow that." he reminded them.

Renji scoffed and planted a fist on his hip. "Sounds to me like you're itching to get your ass whooped."

Uryū snapped his narrowed eyes to his partner. "Don't taunt him, Renji. Something's not right about all this, and we have yet to see his resurrección." he warned in a whisper then turned back to the Arrancar. "Even though his minions seem to be easily defeated, he clearly has the strength of numbers on his side. We can't afford to rush this."

The Lieutenant raised a brow at the teen. "So what do you suggest?"

"The same as before. I will deal with his henchmen while you take care of him. Now that we are in a more open area, it will be far easier for me to dispatch them. Eventually he will run out of men, then I can assist you in defeating him. Hold off on using your bankai for as long as possible, but don't expose yourself. Avoid attacking him directly until I have finished with his men, unless you can defeat him outright." the Quincy instructed quietly.

Renji nodded once and went back to Rudbornn. "This shit ain't gonna be easy."

The teen smirked and adjusted his glasses again. "Is it ever?" he teased.

"Listen, Uryū…" Renji started in a serious tone, getting his attention. "If this shit goes south, you need to get outta here."

Uryū narrowed his eyes again in questioning. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"I'm talking about leaving me here. If we can't beat this guy, then you need to get going and find Orihime."

The teen snorted lightly. "I don't think that's going to happen."

"I'm not screwing around, Uryū. You're a human, and I'm a soul reaper. It's my job to make sure you're safe, even if it means losing my life in the process. We need to find Orihime and get her back to the world of the living. If leaving me here gets it done, then I'm cool with that."

Uryū smirked slightly in amusement. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Renji, but my pride as a Quincy will not allow me to abandon a comrade, even if said comrade just happens to be a soul reaper. So, we either leave here together, or not at all. And it's pointless to argue the matter further."

Renji scoffed and turned away in a mumble. "Damned Quincy and their damned pride." he grumbled.

"Forgive me, but I believe it was you who was telling me to abandon you for my own safety. So, if anyone has pride issues, that would be you." the teen countered.

"Fuck off."

"Are you finished?" Rudbornn questioned, getting their attention again. "As amusing as your banter is, time is limited, and I wish to continue with our engagement."

Uryū hummed with a nod. "Yes, you are correct. Forgive us." he returned, materializing his bow as Renji entered a combat stance. "Are you ready to continue?"

"Of course." the Arrancar returned.

When he finished speaking, the Exequias behind him vanished in a series of buzzes. Renji and Uryū split away from each other instantly; Renji going after Rudbornn, while Uryū found himself under attack from the numerous soldiers.

Dispatching the odd, matching soldiers proved to be both easy and difficult for the Quincy. Easy in that they were easy to kill, usually falling with a single, well-placed shot; difficult in that it was proving to be a challenge to hit them in the first place. Unlike earlier inside the hallways, the soldiers were reacting more quickly to incoming attacks and dodging them.

It certainly didn't help that with every soldier he defeated another took its place almost instantly. Not only that, but their numbers seemed to be growing one-by-one as the battle progressed. After only the few five or so minutes of the battle, what started as a group of nearly twenty quickly grew to over thirty.

Not that it was really helping the soldiers much at the moment. Uryū's insistent and heavy training in the few days before leaving helped him to improve the speed of his Hirenkyaku greatly, allowing him to easily maneuver the field with expertise, making dodging blows a simple matter.

He used this technique to effortlessly dodge another attack from a shoulder-to-shoulder pair now, reappearing behind them and sending a small volley of his energy arrows into their backs. Both of the soldiers fell down to the ground dead, only to be replaced by two more from out of nowhere. The teen narrowed his eyes with a scowl of annoyance while flashing away to dodge again.

The second he reappeared a short distance away he found himself under assault once again by a trio in the front and a pair from behind. Dodge, shoot, dodge the counterattack; the loop seemed to continue endlessly, each time the soldiers reacting just a tiny fraction faster than previously. By now, Uryū was barely 'visible' for more than a few seconds straight before vanishing again. It was more of a hardcore, and deadly, version of tag at this point, with almost forty of these soldiers being 'it'.

'There's no end to them. It's as if they're appearing out of thin air.' the teen thought to himself as he dispatched two of the three before him before vanishing again.

His kill count had swiftly risen since the start of the fight and had already accumulated over thirty kills of the endless horde. But even with such a number of fallen soldiers, their numbers seemed to increase still. It was obvious that they were not some form of illusion or phantom, since the bodies of the fallen remained where they dropped. The bodies were real too, finding this out the hard way when he nearly tripped on one after a misstep with his Hirenkyaku. An amateur mistake, for sure, but considering the number of bodies now littering the area he was starting to find it more difficult to maneuver as easily.

Four fell this time in a large volley this time, but before their bodies even began to fall four more appeared right before him. The reaction was so quick that he didn't have time to flash away, forced to use his bow as a shield to block the attacks. Thank goodness that the spirit energy of his bow was dense enough to provide physical resistance to the metal blades bearing down on him, otherwise it would have been gameover at that moment.

But his relief was nonexistent when seven more quickly approached from the sides and back. Reaching back, he flicked one of his Seele Schneider from its sheath, rapidly activating it and dropping down into a crouch while spinning his body around. The energy blade easily cut through the soldiers around him on all sides, giving him the brief second he needed to flash away.

Reappearing, he saw that his counter had defeated nine of the soldiers in a single swipe, bringing his count to over forty. But as expected, those nine were instantly replaced with eleven, bringing their manpower to around fifty. There truly was no end to them.

Seeing that the soldiers had held back their assault temporarily, the teen was given the chance to examine the fight more closely. 'The longer the fight goes on, the faster they react to attacks and counter. It's as if they're getting better as time goes on, which shouldn't be possible, seeing that none of them were here at the start now. And I know I'm not slowing down or becoming exhausted yet.'

Turning his eyes, he saw that the soldiers seemed to be waiting for him to make a move, all of them in varying stances of readiness. 'No… not better… more responsive. Like they're communicating with each other. They're not acting as individuals, but a team; one that acts with perfect unison. It's as if they know what each other are thinking. But how is that possible? None of them have spoken a single word. Are they communicating by some other means than verbal?' he pondered.

The soldiers must have grown impatient, when they all charged at him in sync with each other. 'No time to worry about it now.' he concluded, flashing away after firing another volley. 'They cannot be endless. There has to be a limit to their numbers. I just have to hope I can last long enough until that happens.' he thought further, firing again.

More time passed as he fought against the horde of soldiers, and with it, more soldiers. Even though it felt like more than an hour had passed since the start of the fight, the Quincy knew it had barely been ten minutes. But even still there seemed to be no end to their supply of manpower. His number of defeated soldiers was rapidly approaching the triple digits as the soldiers fell like flies to his arrows.

Their reaction times were now much faster, and now there was barely an instant where the black-haired teen was not using Hirenkyaku to dodge or attack. He would appear for only a brief second to release a volley, then vanish again before the soldiers could retaliate, which was near instantaneous at this point.

Uryū had noticed that they were starting to lead him now, forcing him into a spot to attack. He had almost been led into a trap twice now. After firing a volley, he would vanish and then reappear in another location, with nearly a dozen soldiers already there waiting for him. It wasn't that they just so happened to be there, no, they were expecting him. He hardly had enough time to block the attack with his bow or Seele Schneider, let alone try to escape.

The soldiers were obviously, somehow, communicating with each other; their cohesion was simply too perfect to be a matter of chance. There were close to seventy of these soldiers surrounding him now, but yet they were smart enough to realize that there was only enough room for a little more than a dozen to attack at one time. Most would stand back a bit at the ready while the rest attacked. The second one of the attackers backed off, one of the 'reserves' would fill in the gap.

Uryū's eyes widened in realization when it suddenly dawned on him. 'They're like wasps and bees! They're using their vast numbers to swarm and overcome me. Is that how they are communicating? Some sort of combined consciousness? A hivemind?' he queried. He flashed away to dodge an attack and return it with a volley, not as pleased as he should be at seeing the four fall instantly. 'If that is the case, then there must be an overmind that is leading them. It must be that Rudbornn. He must be the one controlling them. So, it stands to reason that if he is defeated, these soldiers will be defeated as well.'

Yet again, he was forced to dodge and return fire before dodging again. It was getting out of control. He was starting to do more dodging than attacking now and was beginning to feel exhaustion catching up with his body, or at least the strain on his spirit energy. He still had the strength to keep going for a while longer, but if things kept going the way they were, he would eventually be defeated due to exhaustion.

'Damn it, Renji, hurry up and defeat him, or this is going to get bad real fast.' he prayed, flashing away once again.

With Renji

Renji snarled in annoyance as he pulled back on the hilt of his zanpakutō. The extended segments of his whip-like, released blade pulled back while Rudbornn dodged to the side to avoid the serrated extensions on the back of the segments as they withdrew. The segments retracted onto each other to form one solid blade as they returned to their owner before splitting apart again with another slash through the air towards the target.

"Hold still, you bastard!" the Lieutenant growled while swinging his weapon.

Rudbornn buzzed out of the way of the initial attack, but was forced to deflect the blade as it curled back around for him again. The Arrancar quickly learned that the blade acted just like it looked, a whip. Rudbornn knew that a unique weapon such as the one Renji possessed required great skill to use effectively, and the Lieutenant obviously possessed such skills.

But even with the Lieutenant's skills, the fight was nothing to Rudbornn. The whip-like nature of his opponent's zanpakutō was more of an annoyance than a challenge. The weapon's movements were sometimes difficult to predict, and Rudbornn only had a second or two after watching Renji's movements to determine how the extended segments of the blade would react. It was doubtful that the weapon could damage, much less break through Rudbornn's hiero, but that didn't mean he was just going to stand there and get hit freely.

The annoyance he felt was quickly shifting to anger as the fight progressed. It was obvious that the Lieutenant was still holding back, likely to save his strength, but Rudbornn wasn't going to have it.

The Arrancar narrowed his hidden eyes at the Lieutenant with a low growl. "I am growing quite tired of this, Lieutenant Abarai." he said, dodging another attack. "I believe I instructed you not to hold back once we continued our battle. Yet, I sense you are still holding much of your power back." he sneered.

Renji growled back as he retracted his zanpakutō. "Shut the hell up. This would've been over a long time ago if you'd just sit still." he returned, swinging his weapon again.

"Hn. Do you honestly expect me to fall to you at your whim? I think not, Lieutenant. And even if I allowed you to strike me, you would be unable to cause me great harm as you are now. My patience is already growing quite thin with your refusal to show me your true power and I am beginning to feel insulted by it."

"Tsk, I don't need my bankai to beat you, Arrancar. I can whoop your ass just as I am now."

"If that is the case, then why is it that I still stand, Lieutenant?" the Arrancar questioned. "Are you implying that you are holding back? If so, then I truly am insulted." Standing straight, Rudbornn held his zanpakutō in front of himself with an annoyed growl. "I gave you and your comrade the chance to settle this like true warriors; however, since you deem it wise to trample on my honorous offer, I will return the gesture by trampling upon your bodies. Grow, Árbol."

Rudbornn's body suddenly took on an ominous, dark-purplish hue as his zanpakutō began to change shape. The weapon's metal blade turned to a dull white, bone-like structure, while the shape shifted from its curved state to a figure more closely resembling a lightning bolt. The Arrancar's body was lifted from the ground as his legs turned to multiple thick, long branches, hoisting him several feet into the air. As this occurred, ten bone-like branches extended from the mid-point of his back, each extending to nearly a meter in length. Each of the new extensions bore a single human-looking skull hanging from the branch near the tip.

Renji watched with wide eyes as the ten skull-like adornments began to grow. Or rather, something began to grow from them. Within seconds, the growths were taking on humanistic shapes, with the skulls acting as heads for these new bodies. In what couldn't be more than five seconds, the skulls seemed to 'shed' like a second skin, the bodies with shed skulls falling to the ground and landing on their feet. Immediately, the mounted skulls started to grow bodies yet again, just as quickly shedding these new bodies to join the first batch. In less than fifteen seconds, there were now twenty of these clone soldiers standing before Renji, drawing their swords.

"Wha… What the hell?" Renji whispered to himself in shock.

"To be perfectly frank with you, Lieutenant, contrary to my appearance, I am powerful enough to be considered one of the Espada. However, Lord Aizen had deemed it fitting to assign me as the one responsible for the security of Las Noches, due to my unique abilities. Those soldiers that your comrade fights are called my Calaveras, and my Resurrección, Árbol, allows me to create an endless army of them." Rudbornn said, gesturing to the clones at his feet… or branches. "You could claim that my powers are more godlike than any of the other Arrancar within Lord Aizen's army. Imagine it, a sole being capable of raising an endless army in moments. When it comes to open warfare, even the most powerful of warriors can be felled by the weakest of foes when the numbers are appropriate."

He then lowered his arms with a low chuckle. "As I said, I gave you the chance to prove yourself to me in combat, but you chose to insult me. Now I will cease my restrictions and fight you with all of my capabilities. Attack." he commanded, pointing a finger at Renji.

In a flash, the twenty soldiers were upon the Squad 6 Lieutenant in all directions. Renji managed to flash away, but not before two of them delivered shallow cuts to his arm and torso. He was given no reprieve as he quickly found himself under heavy assault almost immediately upon appearing, forcing him to dodge again.

While he continued to dodge attack after attack, more of the cloned soldiers were produced from Rudbornn's branches, either taking off after Renji or Uryū upon landing. Rudbornn rested his arms at his sides while he watched the two conflicts before him with a smirk hidden behind his mask, a low chuckle escaping his throat.

"None can ever hope to stand a chance against an army that is truly endless." he commented to himself.

Renji snarled in anger as he cut down a group of three soldiers in succession, only for them to be immediately replaced by more. Like Uryū, the Lieutenant was quickly being overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the clones. It was made worse by the fact that he was once again reduced to close-quarters fighting, something his zanpakutō was ill-suited for in its released state.

Another two fell to his blade, but at the cost of a nick to his left mid-thigh. He reappeared in a whisp of sound with a hiss of pain as his leg began to sting from the cut, but was still given no reprieve as the soldiers came upon him once again.

"Duck!" Uryū's voice came to his ears and the soul reaper complied instantly on reflex.

A series of groans and pained yells hit his ears next as a group of five soldiers behind him fell to the ground dead, each with multiple blue arrows of energy protruding from their backs. Renji rolled backward and back up to his feet and turned back to the young Quincy to see him already firing his next volley at his own group of soldiers.

"Thanks." the Lieutenant called out.

"Don't mention it." the teen returned, firing his volley and vanishing to avoid the counter. "Where the hell are these guys coming from?" he asked when he reappeared.

Renji grunted in trying to block an attack before punching the soldier in front of him and flashing back a few meters. "That Rudbornn bastard's making them. He released his Resurrección and can somehow make an endless supply of these guys in seconds." he answered, cutting down two of the soldiers that came close enough.

Uryū drew one of his Seele Schneider and used it to cut down four of his own opponents in rapid succession before resheathing it and firing another volley to kill three more. "Then we need to focus on him. If he can create this many soldiers that fast, then it's only a matter of time before we are overwhelmed and defeated."

"Kinda… hard to do that when… we can't even get close." Renji grunted out as he blocked a series of attacks. Missing a counter swing, he flashed back a few yards and behind a pair of soldiers, cutting them down before they could react.

"Well, we can't do this forever. At this rate, running may be the only option we have." the teen said, killing two more soldiers.

Renji growled through his teeth in trying to block another attack. "Whatever happened to that 'Quincy pride' thing of yours?" he snarked, kicking one of his attackers in the shoulder and flashing back.

"Pride is one thing, foolishness is another. We obviously don't have a chance to win with the way things are going now, and we'd be fools to continue this fight." Uryū pointed out, dropping three more.

The red-head cut down two of his own in quick succession and turned to kill a third that was attacking his partner's rear. "Can't argue with that. So, you got any ideas on how we get outta here? These guys are blocking all the exits, if you haven't realized."

"You talk as if I would allow you to escape, Lieutenant." Rudbornn said from the edge of the skirmish. "Your fate was determined the moment we crossed paths, and there is no escaping your fate."

Renji scoffed with a roll of the eyes as he blocked again. "Sheesh, talk about being as cliché as you can be." he mumbled, taking down his foe, but receiving a cut to his shoulder in return.

"Call it what you will, Lieutenant. But, nevertheless, it is the truth. This is where you and your friend, the Quincy, shall perish; slain, by my eternal supply of Calaveras. Had you not resorted to offending me with your disrespect, I would have given you and your friend honorable deaths, but you chose to discard the chance presented to you, and will die in shame. Even now, clearly and vastly outnumbered, you still choose to hold back your true power. You still will not release your bankai. And you, Quincy, I know for a fact that you are far more capable a fighter than you show yourself at this point in time. Your particular skillset and abilities should have allowed you to handle my Calaveras far more effectively than now. Yet you still hold back as well."

Uryū snapped his narrowed eyes to the Arrancar in a glare. "I have no need to prove anything to you, Rudbornn Chelute. You talk about fighting with honor, yet you pit us two against dozens. Not exactly very honorable in my opinion."

Rudbornn held out his hands to his sides. "I gave your friend the chance to fight me one-on-one, and none of my Calaveras interfered with our battle. And while the numbers were clearly against you during this time, the Calaveras were not fighting you with the intent to kill, only to keep you occupied until the fight with the Lieutenant was concluded. At that point, they would have withdrawn, leaving you and I to have our own battle. But since it is quite clear that you are still holding back, even with such odds you face now, it is obvious you would have done the same with myself. So I have decided to save myself the trouble and dispatch you quickly." he corrected, lowering his hands.

"But not too quickly. I still wish to see the two of you at your best, to know the true power of my opponents. Eventually, you will tire, and finally resort to utilizing your true power in order to survive. Who knows, perhaps you may even find the chance for one of you to escape here, and maybe even Hueco Mundo itself. I may even allow it, so you may tell your friends what power truly awaits them here in Las Noches."

Uryū narrowed his eyes further while dodging an attack after hearing the man's words. 'So, he doesn't intend to kill us outright, he just wants to keep us here and whittle us down until we're no longer strong enough to fight. Even if things don't work out the way we want them to, it would still take a while before that happens, time that we don't have. We need to get back to our search for Orihime, so we can't afford to remain locked in battle with this guy for long. It seems we have no choice then.' he deducted.

Killing four soldiers in a single volley, Uryū flashed over to Renji and stood next to him, killing two more on his left flank. "Renji, we're fighting a losing battle." he stated.

They turned around in place and took out two more soldiers each, Uryū taking the right flank and Renji the rear. "Well, got any bright ideas, Mr. Genius?" he snapped back, turning to stand back-to-back with his friend to block an attack.

"We have no choice. I know we have to preserve our power to help in our escape with Orihime, but there's no point in it if we're not even alive in the first place. What do you say we give Rudbornn what he wants?" he said with a sly smirk.

Renji snorted with a matching smirk. "Bout time. I've been itching to let loose for a while now, to be honest." he returned.

Sensing their intentions, Rudbornn held up his palm and the Calaveras responded by leaping back several feet in a circular formation around the teen and Lieutenant in defensive stances. "Yes, it is about time. Now show me, Quincy and Lieutenant, the full extent of your powers." he called out.

Uryū huffed in indignation at the man while Renji held his zanpakutō before him. "Pompous ass." he growled.

The teen nodded once. "Agreed."

"Bankai!"

Renji's blade glew red as his zanpakutō's second release commenced. Swirls of spirit energy surrounded him as the blade changed in both length and form. Within seconds, the rush of energy dissipated and the Lieutenant's altered form stood in the circle of dozens of cloned soldiers, the bone-like, snake-looking form of his zanpakutō surrounding both him and Uryū in its protective coils.

"Hihiō Zabimaru." the Lieutenant finished, the large snake's skull lowering down alongside him and hissing loudly towards Rudbornn threateningly.

"Hn…" Rudbornn hummed lowly. "Impressive, I will admit. However, do you believe that it will be enough to defeat me and my Calaveras?" he questioned.

Uryū huffed and glared over his shoulder at the man. "Why don't you and Renji have that 'battle' you wanted and leave your minions to me, Rudbornn. That is, if your men can keep up with me." he taunted, smirking knowingly.

Rudbornn chuckled low at first, growing to a loud laugh in humor. "Very well, I shall give you a second chance to prove yourself, Lieutenant. I hope that you will not disappoint like you did the first time." he said, assuming a stance.

The teen turned back and mumbled quietly. "He's all yours, Renji. Just don't take too long. I can handle these guys for a while, now that we're not holding back, but I would prefer to keep as much energy saved up as possible."

"Tsk, don't worry about it, I'll make it quick. You worry about the small fry and leave the big guy to me!" he yelled, swinging and uncurling Zabimaru from around them and sending the head towards Rudbornn.

When the coils were clear, Uryū flashed away, drawing the Calaveras with him and away from Renji, leaving him and Rudbornn alone.

"Now the real battle begins. Come, and show me your worth, Lieutenant Abarai." Rudbornn called, moving forward into the fray.

With Chad, Palace of the Quatro Espada

Chad panted in shallow, yet somehow still deep breaths as trickles of blood ran down his face, reformed arm, and chest; the blood dripped from his chin and fingertips as he stood across Mila Rose in a defensive stance.

The female Arrancar, while in better shape than the broad-shouldered teen, bore a few injuries herself, mainly in the forms of large bruises across her arms, chest, and legs, her breathing slightly elevated as well. She held her blade out to the side, a small section of the blade coated in Chad's blood from earlier attacks.

"You still insist on fighting, Chad?" she asked calmly.

The teen grunted with a nod. "I don't want to fight anymore, fighting only hurts others for no reason. But I can't give up either. I have to save Orihime."

Mila Rose scoffed through her teeth. "Why can't you just get it through your thick head, Chad? You and your friends can't help her, not with the way you came here. Seriously, did you really think that just a few of you could break in here, the home of the Espada, find your friend, and just waltz right back out? If that's not stupid, then I don't know what is."

"It doesn't matter. Orihime's our friend, and friends always do what they can to help others. Wouldn't you have done the same, had it been Apacci, or Sung-Sun? If the soul reapers had captured one of them, wouldn't you risk your life to save them?" the teen challenged.

"They're not 'friends', Chad, they're comrades; fellow Arrancars who serve the same master and fight for the same goals. If one of them were captured, then it's their fault for getting captured." she answered dismissively.

Chad hummed lowly in his throat. "I don't believe that, Mila Rose. While the three of you might argue and annoy each other, they are still your friends. I doubt you are the kind of person who would simply abandon her friends. I think the others would do the same as well."

"Ha! As if." the woman returned. "Sure, Sung-Sun might try something because she's always been the more emotional one of us, but Apacci? Tsk, she wouldn't even bat an eye. You've got a lot to learn about us, Chad. None of us are friends, just comrades. And when it comes to the Espada, we fracción are just expendable. If one of us falls, someone else takes our place. Simple as that."

He hummed again, contemplating her words. "So you're saying that if one of you were taken, your master, I think you called her Harribel, would leave you for dead?"

Mila Rose flinched in recoil, mentally wondering the same thing. Would her master, the one who had found and saved her many years ago and protected her since then, just abandon her? Would she make an attempt to help her if she somehow did get captured? Did it really even matter? As long as Harribel was safe and alive, did it matter what happened to Mila Rose in the end?

'No…' she concluded. 'It doesn't. All that matters is serving Master Harribel and ensuring her safety. My own safety doesn't matter, nor should it matter.'

She shook her head once and sighed. "Look kid, you can't save your friend, not in your condition. Even if you somehow manage to defeat me, someone else will be right behind me, and I can assure you that they'll be far less understanding as I am. Just give up, Chad. Go home, and you can live. But if you keep going, then I'll have to kill you." she warned with finality.

But the teen only shook his head. "I can't do that, Mila Rose. If it was me that was in Orihime's place, she would have done anything to help me. Friends don't abandon friends, and I refuse to do that to mine. I'm sorry."

The woman sighed and nodded once. "Yeah, guess I'm sorry too, Chad. I was hoping that roughing you up a bit would convince you to stop and go home, so I've been holding back, but it seems like that's not gonna happen."

"I guess not. You said you were holding back in hope that I would leave; to be honest, I've been holding back as well, hoping to conserve energy for later. If you're going to put all your effort into this fight, then it seems I'll have to do the same, if I want to have any chance of defeating you and saving Orihime."

Mila Rose raised a brow in interest and slight surprise. "So you've been holding back as well? Alright, then bring it on. Let me see what you can really do, Chad."

Looking down, Chad raised his armored hand up to his view, opening and closing his fist a few times. "My abuelo taught me to only raise my fists in defense of others who couldn't protect themselves. I always thought that was why I was given these powers, this right arm. While I can attack using this arm, it was made to defend, not attack. The attacks are meant to disrupt an incoming attack to reduce its blow. It's because of this power that I'm not in worse condition than I am now. It's also why you're not as hurt compared to me."

Lowering his hand, he raised his gaze back to Mila Rose. "But no matter how hard I trained with this power, no matter how much stronger I became, I always felt like something was missing. That there was something more about my power. After we went to the Soul Society, I decided to figure out the missing part of my power over time and training; but when Orihime was kidnapped, I knew then that it couldn't wait any longer. I needed to discover the missing portion of my powers. For the first few days, I struggled to find that hidden part of my power, but found nothing. It was shortly after the others had left that Kisuke told me something. He said that just because my abuelo taught me to raise my fists only in defense, it doesn't mean I can't raise them in their salvation. That was when I realized what the missing piece of my power was."

He held up his arm towards Mila Rose. His left arm. "My right arm was meant to protect others through defense…" he started.

Mila Rose's eyes widened a bit when, starting from his shoulder, a white substance flowed up and around his arm towards his open hand, encasing the limb. As the substance continued to move up, the corner of his shoulder began to grow outwards to a point. Longer and longer the point grew, and by the time his entire arm was encased, the point had formed a foot-long spike. To finalize the transformation, a streak of red surrounded the base of the spike, running along the back and front of the spike and meeting at the tip. The streak ran down the outside of his bicep, forearm, and came to a stop as a point over the top of his hand. The tip of each finger also bore this red color, giving the impression of claws.

Chad looked at his reshaped hand, fisting and unfisting it a few times before looking back to Mila Rose. "My left arm, however, was meant to bring others into that protection… through offense. This is the other half of my power, my offensive side. Brazo Izquierda del Diablo."

The woman recovered from her brief surprise and grinned widely with a chuckle. "'Devil's left arm', huh? Looks evil enough, but does that arm of yours have the power to match its namesake?"

Chad flexed his fist again, sparks of raw spirit energy erupting from his fingertips upon opening. "I know how to use this power, Mila Rose, but I didn't have enough time to learn how to fully control it yet. I hope you won't hold it against me for what happens at the end of this."

"Heh, I already told you, I don't really hold grudges. So show me what you've really got, Chad, and don't hold back; because I can assure you that I won't. Let's get this over with and see who really is the strongest one here."

He balled his white-clad hand into a fist and nodded. "I won't hold back any more, Mila Rose. The power you are about to see…" Sliding his foot back, he drew his fist back where crackles of raw spirit energy sparked from his closed hand. "Will be my true power."

With Rukia, Palace of the Tres Espada

Apacci hissed and growled in more annoyance than pain while recoiling her arm back before leaping back even further to gain distance. Raising the limb up to her view, she glared at the half-frozen skin just above her wrist, extending to just below her elbow. It wasn't encased in ice, as her foe's attacks tended to do in the past, but rather almost became ice itself.

Snarling, she raised her eyes back to her opponent, watching as her partner, Sung-Sun, used sonído to get some distance as well, seeing that her partner was no longer actively fighting. Another buzz of sonído and the quiet, green-haired woman was standing next to her kin, looking down at her arm.

"I see she managed to strike you, Apacci." she observed, now looking into Apacci's eyes.

Apacci glared back at the woman with a hiss. "Shut up, bitch! The damn thing barely touched me and look at what it did. The fuck kinda ability is that?" she raged.

Both women turned back to the field and the short woman standing in the center. Rukia remained in place, neither assaulting, nor retreating. She held her sword arm high above her, her zanpakutō held in a reverse grip and rotating her wrist around in circles. The elongated tassel that extended from the hilt of her weapon spun around and down her body in multiple rings; the tip of the ribbon was just barely touching the floor, but still leaving a trail of ice and frost in a circle surrounding her.

Sung-Sun narrowed her eyes as she watched the movements of the tassel surrounding the soul reaper. "It appears that whatever comes into contact with or even comes near that ribbon freezes almost instantly." she observed.

Apacci scoffed through her teeth and shook her arm to try and warm it back up. "Yeah, no shit, like I didn't notice that already." she snarked in anger. "So, you got any ideas on how to get past that damn thing?"

"I cannot say for certain. Her ribbon seems to follow a path she draws through the air, but even then it's movements are somewhat unpredictable. It seems she is able to make minor adjustments on the ribbon's path when needed, as you've already experienced."

Apacci snapped a glare to the woman with a loud growl. "Stop reminding me already!"

"Are you two done yet?" Rukia jumped in, getting their attention. The soul reaper had a bored look on her face as she continued to twirl the tassel around her in a protective shell of frozen air. "I have far more important things to do than stand here and listen to the two of you argue. If you're going to attack, then attack; otherwise, step aside and let me by."

Apacci growled, stomping her foot and jabbing a finger in her direction. "You shut the hell up, bitch! Who the hell do you think you are, talking to us like that?!" she raged.

Rukia narrowed her eyes. "Someone who clearly has the advantage now. Look at your arm. My Injushiro barely touched you, and your arm is already nearly useless."

The duel eye-colored woman snarled through her tightly gritted teeth, seething in fury. "I said, shut the hell up! You think you've won, bitch? You haven't seen anything yet."

The shorter woman raised a brow. "You can't even get close to me without risking a limb or two now, so how exactly do you intend to beat me?" she asked.

"I said shut up!" Apacci yelled, pressing her head forward.

The tip of her horn-like mask gleamed a bright red as she charged a cero, firing it at the short woman a few seconds later. Rukia narrowed her eyes again and flicked her wrist upwards, drawing the tassel higher around her, and twisted it around even faster, causing it to close up tighter as well. The energy projectile hit the wall of ribbon, exploding upon impact, but the wall held strong.

When the cloud of dust settled a bit, Rukia found herself under assault again; Apacci attacking from above while Sung-Sun came in low beneath the ribbon. With a wave of her arm and a flick of her wrist, the wall unwound itself into a trail of swirls and loops. Sung-Sun cancelled her attack and dodged to the side just before the ribbon could touch her, but Apacci continued on.

Using one of her chakram-like zanpakutōs to block and redirect the ribbon, Apacci used the other to attempt a strike at Rukia's head. Flipping her grip on her sword, the soul reaper blocked the attack before flipping backwards and breaking the lock. With another move of her wrist, the tassel was pulled along with her in a whip-like fashion. Apacci yelled out in pain as the end of the tassel whipped against the back of her shoulder, freezing the skin instantly.

But Apacci ignored the pain and charged after the woman. Her shoulder screamed at her as she swung the injured limb in multiple attacks, aided by Sung-Sun whenever she saw an opening. Bur Rukia was proving to be far more agile in her own movements than before, expertly ducking, twisting, hopping, and flipping around to avoid the attacks, the long ribbon following her zanpakutōs movements in tandem.

This made the Arrancar women's attacks less effective, seeing as how they had to constantly watch out for and avoid the deadly extension. It was an entirely different way to fight, since the woman's attacks were on a sort of delay. Rather than watching a movement and expecting something less than a second later, the action came anywhere between one to five seconds after the move, depending on where you were in relation. And in that short spanse of time, the soul reaper could have already made her next move. Not to mention the weapon didn't even have to touch you, just get close enough.

Left, right, up, down; Apacci and Sung-Sun had to dance around just as fluently as Rukia was just to avoid the freezing tassel. Only once was Sung-Sun able to get close enough to force Rukia to block with her blade, but the woman was quick to react and gain distance again through a series of flips and rolls.

After a little over a minute of assault, Apacci and Sung-Sun buzzed a short distance away from the woman, the two parties watching the other closely. Sung-Sun looked her partner over, noticing that the woman now had a near-frozen right calf, and a frozen and bleeding shoulder. She herself had a frozen patch of skin on her left flank that throbbed horribly.

"Damn that bitch." Apacci snarled lowly.

Looking down at the woman's hands, Sung-Sun saw that two-thirds of her partner's left weapon was frozen solid. It would make the weapon more fragile, but no less deadly, as long as its owner was careful.

"Have you noticed?" Sung-Sun asked.

Apacci scoffed lightly. "Noticed what?" she snapped.

Sung-Sun turned back to Rukia and narrowed her eyes. "Earlier, when you forced her to use her blade to block your attack, then again a moment later when I did the same, did you notice that her ability was interrupted?" she whispered.

Apacci turned to her and raised a brow. "What the hell are you talking about?" she demanded.

Sung-Sun rolled her eyes to her partner, narrowing them further. "When you forced her to use her weapon to block your attack, her movements were stopped, even if for just a second or two. Did you notice when that happened her ribbon stopped reacting as well? As if it was no longer following a path?"

Apacci's eyes widened a fraction in realization. "Wait a sec, are you saying we managed to stop that stupid ribbon thing?" she asked.

"Not entirely. It was still following the path she made before then, and would have likely continued to do so until the entire length had followed its course. However, because you and I caused her to stop, even for just a moment, she was unable to create a new path for it to follow. The ribbon seems to be following an air current she draws with her movements. If we keep her from making those movements…"

Her partner grinned widely as it dawned on her. "Then she can't use that stupid ribbon." she finished.

Sung-Sun nodded firmly. "Correct. So, all we have to do is keep her from moving her sword, and the ribbon will be useless to her. You try and get close to her, force her into blocking and keep her there long enough until the ribbon has run its course. Once that is done, I will come in and deal the finishing blow to her. The only problem is that we are not fast enough to do this in our current forms, at least not without either her escaping or the ribbon touching us."

Apacci scoffed through her teeth in disappointment. "You mean you want us to release our Resurrección to beat her ass?"

The woman nodded once. "I believe that is the only way we can make this work." she confirmed, watching as Rukia brought her 'shield' back up around her.

Apacci scoffed again and nodded back. "Sure, why not. Too bad we can't kill the bitch. I wanna rip her throat out so bad right now."

"Agreed. Shall we?"

The woman nodded again and struck a pose, as did Sung-Sun.

"Thrust, Cierva!"

"Strangle to death, Anaconda."

Central 46, Restricted Archives

Shunsui smiled warmly as he draped his long, pink kimono over the shoulders of a sleeping Nanao. Standing back straight, he let out a breathy, yet silent, chuckle as he watched the woman in her slumber.

The Squad 8 Lieutenant was sitting hunched over a large table, her face resting on a large, open book. The glasses that she always wore were pressed into an awkward angle on her face, the left ear piece lifted up and resting against her temple.

Her Captain let out another quiet chuckle at the sight before crossing his arms into his sleeves and turning to the rest of the table. There were over a dozen books and scrolls of various sizes strewn across the wooden surface; some closed, while the others were open to certain points of interest.

It had been several hours since he had last checked in on his Lieutenant, and even then, she was clearly pushing herself through her exhaustion. It honestly didn't surprise him that she had finally lost her battle with sleep, though the manner that she did had.

"I see that she has worked herself too hard again." a wheezing voice spoke out.

Shunsui grinned and turned his gaze to his friend, Jūshirō. The white-haired Captain of Squad 13 had a matching smile of amusement on his face as he walked up to the table. Kyōraku's smirk grin grew wider as he turned back to his sleeping Lieutenant.

"Yeah, she has a habit of doing that sometimes." he confirmed.

Jūshirō sweatdropped a bit with a sheepish smile. "Yes, well… I can't say that I blame her. Afterall, she not only has her own work to take care of, but yours as well, my friend." the ailing Captain pointed out.

His friend's smirk fell into a pout. "You don't have to be so mean about it, Jūshirō."

The white-haired Captain raised his hands up placatingly. "I'm sorry, old friend, but I'm afraid it is the truth. You do tend to be a bit on the… relaxed side."

Shunsui huffed lightly as he turned to the floors above them. "Yeah… I guess you're right." he mumbled in defeat. The two men were silent for a moment, when Kyōraku turned back to his sleeping Lieutenant. "You find your two 3rd seats?" the stoic Captain asked.

This drew a weak chuckle from his friend. "Yes. It seems Nanao wasn't the only one who was tired. Though, it does seem that she had lasted longer than them by a considerable margin. They are a few levels below us, resting." he answered.

Kyōraku nodded once with a hum. "We've been working our young officers here a bit ragged lately. Once this situation with Aizen and the Arrancar is over with, it might be a good idea to give them all a few weeks off from work. Hell, I think we all could use a little R and R after this."

"Yes, I'd have to agree with you." Jūshirō concurred, nodding back. "But I fear that may be a while, if things don't improve soon. Aizen has covered his tracks far too well, and I don't believe that we will find anything further on his plans from the archives." he fretted.

Shunsui gave his friend a calculating glance. "Do you think our old friend Kisuke has found anything? He always was the observant one, and had quite the knack for finding things that we tend to overlook."

Jūshirō shrugged. "It's possible, but don't you think that he would have sent Yoruichi to inform us if he did find anything?"

The Squad 8 Captain hummed and began rubbing the hair on his chin in thought. "Yeah, you've got a point there. Come to think of it… we haven't seen her in some time. Not since the whole execution fiasco." he pointed out.

His friend shook his head. "She's visited with Captain Suí-Fēng a few times since then, but I can't say what it was they discussed."

This elicited a chuckle from Shunsui. "Yeah, I guess it shouldn't surprise me that she would tell her favorite apprentice everything before us. The 'Flash Master' really dotes on our little assassin like she was her daughter. Eh, Jūshirō?"

A cold sweat built up on Jūshirō's forehead as he gave a weak and timid chuckle. "I… don't think it would be a good idea to let Captain Suí-Fēng hear you talk like that, Shunsui." he warned.

Shunsui huffed lightly and turned his gaze upwards. "Yeah… I suppose you're right. For all I know, she probably, somehow, heard me just now."

A low moan interrupted their conversation, drawing the mens' attention to a rousing Nanao. The woman's eyes flinched a few times before they slowly opened. Raising her head up from its spot on the open book, the Lieutenant took a moment to look around at her surroundings; her glasses still in an awkward position.

Kyōraku grinned in amusement and chuckld once, drawing her attention. "Well, good morning, my little Nanao. Sleep well?" he teased.

Nanao, still half-asleep and not very cognisant, stared blankly at him for a moment. "Huh…" she breathed out.

The grin on Shunsui's face grew larger. "That's a pretty cute look you've got going on there, Nanao. It suits you." he teased further, unable to help himself.

The Lieutenant blinked once, twice, and finally, a third time before his words reached her. Her consciousness fully returning, her cheeks turned to a pinkish hue before she quickly righted her glasses and sat up perfectly straight.

"C… Captain! I'm sorry, I… I must have dozed off! Forgive me!" she blurted out quickly, checking herself over and straightening her shihakusho of ruffles.

Shunsui chuckled as he held up both hands. "Woah there, little Nanao, slow down a bit, will ya? No one's getting on you for getting a little shuteye. Settle down." he placated.

Nanao relaxed, if only just a little, at his calm words before hesitantly nodding. "Of… Of course. Still… I shouldn't have dozed off like that. Not when there is still so much research to be done."

Jūshirō stepped forward to stand next to his friend. "Like Shunsui just said, Lieutenant Ise, it is fine. There's no need to work yourself up over a little sleep. Please, relax." he pleaded.

The woman sighed heavily and reluctantly nodded. "Y… Yes, Captain."

Shunsui nodded once in content. "That's better. Now, were you able to find anything else out before your little beauty rest? Not like you needed any with those gorgeous looks of yours." he continued to tease.

Nanao glared at him and growled lowly in annoyance. "Sometimes, I wonder what I'm going to do with you, Captain." she mumbled. Sighing in a defeat a moment later, she readjusted her glasses and shook her head. "I'm afraid I was unable to find anything further, Captain. Sentarȱ and Kiyone were unsuccessful as well. Between the three of us, we've covered nearly seventy percent of the archives, and besides what we have already found, have discovered nothing else of interest. Might I ask how it fared with you in the forbidden section?" she inquired.

Shunsui's shoulders slumped a bit. "Found a couple of things that Aizen was looking into, but nothing definitive. Looks like Aizen is a more slippery fellow than we thought."

His Lieutenant's face fell as she lowered her head. "I apologize for not being more successful, Captain."

That surprised the two men, but Shunsui only smiled at her and used a finger to raise her head up by the chin. "There's no need to be all sorry and stuff, my little Nanao. Aizen's a sly one, easily one of the most, if not 'the' most, cunning people I know. Don't be all upset just because he got the slip on us. We just need to work harder, that's all." he comforted, releasing her chin to tuck his hand back into his sleeve. "Why don't we all take some time to relax a bit, clear our heads. What do you think, Jūshirō?" he asked, turning to the man.

The white-haired Captain smiled warmly and nodded. "I think that is a splendid idea. Why don't you, Kentarō, and Kiyone take the rest of the day off and relax? Afterall, a tired mind is one that is easy to fool. If we continue our search while exhausted, our chances of overlooking something only increase." he confirmed.

Nanao sighed and turned to the book she was searching through. "Alright. Just let me clean this up first."

Shunsui waved her off gently. "No, you go ahead and rest up. Jūshirō and I can handle this." he assured.

The woman gave him a tired glare. "Why do I have the feeling that it will be only Captain Ukitake that will be doing the tidying up, Captain?" she mumbled.

Kyōraku's face fell to a pout. "Why do you have to be so mean to me, my little Nanao?"

"And I have asked you, multiple times I might add, not to call me that, Captain." she returned.

Jūshirō let out a sheepish chuckle while Shunsui pouted further. "So mean."

Nanao huffed as she raised her nose to him. "If you will excuse me, Captain, I believe I will wake Kentarō and Kiyone and take you up on yours and Captain Ukitake's offer. I will see you tomorrow." she said as she stood, turning to leave.

"Make it the day after, my little Nanao. Consider it a thanks for you and the others' hard work." Shunsui corrected.

She sighed and nodded. "Very well. Thank you, Captain." she relented, leaving afterard.

The two men watched her leave before Jūshirō rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "She really looks up to you, doesn't she?" he commented.

Shunsui's pout turned to a warm smirk as he hummed. "Yeah, I guess she does. Not sure why though. It's like you said, I'm a bit too relaxed for my job. Makes me feel sorry for my little Nanao for having to pick up all the slack."

A wisping sound came to their ears at that moment, where the two men turned to see Captain Kuchiki standing a few feet away from them.

"Well, good evening to you, Captain Kuchiki. Something we can help you with?" Shunsui inquired.

"Pardon the interruption, but I was hoping I might have a moment of your time, Captain Kyōraku." he said in his usual, emotionless voice.

The stoic Captain nodded once. "Of course." he answered, turning back to his friend. "Be back in a few."

Jūshirō smiled and nodded. "Take your time. I'll just get started cleaning up here. And, good evening, Captain Kuchiki." he greeted the Squad 6 Captain, who nodded in affirmation.

Shunsui turned back to Byakuya and gestured towards the door with his head. "Why don't we take this outside? It's a nice night for a walk, don't you think?" he proposed.

Kuchiki nodded once more. "Very well." he responded, following closely behind Kyōraku as the man turned to leave.

Watching the two Captains leave, Jūshirō sighed and shook his head with a smile. "Byakuya sure has changed over the past hundred years. If only you had not left, Ginrei. Your grandson could still use some of your teachings." he said with a sad tone in his voice.

Ginrei Kuchiki, the former head of the Kuchiki clan, former Captain of Squad 6, and the grandfather of Byakuya Kuchiki, had been sent on a 'special mission' by the Head Captain himself nearly eighty years ago.

The mission, whose circumstances and goals were unknown, even to Byakuya himself, should have been simple, lasting no more than a week. But after a month had passed without a single word from the elderly Captain, people began to grow concerned and a search party had been sent to discern what had happened to the Kuchiki Clan head.

Months turned to years, and years turned to decades. Until, finally, after twenty years of searching, the Captain was presumed dead. Only a week later, Byakuya, being the next male in line, was announced as the new head of the Kuchi Clan. Less than a year after that, being the Lieutenant and acting Captain of Squad 6 since his grandfather's disappearance, he was reassigned as the official new Captain of Squad 6.

That was the day that his personality had taken a sudden turn; going from a happy, and temperamental Byakuya, to the cold and hard 'Captain Kuchiki' that he was today. Even to this day, Byakuya still had no information regarding his grandfather's sudden disappearance, and to the best of everyones' knowledge, had made no attempts to find him.

Captain Ukitake sighed heavily and shook his head as he thought about his old friend. "I suppose there is nothing that can be done." he relented and turned to the table with the numerous books spread about. "I suppose I should start cleaning up." he said, and began closing and gathering books and scrolls to be put away.

Outside the archive building, Shunsui and Byakuya walked side-by-side in silence. Shunsui's curiosity was only growing with each step the two men took while the silence remained. Byakuya always kept to himself, and never approached others unless it was something very important.

His curiosity won out as he turned to the other man in a side glance. "So, what was it you wanted to talk about, Byakuya?"

"I would prefer it if you addressed me by my title, Captain Kyōraku." the Squad 6 Captain snapped, his gait unaltered.

Shunsui smirked at the man. "Come on, we're both Captains here. There's really no need to be so formal all the time. Right?" he teased.

"I would also prefer to not be a part of your meaningless banter. I asked to speak with you for a very important matter, Captain Kyōraku." Byakuya returned; his tone just as unaltered.

The Squad 8 Captain sighed in defeat, but his smirk remained. "You always were a bit of a sourpuss. So what was it you wanted to talk about, 'Captain' Kuchiki?"

Byakuya huffed lightly, so low that Shunsui almost missed it. "I respect you as a fellow Captain, and for your wisdom, yet your demeanor has always been unbefitting that of a Captain. But I digress. As you are aware, my squad has been tasked with assisting Squad 2 with discovering, and bringing to justice, those among us who have aligned themselves with the traitor, Sōsuke Aizen."

Shunsui nodded a few times. "Yeah. Any luck with that, by the way?" he asked.

The Squad 6 Captain nodded once. "Captain Suí-Fēng had informed me that the former 4th seat, Hiyosu, was in fact one of the traitors aligned with Sōsuke Aizen. Captain Kurotsuchi has been… interrogating him… for the past fews days. So far, we have yet to learn of anything. Captain Kurotsuchi has assured Captain Suí-Fēng that he would share any information he discovers, though I do not hold the man's word in high regards."

Kyōraku chuckled at that. "Yeah, he's a sly one, that Kurotsuchi. Anything else?"

Again, Byakuya nodded only once. "There is. After going through the Communication Department's records, with the assistance of Captain Kurotsuchi, we discovered something… unusual."

Shunsui rose a brow. "Unusual you say? Well, don't just leave me in the dark now, what'd you find out?" he pressed.

Byakuya's eyes turned to him and narrowed. "It would seem that a particular Captain paid a visit to the world of the living nearly a month ago. I find this unusual because there were no authorized departures during that time."

Kyōraku's smirk grew. "Is that so? That 'is' a bit odd." he teased.

Byakuya suddenly stopped, forcing Shunsui to do the same, and turned to face the man with a glare. "This is not a time for your pointless humor, Captain Kyōraku. Tell me, what were you doing in the world of the living? Being under wartime protocols, any, and 'all', departures to the world of the living must be approved through Squad 1, or anyone who has been given authorization to approve such departure." The man then narrowed his eyes further. "What were you doing in the world of the living, Captain Kyoraku? And why the need for such secrecy as to avoid seeking permission to go? Surely, you should have known that it is rare for a Captain to be denied permission to go to the world of the living, provided that they have a reasonable need to do so."

Shunsui tilted his hat a bit and grinned. "Would you believe me if I told you that it was to replenish my stores of sake?" he offered.

Kuchiki huffed. "I am aware that you tend to dismiss many of our laws and traditions, Captain Kyōraku; but I refuse to believe that you would do something so foolish, considering current circumstances. With everything that has happened thus far, along with your unscheduled visit to the world of the living, I am currently forced to consider you as a possible collaborator with Sōsuke Aizen."

That actually surprised Shunsui, as shown by the man raising both brows. "Now, hold up there a minute, Byakuya. I'll admit that I probably should have mentioned my little visit, but do you honestly think me a traitor over something so simple?"

Byakuya's gaze intensified. "Do you have proof to suggest otherwise? It was three Captains that had caused the situation that we currently face; it would be foolish to dismiss the possibility of a fourth. Now, I ask again, Captain Kyōraku; what was the reason for your visit to the world of the living?" he questioned.

Shunsui sighed heavily. "Alright alright. The truth is, I went there to check up on Captain Hitsugaya after their fight with the Espada."

The Squad 6 Captain scoffed under his breath. "I refuse to believe that that is the truth, Captain Kyōraku. At that time, contacting Captain Hitsugaya and his team was a simple matter. If you were truly concerned for his safety and wished to speak with him, you could have done so by usual means."

Byakuya closed his eyes and took a breath. "The only reason I am here speaking with you now, and not Captain Sei-Fēng, is due to my respect towards you, Captain Kyōraku. Doubtless, had Captain Suí-Fēng been the one to question you, she would have detained you; and with how loose-tongued squad members tend to be, news of your detainment under suspicion of treason would have spread quickly, and sowed further discontent among the Seireitei. I am hoping to prevent that, should you being a traitor not be the case. However, that does not mean that I will be lax in my duties to rout out those within our ranks that have aligned themselves with Aizen."

The man reopened his eyes and Shunsui was surprised to see a bit of hostility in them. "This is the last time I will ask you, Captain Kyōraku. What was the reason for your visit to the world of the living? And I suggest you refrain from bringing your… sense of humor… into your answer. My patience with it has long since run out."

Shunsui narrowed his eyes a bit, eyeing the man carefully. "Is that a threat, Captain Kuchiki?"

"You may take it as you will, but you will still answer my question. I have tried to resolve this peacefully, but if you still wish to avoid telling me the truth, then I will have no choice but to have you detained. Personally, I would rather not have to resort to such measures. As I had said, I respect you, and that is the only reason that you have not already been taken in to be questioned."

Kyōraku's grin grew in intensity. "And you're aware that you may find taking me in to be very difficult, if not impossible?"

"I am aware of your skills in battle, Captain Kyōraku. You fool your opponents with your calm and lax personality. But that will not work with me. I know of your true skills, as you should be of mine. I will admit that I will be hard pressed to defeat you, but in the end, that will be the case."

Raising a hand, Byakuya rested it on the hilt of his zanpakuto. "If you will not answer my question willingly, then I am left with no choice but to force you to answer it."

Shunsui's gaze turned to the other Captain's sword hand for a moment before going back to his eyes. He honestly hadn't planned on his secret meeting with Tōshirō to cause such a problem, but apparently, that was exactly what it caused for him.

He mentally debated on whether or not he should tell Byakuya the real reason why he went to the world of the living, but no matter what he chose to do, bad things would happen.

If he told the 6th Squad Captain the truth, he would risk exposing this mystery woman that the new, and powerful, Lieutenant of Squad 7 had taken a liking to. And from what Hitsugaya had told him, the woman was strong, and could become a powerful ally in the war. He could ask that Byakuya keep the matter a secret, but with how 'by-the-book' the man was, it was highly unlikely. But if he kept Hitsugaya's secret from the man, he would likely be seen as a traitor. There was also the fact that he had given Tōshirō his word that he wouldn't say anything, keeping woman's existence a secret.

One thing that Kyōraku refused to do, provided he could help it, was break a promise.

His decision made, the man sighed in defeat and tipped his straw hat down, covering his eyes. "Oh boy. Looks like it can't be helped. I just hope that Jūshirō doesn't bite my head off after this is over."

Before Byakuya could react, Shunsui vanished via shunpo, using a speed the Squad 6 Captain had not thought possible of the stoic man. He stood there for a moment longer, processing what had just happened, before turning to glance over his shoulder at a nearby tree.

"Inform your Captain of what transpired here, and tell her that I require her assistance." he instructed, vanishing the second he was done.

In the said tree, hiding in the shadows, were four members of the Stealth Force. They had been instructed to remain hidden, even from Captain Kuchiki, and report the results of his meeting with the Squad 8 Captain. They were surprised that he had known they were there, but then, they really shouldn't have been. Afterall, it was nearly impossible to sneak up on a Captain.

Except when it was 'their' Captain doing the sneaking.

Nodding at each other, the four hidden figures vanished to do as they were told.

Palace of the Quinto Espada

The low rumble of Ichigo's snores and soft wisp of Timothy's breathing in slumber were the only things that reached Nel's ears as she stood watch over the two men. Though her eyes were closed, her senses were fully alert as she sat next to what had once been her bed in a standard chair. Timothy lay sleeping somewhat peacefully next to her, his hand clasped in hers as the trio enjoyed the brief respite of combat.

They had only been there for a half hour at most, but already Nel was getting bad feelings in the pit of her stomach. The little voice in her head kept telling her, nagging her, that they were not safe there; that they needed to leave, now. She wasn't sure how that was possible, since the confines of her former room should have hidden the residual pressure of her garganta when they entered. But then again, this was Aizen they were talking about, just about anything was possible with that man. It wouldn't have surprised her if he was somehow watching them even now.

Ichigo suddenly snorted and mumbled a few words, scratching the side of his neck in his deep sleep. Nel opened a single eye to the teen, watching his actions, and smirked in humor. While she couldn't discern most of his rambling, she was able to catch 'annoying midget', and something about a 'demon cat-woman'. Nel managed to choke back a snicker, knowing exactly who the teen was referring to. It pleased her to know that she and Tim were not the only ones to suffer under that particular woman's antics.

Turning back to Tim, she smiled and sighed at the peaceful look on his face. Here they were, in what had to be the most dangerous of places, minutes away from what could possibly be their deaths, and the man was sleeping like a baby. She laughed in her head at how he would have likely reacted to being called such and sighed while holding his hand tighter. She just hoped that they could rescue Orihime and go back home.

Home… Odd how, in just a little over a month, that little candy shop, that sold way more than just 'candy', had become her new home. Not only that, but she also found someone she truly cared for, more than just a brother, like Pesche and Dondochakka. No, Timothy was something more to her. What exactly that was, she still needed to figure out. She wasn't sure if she could consider them as 'lovers', but the days went on, that word just… seemed to fit more and more. Hopefully, once this stupid war with Aizen was over, she could finally sit down and figure out what the two of them were to each other.

Something suddenly tickled her senses and her eyes went wide when she recognized the cause. 'Oh no!' she fretted.

Snapping to her feet, she rushed over and quietly nudged Ichigo's shoulder in an attempt to rouse him. The teen mumbled more incoherent words, waving his hand dismissively at her to shoo her away in his sleep.

"Stop… too early." he grumbled, resuming his snoring.

Nel gritted her teeth in growing worry as the tickle got steadily worse. "Ichigo! Wake up!" she snapped in a whisper, shaking him harder.

The teen snorted and finally opened his eyes, staring at her blankly in confusion. "Wha… Nel? What's up?" he asked sleepily.

"Wake up! Someone's coming!" she said in fear.

He snapped fully awake at her words and bolted upright. "What the… I thought you said we'd be safe here?!" he hissed in growing fear.

The woman raised herself and nodded. "I thought so too, but I guess I was wrong. They know we're here, and someone's on their way here right now. We've got to get Tim and leave, now."

Ichigo nodded once and Nel stepped back enough to allow him to stand and grab his zanpakutō. "Alright. You wake him up and get him to his feet, I'll keep watch."

She nodded back and rushed back to the bedside, kneeling down. "Tim…" she called, nudging him awake as well.

The Lieutenant moaned in annoyance of being disturbed and opened his eyes. "Nel? What's wrong? It's been an hour already?" he asked, turning to his side and pushing himself up onto an elbow.

Nel held a finger to her lips when he spoke a little too loudly. "Quiet. Someone's coming. We need to leave, quickly. Can you stand?" she asked in worry.

Timothy nodded firmly, a serious expression now on his face. "Yeah, that little nap did wonders for me. Can't say I'm in tip-top shape, but I can manage for now. Got an idea on where we can go?"

The woman shook her head in despair. "Not really, but right now, anywhere is better than here with who's coming." she responded as Timothy set his feet on the floor.

"And who's that?" Ichigo asked, keeping a hand on the hilt of his zanpakutō.

"Grimmjow." she answered.

Timothy froze in getting to his feet as he heard the name. "Grimmjow's the one coming?" he asked in a whisper.

She turned back to him and nodded. "Yes. It's strange too. It feels like… like he's not in a hurry to catch us. He's really close now, and I know he can sense us now, but…"

The Lieutenant nodded and stood fully. "He's not trying to prevent us from escaping."

Ichigo turned to him as well with a raised brow. "What are you talking about?" he questioned.

Timothy rolled his eyes to the teen and narrowed them. "I can feel him now too, his spiritual pressure. Don't you feel it, Nel? It's not trying to push us away, to make us run or drop in fear; it's calling."

"Calling? To what?" the teen asked further.

The Lieutenant turned back to Nel and sighed. "To me." he answered, her eyes going wide. "He's challenging me. He wants me to fight him. He doesn't care about the two of you; hell, I doubt he'd even try to stop you from running, he'd probably let you go."

Nel placed her hands on his shoulders and shook her head. "Tim, no! You're in no shape to fight at all, let alone an Espada. We are leaving. I do not care what Grimmjow wants. We. Are. Leaving! Now!" she said in a stern voice.

Timothy smiled and placed a hand over hers. "You think we can outrun him? In my condition? The second we exit the garganta, he'll be there waiting for us, and you know it. I don't know what the hell is going on, why none of the Espada have jumped in on this fiasco; shit, we could still be playing into Aizen sick hands for all I know. But as the situation is right this moment, our only chance at getting out of here and still having a chance of finding Orihime is for me to stay here and keep that blue-haired idiot busy."

Ichigo took a step forward and shook a fist at him. "Don't be stupid, you idiot! He'll kill ya, and you know it!" he asserted.

The Lieutenant smirked at him and shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. I've still got a trick or two up my sleeve, so maybe I've got a chance."

Nel gripped his shoulders tightly as she gritted her teeth. "No, Tim! You are not staying! At least not alone! If you stay, I'm staying too."

Timothy sighed and shook his head. "And what about Ichigo? He can't navigate the garganta without your help, and we can't afford for all three of us to get tied down by Grimmjow. I'm willing to bet my life that the others have run into similar trouble as well by now, so someone has to keep looking for Orihime. Besides, you really think it's a good idea to leave Ichigo running around here all by himself? He's likely to tear Hueco Mundo apart before he finds Orihime." he snarked.

"What the hell did you say, you bastard?!" said teen raged while shaking his fist, making Nel sighed in exasperation.

"Even now you two can't stop fighting each other." she grumbled.

A hand touched her cheek and she raised her eyes back to Timothy's. "Hey, I'll be alright. As long as you guys are good and safe, I'm fine with what happens to me."

She touched her free hand to his on her cheek as tears came to her eyes. "But I'm not, Tim. I lost Pesche and Dondochakka… I can't lose you too. I'm tired of losing everything I care for."

"Would you rather Orihime be left to suffer under Aizen?" he countered.

She hissed through her teeth in anger. "That's not fair! You know damn well I don't! No one deserves to suffer from that monster!" she snarled.

"Then go and find her, get her home." he said softly, rubbing her cheek.

Ichigo's gaze suddenly snapped to the door in a growl. "Damn! He's here. He's standing just outside the damn door."

"What's he doing?" Timothy inquired, not turning his gaze from Nel.

"Nothing. He's just standing there." the teen answered.

Timothy hummed with a nod. "Like I thought, he's waiting for me. But I seriously doubt his patience will last long. You two need to get going. Get back to the other palace, find Orihime, and get her home." he instructed, but Nel only shook her head.

"I don't want to leave you, Tim." she said in fear and sadness.

He smiled and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "Gonna have to, Nel."

"Yeah." A fourth voice spoke and the group turned to see Kitsune materialize next to her partner, hands on her hips. "You guys need to get going. And don't worry, I'll keep his stupid ass outta trouble. I need him alive so I can eat more cookie dough ice cream." she said with a wide grin.

Nel snorted in humor while Timothy facepalmed. "Is that seriously all you can think about at a time like this, you damned vixen?"

She huffed and crossed her arms, tilting her nose up at him. "Well, if a particular someone would buy it for me once in a while, then maybe I just might think of something else. Like more plotting with Yoruichi, or more ways to tease Nel. And don't think for a second that you're safe from all this, Ichigo; I just haven't had the chance to get to you yet." she said, pointing an accusing finger at the teen.

"Oh hell no! I've heard about your damn pranks against Nel and Tim! You leave me outta this!" he returned, pointing back.

The spirit gave him a fanged grin. "Oh, have you now? And just what was it you heard, I Chi Gooo~?" she teased.

The teen crossed his arms in an X over his chest, shaking his head. "Uh Uh! Nope! Not falling for it! I have enough trouble dealing with just Yoruichi! You keep the hell away from me, you pervert!"

"Aww. Is that any way to speak to a lady, Ichigo?"

"Lady my ass." Timothy and Nel mumbled in unison.

Kitsune huffed and crossed her arms. "No humor at all. But seriously, Tim and I can deal with the cat, you two need to get going. I can feel his spiritual pressure, and he's getting quite agitated right now. Just go, we'll deal with him and catch up. Don't forget, Tim's gotten a lot stronger since the last time we fought Grimmjow."

"That may be true, but he's still in no condition to fight, Kit." Nel opposed.

"Don't doubt my partner, Nel. We all know you two are close, but I know him far more than you do, and I say he can handle it. Do you doubt me?" the spirit challenged.

Nel turned to Timothy in worry for a moment before sighing heavily. "No… I don't. But still…"

Kitsune smiled and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Then trust us, Nel. Trust that we fight and win. Tim's trusted you enough to risk his life and career to protect you, so now it's time for you to trust him. Right?"

The woman dropped her head and nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry, Tim. I just… just…"

Smiling, Timothy removed his hand from her cheek and raised her chin up to him, meeting her eyes. "I know. It's hard not being able to look at my pretty face at all times of the day. I know it's tough, but I think you'll survive the next hour or so without my presence." he teased.

Nel snorted and shook her head with a smile. "Ass." she whispered before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. "Please… just promise me that you'll be alright." she said into his ear.

He returned the embrace and nuzzled into her neck. "I can't make that promise, Nel, but I will promise that I'll do everything possible to make it back alive. I'll toss the fox out as a sacrifice if I have to."

"I heard that, you bastard." said spirit growled, earning a snicker from Ichigo.

"I'd be sad to see her go, but I think I could adjust to not having Kit around." Nel returned.

"Hey, you can kiss my furry ass, Nel!" Kitsune snarled, presenting her rear to her and patting it, now making Ichigo laugh lowly. "And you shut up, carrot-head! Or I'll double-team you with Yoruichi!" she threatened, the teen instantly shutting up.

"That sounded so wrong on so many levels, Kit." Timothy mumbled.

Nel finally sighed and released Timothy from her grip, looking deeply into his eyes pleadingly. "Just come back to me, Tim. Please?" she begged.

The Lieutenant smirked and gave a thumbs-up. "Sure thing. Now get going."

She sighed and nodded before turning to Ichigo. "Alright. Lets go, Ichigo."

Ichigo nodded and glanced at Timothy. "Give that bastard a good beating, Tim." he said with a smirk.

"Plan to. Keep Nel safe, and find Orihime." the man returned.

The teen nodded again and joined Nel at her side. The woman flicked her wrist, opening the dark portal in front of her and allowing the teen to walk through. Stepping forward, she stopped just before entering and spared a last, tearful glance at Timothy.

"Please, be safe." she pleaded, then stepped forward into the abyss, the portal closing behind her.

When the air where the garganta once was returned to normal, a sigh escaped Timothy's lungs as a frown came to his face. Sensing his distress, Kitsune stepped over and wrapped an arm over his shoulders, pulling him into her side.

"Hey, cheer up, Tim. Like you said, we're not the pushovers we were last time, right?" she said in effort to encourage him.

He sighed again and shook his head. "It's not us I'm worried about, Kit; it's the others. I'm starting to think we've made an enormous mistake coming here like this, only the seven of us. I can't help but feel that we've done nothing more than walk to our own graves."

Kitsune sighed heavily and slapped the back of his head. "I swear to God, if you start that 'woe-is-me' horseshit here and now, I'm going to murder your ass, Tim. The others came here because they wanted to, not cause you forced em. Everyone knew our chances of success were close to zilch, and we all knew what the end results would likely be if we did fail. So quit your bitching about it and let's focus on taking care of the cat in the other room… literally." she said with a smirk.

The man snorted at her jest and managed to smirk. "Yeah, we do owe that bastard a good whooping, don't we?"

The spirit planted her fists on her hips and nodded firmly. "That we do. Now then, ready to go say hello to our special friend?"

"Ready if you are." he confirmed.

The two nodded to each other and made their way to the door leading to the main room. Opening the door, they were greeted with the view of Grimmjow sitting lazily in the center of a three-seater couch facing them. His posture was slouched, his feet kicked out before him with the left crossed over the right, and his arms splayed out along the back of the couch on either side. The blue-haired Espada had a wide, expectant grin plastered on his face.

The man watched the pair as they entered the room, speaking once they came to a stop just inside the room. "Sheesh, about damn time you all got done with your blabbering. I was starting to think I'd have to go in there and rip you out by the throat, Tim."

The Lieutenant snorted with a roll of the eyes. "No one said you had to wait, Grimm. You coulda just waltzed in and attacked you know." he pointed out.

Grimmjow scoffed through his teeth and flipped a hand in dismissal. "Then I woulda dragged the others into this as well. Those two don't interest me, just you and your cute vixen there are all I want." he said with a wicked smirk pointed towards Kitsune.

The spirit smirked back with a shift of her hips and crossed arms. "Cute, huh? Is that all you have to say about me, kitty cat? I think you need to redefine your definitions of 'cute', Grimm. Bunnies are cute; puppies are cute; hell, even little kittens like you are cute. But me? I'm drop-dead gorgeous." she corrected and struck a pose at him. "Look at this luscious fur, this beautiful tail, these fine claws, and all you can say is I'm cute? Sounds to me like you have super-high standards, Grimm. Reaching for the stars, are we?" she teased, earning a depressive sigh from Timothy."

"Here we go again." he moaned to himself.

Grimmjow chuckled deeply in his throat and shrugged. "What can I say, a man's gotta have standards, vixen. But that's not to say you don't meet em. I wouldn't mind a tango or two with ya in a more… personal setting."

Her lips pulled back into a fanged smile. "And just what makes you think you could handle a 'tango' with me, kitty cat? You're more likely to have your tail stepped on in that case, never mind the feet."

The Espada laughed loudly for a moment before turning back to Timothy. "Gotta admit I missed that vixen of yours, Tim. She's got the mouth of a demoness on her, doesn't she?"

Timothy sighed and shook his head. "You really have no idea, Grimm. So what now? You came here looking for me, so I'm guessing you wanted a rematch after our last battle, right?" he questioned.

"Tsk, that match was a fucking joke. You were a joke, Tim. I'll give ya that you were good enough to deal me some damage; hell, you did better than most of the others I've fought." he said with a serious glare. "But let's face it, you were done. It's impressive you were even still conscious at the end, let alone breathing. And if that wasn't enough, I hadn't even released my Resurrección yet. Not only that, but in case you didn't know, both soul reapers and hollows are much weaker when in the world of the living cause of a low amount of spirit particles or some shit like that. Plus you didn't have one of those limit things Aizen told the Espada about on ya back then. So that means you were fighting at full strength back there. You stood no chance against me, Tim."

Timothy took a slow, heavy breath and nodded. "Yeah, that's true. I still had a lot to learn about my new powers, namely my bankai. Something inside told me that I stood little, if any chance of beating you back then. But things are different now, Grimm. Even though I'm a little roughed up right now, I'm still much stronger now than I was that night. I've learned a lot since we last fought, and I gotta warn you that I'm nowhere near as weak as I used to be."

The Espada's stare turned to a wide grin before pushing himself up from his seat. Taking a second to stretch his arms, he planted his hands on his hips and chuckled. "Well then, whaddaya say we get down to business? I've even got us a nice little spot where we won't be disturbed."

Kitsune smirked at him before vanishing while Timothy held out a hand to the side. "Lead the way, Grimm."

Both beings vanished in a wisp and buzzed of their respective methods of travel.

Palace of the Sexta Espada

Grimmjow and Timothy reappeared in a darkened, open room with raised platforms on either side of the room. Turning around, Timothy noticed that there was only a single door leading into the room on one side, while a wall devoid of any features stood on the other. The room had the be the size of a football field and a half in width and length, more than large enough for the two to have their duel.

Turning back to the Espada, Kitsune reappeared next to her partner, taking a second to admire the room herself before speaking. "Nice place you got here, Grimm. I guess this is where you bring all your lady friends?" she teased.

The Espada snickered and shook his head. "Wouldn't you like to know, vixen. Why? You that excited to join the list of my conquers?" he sent back.

She sent him a suggestive flash of her brows, baring her fangs. "Oh please, if anyone was going to be conquered, it'd be you, kitty cat. Beside, that blue hair of yours is such a turnoff. I'm more of a redheaded type of girl myself."

"Don't let Renji here you say that. He'd have nightmares for months." Timothy mumbled.

"Oh, shut up, you. You know you want a piece of this ass." she said as she flicked her tail at him.

'Kinda already did… technically.' he thought to himself.

'I can still hear you even though I'm in this form, just so you know. And while we're on that subject, I gotta say you didn't displease in that regard. Also, just to let you know, if you ever want that ass again, all you gotta do is ask.' she teased in his head, a wide smile on her face in the real world.

Timothy slapped a hand to his face with a loud moan. 'Thanks for the input, perverted witch. Nice to know that I was good in the sack.' he grumbled.

'Oh, you were more than just 'good', my sexy partner. I'll be sure to inform Nel of all your sweet spots so her first time with you will be…'

'Stop! Not one more fucking word outta you, damned demon bitch!' he yelled in his head, silencing her.

Kitsune snickered in the real world behind her hand. "Oh, teasing you is just so much fun. But anyway; sorry Grimm, but you're just not really my type. But that's not to say I'm against having a little 'fun' with you, if you're willing to work for it." she said to the Espada.

The man laughed and adopted a sinister grin. "I'm more than willing to show ya a good time, vixen. Can't tell ya how much I've been waiting to continue our little dance after that night. So whaddya say, Tim? You ready to get this fight started?" he asked, resting a hand on the hilt of his zanpakutō.

Kitsune sighed in sadness and shook her head slowly. "Sorry, Grimm, but I'm afraid our dance is gonna have to wait until next time." she said.

Grimmjow rose a questioning brow at her. "You telling me you're not gonna fight?" he asked with growing anger.

Timothy shook his head at him. "I never said we weren't going to fight, Grimm; it's just that Kit isn't the one you're going to be facing this time."

"What the hell you talking about?" the Espada questioned.

"You see, Grimmjow, I'm somewhat of a rarity in the Soul Society. While there are a couple of soul reapers that have duel zanpakutōs as a part of the whole, there are none that I know of that have two completely different zanpakutōs, period. Kit here is the spirit of one of them, known as Moeru Kitsune."

Grimmjow spared a quick glance down at the man's waist, looking for his claimed 'second zanpakutō', but only saw the one he was familiar with belonging to the vixen standing next to the Lieutenant.

"A second one, huh? Gotta say that I've never heard of a soul reaper having two zanpakutōs before. So where's this second zanpakutō of yours at then?" he asked.

Timothy reached over and slowly drew the one zanpakutō at his side, holding it down next to him. With a giggle, Kitsune turned her gaze to her partner and patted his cheek tenderly. "Kick his ass, Tim, but make sure you leave something for me to play with after you're done. Okay?"

The man's lips pulled back into a small smirk with a shrug. "No promises, but I'll see what I can do."

The spirit sighed and held her palms up in defeat. "Guess that's all a lady can ask for." she breathed, then turned back to Grimmjow. "Have fun, Grimm. We'll dance next time. Okay?"

Grimmjow snickered and flewed the fingers of his free hand, drawing his own weapon. "Looking forward to it, sweet vixen. Don't keep me waiting too long, or I might just have to take it out on your partner here."

She snickered back and began to vanish. "Wouldn't dream of it, pussy cat." she said, fading back into Timothy's inner world.

"Now that it's just the two of us…" the Espada said as he turned back to timothy. "Let's get started."

Timothy nodded firmly and took a deep breath. "You know, there's still a chance for you to join up with us, Grimm. Aizen's the kind of character that's only going to bring more harm than good to you." he offered.

"Ha!" the Espada barked. "Don't start that shit again, Tim. I don't care which side I'm fighting on, this fight is still happening, whether you like it or not. So quit spewing shit and fight." he demanded.

The Lieutenant took another breath and nodded. "I tried." he responded. Bringing his sword arm up, he held his zanpakutō in front of him chest-high, the tip pointing straight up. "You asked for it, Grimm." he said, releasing his grip on the weapon.

To Grimmjow's surprise, the sword didn't fall to the ground; it remained suspended in the air as if it were hanging by an invisible wire. Extending his index and middle fingers, Timothy tapped the side of the hilt, causing the whole weapon to spin in the air clockwise from Timothy's perspective at a slow pace, one full rotation every few seconds. Round and round the blade spun, a soft whooshing sound coming from the blade as if it were pushing through the wind.

Timothy narrowed his eyes at the Espada as he suddenly raised his hand higher and grabbed the hilt again, this time with the tip pointing down. "Flow…"


Things are heating up for real in Las Noches. I hope everyone liked the little buff, or addition, I gave to Rukia. Personally, I felt it was kinda needed, considering how all of her shikai abilities were called 'dances', yet when she uses them, she barely moves a muscle, let alone actually dances. So yeah, I gave her an extra ability that revolves around dancing. To make it easier to understand how her ability works, look up ribbon dancing on YouTube and picture it in a more powerful scale.

I'm sure some of you may have noticed a slight change in the explanation of Chad's left arm, in how he acquired it. Again, I felt that this way made a little more sense, considering his powers and his history.

But it seems things are picking up back in the Soul Society as well now. Shunsui? A traitor? I wonder how the Head Captain will take to this bit of info. Or better yet, what Jūshirō will do in reaction.

And finally, would this be a true chapter if it didn't have some Kitsune humor/banter in it? Especially when the targets are Ichigo and Grimmjow? I think not. Lmao. Anyway, I know you all are hating me right now, leaving this chapter on a cliffhanger right when Tim was about to release his LONG awaited second zanpakutō. I know Spades has bugged the hell outta me about it, lol.

That's all I got for this one, fellas. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and looking forward to the next one. Laters.