Author's note: It's been a while since I last updated. Been quite a busy lately. But now I'm here. This chapter will tell us about how Askin and Yoruichi is fighting amongst one another, as well as a flashback part in the end. And of course, it's only how the fight happened in my story. I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Tite Kubo. The original characters belong to me.


Chapter 45: Goddess of Thunder

In the icy cityscape of Wahrwelt, Royal Realm, Soul Society

As battles raged across the transformed Royal Realm, Yoruichi Shihoin was having difficulties with the Sternritter: Askin Nakk Le Vaar. While she had succeeded in keeping Askin busy and preventing him from pursuing Ichigo and his friends, she still felt unsure about whether she could survive against him. Until now, the Sternritter had easily overcome the Shunkos of both her and her younger brother Yushiro. But as the situation currently was, Yushiro was in a very critical condition. The young boy had begun to grow weaker and it was due to the poison that Askin controlled in his Heilig Pfiels. Yoruichi felt desperate to help her younger brother, as well as bringing him to a nearby medic. But that would prove difficult as Askin would only use his Hirenkiyaku to block her passage.

As she stood there facing her opponent, Yoruichi felt her entire body sweat through her clothes. "Damn…...I really didn't think that this Quincy would be that strong…" she lamented beneath her breath, making sure that she did not fall victim to any of Askin's tricks.

Askin took notice of the stress slowly taking hold on his opponent and mused to himself. "You seem quite distressed" he spoke up smugly towards her. "Before now, you were acting all high and mighty towards me, believing that you could surpass me in combat. But now's not the case here" the slick-haired man noted as she watched Yoruichi.

"Spare me your cockiness, Sternritter" Yoruichi said between her panting. "You're dealing with a former Captain of Squad 2 and Commander of the Stealth Force. I won't break so easily, even if you possess so many tricks up your sleeves!" the purple-haired woman spat out towards him.

Askin remained unfazed when hearing this. "Still overconfident, I see? Well that's unfortunate for you. Considering your previous statuses, I would expect you to at least understand when to back down in a fight you can't win. But apparently, you seem to lack it in some way" the Sternritter told her smugly before activating his Heilig Bogen on his wrist. "So in that case, allow me to help you with clearing your delusions in that head of yours. Even by looking at you, I can see how you desire to save Mr. Girly Boy, but it's too late. The poison that I injected him with my Reishi Arrows are starting to spread across his body like an epidemy. You have no chances left" Askin taunted his opponent before firing a Reishi Arrow at Yoruichi.

Yoruichi's golden eyes widened as she saw the arrow headed straight towards her. Using her incredible agility and guts, the purple-haired woman sprinted towards Askin, using her Shunpo to not just avoid the arrow, but also to appear behind Askin's back. She smirked as she was feeling like getting the upper hand in terms of speed in this fight.

"You're fighting the Flash Goddess here, Sternritter. Do you think that you have what it takes to match my….." Yourichi's eyes snapped when she could see Askin vanish in front of him. "….pace…" the Shinigami finally added to her words, realizing what had just happened.

Askin had used his Hirenkiyaku to now appear behind Yoruichi, aiming at her with his Heilig Bogen. The Quincy smirked when he saw the situation his opponent was in. The tip of the Reishi Arrow was now pointing at her back and Yoruichi felt herself becoming vulnerable.

"I DO have what it takes to match your pace, Shinigami. I also know of your esteemed title, but so what?" Askin mockingly asked Yourichi. "I'm an expert in Hirenkiyaku, did you take me for being someone who had just learned it's basics? A bad assumption on your part" the Sternritter then went on taunting his opponent.

Yoruichi gritted her teeth in frustration and she was about activate her Shunko, only for Askin to poke on her back with his arrow. This only tensed the frustration inside Yoruichi, something Askin seemed to take pleasure in.

"Uh, uh, uh. No misbehaving here, lady. I've got you in my aim. One move, and this arrow filled with poison is going right into that fine body of yours" Askin warned her not to move a muscle, although he felt himself stunned when realizing what he had just told her. "Oh my, it seems that I accidentally complimented your body. As a matter of fact, it does look astounding to say at least. I mean, if only there were more Shinigami-women who had junk in the trunk like you" he then started to talk to Yoruichi in such a perverted manner.

This outraged the purple-haired woman, as she knew what Askin was talking about with regards to her appearance. "ARE YOU SERIOUSLY STARING AT MY ASS!? YOU DISGUSTING PIG!" she yelled at the slick-haired man.

"Well it's not my fault that your body's so appealing! I mean, just look at those hips! Why bother joining a gang of losers like the 13 Court Guard Squads, when you could use that fine body of yours to achieve fame and glory?" Askin then asked Yoruichi, still acting disrespectful towards her. "Heh. I bet that's what all of you Shinigami-women really are. Nothing but a bunch of cock-crazed whores who only exists to please your male superiors. But while there are female Shinigami-captains, they also basically exist to do the same thing: pleasing their male superiors" the Sternritter went on expressing his attitude towards Yourichi and Shinigamis.

Yoruichi felt her blood boil when hearing those words being expressed to her. "You're such a despicable asshole, you know that!?" she told him. "And besides, if Shinigami-women were as slutty as you say they are, wouldn't the same thing be said for Quincy-women? I thought you said something about what mattered with women was in her style and presentation" Yoruichi pointed out to him.

Hearing this made Askin narrow his eyes in dispassion. "You be silent! How dare you question my judgement, let alone likening yourself to a fine Quincy-woman!? I feel like I've wasted enough words with you!" Askin exclaimed his displeasure of hearing Yourichi's words.

Yoruichi only grinned to herself when hearing this. "Then what are you waiting for, tough-guy? Hurry up and let go of your string if you wanna end me. Or are you perhaps too much of a chicken to do so!" the Shinigami began taunting Askin.

Askin was losing his patience with Yoruichi and he was about to let go of the string on his Heilig Bogen, only for something very unusual to stun him. But it was more than that, something had completely managed to paralyze the Sternritter. He felt something hard hit him, but where? The answer to that, soon became obvious. There was a reason for Yoruichi taking so much pleasure in this. She had moved her right foot backwards to hit something she knew would hurt him dearly: his crotch. It was a hard kick and Askin felt tears fall on his cheeks as his nuts cracked.

Letting go of both the Heilig Bogen and the arrow, Askin fell onto his stomach. He was holding around his crotch area, where he could feel the pain affect him dearly. "Ow….my balls…my balls…my fucking balls!" Askin pouted while his voice sounded so different in doing that.

Yoruichi turned around and faced him with a smirk, having no regrets for what she just did to Askin. "How did that feel, smartass? You just got your nuts kicked by a woman…a Shinigami-woman to be more precise. And weren't you just badmouthing us a couple of minutes ago?" she questioned him while also mocking Askin at the same time.

Askin had taken a long time before composing himself. Slowly, he stood on his knees and glared at Yoruichi with outraged eyes. "YOU FUCKING BITCH! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO!?" the slick-haired man demanded a question from him.

Yoruichi remained unfazed. "What do you think? I just kicked your nuts. Why, are they both "nutcracked", get it?" she then teased him once again.

"Damn you…" Askin muttered beneath his breath as he slowly got up to his feet. "I won't stand for this outrage! You'll pay for this humiliation! I'm gonna take care of both you and that little squirt lying over there halfdead!" the Sternritter blurted out his words towards his opponent.

Yoruichi simply sighed as she heard this. She decided to cease this senseless talk with Askin and start getting real once again. "You know. I'm beginning to grow weary of you, Mr. Know-It-All. And I can't waste my time with you any longer. So let's end this quick" she said before reaching for something, which made Askin stunned.

"What the…" Askin uttered out as he could see Yoruichi reach for something in her cleavage. "Are you serious right now? Here you say you wanna end this fight and now you're playing with your breasts all of a sudden!? You're probably one of the most random Shinigamis I've ever faced in my entire life" the Quincy remarked, not getting what Yoruichi was doing to herself right now.

The purple-haired woman glanced at Askin with dispassionate eyes. "How about you shut up and let me do what I need to do!? I swear, I'd really give anything just to shut that mouth of yours. It irritates the hell outta me!" Yoruichi told him before she began picking something up between her cleavage.

As Askin got a closer look, he was stunned to see that what Yoruichi was currently pulling up from between her breasts. It looked like a blade, almost resembling a kodachi or wakizashi. When she had pulled the blade out, she brandished it for her opponent to see. Askin was stunned, his eyes widening in slight surprise.

"No way…..is that blade your…" the Sternritter was at loss for words.

Yourichi smirked as she heard him ask her that. "Damn right it is. Why, you thought that I would just throw it away? Throw away my Zanpakutou?" she quizzed him smugly. "Well feast your eyes, wise-guy! Because believe it or not, this is really my blade" Yourichi added with confidence in her voice.

Askin scratched the back of his head while hearing this. "No way. Our files tell us that you always rely on Hoho and Hakuda while engaged in combat. There's no way that you could possibly carry a Zanpakutou" the Quincy remarked, recalling what he had learned from reading the files about the most powerful Shinigamis to exists.

"Then I have something to tell you. Your files are completely unreliable sources. And besides, the rumors that I only rely on Hoho and Hakudo on combat are just greatly exaggerated" Yourichi told her opponent dismissively. "I had hoped that I wouldn't need my Zanpakutou in the battle against the Wandenreich, but considering the circumstances, I saw no other options. I will need it in this battle" she then went on explaining the reason for why she chose to carry her Zanpakutou all of a sudden, given that she had rarely been seen using it.

While Askin had so many questions for Yoruichi, the Quincy didn't feel like wasting time with them. Instead, he decided to continue his fight with the Shinigami. "Even if you do carry your Zanpakutou with you, it doesn't change for a fact that you will lose, Yoruichi Shihoin. So far, you have done nothing but underestimate me. Are you still convinced that you can beat me?" Askin quizzed his opponent.

Yourichi only narrowed her eyes when hearing this, thus indicating of her losing patience with Askin. "Try saying that when I have silenced your mouth and clawed your eyes out!" the purple-haired woman told him and she held her Zanpakutou in a similar manner Sui-Feng did. "Chase Your Prey…..Mutekineko!" Yourichi finally said the release command of her Zanpakutou, thus activating her Shikai.

Askin stood and watched as Yoruichi's Zanpakutou began to infest itself on both of Yoruichi's hand, almost like putting on gloves. These gloves were made out of metal and they also sparkled with lighting. But there was more to this transformation. From each of her gloved fingers, a sharp and long claw emerged, almost as if they were feline claws. These claws had also lightning sparkling around them. In some ways, Yoruichi's Shikai did look similar to Sui-Feng's except for the fact that both her hands had now carried weapons, as well as the lighting bristling around them.

"What the hell…..those little things are the Shikai of Yoruichi Shihoin?" Askin wondered, feeling slightly surprised to see how relatively small they were.

"Impressed, Sternritter?" Yoruichi quizzed him, starting to notice how he was surprised. "I know what you're thinking. But I'm telling you now, don't let the size of Mutekineko fool you. They may be gloves, but they're far more than that" the purple-haired woman assured him while croaking her claws.

Askin shrugged his shoulders in return. "Sorry, but since when did I ever say that those little things impressed me?" the Quincy asked his opponent. "While their shape is to be admired, I still don't think they're enough save you from me" Askin added to his assessment.

"Tch, you asked for it!" Yoruichi said and suddenly vanished from her spot. Askin's eyes widened when he could see how fast his opponent really was. Before he could even react, Yoruichi was right before him and se grinned cockily while brandishing her claws. "Here comes the cat scratch!" she bellowed against him before proceeding to attack with her left claws.

Askin did his best to move, in hopes of avoiding getting scratched, yet he was now receiving serious cuts on his right cheek. It made him slightly scared. "Damn it! My left cheek! How did she…" Askin was too busy to focus on his injury that he failed to notice Yoruichi coming at him once again. "Shit! Her speed is incredible!" the Quincy spat out in disbelief.

The Shinigami only smirked in amusement. "Damn right, I am! They don't call me the Flash Goddess for nothing, remember!?" she taunted him before resorting to swing her right claw on Askin's left cheek, thus leaving him with serious cuts on his left cheek as well. The Sternritter was backing away from her, yet Yoruichi still knew a way to attack him. Folding her claws together, Yoruichi proceeded to sprout lightning out. "Not so fast there, smartass! Taste my lightning! DENKI MUHON!" she uttered out a name of her technique and the sparkles of lightning headed straight towards their target.

Askin's eyed widened in shock as he could see how fast the electricity was. "FUCK! HOW ARE YOU…..AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGHHHHHHHH!" Askin yelled as he felt electricity toy with his entire body. He had been too late to even use his Hirenkiyaku to avoid getting struck by the electricity. But then again, Askin wouldn't have avoided it even if he did.

The attack on Askin did cause a smoke to appear, yet Yoruichi still stood there and was waiting for it to vanish. Right now, the purple-haired woman was feeling incredibly confident in her abilities. As much as she disliked the fact that she had to rely on her Zanpakutou in this battle, a part of her was also happy to be able to use it once again. It had been ages since she had used her Zanpakutou.

"Heh. Now you probably get it, these claws aren't just for show" Yoruichi told Askin, knowing that he was still alive behind the dust she had created with her Mutekineko. "Mutekineko gives me the power of all the felines that exists. Just imagine each of these claws on my gloves represents the species in the Felidae-order" she then said while holding her ten claws up for her opponent to see, or at least understand what she was doing. "All of them are living within me. Tiger. Lion. Leopard. Jaguar. Cheetah. Cougar. Lynx. Ocelot. Snow leopard. Domesticated cat. All of them are within me! How do you plan on defeating them when I have the power of the Felidea-order at my side?" she went on explaining her powers.

The dust soon cleared and Yourichi could see Askin standing there, the Quincy still having the serious cuts on his cheeks. But other than that, he seemed to be doing well, despite the bruises across his body.

"These cuts on my cheeks are such a giant pain in my ass. I can't believe I've been reduced to this" the Quincy noted while noticing the bleedings on his cheeks. It didn't take before Askin vented his anger at his opponent. "You'll regret this, Yourichi Shihoin! Nobody ruins my handsome face and walks away so easily!" the Sternritter spat at her.

Yoruichi didn't take that threat seriously. "Save the empty threats for when you're dead! Your face is the least of your worries with regards to your survival" she sternly told Askin before readying her claws once again. "This time, I'm gonna go for clawing out your eyes. Let's see where that gets you!" she then began threatening her opponent.

While still angered over being humiliated like this, Askin formed a smirk at her in return. "And what makes you think you can pull that on me? Clearly you must be delusional to be considering such options" he remarked.

Yoruichi readied her feet while preparing her next move. "Quit wasting words and start using moves!" the purple-haired woman called out to him before dashing towards her target in fast speed.

Askin grinned when seeing this. "Oh, you wanna see a move!? As you wish!" he responded and shot something round that headed straight towards Yoruichi. "Gift Ball!" he exclaimed as the ball of poison headed straight towards Yoruichi.

The Shinigami's golden eyes widened as she could see how fast it was approaching her. But the ball pf poison was relatively small and it boasted some confidence within Yoruichi. Using her impressive agility, Yoruichi dodged the Gift Ball and proceeded to dash towards Askin.

"You call that a trick!? You must be pulling my leg!" Yourichi mocked Askin's attempt, ready for a head-on collision with Askin.

Surprisingly, Askin was still smiling smugly, even as Yoruichi now had a clear way towards him. He made a gesture with his finger, which Yoruichi at first thought was just a come-at-me gesture directed towards her. But that wasn't the case.

"Rückkehr!" Askin said as he moved his finger backwards.

Yoruichi snapped as she could hear something approach to her from behind. Looking over her shoulder, she could see the Gift Ball she had just avoided coming towards her once again. She knew what kind of vulnerable position she was in. Without thinking, Yoruichi dived for the ground, hoping to avoid getting hit by the ball. But as she thought she had avoided it, Askin had over plans for the Gift Ball. Croaking his fingers, he made sure that the ball was sent up towards the air, hanging above the area like some kind of sun. Yoruichi managed to see this and her golden eyes widened in distress.

"What's happening now!?" the purple-haired woman wondered, while her opponent mused to herself.

"You'll know soon enough" Askin told her before snapping his fingers while looking up at the Gift Ball. "Gift Regen!" he said and the ball of poison started disintegrating into many drops of poison, almost like a rain.

Yoruichi knew that she would have to escape in order to avoid getting poured on by these poisonous raindrops. But at the same time, she also couldn't forget about her younger brother, who was already paralyzed and weakening thanks to the poison from Askin's Reishi Arrows. What if Yushiro would die thanks to these raindrops? Seeing no better options, Yoruichi decided to make a daring attempt. With her incredible speed, the Shinigami headed towards Yushiro, lifting him up and then throw him towards the area untouched by Askin's rain of poison. She didn't want him to be taken by it. Instead, she would be willing take the damage and let it rain on her.

Seeing this astounded Askin. "You must be joking. That boy's already a lost cause! Why in the hell would you even bother waste precious time with…" the Sternritter stopped asking her once she could see Yourichi dive towards him. "Woah! What the…" he exclaimed, Yourichi's speed catching him by surprise.

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT WHAT YOUR ATTACKS DO! HERE'S A PRESENT FOR YOU, BASTARD! Yoruichi yelled as she clenched her gauntlets into two powerful fists. "NOW PREPARE TO FLY! FUTAGO TSUYO!" the purple-haired woman said as she delivered this powerful double punch on her opponent.

The attack was powerful and it sent Askin flying towards the nearest boulders and piles of broken walls. While Yoruichi was satisfied, she still was out of time and the Gift Regen landed down upon her. This rain didn't last long, as Askin's Gift Ball wasn't that big. But still, the Shinigami could gradually feel herself weakening and it even forced her to her stomach. Being poured on so much poison had taken a toll on her. But fortunately for her, Askin had also taken damage and was now lying on his back against a broken pillar. Blood had been spilled over to his chest, as Yourichi's double punch, coupled with Mutekineko's gauntlets, had helped her in landing damages to him. However, Askin was not dead.


At the foot of the towering palace of Silbern, Wahrwelt

Having entrusted Yoruichi to deal with Askin, Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends had finally arrived! On their way, they hadn't encountered soldiers of the Wandenreich, which was indeed strange. Right now, they were standing by the foot of the imposing palace of Silbern. The group of friends had to admit, seeing the palace from a closer perspective was very different from seeing it afar. All of them moved their gazes up and down to see how tall Silbern actually was.

"Woah…." Ganju uttered out, his gaze never changing.

"So close….yet so high…this structure is kissing the sky" Chad admitted, the brown-haired man too stunned to even come up with better words to express it.

"We're finally here….the Wandenreich's new HQ" Ichigo said, his expression indicating he knew of the challenges he would face once he and his friends entered the palace.

Jinta whistled in amazement. "It's much taller than what I expected" the red-haired teenager remarked.

"For once, I agree with you, Jinta" Tessai told him, which was usually a rare thing for him to do, given how he always liked to punish Jinta for his mischievousness. The tall man then looked at the others in the group, especially Ichigo and Nelliel. "I do not know why there is lack of security at the foot of the palace. Regardless, we must expect the unexpected once we enter it" he told them.

Nelliel faced him while nodding her head in reply. "Right. But the question is, where specifically is Yhwach holed up in? From what I can gather, the palace must have so many rooms. He could be everywhere" the Arrancar told Tessai while making sure the others got what she was saying.

"I think the answer to that question is obvious, Nel" Ichigo told her while his narrowed eyes were fixated upon the structure located at the top of the palace. While he couldn't see the main building, Ichigo could see the two gutted, curving, tusk-like structures arching toward each other in front of it. "That building on the top, it's gotta be where he's hiding. I can tell it by only sensing the enormous activity of Spiritual Pressure" he told everyone in a serious manner.

"I don't know whether that's true or not. But I guess we'll have to follow your instincts, Ichigo" Orihime told him with a gentle smile. The orange-haired woman returned her attention to the palace noticing that there was a wall separating them from whatever was lying on the other side. "And speaking of which, how do we get inside? I don't see any stairs or doors" she asked her friends.

"How we get in, you ask?" Jinta asked cockily before brandishing his kanabo. "We all know the answer to that! We bust ourselves in of course! Hey Ururu, ready that rocket launcher of yours! We're gonna make ourselves one hell of a….OUCH!" Jinta winced as Tessai banged his staff on the teenager's head.

Tessai huffed in dispassion. "Repulsive boy. There are other ways to break in rather than causing a ruckus for our enemies to see" the Shinigami told Jinta, who only glared at him in return while rubbing the bump on his head. Tessai turned his attention on the others in the group. "Do any of have a suggestion to how we can enter the palace?" he asked while adjusting his glasses.

Hearing this made Ganju form a confidential grin o his face. The long-haired man knew that he was just the right guy for the job and he wanted to show them why. "Did someone say breaking into the place stealth mode? Well believe it or not, I know just the thing to use. Come with me" Ganju told them and everyone followed him to the giant and imposing wall. They all became puzzled as they noticed Ganju starting to touch the wall and listen to it. What was he doing? "Uh huh, I see. This wall may be strong, but it's nothing I can't handle" the Soul told them as he analyzed it.

Chad was among those confused. "Just what are you doing right now? Do you actually talk to walls?" the Fullbringer asked him.

Ganju twitched in anger when he heard Chad's words. "Hey! I'm trying to figure out a way into this damn place, and you wanna start discrediting me all of a sudden!? I mean, would it kill to just give me some respect!?" he snapped at the tall man.

Chad only dropped a sweat when hearing Ganju's outburst. "For the record, I'm not discrediting you. All I'm asking is why you're doing" the tall man replied calmly.

"Whatever" Ganju rolled his eyes before turning his attention to the wall once again. "Alright, guys. All of you might wanna step back a little. Because I'm about to make us a tunnel here!" he exclaimed proudly.

"Hold on! Are you planning on….." Ichigo was trying to ask Ganju about something, only for him to start with his technique.

"SEPPA!" Ganju said and began moving his hands in the same pattern as the trembling current, which was the symbol of the Shiba clan. He then landed his hands on the wall, thus creating a large while which was large enough to fit in the whole group. Once he was finished, Ganju smirked and entered the whole. "You guys coming?" he asked while looking over his shoulder.

"Ganju…since when did your Seppa get THIS big!?" Ichigo asked him, feeling surprised over seeing Ganju being capable of something like this.

Ganju smiled smugly at Ichigo. "Let's just say that I've been practicing since last time I accompanied you" he told the orange-haired man before moving into the tunnel.

Everyone else soon began entering the hole as well. Once they stood there, they could see that the way was shut. It was still blocked by white stone. Apparently, this wall was thicker than what Ganju had originally expected.

"Tch, some tunnel you made!" Jinta told Ganju while glancing at their blockade. "I sway we just bust our way through here and now" the teenager exclaimed.

"But Jinta, if I were to fire my rocket launcher at the blockage, this tunnel would only collapse" Ururu told him.

"I didn't say you had to fire it at a close range!" Jinta snapped at her. He then turned his attention on the blockage. "But seriously, this is getting stupid, why don't we…" Jinta was suddenly interrupted by the usually calm-mannered Chad.

"Will you shut up for a second or two? Your irrational thinking is not helping us in any way so just zip it!" Chad berated Jinta, which everyone was surprised to see, given how Chad was normally a gentle giant, especially towards those younger than him.

Jinta only crossed his arms while looking away into another direction. "Asswipe…." Jinta thought to himself, not willing to say it to Chad's face.

"Time is running out" Tessai spoke firmly before facing Ganju. "Ganju, continue with performing your Seppa. It may take us to a room inside the palace" the tall Shinigami told him.

"Once we're inside, we can then start searching for Yhwach. And somehow, I also believe in Ichigo's hypothesis that he's holed up on the top of the palace" Nelliel told everyone.

"Then all of us know what me must do. But beware, once we're inside, there will be probably throngs of Yhwach's minions waiting for us. We won't let them stand in our way. Otherwise, we'll only let Yoruichi down" Ichigo told everyone, wanting to make sure they were prepared for this. The group was about to venture into the enemy's HQ. There was no time to have any second thoughts. Seeing how determined they were, Ichigo smiled. He then glanced over to Ganju, motioning for him to continue working on the tunnel.

Ganju grinned while raising his thumb at Ichigo in return. "Alright! I'm on it!" Ganju told Ichigo and put his hands on the wall before him. "SEPPA!" the long-haired man exclaimed as the wall before him began turning into sand. He was joined up with Ichigo and the others, who were all prepared to head straight towards the enemy, no matter how strong they were. While sand kept running before them, the team was ready to charge. "OKAY! LET'S GIVE 'EM HELL, GUYS!" the long-haired man loudly exclaimed as he, Jinta, Chad, and Tessai quickly went through the wall of falling sand.

But in the minute those four were out of the wall, they quickly realized something. They were not standing on the floor. They were above the air. But right underneath them was a spiraled stairway, which seemed to be quite long. The four friends screamed as they tried to make their way back to the hole they come from, only for them to fall and land on the white handrail that ran along in spirals as well. Unfortunately for the four friends, they all landed on their crotch-areas. They stammered as they all took a ride on the handrail.

Ichigo, Nelliel, Orihime and Ururu jumped over to the stairs and ran down to see if the group of four was doing okay. As they reached to the end of the stairs on the floor, Ganju, Chad, Jinta and Tessai were sitting on the floor groaning while holding onto their crotch areas. But while Chad and Tessai managed to slowly regain their composure, Jinta and Ganju were still feeling the pain and even rolled over as a result.

"Fuck….I think I just got cracked my balls!" Ganju said between gritting teeth before howling in pain. "OOUUUUUCH! GODDAMNIT!" he yelled.

"This is your fault, Ganju! You almost killed us here!" Jinta snapped at the long-haired man.

"How the hell was I supposed to know that we would arrive somewhere high above the floor!? OUCH!" Ganju hit back before feeling the pain once again.

Ichigo only dropped a sweat while seeing this. Orihime and Nelliel had to chuckle a little in seeing how this had actually turned out while Ururu immediately ran up to Jinta, in hopes of helping him up to his feet.

"This is not what I had expected it to go" he noted before letting out a deep sigh of annoyance. Realizing that Chad and Tessai had gotten on their feet, Ichigo decided to check on them. "Are you two guys doing okay?" the orange-haired man asked them.

Chad forced a reassuring smile when he faced Ichigo. "I'm okay…I've felt worse pain than this…believe me" he replied, slowly starting to feel the pain go away. The tall man then glanced up to the spiraled stairway before them. "I never expected the palace to be this deep. It's as we've arrived in some sort of basement" he remarked while studying the stairway.

"I wouldn't neccesarily call this a basement, Chad" Tessai spoke up and with the help of one of his small Kido-spells, he was able to give them light to his group, as well as showing them where they were standing on.

The group was stunned. While spiraled stairway was built with white iron and cement, everything around them was built of rocks and blocks. They could tell it by looking at the floor and the walls that surrounded them. But there was more. While some of the nearby doors were made of wood, the majority were made of iron. At the same time, they did take notice of iron bars, which made them look like prison cells.

"What the…..what is this place?" Orihime asked while glancing around.

"I don't know. But from the looks of it, this place looks like a dungeon or a sewer to me" Nelliel noted.

"A dungeon? Well that would explain these iron bars" Chad said, having taken notice of the nearby iron bars from where they were standing. "But still, I don't see any prisoners being locked up in these cells. Are those just for decorations?" the tall man wondered.

"It's impossible to answer it. Even now, I can't sense any signs of Spiritual Pressure within these dungeons. Everything is dead and empty" Tessai told them while answering Chad's question.

As much as Ichigo desired to know more about these dungeons, he felt more pressing matters being called to him. The Substitute Shinigami glanced up to where the spiraled stairway would take them to. His eyes narrowed while his fists clenched. It didn't take long for Ichigo's friends to see how determined he was to go and search for Yhwach.

Ichigo looked over his shoulder to glance at them. "Alright. None of us expected to enter the palace in this place. But it doesn't matter. What matters is that we're now inside the Wandenreich's HQ" the orange-haired man told them, making sure they were listening to what was being said. Ichigo returned his attention to the spiraled stairway. "It's now time for the second phase of our plan: find where Yhwach is. And as I said earlier, there is no question that Yhwach is holed up at the summit of this tower. That's where we'll find him. But first, we best get out of these dungeons. And this stairway looks like the perfect exit" Ichigo told them and landed a foot on the first step, only for Nelliel and Tessai to stand beside him.

Ichigo was confused at first, yet he could see how serious each of these persons was glancing at him. "Remember, Ichigo. Whether we make it out of here alive or not, we don't know. But whatever challenges you encounter, please don't let your rage consume you. If not, then Yhwach or other enemies will a perfect liability against you" Tessai told him, the tall Shinigami giving advice to Ichigo, which was rare, given how that job were always left out to either Urahara or Yoruichi.

"We all want you to stop Yhwach, Ichigo. But at the same time, we don't wanna lose you" Nelliel spoke up, this time sounding more emotional in her tone than usual.

Ichigo soon realized how there was still a few people who cared about him. To be blunt, Ichigo was happy that he had taken these guys to accompany him. They were some of the friends he knew he could trust. While Ichigo still valued his friendships with Rukia and Renji, the same thing couldn't be said for the rest of the 13 Court Guard Squads. Since knowing the truth behind his mother's death, Ichigo felt that he alone would take care of Yhwach. However, he would not do that for the sake of the Soul Society. Rather, it was for the sake of the Human World, as well as his family. Even though Masaki's death happened many years ago, Ichigo still missed her, yet he never expressed this in front of his friends on the outside.

"Very well" Ichigo said, his frown slowly changing into a smile. "Then let's move on and reach to the top. And prepare for any enemy attack. I doubt that these Quincies will welcome us with open arms" he then told them.

And thus, the group of friends began moving up the spiraled stairway, thus leaving these strange dungeons behind. Whether they would make it in time or not, remained to be seen. But all things considered, the situation itself was serious and there was no time for Ichigo and his friends to waste.


Back to Yoruichi and Askin, Wahrwelt

Yoruichi was still alive, but so was Askin. They had been lying amongst these rubbles. While he had taken injury from Yoruichi's attack, it wasn't enough to kill him. The purple-haired woman panted as she struggled to get up on her feet. Even now, she could feel the poison starting to take effect on her. It made her feel weaker by the minute. But still, she stubbornly resisted it and concentrated on holding her head up high. As Askin tried to talk to him about how it was impossible for her to kill him, Yoruichi turned her head sideways, wondering what had happened to her younger brother. Even though Yushiro had been thrown away to avoid getting rained upon by the Gift Regen, the young boy was still in a critical condition. The infamous Flash Goddess felt distress getting to her once again.

"Even though I saved him from the rain of poison, Yushiro won't be able to hold out in that condition for much longer" Yoruichi thought while panting slowly to gather her energy. "But in the condition I'm in, I can't muster any power to heal him…damn! There has to be something I can….." Yoruichi was interrupted in her thoughts when she could notice Askin sitting right in front of her, his cunning expression never fading away. Yoruichi realized that she had been too distracted to notice him making his move.

"I don't know what it is you're racking your pretty little head over, but the fact that I've gotten this close to you without so much as a reaction from you means you're as good as dead" the Sternritter told her, having taken advantage of Yoruichi's focus on Yushiro to make his move. The Shinigami was stunned to see how Askin was still fast, even when he had been injured by Yoruichi's attack. "No matter what you try at this point, I'm fully confident I'll be able to stay one step ahead of you. I believe that's what you call a true lethal dose, wouldn't you say, Yoruichi Shihoin?" he then added with a taunting question at the end of his sentence.

Yoruichi slightly felt hopeless right now as the poison inside her gradually began spreading across her veins. But still, the purple-haired woman simply refused to yield to the Sternritter. As she kept pondering on what to do, a familiar voice could be heard behind her. At the same time, she felt something sting in her left butt cheek. Yoruichi froze, remaining still as she realized who that person was.

"Well! That oughta do it!" the cheerful and laidback voice come from none other than Kisuka Urahara. The blonde-haired man was sitting a few feet behind Yourichi's backside while holding a syringe in his right hand. "It looks like you got your ass stuffed full of a lethal dose from what I could gather, Yoruichi. But no need to worry! I just used this specialized syringe to….GHAAAAAAAA MY JAW!" Urahara was interrupted when he was heeled in the face by Yoruichi. This left him quite a bruise on his jaw, as well as bleeding lips

Askin only sat and watched this commotion with a raised eyebrow. "What the hell's going on…" the Sternritter quizzed, not sure of what to make of this scene.

Urahara rubbed his sore jaw while watching Yoruichi, although he was still looking at her butt, especially where he had syringed her. "What's wrong with you, Yoruichi!? After I came all this way to rescue you, this is what I get in return!? Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth...geez!" he complained, while spitting out the blood from his bleeding lips.

"How about you consider for a moment why it is you ended up with my heel in your mouth!?" Yoruichi barked at him, yet he noticed Urahara still staring at her butt. She only fumed in anger when seeing this. "AND TAKE YOUR EYES OFF MY ASS AND LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!" she then angrily berated him.

Not wanting another heel in his mouth, Urahara immediately got rid of his foolish persona and glanced at her with a more serious and mature expression. "Sorry about that. Looking back on it, I think that the "ass stuffed full" line was a bit…well…..vulgar, in my opinion" he then apologized to her while realizing his faults.

But still, Yoruichi was dumbfounded over the fact that Urahara would say this now. "AND YOU WONDER WHY YOU GOT YOUR FACE RE-ARRANGED WITH MY FOOT!?" she snapped at him disbelief before taking notice of the syringe in Urahara's right hand. "And if you're gonna apologize, try doing it without syringing my ass" she then told him.

Urahara smiled smugly at her in return. "Easy there, sweetheart. I just had to do it. We both know how vulnerable you really were before I came to the rescue. So how about we save the arguments for later, yeah?" the blonde-haired man explained the reason for why he was doing this.

Yoruichi sighed deeply when hearing Urahara's explanation, only to smile lightly once she got the whole picture gathered. "Alright. Because of me being at a serious dilemma, I'll let this one slip. But just once" she told him sternly, forcing Urahara to grin cockily in return.

Askin felt like he had been left outside for too long, so he decided to speak up. "Unless I'm mistaking, you are Kisuke Urahara. Yet another headache comes falling onto my lap" the Sternritter spoke up while facing the blonde-haired man.

Urahara glanced at the Quincy with a cunning expression. "So, you guys know of me? Well, pleased to make your acquaintance" he responded to Askin, trying to make an impression on the Sternritter.

But Askin was far from impressed. "Let's make one thing clear. I don't give a damn about you or your acquaintances. All I know is His Majesty has designated you as one of exceptional notice in terms of battle prowess" he suddenly spoke while revealing something that slightly surprised Urahara.

The laidback Shinigami quickly reverted back into his normal self. "Well, if I've got such an exaggerated reputation preceding me, I can hardly help it. I'm truly flattered, although I must it's a gross overestimation on your part. Right, Yoruichi" Urahara told Askin before turning his attention on his lifetime friend.

The moment Urahara said that word, Yoruichi was able to move to fast as she did before. She jumped up to the air with her incredible speed, which only astounded Askin. But while it did surpise him, the Sternritter soon realized how this happened, especially since it was Urahara's doing.

"This must be exactly as I heard about him…and the others as well" Askin noted while recalling to what he and the other Sternritters had learned about some of the Shinigamis, whom they believed would play a part in the war. "These 5 Shinigamis are classified as Special War Potentials for a very specific quality of theirs, that is unknown to other Shinigamis. As such, His Majesty believes that each of them will play a part in this war, given their qualities. Ichigo Kurosaki's is his "Latent Ability". Kenpachi Zaraki's is his "Fighting Strength". Ichibe Hyosube's is his "Wisdom". Sosuke Aizen's is his "Spiritual Pressure". And finally, Kisuke Urahara's…...is his "Means". No matter how many plans or schemes we may plot and unfold, he will always find a way around them! The variable strategist of perpetual adaption" Askin concluded his analysis while taking a quick glance at Urahara, who was now facing him. "I now realize why he is among the Special War Potentials. There are so many Shinigamis his Majesty could choose, and it fell on him. Shigekuni Yamamoto had already been deemed weak by His Majesty, so he was out of the picture. But then again, another reason for why these 5 Shinigamis are listed as Special War Potentials….is something I yet have to find out. Oh God, why is it that I get stuck with one giant headache after the other!?" Askin added to his thoughts, realizing how he now had to focus on both Yoruichi and Urahara.

The two friends were standing on the rooftop of a nearby building, watching down as Askin stood his guard. Yoruichi was still feeling the sting in her bum and she glanced over to her longtime friend.

"Damn. What did you inject into my ass? I feel it spreading across my body" Yoruichi asked him while rubbing the spot where Urahara had syringed him.

Urahara only smirked at her in return. "Sorry Yoruichi, but no can tell. It's a secret that only I know about!" he replied to her in his usual easygoing manner.

Yoruichi formed a similar smug look at him in return. "Let me guess. Perhaps some kind of immunity strengthening drug you made in advance?" she quizzed him.

"Awww, always the sharpest tool in the shed, Yoruichi! I's expected no less from you! But then again, it was a bit rushed, so it's effects are short-lasting" Urahara answered, once again admiring the cleverness Yoruichi possessed.

"How long are we talking?" Yoruichi asked him once again.

Urahara tried to ponder, yet he quickly came up with an answer and showed it to Yoruichi with his fingers. "I would say about….5 minutes" he answered.

Hearing this caused Yoruichi to grin and she brandished her Zanpakutous while facing Askin. "Glad to hear it. That means I got plenty of time to mess this bastard up" the purple-haired woman said as lighting began sparkling on her gauntlets.

Urahara's eyes widened once he got a glimpse of the gauntlets on Yoruichi's hands. As a matter of fact, he was happy to see Yoruichi using them. "Heh…it's been eons since I last saw those gauntlets. I'd always hoped to see you use Mutekineko once again" Urahara admitted, admiring Yoruichi's Shikai.

"Tch, I know. But I'm not exactly proud to be using them once again" Yoruichi told Urahara, who was stunned to hear her words. "We both know why. Each time I was done using them, I would always feel the aftershock coming from Mutekineko. It annoyed the hell outta me" she muttered to herself.

"But hey! Your Zanpakutou is among the strongest I know of. Hell, I always thought that you would use yours to help Ichigo and his friends with training and…" Urahara stopped once he could see Yoruichi giving him an intimidating glare. But still, Urahara smiled at her. "Relax, I was only being sarcastic. But then again, you as well want to use your Bankai against this Sternritter. Trust me, I know it will work" he then encouraged her, only for Yoruichi to scoff at him.

"As if!" she told him sternly before gathering lightning with her Mutekineko and readying herself for combat against Askin. "No way I'm turning relying on my Bankai to deal with this creep. That would only ruin my reputation as…" Yoruichi was interrupted as she was forced to avoid getting hit Askin's poison.

Unfortunately for Askin, he missed. Yoruichi quickly dived towards him with her fast speed. "Ah crap! I missed!" the Quincy cursed before realizing how quick she was. She even tried to scratch him with her attack, only for Askin to dodge it by moving sideways. Yoruichi landed on the ground and turned around to face Askin. "Well, it looks like you can move now. And you seem to be full of energy too!" the Quincy remarked from what he was seeing before him.

"Just shut up and fight!" Yoruichi berated him and quickly charged towards the Sternritter. But surprisingly, Askin managed to punch her in her stomach before she could reach him, thus forcing the young woman onto the ground once again. Yoruichi looked up to him with gritting teeth. "Bastard….." she cursed.

Askin smiled at her smugly. "Considering you were in perfect condition and still got taken by my Gift Regen attack. Although you may have recovered some, it should be pretty obvious that you don't stand a chance the way you are now" the Sternritter told her, still feeling overconfident in his abilities.

Yoruichi was panting deeply, yet she suddenly found herself chuckling. This caused Askin to raise an eyebrow, as he didn't know how Yoruichi could still be feeling so defiant towards defeat.

"What's so damn funny, woman?" Askin wanted an answer out of her.

"Heh. Nothing. It's just that, you really gave me an idea. And I would like to do so. If you say that I can't beat you in my current form…..then I only need to level up a little. And I know just the perfect way to do so!" the black-skinned woman told him while her gauntlets dug themselves onto the ground. Yoruichi found herself standing on all fours and sparkles of lightning began appearing all around her, from her gauntlets to her hair. Askin began to wonder what his opponent was now doing and soon, a single world was uttered out from Yoruichi herself. "BANKAI!" she exclaimed loudly.

A powerful electric explosion suddenly appeared in the icy cityscape and it was as if lightning struck itself on the ground. Askin quickly escaped after being sucked into the explosion. But the Sternritter was furious and shocked over what he had just experienced. After finishing coughing, he got a clear view of what he was seeing just now. Askin couldn't believe his own eyes.

"What the…WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" the Sternritter angrily asked as he could see what Yoruichi had become.

Amidst the sparkling of lightning, Yoruichi was now standing there in with her Bankai activated. She was covered in energy and Askin could tell this by looking at her hair. The energy had formed her hair into two cat ears. She had gained an armor that reached from her shoulders to thighs. This armor was sparkling and it made her almost look like a Greek goddess. Her feet had become clawed cat paws. This form had cladded her arms and legs in electricity covering her forearms past the elbow and her legs up to her thighs, each ending with claws made of electrical energy. She was now a lightning goddess with a sparkling armor and paws of a real feline. There was no mistaking it. This was the Bankai of Yoruichi Shihoin: the infamous Flash Goddess.

"What on Earth is that form!?" Askin demanded an answer as Yoruichi caught his attention. She only looked up at him, not saying a word. Being given this silent treatment only made Askin more distressed. "For the love of God…..ANSWER ME, DAMNIT!" the Quincy demanded some words out of her.

Yoruichi grinned as her golden eye sparkled with some sort of electricity. "Feeling intimidated? Well, you should be!" Yoruichi tauntingly asked her opponent as she was standing on her feet brandishing her electric cat claws. "I never thought that I would have to use my Bankai once again. But given how unpredictable you are, you leave me no choice! So this is the true form of a Flash Goddess: Shunryū Kokubyō Senkei!" she told him the name of her Bankai. Lighting began enveloping all around her.

From the sidelines, Urahara stood and watched as his longtime friend had now activated her Bankai. He had to whistle in amazement when seeing Yoruichi in this form. "Woah…...even after so many years…...she still looks hot in that armor!" the blonde-haired man admitted while holding into his hat. He then took a glance at Askin. "Hmm, looks like he will be having one hell of a fight with Yoruichi" he then remarked.

Askin's eyes widened once he could see his opponent jump up to him in the air. Her speed was incredible, and it was much faster than before. As such, Askin didn't have time to muster his defenses. She used her left claws to scratch Askin's right shoulder, causing it to bleed endlessly. The injury was very critical, even to Askin's standards.

"AAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH! MY SHOULDER!" Askin howled in agony, yet he was in for another shocker as Yoruichi used her right claw to swat him away. Askin was sent diving towards the icy street. Somehow, the lighting had empowered Yoruichi's strength, as she was now also stronger. The moment Askin crash-landed onto the street, he quickly got up by using his Hirenkiyaku. In fact, Askin was now trying to flee from this encounter while his shoulder was bleeding. "THIS IS NOT HAPPENING! I'M SUPPOSED TO ALREADY HAVE AQUIRED IMMUNITY TO HER SPIRITUAL PRESSURE! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE THAT THE SPIRITUAL PRESSURE OF THE SAME SHINIGAMI CHANGES IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT! THERE HAS TO BE SOME REASONABLE EXPLENATION!" the Quincy noted as he desperately tried to flee from Yoruichi's attack.

On the sidelines of this fight, Urahara had to laugh as he was seeing Askin fleeing the encounter. "Man, for being such a tough guy, he really acts cowardly" the smug-looking Shinigami said before taking notice of Yoruichi being on the move once again. "You go get him, Yoruichi! Show him what you're made of!" he encouraged her to go for him.

Askin was still in the air trying to figure out what to do, only for Yoruichi to appear before him right away. He froze, as the Quincy was astounded by how fast her Shunpo had become thanks to Yoruichi's activation of her Bankai. "SHIT!" he cursed loudly as Yoruichi grinned at him.

"Hmm, it's almost as if we're playing cat and mouse. I'm liking it so far!" Yoruichi exclaimed while quickly grabbing her opponent by his throat, thus chocking him a little. "But here's a little flash fact for you. There is a reason why I have not bothered using my Bankai against my opponents, not just for the sake of not ruining my dignity. You see, whenever Shunryū Kokubyō Senkei is released, my Spiritual Pressure kinda changes me into a different person….with different powers!" she told him before shocking Askin with her lighting and punching him to the ground below them.

Askin was being treated like a punching bag, yet he was still conscious. As such, the Sternritter could listen to what was said by Urahara, who was standing on a nearby rooftop. Urahara was not far from where Askin was falling. The Quincy struggled to move, as he could the aftershock of Yoruichi's attack.

"It's pretty hard for you to understand, isn't it? Well, even if your body works diligently to build immunity, the smallest change can make all previous foundations disappear with a poof. Of course, in your case, your immunity acquisition speed is incredibly fast. Upon receiving an enemy attack, you reflexively analyze their Spiritual Pressure and begin to forge your immunity at a terrifying speed. As long as you have one minute, you can probably render any attack ineffective" Urahara explained this to Askin, who was slowly falling towards the ground, yet the Quincy could listen to what was being said to him. Urahara stopped waving his fan and put it away before continuing speaking. "However, even with that, you won't make it in time. Care to tell him why, Yoruichi?" Urahara suddenly called for Yoruichi to clarify the rest.

Yoruichi smirked as she made her move towards he gradually immobile Quincy in the air. She was more than happy to tell her opponent the rest. "The reason why your ability won't help you is because when Shunryū Kokubyō Senkei is activated…" she said before jumping towards Askin to land him the final blow. "MY SPIRITUAL PRESSURE CHANGES FORTY-EIGHT TIMES PER SECOND!" she exclaimed and proceeded to deliver her attack on Askin, who was too immobile to even muster a defense.

The attack resulted in a powerful bolt of lightning striking in the icy cityscape and it was quite powerful. Askin was electrocuted by the attack and he was sent flying out of the icy cityscape, even falling off Wahrwelt. There was no question. Askin Nakk Le Vaar had been defeated.

As soon as the lightning stopped, Yoruichi regrouped with Urahara near some piles of rubbles. All things were silent for a moment, before Yoruichi spoke up wile shrugging her shoulders.

"That should shut him up for an eternity" the purple-haired woman said, feeling satisfied to know that her opponent was defeated.

"What did I tell ya, Yoruichi?" Urahara smugly asked her while moving close to her. "I knew you would activate your Bankai and deal with him. I mean, you were just so…AAAHHHHH!" Urahara stopped when he could feel himself getting shocked by Yoruichi poking him with one of her paws.

The purple-haired woman sighed. "Spare me your smugness, Kisuke. What happened here is just between you and I. Don't forget it" she told him sternly.

The blonde-haired man with the hat only chuckled nervously in return. "Okay, okay, just relax for a minute" he told her, still acting like the same goof he was known to be. Urahara could notice Yoruichi glancing at the imposing palace of Silbern and he knew what she was thinking about. "I take it you told Ichigo and the others to go on ahead without you, right?" he asked her, this time being more serious than usual.

"Yeah. Tessai, Jinta and Ururu are with him as we speak. But I'm assuming that they must've reached the palace by now" the purple-haired woman told him. She soon let out a deep sigh and she faced her longtime friend with a slightly concerned expression on her face. "Listen Kisuke…..I know that Ichigo is instrumental in ending all this conflict…..but wouldn't it be better if he was left outside of it?" she asked him.

Urahara was surprised to hear this coming from her. Truth be told, he had never expected someone like her to actually be very concerned over Ichigo. Something suddenly hit inside his head. "Wow….I haven't seen you like this since…you know" the blonde-haired man was trying to say something, yet he didn't have the strength to do so.

Yoruichi had to smile when she heard him say that. "You mean since Bansui-sensei and Sojun were killed…" she told him in a slightly emotional tone. She looked to the ground reminiscing about something. "I guess you could say that. I mean…...things were different in the Soul Society when we were young, Kisuke" she told him.


Flashback, thousands of years ago, the Shihoin Mansion, Sereitei, Soul Society

The Shihoin clan was one the Four Great Noble Families of the Soul Society, along with the Kuchiki clan and the Tsunayashiro clan. The fourth clan remained a mystery, yet it was not the Shiba clan, as that clan had not achieved such status yet. The Shihoin clan was always in charge of Squad 2 in the 13 Court Guard Squads, also known as the Stealth Force. Each head of the clan would always serve as it's captain and commander, as well as caretakers of the Hōgu and Bugu, armaments and treasures said to be bestowed on them by the Gods. As such, each clan head came to be called as the Tenshiheisōban. As one of the Four Great Noble Families, the clan had many noble houses affiliated with them, including the House of Feng.

But the Shihoin Mansion would be a place where a friendship was born between three friends, or more specifically between an heiress and two commoners. Sleeping on the porch was a young boy with messy blonde hair. He was dressed in a green kimono that was ragged, thus explaining his poor roots. That was none other than Kisuke Urahara, a young boy, who would later become something great in the future. But the boy would never know this himself.

"Hey you! Wake up!" an angry voice forced Urahara to open his eyes and right before him stood two masked men dressed in black. They were members of the Stealth Force, who sometimes acted as personal guards of the Shihoin clan. "What the hell do you think you're doing!? You were supposed to polish this porch! Instead, we find you sleeping as usual!" the masked man told him angrily while showing him the dirt that remained on the wooden porch.

"Huh? What are you…." Urahara rubbed his eyes and he got a look at what he was missing. As soon as he saw what the men were talking about, he rubbed the back of his head while nervously smiling at the masked men. "Oh I'm sorry. I guess I must've forgotten it! But don't worry, I'll do that in a…" Urahara was interrupted when the other masked man laid the bucket of water and a brush right before him. In a way, he slammed it onto the porch.

"Enough with the excuses! Now get off your ass and start polishing it! It doesn't do it by itself!" the masked man told Urahara and he and his partner turned around to walk away from the young boy. However, he could be heard muttering to himself. "Stupid street rat. They're more unreliable than the mansion's maids and butlers. Why the Tenshiheisōban would employ them is beyond me" he was heard saying and the two men disappeared around the corner.

Despite Urahara hearing this, he didn't pay much attention to what was being said. Yet he did mutter to himself once he started to scrub the porch. "Who're they calling a street rat? It wasn't like I chose to live like that" he noted to himself while scrubbing the porch.

As Urahara scrubbed, he could soon notice someone approach him to his right side. When he looked to see who it was, the young boy smiled. It was a boy who was the same age as him, except that he was taller than him. The boy was also tanned-skinned while having black shaved hair. He wore a pair of glasses, a rugged black kimono and a pair of sandals. Like Urahara, this boy also seemed to come from poor roots.

"Ah, hey there, Tessai! Boy am I glad to see you. I just had a bad experience with the mansion's guards" Urahara said to the boy, who was actually a young Tessai Tsukabishi. He was currently carrying a bucket of water on his right shoulder.

"Likewise, Kisuke. I just wondered whether you needed some help with the cleaning, so I brought some water from the well" the tall boy stuttered in return and showed Urahara his bucket of water, as well as his brush. "I'm finished polishing the statues, so why don't I help you?" Tessai then asked him.

Urahara simply shook his head in return. "Nah, no need for you to stress yourself. I've got this in a bag. But I could use someone to talk with, if ya know what I mean" the smug boy told him in return.

Tessai put the bucket on the ground and nodded at him firmly. "If you say so" Tessai said.

Before being employed as servants, both Kisuke Urahara and Tessei Tsukabishi were orphans growing up in the poorest areas of the Rukon District. Having no memories of who they were or were they were from, the two became inseparable friends and stated causing mischief among the other residents, especially the traders. But there was a time when the district they grew up in would be visited by none other than the Head of the Shihoin clan himself. Despite him being of high nobility, that man never acted arrogant not discriminating towards people of lower living conditions. He was amazed by how Urahara and Tessai worked as a duo and decided to take them with him to the Shihoin Mansion and make them his servants. But while they were servants, the clan head treated them more fairly than the others employed at the mansion. And there existed another reason for that.

"So this is where you guys are hanging out, huh?" a young girly voice could be heard and the two boys looked up to see someone sitting at the edge of the roof above the porch. It was a young girl at their age, her eyes golden as the sun itself and her purple hair being messy, similar to Urahara's. She wore an orange kimono and it was not rugged as that of Urahara's or Tessai's. The young girl smiled smugly while resting her hands underneath her cheeks. This was a young Yoruichi Shihoin, Princess of the Shihoin clan, as well as it's heiress. "I don't get why you're cleaning the porch anyway. It always gets dirty, especially since everybody on this mansion use it" she told them.

Both Urahara and Tessai smiled as they heard Yoruichi say those words. "Heh. That's what I've told those guards a plenty of times. But you know how stubborn they are" the boy dressed in green told her. "Speaking of which, aren't you supposed to be in combat class or something?" he then quizzed her.

Yoruichi only groaned when being asked about this. "Don't remind me. It's usually me against some lame newbies of the Stealth Force. None of them are a challenge to me at all, as I've beaten them every single time" she answered while lamenting how boring her combat lessons usually was.

Urahara had to smirk when he heard what she said. In fact, he stopped scrubbing the porch and got off it. Facing Yoruichi, he stretched out his hands and dared her to come at him. "Well in that case, how about you and me have a go? Just the two of us, one on one" the blonde-haired boy taunted the girl, feeling confident in himself.

While looking bored at first, Yoruichi soon smiled and even jumped into the air before making a perfect landing on the ground, not far from where Urahara and Tessai were standing. Each of the boys had different reactions to her performance, as Tessai almost dropped his jaw onto the ground while Urahara simply snorted. The Shihoin-heiress did her fighting stance while making a "come at me" gesture with her right hand.

"And you suppose you can handle me? Normally I would say no, but since I'm bored and tired of fighting the same newbies, I'll gladly fight you. But remember, you asked for it" Yoruichi told the blonde-haired boy while trying to taunt her opponent.

Urahara scratched the back of his head while listening to this. "Geez, what an ego you are sometimes" he remarked before doing his fighting stance. "But no matter, I'm gonna show you what I'm made of. So don't hold back, princess" the boy then told her.

Yoruichi grinned smugly when hearing this. "Whatever, smartass. I won't go any easier on you" the young girl said determined, although it was surprising to see someone like her use such foul language.

The two children were charging towards one another, yet Yoruichi was the one fastest, given her incredible speed. Tessai stood and was worried over seeing the two getting into a conflict with one another. But before either of the kids could land a blow, someone had interfered in the fight between them by standing in the middle. This person had appeared on the scene quite fast due to his Shunpo. Both children stopped once they saw who it was. It was a tall dark-skinned man with golden eyes, similar to Yoruichi. He had long black hair reaching to his shoulders, as well as facial hairs running under his nose, mouth and cheeks. His clothes were composed of a long-sleeved captain's haori and a sleeveless and backless Stealth Force uniform, with long black wrist guards. Judging from his clothes, this man was a Captain of Squad 2, but he was more than that. This man was the 21st Head of the Shihoin clan as well as the father of Yoruichi and her eventual younger brother Yushiro: Yusuke Shihoin.

The benevolent man was gazing upon the scene, accompanied by a couple of guards of the mansion. "What is going on here?" he asked, his voice calm yet sounded like those used from leading figures. He first took his glance on Urahara and Tessai. "I thought you were busy cleaning the porch" he then told them.

The moment he said that, Urahara pointed a finger at Yoruichi, trying to deflect blame. "It's here fault. She interrupted my cleaning and goaded me into fighting her!" the young boy convinced him. Yoruichi snapped as she saw this while Tessai simply dropped a sweat in seeing Urahara trying to deflect the blame on someone else, as he was the one to have challenged Yoruichi in the first place.

The clan head turned his attention on his daughter, his golden eyes narrowing a little in the process. "My sweet, little Yoruichi. Why aren't you in class? And were you the one who challenged Kisuke to a fight?" he asked her while now being focused on her daughter.

Yoruichi responded by pointing a finger at Urahara. "Kisuke's lying, daddy! It was he who goaded me into fighting him!" she protested while professing her innocence. She then glanced at Urahara with a smirk on her face. "And besides, I just wanted to test Kisuke's fighting skills. All the sparring partners you've given me are so inexperienced and lame. I bet Kisuke here's a better fighter. Or perhaps Tessai" she added while glancing at her friends mischievously.

Both Urahara and Tessai snapped in disbelief over hearing this, yet Yusuke had to chuckle in amusement over seeing the fight taking place between his daughter and her friends. "Whoever started this fight, cease it immediately. And the reason I say this is because we have visitor coming over here, someone I know you know very well, Yoruichi" the clan head told him.

The three children looked beyond Yusuke and was surprised to see someone standing there. It was a young man with shoulder-length black hair, bluish purple eyes, thin eyebrows and light skin. His hair was neatly combed and his bangs pushed from his face. He wore a single kenseikan on the left side of his head to symbolize his nobility and also wore a black shihakusho. This man was a Shinigami, but not just that. He was also a lieutenant.

"SOJUN!" the three children said together as they approached the young man, who was indeed Sojun Kuchiki: the Lieutenant of Squad 6 as well as heir to the Kuchiki clan, which was also one of the Four Great Noble Families. The smiling man leaned down to the children's level to greet the trio of kids. All of them wanted to hug him so badly.

"Hello children. I'm glad to see you all here. Especially you, Yoruichi. Have you been practicing?" Sojun kindly asked the young girl, who merely huffed in return.

"Yeah, but it sucked! None of those guards doesn't stand a chance against me!" the young girl responded in return while Sojun patted her head friendly.

The young man noticed Yusuke standing there, and Sojun quickly rose up and bowed to him formally. "I'm thankful that I could come and visit them, Lord Yusuke. I assure you that as a Shinigami and nobleman, I hold no ill feelings towards other clans and families" Sojun insisted to the clan head while thanking him at the same time.

Yusuke chuckled and simply shook his head in return. "There's no need for you to address me with such formalities, Sojun. We're both noblemen here. Captain Yusuke or Captain Shihoin would perhaps be more preferable, if you don't mind" the long-haired man told Sojun.

Sojun smiled at him and nodded his head weakly in return. "Yes. As you wish" the Lieutenant of Squad 6 told him, still acting formal in front of Yusuke. "I don't mean to overstay I you and your family is busy with…." Sojun was interrupted when Yusuke suddenly reached his arm around the young man.

"Oh no, not at all! Please stay with us for a minute. The kids don't have Captain Amatsuki's lesson's today, so they will need someone to keep them occupied. And you are just what they're asking for" the Head of the Shihoin clan told Sojun, who nervously chuckled in return.

"A-Alright! And thank you, by the way" Sojun replied as he and the others were brought inside the mansion.

Since coming to the Shihoin Mansion, Urahara and Tessai had befriended the clan's heiress, as well as been given many opportunities that no children from their roots would have, such as education and lessons from a well-renowned Shinigami-captain. This friendship between Yoruichi and those two was a key reason for why Yusuke treated them fairly compared to other servants and maids on the mansion. Together, those three would become inseparable.

To be continued…


Author's note: That was a long chapter. We saw how Yourichi had her match against Askin, while seeing Ichigo and friends enter Silbern. At the end of the story, we witnessed a flashback part where we got to see how Urahara, Tessai and Yoruichi's friendship was while being children. In the next chapter, I may want to have another flashback part on Urahara and his friends, as he will then have his own battle against Askin. And of course, I will explore more of this mentor of theirs: Bansui Amatsuki. Yoruichi's father is called Yusuke Shihoin in this story. It was a name I thought was good to come up, given that his children start their names with the letter "Y" in them.

Mutekineko – Japanese for "Invincible Feline": This is the Shikai of Yoruichi. Since Sui-Feng's was more hornet-themed, I thought Yoruichi's would have a cat-themed touch to it. And the name of Mutekineko's Bankai is Shunryū Kokubyō Senkei. While it may sound similar to the form in the canon story. It's different, as Yoruichi is still herself.

Denki Mukon – Japanese for "Electric Prowl": This is an attack Yoruichi is able to use while Mutekineko is in its Shikai.

Futago Tsuyo – Japanese for "Twin Strenght": This is an attack that is used by Yoruichi when she combines the strength of her gauntlets.

Rückkehr – German or "Return": This ability enables Askin to call the poison he has unleashed back to him. When it comes to the Gift Ball, that technique is quite useful to fool opponents.