Chapter 29 – Scapegoat (Oblatio)

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

"Normal speech"

'Inner speech/thoughts'

'Inner spirit speech'

'Inner hollow/Zanpakuto speech'

Story so far:

During the night of the first hollow attack, Ichigo was unable to save his sisters or his own self and was sent via Rukia's Zanpakuto to Soul Society. There, he awoke to a harsh, unforgiving world, where he had to undergo many hardships. Wandering Rukongai, undoing immoral deeds of rotten residents, he created a name for himself as well as a promise to turn the afterlife into a better world. Once he met Rukia again, he departed to Seireitei and entered the Shin'ō Academy to train in order to become a true Shinigami. While doing so, his activities as well as natural habit of getting into troubling situations caught the attention of several individuals. After revealing the wrongdoings and state of affairs in Rukongai, in which many Shinigami of Gotei 13 were involved, his own deeds, the killing of evildoers, came into light. Incarcerated, he was set free because of Aizen Sōsuke, who offered him a chance to join him in his quest to change the world. Having refused, Ichigo got himself involved in more dangerous situations and conspiracies, during which he slowly came to a realization of his own, fast-growing and disturbing powers, while also slowly learning tidbits about the world around him. Under the weight of everything around him, of his inability to keep his own powers and emotions in check and his inability to save those around him, Ichigo cracked and unleashed the hollow part within him on his own father during a heated spar. Unable to save him, Isshin could only watch Ichigo turn further into a beast and flee to Hueco Mundo, a world which Aizen Sōsuke now occupied. There, Ichigo, as a hollow-like beast, wandered through the vast sands in a subconscious quest to understand himself. However, he is too valuable to be simply left alone and so Gotei 13 prepares its two Captain-level combatants to force their way to Hueco Mundo and take him back. At the same time, not everyone is so keen on trusting Ichigo, now that he was revealed to be partly a hollow…

xxx

Earlier in Karakura Town

Looking at the firearm in Yoruichi's hand left Sui-Fēng with a bad taste in her mouth. With a scowl, she looked away and pointed her eyes at the man who had handed them the item.

"So, this is what will turn Kurosaki back, Urahara Kisuke? Do we just shoot him till he drops?" She asked roughly.

For a moment, Urahara met her eyes and turned serious. Then he broke the eye contact. In one swift motion, he reached for the table next to him and grabbed a small vial full of thick, dark substance. Wordlessly, he pushed it in Yoruichi's free hand.

"No. This firearm is actually a tranquillizer pistol. It should help you subdue young Kurosaki faster, though you still need to tire him out first for the tranquillizer to take effect. To actually turn him, I have prepared something else." The scientist explained and threw a fleeting gaze at a dimly lit door on his far right. Raising an eyebrow, Sui-Fēng took a step towards it but Urahara quickly stepped in front of her.

"I'd… rather have young Kurosaki here first."

Sui-Fēng stopped walking and glared at him with contempt, not even bothering to hide the hate she felt towards him. A soft hand touched her shoulder.

"I don't think we have time for this, Sui-Fēng."

With one of her eyes twitching, Sui- Fēng looked away and pointed her stare at the firearm, still in Yoruichi's hand. Her mouth formed a thin line.

"Will this work? Hollows have very high resistance against any form of sedatives. Not to mention they have to penetrate their naturally thick skin."

Urahara shook his head.

"I took that into account. You should have no problem getting the drug into his system. However, like I said, it won't work if you don't tire him out first. See, the more reiryoku Kurosaki-san spends, the better and faster the effect gets. Though I feel I should warn you it will not last for long. Once he's down, you need to bring him to me as fast as you can."

"I see…"

Sui-Fēng muttered and turned away only to take a few steps towards the underground area from where they were going to cross the Garganta.

"…I still get to beat the shit out of him. Good."

With wide eyes, Urahara glanced at Yoruichi, who just shrugged.

"For some reason, she's incredibly pissed at the kid." She explained in a quiet voice, causing Urahara to snort humorlessly.

"Well, just make sure she doesn't overdo it."

Yoruichi formed a small smile and nodded to him. Then she started walking after Sui-Fēng, only to hear Urahara's voice once more.

"Yoruichi. Hueco Mundo is now Aizen's territory. He'll know you are there so be quick and... be careful."

For just a second, Yoruichi stopped walking and looked over her shoulder, to give Urahara an amused smirk.

"Who do you think you are talking to?"

…

Currently

Trained in ways of assassination and stealth, the female duo moved through the never-ending sands of Hueco Mundo unnoticed and with their reiatsu kept as low as possible. Thanks to an additional device from Urahara, they already knew where Ichigo was and so it took them only a short while before they finally spotted him. The sight of the hollowfied teen sitting calmly was surprising but not as much as the location he had chosen to do so.

"Wait a minute. These are..." Sui-Fēng hissed and glanced at her companion.

"…Negal ruins." Yoruichi whispered and her mind raced through myriad of thoughts before she sharply shook her head. They had no time to dwell on things not yet important. The time window before they were detected was short so they needed to act fast. Giving the creature known as Ichigo a careful but brief look, she raised her hand and took aim.

"He looks so peaceful…" She muttered and then took the shot. Surprisingly, the firearm barely made a sound but it was compensated with the abundance of recoil. Yoruichi just shook her hand and quickly put the weapon away. Then she glanced at Sui-Fēng and nodded to her.

"Go."

Like bullets, the two of them reached hollowfied Ichigo before he even noticed something was wrong. Two powerful kicks right to the back of his head sent him flying.

"Sorry Ichigo. Kisuke said we don't have much time so this is going to hurt." Yoruichi said brazenly, only to feel goosebumps once she met the hollow's eyes. The creature seemed barely shaken. Furthermore, it even looked ecstatic; if the terrifying grin visible from beneath its mask was any indication. In that moment, a heavy, bestial reiatsu pressed on Yoruichi's shoulder with enough power to make her eyes go wide.

"You lying bastard!"

Sui-Fēng's yell shook her out of the stupor and Yoruichi watched as the hollow used its hands to shield itself from the petite Captain's nasty kick.

Giving the hollowfied teen one last piercing gaze, she blinked her thoughts away and joined Sui-Fēng in her efforts. With a cat-like grace, she vaulted over the hollow and sent her foot forward in an attempt to kick the creature in the back of its head. To her surprise, the hollow reacted fast enough for her to miss the head and, instead, hit its shoulder. When the attack connected, Yoruichi flinched and, placing her other foot on the creature's other shoulder, backed away. Sui-Fēng landed next to her with a questioning gaze.

"His Hierro is stronger than I anticipated. I think I felt my bones creaking. You okay?"

Sui-Fēng didn't respond. Instead, she just clenched her jaw and charged the hollow once again. Staring after her, Yoruichi narrowed her eyes and quickly coated most of her legs with a thick layer of spiritual energy. After Sui-Fēng's kick to the hollow's collarbone made the creature stagger, she kicked the sand and mirrored the attack, though she did it from behind. Once it landed, a loud cracking noise came from the hollow's body.

"Gragh!"

"Whoa!" In the wake of hollow's howl, Yoruichi was forced to quickly flash away in order to evade the creature's fast-moving fist. Even then, she still received a shallow cut on the outer side of her calf. The cut stung but fortunately did not restrict her movements in any way. Putting the thought of the injury behind her, she prepared to renew her efforts when Sui-Fēng flashed past her and delivered a drop kick with enough force to blast the hollow into one of the nearby ruined structures. The Captain of the 2nd Division then ricocheted back and, while in mid-air, opened her mouth.

"Bakudō #30. Shitotsu Sansen."

A bright yellow energy formed next to her opened palm. Using it like a brush, she drew an inverted triangle. Three bursts of energy shot from its vertices straight at the hollow before the creature recovered from the previous kick and rammed into the hollow, pinning it into the wall behind it in a blink of an eye. A muffled growl escaped from beneath the creature's mask. As a follow up to the binding spell, the female duo charged the hollow and, together, they smashed their elbows into the creature's abdomen.

"Gah!"

The double attack knocked the wind from the creature's lungs. For a second, its head fell low and it appeared the hollow was close to fainting. During that second, both Yoruichi and Sui-Fēng rubbed their elbows. Despite coating them in spiritual energy, both Yoruichi and Sui-Fēng felt their joints screaming in protest.

But then the hollow raised its head and pierced both of them with a heated glare. Before they could react, the creature expelled a large quantity of reiryoku that completely demolished the wall behind it as well as the Kidō that was restricting its movements.

"Well, I guess we finally pissed him off. The drug should start wor-" Yoruichi didn't even finish her sentence when a loud buzzing noise filled the area and she came face to face with the irate hollow.

'So fast!'

Barely reacting in time, she noticed a bright red energy forming around the creature's fist and immediately bent her body in order to evade the inevitable attack but the energy quickly expanded into a wide blast that made her eyes go wide. In the last moment, Sui-Fēng appeared above the hollow and kicked its arm hard enough for it to miss the intended target. Despite that, the edges of the blast licked Yoruichi's side and sent her spiraling away.

"Yoruichi-sama!"

The cost of the careless shout came immediately when the hollow's other hand grabbed Sui-Fēng by her leg and then brutally smashed her body into the ground several times before it decided to throw it away. It was only after she crashed through several boulders and sand dunes that the Captain's body came to a stop.

Watching it as she slowly got up, Yoruichi gritted her teeth and tenderly placed a hand on her burned side. It was only through pure luck that her flesh and muscles survived fairly intact. The look on her face as she stared at the hollowfied Ichigo took a rapid change and there was no longer any hint of underestimation in her eyes.

"Alright Ichigo, seems like we have to take it up a notch."

She pushed the pain into the back of her mind and, when the creature moved towards the place where Sui-Fēng landed, she acted. Vaulting over the hollow, she aimed one of her fingers at it and released a bit of her reiryoku.

"Hadō #4. Byakurai."

A concentrated bolt of lightning sank into the hollows shoulder and came out through its back, briefly halting its movement and causing it to stagger. However, once Yoruichi landed, it quickly slashed at her with one of its blades and a wave of energy flew straight at her.

'Uh-oh, I know that technique!' She mentally exclaimed and, as fast as she could, she ducked. The crescent wave of reiryoku missed her by a hair's breadth. Once it passed her, a yell followed with a release of powerful energy came from a short distance away.

"Shunkō!"

Battered and bruised, Sui-Fēng appeared to be levitating above the ground with a constantly spinning translucent energy surrounding her backside and her arms. With a force of a small gale, the swirling energy caused the sands of Hueco Mundo to dance in a celebration of a brooding menace.

"I really didn't want to use this." She stated and slowly aimed her right fist at the creature.

Yoruichi swallowed her surprise and quickly called out to the Captain.

"Wait! Shunkō is dangerous if not mastered!"

Sui-Fēng blinked but then formed a confident smirk.

"Don't worry. I need only one hit."

Then she shot forward. Within a second, she crashed into the hollow and a large wave of spiritual energy burst in every direction like a tsunami, drawing incredible amount of sand into its volume and creating a long and wide crater with the hollow in the center of it all.

Forced to back away, Yoruichi shielded her eyes and tried to stay calm. She had a very bad feeling in her gut. Something about the hollow's spiritual energy was wrong. True to her thoughts, a column of dark reiryoku shot from where the hollow stood and blasted Sui-Fēng away like a pebble. Without missing a beat, Yoruichi leaped in the air and caught the Captain in mid-air.

She was alive and conscious, but covered in burns.

"Damn it, bee."

Sui-Fēng formed a pained grin.

"That should have done it... I don't understand."

Feeling the hollow approaching, Yoruichi quickly looked up and felt her body stiffening up. The creature looked a bit different from before, though she wasn't completely sure she wasn't just imagining things. Immediately, she gently put Sui-Fēng down and readied herself for the continuation of the battle.

However, when the hollow crossed half of the distance between them, the energy surrounding him vanished and his body came to a sudden stop. As if something sucked the life out of it, the creature toppled over and fell into the sand dune with a thud.

Yoruichi felt a relief wash over her. For some reason, she didn't want to fight Ichigo for any longer. She still didn't show all of her triumph cards and so she was confident in her own strength. But there was a feeling in her gut, her feline sixth sense, telling her that further hollowfication would turn Ichigo into something she didn't really want to deal with.

"This boy is way too powerful for his own good." Sui-Fēng muttered as she slowly got up to her feet. It seemed that the numerous wounds covering her whole body weren't as serious as they first appeared to be. Still, the steps she took when she moved towards the unconscious hollow suggested her condition wasn't very good either.

Silently, Yoruichi only agreed with her. It had been only few months since Ichigo landed in Soul Society yet his spiritual energy was already on a level comparable to a Captain.

The two of them approached the hollow carefully but it looked like it was truly knocked out. There was no sign of reiatsu activity and the creature's breathing was even. Crouching down, Yoruichi grabbed the hollow by its shoulder and picked it up. They had wasted too much time and released too much reiatsu for them to be able to relax. It was time to open the Garganta and leave the hollow world behind them.

"Bankai: Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi."

Before either of them could react, both Yoruichi and Sui-Fēng found themselves surrounded by darkness that immediately robbed them of all of their senses. Despite standing next to each other, neither knew where the other was. It was like standing in a void, where all you could do was breathe.

"Captain of the 2nd Division, Sui-Fēng and Yoruichi Shihōin. It is a pleasure to meet you again."

While she still couldn't hear even the beating of her own heart, the voice of a traitor still entered her ears and caused Yoruichi to grimace. They had been too slow.

"Aizen." She growled, though she wasn't sure the man could hear her.

"Ah, seems like the pleasure is only on my side. Well, you can't fault me for that, Yoruichi Shihōin, Captain Sui-Fēng. It is not every day that my enemies come to my domain on their own. I was hoping to catch an infant, yet I found two kids along with it."

Her mind racing, Yoruichi tried to release her spiritual energy and overcome the effects of the unfamiliar ability that turned her into a vulnerable target but quickly discovered it was for a naught. Whatever the ability was, it seemed to be impervious to such simple tactics. She also had no time or means to devise any other plan. Moreover, she heard Aizen's voice yet his spiritual footprint was out of her reach. It was almost like he only existed in form of a voice. She couldn't even feel Sui-Fēng, though she was fairly sure she was somewhere next to her. With that in mind, she reached out with her hands but found nothing but more darkness.

The situation turned dire fast.

"It is pointless to struggle. You must have known the risks of coming here. So, I'll play the good guy and tell you that you can survive and escape from this place. But only one of you."

Yoruichi clenched her jaw and tried to think of something, anything. Yet nothing came to her mind. If she let go of Ichigo, there was a chance she would lose him in the darkness. If she tried to fight, there was a chance she might accidentally hit Sui-Fēng.

"Ah, yes, I expected you to say that, Captain Sui-Fēng. Now, Yoruichi Shihōin, what is your answer?"

Surprised, Yoruichi took one last look around but realized she had been truly defeated. Even if she didn't hear Sui-Fēng's answer, she knew what it was. But she couldn't agree with it. In this war, she wasn't nearly as important as Ichigo. So, she briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Let Sui-Fēng take Ichigo and I'll go with you."

She heard a chuckle.

"You are in no position to bargain, Yoruichi Shihōin, but… as a sign of good will, I accept. Right now, I'm more interested in you than Kurosaki Ichigo."

The darkness vanished and Yoruichi could feel her senses returning. Aizen's words startled her but she quickly pushed the thought away. Moving her eyes, she found Sui-Fēng standing in a short distance away. Aizen or the rest of his men were nowhere to be found but now that her senses were working, she could feel several powerful signatures all around them.

"Yoruichi-sama…"

Yoruichi sighed and carefully put hollowfied Ichigo down. Then she took a step away from him and gave Sui-Fēng an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, my bee."

…

The Garganta closed after her with an unpleasant sound that made her hair stand up. With the hollow hanging from her shoulder, Sui-Fēng took a step towards Urahara and quickly handed him the creature. She said nothing and the scientist didn't ask. There was no need for words. The look in Sui-Fēng's eyes told Urahara everything he needed to know and the man's expression wavered. Wordlessly, he took the hollow and followed after the Captain upstairs, back to his shop. Once they stood in front of the dimly lit door, Sui-Fēng finally spoke.

"How long till he turns back?"

Instead of answering right away, Urahara opened the door and motioned her to go inside. Only once she was in the room and after he put hollowfied Ichigo down on a bed, Urahara turned to her with a serious gaze.

"Hard to say. Depends on how far he managed to hollowify. From the looks of it, I'd say a few days at the very least."

Sui-Fēng nodded and prepared to leave, when her eyes, finally accustomed to the lack of light, found something that made her grimace in disgust.

"Urahara… you…"

Urahara noticed where she was looking but turned away and started to turn on several of his machines.

"Kurosaki-san is a special case, a scientific impossibility. Even I can't just produce miracles so I did the most obvious thing I could do. To restore the balance in his soul and turn him back, there isn't a better way than to use his original human body." He explained and turned a single lamp in the room on. Its light hit the very thing that caused the disgust to appear on Sui-Fēng's face.

There, on the bed right next to hollowfied Ichigo lay another Ichigo looking just like he did before the night when he had died. It was his human body that had been supposed to be buried in a grave.

"Of course, after so long, his human body would have decomposed so I had no other choice than to take his body right after his death and turn it into one of my special Gigai. Isshin-san doesn't know and I would very much appreciate if you didn't tell him. It would just needlessly unsettle him."

Turned away from Sui-Fēng, Urahara did not notice the stare she was giving him. It was different from those full of hate she had used to give him. This one was unreadable. Full of emotions even Sui-Fēng didn't know she possessed. Although, it was true that even if he did notice, he wouldn't have cared. Urahara knew his actions seemed not normal in the eyes of others.

However, he did it for the sake of Soul Society.

That had been and still was, the mantra he repeatedly told himself whenever a situation like this occurred. Whenever he had to lie to himself in order to feel good about his actions.

He plugged in the last cable and the machines started to hum with joy, the one emotion that was missing in either of them.

…

"I feel like shit."

That was the first thing Ichigo muttered after he opened his eyes and realized he was no longer caught in a nightmare. He did not remember anything from it but the emotions of terror and anger whispered to him many things he did not want to know. His bones creaked and his muscles were sore but it was nothing compared to the headache pulsing in his head like a timer of a bomb soon to explode.

"That's not surprising."

Not expecting anyone commenting on his words, Ichigo twitched in surprise and moved his head to the side. There, watching him from a small distance, stood the one man he didn't want to see. Ichigo narrowed his eyes but felt no energy he could spare to get truly angry. He sighed.

"I should have known I'd end up here."

"Yes."

Ichigo looked away from the man and looked at the ceiling of the room.

"How long have I been out?"

The answer came after several seconds of thick silence.

"Depends on what you mean, Kurosaki-san. You turned into hollow a while ago but it's been just a day since you ended up here."

Ichigo wrinkled his eyebrows and then glanced at the man once again.

"What?"

Giving him a somber stare, Urahara leaned away from the room and then came inside with a teacup full of steaming tea. He offered it to the teen.

"You turned during a spar with your father and then, before anyone could stop you, you escaped into Hueco Mundo."

It was in that moment that Ichigo realized the gravity of the situation. His brain wasn't yet working on full capacity but it was catching up quickly. Just hearing the name of the hollow world caused his heartbeat to increase and his mind to blanch out. Moaning from the soreness, he slowly sat and accepted the tea.

"How much trouble am I in?"

While the teen took a sip of the hot beverage, Urahara walked back to the door and leaned into its frame.

"Gotei devised a mission to bring you back from Hueco Mundo. They sent two people after you." The scientist continued like he didn't hear the question, making Ichigo bite the edge of the teacup. He didn't like where the man was going with it.

"While they managed to extract you from Hueco Mundo, there was a price to pay. I'm sure you recall that Aizen has taken residence in the hollow world."

Ichigo swallowed a small portion of the tea and placed the teacup on the nearby table. His hands shook a little but he steeled himself for the inevitable. He looked Urahara straight in the eyes.

"Tell me."

There was no amusement in the man's expression.

"Captain Sui-Fēng suffered minor injuries but she will be fine."

Ichigo stayed silent. For some reason, he felt like the man enjoyed torturing him with the brief moments of silence.

"In exchange for Captain Sui-Fēng being able to leave Hueco Mundo with your unconscious body, Yoruichi was forced to surrender and remain there."

Ichigo felt his throat getting dry and quickly grabbed the teacup to take another sip. He hit his teeth with it but ignored the pain. Instead, he focused on the taste of the tea and just how interesting the floor of the room was. He didn't care that the tea was way too hot to drink normally and gulped it down like it was cold water. Immediately, beads of sweat formed on his brow but also on his chest and his backside. His throat hurt but the refused to stop drinking.

The pain felt way too nice.

"I'm actually surprised you are up. I expected the process of turning you back would take at least a few days but, once again, you exceed the expectations."

That comment felt way too funny and Ichigo couldn't help but laugh humorlessly. After he put the teacup back on the table, he lowered his head and placed both his hands on top of it, pushing it down hard like he wanted to snap it off.

"Fuck you, Urahara Kisuke. Thank you, but also fuck you."

From the following silence, Ichigo wasn't sure if he managed to insult the man. He could have tried again, with another insult, but that would mean talking and Ichigo didn't feel like doing that. He just further leaned forward until his elbows rested on the top of his knees and then tried to swallow the guilt that spread within him like a drug, desensitizing his emotions and numbing his senses.

"Once you stop feeling sorry for yourself, I'd suggest a long walk through the town. It's night so the streets should be empty. You have some time to kill before you have to return to Soul Society."

Ichigo flinched but didn't respond to the man's words. What could he say? Apologize? Yell? Try to insult him? Anything he'd do wouldn't be right. He couldn't do anything. Therefore, he just stayed in his position until the sound of Urahara's footsteps lessened into pregnant silence. He rocked his body back and forth and felt sorry for himself until he couldn't take it anymore.

Then he stood up and ran.

Out of the shop.

Away from his guilt.

Nobody tried to stop him. So, he ran. He ran until his stamina started to wane and until the cold air of the night finally pierced his misery. He didn't even know what season it was, whether it was fall or winter, but the night was chilly enough for his breath to take shape in form of a steam pouring out of his mouth.

Without him realizing it, he ran all the way from Urahara's shop to the house that had used to be his home. Back then when he had been alive and back then when he still had most of his family. He glanced up, where his room had used to be.

Darkness.

The only light shining down his path was the moonlight, mocking him with its silver lining. Breathing hard, he began walking. Minute by minute, he spent his time just walking and ignoring everything around him. The town truly was empty. There was no human, no soul and not even a hollow anywhere near him. As far as his senses reached, there was just emptiness.

His steps came to a halt when he reached another place he had used to know. Houses of the friends from his past life, Orihime Inoue and Tatsuki Arisawa. There was no light coming from the windows.

Just darkness.

He felt like shit and there was nothing he could do to change that. Just like Urahara said, he felt sorry for himself and he couldn't stop doing it. It was just so easy, to pretend that he was the victim, the martyr of choices that had been done in his stead, far back in the past unknown to him.

Despite not recalling eating anything in the past few days, he felt the contents of his stomach rising in his throat and he bent over.

He barfed.

He hoped he could barf all of the emotions.

Then, like a bright light of hope, he felt a reiatsu signature. It was foreign but also familiar. It took him several seconds to realize he had felt it once before.

"When I was here on mission with Rukia…" He whispered and used a nearby leaf to wipe his mouth. Spitting on the ground, he looked in the direction from where the reiatsu was coming from and clenched his fists.

He had to do something, else he would go crazy.

…

There was another person who felt the same.

Standing in front of the other Captains, Sui-Fēng just finished her report and waited for the Commander's reaction just as the others began to whisper to each other. However, one simple knock of a cane was enough to stop their voices.

"The loss of Yoruichi Shihōin is most unfortunate but I'm afraid her fate is out of our reach. If Aizen Sōsuke truly controls entrance to Hueco Mundo, we cannot send anyone to rescue her. Captain Kurotsuchi?" Yamamoto stated and turned his face away from Sui-Fēng, who looked like an incredibly bitter taste spread within her mouth. She took a breath and opened her mouth but no voice came out. For a second, she gaped like a fish on a dry land, then she lowered her head and forced the words back into her mind. Her hands, now forming fists, shook.

Behind her, a Captain with painted face stepped up from the row of his colleagues and aimed his bored eyes at the Commander.

"It is possible. As of this moment, I detect several abnormalities within the layer of Garganta space surrounding Hueco Mundo but, due to obvious reasons, I am unable to confirm or deny their purpose. However, since Aizen Sōsuke most likely planned his betrayal decades in advance, it is not unthinkable that he managed to construct a device with such function and put it in effect once Captain Sui- Fēng returned."

Yamamoto opened his eyes a little and stared at the scientist through a tiny slit between the eyelids.

"Any countermeasure?"

"Currently? None. As per your orders after Aizen Sōsuke's treachery, I began researching a method of creating a stable Garganta gate and was fairly close to establishing a prototype but, due to these abnormalities, I am forced to start from a scratch."

Not looking very satisfied, Yamamoto nodded and the Captain of the 12th Division got back into line. Then the Commander turned his attention back to the one Captain still standing in front of him. For a moment, he said nothing. He just continued staring at her, until she finally raised her head and returned the gaze.

"Was there any message from Urahara Kisuke?"

At the mention of the man's name, Sui-Fēng's face twisted into a grimace.

"He says Kurosaki's condition is improving slowly but steadily."

"I see." Yamamoto said and narrowed his squinted eyes. Then he raised an eyebrow when he noticed one of his Captains trying to hint towards something. He sighed.

"About Kurosaki Ichigo himself… I will decide his fate once I see him. He cannot go unpunished but, at the same time, incarcerating him would make his rescue pointless. That is all. Dismissed."

Once he said the final word, most of the Captain began to leave quickly. However, two of them seemed to move a lot slower than the rest.

Sui-Fēng was so deep in thoughts, she didn't notice there was somebody waiting for her at the large doors. Only once she came close and realized she couldn't move any further, she blinked and returned to the real world.

"Captain Sui-Fēng… can I have a moment?"

Once she became aware of the person's identity, Sui-Fēng clenched her jaw and stopped walking. She gave the man a hard gaze and waited. The man quickly understood and nodded to her, thankful.

"I know it may account to nothing, coming from me, but I want to apologize."

The left corner of Sui-Fēng's mouth twitched and she curled her lips.

"For your incompetence, or your son's stupidity, Shiba?"

The man, Isshin, briefly closed his eyes, accepting the insult as gracefully as he could and then nodded.

"Both."

Sui-Fēng gave him a dirty look but kept herself from sneering.

"Go to hell, Shiba. Just make sure Yoruichi-sama's sacrifice won't go in vain." She barked and quickly left, leaving him to stare after her with a dejected expression.

…

When she finally reached the outside of the building, Sui-Fēng took a deep breath of fresh air and placed both her hands on the railing. Bending down, she exhaled and tightened her grip until she felt the steel beneath her fingers getting soft.

'DAMN IT!'

She wanted to yell. She truly did. But she was a Captain, THE Captain of the 2nd Division as well as the leader of an assassination squad. Emotions were something she wasn't supposed to show. So, she just squeezed the life out of the railing until her fingers left their marks. Then she put her forehead against the cold steel of the railing and closed her eyes.

'Yoruichi-sama… did I do the right thing? Was it worth it? Can I truly believe your words? Can I believe in Kurosaki Ichigo? That he is the key to this struggle?'

There was a stinging sensation in her chest but she tried her best to ignore it. For the sake of Soul Society, she had to be a killing machine. A warrior.

A soldier.

She took another deep breath.

'I don't think I can forgive him for this, Yoruichi-sama. You are worth thousands of Kurosaki Ichigo. Thousands of anyone.'

She exhaled and the brief conversation with Isshin came to her mind. Growling quietly, she shook her head. Ostracizing and insulting Shiba Isshin was the last thing she wanted to do but when she saw his face, all she could think of was Yoruichi leaving her.

Again.

However, she stood by her words. There was nothing better the man and his son could do than to make sure Yoruichi's sacrifice wasn't in vain.

Sui-Fēng's head snapped upwards so fast, she almost hit it against the railing. There was a blank expression on her face but her eyes told another story. Her mind was racing, thoughts forming, ideas turning into something solid.

'Could it work?'

Her eyes began to dart all over the place as she tried to picture every scenario and possible outcomes.

'Yoruichi-sama told me to trust in the boy.'

That was all she needed before she turned around and aimed her steps towards the office of the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13, with a plan to use Kurosaki Ichigo to the best of his capabilities. Convincing Kurosaki was the easy step, she was sure he wouldn't refuse.

All she needed to do was to find unbreakable arguments that would convince the old Commander as well.

…

Somewhere in the vast sands of Hueco Mundo, within a large construct made of white concrete, Yoruichi Shihōin sat on an uncomfortable chair, tied down by chains made of Sekkiseki mineral, glaring at the man that had forced her to surrender barely a day ago. The man returned her glare with a pleasant, almost sly grin that was as wide as his face, going from his left to his right ear.

"Now that we are both seated, we can finally discuss some important matter, Yoruichi Shihōin."

With an angry grimace plastered across her face, Yoruichi reflexively jerked her arms.

"There is nothing to discuss, Aizen."

Aizen, the man that had betrayed the Gotei 13, but also a man of principles, slightly altered his expression and turned his grin from being sly into a grin of slight disbelief.

"Truly? I was hoping you'd be interested in hearing why I allowed young Kurosaki to go in exchange for yours truly."

Yoruichi stiffened but didn't respond, causing Aizen to further alter his expression and change it into one of clear enjoyment.

"Of course, you are interested. After all, why wouldn't you be? Why wouldn't you want to say out loud what you wanted to stay buried forever?"

This time, Yoruichi reacted, but not verbally. Instead of saying anything, she just slightly narrowed her eyes in uncertainty. Aizen chuckled.

"Ah, I said too much, yet also too little. Pardon me, I have a bad habit of spoiling people with knowledge they should know yet they don't."

He reached behind him and picked up an elegant teacup filled with steaming liquid. Tentatively, he placed the teacup near his nose and took a deep whiff of the aroma.

"Mhm, Camille tea. My favorite. Good against anxiety, stress and insomnia. You should try it." He said and, careful not to burn himself, took a shallow sip.

"Hot. Just like I love it."

Glaring daggers, Yoruichi twitched on her chair, causing Aizen to smile and slowly put the teacup of tea away.

"Apologies, I tend to forget the world when I smell a good tea. Now, to the matters at hand. Yoruichi Shihōin, you are most interesting for more than one reason. One of them is the fact that you possess no zanpakuto, yet even without it your offensive power is on par with the upper echelon of the Gotei 13. As far as I was able to disclose, it has something to do with your ability to shape-shift into an ordinary, yet not natural, cat." Aizen said and watched with wide smile as Yoruichi twitched again. This time she appeared to be nervous.

"The second reason behind my interest in you is tied to your… family name."

Yoruichi immediately stopped moving around and stared at Aizen with an unreadable expression.

"Why, yes. I am very much aware of your status within the Shihōin clan that persisted even after your banishment. The Tenshiheisōban, or the so-called Guardian of Imperial Soldier Garments. I am very much aware that you are the protector of certain relics of the past. Relics, which haven't been used for a very, very long time. Such as Hōgu, the Treasured Tools, Bugu, the Armaments and the Tenshiheisō, the Imperial Soldier Garments. Relics… that are most interesting."

Staring at Aizen in utter shock, Yoruichi felt a bead of cold sweat running down her neck that caused her to shiver.

End of Chapter 29.

For those who did not visit my profile page in the past few months, this new chapter for this story probably came as a surprise.

Frankly, I'm not surprised. It's been a long time since I updated it. I apologize. I had reasons. Completing Way of the Protector was one of them.
But, to make things right, I can tell you that I have written the whole current arc till the end, which means I will be regularly posting a new chapter every two weeks (if this schedule changes, I'll let you know beforehand - and it will definitely change as sometimes the gap between chapters will be only one week).

How long is the current arc (which btw started in chapter 26 - the title Doomsday, Beginning should have been enough of a sign)?
Well, the last chapter of the arc is Chapter 41, which means there are (aside form this one) 12 more chapters waiting for you!

Am I forgiven yet? No? Okay...

I hope you'll enjoy these chapters. I put a lot of work into them (you know, planning, research, more planning, connecting the events, connecting the past with the future, etc...) and so the whole arc should feel coherent. It answers some of the questions raised so far though it creates more of them to keep you entertained and guessing. Unlike Way of the Protector, we still have a long way to go before the end of this story comes. I still have at least three arcs planned for this story but it'll probably be four or more (some of them will be shorter, some longer).

There is also one other thing you probably noticed. Each new chapter until the end of this arc is shorter than 10k words. They are all around 7 - 8k. Hope that doesn't change anything for you.

About the story... I can't say much. Last time, I said there won't be more of Ichigo's brooding. No, I'm not taking that back but there will be things he'll have to think about a lot. Mostly though, the remainder of this arc is free of depression and melancholy. The part about guilt in this chapter was unavoidable though. I can't say more else I'd be spoiling the story.

Either way, I hope you'll enjoy reading this at least as much as I enjoyed writing it. See ya later.

Next time: Chapter 30: Escuadra enmascaradas (Moonless Black Sun) - 4th/5th January 2018

EDIT: Sorry about the delay, didn't work properly for the past two days.