Author's Note: So, here we are at chapter 14.

We are drawing to the end of the line of this arc, and I have decided to finish this arc, plus the Bount Arc, before ending Book , so I hope that meets everyone's approval.

What I will be doing before I post the next chapter of KFAEIS (yes, I made the name too long, sue me) is modifying the previous chapters so that the Zanpakutō names and Kaigo flow properly, as well as any pesky spelling and grammar mistakes that I missed, so make sure you re-read it from the beginning to avoid the confusion when I post the next chapter.

Read, Review and Check out my other stories!

Beta'd by BigCC

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!

"Rukia" – Normal Speech

'Ichigo' – Thoughts

*Kaien-dono* - Zanpakutō speech/thoughts

"Bankai!" – Spiritual Technique

Chapter 14: Broken Masks Part 1

Sewer Tunnels, Seireitei

Ichigo's Perspective

"Hanatarō-san, may I ask what your Zanpakutō is capable of?" Kokken asked the 3rd Seat as they sped along the tunnels.

"Eh? Oh, i-it isn't a good Zanpakutō." The timid man answered, "He's a bit of an unusual Zanpakutō in that he's active even in his Fūingata form and I cannot release him on command. Any time I strike someone, Hisagomaru heals them of their injuries, or to be more precise he absorbs any damage they've taken, rather than hurting them. Once a certain amount of damage is absorbed, I can activate his Shikai and he'll unleash a blast of spiritual energy based on the amount of damage he's absorbed while sealed. Unfortunately his Shikai state is a scalpel so, while I can use him to actually fight in that form, attacking is extremely difficult after the initial blast."

The masked Soul Reaper shook her head in disbelief. "And this is why having one Squad dedicated to healing is a bad idea. Your Zanpakutō is far from useless, Hanatarō-san. To clarify, can you revert Hisagomaru back to its Fūingata state immediately after the initial attack?"

"Er, yes?"

"Then you would be able to heal your allies, blast the enemy with your Shikai's attack once you've absorbed enough damage and then revert to Fūingata and then start the entire process all over again." Kokken outlined her thoughts, "In combat, that would be a highly useful technique, especially the first time, as the enemy won't be expecting it."

Ichigo, who was running at the head of the group, nodded to himself in reluctant agreement with the irritating girl. That kind of ability could be extremely useful for a healer, allowing them to both heal quickly and defend themselves and their patients if attacked. He had to wonder why the Soul Reapers never thought of it.

He snorted quietly. From what he had seen, the Goteijūsantai had very linear and straightforward thinking when it came to combat. If a Soul Reaper's Zanpakutō wasn't immediately useful as a combat weapon, he wasn't surprised that they bundled them into a single Squad full of healers.

"Kokken, save your ideas for revolutionising the combat protocols of the Guard Squads until we aren't fighting them." Yoruichi added dryly.

"I will. I'm more than willing to take advantage of the incompetence of my enemies." Kokken answered with a slightly evil laugh. Ichigo really didn't know what to make of the girl. On one hand, her constant aloof condescending words to him drove him up the wall and across the ceiling. She was always acting as if she knew better and that he was a bumbling, not very bright child for her to take in hand and spank if he got out of line.

Alright, so he was very straightforward in his approach. So what? It certainly took these idiots off guard. It worked, so why complain about it?

On the other hand, her tale of what this 'Aizen' person had done to her was, to put it bluntly, horrific. By the sounds of it, she had trained herself into the ground ever since to get her revenge and to prevent anyone else from suffering under his hands. That kind of resolve was something he could respect at least. Still, Kokken was a pain in his ass and he was kinda looking forward to getting back to Karakura Town to get rid of her.

He conveniently ignored the fact that she had sworn to train his ass off once they got back.

After a few minutes of brisk jogging, the party came to a stop at a dead end, with a single ladder leading up to the stone covering at the top.

"Th-this is as far as the sewer tunnels go." Hanatarō said apologetically, "The Hakutōmon is a five minute walk from here."

"So less than two minutes at a swift run." Yoruichi nodded, "Nice. Kokken…my sword."

"Hai, sensei." The Masked Girl answered. She untied a sash that Ichigo realised was in fact a bag and laid it out on the floor. Lying in the centre of it was a single kodachi with a white sheath. Kokken carefully picked it up by the sheath as if it were made of glass and presented it to the dusky-skinned woman with an air of solemnity.

"I return your sword which you entrusted to me, Shihōin Yoruichi-sensei." Kokken said with a bowed head.

"So I see, Apprentice." Yoruichi said with a soft smile, "Very well done. Now, head up there and take down any Soul Reapers in the area. Give us a shout once you're done."

"With pleasure." The girl cracked her knuckles before vanishing in a spurt of Shunpo. The caped Soul Reaper exploded out of the sewer and the group of mixed humans and Soul Reapers winced as shouts and screams echoed down to them.

"GET HER!" WHACK!

"Holy shit!" SMASH!

"Not the face! Not the face!" SMACK! "Yes the face! Yes the face!" WHACK!

"Kami help me!" BANG!

"Right, let's be havin' you…!" WHAM!

After a few moments, the noise died down and Kokken's masked visage popped into view. "All clear."

When they clambered up, they were greeted by the sight of over twenty Soul Reapers scattered all over the courtyard that the sewer opened out into. A few were sticking out of wall, either their heads or rears visible, and limbs twitching.

"Show off." Yoruichi scoffed.

"I was cutting loose, sensei." Kokken responded innocently, an audible, 'butter wouldn't melt in my mouth' expression easily discernible through her mask, "Aside from playing hide and seek with a Captain, I haven't had any good fights since coming to the Soul Society."

"That'll change soon." The werecat said seriously, "Let's move. It won't be long before the alarm sounds. Move!"

Captain's Room, Squad Thirteen Barracks

Ukitake Jūshirō slid his Shihakushō on before adding his Captain's haori. He had been visited by Unohana-taichō only a few days ago and already he could feel his disease starting to come back. It was ridiculous at how quickly his condition deteriorated after only a handful of days.

He sighed as he overheard Sentarō and Kiyone having one of their arguments in the outer room of his office. They hadn't been nearly as bad as this when Kaien had still been alive.

The white-haired man sighed as he remembered his last Lieutenant. Such potential, such dedication…all lost, along with the man's wife thanks to that accursed Hollow. And then…there was Rukia.

His heart twinged at that. Genryūsai-sensei had been as uncompromising and blunt as ever when he lambasted him for his actions. He shouldn't have acceded to Byakuya's request. He shouldn't have let the man's concerns affect where Rukia was placed within his Squad. All it had done was break the heart and will of a promising Soul Reaper, which had been exacerbated by the death of Miyako and Kaien, robbing Rukia of two people who genuinely cared about her and who had helped rebuild even a modicum of her self-esteem, which had come crashing down with their deaths.

'Kaien…what would you do if you were still alive?' Ukitake wondered as he absently adjusted his haori. Then he scoffed at his own prevarication. It was obvious what Kaien, and Miyako as well, would have done: they would have challenged the ruling of the Central 46 with everything they had, even rebelling if they had to.

"Captain!" Kiyone shouted triumphantly, "A messenger is here!"

"Ahhh! I was gonna do that!" Sentarō whined.

"The early bird gets the worm."

"Why you…!"

Sighing again, Ukitake exited his room and walked past his two 3rd Seats. Kiyone was a petite girl with short, hazel-coloured hair. She wore the standard Soul Reaper Shihakushō, as well as a pair of white gloves and a dress shirt underneath her uniform. Sentarō stood at least a foot taller than his fellow 3rd Seat and wore a hachimaki around his head, as well as ropes over his shoulders that met in a circle on his back. He was also loud.

The messenger was a member of the Riteitai subdivision of the Onmitsukidō, a master of Shunpo and loyal to the commands of the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō. As they all did, this man carried the Tsūdentō (Transmittal Blades) of his subdivision sheathed at the small of his back. Dressed in black trousers, a red jacket and an odd wooden hat, the Riteitai were only ever dispatched on missions of utter importance and secrecy.

'So why is one here right now?'

Keeping that thought from his face, Ukitake approached the kneeling messenger. "Speak."

"Ukitake-taichō, the Ryoka have been spotted heading towards the Hakutōmon in the company of Kuchiki Rukia, Abarai Renji and Shihōin Yoruichi." The man reported swiftly, "Lieutenant Hinamori Momo has also been spotted with a prisoner collar around her neck. A member of Squad 4, 3rd Seat Hanatarō Yamada, has been spotted with them also, although it is uncertain whether he is a prisoner or not."

Ukitake was stunned. Renji, who had helped to bring Rukia in, was now helping her to escape? The exiled Shihōin Princess really was back?

"What orders do you bring?" he asked as his mind swirled with thoughts.

"The Sōtaichō orders that all efforts are to be made towards subduing the Ryoka and recapturing Kuchiki Rukia." The Riteitai responded immediately, "All members of the Ryoka are to be taken alive and kept away from Kurotsuchi Mayuri-taichō. Any rebels from the Goteijūsantai are to be captured also."

"Message received." Ukitake nodded, "Be about your business."

"Hai." The man nodded and vanished in a Shunpo.

"Captain?" Kiyone asked timidly, "Are…are we really going to arrest Rukia?"

Beside her, Sentarō nodded. The two 3rd Seats were quite fond of Rukia, who had followed around Shiba Kaien like an adoring puppy once he had started to draw her out of her shell.

'Yes…what are we going to do?' Ukitake thought as he looked out the window into the garden. He had planted and cultivated it himself over the long period of his term as Captain of Squad 13 and he kept it exactly as he liked it. Kaien had helped out, with Rukia timidly offering opinions on possible additions or alterations once he coaxed it out of her.

He could almost see the face of a very much disapproving Shiba Kaien as he glared at his Captain. 'What do you think you're doing, Captain?!' the look seemed to say, 'Save her! Save Rukia!'

Straightening up, the white-haired man sighed once again as he knew what path he had to take…even if he had to go against Genryūsai-sensei in order to do it.

"Sentarō, Kiyone…we're going to help Rukia-chan." He said firmly.

"Yessir!" his two subordinates said with big grins, as if he were only confirming their suspicions.

Leading them out, pausing only to pick up their Zanpakutō, Ukitake stopped at the entrance to his Squad's Barracks. Leaning against it was his oldest friend, Kyōraku Shunsui, the Captain of Squad 8. Dressed in his pink flowery kimono over his Shihakushō and haori, as well as a straw hat, he looked the very picture of a drunk. That façade hid a mind sharper and keener than a Zanpakutō.

"Yo, Jū-chan." Shunsui waved lazily at him, "You got the message from Yama-ji too?"

Shaking his head at his friend's insistence at irrelevance towards the most powerful Soul Reaper to have lived in the past two millennia, Ukitake nodded. "Yes. Have all of the Captains been informed, do you think?"

"Hmmm. Probably." The sake-loving man temporised, "Mayuri will try to grab at least one of the Ryoka before the Yama-ji gets there. Tōsen and Komamura are rigid in their dislike of lawbreakers, so they'll definitely be there. Soi Fon and Byakuya…well, with Yoruichi and Rukia both there, they'll be there before all the others. The rest is a coin toss. Hitsugaya's been acting real cagy recently, Unohana's not one for fighting unless…well, you know. Aizen's dead, Kenpachi and Gin're wildcards and Yama-ji's not going to step in until one of us steps outta line."

"Where's Nanao?" Ukitake wondered, not seeing the ever-present form of the bespectacled female Soul Reaper.

"Ah, she's monitoring the Ryoka." Kyōraku smirked lazily, "Quite the list of people with them. This mysterious 'Kokken Asa' person being the one leading the way and beating any Soul Reapers in her way unconscious. The orange-haired Kurosaki Ichigo letting off even more Reiryoku than before. Abarai Renji helping them out, the 3rd Seat of Squad 4 either a collaborator or a prisoner, plus a Quincy, a spiritually powerful Soul and two humans. Quite the interesting band of Ryoka. Not to mention the Lieutenant they have captive."

"Yes…Hinamori Momo." Ukitake frowned. He had always been of the opinion that she was too green to be a Lieutenant. She needed more seasoning before she was truly ready for her post, despite her high skill level with the art of Kidō. "What is it you intend to do, Shunsui?"

Another lazy grin crossed the other Captain's face, "Oh, about the same as what you're planning, I'd say Jū-chan. This stinks worse than week old fish. Something's going on in the background and we're being played like stones of the Go board."

Ukitake nodded grimly. "I agree. Let's go. Whoever is pulling the strings on this little play will not allow the Ryoka to leave without their objectives being completed."

"Hoooh. That sounds interestin'." A rough voice said. The four Soul Reapers turned to see the enormous form of Zaraki Kenpachi stomping towards them. His haori was ragged and had seen better days, while the sheath of his sword was wrapped in bandages. His black hair was gelled into a crown of spikes, each from which a single bell hung, ringing slightly with every step the man took. His eyepatch that sucked up his Reiatsu like a sponge was in place over one eye.

Hanging off of his shoulder was the tiny form of Kusajishi Yachiru, pink haired and with an almost permanent grin on her face.

"Kenpachi. I thought you were still recovering from your match with that Ryoka boy." Ukitake said evenly. Even now he was having a hard time believing that Kenpachi was fought to a draw. Out of all of the Kenpachi that had lived throughout the years, barring the 1st Kenpachi, Zaraki Kenpachi was by far the strongest.

"Tch. Sleepin' and eatin' fer three days is more than enough fer me to get back into the swing of things." The large man snorted, "Besides, there's a great fight in the offin'! Like hell I'm gonna sit on my ass and let it pass me by! I still need to have my rematch with Ichigo, so he can't get killed by whatever cowardly fool that made this shit up."

Zaraki snorted at the surprise on the other four Soul Reapers' faces. "I can read, y'know. Somethin' I rarely do, right enough, but I do read. Th' Sōkyoku ain't somethin' Kuchiki should be bein' punished with, clear as day. Oi! Get out here, you two!"

Stepping out from around the corner, two more Soul Reapers made their way to the group of Captains. One was shaved bald with red markings at the outer corners of his eyes. He carried his sheathed Zanpakutō by the hilt and slung over his shoulder. The other man had a bowl-cut and had two vividly coloured elongated eyelashes and eyebrows. Aside from the standard Shihakushō, he wore an orange neck warmer, which was attached to an orange sleeve on his right arm.

"Ikkaku. Yumichika." Kenpachi grunted, "We're goin' ta help Ichigo! Then I can get another fight outta him!"

"No fair, taichō!" Ikkaku protested immediately, "I fought him first!"

"Fair enough. You can get your ass kicked first." The Captain of the 11th conceded.

"Ahem. So I take it you'll be following us?" Ukitake coughed delicately.

"Yeah. Can't sense Reiatsu for shit." The big Soul Reaper grunted.

"Yeah, and Lieutenant Yachiru's not much better." Ikkaku put it, "It's a good contest to see who's the worst at finding their way outta the two of you, taichō."

"Shut it, Pachinko Ball!" Yachiru spat on his bald head.

"Imna kill her…!" the bald man growled.

"Oh dear." Ukitake sighed, while Kyōraku chuckled.

With the Rukia Rescue Team (plus extras)

"You enjoyed beating those guys up too much." Ichigo deadpanned at Kokken, who shrugged at him indifferently. She had just finished beating the snot out of another roaming group of Soul Reapers.

"We really need to get these guys trained for fighting someone else other than Hollows." Renji sighed. Having one renegade Soul Reaper beat the crap out of them like this was just plain embarrassing.

"Low ranking Soul Reapers, Kuchiki-san aside, are not generally speaking useful in a serious fight." Kokken responded, "Despite their numbers, the percentage of them that actually unlock their Shikai is rather low. Besides, I'm right about as strong as you were before you achieved Bankai, Abarai-san. No one ranking less than a Lieutenant can so much as inconvenience me."

"You've gained a lot of strength since returning to the Soul Society, Kokken-sensei." Chad remarked, "Didn't you say that you were a 6th Seat when you started training Orihime and I?"

"Around about there, yes." Kokken nodded shortly, "It has to do with…with what Aizen did to me. I'd prefer not to talk about it just yet."

"Sorry." The Mexican youth rumbled apologetically.

"You weren't to know." Kokken shook her head before straightening up, "Let's go. We still have to make it to the Hakutōmon."

The silence that followed was somewhat tense. Orihime and Rukia both kept a weather eye on Ichigo, with the occasional sharp look towards one another. Uryū kept aloof, but shot an indecipherable look towards Kokken every now and again. Ichigo kept going on, as clueless as ever on the surface, but he frowned in thought now rather than just out of habit. The rest of the group kept their council.

Ichigo whistled when they finally entered the courtyard on the Seireitei section of the Hakutōmon. "That is still one impressively large gate."

Yoruichi fished a Jigokuchō out of her orange coat and muttered into it for a moment before allowing it to flutter away. "There. Now all we have to do is hold this position until our backup gets here. Where should we make a stand…not too close to the walls or the Sekkiseki will make it hard to use our Reiryoku… can't be too close to this side either or we may get cut off from the gate once it's open. Just over halfway there should do it."

As they traipsed over to the halfway point, Kokken cocked her head to one side for a moment before cursing. "There're a lot of powerful sources of Reiryoku heading in our direction. Looks like we've been made."

"Doesn't take a genius to figure out what we had to do to get out." Yoruichi pointed out, "Now then…who will be first?"

No sooner had she spoken than both she and Kokken vanished in a Shunpo, reappearing in front of a surprised Chad, blocking a powerful punch from a petit black-haired woman wearing the haori of a Captain and who was glaring at both Yoruichi and Kokken.

"Yo, Soi-Fon." The Shihōin Princess grinned happily at her former pupil, "You're looking well."

"Yoruichi…!" Soi Fon growled angrily.

"I told you she'd be mad, sensei." Kokken said with a sigh as she disengaged from the two Captain-class Soul Reapers.

"I'll take care of my Little Bee." Yoruichi said with a smirk, "You all guard yourselves!"

Casually throwing Soi Fon into the air, the Shihōin Princess then kicked her through a building before diving after her. The group sans Kokken blinked after her in surprise.

"Old girlfriends." The masked Soul Reaper said offhandedly, "Keep an eye out; where there's one member of the Onmitsukidō, there's usually more lurking around. Shakkahō!"

She fired a blast of red energy at a building a bit further down the line from where Yoruichi and Soi-Fon had vanished, blowing it up. In a series of blurs, a group of black and grey clad figures emerged from the building and glared at Kokken.

"Who the heck are these guys?" Ichigo asked with a frown.

"Members of the Keigun division of the Onmitsukidō. Some people call them the Punishment Force or the Executive Militia." The Masked woman answered, "They are the highest-ranking division in the Onmitsukidō and are responsible for assassinating traitors, as well as scouting during protracted battles with Hollows. Their Division Head is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, currently the 9th Leader of the Noble House of Fēng, Soi-Fon. They're mine."

Walking forward nonchalantly, Kokken vanished, swiftly followed by the Executive Militia. The sound of fist and feet clashing with flesh resounded throughout the courtyard and several unconscious Militiamen slammed into buildings before Kokken herself blurred into vision, sent flying from a kick before she recovered, flipped onto her feet in mid-air and vanished again. Soon the rest of the squad of Executive Militia joined their comrades on the ground.

Kokken reappeared, rotating her shoulder. "Hmm…I actually had to put in some effort this time. Looks like the Commander-in-Chief's personal guard are a touch better than the rest of the Executive Militia."

"I couldn't even see them move!" Orihime whispered in disbelief. She was a fairly good karate fighter, but Kokken and the Onmitsukidō were so far above her in terms of ability that it wasn't even funny.

"…I need to work on my Shunpo after this." Rukia muttered. She had a fairly good grasp of the primary skill of Hohō, but seeing Kokken easily match the Executive Militia in the skill they were strongest in was humbling.

"Don't look now, but we have more Soul Reapers coming this way." Uryū warned, deploying his bow. Indeed, several Soul Reapers had shown themselves at the three entrances to the courtyard, but one drew Rukia's eyes at first sight.

"Nii-sama!"

Kuchiki Byakuya strode forwards, blade drawn and his impassive face radiating cold determination.

"Boy, I know not why you are not a Reiryoku-barren wreck at this moment, although the reason is meaningless." He stated, looking at Ichigo before directing his gaze at Kokken, "So then, you are that woman's latest disciple."

It was a statement rather than a question.

"Sensei was rather insistent, Byakuya-sempai." The black-masked woman shrugged, "You would know better than me how stubborn she can be when she sets her mind to something."

The slight twitch of an eye indicated that he did indeed know what Kokken was talking about.

"That is meaningless also." He said after a moment, "As you shall all fall here."

In a blur, he vanished.

"Trying the same trick twice on the same person, sempai? Sensei would be sooo disappointed." Kokken tutted and also blurred out of existence in a Shunpo.

Ichigo frowned before looking at a location to the left of where Kokken had been standing and, sure enough, two forms blurred into existence there; an incredulous Kuchiki Byakuya with Kokken Asa holding her drawn blade to the part of his neck where his arteries were located. It was a pure bluff, as Kokken was by no means strong enough to so much as scratch the Captain without the difference between their Reiatsu causing wounds on her body, but the display left one thing rooted in their minds.

Kokken Asa was at least Kuchiki Byakuya's equal when it came to basic Shunpo.

"Senka, the Flash Blossom." Kokken spoke in a thoughtful tone, "An excellent and most worthy assassination technique that can be perfectly executed even if your target knows what you are planning to do. Foreknowledge of the use of a technique is useless without the ability to counter it, after all. Against someone who is at least Lieutenant-level in Shunpo, it is hard to use on, however. I was almost at entry-level Onmitsukidō Shunpo the last time you used it on me and I managed to avoid it. I am now at Executive Militia-level with Shunpo. My training in letting the Reiryoku flow needed live combat for it to sink in, but I think I have reached at least barely acceptable levels for a student of the Shunshin, wouldn't you say?"

The burning anger in Byakuya's eye did all his talking for him.

"Scary." Kokken drawled sarcastically, "This was just an informative lesson, Sempai. Kurosaki-san, please take care of your business with the good Captain."

Alost as soon as she removed her sword and blurred away, Ichigo sped in and slammed his sword down, Zangetsu clashing with Senbonzakura properly for the first time.

"-!" the aristocratic man's eyes widened fractionally as he felt the vast spiritual pressure behind Ichigo's sword.

"It's time we finish what was started in Karakura Town…Kuchiki Byakuya!" the Deathberry growled.

With Kirika

Sheathing her Zanpakutō, she walked over to Rukia, who was looking stricken at the sight of her friend/romantic interest (not that she'd implied as much, but the subtle glaring competition with Orihime was a dead giveaway) clashing with her adopted brother, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. They'll be fine." She said kindly,

"They're fighting!" the former Inuzuri brat exclaimed, "How is that 'fine' by any definition of the word?!"

"I mean that they're both strong enough that they can handle any wounds they deal to each other." Kirika explained. She was worried about her brother as well, but unnecessary concern on the battlefield was a distraction. She stamped down on her worry, resigning herself to watching at best. The redheaded Kurosaki doubted that any of her Kidō (Hadō or Bakudō) could do more than distract and inconvenience Byakuya, and as the man was a Captain-class Soul Reaper, she couldn't attack him any other way without being hit by the backlash of the difference between their Reiatsu.

No, it was better to leave Ichigo to deal with Byakuya. The rest of them had other things to be concerned with…such as the small army of Soul Reapers that were flooding out towards them from the entrances.

"Chad-kun, if you please." Kirika waved a hand at the incoming attackers.

"El Directo!" the tall boy shouted, deploying his arm armour even as he punched, the spiritual energy blast sending the low ranked Soul Reapers he fired at flying as if they were bowling pins hit with a perfect strike. That single blast knocked out or disabled over half of the attackers.

"Chad!" Rukia gaped in shock.

"Kokken-sensei taught us so we could save you, Kuchiki-san." Chad said simply, "We will not fail."

"I never asked you to do this!" Rukia said, tearing up, "Why?! Why are you all here?!"

"Because Ichigo wants to save you." Chad stated, "That's a good enough reason for me."

The rest of the group, Ganju and Hinamori aside, agreed with him. Well, Uryū merely grunted and fired arrows at Soul Reapers, but the slight flush on his face said it all.

"I won't thank you." The ravenette choked out before dashing her tears aside.

Everything became more serious then, as the feeling of two immense sources of Reiatsu bearing down on them cut off any further talk. Looking up, Kirika stifled a gasp. Standing atop a roof were four Soul Reapers, two wearing the haori of Captains. One of them was Tōsen Kaname, the only one of the three traitorous Captains that she hadn't met. His blind eyes were glazed over and gazed sightlessly over the group's heads, but she knew he knew the location of each and every member of her group.

The other Captain was huge, making even Chad look slightly built by comparison. Wearing a bucket-shaped helmet and various thick pieces of armour in addition to his Shihakushō and Captain's Haori, he was a veritable juggernaut.

Standing on their respective captains' side were their Lieutenants. One with the sleeves of his Shihakushō rolled up, revealing his lean muscled arms, as well as having the number '69' tattooed on his cheek. The other was dressed up as if he were a member of the Yakuza, including a sort of pompadour haircut and a pair of sunglasses. Hisagi Shūhei, who had been on guard with Hinamori at the Senzaikyū.

"Well, well." Kirika said easily, thanking Urahara for adding some protection against foreign Reiatsu into the helmet, "If it isn't Captain Tōsen and Captain Komamura, as well as your Lieutenants I presume? Isn't this an interesting gathering?"

"Silence, Ryoka." Tōsen said in his soft and precise voice, "It is the path of least bloodshed that you surrender."

"No, the path of least bloodshed is that you listen to what we have to say, but we both know you are too blinded, in more ways than one, by your own vision of what justice is to do that." Kirika snapped back. She knew about him and his proclaimed reasons for joining the Goteijūsantai. If he honestly thought that betraying the Guard Squads and joining Aizen was the 'path of least bloodshed' then he was blind in more ways than one. "Let's get this over with. I'll take care of the guy who thinks tattoos make him look badass."

The glare from the Lieutenant she was talking about was refreshing.

"Well then, I'd better-!" Renji started to say before an enormous wave of Reiatsu crashed down on them. Landing around them in a flurry of white and black were three Captains and five other Soul Reapers. The numbers eleven, eight and thirteen were on the backs of the haori.

"U-Ukitake-taichō! Kiyone?! Sentarō?! Kyōraku-taichō?!" Rukia yelped in disbelief.

"Hey Rukia!" the short girl, that Kirika knew to be Kiyone thanks to Kaien's memories, waved at her with a grin.

"Honestly, the things we do for our kohai." Sentarō grumbled good-naturedly.

Ukitake and Kyōraku grinned at her over their shoulders before turning their attention to the two Captains in front of them.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Komamura boomed, "Zaraki, as a disgrace to the name of the Goteijūsantai, I can understand, but why are two of the most senior Captains aiding the Ryoka?!"

"There's the thing." Kyōraku drawled lazily, "Something's going on and Yama-ji's either letting it happen or doesn't know about it. In either case, we can't let a miscarriage of justice happen, so we won't be letting you hurt Kuchiki-chan here."

"OI! Ichigo!" Kenpachi roared at the stunned orange-haired boy, "Don't you be dyin' against that pansy Kuchiki! I want a rematch, y'hear!?"

"And Zaraki wants to fight Kurosaki Ichigo again." Ukitake added redundantly.

"Might's well warm up on these numbskulls." The strongest swordsman in the Goteijūsantai grumbled as he turned around and glared at Tōsen and Komamura. "Come at me like ya mean to kill. It won't be interestin' otherwise."

"Zaraki, do you realise what you are doing?" Komamura growled.

"Komamura, it is pointless." Tōsen shook his head, "He obviously lost his self-respect after being beaten by the orange-haired Ryoka."

"Hey, Captain Dumbass with the stupid scarf." Kirika snapped out, "We aren't Wandering Evils; we came here deliberately. At least recognise that by calling us Shin'nyūka (Invading Evils). Now are we going to stand around monologuing at each other or are we gonna fight?!"

Kenpachi roared with laughter at the outraged expressions on Tōsen's group. "Girl, I like you! Like you say, let's get down to business."

"Iba's mine." Ikkaku smirked.

"Did you say his name was Ebi?" Kirika deliberately misunderstood his name to be shrimp.

"The name's Tetsuzaemon IBA, damn Ryoka!" the yakuza knockoff growled.

"Mine's Hisagi-baka." The masked girl added.

"Humph. How un-beautiful." Yumichika pouted, "No opponent for me."

"You snooze, you lose." Kirika snarked at him, "Tell you what, you have first dibs on the next opponent that you want to fight."

"Hmmm…I'll take it." The elegant 5th Seat agreed.

Vanishing in a blur of Shunpo, Kirika reappeared next to a surprised Hisagi and dragged him off in another direction, appearing in the open area near the centre of the courtyard. Ichigo and Byakuya had taken their fight to the far left and she could just barely sense the string of blows from the fight between Yoruichi and Soi-Fon. Kenpachi had barrelled into both Tōsen and Komamura, taking them away from the others and both Iba and Ikkaku had vanished.

"Well then…let's get started, shall we?" she asked with a grin that was hidden by her mask as she drew her sword.

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Next Chapter: Broken Masks PT2

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