The dimension separating Hueco Mundo and the living world reopened revealing Ulquiorra, Luppi, Wonderweiss, Grimmjow, and Yammy.
"Find the girl. I want her alive. Kill anyone that gets in your way," Ulquiorra ordered.
"I don't like coming out there to fight just to find this stupid girl," Luppi said annoyed.
"These are orders from Aizen," Ulquiorra told him off.
"I am only interested in one man," Grimmjow stated.
Ulquiorra gave Grimmjow a weary look. "Then don't get in our way," Ulquiorra allowed.
"Why does he get to do what he wants?" Luppi said irritably.
Grimmjow shot off into the distance at fast speed. "Because he is too weak to matter," Ulquiorra replied.
"Is it a really good idea to have him around? He didn't do much last time we were here," Yammy said referring to Wonderweiss.
Ulquiorra eyed the playful and child-like Arrancar. "He may be useful," Ulquiorra considered.
Captain Hitsugaya received information relating to the Arrancar from his cell phone. "So soon?" he wondered.
"Captain?" Rangiku asked.
"Get everyone together. We must intercept them quickly. I will alert Soul Society," Hitsugaya said urgently.
Urahara also noticed the disturbance. "Stay here, Rukia," Urahara told her and then nodded at Renji.
Captain Hitsugaya, Renji, Rangiku, Ikaku, and Yumichika phased into action surrounding Luppi as before.
"I am going to kill you for what you did to me, last time," Luppi sneered at Hitsugaya.
"Bankai," Hitsugaya called out.
Ice suddenly appeared on Hitsugaya's chest and shoulders and formed wings on his back; three ice stars formed behind him. Ice traveled up Hitsugaya's arm as it connected with his sword.
Luppi tensed up for battle as Hitsugaya went in for the attack. Luppi took out his sword and sped toward the captain. There was an explosive clash as the two struck in the air.
"Bankai," Renji called out.
Wonderweiss eyed the animal-like Bankai with interest. Renji drew his Bankai back for a strike on Yammy. The muscular Espada grinned at the Bankai and powered up a cero blast from his mouth. The cero blast pushed the Bankai back ending the strike.
"That's not bad," Renji commented. "Show them how it's done," Renji shouted to his Bankai.
Yammy stared in confusion as Renji's Bankai opened its mouth and blasted Yammy full blast. The explosion ripped at Yammy and caused him to be torn up.
"You piece of shit!" Yammy screamed as Renji pulled his Bankai back.
Ulquiorra appeared before Orihime near her house. Orihime gave the Arrancar a stunned expression as he calmly walked towards her.
"You broke your obligation. Now, some of your friends will have to die," Ulquiorra told her.
Ulquiorra suddenly received a punch to the face forcing his head to twist to the side. Ulquiorra slowly faced forward and saw his attacker: Yoruichi.
"The great Yoruichi. I will have to put your name to the test," Ulquiorra said.
"You won't be taking her," Yoruichi promised.
"Oh?" Ulquiorra doubted.
Yoruichi sped toward Ulquiorra with flash steps and kicked him hard to side of the head. The attack didn't seem to affect Ulquiorra. Yoruichi flipped backward and punched him hard to the forehead. There was a shockwave of air with the blow but Ulquiorra remained standing.
Yoruichi rapidly punched at Ulquiorra but none of her blows pushed him back or affected him. Yoruichi pulled back stunned at her lack of success.
"As you can see, it is futile," he told her.
Yoruichi glared defiantly at the Arrancar and charged up her palm. Ulquiorra watched as a white aura flowed around Yoruichi.
"Shunkō," Yoruichi called out as her spiritual pressure became more pronounced.
Ulquiorra gave Yoruichi a more attentive look as she finished her build-up. "Useless," he said.
Yoruichi sped toward Ulquiorra ripping up the street pavement as she did. The trees around her were ripped away and houses were demolished. Ulquiorra braced himself for impact; there was an explosion of spiritual energy as the two forces collided.
Orihime created a shield around herself as the explosion created a large crater in the street. When the dust had faded, Ulquiorra had taken a step back but had neutralized Yoruichi's attack.
"Now, I will be taking Orihime now," Ulquiorra said coldly.
"Damn it," a drained Yoruichi cursed as she realized she had failed.
Ulquiorra suddenly punched her hard to the gut stunning her. Yoruichi stumbled back from the blow and tried to steady herself. Ulquiorra charged up a cero beam from his index finger and then blasted Yoruichi off her feet.
Yammy's clothes and skin were smoking from Renji's attack. Ikaku twirled his spear in preparation for battle.
"Give me this fight," Ikaku asked Renji.
Renji nodded in approval. Ikaku sped toward Yammy; the two began fighting on an equal level. Renji reared his Bankai back and considered the other target.
Wonderweiss looked at Renji's Bankai with fascination. "Cool!" he exclaimed.
"Stay back or I'll be forced to kill you," Renji told the Arrancar.
Wonderweiss ignored Renji and suddenly sent a beam at Renji. Renji immediately shielded himself from the beam with his Bankai.
"That was close," Renji realized.
Wonderweiss put out his hands and made circles in the air. "What is he doing?" Renji wondered.
Renji's Bankai suddenly turned against him and coiled around Renji pinning him. Wonderweiss laughed in amusement as Renji's Bankai began squeezing him like a snake.
Yumichika sped toward Renji to assist him. "Stay away," Renji gasped.
Wonderweiss forced Renji's Bankai to attack Yumichika with its jaws. Yumichika dodged the attack and sliced off the Bankai's head with his blades. Wonderweiss retaliated by sending a powerful cero blast in Yumichika's direction.
Yumichika held up his blades in defense of himself and Renji. The explosion ruffled Yumichika's hair and bloodied up his face a little. The Arrancar child laughed in amusement at the two.
Luppi wrapped Hitsugaya in his arms tightly and began squeezing him hard in his grip. "How do you like that?" he sneered.
Hitsugaya attempted to resist without success. Luppi's arms suddenly became bladed weapons. "I am going to chop you up into pieces," Luppi threatened.
Rangiku sped towards her captain and released her zanpakuto. "Growl," she ordered it.
Luppi ignored Rangikou and continued to crush Hitsugaya. Rangiku pointed the hilt of her dissolved sword towards Luppi. The ash sliced into Luppi causing him to cry out in annoyance.
Luppi used one of his arms to swat her, nearly knocking her out. "Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya cried out.
Ichigo phased onto the scene just as Ulquiorra had finished with Yoruichi. "Get her out of here," Yoruichi told him before fainting.
"Orihime, run!" Ichigo shouted.
Orihime hesitated and then ran down the street. "Pointless, I will find her again," Ulquiorra said.
"Did you do this to Yoruichi?" Ichigo asked.
"What if I did?" Ulquiorra said dismissively.
Ichigo glared at Ulquiorra and then readied his sword. "Bankai!" he shouted as his sword transformed. There was an explosion of energy as his blade formed. Ichigo then created a Hollow mask over his face dramatically increasing his power.
"This won't take long," Ichigo said as he formed his mask.
Ulquiorra gave Ichigo a wide-eyed look as Ichigo's spiritual pressure skyrocketed past his own. Ichigo sped toward Ulquiorra and struck at him with his sword.
Ulquiorra blocked the blade with his right hand but was dragged across the ground. "What is this new power?" he wondered.
Ichigo phased away and then loaded a cero blast from his sword. Ulquiorra lifted his right hand to block the beam but it was too much for him to handle. He lifted his left hand to support him; the beam forced him off his feet.
Ulquiorra traveled down the street; houses and yards exploded from the spiritual discharge. Ichigo dissolved his mask and panted in exhaustion.
Chad and Rukia watched the battle from afar. Ikaku was a bloody mess as Yammy pounded him with cero blasts and punches. Ikaku was kicked hard to the chin nearly knocking him out.
Wonderweiss took control of the separated pieces of Renji's Bankai and pinned him with three coils that surrounded his arms, chest, and legs. He then dispatched Yumichika with a powerful blast to the torso and then assaulted Renji. Rukia walked outside with Chad and saw how her friends were losing the battle.
"I have to do something," Chad said as Hitsugaya was about to be speared to death by one of Luppi's arms.
Rukia watched in awe as Chad formed his right arm and shot out several bursts at Luppi. "How annoying," Luppi said as he carefully dodged the bursts.
One of Luppi's arms swung down to the ground and picked up Chad. "Chad!" Rukia shouted for him.
Chad attempted to free himself but was then thrown to the ground. Chad cried out in pain as his body was slammed into the ground. Luppi charged a cero blast in his right palm and blasted Chad to keep him down.
Grimmjow phased right in front of Orihime and grabbed her firmly with his remaining left arm. "Please," Orihime pleaded.
"Don't worry. I don't care about you. Heal my arm and we'll call it square," Grimmjow told her.
Orihime nodded in fear and went to work to heal him. Grimmjow watched in amazement as his right arm became whole again. The Arrancar flexed his arm and saw that it was completely healed.
"And now the back," Grimmjow ordered.
Orihime complied healing the number six on his back. Grimmjow suddenly felt a rush of spiritual energy as he was completely healed. "Where's Ichigo Kurasaki?" Grimmjow demanded to know.
"Are you going to hurt him?" Orihime asked meekly.
"You are going to heal him and then I am going to kill him," Grimmjow clarified.
"Then, I won't take you to him," Orihime protested.
"Look, woman, if you don't heal him quick Ulquiorra is going to kill him," Grimmjow told her.
Ichigo gave an exhausted look as Ulquiorra calmly came back. His clothes were slightly ruffled but otherwise, he was unharmed. "Damn it," Ichigo realized the strength of his enemy.
"That was some power, but I can see now that it is gone. This is the end," Ulquiorra told him.
Ichigo raised his sword against Ulquiorra to defend himself but Ulquiorra was too quick. He stabbed through Ichigo's chest spraying blood on his chest. Ichigo fell to the ground as his mortal wound zapped his strength.
"Disappointing," Ulquiorra commented.
Ulquiorra then proceeded to search for Orihime. "She's close. She's coming closer to me?" he wondered.
Ulquiorra was suddenly kicked away from Ichigo by Grimmjow. "Heal him quickly," Grimmjow ordered Orihime.
Ulquiorra got back to his feet. "What is the meaning of this, Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra demanded; he then saw Grimjow's complete arm.
"He's my prey," Grimmjow pointed out.
"How trivial," Ulquiorra mocked.
Ulquiorra then saw how Orihime was starting to heal Ichigo again. He sped toward Orihime to stop her but was suddenly blocked by Grimmjow.
"He's mine!" Grimmjow yelled.
Grimmjow kicked Ulquiorra into the air. Ulquiorra pointed his index finger at Grimmjow and sent a cero beam at him. Grimmjow was ruffled by the blast; he had nearly been hit from it.
Ulquiorra sped toward Grimmjow and elbowed him hard knocking the wind out of him and then punched him aside. Ulquiorra then turned toward Orihime and Ichigo.
Luppi's arms sliced into Rangiku's body and then swat her down to the ground. Luppi watched in amusement as she was unable to move. He then turned towards the hostage captain in his other set of arms.
"And now for you," Luppi grinned.
A beam of light suddenly hit Luppi causing him to cry out. Luppi looked down and saw Rukia with her palm outstretched. "That bitch!" Luppi cursed angrily.
"Rukia!" Hitsugaya realized.
"Release him now, Espada," Rukia ordered.
"Make me," Luppi sneered.
"Sode no Shirayuki" Rukia called out the name of her zanpakuto.
"Get out of here," Hitsugaya said faintly as his strength diminished.
Rukia's eyes turned purplish and her spiritual pressure skyrocketed. The grass under her feet turned to ice and the wind became chilled by her presence alone. Luppi watched as the ground around Rukia was steadily freezing the entire field.
"Another ice type? How boring," Luppi commented.
Rukia rose into the sky so that she was at the same level as Luppi. "Last chance, Espada," Rukia warned.
"Not happening, Shinigami," Luppi scoffed.
Rukia's eyes became a solid purple and her black robes fluctuated between black and white. Her sword was a brilliant white that blinded anyone that got close enough. The wind picked up around her. Each breath Luppi took created frost.
Rukia raised her left hand, the hand not holding her sword, and cupped her hand as if she were grabbing the air. The wind picked up around Luppi putting a deep freeze on him; icicles starting forming on his body and arms. Rukia closed her hand and suddenly Luppi's arms shattered into frozen shards.
Hitsugaya fell out of Luppi's grip and descended toward the ground. Rukia whirled her sword creating a powerful wind that slashed into Luppi's skin. Luppi cried out in pain and in annoyance as the cold air took its toll on him.
Luppi went back to his unreleased state and brought forth his sword. Before he could make a move, two slashes appeared on his chest. The very wind was now slashing his chest apart.
"Damn it," Luppi cried out in pain.
He suddenly lashed out at Rukia but missed her with his sword. Rukia moved to the side of Luppi and suddenly slashed him at the waist cutting him in two. A shocked Luppi watched as his hips and legs fell to the ground.
"How?" Luppi wondered.
Luppi glared at Rukia and still tried to stab her even without legs. Rukia moved to the side and outmaneuvered him. She proceeded to slice off his right arm. In sudden spin, she grabbed a hold of his chest with her left hand.
"Why?" Rukia asked confused.
Luppi shook his head in fear and confusion. Rukia's hand suddenly glowed blinding Luppi with light and then his body disintegrated into nothingness. When the battle had ended, Rukia's eyes went back to blue, and then she fell towards the ground.
"Rukia!" Renji cried out.
He broke the bonds of his Bankai around his body and descended at a fast speed to catch her. Renji landed forcefully on the ground and caught Rukia just in time. Despite the cold, Rukia's body was warm to the touch; she was sleeping peacefully.
Ichigo attempted to fight Ulquiorra with his Bankai but was quickly smacked aside. Orihime attempted to create a shield in front of her to protect herself. Ulquiorra punched through the shield shattering it.
"You have shown poor judgment. Your friends are dying because of you," Ulquiorra told her.
"No, I didn't want it to be like this," Orihime cried.
"Nor did I," Ulquiorra said truthfully and then pinched the air.
Orihime watched as a portal opened to Hueco Mundo. "You will come with me now," Ulquiorra ordered.
Ichigo struggled to get to his feet and attempted to stab Ulquiorra. Instead, the Espada brought Ichigo to his knees and charged a cero blast in his hand.
"Go inside or he dies," Ulquiorra told her.
Orihime gave Ichigo a tearful look. "Don't Orihime," Ichigo protested.
Ulquiorra charged up the cero so that it would surely blast off Ichigo's head if he wished. Orihime nodded in defeat and went inside the doorway.
"No, Orihime!" Ichigo shouted as she disappeared.
Ulquiorra kicked Ichigo back to the ground and dissolved his cero sphere in his hand. "In the end, you're still trash," Ulquiorra said and exited.
"What the hell?" Yammy wondered as he saw Luppi destroyed before his eyes.
Yammy then heard a voice in his head telling him the mission was over. A dimension opened for him allowing him to escape. "Come on, kid," Yammy said to Wonderweiss.
Wonderweiss smiled and followed Yammy into Hueco Mundo. Before he left, he waved to the Shinigami.
Ikaku got back to his feet. His robes were torn up and his spear was broken into pieces. He spat out blood from his mouth and regrouped with the others.
Urahara's crew of Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu came out to give support to the wounded Shinigami.
"Is Rukia wounded?' Tessai asked Renji.
"No, just sleeping," Renji reported.
Captain Hitsugaya was in terrible shape and required immediate attention. Jinta and Ururu took hold of Hitsugaya and transported him back to the shop. Renji looked around and saw the wounded.
"At least we got one of the bastards," he thought to himself.
Grimmjow walked up to an injured Ichigo. "Stop whining about that woman and fight me," Grimmjow demanded.
Ichigo glared at the Arrancar. "Is that all you care about? Fighting?" Ichigo asked him.
"You talk like you have some higher purpose in life," Grimmjow sneered.
"I do. It's keeping people safe from the likes of you," Ichigo retorted.
"You would kill hundreds, thousands if it meant you could kill me," Grimmjow told him.
"That's not true!" Ichigo rejected.
Grimmjow smirked and then punched Ichigo several times to the chest dropping him. "You're pathetic, Ichigo," Grimmjow insulted.
"Not even worth killing," Grimmjow considered.
Grimmjow took out his sword and considered killing Ichigo as he crawled on the ground. Suddenly, the back of a cane was pushed up against the side of his skull.
"Who are you?" Grimmjow demanded.
"Just a shop keeper," Urahara replied.
"Is that so? I have someone to kill, so if you don't mind," Grimmjow requested.
"But I do mind, Espada," Urahara said forcing his cane more forcefully into Grimmjow's head.
Grimmjow sighed. "What do you want?' Grimmjow relented.
Ulquiorra brought forth Orihime to Aizen's throne. "This is the real one?" Aizen asked.
"I have no doubt," Ulquiorra replied.
Aizen stepped down from his throne and looked over Orihime. "Welcome to Las Noches," Aizen greeted.
Orihime trembled with fear before the powerful former Shinigami. "You are our special guest here. No harm shall come to you here," Aizen assured her.
"Luppi and Grimmjow have not returned," Aizen noted.
"Luppi has been killed and Grimmjow is missing. I believe Grimmjow has defected to the other side," Ulquiorra reported.
"How disturbing," Aizen commented.
"How did Luppi die?" Aizen asked.
"I didn't see it first hand," Ulquiorra replied.
"I saw it. That woman from before killed him. Luppi couldn't even get a hit on her," Yammy said.
"I wonder how this is possible," Aizen remarked.
"I do not understand the source of her power," Ulquiorra admitted.
"Perhaps Orihime does," Aizen said.
Orihime gave Aizen a fearful look as he circled her. "Won't tell? That's alright. In time, you will," Aizen told her.
Urahara brought forth Grimmjow and Ichigo into the basement level of his shop. Several Shinigami were injured; they all looked up and stared at the Arrancar.
"Stop making those stupid faces," Grimmjow said annoyed.
"How could you bring him here?" Yoruichi demanded of Urahara.
"Simple. He will create the bridge we need to Hueco Mundo," Urahara replied.
"Why would he help us?" Yoruichi continued.
"He has agreed to help us on the condition that he be able to fight Ichigo whenever he pleases and is given special training so that he can become stronger," Urahara explained.
"Some deal! You wouldn't allow me to negotiate," Ichigo protested.
"Afraid, Ichigo?" Grimmjow taunted.
"You want to fight now? I'll kick your ass!" Ichigo taunted.
"Now, children, we have more important concerns to consider," Urahara ended the argument.
Captain Hitsugaya approached Urahara and gave Grimmjow a weary look. "I will have to be granted approval from Commander Yamamoto to consider this….alliance. I know he will not approve of it."
"Oh?" Urahara considered.
"My squad and you will go our separate ways. I am hopeful you can make progress on your own," Hitsugaya said and then walked off.
Rangiku, Renji, Ikaku, and Yumichika reluctantly followed the captain out of the room. When they left, Urahara turned to the others.
"My…my. That was unexpected," Urahara considered.
"How is Rukia?" Ichigo asked.
"She's sleeping. She killed the Arrancar Luppi, the Sixth Espada, single-handedly," Urahara reported.
Grimmjow gave a look of surprise and then grinned at the news. "Good, I freaking hated that guy."
"I still object to this," Yoruichi protested.
"Remember, if not for Grimmjow, you may very well have been killed," Urahara reminded her.
"Orihime, she's gone!" Ichigo recalled.
"That is most unfortunate and it is one of the reasons why we allow Grimmjow in our company. Grimmjow will open Hueco Mundo for us," Urahara said.
"Why does Aizen want Orihime?" Chad asked.
"It's her powers. She has the ability to regress anything to a previous state. Even the Hogyoku," Urahara explained
"That means that the Hogyoku is breaking down from the stress of creating all those Arrancar," Tessai speculated.
"So, it would seem," Urahara agreed.
Rukia awoke to clashing sounds. She was in the basement of Urahara's Shop. Urahara watched cautiously as Grimmjow and Ichigo fought.
"Is this all you got, Shinigami?" Grimmjow taunted as he kicked Ichigo into a rock formation.
A weary Ichigo got back to his feet and tried to create a new mask. "Just you wait," Ichigo said in an inhuman voice.
Grimmjow grinned and shot down toward the ground. Ichigo lifted his Bankai and blocked Grimjow's attack. There was an explosion of energy as neither budged from their attack. Ichigo's feet began to fall into the ground as Grimmjow continued to force down.
Finally, Ichigo cast Grimmjow off of him and used his sword to support his stance. Grimmjow phased next to Ichigo and punched him hard to the gut. Ichigo coughed and fell to the ground.
"Enough," Urahara ordered.
Grimmjow gave Urahara an annoyed look and then walked off. "Ichigo," Rukia gasped with concern.
"He'll be all right," Urahara assured her.
"Why is Grimmjow here?" Rukia asked alarmed.
"He is helping to train Ichigo," Urahara explained. "He will also help us get Orihime back," Urahara added.
"Orihime is gone? Where?" Rukia asked.
"Aizen has her. I must apologize. I did not suspect that Aizen would send such a great force to capture her," Urahara said.
Ichigo stumbled over to Rukia. "Are you okay?" he asked her.
"Am I okay? Look at you," Rukia replied.
"It's nothing," Ichigo said even as he still bled.
"You should take a break," Rukia suggested.
"I agree," Urahara said waving his fan.
Urahara walked towards Grimmjow. "You wanted to become stronger, didn't you?" he asked rhetorically.
"Yeah, it has been a disappointment, so far," Grimmjow replied.
Urahara smiled. "You will be fighting Rukia now," Urahara told him.
Grimmjow looked over at Rukia. "Don't make me laugh," Grimmjow scoffed.
"If you are so confident, you will surely be able to win then," Urahara said and then walked away.
Grimmjow walked towards Rukia. "You beating Luppi must have been a fluke. I won't be easy on you," Grimmjow promised.
Rukia took out her sword and held it in a defensive posture. Grimmjow suddenly sped towards her and attempted to attack her with one hand. Rukia blocked the attack with her sword but was dragged a few feet back.
Grimmjow loaded a cero blast in his right hand and threw it towards the ground blasting Rukia into the air. She fell a distance away as she crashed into rubble.
"Rukia!" Ichigo stood up alarmed.
Urahara stopped Ichigo with his cane, keeping him at bay. Grimmjow suddenly dived his hand toward Rukia and nearly hit her causing an explosion of rock. Rukia tumbled away just in time.
"This is getting boring," Grimmjow said as he flung cero blasts at a dodging Rukia.
"Attack her as if you would kill her," Urahara told Grimmjow.
"What? Are you insane?" Ichigo objected.
Grimmjow readied himself and then sped towards Rukia for a killer blow. Rukia attempted to block Grimmjow but was suddenly stabbed through her right lung. Grimmjow had broken through her rips and shoulder blade.
Rukia winced in pain and then coughed up blood. "Pathetic," Grimmjow considered.
Rukia saw her own blood flowing from her wound; it was pouring onto the ground. I have to live. I can't die.
Suddenly, Rukia's reiatsu spiked causing the air around her to whirl furiously around her. She grabbed ahold of Grimmjow's arm and pulled it out of her lung. Grimmjow gritted his teeth as he tried to move forward. Rukia finally pulled his hand out of her chest; her aura flowed around her wound preventing more blood flow.
Rukia's eyes turned purple and her hair fluctuated between black and velvet. Her wound stopped bleeding and began to heal. Grimmjow watched in wonder as her body repaired itself.
"Nice trick, but you're not scaring me," Grimmjow said as he readied his sword.
Rukia held out her sword and watched as it glowed a bright white. Ichigo and Urahara had to shield their eyes as the light hit them. Grimmjow backed away and stared as Rukia's reiatsu continued to increase exponentially.
The wind around all of them became deadly cold, but ice never formed due to the lack of moisture in the air. Grimmjow put his sword upfront and launched a cero beam at Rukia. The reddish beam screamed through the air and was blocked by Rukia's outstretched hand.
Grimmjow watched in awe as the intense beam of light suddenly lost heat and dissolved. Grimmjow cried out in disgust and rushed her with his right hand outstretched. As he got to Rukia, he attempted to punch her to the face. The air itself blocked the punch an inch before it could hit her.
Grimmjow took a step back and tried to kick her. The kick was also blocked by the wind. Rukia retaliated by slicing into Grimjow's skin several times with a chilling wind. Grimmjow recovered from his cuts and then put full force into punching her to the face.
The air picked up as it blocked Grimmjow's punch. Grimmjow cried out as he put all of his effort into the punch, but it could not move an inch forward. Rukia stared emotionless at Grimmjow and then quickly sliced his chest open with her blade.
Grimmjow hissed in pain and fell back. Rukia raised her blade and then shot a cero blast at Grimmjow; the beam was suddenly blocked by Urahara's cane creating a ditch between Rukia and Grimmjow.
An amazed Grimmjow simply stared at Rukia as he saw the trench before him. The beam could have caused severe damage if it didn't kill him outright. Rukia's eyes then went back to their normal blue and her white aura faded. She regained her senses and looked around alarmed.
"What happened?" she asked confused.
The Next Day
Urahara brought Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu down to the basement level. "We will see how Rukia fares against multiple opponents," Urahara considered.
"You want me to fight a girl?" Jinta asked disrespectfully.
"Think you can handle it?" Urahara questioned him.
"Oh, I will handle it all by myself," Jinta said confidently
Ichigo watched with curiosity as Jinta and Ururu took positions. "Don't get in my way," Jinta warned Ururu.
Rukia tried to keep track of the two as they took either side. Jinta was armed with a large baton that was about as big as he was. He swung it a few times like a baseball bat and then charged.
Rukia closed her eyes as if concentrating and then opened them; her eyes were now purple. "Keep control," Urahara reminded her.
Rukia felt an intense surge of power flow through her and a protective instinct that compelled her to destroy anything that threatened her. Time seemed to slow down and the threat of Jinta's baton seemed to be of little concern.
Jinta jumped and swung down his baton on Rukia's head. She raised her left hand and blocked the attack with ease and then sidestepped Ururu's kick. Rukia threw her arms out which hit both Jinta and Ururu to the gut. The two fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of them.
Jinta glared at Rukia and got back to his feet with his baton. Rukia moved to his side knocked him hard to the chest causing him to flip on his back. Ururu also went for another attack, but Rukia was able to dodge each punch.
As the two continued to attack, Rukia felt like each attack was slowing down. Avoiding them was almost too easy. She could fend them off in a relaxed state. Urahara motioned for Tessai to join the fight.
Rukia punched Jinta to the face knocking him away and then kicked Ururu to the ground. Tessai entered the fight but before he could even get a single punch, Rukia punched him hard to the gut with her own.
Tessai clutched his gut in pain and was suddenly punched to the jaw with an uppercut. "Interesting," Urahara observed as Rukia began thrashing Tessai.
"What is it?" Ichigo asked curiously.
"Her strength increases as her opponent's level increases. She is not showing her true strength," Urahara realized.
Urahara turned to face Ichigo. "Fight her," he told him.
"That's crazy," Ichigo protested.
"I want to try an experiment," Urahara insisted.
"Alright," Ichigo complied reluctantly.
Ichigo grasped his Bankai and sped toward Rukia as Jinta, Ururu, and Tessai disengaged. Rukia immediately detected his presence and blocked his strike with ease. The two stood their ground even with Rukia only using her Shikai.
Reddish black energy pulsed around Ichigo's Bankai as he struggled to contain her. Rukia gave an eerie smirk and then touched Ichigo's Bankai with her left hand. The sword immediately released its spiritual energy and morphed back into Ichigo's larger Shikai.
"What the?" Ichigo wondered.
Urahara watched fascinated as Ichigo struggled to fight Rukia with his less powerful Shikai. Ichigo back away and powered up the sword with his spiritual energy. The blade became energized with a light blue aura. He then swung the blade toward Rukia and attempted to fire at her.
Rukia waited calmly but the beam never came. Ichigo's sword refused to fire on Rukia. Rukia phased next to Ichigo and tried to slice at him. Ichigo dodged the attack and then swung down on her. Rukia raised her left hand and blocked the blade from hitting her.
Ichigo watched in amazement as his energized sword failed to cut into Rukia's hand. The sword began to softly scream as it attempted to cut. Rukia gave Ichigo a curious look as his sword refused to cut her.
"Interesting," Urahara muttered.
Rukia pushed Ichigo's sword off her hand. It was completely unharmed without even a scratch. "Stop," Urahara called out.
Rukia's eyes went back to blue and her Shikai became a normal sword once more. "What's wrong with my zanpakuto?" Ichigo asked annoyed.
"It appears it refuses to cut Rukia," Urahara observed.
"Why?" Rukia asked.
"It must be the unborn child's spiritual energy," Urahara guessed.
"Does that mean I can't cut Ichigo?" Rukia asked.
"I wouldn't put the theory to the test," Urahara replied.
"He has gone too far!" Captain Hitsugaya said displeased.
"Is it really that big of a deal? So what if he has an Arrancar with him?" Rangiku asked referring to Urahara.
"Our mission is to destroy all Arrancar," Hitsugaya recited.
Rangiku shrugged. "This is getting out of hand," Hitsugaya said in a stressful tone. The issue of Rukia had not been solved and the Arrancar attacks were happening with more powerful frequency.
The television screen suddenly became operational; a transmission was coming through. Hitsugaya and Rangiku both gave looks of wonder as Captain Ukitake's face appeared on the screen.
"Captain Ukitake? Where is the commander?" Hitsugaya asked worriedly.
"The commander is busy at the moment. Do you have information on Rukia's whereabouts?" he asked.
Hitsugaya couldn't hold out any longer. "She is being protected by Urahara Kisuke and the other Ryoka. She will not comply with my orders," Hitsugaya reported.
"That's unfortunate," Ukitake grimaced.
"The commander wants her taken into custody. Otherwise, he will replace your squad with another," Ukitake warned.
"Understood," Hitsugaya agreed.
"It will be better for her if you are the one to take her in," Ukitake said with a sad expression.
The television screen shut off leaving Hitsugaya and Rangiku to consider what to do. "Get the others," Hitsugaya ordered.
"I refuse!" Renji said loudly.
Hitsugaya gave him a peeved expression. "You have been to Urahara's Shop. You know the place well enough. I need you for this mission," Hitsugaya argued.
"I say I refuse!" Renji shouted just as loud.
"This is insubordination!" Hitsugaya accused.
"I am only answerable to one man," Renji crossed his arms.
Hitsugaya glared at Renji and turned to the others. "I have no interest in fighting Rukia, but I will gladly fight Ichigo," Ikaku said supportively.
Hitsugaya considered Ikaku's half allegiance annoying but better than nothing. Yumichika also nodded in agreement.
"We are outnumbered. This is not a fight to win," Hitsugaya began. "We take Rukia into custody and then we leave," Hitsugaya clarified.
Ikaku scoffed but didn't object. "Don't get in our way," Hitsugaya demanded of Renji.