SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 13 out, this is Chapter 14 of this fic. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.

Pairings: Ishida/Hasu, minor pairing Hitsugaya/Karin

Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny. Heck, even the pairings aren't mine.

Chapter 14: 10th Division's Death Struggle! The Release of Hyōrinmaru

"What happened?" Matsumoto asked over the earpiece upon hearing the cries of the guards. "Report."

"Damn it." Hitsugaya cursed. "I told them to wait. At any rate, let's go after them. Are you okay?" he hurried over to the beaten Shinigami after his group turned the corner. "I'll call for the Relief Squad soon. It's going to be okay. The enemy is still nearby." he reminded. "We're going after him. This fighting style; he appears to be the Bount that Kira went up against in the real world. He's powerful. Be careful."

"Captain Hitsugaya, Rangiku." Renji had also arrived on the scene.

"My, everyone's gathered together." Kurōdo popped up from Renji's shoulder.

"Abarai, what are you here?" Hitsugaya asked.

"I was following the Bount's Reiatsu." Renji replied.

"I see." Matsumoto realized. "So you're here."

"I am." Kurōdo nodded. "That's my job."

"What's the meaning of this?" Hitsugaya looked at his Lieutenant.

"You didn't know this, do you Captain?" Matsumoto noted. "This is the Mod Soul equipped with a Bount sensor that Ichigo used in the real world."

"A Mod Soul?" Hitsugaya echoed. "Why is it inside something like that? Kurosaki Ichigo was using this to search for the Bount?"

"Yeah." Matsumoto nodded. "It's a lot more useful than it looks."

"How rude!" Kurōdo snapped.

"I see." Hitsugaya noted. "Abarai, I'm sorry but could you lend that to me for a while?"

"I don't mind lending him to you, but what should I do?" Renji asked.

"I'm sorry, but I want you to take care of the injured." Hitsugaya instructed.

"I don't get to fight again?" Renji relented, plucking Kurōdo off his shoulder and handing the Mod Soul to Matsumoto.

"This is the right way, isn't it?" Hitsugaya asked Kurōdo, both ranking officers of Squad 10 Shunpo-ed onto a roof.

"Yes." Kurōdo confirmed. "There's no mistaking it."

"We'll surround him." Hitsugaya decided. "I don't know how well they've done their research on Soul Society, but at the very least we know more about the layout here."

"Understood." Matsumoto nodded and summoned a swarm of Hell Monarch Butterflies. "Calling all sections of 10th Squad, the Bount we are after is currently to the north of District 2. He's headed south. Sections 1 and 2 are to go around him and attack him from the east. Sections 3 and 4 are to cut ahead of him and block his path. All other sections are to hurry to the target area. Everyone, initiate the capture procedures."

"Oh my." Kurōdo exclaimed suddenly. "His Reiatsu has... it suddenly became rather weak."

"Which direction was he?" Hitsugaya pressed.

"That way." Kurōdo pointed.

"That's east towards the 7th District, isn't it?" Matsumoto realized.

"It's not like his Reiatsu vanished, right?" Hitsugaya inquired.

"Right." Kurōdo nodded. "It just became weak and is currently moving."

"Maybe he's..." Hitsugaya mused.

"How is it?" Hitsugaya asked, renewing his capture strategy once they realized Koga had entered the sewage system.

"It seems that they can feel his aura in the underpass." Matsumoto reported

"Once he notices, he should come back to the surface." Hitsugaya surmised. "It would be nice if we could capture him in the underpass, but...

"Sections that are part of the capture plan, go give back up support in the underpass." Matsumoto relayed the order. Spread out away from her and wait for support." she instructed after a group relayed that Dalk had appeared in front of them.

"His Reiatsu has vanished again." Kurōdo informed Hitsugaya after he and Matsumoto neared the reported location. "It seems that the battle is over, but we were the ones who go beaten down."

"No matter what, don't overdo it." Hitsugaya warned. "If any of the sections meet with our target, then have them break off. Tell them that they are to wait for backup."

"It's out!" Kurōdo shouted. "I've caught a hold of a Bount's Reiatsu."

"Which way?" Matsumoto asked.

"It's that way." Kurōdo pointed. "So it should be right around 4th Street in the Southern District."

"Captain, the Hell Monarch Butterfly..." Matsumoto gasped when one of Dalk's iron balls destroyed the black butterfly hovering over her.

"It seems that he realized how we were communicating." Kurōdo noted.

"All communications with the other sections have been cut off." Matsumoto informed.

"This is terrible." Kurōdo gawked as the trio arrived to the area Koga was last seen.

"Take care of them." Hitsugaya instructed, realizing that the group was relatively unharmed. "Mod Soul, which way is his Reiatsu?"

"He's going straight ahead." Kurōdo replied.

"Matsumoto, I leave the rest to you." Hitsugaya informed his Lieutenant, deciding to resolve this on his own.

"Are you a Captain?" Koga asked, when Hitsugaya Shunpo-ed in front of him.

"Yeah." Hitsugaya turned to his opponent. "You really messed them up."

"I held back." Koga stated. "I hate raising my fist against the young."

"I'll thank you for that much." Hitsugaya responded. "But I won't hold back."

"It can't be helped." Koga agreed. "Zeige Dich, Dalk."

"My, you're so forward." Dalk teased, blocking each of Hitsugaya's sword strikes. "Oh no." she pouted, jumping into the air. "I've already been injured."

Hitsugaya wasted no time in following her and cutting off a limb with his Zanpakutō. Tossing his curved blade chain around Dalk's neck, he tugged at the chain, Dalk retaliating by firing off three iron balls from the lower part of her body. Jumping to dodge the balls, Hitsugaya then sliced off Dalk's head.

"You're pretty good." Dalk praised, floating in the air with the rest of her body. "But you can't do that." she turned her body into smaller pieces of iron balls and connected the balls with rods, forming an iron net. "Naughty children need to be caught and punished."

"Sōten ni zase, Hyōrinmaru." Hitsugaya activated his Shikai.

"Here I go!" Dalk charged at her opponent. "I've got you." she captured Hitsugaya in an iron sphere. "What is this?" she wailed when her body started freezing over. "So cold." she let out a scream in pain when an ice dragon shot out from the iron ball.

"Dalk, pull back for now." Koga told his Doll. "It's difficult for you to use you separation technique in conditions like these."

"I'm fine." Dalk reassembled herself. "I can still fight. I'll come up with something."

"Prepare yourself." Hitsugaya took the opening to attack Koga, only to side-step an attack from Dalk. Koga took the opportunity to kick the white-haired Captain away.

"Don't ignore me, boy." Dalk renewed her attack, Hitsugaya rolling off the roof to avoid getting hit.

"Dalk, withdraw." Koga insisted, Hitsugaya using an ice dragon to carry him into the air.

"I'm okay." Dalk assured. "I said that I could handle him on my own. As if my hot heart could lose against this lump of ice." she scowled, Hitsugaya releasing the ice dragon and jumped to meet the elemental dragon head-on, only for her completely frozen body to scatter into pieces once it crashed onto the ground. "I'm sorry." she apologized. "I lost."

"No, you fought well." Koga replied, picking up the frozen face.

"This is different form the reports." Hitsugaya noted, seeing Dalk's face shatter into smaller pieces. "I'd heard that if a Bount loses its Doll, then the Bount will also disappear."

"There are various roles for the members of my clan." Koga stated. "My role was to polish the youth into responsible adults. There are those who I raised and some that I didn't. I just remembered that distant past. Why haven't I been defeated yet? The answer to that is because Dalk isn't dead yet." raising his hand, he reformed Dalk into an ax. "This is her core. She is alive within this steel. That's a Gotei 13 Captain for you. It seems that I won't be able to move on if I don't use my full strength. There is something that I must do no matter what. If you insist on getting in my way, then you must be eliminated." he flared up his Reiatsu.

"This Reiatsu..." Hitsugaya breathed at the out-surge of Koga's power. "It seems that the true fight starts now. If that's the case, them I'm going to go all out. Bankai: Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"

"That's what I'll expect of from one of the Gotei 13 Captains." Koga noted. "But I can't lose yet." he charged at Hitsugaya, ax drawn, the smaller Captain meeting him midway.

Taking to the air, Hitsugaya sent several ice dragons at Koga, the larger man dodging each of the ice constructs.

Koga then used Dalk's ax form to hack off an ice pillar, causing it to collapse on another like dominoes. Using the fallen over ice pillars as leverage, he met the incoming Hitsugaya in the air.

Hitsugaya countered by firing another ice dragon at Koga, the said elemental construct sending Koga crashing to the ground and continued dragging the large man across the floor. "Do you still plan on fighting?" he asked, landing on the ground to face his opponent.

"I must go after Kariya." Koga replied. "I will finish this fight before I crumble." he promised when charged in for one final attack, Hitsugaya merely ending the battle with a single strike to Koga's stomach. "So this is as far as I go?" he sighed in resignation when the ax shattered. "I have lost."

"You were going after Kariya." Hitsugaya repeated. "What were you going to do?"

"There was nothing I could do." Koga admitted. "In any case, that is a problem between me and Kariya. Us Bounts were too impatient; if only we could've waited for Tula-dono's return..." he muttered, falling on his back as the chucks of ice from Hitsugaya's attacks came down on him.

Omake: Kon-sama's Ultimate Shinigami Illustrated Guide

Outside the walls of Seireitei...

Kon: I haven't had much airtime lately. (Stands outside the wall of Seireitei, looking serious) So I've come back, after all. (Imaginary image of him leaving the tea house) Forgive me. At times like this, I can't just sit back and serve tea in a tea-house. I will never forget those times we spent together.

A strong gust of wind blows a 'Kon-san on stage' signboard across the screen, hitting Kon on the head.

SailorStar9: In the next chapter, Hitsugaya orders his subordinates to give Koga a proper burial, and eighth division lieutenant Nanao informs Yamamoto of the Jōkaishō. The following day, Ran'Tao confronts Kariya before he could attack the defenseless Tula. Ishida realizes that Ran'Tao is fighting Kariya, and heads towards her location as Ran'Tao is hit by one of Kariya's attacks. Now that's done, read and review.