I received a ton of reviews and comments this week alone, and I have to say THANK YOU. You are all just too wonderful for me to even handle!

Now, on with the show! This chapter shouldn't disappoint.


Part I

Rukia pressed herself flush against the alley wall, trying to keep her heavy panting as quiet as possible.

I think I lost them…

Resisting the urge to just sink to her knees, Rukia thought over her own rotten luck. Of course, she wouldn't be so fortunate to not be spotted after fleeing from the battle scene. Of course, she would get seen and chased by not one, but two squadrons of Squad Eleven Shinigami.

And of course, they would be the most motivated Shinigami she'd ever met!

These lot were relentless when they wanted something badly enough, and in this case that "something" was her head. Under normal circumstances she'd just turn around and try launching an attack, but she was pretty sure there were at least thirty of them behind her. No one was stupid enough to try something like that.

Then, there was the issue of Ganju who she still hadn't found, and now, being chased this way and that, she doubted if she ever would. That's not even taking into account the fight he probably had. She wasn't even sure if he'd won or not.

She really hated to say it, or to even think about it, but she might just have to leave him behi–

"You can't run forever Ryoka!"

The voice immediately sent Rukia slamming herself back against the alley wall. She didn't see anyone. She didn't think anyone could see her, but just as she started thinking of which direction she should take off to, she spotted a figure rushing by the mouth of the alleyway followed promptly by a hoard of Shinigami a good deal larger than the one chasing her. She recognized that green getup anywhere.

Ganju. Of course, it was Ganju.

Letting out a sound somewhere between an exasperated sigh and a pained groan, Rukia brandished her Zanpakuto and took to the rooftops, following the group closely. For a blessed minute she went unnoticed.

"Look it's another one!"

"After her!"

Again: what the hell was wrong with her luck today.

She was at least much happier to hear the next voice that cried out, "Rukia, you came!" Ganju looked close to tears running for his life at the head of the mob. Just as she started to yell something back, a few Shinigami decided to jump on the roof after her. She was ducking attacks before she even managed to get a syllable out.

They came at her from ahead, one from the right and one from the left. She ducked under the joint assault, twisting out of the way and smirking when the two ran headlong into each other with a loud yell.

She wasted no time jumping over the slash of the third one directly ahead and using his face as a springboard (wincing slightly at the audible crack and pained grunt), jumped over the mass of the crowd, landing right next to Ganju.

Ganju, who, now that she thinks about it, hadn't seen her in action before, blinked owlishly for a moment at her.

"How did you even get into this mess?" she asked, yelling over the roar of noise behind them.

"It's a long story!" he yelled back with a grimace. Glancing over her shoulder, Rukia silently agreed.

"Okay," she started, "you take the ones on the right, I take the ones on the left?"

"No way!" he cried, pushing himself forward. Rukia's face fell. Great, it looked like she had no choice.

"Then, I guess I'll just take all of them!" With a yell she turned on her heel, only having a second to prepare before crying out, "White Ripple!"

She aimed point blank at the Shinigami, staying turned around just long enough to see the front few freeze solid, feet rooted to the ground as those behind them let out startled yells. She turned back and kept on running. That would buy them at least a moment or two.

Next to her, Ganju was fiddling with his pouch, digging through it quickly as he muttered things to himself.

"Aha!" With a grin he pulled out what looked like a child's papier-mâché ball, covered in messy ink hearts and about the size of a grapefruit. He pulled out the string tab on top with his teeth before chucking it behind him.

Rukia didn't see the concussive blast that boomed behind her, but she certainly heard it, as well as the pained groans of the Shinigami mob.

"You keep bombs in that pouch?" Rukia asked incredulously. That was the same place he kept the food…

"You really think I'd come here empty handed?" Ganju answered with a grin. His smile fell slightly when he continued with, "That was my last one, though. Pretty boy wasn't exactly easy to take down."

Chancing a glance over her shoulder, Rukia saw that only a few Shinigami were left chasing them, and many were falling far behind.

"Let's see if we can ditch the rest of these guys, then," she panted out.

A few minutes later, the two were practically collapsed against the floor of some underutilized closet, listening as the sounds of enraged Shinigami disappeared into the distance. Finally, some time to catch her breath and recover a bit.

Lying on the ground, Rukia could feel some of her wounds pulling. They itched terribly, though she didn't dare touch them. She was pretty sure that if they were just left alone, she'd be fine soon enough.

Ganju didn't look much better, and Rukia really couldn't help but think that "Pretty boy" was even harder to defeat than Ganju had implied. He was nearly covered head to toe in cuts and bruises. She really wished she had thought to take some of Madarame's ointment with her, or at least asked if he had any extra on hand.

After a long moment of hesitation, she asked Ganju, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, they're just flesh wounds," he huffed out, and then after a shift followed quickly by a stifled groan, "That Ayesegawa was fuckin' vicious."

"What happened, anyway?" she asked quietly. Out of the corner of her eye, Ganju grinned widely, and Rukia realized that they would be here for a while. Hearing Ganju tell his story was as good a way to spend their break as any, though.

Ganju went into detail, describing the intense fight between him and the Shinigami, Yumichika Ayasegawa, a Fifth Seat of the Eleventh Division. He apparently wasn't your average Eleventh Division member. Sure, he had his love of fighting, but he had a much different air than the others. He was calculated, incredibly vain, more than a bit arrogant, and he had single handedly made Ganju go through his entire supply of explosives.

"…In the end I got him with the big guy, my precious invention! I'd been hoping to save it for later, but hey, it got the job done. With one giant explosion I managed to lay him flat. I burned his hair, too! Actually, I think that part freaked him out even more than his injuries…"

The story made Rukia wish she would never have to fight Ayesagawa herself, but hey, at least now she knew where to aim.

"Mine was pretty brutal, too," she said with a grimace.

Without much prompting she went into her own story, though unlike Ganju, she tried to keep it short, rushing to the end to get to the most important part, the information she had received.

She finished, sitting up, with her arms wrapped around her legs, "…He told me that Ichigo would be moved to the Repentance Cell at the center of the Seireitei in just a few days."

Ganju's lips were pursed through all of this. He scratched his chin as she finished, seeming to consider her words carefully. Finally, he said, with a deep frown, "I guess we have no choice, then."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that if we don't want to take a five-day detour, we're going to have to pass through the Second Division."

"…And we don't have that kind of time," Rukia said, face falling. Ganju let out a sigh, and then with a grunt, straightened up.

"We'll just have to be careful then," he said confidently. "This is the best lead we've gotten so far, and we're not going to abandon it just because it seems tough!"

He stood up fully, slinging his pack over his shoulder. Rukia followed him up with a smile. It finally felt like they were getting somewhere.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Are you?" she asked back with a smirk.

"Tch, don't get uppity on me, brat!"

They exited their hiding spot carefully and quietly. Neither were too keen on repeating the last hour, and Rukia felt a small jolt of relief go through her when she realized that no one else was around.

Few words were said as they started moving, Ganju only quietly supplying information about where they'd be headed (East) and how long it would take (a while.)

Trouble reared it ugly head every once in a while in the form of small squadrons of Shinigami, but these weren't much trouble. They were either easy to avoid, or easy to quickly defeat. It certainly helped that while out of bombs, Ganju was by no means helpless, having both what looked like a giant meat cleaver as well as a decent supply of exploding tags.

For once, things seemed to be going alright.

They were sneaking along when they begun to approach another group of Shinigami, the two stopping at the first sign of trouble. Peeking around the corner, Rukia thought that this group was a little different from the others.

The members of this group weren't making aggressive jabs at each other. They were actually quite subdued, walking along quietly and with purpose. Not one of them looked burly and she didn't spot single scar among them. In fact, the person leading them was a gentle looking girl, one that didn't look much older than Rukia. That girl's head turned towards Rukia, just as she was ducking back behind the wall.

"Miss Inoue is something wrong?" asked a soft voice. With a gulp, Rukia placed her hand on her Zanpakuto. It was only a matter of time, now.

"Somebody is nearby," Inoue said calmly. At that, Rukia could hear the quiet shink of a Zanpakuto being drawn from its sheath. She followed suit.

"You have any more exploding tags?" Rukia whispered. Ganju shook his head, though a certain look in his eye told Rukia he had something else up his sleeve.

He crouched down next to her, placing a hand at the base of the building they were leaning against. His palm glowed a bright red, and suddenly with a loud rumbled the building was collapsing in on itself.

Debris and dust were kicked up as pieces of concrete started raining down. The panic was immediate.

"What the heck was that?" one of the Shinigami cried out. The others didn't answer, coughing and struggling to breath through the cloudy air. Now was their chance!

"Tenran!" The word cut clear through the air, and a tornado like wind was kicked up immediately. Rukia was sent back stumbling several meters, squinting through it all. When her vision focused the dust was gone.

Before her stood the leader of the Squadron. She looked pale, her mouth opened slightly as she asked in a quiet voice, "…Ganju?"

"O-Orihime, I…" he stuttered out.

"You two know each other?" asked Rukia.

She didn't get an answer Ganju was far too busy struggling to even form words, starting and stopping to no effect.

"You're the Ryoka?" Inoue asked, confusion plain on her face. "But why, what's…" Her gaze finally focused on Rukia, taking in the human's appearance, everything from her Zanpakuto to her uniform. Realization dawned on her soft features, her hands trembling. It was replaced with something that Rukia couldn't read at all.

"You're it, aren't you?" Inoue asked, gaze still locked on Rukia. Rukia didn't dare answer back. "You're the human that took Ichigo's powers, the reason he's going to be…" her voice choked off in what sounded like a sob.

Then, right before Rukia's eyes, something changed within the girl. She took a deep breath, her hands steadied, and the look in her eyes spoke of only one thing: rage.

"Move forward and meet with Hantaro," she told her Squadron without turning. "I'll take care of this."

The Shinigami all saluted her before hurrying along, all looking incredibly nervous until the moment they left Rukia's sight. It was then that Inoue began.

"Blossom! Shun Shun Rikka!"

Inoue's Zanpakuto didn't simply transform when she activated her Shikai. In a flash of light, it broke apart, splitting into six fragments, leaving only the hilt in her hand. Each piece formed into a metallic butterfly that gleamed blue in the sunlight. They flitted around her, waiting. Ganju cursed, taking a hesitant step back.

"I think we should run from this one," he said quietly.

"She'd not a Lieutenant and she's not a Captain. We could probably take her," she answered back in a low voice.

"That doesn't matter! She's –" He cut himself off with his own strangled grunt as he was pushed harshly into the nearest wall. A glowing orange veil was surrounding his body, two of Inoue's butterflies at the source of it. He visibly struggled behind the barrier, muscles straining, but he could barely even move.

Rukia turned quickly, brining down her Zanpakuto to break it. In the span of a second another two butterflies flew in front of her. Her Zanpakuto bounced off the newly formed barrier harmlessly.

"Nothing can break those shields of hers!" Ganju yelled. "Just go!"

"I'm not leaving you!"

"Byakurai!" Inoue cried out. Rukia's eyes snapped to her immediately. Lightning was gathering on the Shinigami's extended hand, and Rukia knew immediately that she had to do something. She feinted left, and slammed shoulder first into another one of Inoue's shields. She moved back, and slammed into another one.

At the very last moment, she jumped up, moving behind the shield, paling as the attack crackled through the air and impacted it with a blinding burst of light. The shield absorbed every last bit.

Rukia was still blinking the spots from her eyes when the shield moved forward, wrapping tightly around her and slamming her onto the ground her Zanpakuto slipping from her hand.

Wheezing slightly, pressed tightly against the ground, Rukia couldn't believe it. She was taken out, knocked flat in under a minute. Sode must be laughing at her right now.

Only her head was outside of this barrier, the remainder of her body kept snugly underneath as she banged her fists against the side, trying desperately to reach her Zanpakuto just outside of it. The sensation of hitting the veil was…strange.

It wasn't like hitting a wall or anything physical, she'd be feeling pain then. Her hand just kind of stopped in midair, held in place by this strange energy Inoue's Shikai was producing.

From above she could see Inoue approaching, hand held out, and eyes hardened. Rukia struggled harder.

Inoue spat out like a curse, "Shakkahō."

Rukia could feel the energy forming at the tips of the Shinigami's fingers, could see the bright red light gathering on the palm of her hand and building up to near blinding levels. She didn't even know what this spell was or what it would do, but she knew that if Inoue released, Rukia would die.

Maybe it was the desperation of the moment, or maybe it was just chance, but Rukia found herself looking Inoue right in the eye, searching for even a glimmer of hope or mercy.

She saw Inoue, face scrunched up in pain, quiet slow tears running from her reddened eyes.

"W-wait, I…I," Rukia eyes were darting rapidly between Inoue's face and her attacking hand. She knew what she had to say, she just had to get the words out! "I'm…" Rukia prayed to god this would work. The attack was just about fully charged. Rukia finally yelled out, all in one breath, "I'm here to rescue Ichigo!"

Inoue released the attack and it went wide of Rukia's head, impacting against a large piece of rubble.

"What?" Inoue's voice cracked at the end of the word.

"Listen," Rukia started with a gasp. She knew she had to make this good and get the whole truth out as quickly as possible. She only had one shot at this.

"I know it's my fault," she continued. "I got Ichigo into this mess because I was weak. He helped me, and now I'm trying to repay him. He's my friend, and if he got killed because of me…" Well, Rukia wasn't really sure what she'd do.

The next thing she knew her restraints were loosening. The butterflies fluttered around, unsure, and when she tried to sit up, they moved with her, hovering but no longer oppressive.

Maintaining eye contact with the Shinigami, Rukia carefully and slowly reached for her Zanpakuto. With slightly shaking hands she placed it back in its sheath and stood up fully.

"You're really trying to save him?" Inoue asked quietly.

"…Yes," Rukia answered simply. "I haven't known him for long, but…"

Inoue let out a brief laugh at that statement, whipping away the last of her tears, like Rukia had just told a joke that only she understood. With that, her butterflies returned to her, slotting back into a proper blade at her side that she promptly sheathed.

"That's just like Ichigo, isn't it?" The Shinigami brought her arms around herself as she said this. In the span of a second, she looked completely drained.

"I'm starting to figure that out," Rukia said carefully. Orihime didn't respond to that. For a long moment she just stared, thinking.

She finally said, "I want to help you."

Rukia stared back in disbelief.

"We certainly need all the help we can get," Ganju said, standing up on shaky legs, using the wall as leverage.

Inoue gave a gentle nod at that, face pinched with what looked like guilt. Then she looked up, eyes staring into the middle distance.

"More Officers are coming this way," she said. "If you two are seen…"

"That's bad news for us," Ganju put together. "Let's get moving."

Rukia had to swallow her momentary shock as they all worked to get away from the destroyed building as quickly as possible. They couldn't get away fast enough, though. Every way they turned new squads, similar to Inoue's, were there, surrounding the area, unknowingly forcing them this way and that. It was only a matter of time before they were caught.

"Damn," muttered Rukia.

"'Damn,' is right," Ganju said, peeking over to yet another squad just around the corner. He looked like he wanted to pull his hair out.

They could hear the squads approaching, low voices talking about how the Ryoka were close by, and here they were in a dead-end alleyway, not one but two squads approaching the mouth of it. With a grimace Rukia braced herself for another fight.

"I have an idea!" Inoue exclaimed suddenly. She ran past Rukia, going to the dead-end of the alleyway, eyes to the ground. When she met the concrete wall, she let out a triumphant, "Ah-ha!"

Rukia wasn't quite sure what the Shinigami was getting at, but she ran after her anyway.

"Ganju, could you help me lift this?" Inoue asked, kneeling down on the ground. With a nod he crouched down next to her, and Rukia finally got a good look at what Inoue was so enamored with.

They lifted a heavy looking iron grate together, heaving it up with a low creak and groan. Rukia looked to the mouth of the alleyway, hand still on her Zanpakuto.

"Come on, Rukia!" Ganju called urgently. When she looked back, he was leaning over the opening in the ground. Inoue was nowhere in sight.

Looking in, Rukia could see what looked like a kind of sewer system, Inoue waving up at her from a concrete walkway. After a moment of hesitation, Rukia climbed down after her, Ganju coming in above her, dragging the grate back over them to cover their tracks. The second the heavy sound of it being put back in its place echoed through the chamber, they two audibly sighed in relief. Inoue, however, held her breath still, though after a moment she relaxed.

"They passed us," she finally said.

Rukia felt like collapsing (again). That was far too close, but at least here they'd be able to let their guard down a bit.

It was just then that the putrid smell hit Rukia. She dragged her collar over her nose. Inoue didn't seem so bothered, and Ganju, he whistled appreciably.

"This sure will help us with time," he said. "Sneaking through side roads kinda sucks."

"I find this is the best way to get around the Seireitei quickly," Inoue said with an enthusiastic nod. "Most Fourth Division members know about these routes, but no one would ever expect Ryoka to." Then blinking inquisitively, she added, "Were you two really just sneaking around alleyways before this? I'm surprised you didn't get caught earlier on."

Rukia and Ganju shared a pointed glance.

"Well," Rukia started, "we…kind of did."

"Yeah," Ganju said with a grimace, "by these two weirdos Madarame and Ayasegawa."

Inoue let out a dramatic gasp before rushing out, "You two went against Madarame and Ayasegawa? Eleventh Division Madarame and Ayasegawa?"

Frowning in confusion, Rukia silently nodded. Inoue's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I guess I shouldn't be so surprised," she said. "You were the one to beat Tatsuki, after all." Inoue winced at her own words, and then looking up to Rukia asked, "You were the one, weren't you?"

"I was," Rukia answered quietly, feeling a bit awkward. Inoue pursed her lips at this, before straightening up, forcing her own sullen look off her face.

"At least you both were alright in the end," she said determinedly. "I'm sure that if we could just get her to see things a little differently…" she trailed off, face falling again.

"Could we do that?" Rukia asked. "Could we convince her?"

Inoue grimaced at Rukia's question, hesitating for a couple of seconds before finally explaining, "Tatsuki can be…stubborn. It'd probably be best if we didn't run into her at all."

Rukia let out a sigh at that. She kind of figured that was the answer she'd get. At least they had Inoue, who seemed like she genuinely wanted to help, and as long as Ganju seemed to trust her, Rukia would let her.

Inoue shrieked out of nowhere, causing Rukia to stiffen immediately, hand going to her blade.

"You two are injured!" she cried suddenly. "We need to stop here and rest so I can heal you. Please sit down!"

Directing the two to sit the concrete, Inoue looked quite flustered, sorting through her pack and muttering to herself.

"I can't believe I didn't notice before," she said. "Hello, it's my job!"

"We're fine," Rukia tried. "We should probably just get going."

"Nonsense," she brushed off. "I'm a member of the Fourth Division, a healer. I can do this much, at least."

"But really, we should–"

"It'll only take a second," she insisted with a smile.

"Now might be a good time to slow down, actually," Ganju said. "Last I saw the sun was starting to set."

Rukia didn't notice as much. Understandably she had been distracted, but she figured it was about right. They had been travelling for a long while.

"Well, maybe a short rest," Rukia said hesitantly. Inoue's smile brightened.

"Start with Rukia," Ganju said with a wave of his hand. "I'm gonna scope this place out."

"Don't wander too far," Inoue warned. "It's easy to get lost here."

Ganju grinned back at her, saying, "I won't, trust me." Inoue pursed her lips at that, but let him go anyway, settling Rukia down into a comfortable spot and kneeling right next to her to get started.

She began by inspecting Rukia's face, zeroing in on Rukia's cheek and tutting as she wiped at the thick ointment still stuck to it.

"This is Madarame's isn't it?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

With a smile, Inoue answered, "Where do you think he got it from, silly?" She pulled a basic wipe from her pack and started gently dabbing at Rukia's face. It registered in Rukia's mind that this girl, almost a complete stranger that just tried to kill her, was uncomfortably close to her. All she could do to stop from squirming was avert her eyes and pretend she was at the doctor's office.

"So," Inoue started with a smile, "What's the name of the human that invaded the Soul Society?"

"Rukia Orikasa." She bit inside of her cheek at the stinging sensation that came with the antiseptic. She held back a flinch when Inoue moved down to her neck without warning. "I'm not the only human here, though. Two others came, friends of mine, Renji and Ishida. Ishida's a Quincy, though, so I'm not sure if he counts."

Inoue paused for a moment. "A Quincy in the Seireitei…" She blinked before continuing her ministrations. "I didn't think there were any of them left." She turned back to her pack, grabbing a jar of…something before coming back to Rukia with it.

"Well," she continued, "I'm Orihime Inoue, but you can call me Orihime."

Rukia's eyes went back to Orihime then, only glancing away when she started applying the substance to Rukia's face.

"Then you can call me Rukia," she said.

Orihime was…beautiful. There was really no way around that. She had thick orange hair that curled slightly at the ends, soft features, and large, open, grey eyes that just kind of sparkled every time she smiled. It almost made Rukia feel a little…inadequate. She felt kind of intimidated, having such a person want to help them so much.

"Won't you get in trouble?" Rukia asked. "For helping us, I mean."

She answered, with a self-depreciating smile, "If you and a couple of humans can come all this way to save someone you've only known for a few months, I think I can do this much." She continued, a bit warmer, "When you said you were going to rescue Ichigo the way you did, it made me rethink a couple of things, mainly that I was being a coward." She applied a plaster to Rukia's face and neck. With a firm pat, she sat back on her heels fiddling with her hands. "I mean, I've known him for all these years, but…I don't know. I guess I was just too scared to try anything on my own."

"It's not like I came here on my own," Rukia said vehemently. "I had help, a lot of help. There's no need for you to be so hard on yourself."

Orihime let out a good-natured laugh at that, shaking her head before saying, "What am I even doing. I need to treat your arm, too."

It took but a few seconds for Orihime to roll Rukia's sleeve up, and once she did Rukia was reminded that this one was a little worse than the rest of her cuts. It was much deeper, hurt a lot more, and Rukia couldn't help but hiss as soon as the wipe made contact.

"That's a nasty one, isn't it," Orihime said with a "tut."

"That's Madarame for you," Rukia huffed out. Orihime simply nodded, cleaning the wound steadily and appraising it once it was clear. It was bleeding steadily again, though not horribly. The wound itself was ugly, if she were in the World of the Living, she'd probably need stitches.

"I think I can fix this for you," Orihime said confidently. Without warning, the other girl dragged out her Zanpakuto, something that Rukia would have recoiled at if Orihime didn't have such a firm grip!

"Blossom, Shun Shun Rikka." Orihime drew out two butterflies from her blade instead of the full six. They quickly formed a small shield, hovering slightly over Rukia's arm, encompassing, but not restraining.

The effect was instantaneous. The pain reduced almost immediately under the glow, and Rukia watched fascinated as the wound knit itself together before disappearing completely. Orihime deactivated her Shikai without a word, and it was like Rukia's arm had never been cut in the first place.

"That's amazing!" Rukia exclaimed, testing her arm, stretching it this way and that. There wasn't a single hint of pain. "Your Zanpakuto can do that, heal?"

Orihime nodded with bright smile, but then paused, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Well, it's not quite healing," she corrected. "Captain Unohana's Shikai heals, mine reforms. It takes Spiritual Particles, moves them around, and manipulates them. I can't actually help new cells grow, so if a wound is too complicated…I have Kidō spells to fall back, anyway."

Rukia thought she understood, but she had to wonder if with a power like that, this girl could be doing a lot more than healing. She didn't have the opportunity to ask, though. Around then, Ganju wandered back.

"There's no one else down here," he reported, "not as far as I can tell."

"No one really comes down here unless there's a problem with the plumbing," Orihime supplied.

Rolling her sleeve back down, Rukia said, "Lucky for us, then."

Ganju nodded in agreement before asking, "'Hime, do you happen to know the way to the Cell of Repentance?"

"Yes," she responded carefully, "though the sewers will only take us to the gate of the First Division."

"As long as we don't have to pass through the Second, that's fine by me," Ganju said, relieved.

Orihime looked genuinely worried at that, looking like she wanted to reproach them for even thinking about such a thing. Without a word, she simply motioned for Ganju to join them on the floor.

She continued, that worried look still in her eye, "We'll still have to move directly under it, so we have to be fast. Crossing should take about half a day walking, and since they're planning on moving Ichigo to the Cell tomorrow, we should be in good shape."

Ganju sat down next to her at that, allowing Orihime to get started immediately. He said with a frown, "It's still better than how we've been going."

With a humorless smile, Orihime added, "Especially since starting tomorrow we only have about five days."

Rukia paled.

"What…?" Rukia gasped out.

"Those bastards!" Ganju yelled, slamming his fist against the ground. It was loud enough to startle Orihime away for a moment. "He didn't even get a fucking trial, did he!"

"You…you didn't know?"

Rukia ran shaky hand through her hair saying, "No, we didn't." Orihime bit her lip, looking personally sorry for what she was about to tell them.

"Two days ago, they scheduled his…" she trailed off, unable to even say it. "They're going to do it at high noon, on Sōkyoku Hill."

Okay, this changed some things. This definitely changed some things. They officially only had five days to successfully get Ichigo out of this place, and they didn't even have most of the people they started off with. Saying this was bad didn't even begin to cover it.

Rukia had to take the time to remind herself that there was still hope in all this. It wasn't that long a journey to the Repentance Cell. They would probably even have time to spare, enough to be able to find the rest of their group, with the help of this new addition.

"W-we'll make it," Rukia finally said. "We can do it."

The other two looked at her for a moment, as if they had trouble understanding what she even said at first. Then, Orihime grinned.

"You're right!" she agreed. "We'll make it, if only because Ichigo needs us to."

Ganju let out a long breath at that before adding, "Hey, if you guys think we can, then we can."

"Then we need to get…" Rukia trailed off, yawning widely, "…going."

"Sorry! I forgot to mention that sometimes Shun Shun Rikka can make you drowsy after healing. It's something about how it gets rid of pain. I'm not really sure."

Now that Orihime mentioned it, Rukia was quite tired. It wasn't really the time to be tired yet, though, was it? She wasn't sure anymore…

"I think she's out," Ganju commented with a raised eyebrow. He moved to grab Rukia by the shoulders.

"Hey, don't wake her!" Orihime whispered.

"I'm not gonna," he said with a wave. "I just doubt sleeping on a stone wall's very comfortable."

With one hand on her shoulder and one behind her back he carefully laid Rukia down flat. She didn't even twitch. Orihime was able to produce a shock blanket that she then rolled up to use as a pillow for her. It wasn't great, but it would do.

"You should get some rest, too," Orihime quietly told Ganju. He nodded in response.

If he was being honest, he felt pretty tired, too. Healing sure did take a lot out of a person.

"Wake me up for the second watch in a few hours," he told her, rolling onto his side. He used his own lumpy pack as a pillow. As long as there weren't any explosives in it, he figured it was safe enough.

"Ganju?"

"Hmm?"

"It's…it's really nice to see you again."

"You too, Orihime."

In a few minutes, Orihime was left alone counting supplies and listening to the sound of rushing water. For the first time in a very long while, she felt hope again.

Part II

"Tell us why you're here."

"You can't stay silent forever."

Watch me, Uryuu thought. He kept his lips pursed and his eyes glued to an interesting stain on the table in front of him.

"You do realize that the more difficult you are now; the harder things will be for you tomorrow."

Was this guy really a professional interrogator? His intimidation tactics were almost laughable. Then again, they were only Shinigami. How good could they be?

At the moment, the man had Uryuu tied firmly to a chair in the middle of a dimly lit room, the entrance heavily guarded by more masked Second Division Shinigami. He had been here, tied like this, for hours, and if he felt any fatigue, he certainly wasn't going to show it to this lot. That being said, Uryuu was tired, very tired.

He had no idea what time of day it was, how long he'd been here, or even how long it'd been since he'd last eaten. He'd been asked question after question by these people, kept awake for who knows how long, and…

Okay, maybe they were better at this than he gave them credit for.

"Who sent you?"

Uryuu blinked slowly. How many times had he been asked that question? He wasn't really sure anymore.

"Were you sent by other Quincy?"

Uryuu's head snapped up in shock, and though most of his interrogator's face was hidden, Uryuu could tell he was smirking.

"Oh, I know what you are," he said smugly. "I'd recognize that garb of yours anywhere, and I do have to say, you're lucky things aren't how they used to be around here, or I would have saved myself some trouble and sent you off to Research and Development by now."

Uryuu lunged at the man only to be held back by his bound arms. He didn't care. He struggled, twisting his wrists and hands around, trying to get just one hand free so he could send an arrow right through that bastard's face. He'd show him exactly what a Quincy could do, no research required.

The man simply took a step back in surprise. He chuckled to himself, amused.

"That got a rise out of you, didn't it? Good, that means we're getting somewhere."

Before Uryuu had the chance to break his promise, open his mouth, and curse this man the fuck out, a resounding knock was heard from the door. Uryuu stopped in his struggling while the Shinigami grumbled something that Uryuu couldn't quite catch right before moving past his chair to open it.

"Yes?" the interrogator asked flatly.

"Sir!" a new voice called out. "We were told by Lieutenant Omaeda that all Squad Leaders are to report to the Captain!"

The interrogator grumbled something else.

"I'm in the middle of an important assignment handed down by the Captain, herself. Perhaps if you were to explain…"

"I'm sorry, sir, but the Lieutenant said it was quite urgent.

"Of course, it is." The man sighed. "Okay, you two bring the prisoner to cell 1B."

"Will do, sir!"

"Before I go, I have to ask, has the paper work for Use of Alternative Interrogation Methods been approved, yet?"

…Uryuu didn't like the sound of that one, not one bit.

"They should be finished processing by tomorrow."

The man's voice dripped with satisfaction, as he said, "Then I'll be back for you tomorrow, Quincy."

The man left, and Uryuu tried to ignore how his blood went cold for a moment. Without much warning he was roughly blindfolded and cuffed before his rope restraints were removed.

He tried counting the steps they took to the cell, memorizing the directions they took him, but he just couldn't do it, he just couldn't focus well enough. Eventually he was stopped, his blindfold and shackles were removed, and he was literally thrown into the cell, catching himself on his hands and knees as the door closed loudly behind him.

"Ishida?"

Uryuu's eyes snapped to a person he didn't even realize was there and was actually relieved when he found it to be Abarai. His classmate was sitting cross-legged in the corner, his back to the wall.

"You look like shit," Abarai said with a grin. The Fullbringer was sitting there, pale with dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.

"You don't look much better," Uryuu said with a heavy frown.

"I'm guessing they put you through the ringer too, huh?"

"Please, you act as if they were actually intimidating."

"Pfft. Seriously? How could they be when they start crying like a baby just from one little punch to the face?"

Uryuu raised an eyebrow. He was almost impressed.

"Why do you think they brought us here, anyway?" Abarai asked. "They kept us separate before, so what gives?" Uryuu thought he had an idea why, but it wasn't a pleasant one.

"I had heard that the Shinigami were close to getting approval for 'Alternative Interrogation Methods,'" Uryuu explained.

Abarai blanched. "That's just a fancy way of saying 'torture,' isn't it." Uryuu nodded with a grimace.

"They probably believe we'll break faster if we're made aware of the other's pain. It's an old tactic, one that dates back to the Medieval Period."

"…Not gonna ask why you've been researching Medieval torture methods, but that's pretty sick."

Uryuu averted his eyes, darting around both Abarai's dig as well as having to agree that, yes, it was.

"It'd be best if we rested while we still can," he said instead.

"Oh, come on. A nerdy guy like you, you're telling me that you don't already have an escape plan cooking up in that brain of yours," Abarai said in a joking tone.

No, Uryuu hadn't thought of any. He kept silent, just staring at the ground and out of the corner of his eye Abarai's face fell.

Part III

"Rukia," a voice said tersely.

She shifted slightly, mumbling to herself.

"Rukia," the voice said, a little louder.

She turned over, laying on her side, her cheek brushing against the ground. She bolted up immediately.

"Cold! Cold! That's cold!"

The sleep left her eyes quickly, and it took Rukia a second to realize that no, she wasn't in the sewers. Neither Orihime nor Ganju were anywhere to be seen. She was instead sitting up on a frozen lake in her Inner World.

"Took you long enough."

Rukia scrambled to face the ice, slipping for a moment before wiping away the frost to reveal Sode no Shirayuki's reflection. Her questions spilled out automatically.

"When did I fall asleep?" she asked, dragging a hand through her hair. "I don't remember contacting you."

"One at a time, Rukia," Sode said with a roll of her eyes. "I called you, this time, and technically speaking, you are still asleep."

"You called me?" Rukia almost winced. Was Sode going to start berating her for getting beaten so easily today?

"Yes, I did," Sode said simply. "You've been doing much better than I had expected."

Rukia blinked owlishly for a moment. What?

"You've grasped your current powers well enough, but they may not be enough for your future trials."

Perking up, Rukia brought herself closer to the ice. Did this mean…?

"You will only face stronger opponents as your journey continues. You must learn the next two dances of our Shikai."

"Yes!" Rukia cheered. Sode immediately leveled a glare at her. Rukia shrunk and corrected herself. "Yes, I would like that very much."

The glare softened to a simple raised eyebrow, and Sode formed her own blade out of ice, motioning for Rukia to stand fully.

"Let's begin."

Part IV

Rukia's second awakening was much gentler. When morning came, she found herself being nudged awake by Ganju who was saying that they had to get moving soon. She was up in a matter of seconds, returning the blanket she didn't know she had borrowed and letting Orihime and Ganju's casual chatter fade to the background.

Waking up, she felt good, better than she had in weeks. All her former aches and pains were gone. She felt energetic, ready, and even when her mind flashed back to that horrible deadline, she didn't feel so bad. She felt like she could do it.

Five Days.

Those words imprinted themselves into her mind. As of this very moment they had five days to do everything they came here for. Provided they didn't run into too many obstacles, she was sure they could get it done, and with time to spare.

"Ready to go, Rukia?" Ganju asked. He was all packed up, looking refreshed, and adjusting the strap on his bag. Orihime, on the other hand, looked like she had been packed and ready for a while, a bright smile on her face as she waited patiently for the other two.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Rukia answered back. She only had one possession to keep track of, after all, and it was strapped to her hip all night. "Lead the way, Orihime," she finished with a smile. Orihime gave her a grin and a lighthearted salute.

They walked along the quiet concrete path, keeping their voices low, though not staying silent. It was during this time that something registered in Rukia's mind.

Ganju and Orihime were very familiar with each other. Yes, she had noticed it before, but it didn't really strike her until she saw them now, speaking freely with each other, completely relaxed in one another's presence. They almost seemed like a pair of old friends.

"Where do you know each other from?" Rukia asked suddenly. She blushed when she realized that she had interrupted them without meaning to. The two looked at her, caught off guard in the middle of a heated debate as to whether Miso was an acceptable ice cream topping. Orihime was the first to recover, launching into an explanation.

"Well," she started with a fond smile, "I went to Shin'ō Academy with Ichigo a little more than a century ago. We became good friends sometime around my first year."

Interjecting with a grin, Ganju said, "And when a Shiba takes a liking to you, you're a part of the family, period, end of story. Just ask Tōshirō."

"Ah, yes! Tō… I mean, Captain Hitsugaya," Orihime blushed at the slip up, "still shows up to family events every year, even if he pretends he doesn't like them."

"Yeah, and it's all 'cause Uncle Isshin took a liking to him way back when little Shirō was just his third seat."

"Sounds like you have quite the family," Rukia said with a smile. Her family was just her and brother, no relatives and no extended family whatsoever. (Though, Renji was sometimes over often enough that it felt like they had a third family member.)

It must be nice.

"Hey, don't act like you're not a part of it," Ganju said with a scowl. "As far as I'm concerned you've been blood since you were eight and–!"

He pulled Rukia and Orihime close to him, one arm each, in a great big hug. Rukia gasped in surprise, but Orihime just looked fondly exasperated.

Ganju continued with a boisterous laugh, "Once we get this whole mess sorted out the family will be reunited! We'll have big ol' get togethers every year– No! Every month! –and don't even think about skipping out!"

Orihime let out a cheer beside him. Even Rukia cracked a smile, though she couldn't help but wonder. What was it like for Ganju to be away from his family as long as he was when it was so obviously important to him? The thought made Rukia sad, but she kept her smile up, even when he put her down and ruffled her hair like she was a little kid.

They made it through the sewers without issue and with a speed that Rukia didn't anticipate. Sure, it took a couple of hours, but Rukia could tell that they'd traveled more in those hours than their entire time walking above ground. It helped that they didn't have to stay silent, either. They could just talk in the empty sewers, their voices muffled from the outside by the sound of rushing water.

During this time Rukia learned a few things about her companions. She learned that Ganju still read Shōnen Jump, even after all these years. She learned that Orihime had never been outside of the Soul Society, having been born here, which apparently wasn't typical, even for Shinigami. Many of her friends, including Tatsuki, died in the World of the Living before being transported here.

She learned that Ganju, Orihime, and Ichigo were the same age. She learned that Orihime was a terrible cook, even if she didn't think so. She learned that Ganju wasn't much better.

Rukia spent a lot of time doing that, just walking along, absorbing and learning, only butting in to add her own two cents wherever it was needed. She did this all the way until they reached a hatch that Orhime stopped right under. Rukia looked to the path they were on, suddenly realizing that they had reached a dead end.

"We have to get out here," Orihime said. Ganju grimaced.

"You sure I can't just blow a hole through this wall. I'm not really looking forward to going back up there," he said. With a giggle, Orihime shook her head.

"That would attract far too much attention," she answered, and smile flagging, added, "Besides, I've only been to the Repentance Cell once or twice. I wouldn't even know how to get you there through the sewer systems." By the time she finished, her smile had turned into a guilty frown.

"The fact that you took us this far is amazing," Rukia assured.

"Yeah," Ganju said with a handwave, "we're fine as long as we cleared the second." The slight sweat that had developed at his brow said otherwise, though Rukia decided not to point that out. Orihime at least looked relieved by this, though she still seemed unsure.

"This hatch should take us right to the space between the First and Second Divisions," Orihime explained. "The Omnitsukidō shouldn't bother us as long as we stay clear of their Division."

"And the Shinigami from the First?" Rukia asked warily.

"I doubt they even realize we've reached here."

Rukia nodded. That was about as good an assurance as they were going to get, she guessed.

Ganju led the way up the ladder, lifting the hatch out of the way. When he peaked back over, whispering the all clear, Rukia and Orihime followed him up and back into the light.

It looked to be about noon, maybe a little later, but Rukia couldn't be sure. Behind her was a Division that looked almost identical to the last one she'd been at. The Division in front of her, now that was a different story.

The buildings were larger than life, reaching towards the sky getting taller and taller until they reached the very center of the Seireitei. At that place was a plain white tower, their destination. The entrance to this Division was a large set of stone steps that carved through the tall wall blocking the place off from the outside.

"Wow," Rukia breathed.

"I wouldn't say 'wow,'" Ganju said with a frown. "It kinda pisses me off for some reason, actually."

Orihime looked like she was going to throw in a comment of her own, but she never got the words out. She instead turned pale, her mouth falling open slightly, eyes locked on the top of the staircase. Someone was walking toward them.

"Tatsuki," Orihime whispered. She glanced between Rukia and the Lieutenant, unsure.

The moment Tatsuki's sandal covered feet hit the ground, the already tension filled air thickened further. She gazed down with narrowed eyes at the group, going past Orihime, then Ganju, and settling on Rukia.

"I don't know what you did to get these two to follow you, but this ends here. I'm taking you in," she declared.

"Tatsuki, please," Orihime begged, "If you would just let us–!"

"I don't want to hear it!" Tatsuki's rage was almost visible, wrapping around her like a veil. "This girl needs tot pay, and there's nothing you can say to change that."

Rukia had suspected something like this was coming. She cursed the bad timing of it all, but it certainly didn't surprise her. If Tatsuki wanted to stand in her way, that was fine. Rukia didn't need for this one Shinigami to see agree with. She just needed to win.

"If you want to fight, we'll fight," Rukia said, "but you're not going to stop me, here."

Tatsuki grinned in response.

"I figured you'd say something like that."

She drew her Zanpakuto, and pointing it right at Rukia said, "Before we get started, I should probably tell you: the one that's about to beat you is Tatsuki Arisawa, Lieutenant of the Sixth Division."

The Substitute grinned back right before saying, "I'm Rukia Orikasa, First Year High School Student."


Orihime Inoue: Division Four - Fourth Seat.

She was probably just as interesting a character to adapt as Tatsuki, if I'm being honest. I had to make a version of her character that was reasonably balanced for this story (because let's be real she's ridiculously OP in canon and that's pretty much why Kubo shuffled her off to the background so quickly.) So, I nerfed her special abilities and made her an expert Kidō practitioner. I think it works out quite well, actually!

Want to nerd out with me about balanced party systems? Want to talk about cheesy Shōnen bullshit? Leave a review, my dude, because they give me life!