Moon Princess

by romeoraiden

Ichigo Kurosaki was born destined for greatness but has had to suffer as he grows to embrace his destiny. Naturally, he will not endure this burden alone as he will have many allies to help him along the way. But only one of them can help him go beyond as his ever-faithful sword of the moon. (M for Violence and bad language)

8. Chapter 8

I'm back! Sorry for the wait but Christmas and all that. Hope you've all been enjoying yourselves. Before you begin reading I just want to give you a little warning that there will be a lot of demonizing on the Shinigami's side. Not that they don't do enough of that to themselves canonically but I digress. To Tōshirō and Soifon fans out there, I am sorry but this is what I'm going with.

---

Chapter 8: Hate Must Never Win

"Chad! Ganju!" Ichigo called out to his friend and cousin… That is going to take some getting used to, especially since his first impression of his distant relatives was really bad and he isn't too comfortable about Kūkaku being around his sisters.

Yuzu particularly, Karin would very much want to hang out with someone like Kūkaku but he still wouldn't want that.

"Ichigo?" Chad spoke up who was relaxing on the ground until he heard Ichigo's voice, getting back up to see his friend and his father arrive here and to his great relief, they managed to return here with Rukia.

They've already succeeded in the main part of their mission. This relief is noticeable on his face, showing a smile that is more rarely seen than Ichigo's, catching the escapee off guard.

"You've actually done it,"

"Yeah, it wasn't at all easy but we got her back," Ichigo smiled back while placing a hand on Rukia's shoulders.

"Sado? You're here too," Rukia said incredulously.

"Yeah, you saved my life from the first time I encountered a Hollow. Like Ichigo, I couldn't accept what your own people were going to do to you so I came as well," Chad explained. "In a way, thanks to Uryū's hubris I was able to unlock the true power within me."

"Your power?" Rukia recalled the inhuman level of strength Chad displayed that baffled both her and Shrieker. She has her suspicions about how any human could be that strong but never took the time to reach a conclusion.

Apart from Orihime, Rukia never truly bothered to really spend time or get to know any of Ichigo's friends, they all really annoyed her so much that she wondered why Ichigo hangs out with them at all, except of course for Chad but that's because he barely speaks.

You could replace him with a wooden pillar and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference, and that's not being offensive, that's just how he is.

"Yeah, Kisuke calls this power Fullbring," Chad revealed, and that caused a lightbulb to shine in her head.

"Fullbring? But that would mean your soul is half-hollow," She concluded.

"Honestly, that doesn't bother me at all. Hollows are former humans who have lost themselves to despair but I'm still myself so this power is mine to do as I choose," Chad declared.

"Well said, buddy," Ichigo smirked in approval.

"Still, even though we managed to recover Rukia, there's still the crisis of reuniting with Uryū and Orihime who are still out there," Chad said now focusing on his concerns for their other friends.

"Orihime is here too!" Rukia cried in disbelief. Uryū he can understand because he did try to protect her from Byakuya and Renji but Orihime of all people? Does she have powers too? Is she also Half-Hollow? "Ichigo, how could you?!"

"Piss off, Hobbit. There is literally nothing you can say to me that I haven't already yelled at myself over letting her tag along on this deathly experience," Ichigo scoffed, not wanting to hear anything that would expand his regrets.

"I thought I told you to never call me that!" Rukia snapped at him by punching him in his abdomen.

Normally, Rukia would hesitate to harm an injured person, even if said person has it coming but when it comes to Ichigo, a man who from her point of view has been begging for death none stop without ever realizing it because he is so much like those 11th Division thugs, it's really easy to pretend that he's a masochist and just give him what he wants, and even if none of this was the case, she still would've punched him because he just has one of those faces that compels people to hurt them so it turns out that the orange hair is not the problem.

"Nice try but your little hands won't even tickle me anymore," Ichigo shrugged.

The little banter between them made Chad smirk a little, seeing them feel like things were before Rukia was taken.

"Glad to see you kids enjoy yourselves after such arduous battles but it's far too soon to celebrate," Isshin stated as he walks to the younger group.

"I know. We can't afford to rest until the other three get here," Ichigo said while also silently concerned for Hanatarō.

Hoping to distract himself from his thoughts, he takes the time to look around and could not help but feel as though he has seen this place somewhere before. He might've realized it sooner if not for his current state of mind.

"This place rings a bell, though I can't put two and two together right now,"

"Geez, Kenpachi really hit you hard?" Isshin half-joked. "This here is a Study Chamber built by Kisuke, in fact, this is actually the first one he built with the one below his shop is a recreation."

"I thought it looked familiar also, though the one back in our world is more of an improvement," Chad said, seeing the resemblance.

"Not completely, this one sports a very special hot spring," Isshin noted.

"What, is this where Hat and Clogs used to pick up girls for his perversion?" Ichigo mocked.

"Only one girl to be precise, but that is neither here nor there," Isshin shrugged. "It's a perfect place for training, plus this one has a modified version of Sekkiseki designed by Kisuke that makes the place difficult to sense and won't affect the Reiryoku of those within."

"Nice, so none of those pesky officers will barge in and interrupt me while coming up with new ways to kick Byakuya's ass," Ichigo mused.

"As long as Tōshirō isn't backing him up next time, I won't have to worry too much about busting you out again," Isshin shrugged.

"Speaking of, who is Tōshirō? He and that babe whom I swear could be Orihime's long-lost sister definitely knew you, not that it isn't a surprise," Ichigo said.

"Those two are among those I regret the most leaving behind," Isshin sighed, the shocked expression on their faces still fresh in his mind. "Speaking of regrets, where is Ganju?"

"Back over there," Chad said pointing behind him who is lying down near some human size rocks. "He's been strangely silent since we got here, which is odd since talking is something he likes to do."

Though, Chad already has a pretty good idea as to why that may be since Ganju got mute as soon as Isshin arrived and that lady Lieutenant, Nanao Ise called Ichigo's father Captain Shiba.

"Him? Silent? Of course, things would sour really quick," Ichigo sighed as he goes to see him.

"Ganju…" Rukia said as the name sounds familiar and after sparing Isshin another glance, she remembers a lot quicker and horror comes to her again. "Oh no…"

Noticing her distress, Isshin places a hand on her shoulder to reassure her that everything will be okay.

'Play it casually, this will turn badly one way or another. Just do your best to be the voice of reason,' Ichigo mused in an attempt to encourage himself. 'Yes, me being the voice of reason is stepping outside of your comfort zone and no one will ever really believe we can pull it off, and even if they see me actually do it they'll pretend to forget to keep the status quo going, unfortunately. But this most certainly has to be one of those moments.'

"He's going to react violently to your presence as well as your father's," Getsuhime warned, having a good enough understanding of Ganju to predict most of his decisions.

And her claim proved true because Ichigo never got a chance to casually speak with his cousin due to him getting up to his feet faster than the Agent could blink and went straight to deliver a sucker punch at Ichigo, though because he was given a quick warning, Ichigo reflexively stops the punch by grabbing Ganju by his wrist.

"Ichigo!" Chad said loudly in alarm at the spontaneous action of their new companion.

"Stay out of this, Chad!" Ichigo said a bit louder though it wasn't a demand or an order but rather a plea, his gaze never leaving Ganju. "It is better if we talk this out."

"It's going to take more than words if you think this will ever be okay," Ganju scoffed scornfully. Ichigo expected him to deliver another punch but instead, he releases himself from Ichigo's grip and stepped away from the orange head.

Silence engulfs the Study Chamber as it has been since its creator was forced to abandon it a century ago but now it's different, when before, if one were capable of actually feeling the difference, the silence felt lonely, now it feels bitter, like someone wants to angrily scream but is so suppressed that they barely come out as a whisper but not for lack of trying but also a sense of betrayal.

There's a lot of that popping around as of late and by the same person no less.

Ganju directs his attention to Isshin, who can only frown at what is a long time coming for him.

Without being given so much as a glance, Ichigo, Chad, and Rukia say nothing and watch Isshin try to converse with Ganju without getting into a fist brawl.

"Hey, Ganju. It's been a while," Isshin said neither gentle nor stern, choosing to take a neutral stance on his approach.

"You just stay right the hell there," Ganju warned while pointing an accusing finger at him before Isshin even had the chance to move an inch from his spot.

Anger and recognition plastered all over his face. Now he remembers, there was a second Shinigami there the night he met Ichigo and his friends, he meant to confront both of them but was dead set solely on Ichigo, one reason being the universally agreed statement that his scowl urges you to hit him like a punching bag.

But there was another reason, one that Ganju didn't completely acknowledge because subconsciously he knew better and avoided making a bigger rabbit hole of a scene.

What's more, there was this look in Bonnie's eyes, she's usually so grumpy and angry at just about anything, which Ganju just finds so cute and loves her for it but there was a rare ire that he only sees in her when someone they know did something she sees as a betrayal, or at the very least roughed the whole Shiba Clan the wrong way, and now he knows why she felt that way.

"You've changed a whole lot," Ganju said with the same tone.

"So have you, you're no longer a little brat anymore, though I never thought that a thuggish look would suit you," Isshin said innocently, having a different opinion than Ichigo's.

"You got some nerve, showing up the way you did and thinking you can do as you please," Ganju growled more fiercely. "Some things haven't changed much then."

"A LOT has changed, Ganju, and before you and later Kūkaku give me a well-deserved beating, and I'm well aware that nothing I say will avoid that outcome-"

"You what?! Want us to hear your side of things?!" Ganju snorted. "By all means, grace us with your glorious tale of how you fought that bastard Arturo after he almost destroyed Rukongai while Seireitei was barely scratched from the madness and you ''proudly'' lived and died like a ''true'' Shinigami. Just like Kaien. You're both damn fools."

The bitterness in his tone is apparent, and quite frankly this sort of feeling is not something Ichigo would expect someone like Ganju to express but that goes to show how little he really understands about people in general.

In the end, everyone has their demons to wrestle with but deep down he just knows that his anger isn't just about his father.

"But on top of that! On top of every single ounce of bullshit that has to do with you, tell me why. Why in the name of whatever ounce of innocence is left on this godforsaken rotten world IS SHE DOING HERE?!" Ganju shouted, pointing a hate-filled glare at Rukia, a look of familiarity on both their faces, though hers is based on bitter shame.

"You know each other?" Chad asked, hopelessly confused since Ichigo and Isshin told him nothing like Uryū. Orihime is still the only one in the known but even she lacks the full scope of everything.

"Yes, I know her," Ganju stated, his face turning into a murderous grin.

Visions of Sode no Shirayuki coated in Kaien's blood danced back into Rukia's thoughts, suddenly more vivid than ever. Ganju clenches his fists, a similar vision going through his head.

"How could I forget… the face of the Shinigami that killed my brother!"

Chad widens his eyes in shock at the revelation while Ichigo glares at Ganju, though he really can't be mad at him, and Isshin merely stays silent.

"His wounds were given by a sword," Ganju growled. "His throat was cut open and his chest was as well. Those wounds weren't that of a hollow!" His voice rose to a roar. "She even confessed. She said she killed him right to my face!"

"I…" Rukia struggled to find the right words but in spite of Isshin's kindness, which is far more valuable than being forgiven, she still couldn't bring herself to look at her former mentor and Lieutenant's brother without feeling the shame of the past.

"She was the one you all wanted to come to save by practically declaring war on the Gotei 13?" Ganju asked.

"Yes," Ichigo was the one to answer.

"Why?!" Ganju demanded while taking the chance to finally address another topic he's dismissed. "When I first laid eyes on you, I instantly noticed the resemblance to my late brother but I brushed it off as a coincidence. There are so many faces and voices in the world and some of them are bound to be the same. Everyone has a doppelgänger somewhere out there, or so they say. But you and Kaien looking alike is no coincidence, is it?"

"No. Ichigo is my son," Isshin revealed, making Ganju's eyes narrow.

"Look… Ganju, nothing about this will ever be remotely okay, in fact, everything practically screams FUCK IT but you have to understand, neither of us wanted to hide anything from you. You weren't even supposed to follow us into the Seireitei." Ichigo said, sounding cautious and extra careful when choosing his words, a rarity for any of his friends to witness him do.

"And about Kaien, I only recently found out about him, and though I never met him, merely finding out about a relative's demise is always disheartening, even when you don't care about them. I don't know the whole story yet, and to be quite frank, I don't think you do either."

"And what could've possibly given you that idea?" Ganju snorted.

"Because I know Rukia!" Ichigo said more fiercely. "Yes, I know that the Shinigami are more often than not pieces of Death worshiping garbage. Even before I came to Soul Society, what little I learned about them was enough to make me feel contempt, dismissing the fact that two of them left me for dead in the middle of the night while it was fucking raining, coming here has only made my anger towards them far greater, and I'm sure that things will only get worse from here on out. But Rukia? She's different, man. This whole thing started because she put her own life at risk just to save my family from a Hollow, that's not something an evil person would do. Whatever led her to kill your brother, I'm sure she had her reasons. It couldn't have been a good one, fine! You don't have to accept it. Hell, regardless if I can't accept her reasons, I know that she's worth saving."

"Ichigo…" Rukia again finds herself on the verge of tears, not able to fully accept his words, while the image of Kaien Shiba flashes into her mind, his gentle aqua-green eyes staring at her while he gives her his signature smile of compassion.

Even though the two have never met, Ichigo and Kaien really are alike in more ways than just their face. They also have a similar burning heart of conviction and determination to protect others.

"You're insane, you know that," Ganju mocked. "Not a single word you just said has even the slightest hint of sense."

"Yeah, well… I guess it runs in the family," Ichigo replied softly, and that seemingly did the trick with Ganju giving up, for now, sparing Rukia one last death glare before walking away, refusing to look at any of them.

"That could've gone better," Isshin sighed. "Don't worry, give him a little more time. He, like his sister, has a heart of gold hidden underneath all that bravado they desperately hold on to for their pride. He'll come around,"

"I'll hold you to that, you damn old bastard," Ichigo sighed, more frustrated than ever before, and he still hasn't mentioned it to him or Rukia about Hanatarō.

He can already see the floodgates that will drown them when they find him and hopefully, Orihime and Uryū are fine also.

"Looks like you have a lot more on your mind if there are things you neglected to mention," Chad noted.

"I'm sorry, Chad. I meant to tell you, Orihime and Uryū but I got caught off myself with everything that the chance to just relax and talk more like we prefer never came up," Ichigo apologized to his friend.

"If it's a family matter then it's none of my business. My only concern is keeping all of us safe," The Giant replied way more understanding than he reasonably should.

"You are so hard to read, you know that," Ichigo half-whined, unable to fathom how he functions. If the situation were reversed, he'd be livid about getting stuck in a family drama like this.

"You're the one that's impossible to understand," Rukia muttered while trying to wipe away her tears.

"Rukia…" Ichigo muttered as well, not sure what to say next.

"Wonderful. Forget the strength to stand up to the mighty Captains, making girls cry is your true power," Isshin mocked, accustomed to seeing girls cry around his son. His wife, daughters, and Ichigo's would-be girlfriend Orihime are the most common.

"I stopped caring about tears when I became desensitized to mom's whining," Ichigo hissed.

"I know that, and I admit that she has it coming but I concede begrudgingly," Isshin mused.

The emotional roller-coaster concerning the Shiba Clan is put to a halt when the four of them begin to sense another battle breaking out from pretty far away, one fueled by a lot of horrors as well as immeasurable anger and hate, but what really catches their attention is that they know one of the combatants.

"Uryū…" Ichigo cursed the misfortune since he was still recovering from his previous fights and Isshin doubts that he'll make it in time to reach him.

---

The chaos caused by Ichigo's battle with the Captains has dwindled but remains present with the Seireitei in a worse state than before from what Uryū can tell.

While he and Orihime continued to evade capture and fights, they noticed the Shinigami grow more anxious and fearful but also very sad once they spotted some of them being approached by some black butterflies.

Uryū has seen them once in the Human World accompanying Shinigami, if he recalls, they're called Jigokuchō, special animals of Soul Society that serve pretty important purposes, one being that they possess telepathic abilities that are often used to deliver messages to those who they make contact with and whatever the butterflies have to deliver now it isn't good.

"Impossible… Captain Aizen's been…" Uryū couldn't hear more than that before the two had to take their leave again because of how crowded the place they were previously getting.

"Did those people look sad to you?" Orihime asked him.

"Yeah, and not just because of how poorly they've been trying to catch us but rather because someone well-known has just died," Uryū said, making Orihime gasp.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm the son of a doctor, remember? As successful as my father is in saving countless lives with his skills, he's had his fair share of losses, and from time to time that I visited the hospital I've seen dozens of different expressions of grief and shock. Someone was definitely killed," Uryū explained.

"But how, it couldn't have been Ichigo or Chad who'd done it," Orihime muttered.

"I sincerely doubt any of us did it, avoiding casualties was part of the plan, however, we have to consider the fact that heavy injuries on the enemy is just as likely as it happening to us, and besides, you felt Ichigo's Reiatsu skyrocket and the opponents he's fought against. I'm sure he had enough restraint to avoid killing intentionally but anything can happen on a true battlefield. Accidents are beyond our control sometimes," Uryū stated.

"Oh, Ichigo," Orihime whispered, more concern for him than ever.

"Heey…" A voice came from behind.

Uryū and Orihime both looked behind them to see a heavily built, and very clearly drunk Shinigami stumbling towards them.

"Hold it there," The Shinigami said. "What're you doing here?"

"Er…" Orihime mumbled. "We're heading to the Senzaikyū."

"Why? And what Division are ya from?"

'He's getting suspicious. Not good,' Uryū thought before replying. "We're from the 12th Division, and we're checking the seals on the prisoner."

"What seals?" The man snapped. "I thought that Kuchiki girl lost her powers?"

"W-Well that's b-because," Orihime stuttered. "We're ensuring she doesn't regain them,"

"But I thought the Head Captain gave the order that the only ones allowed in the Senzaikyū at the moment are the Captains after the strength of the Lieutenants failed to stop just one Ryoka," The man questioned.

'Wonderful. Leave it up to Ichigo to leave us to deal with the aftermath of his crap,' Uryū rolled his eyes at the problem they are stuck in.

"We were asked to go at the request of the Captains stationed there to assist in keeping a better eye on the prisoner. Better safe than sorry, as they say," He replied, hoping he didn't make any mistakes.

"Oh," The Shinigami stopped his interrogation. "Well then, you guys better go on your way,"

Orihime sighed in relief before beaming. "We sure wi-"

"Hey!"

"Oh come on!" Orihime thought as more Shinigami hurried down the street.

"We've been looking all over for you two," One of the Shinigami said.

"Looking for us?" The two thought.

Uryū in particular saw a big red flag waving in his face. "Do they know?"

"We saw you got lost, but it's best not to be going alone with all the Ryoka running around," Another said.

"We should get back to the quarters where it's safe," Yet another added.

"Oh no, we're on a night-time mission from the Captain," Orihime said, her face slightly panicky.

"I'm sure it can wait till morni-"

BOOM!

It was only Orihime's reflexes that stopped the both of them from getting blown to cinders, a shield forming to them from the kamikaze soldiers.

"How disappointing," A cold, slightly nasal voice that put Uryū on edge was heard. "I had thought that would damage them enough for capture."

"H-He bl-blew them up…" Orihime said. "Wh-What kind of- They b-barely had a ch-chance t-to catch us…"

"Nemu, did you put the right explosives into those Reigai? These two weren't damaged at all," Mayuri questioned his Lieutenant.

"Yes sir. Just one of the bombs the Gikon were housing was strong enough to critically harm Lieutenant-level Shinigami without fail. I simply underestimated their resilience," Nemu replied.

"Oh dear, that actually sounds like good news to me," Mayuri grinned.

"You monsters!" Uryū growled as he summons his bow named Kojaku (Arc Sparrow), though it is different from what it was before, now looking solid and covered in an intricate pattern. It is attached to the white glove Uryū wears in his left hand by a series of thin struts.

He quickly shoots an arrow at the mad scientist's head. Mayuri, without missing a beat, craned his neck at a horrific angle to avoid the arrow, still walking towards them and observing Orihime's shield.

"A defensive shield, not unlike the Bakudō #81. Interesting," He grinned. "I'll make you an offer, Girl. Why don't you come work for me as a research subject?"

Even while still in shock of what just happened, neither teen yet aware that those men that exploded weren't necessarily people, Orihime manage to shake her head, looking over at the melted corpses strewn about "No,"

"Is that so?" Mayuri said, drawing his Zanpakutō, which hangs directly in front of him, instead of his side as they are commonly worn through a visibly modified hook on the end of the pink hilt. The guard is wrapped in cloth and has several spiky protrusions sticking out right below the blade, which appear to resemble leaves.

"Well, I'm afraid your compliance isn't a factor."

"Orihime, get-" Uryū started to say, only to be cut off by Mayuri suddenly advancing.

Uryū grabs Orihime and used the Quincy version of High-Speed Movement, Hirenkyaku (Pure Flying Step), to retreat backward and upwards with her, quickly notching more arrows and launching a barrage at the face-painted Captain.

Orihime put her hands to her earrings, in case Mayuri survived that. Her fear was not unfounded as a figure rushed from the side, grabbing Uryū's arrow.

"What the-" Uryū balked at Nemu that came from nowhere and jumps them, that he again evade with his speed, only to be left wide open for Mayuri to strike at them with his sword.

"Santen Kesshun, I Reject!" The shield popped up out of thin air and blocked the blade, to Mayuri's shock and excitement.

"You can materialize this shield so quickly!" Mayuri grinned. "You Ryoka are becoming more interesting by the day, although so far only two of you have piqued my interest."

As he said that, Nemu uses Shunpo to appear behind the teens, delivering a sucker kick to Uryū from the back, knocking him away from Orihime whom she proceeds to incapacitate by punching her stomach so hard that she instantly passes out, and this caused her Santen Kesshun to deactivate.

"Orihime!" Uryū cried as he watches her be carried by the Lieutenant.

"You on the other hand are nothing but boredom. I have long grown weary of you Quincy," Mayuri said with disinterest at Uryū. "Go on, Nemu, take the new specimen to the S.R.D.I. I'll throw you a bone and deal with this eyesore myself."

"Yes, master," Nemu replied and quickly leaves with Orihime.

"STOP!" Uryū demanded, chasing after her and is thankfully faster than the Lieutenant, already blocking her path and is quick to shoot an arrow right at her face, though she is able to dodge this despite the arrow being so close to her when she did and manages to get passed him, though Uryū does not relent and succeeds in firing another arrow, this time at the back of her right knee, which successfully protrudes through it, stopping her use of Shunpo as she falls to her knees, yet still she retains her hold on Orihime.

"Rip, Ashisogi Jizō (Leg-Cutting Guardian)!" Uryū's minor achievement is cut short by Mayuri who's right in front of him now and cuts into him from his left shoulder to his chest with his Zanpakutō that glows and transforms into a deformed trident with curved, serpentine blades.

The middle blade is straighter and longer than the side blades and appears to ascend from the guard, which is shaped like a baby's head with hands clasped in prayer, all mounted on his sword's normal hilt, which has more ornate spiky protrusions on either side and resembles golden leaves right below the guard. The baby's mouth secretes a poisonous vapor in this form at various intervals.

Uryū gasps in pain and ends up falling helplessly to the ground.

"Never seen a Hirenkyaku used with that level of speed from a youngling," Mayuri said a tiny bit amused before growing agitated once he turns to look at Nemu who is struggling to get back on her feet, which is obviously difficult to do with the hole in her knee and so she has to hold on to the wall next to her to support her left leg. "Let yourself be reduced to such a worthless state, have you?"

"Apologies, Master. I assure you that this won't deter me," Nemu vowed to him, doing her best to hide the pain she is feeling as she forces herself to move back to the 12th Division Barracks which thankfully isn't too far but she is bleeding lot so that will also present a problem and she can't use Shunpo with a damaged leg.

"That had better be the case. Hop to it now, I want that girl in my operation table before I make it there," Mayuri demanded, unconcern for her wellbeing.

"Orihime…" Uryū uttered weakly while fruitlessly trying to get up.

"How predictable. You Quincy are always so desperate to get back on your feet it's annoying," Mayuri said turning back to him.

"You won't get away with this. I will…" Uryū forces more strength upon himself but finds that he is having difficulty moving parts of his body. "What's happening?"

"You only realize it now? You must be a special kind of stupid," Mayuri shook his head.

"What did you do to me?" Uryū demanded.

"So loud even in such a pitiful state, eh? If you must know, this is the work of my Zanpakutō. He is a sadistic little critter, you see. He works like the venom of a spider bite; when we stab someone, he severs the brain signals controlling the neural impulses for movement in the limbs I slice, regardless of where they were struck, and healing the stab wound does not immediately remove the inflicted paralysis. Of course, that is not even the best part," Mayuri smirked as he stabs Ishida's left leg and the Quincy yells in pain.

"Unlike regular paralysis, the pain receptors and nerve endings are unaffected, so you can still feel pain, even in a paralyzed limb. See what I mean by sadistic."

Mayuri resumes his attention to see that Nemu is still within his sight when he was expecting her to be long gone by now, though in her condition it is commendable that she is already four hundred feet away from him.

"You are still within my sight, you idiot! Pick up the pace!" He roared loudly.

"How shameless, treating your own subordinates like slaves even though she's doing alright for herself," Uryū hissed, still able to show concern for his adversaries even though Nemu has kidnapped his friend.

"What I do with my daughter and how I treat her is none of your business, lowly Ryoka," Mayuri lectured as he pulls his sword off of Uryū. His revelation of being Nemu's father only served to anger Uryū further.

"That only makes you a lower scum than I thought you Shinigami were capable of. To think that this is how I could potentially die. Now I'm ashamed of myself."

"Here we go again with your detestable Prideful speech. I am so tired of hearing that," Mayuri scoffed.

"What?" Uryū managed, thrown off by the statement.

"That ''Quincy pride'', it's all your kind talk about!" Mayuri snapped. "Do you know why I previously said that you are nothing but boredom?"

The question struck Uryū mute, prompting Mayuri to continue his rant.

"I've studied every aspect of the Quincy! Every technique! Their pain tolerance! Their reaction to mental and physical stimuli!" Mayuri raged, his tirade getting truly massive. "I've cut open their very souls to see how they concentrate Reishi and mix it with their reiatsu! I've used Ashisogi Jizō to disable the limbs of hundreds, if not thousands of Quincies to get them to use that technique known as Ransōtengai. I've even ripped their organs, one by one, and cut open their brains to see if there was any connection to their evolutionary path in wielding Reishi!"

If Orihime were still here, she be vomiting by now.

"I've made discoveries that would go down in history! But did any of them care? NO! They merely kept spouting that Quincy Pride nonsense!" Mayuri snarled, before mimicking the various Quincies he's tortured. "Upon the pride of the Quincy, I will never do such a thing! I swear on the pride of the Quincy, I will not let that happen!"

Uryū's hands start to shake.

"Pathetic! Nothing but lies and empty promises!" Mayuri roared. "Even the last Quincy I experimented on was ranting about his pride. An old fool who's named I've forgotten."

Uryū froze. "What?"

Mayuri produced a piece of paper, dropping it carelessly. It fluttered to the ground, landing blank-side down.

Printed on it was a photograph; it… it couldn't be considered a body at that point, more like a limbless carcass and several chunks of meat and organs, bleeding over an operating table.

"Annoying. I can describe your whole worthless tribe with that one word alone and after all that hard work, in the end, nothing about you Quincy I deemed interesting," Mayuri further revealed. "Fifty years of my life I'll never get back. I even skipped the chance to study Adjuchas one time because of your people."

Mayuri kept on rambling about his madness but Uryū wasn't listening anymore, he almost wanted to hurl while having a look of utter horror on his face. There was no way to tell, but he knew for a fact that he saw his grandfather in that picture.

"You remember my Grandfather, Sōken, don't you? He was a gentle soul. Perhaps too kind for his own good and too forgiving at times but wise enough to know when to be swift. He was proud of our heritage and hoped that I would be his legacy, to keep his ideals on how the Quincy should be like alive. He too accepted that the Purge of the Quincy by the Shinigami was the right thing to do, not because our people deserve extinction but because we were putting lives in danger with our blunder and like any wise old sage, seeing the youth die so early caused his heart to ache."

"He never taught me to despise anyone or to feel hate. The Shinigami believed that of the Ishida Family, he was the only remaining Quincy left with the rest of us unable to be Quincy ourselves. He was cleverer than people realized, making sure no one ever discovered that his grandson inherited Quincy powers and that I was his apprentice. He took the lengths because the Soul Society had him under strict watch. Even if there really was only one Quincy left in the world, an individual with the potential to wipe out the World was something they couldn't let slip by. I understand this, and so did my Sensei, even still, he wanted the Shinigami to believe that Quincy can still be of use to the Balance. He groped towards both sides working together in the fight against the Hollows."

"In times of peace, the Shinigami would typically be late to engage Hollows in this world while they are all on the Other Side, and lazily they normally only send one Shinigami to guard a human city who are normally below the Seated Officers so they're not very potent. Not to mention that Hollows can also invade the Soul Society and with Hueco Mundo having the higher numbers, the Shinigami have two worlds to protect so their options are limited constantly. My Sensei hoped that they would allow the Quincy that remain to fight the battles that they couldn't make it in time but their answer was always the same; ''Don't interfere with our work''. Spineless vermin is what they are. And then my grandfather died."

"One day during our training, five goliath-like Hollows attacked us. It was odd because the land we were in was enchanted with the Quincy Art of Magic to prevent Hollows from crossing and Shinigami from stalking the place but it meant little then. He managed to hide me away and focus their attention solely on him. Once he was a powerful man that no Hollow could match but he had become old and tired. Any lesser Hollow would kill him if they were skilled and patient enough. To this day I am still left speechless about how he lasted fighting them for over an hour and killed them despite receiving a grievous wound but in the end, it was his old age that killed him and collapsed from exhaustion. Shinigami were close by when the fight began and the enchantments were removed so they should've sensed the Hollows and come to help but instead they arrived after the fighting was over. And they hadn't even bothered to unsheathe their swords!"

"In the end my Sensei's ideals meant nothing. If only they had listened and accepted the strength of the Quincy more pointless deaths would be avoided, like my grandfather's death… Do you understand now, Ichigo? In front of you, a Shinigami, I felt that I had to prove my strength as a Quincy. In the fight I started I couldn't accept your help. In spite of our blood ties, we walk completely different paths of the Spiritual World. Try as we might, our ideals will always be polar opposites. If you think my ideals are wrong, you're more than welcome to your own opinions. After all, I believe you're in the wrong also, giving your new people's countless wrongs. If I can prove my strength, that the Quincy are mightier than the Shinigami then perhaps… maybe… I could live with the mistakes I've made."

"Okay… I'm a bit calmer now so I can process this a little better. Look Uryū, no matter how you slice it, the fact remains that the only one being moronic right now is you. By your own words, your Sensei's greatest wish was not for the Shinigami to acknowledge the strength of the Quincy but for both sides to for once stand together. It doesn't matter that Shinigami and Quincy are opposites, we share a common enemy, therefore I can't fathom all the antagonism and hubris both sides have but I guess I can attribute that to me still being a kid in a lot of aspects. I usually choose to ignore the grownup bullshit because no matter how you look at it, it's all bullshit," Ichigo's words run through Ishida's head.

"So how about this? The next time a grave danger comes and raises a fuss, instead of picking at each other's throats like, let's face it, the morons we usually are, we make Sōken's dream a reality with both Shinigami and Quincy fighting together to reach a common goal. You with me?"

(Flashback)

Hollow after Hollow after Hollow, Uryū kept a straight number on how many he's taken down so far ever since he began his challenge with Ichigo using a Hollow Bait to lure Hueco Mundo's residence into Karakura.

He's taken out 89 by now, that's more than he normally takes out within a year, and he's proud of that but there lies the problem, there are far more than a hundred Hollows summoned by his bait, which doesn't make sense.

The one he made himself should've only summoned two hundred of them at most, no more but he can tell from a distance that there are hundreds more. What's going on?

"Damn…" He cursed, and to make matters worse, his left hand started to bleed, weakening the arrows he fires so that after the 81st Hollow, he can no longer kill them with just one shot. "I can't believe I could make such a basic blunder like this. At this rate…"

His thoughts are paused once he thinks back to his foolish second cousin who's in league with the Shinigami, driving him to regain his resolve and tighten it further.

"What am I whining about? I can still do this. I can win! I've made no mistake. I will avenge you, Master!"

Just then, more Hollows appear and Uryū proceeds to fight them but chose to not use his Kojaku for this one and disperses the bow.

"All right then, let's see how all of you fair against Gintō (Silver Tubes)!" He declared and pulls out four small silver tubes, each one approximately 5 centimeters in size, and throws them at the Hollows and begins a chant.

"Feel the wrath of battle and accept this sacred chalice: Heizen (Heating)!"

From the tossed tubes, the silver liquid is spewed out that instantly gouges and purges whatever is enclosed in the space, and before any of the Hollows could ever realize, a multitude of transparent, rectangular beams of energy from the silver tubes come crashing down, and slice through all of them.

"Good, I just have to let my arm rest for a bit and then I can go back to using Kojaku," Uryū smirked, glad that his backups are working to perfection.

---

"What is happening?" Masaki uttered in both confusion and fright, noticing the swarm of Hollows in the sky while looking out the living room window.

She's never seen this many before in her life, though Isshin certainly has. "How could there be so many at once? You said Ichigo finally got control of his Reiatsu."

"He has. Those stubborn bastards were summoned forth by someone else," He surmised.

"Summoned? You don't think…" Masaki began to ponder who could've done this.

"Your guess is as good as mine but I think we can count at least two possible suspects," Isshin shrugged. "I can hardly feel any of them within Minamikawase, so Ichigo must've cleared a lot of them by now. We should be safe here."

"But Karin is still in the park playing soccer," Masaki said with dread.

"You stay here with Yuzu while I go and get her," Isshin advised.

"What if they catch you?"

"Honey, please. The freak that left a hole in our house aside, you know I can't be outrun," Isshin huffed.

"What are you guys talking about?" Yuzu asked as she walks in on her parents. "You're talking as if there's a bunch of thugs outside but everything looks as peaceful as ever."

Neither of them can express enough how glad they are that at least one of their children isn't Spiritually Aware. Isshin starts to laugh at her words as he begins to mislead her.

"Aw, my beautiful child, your loving view of the world is simply breathtaking," Isshin began. "As it turns out-"

"Just go and pick up Karin," Masaki interrupted him, not forceful or demanding but simply in a haste.

Normally she indulges her husband's antics way too much but now is not the time, even if it be better to mislead Yuzu about the situation but time is something she isn't sure they have anymore now that the Hollow appearances are more frequent beyond Kisuke's attempts to deter them.

"Yes, dear…" He whined.

"Goat-Chin! Hey, Goat-Chin!" Karin cried out as she ran inside her house.

"Oh, there she is. Problem solved," Isshin smirked, acting as though he deserves credit but none pays attention to him.

"Sweety, what's wrong? You look tenser than having the soccer field stolen by some big boys," Masaki asked worriedly.

"It's one of Ichigo's friends. The tall macho one. He's hurt and he needs help," Karin said in a hurry.

"Karin, his name is Yasutora. You've seen him come over many times," Masaki scolded.

"I don't like any of Ichigo's guy friends so I try to forget them," Karin huffed.

"That poor habit will not stand, young lady," Masaki pressed.

"Didn't you hear the rest of what I said? The big guy is hurt and is in really bad shape," Karin argued.

"Girls, girls, please, let's not get stressed out over anything involving that dummy, Ichigo," Isshin insisted.

"I'll go get my bag and have a look. Everything will be just FINE," He said with more emphasis on fine, more so to reassure his wife rather than his daughter that it'll be okay to head out, and besides, Isshin's a dedicated doctor, he can't leave anyone who's hurt if he can do something about it and Masaki can't have a say in the matter.

Isshin goes off to his office to quickly collect his equipment but stops once he feels a thumping sound in his chest that leaves him frozen.

"What…" He gasped, confused by this sensation.

"Something the matter, dear?" Masaki asked, noticing her husband's sudden halt.

"I don't know. I think I just felt a sudden thump in my chest," Isshin muttered.

"What, like a stroke?"

"Nah, my body is as healthy as our beautiful children. Probably still just tired from the spontaneous patients late last night," Isshin shrugged, trying to look strong as always.

"Isshin, you're on fire," Masaki said out of the blue and looking in a panic.

"Aww, thanks, babe. But you don't need to remind me of how stylish I look with a lab coat," Isshin smirked, failing to realize her real meaning.

"No, I mean you're actually on fire!" Masaki shouted.

"DAD! You're hand!" Yuzu cried as she and Karin also go to see what is going on.

"Huh?" Isshin mumbled turning to see the problem and finally noticing that his right hand is now ablaze and the fire spreading to his forearm but Isshin made no reaction to it, not because he had yet to process what is going on but simply because the fire isn't harmful at all, his sleeve isn't even burning up, if anything, the fire seems to be empowering him.

"It can't be… Engetsu?"

---

"Oh, Uryū. What have you done?" Kanae asked with terror as she sees the swarm of Hollows in the sky from her mansion while she is standing beside the front door and how thirty of them are heading her way, only for them to be instantly killed by an equal amount of arrows fired from behind her.

"It's like I've always said. Children with no real talent exist only to waste time for those with better things to do. That's our foolish son in a nutshell," Ryuken said with evident annoyance regarding Uryū's actions and is the one who fired the arrows that killed the Hollows, carrying in his left hand a bow made of Reishi though it is much smaller than Uryū's and instead white, almost solid at a closer glance.

"It's a travesty that Masaki's delinquent son is the more mature of the two."

"But this doesn't make sense, none of the Hollow Baits we keep around are this potent," Kanae said.

"An oddity, yes, and if nothing else, he should know how to avoid this blunder, however, it is fairly obvious that he's the one who cried out for Hueco Mundo's parasites so this is all on his head when I get my hands on him," Ryuken groaned as he takes his leave.

"Can you at least focus on getting him back home first?" His wife pleaded.

"Of course, wouldn't do any good on my image as the Director of a Hospital if I was responsible for sending a child there," Ryuken said condescendingly. "After this, there's no way Kairi will ever follow in that old fool's footsteps as well."

---

Ichigo roars in anger, cutting down every Hollow he comes across with none being able to stop him. Either by his oversized Zanpakutō or even his bare hands, the Shinigami Agent could not be stopped by any of them while being dead set on his main goal of the day, which is finding his now detestable second cousin who caused this chaos and is also responsible for…

"Oh God…" For the rarest of moments, Ichigo falls down to his knees while still in combat, a great sadness begins taking him, his thoughts thrifting to a recent failure that threatens to consume him.

This proves vital when a Hollow seizes the moment to attack him, delivering a sucker punch that blows the young Agent away, crashing into the central park of Karakura a hundred meters away, though Ichigo has gotten used to the strength of Common Hollows it hardly phases him anymore so he gets back on his feet quickly.

At a similar pace, the Hollow that hit him charges him to deliver what it hopes will be a fatal punch to the Shinigami, however, Ichigo counters with his own punch, and upon the two fists colliding, the impact was so great that the Hollow lost its entire right arm, falling to the ground screaming in further anguish.

The rest of the Hollows swarm in on Ichigo in an attempt to do a dogpile to better feast on him.

Under normal circumstances this couldn't possibly work on Ichigo as his strength has increased beyond the capacity of common Hollows, however, his current sadness is rapidly affecting his efforts and thus he does run the risk of being in real danger unless he focuses since he learned from Rukia that Shinigami must maintain their focus on a fight or anything else of importance, otherwise their powers function less, which will be his undoing soon enough.

"A silver rod strikes the five-fingered stone bed: Gritz (Five Frame Bonds)!" Uryū arrives at the scene, throwing several more Gintō towards the Hollow that emit a large film of Reishi in amounts that forms into multiple a large pentagonal Quincy cross, which envelops each of the Hollows surrounding Ichigo.

"Calling it quits already, Kurosaki? How the mighty have fallen." Uryū said smugly, arriving at the scene of the battlefield and with a snap of his right fingers, the pentagonal Quincy Crosses ignite with Reishi and explode, annihilating the Hollows within.

"Far be it for me to leave a work undone because of another's negligence."

"Uryū…" Ichigo suddenly becomes feral to an extent, standing up more straightly than he cares to do most of the time when in school to look more respectful and attentive, few know that when he does stand up straight is because he is motivated to actually do something he deems worth wild, usually when wanting to hurt someone who's upset him, and this is most certainly one of those moments.

"You've had your fun, now undo all this chaos now! Or they'll be a death in the family." He demanded with venom that made the Quincy almost flinch but he has faced more toxicity before so he can tolerate this sort of behavior from his cousin.

"Fun? We both know you're not as moronic as you look so don't insult the true purpose of this duel." Uryū said mildly irritated.

That irritation turn to dread once Ichigo lunged at him impressively fast despite not yet showing the capacity to use Shunpo. Uryū manages to evade the massive sword with Hirenkyaku but to his surprise, a very small drop of hair fell off him due to being cut by the Zanpakutō.

Was he careless in his outburst or did he underestimate Ichigo's speed despite the ridiculous weapon he is using? Either option is hard for Uryū to swallow but he is quick to strongly believe that it is the latter.

Ichigo has been physically built for athletes since middle school and speed is more his bread and butter than strength.

With the Shinigami Agent now dead set on attacking him, the Quincy has no choice but to return fire and reuses Kojaku, releasing three arrows slightly better due to taking the chance to mend his finger with a healing ability of Gintō that he isn't really good with but just enough to treat an exhausted finger.

But this succeeds little as Ichigo repels the arrows with his Zanpakutō which works well as a shield with its size, pressing forward and forcing Ishida to use Hirenkyaku to escape from his reach.

However, and perhaps because of pure instinct, Ichigo correctly deduces that he moved to his right and just as swiftly grabs the Quincy by his right leg, stopping Uryū's High-Speed Movement.

"Impossible!" Uryū gasped in disbelief and watches helplessly as Ichigo tosses him violently to the ground, groaning in pain.

Yeah… speed is definitely Ichigo's bread and butter.

Uryū looks up, expecting to see his cousin above him ready to attack but instead, he sees Ichigo horizontally cut the face of a Hollow who rushed to the scene as soon as he was slammed down, ceasing the supposed chance to attack him while he was down, only to end up purified.

The more energized Ichigo makes a powerful circular slash, releasing a blast of Reiatsu that hit all the newly arrived Hollows, causing all of them to combust.

'He's learned to expand and mold his Reiatsu to perform ranged attacks,' Uryū uttered in disbelief. Ichigo next stabs his sword on his left, inches away from his neck, a cold glare befitting for one called a God of Death plastered on his face and aiming down at him.

"I won't repeat myself, Uryū. Send them back!" He threatened.

Further startled for a moment, Uryū regains his bearing, glaring back at him before reusing Hirenkyaku to get away from Ichigo, now only roughly thirty feet away from his second cousin and back on his feet.

"Don't threaten me with your idle boast and brutality, Kurosaki! Nothing you do will break my resolve." He hissed.

"FUCK YOUR RESOLVE! You've accomplished nothing but put everyone in danger!" Ichigo screamed.

"For all your strength and skill, you don't really do well under pressure. As a Quincy, I will prevail in this battle, and unlike you, I won't let the Hollows end any lives." Uryū boasted fiercely.

"SOMEONE HAS ALREADY DIED! AND YOU WEREN'T THERE FOR HER EITHER!" Ichigo screamed even louder, freezing Uryū who loses his fierce determination by this fact.

"Wha-"

Before the slowly demoralize Quincy could say anything, they are both forced to look up, aghast by the violent sensation of a great Reiatsu, the multiple Hollows in the sky start to gather above them, specifically to a crack of all things in the sky that gets bigger and bigger until it breaks like glass, leaving a literal hole between dimensions, or at least that's what Ichigo and Uryū can conclude since Hollows are from another world located in the Afterlife.

And from this large dimensional rift comes out a monster unlike either of them has ever seen, at least 2-6 stories tall, easily dwarfing even the largest standard Hollow, and it is definitely a Hollow itself judging from the white mask with an elongated nose. Its body is covered from head to toe with a black covering reminiscent of a cloak. Around the neck is a row of thin white spikes. It has large, pointed feet wrapped in white bandages, and white hands with long sharp white nails that can easily be hidden within its cloak.

"Son of a Bitch!" Ichigo growled at the latest heartache he now has to deal with.

---

"Oh dear, Soul Society is out of excuses not to investigate the odd phenomenon happening here now," Kisuke bemused as he watches from the other side of the park the recent events, far enough for Ichigo and Uryū not to notice him and his group who have come to handle the Hollow infestation themselves.

Like Jinta who fights the Hollows using a large kanabō named Muteki Tekkon (Invincible Iron Club), which he is capable of wielding with a single arm to smash any Hollow he comes across with ease.

There's also Ururu who uses a multi-barreled shoulder cannon wrapped in cloth named Senren Bakusatsu Taihō (Thousand Soul-Killing Cannon) and fires rapidly at any Hollow she targets that are blown apart almost instantaneously.

"This is bad Kisuke. Of all the Hollows for those stubborn kids to put up with now, a Menos Grande is way too much of a high leap," Tessai said with worry for Ichigo and Uryū.

"Don't worry. If I'm right, Ichigo will be able to handle that Gillian, at least wound it enough to force it to retreat and if not, I'm close enough to swoop into the rescue," Kisuke smiled with an unsheathed Benihime but not yet in her Shikai but he actually pulled her out to pierce the head of a Hollow that came barging from above him, silencing it instantly.

(End of Flashback)

"Now, what was the name of the old man's student he kept rambling on about?" Mayuri kept on rambling to himself, trying to recall a certain name while he turned his back on Uryū who remains silently paralyzed and not just because of his horrific Zanpakutō. "Never mind, I really don't like to concern myself with things I've finished studying. I wonder if Nemu has already gotten the new subject back to the institute already."

The 12th Division Captain is stopped from his thoughts once he starts to feel a sudden rise in Reiatsu, along with a disturbance to the Reishi in the vicinity. "Still alive? Children, I swear. Why is it so challenging for you to learn your lesson already,"

"I'll tell you the name of that student you've forgotten about," Uryū said lowly while regaining the strength to get back up, his body moving almost like a puppet with light-blue strings holding his body, the photo of his grandfather in hand. "Uryū Ishida. That is my name! And the name of this old man is Sōken Ishida, and my grandfather!"

"And here I am carrying a photo of the old man for some reason. How convenient," Mayuri joked, not really concerned by the crazy coincidence. "What's your point?"

"My point is that on my Pride as a Quincy, I will make you pay! You monster!" Uryū vowed with a fearsome and murderous glare that rivals Ichigo's.

"And here we go again," Mayuri whined with the same old story, however, he is honestly intrigued by what he is seeing.

"Although, if my eyes are not deceiving me. That which I am seeing is none other than Ransōtengai (Heavenly Wild Puppet Suit). A high-level technique that allows a Quincy to manipulate their body parts using strings of Reiryoku controlled by their brain, forming strings made of Reishi to move their bodies like marionettes, allowing themselves to move freely despite paralysis, broken limbs, or anything else that would impede normal movement. Originally designed for elders to keep on fighting despite their old and feeble bodies. So rare that I have never encountered a Quincy who could use it before, despite having examined and studied 2661 different individuals," The Mad Scientist's grin widens that to Uryū he seems truly demonic now.

"It looks like we got ourselves a genius here," He chuckled. "What a fun day, though being able to study one with an advanced technique now is a real letdown, and after I went through all the trouble of bribing Shinigami on patrol in the Human World to arrive late to save any Quincy in need. A threat though you are to the Balance of the World, Quincy are still human so as long as you behaved, the Gotei 13 have no choice but to look after you from Hollows. Annoying really, and yet here I find myself with a gifted Quincy who came to me instead. I must say, Reiō has a very annoying sense of humor."

"I've heard enough of your sick rambling," Uryū hissed as he readied his bow to fire a stronger bow at Mayuri and he does so by removing his glove.

'Sensei… forgive me. I don't hate him but I can't bring myself to accept Ryūken as my father sometimes, we just can't ever seem to reach an understanding. He rejected our heritage as Quincy because there's no profit in it. You defended his harsh words by assuring me that he's not wrong in his belief of focusing more on the Living rather than the matters of the Dead. You said that one day I would understand him and what he really wants to protect. In hindsight, it's obvious that he wants to protect his family but… I can't help but feel there's something more to it. I guess I am looking for excuses to hate someone who shuns what I love,' Uryū bemused regrettably.

'I guess I really am a Monk of Destruction. I've come to this place to save an innocent, a comrade was taken before my eyes, and yet here I am fighting for myself. I am unworthy of your teachings and your love, grandfather. Always have been. I guess that's why I envy Ichigo so much. If you have had the chance to teach him in the ways of the Quincy like you wanted, you'd be a prouder teacher, and perhaps he could've saved you that day.'

Uryū's body explodes with a burst of Reiryoku that completely caught Mayuri off guard, and once the light fades the Quincy is seen in a new form, and his standard uniform completely changes.

He now wears a white vest that is parted in the middle. Armor appears on his left shoulder, sporting a cross-like design, which spreads across his chest. He gains a white cloth, covered in several line designs, which covers his lower half. From his right shoulder, a wing made of Reiryoku forms.

"Devil curse me… this new outfit by appearance alone is truly outstanding," Mayuri muttered but what really has him almost speechless is that Uryū's Spiritual Power, which was barely in the same league as a Lieutenant inflated so much that he was quite possibly at the level of a Captain!

Things only get crazier as Mayuri next witnesses how the buildings surrounding the two start to crumble and collapse into Reishi and are drawn into the spirit wing.

'It can't be! His ability to absorb Reishi is greater than any Quincy should be capable of. Everything in the Soul Society is made of Reishi so it's natural for his kind to be more powerful here but to be able to break the bonds of the Reishi used to make any structure is unheard of. This isn't simply the ability to collect spirit particles… this is absolute Reishi Dominance. Inconceivable!'

Uryū raises his left hand, with Reiryoku from his wing being pulled out into his hand to form a powerful arrow that he's quick to use and fire at the mad scientist.

'Greater speed, but I can still dodge,' Mayuri thought as he swiftly dodges the arrow by lowering his body to face the floor but not enough for him to fall down as he is more flexible and skilled in combat than he lets on to avoid almost any enemy assault.

Unfortunately for him, he underestimated just how fast Uryū has become because the Quincy is right above him right now where he fires another arrow before he could even react and gets hit, the impact great enough to cause the ground to shake damaging the area around him.

"Apologize to everyone you've wronged and never appear in front of me again," Uryū demanded with a calmer yet scornful manner as he lands back down, his new power completely dominating the short fight between two bitter rival species. "Then I will spare your life, if not then the next shot will be three times stronger in which you won't be able to get back up after that."

Mayuri breathes heavily from the intense pain his body has just experienced and as he comes out of the smoke his left arm is completely gone and a large portion of his blood is spewing out of his body.

Now it's the Captain's turn to seethe with rage.

"Don't get cocky, you accursed brat!" He yelled. "How dare you do this to me! YOU! An aberration of Human meddling with powers beyond your comprehension. Merely speaking to me like this is beyond forgiveness. But fine… I will return the favor and attack you with a greater level of power. Bankai!"

His already dangerous and disturbing sword slowly began to bubble upward and outward the baby's head on the guard opens its mouth as it produces a giant creature with the body of a caterpillar in a red cape, with a grotesque golden baby's head and arms, and a silver halo hovering around its head. Near the back of the halo are 4 bells, 2 on each side. While in this form, his sword returns to its sealed state.

"Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō (Golden Leg-Cutting Guardian)!" Mayuri said while his body surged with Reiatsu that is initially pink before turning red, likely a result of the monster he just summoned.

"Ban-what?" Uryū muttered, horrified by what he is seeing but able to suppress it and maintain his controlling demeanor. 'So the Zanpakutō have more than one transformation. Jirōbō didn't display this, otherwise, he might've felt confident in not using Orihime as a hostage so hopefully that means that maybe only the Captains are capable of this.'

"Just when I thought you couldn't get any more disturbing, you went and bring this atrocity. How disgusting," Uryū hissed.

"Talk big all you like, boy. Because this is the end," Mayuri declared. "The mist you see is a rather potent poison made of my blood. Far more so than the one I've used on you so far. It works through skin contact, so don't think holding your breath will save you!"

Uryū flared his reiatsu, driving away the poisonous cloud the moment it draws closer.

"This might be a drain," Uryū grimaced, pulling more Reishi and reiatsu into his hand, drawing his arrows and aiming for the monster's head.

"ATTACK!" Mayuri roared, prompting the caterpillar to sprout swords from its body and charge the Quincy down.

Uryū loosed his projectile, as Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō made a bullrush towards the Quincy. They collided with a colossal burst of reiatsu, rocking the Seireitei with an epic explosion.

When the dust cleared, the Bankai was split clean down the middle and Mayuri was missing almost his entire chest area. The two pieces of the Bankai crashed down to the floor before dissipating.

"YOU… You… you've wasted your last… c-chance… chance! To kill me you… Quincy Bastard!" Mayuri roared, dropping his sword to quickly pick up a syringe with a green chemical from his person that he injects into his neck, confusing Uryū before he becomes horrified as he next sees that the mad scientist's body regenerates impossibly fast, the wounds he inflicted have all been healed with his chest and left arm restored.

"DAMN!" He cursed, preparing to fire another arrow but stops as he feels pain in his body.

'The Poison is finally in effect,' Mayuri grinned as he raises his right arm, which extends like a grappling hook, reaching for Uryū's neck, pulling harshly at him.

At the same time, Mayuri does another shocking horror as he pulls part of his ear out to form a scythe attached to a rope-like ligament for use as a kusarigama, sending it towards Ishida who manages to escape with his enhanced Hirenkyaku, though Mayuri makes a quick guess that he will try to attack from above and pulls his scythe to launch upward, narrowly hitting Uryū who escapes on to the ground.

"For a petty boy who vowed revenge just a few moments ago, you sure are a softy," Mayuri grinned triumphantly. "You've never killed anyone other than a Hollow before, have you? Is that why you chose at the last millisecond to aim for my chest when you had a clean shot at my head?"

"Damn you…" Uryū growled now madder at himself.

"Children. It always has to be the hard way when learning important life lessons, and unfortunately it seems I wasn't hitting you hard enough," Mayuri sighed as his arm re-attaches and the scythe is reabsorbed into his ear.

"The heart is a very fragile part of the body that makes for quick kills, however, the head is always the better target, and as you can see, I am someone who wants to be ready for anything, which is why I performed special surgeries on myself to make every single tissue in my body more useful than physically possible. There is no heart beating in my chest because I have no need of one anymore."

"That makes much more sense than I could ever hope to grasp," Uryū scoffed pointing his bow at him to fire.

"Go ahead and shoot, but you won't be able to hit me as-" He quickly dodges the next arrow fired at him better than he did before and another Uryū fired a nanosecond later, avoiding the devastation caused by the two arrows.

"… As efficiently as before because you've breathed in my poison. I noticed that you used your Reiatsu to flared the mist away from you but it is completely futile for I experimented on my own Zanpakutō to make him more lethal for even advance use of Reiatsu to evade."

"Doesn't matter because you can't use that monstrosity anymore and my weapon remains strong," Uryū boasted, doing the best to ignore the pain of the lethal poison, making sure that he won't miss next time.

"I praise you for destroying my Bankai, but the fact remains that you're way in over your head, brat," Mayuri scoffed at the foolish boy.

---

Not far from the battlefield between the Gotei Captain and Quincy, a lone Shinigami arrives at the scene to witness the last clash that destroyed one of the most horrifying Zanpakutō to date.

A large portion of the area has been cleared, as instructed by Mayuri who wanted to deal with the Ryoka with his Lieutenant as his only backup, and everyone knows how he wants to handle things so nobody wants to be around the unpopular Captain when he takes to the battlefield.

Lieutenant Matsuri Kudō will be defying those orders and so much more tonight.

"This is it. Once it is done, it's all or nothing," She breathed in heavily, preparing herself for the madness she is about to embark on, unsheathing her Zanpakutō, a standard katana with a rounded-off rectangular guard and a unique rod-like red hilt.

"Swath, Kotōmaru (Tiger Culler)!" Her sword transforms into a Guandao with a long pole-like handle and a double-edged blade, also containing a small ax-like blade on the top just above the hilt.

She moves her weapon forward and points the tip of the blade at the battlefield with red Reiryoku beginning to gather. "Hadō #71. Guren Shakkahō (Crimson Lotus, Red Fire Cannon)!"

Matsuri fires an immensely powerful and explosive red flaming blast that is easily noticed by the two combatants too late and can only watch as it heads towards… Mayuri! Striking him dead on and blowing him through multiple walls. The blast is so great that it can be seen for miles, all while leaving the Quincy unharmed.

"What the…" Uryū muttered in complete shock over what just happened. 'That blast was most definitely a Kidō. Was he hit by a Shinigami? but who…'

"WHOA! I've really gone and done it now!" Matsuri shouted as she arrives at the scene with Shunpo, breathing heavily as she almost feels like hyperventilating, and perhaps vomiting, with her head facing the ground.

"Who are you?!" Uryū demanded hastily while pointing her bow at her.

"Whoa there, Ishida! Let's not be hasty while in your bleak condition," She raised her hands in surrender while never letting go of Kotōmaru. "I'm the one who fired that crimson blast just now and I didn't miss."

"How do you know my name? And why would you attack one of your own Captains?" Uryū questioned confused.

"Not important right now, and you're not the only one with grievances with that monster. Well, none that have yet to be established but I digress," Matsuri muttered. "We don't have much time, Captain Kurotsuchi made the mistake of wanting to deal with you and Inoue with just his Lieutenant for aid and ordered everyone in this area to evacuate so that they don't learn of anything that would inconvenience him so we have to leave now and meet up with Inoue in the sewers with Hanatarō."

"In the sewers? You mean Orihime escaped from that woman?" Uryū said in disbelief before collapsing as the poison is getting worse.

"In the next few minutes, sure," Matsuri said as she returns Kotōmaru to its Sealed Form and sheathes it to help carry Uryū. "You need immediate care." She said as she Shunpos away with him.

Little did they know that the two were being watched by a sneaky black cat.

"This just keeps getting better and better," Yoruichi mused.

---

Nemu was still making her way toward the 12th Division Barracks with Orihime still down for the count despite the wound on her right knee.

Much like himself, Mayuri also experimented on her body and modified her to be more efficient as a subordinate. Blood loss is still a serious problem but she is able to move about even with less than 50% of her blood and she still has plenty to spare.

Shinigami can naturally shrug off injuries better than Humans.

Nemu does halt once she sees a manhole cover in front of her open up and from it came Hanatarō.

"I should be in the 12th Barracks? Yeah, definitely," He mused to himself, climbing up.

"Hanatarō Yamada," Nemu said, getting the attention of the 4th Seat who yelps at the sight of her.

"Lieutenant Kurotsuchi!" He cried in fear as the two leaders of the 12th Division terrify even the members of the 11th Division and Onmitsukidō. Although, his medical instincts begin to dwarf his fears upon seeing the grievous wound.

"Reiō! What happened to your leg?!"

"I got shot by a Quincy Arrow," She explained bluntly, her pain inconsequential despite her face betraying her conviction.

"Please, let me treat you, I'll be able to close the wound with my Hisagomaru (Gourd)," Hanatarō pleaded as he reaches for his Zanpakutō that he went to pick up in the 4th Division Barracks before coming here.

The place was so overcrowded that hardly anyone noticed him and then there was the horrific news of Captain Aizen's death which he forced himself to dismiss.

The Katana has a blue handle and a circular guard with a brown sphere or bag attached to it. Along the length of the blade is a gauge.

"We were told that you were captured by the Ryoka?" Nemu questioned.

She never saw him during that titanic battle and presumed he got caught in the crossfire and died.

"I was but I managed to escape when Ichigo Kurosaki was forced to fight Captains Zaraki, Kuchiki and Hitsugaya," He lied. "He forced me to take him to the Senzaikyū and used me as a living shield but that didn't go so well for him, but he did manage to escape with Rukia Kuchiki, so… not so great."

"Quite," Nemu retorted. Though suspicious of his explanation, Nemu cannot deny the relief inside as she allows herself to lie down while dropping Orihime as they both fall to the floor.

The hole on her knee is too grave.

"So much blood loss… oh dear… this is a tough one Hisagomaru," Hanatarō muttered as he proceeds to place his Zanpakutō within the hole on her knee. 'Though not for the reason she will think.'

"You can do it, Hanatarō! Ichigo and Rukia are counting on you," Encouraged his Zanpakutō, supportive of his master's decision to rebel against the Soul Society.

Unlike common Zanpakutō, Hisagomaru does not inflict damage when the blade hits a target but rather heals the wounds of anyone it touches. Upon contact with a target, red smoke is emitted from the wound as it heals.

The red smoke then enters the blade causing its gauge to fill up with a red light consistent with the level of the injury, such as Nemu's injury as the hole begins to regenerate and close up.

"This is not good, not good at all. She's lost too much blood, even if we close this wound, she'll still die of blood loss. This poor girl has no concern for her well-being," Hisagomaru lamented. "You must release me if I am to stabilize her."

"I know. Fulfill, Hisagomaru!" Hanatarō called as the gauge on his blade has been filled and the color of said blade turns bloody red. "Seichi no Okurimono (Gift of Holy Blood)!" He cast a technique of his Zanpakutō and before Nemu knew it, the anguish she felt from so much of her lost blood ceases.

"Blood is returning to my veins," Nemu mused.

"Yeah, my Zanpakutō isn't exactly meant for combat since it's the exact opposite and can perform all sorts of healing 'miracles'," Hanatarō explained.

"You're welcome!" Hisagomaru cheered, even though Nemu couldn't hear him.

"You should be fine but it's important that you lie down and get a proper rest," Hanatarō suggested.

"I cannot rest yet. Master Mayuri has given me instructions to take this Ryoka to the S.R.D.I. and that is what I must do," Nemu declared, already back on her feet as though Uryū never shot an arrow at her knee.

"That's great and all but there's been a misunderstanding on my part. I apologize. I meant that it's important for ME that you lie down and rest," Hanatarō smiled innocently and apologetically.

"What are you implying?" Nemu demanded before her vision becomes shrouded with purple cherry blossoms spontaneously falling around her, confusing her before she feels her vision begin to blur.

"What?! Hakufuku (White Crawl)! What have you… d-done…"

She rapidly becomes unfocused as her consciousness becomes muddled, disoriented, and confused before blacking out altogether and falling to the ground.

"That could've gone worse," Hanatarō sighed in total relief.

While he was healing her he cast a Kidō that he's become particularly proficient in using to escape from 11th Division Shinigami who start to harass him. It's actually the only non-healing Kidō he bothered to learn and it has come too much in handy.

"Alright, time to get out of here," He goes for the still-unconscious Orihime and drags her into the sewers. "Wow, even though she's taller than me, she's light as a feather just like Lieutenant Kotetsu."

Soon enough, they are back in the sewers. Hanatarō can't believe his good fortune, he overheard fellow Shinigami talking about the possible whereabouts of the Ryoka and decided that the 12th Division is the most dangerous place for Ichigo's friends to set foot in and went there first, and as it was, he found one of them at the best possible moment. A girl with burnt orange hair that matches well with Ichigo's. He did take the time to tell him the descriptions of each of them to better prepare and it all worked out for at least one of them.

"I really hope the other one is all right but I don't think I'll be as fortunate next time," Hanatarō sighed.

"Actually, you can be," Hanatarō cries from fright, hearing someone come from behind when there was no one. He turns around and sees Matsuri carrying a poisoned Uryū.

"Lieutenant Kudō! One of you specifically," Hanatarō shuttered. "T-This isn't what it looks like."

"It looks like you committed treason by collaborating with the Ryoka and rescued one of them by knocking out another Lieutenant with Kidō," Matsuri perfectly surmised the whole event that just occurred.

"Okay… it's exactly what it looks like," Hanatarō confessed, believing that this is it for him and Orihime.

"I got no room to judge since I too am guilty of the same thing," Matsuri said as she lies Uryū down next to Orihime.

"Orihime…" He whispered in concern for his comrade who is still incapacitated.

"He's been poisoned by Kurotsuchi's Bankai, and Captain Unohana did invent a special kind of Kaidō meant to counter any and all Poison-Type Zanpakutō no matter how potent that she taught to all her Seated Officers, right?" She asked.

"I… yeah. She did," Hanatarō mumbled as he quickly began to treat Uryū.

"We'll be safe for now and once they've been treated they need to be moved to the Sōkyoku Hill, ironically the safest place for them and Rukia to be in right now," Matsuri instructed.

"Really?" Hanatarō asked. "I don't really like irony, even when it turns out beneficial but… why are you helping them as well?"

"I have my reasons, as do you, though I plan to be more discreet about it," Matsuri shrugged.

"I suppose, but it's still bizarre to see you here. It's a well-known fact that Captain Komamura practically worships the Head Captain and as his Lieutenant, he's placed so much trust in you," Hanatarō wondered.

"The same can be said about you. After all, for as long as you've been in the 4th Division, Captain Unohana has treated you and your brothers like her sons rather than her subordinates and she's long since been the Head Captain's greatest confidant," Matsuri countered.

"I know that but…" Hanatarō hesitated for the briefest moment before gaining more confidence. "I was taught to always look after my friends. Rukia's my friend and the Seireitei has been most unfair to her so I can't stay loyal if this is how the Gotei treats the innocent. It's bad enough that we ignore the Rukongai so frequently."

"Yeah, you're right about that," Matsuri mused.

'What an odd bunch, these two are,' Uryū thought, hearing everything. 'It's infuriating but I have no choice but to leave our fates in their hands, not like I'll be of any use from here on-'

Uryū is left frozen again, not because things are getting worse for him, but rather because there's a lack of a worsened condition.

'My powers… the consequences of using Letzt Stil (Last Style) would be that in exchange for tremendous power, I will lose all my Quincy abilities. A risk I was willing to make if it meant defeating that monster but nothing is happening. The power loss is supposed to occur immediately but instead, I feel the same as I was before I encountered that freak,'

"Another comrade is coming," Matsuri said looking to her front while Hanatarō and Uryū turn to their right as they see Yoruichi before them.

"Oh? So you noticed me coming. Perhaps I have gotten sloppy these past few years," Yoruichi smirked, amused by the sudden events.

"A talking cat!" Hanatarō gasped in shock.

"Yoruichi," Uryū muttered in relief to see a familiar face.

"Yoruichi…" Matsuri whispered, almost not believing her eyes at whom she was seeing.

"I see that in the short time we've been separated, you kids have gotten yourselves impressive allies even though I told you the opposite. My, my, Reiō certainly likes picking favorites lately." Yoruichi mused, walking forward. "I apologize for being late but I was forced to deal with so many nuisances on my way here."

"You're the one that got rid of the Executive Militia that was instructed by Captain Soifon to ignore Mayuri's orders and capture these two themselves," Matsuri said.

"Correct, and I must say, I have never been more disappointed in my life," Yoruichi shook his head with disdain. "It's only been a century since I've been away from the Soul Society after choosing to wonder the Human World and I can't believe that in such a short time the Seireitei has fallen so low as it has. I mean seriously, the Onmitsukidō who have the burden of doing this world's dirty work are so incompetent now that they can't even capture a lowly cat. I have more fun playing with my toys. Oh, Soifon, I had such high hopes for her. And Marenoshin's son? My God, what does Yamamoto think he's doing with you children?"

"I'm afraid of seeing her reaction when she finds out about that," Hanatarō said with a shiver down his spine.

"I'd be more worried about my brother who is the only one that can ease her foul temper." Matsuri sighed. "Anyway, with you here, I can leave with a sound mind and return before anyone gets suspicious of me."

"I would rather not risk you turning out to be a deceiver but after what you did to that despicable man you'd be wise to keep us as your friends in case Mayuri discovers your afront," Yoruichi said more than certain that he can trust Matsuri.

"Thanks. Stay safe Hanatarō. We'll meet up again soon," Matsuri said before vanishing with Shunpo.

"Thank you, Matsuri," Hanatarō smiled.

"Matsuri," Yoruichi whispered as his eyes become softer, and smiles warmly. "You've grown so much into such a fine and beautiful young woman."

He resumes his serious expression when attending to the others. "So tell me, young man, how long before you are done with these children."

"It's going to take me at least half an hour to finish removing all of the poison from him. Ashisogi Jizō is just the worst, and it keeps getting deadlier and deadlier," Hanatarō explained. "At least the young lady is only knocked out so I'm not too worried for her."

"Not like we can stay here for too long anyway so you're gonna have to wait until we get these kids to a safer location," Yoruichi said.

"How exactly? My Shunpo is not very good." Hanatarō wondered.

"Oh, you leave everything to me," Yoruichi smirked as his body began to surge with impressive amounts of Reiryoku and the Cat starts to grow in both size and shape.

"Wait, what's…" Uryū uttered as they watch him become human in appearance and the sight is not what they expected.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The girly cries of both males could be heard for miles at the shock of what they were witnessing.

---

"Well, here we go again, off to another meeting with the other Captains. How… lovely… Mmmm~" Gin whined as he walks beside a recovered Izuru to the 1st Division Barracks.

"How are you doing, Captain? I imagine that you're taking the tragedy almost as bad as Momo." Izuru said softly concerning the death of Captain Aizen and his friendship with Gin.

The silver-haired man used to be the 5th Division Lieutenant before he ascended to Captaincy.

"Let me tell you a little secret, Kira. I knew about Sōsuke Aizen's death since the moment I met him. The question was, which of us would be offed first, him or me," Gin said now sounding aggravated. "To be a Shinigami is to walk with Death always right beside you, and if we were to wallow in grief every time we lost a comrade we'd be grieving for eternity while Death lies there laughing at us."

"That's… a really disturbing thought, sir," Izuru muttered.

"That's our world in a nutshell, my boy. Now please don't mention him for the rest of the day, I'm about to get enough headaches from everyone else at the meeting," Gin said a little more condescending but Izuru isn't offended when all he feels is pity for his Captain.

Izuru himself is very bitter about Aizen's demise since he used to serve under the 5th Division alongside Momo, that's how he met Gin, though he was eventually reassigned to the 4th Division for three years before he was finally promoted to the Lieutenant rank.

Coincidentally, or perhaps by Fate, Gin achieved the rank of Captain at the same time and that's how they started working together in the 3rd Division.

Those were some good four years serving under Aizen, not that Captain Unohana was less impressive and for him to go down like that, so disgracefully breaks his heart, to say nothing of Momo's utter despair. He is stuck on what to do, he can only hope that the Captains finally have a solution to stop the Ryoka's rampage.

Or perhaps not… the first thing the two hear as soon as they reach the doors to the meeting is a wall being hit so hard that a hole is punched through.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LET YOURSELF GET TAKEN DOWN! AND BY A FUCKING CAT!" Captain Soifon screamed in outrage upon receiving the news of what has happened to the men she sent to capture the two individuals suspected to be Ryoka in the 12th Division Barracks.

"It's not my fault! The cat moved as fast as you, Captain!" Cried one man that most of them are annoyingly familiar with pleading for mercy and defending himself from the outraged Captain.

"As fast as ME?! Are you saying I wouldn't have done any better?!" Soifon only grew angrier.

"NO! NO! That's not- KYAAAAAAA!"

"I take it back, this might be pretty entertaining," Gin grinned, looking forward to what they're waltzing into. Izuru could never share his enthusiasm as he groans in frustration.

"This is so embarrassing. Reiō must be laughing at us right now," He whined.

"If that's the case then I better make myself the main course," Gin cheered, opening the doors to see the madness happening before them.

The 2nd Division Captain behaves uncharacteristically volatile and attacks one of her subordinates in front of the other Captains, though the Head Captain hasn't arrived yet. The poor subordinate in question is the 3rd Seat of her Division, Marechiyo Ōmaeda, a large man, almost twice the height of his captain and three times her weight.

He has black hair and wears the standard Shinigami robes with a large purple collar. He is often seen wearing expensive, personalized jewelry.

He is currently cowering behind Captain Ukitake who protects him from Soifon's wrath and she is being restraint by her Lieutenant Fujimaru, while everyone can only watch purely dumbfounded by how bad things have gotten for even a Captain to behave so barbaric and unprofessionally.

"Captain Soifon! Please, control yourself! This is no way for a Captain to behave," Jūshirō half demanded and half pleaded with her. "I'm sure this young man and the Executive Militia did the best that they could. Each of the Ryoka are just that powerful."

"Y-Yeah… that cat was a monster in disguise. A super scary monster," Marechiyo cried but Soifon is not having any of it as she finally frees herself of her Lieutenant's hold but thankfully, she doesn't resume her assault.

"You are a goddamn embarrassment! And I will not be spending another moment looking at your pathetic, fat-sucking face! Now SCRAM!" She demanded and Marechiyo flees without using Shunpo while crying all the way, running past the leaders of the 3rd Division who are further dumbfounded.

"And you can forget about Holiday Bonuses, dumbass!"

"We are all so going to get fired for this," Fujimaru muttered at how lowly they have just fallen.

"Well, who can say no to an early retirement," Shunsui chuckled, earning him a slam to the back of his head by the book of his Lieutenant.

"Isn't Ōmaeda the Corps Commander of the Detention Unit guarding the Nest of Maggots?" Isane asked Nanao.

"Yes but he's still sore about not being able to pay his way into the Lieutenant Rank and has been struggling more directly and physically for the position and managed to convince Captain Soifon to leave the Executive Militia to him just this once to catch the Ryoka," Nanao explained.

"Now that you mention it, he has lost some weight recently," Isane realized.

"So… I take it that both Kurotsuchi and the Onmitsukidō have also failed to grab a hold of the Ryoka?" Gin asked nonchalantly.

"Don't get involved," Fujimaru pleaded while remaining close to his livid Captain to make sure she doesn't attack him as well.

"Can we all please keep a cool mind? We can't do anything if we're fighting amongst ourselves," Jūshirō pleaded with his comrades.

"At this point, that's asking the impossible, Captain Ukitake. And it's not just us who are on edge. Everywhere we go, madness is there to hold us in its vile grip," Kaname said with disappointment in his tone with Sajin beside him who just shook his head. "Every minute that passes our men lose morale by the dozens, and now Captain Aizen has passed."

By his words, everyone except Soifon because of her state of mind, lower their heads in sadness at the horrific news of one of their Captains being assassinated.

All of the Gotei 13 are in mourning, or rather want to but have to push aside their grief to fight harder against the Ryoka who remain at large and the only possible suspects in his murder.

"I don't understand, why have they only now begun to use lethal force when they spared so many of our subordinates?" Jūshirō wondered with confusion, reevaluating what he thought about the invaders.

"I'm more concern as to why they stopped at just him, after all, if they were able to get away with leaving his body in the 4th Division why not go on a killing spree toward the wounded," Shunsui added more questions to the confusion before them. "And are we absolutely certain that the crime didn't really happen in the medical barracks but happened elsewhere and later relocated?"

"That's the only thing that would make sense at first, with powerful Kidō like Sentan Hakuja (Thousand-Coil White Snake) and more likely Kūkanten'i (Spatial Displacement), such a feat would be believable but after doing an extensive examination, I can rebuke this belief and state that this abominable act happened right within my own Barracks," Retsu confirmed.

"Are you sure, Captain Unohana? You haven't had that long to do an autopsy on the body to reach such a conclusion already?" Sajin questioned in disbelief.

"Under normal circumstances, I would require a lot longer to get a full report of a crime scene like this but in truth, I have witnessed similar crimes like this before, where a victim was killed in one place and later the killer would relocate the body and convincingly make it look like the murder happened elsewhere. I am familiar with the subtle signs and can tell the difference thoroughly. I am certain that Captain Aizen died in the 4th Division Barracks. In fact, he was expected to come by in the morning to visit his Lieutenant. I assume that is the reason young Hinamori got out of bed early when she was instructed to stay in her room to see him first," Retsu said sadly.

"But how… no Illusion made by Kidō or a Zanpakutō could be so thorough to deceive so many Shinigami," Jūshirō asked stunt.

"This is just wrong, and these Ryoka are just a bunch of kids too," Gin shook his head. "What is up in the Living World, I swear."

"Right, I've been meaning to ask you some more about that, Captain Ichimaru," Shunsui turned to him, taking the chance to question him about the spontaneous return of Isshin Shiba.

Though he would prefer to keep this discussion private, the loss of Aizen has removed the need for caution.

"And what might that be, Cap-" Gin can say no more as he is attacked from behind, a blast they recognized as a Shakkahō hits him in the back and knocks him a few feet closer to his fellow Captains, shocking everyone in the room, though it wasn't all that harmful to him, the real shock came from who did it, that is an angered Tōshirō with Rangiku and Byakuya beside him.

"Captain!" Rangiku cried not expecting him to do that.

"Not unwarranted but still unnecessary," Byakuya said, his tone as lifeless as his face implies.

"Captain Hitsugaya! What is the meaning of this?!" Jūshirō demanded, a gasped at another one of the Captains behaving so irrationally.

"You knew he was here and yet you said nothing!" Tōshirō accused Gin.

"Excuse me. I believe the words you meant to say is 'pretty please, Mr. Gin, can you tell me what I desperately want to know'," Ichimaru whined mockingly while casually getting back up, provoking the young Captain to make another attack, prompting Izuru to step between them, his hand on his Zanpakutō to defend his Captain.

"Stand down, Captain Hitsugaya! Need I remind you that we are in the 1st Division Barracks? What you're doing is high treason!" The Lieutenant warned.

"Out of my way Izuru!" Tōshirō warned before Rangiku comes in and restrains him by wrapping her arms around him.

"Captain, enough!" She warned and pleaded.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?!" Shunsui demanded.

"Isshin Shiba is alive and is among the Ryoka, and they've succeeded in taking Rukia Kuchiki," Tōshirō growled while still glaring daggers at Gin.

These poor people cannot take much more of this, it's bad enough that their comrades and best fighters have been outmatched and humiliated further by the hour but if any more shocking news like this one keeps popping up the Soul Society may never be the same again.

"What…" Retsu uttered, unable to believe his words.

"Have you finally decided to give in and have some of the sake Rangiku keeps hiding in your office, kid?" Gin frowned, feigning ignorance as he purposely withheld his encounter with Isshin. "And even if what you're saying is true, why are you attacking me over this?"

"We know what we saw, and it was most certainly the former 10th Division Captain whom we thought was K.I.A. after the Ōin War," Byakuya stated.

"But that's impossible," Izuru mumbled, before turning back to Rangiku and Tōshirō, the sad and angry looks they have are all the confirmation he needs.

"Yeah, we saw him," Shunsui sighed while tipping his hat, Nanao choosing to remain quiet like the rest of the Lieutenants and Jūshirō's two 3rd Seats. "He showed up while Nanao and I came across two of the Ryoka, and in typical Isshin fashion, he waltzes in unannounced, minding his own business and leaves a mess when he departs, taking the two kids with him and one of them happens to be his nephew, Ganju."

"What the fuck is wrong with the world all of a sudden?!" Soifon snapped again.

"Beats me, but it has been turned upside down a long time ago. We were just lucky to hang on to the floor until now," Shunsui said. "There is also a lot of dishonesty we haven't noticed until now."

"My thoughts exactly," Tōshirō snorted while still directing his ire at Gin.

"Oh, here we go again," Gin whined. "Like I always say, you are all free to think what you wish of me, and I insist but seriously, I'm just as struck as all of you by Isshin's return. He wasn't even there when I first encountered those kids after they defeated Jidanbō."

"You're lying!" Tōshirō accused.

"Am I now?" Gin retorted now more condescending. "Because for what possible reason would I have to withhold information such as this from any of you? After all, if I did spot our old friend Isshin and reported this, you would've all been motivated to set out into Rukongai and find the invaders when instead you all decided to brush it off because they were Rukongai's problem now."

Gin's words struck a nerve in all of them, some like Jūshirō, Shunsui, and Retsu having the decency to look guilty of that undeniable fact.

"Now that I take the chance to think it over, the way those kids stormed the Seireitei from the sky and make it past the Sekkiseki, doesn't that sound familiar to anyone? Like… there's a certain someone in Rukongai with the means to do that? We know where she is and that she and her brother like to be a thorn in our side, so why didn't we assess the situation by investigating immediately?" Gin continues to taunt them in his defense.

"Last time I checked, our all-powerful God and King made his Kingdom off of two realms mixed together, not just the Seireitei so we have so much ground to cover that being lazy should be a death sentence. Tragic how mine, the 5th, and 9th Divisions are the only ones actually looking out for the little guys. Central 46 and the Nobles be damned. Speaking of little people, the 10th Division hasn't been very good sportsmen for two decades now."

Tōshirō became even more tempted to attack him but thankfully took the time to compose himself to prevent further embarrassment to his Division.

"I think you made your point already, Captain," Izuru sighed, really wishing he'd stayed at the hospital right now.

"Alright, I'll stop for now," Gin relented. "Key word being for now."

"So then, has Rukia really been taken by the Ryoka?" Jūshirō asked, wanting more confirmation on the latest events, all while hiding the relief he feels to learn that his subordinate has been freed, and who better to answer than her brother?

"Disappointed?" Byakuya asked his own question to the one who is most against the execution while looking more apathetic than he usually is.

Jūshirō would not budge though.

"Are you?" He retorted, glaring at him.

His devotion to the Laws of Soul Society is admirable and in all aspects, Byakuya should be revered as the best example of what it means to be a Shinigami next to the Head Captain himself.

His refusal to give his family members a pass for committing crimes is also a breath of fresh air considering plenty of nobles take advantage of their status to do deplorable acts but at the same time, him agreeing to let Rukia be executed is really pushing it.

"You people. I always knew you'd descend into pathetic barbarians at the first sign of cracks in our control over the world but this is just sad,"

Everyone turns to see Mayuri entering the meeting room, looking like a hot mess, his makeup no longer covering his face, no longer covering his light skin, blue hair, and honey golden eyes, also he has small, slatted portcullises with multiple earrings in place of where his ears would be.

Luckily he took the time to change shihakushō and haori before coming here because he look disastrous before.

"Mayuri?" Soifon questioned, just as surprised as everyone by his true appearance.

"So that's what you look like without your makeup and crazy headgear on," Shunsui muttered in awe. "I prefer you with the crazy getup instead."

"Your opinion is irrelevant but I appreciate your honesty," Mayuri hissed.

"How are you feeling? We heard about what went down?" Jūshirō asked.

"I feel like I want to watch the world burn until the last shred of Reishi in the universe has been extinguished," Mayuri replied with pure venom and rage on his face, disturbing everyone because they know he means it.

"Really, wouldn't you settle for planting your organic bombs on any of your more insubordinate men and watch them go kaboom for your entertainment instead?" Gin sneered.

"That was a one-time thing and those degenerates had it coming," Mayuri hissed, ignoring all the glares and recalling the Head Captain's death threats when he found out about it by one of his men who ratted him out. Said rat was later transferred to the 1st Division for his safety and Mayuri have better think thrice before plotting his revenge.

"How so?"

"Never mind my woes! We have more important matters to discuss," Mayuri shrugged. "There are traitors among us helping the Ryoka!"

"What?!" Soifon questioned, narrowing her eyes.

"Someone interrupted my fight with the Quincy and struck me with a Level 71 Kidō and made off with the Quincy, including Nemu. And no it was not another Ryoka because I had a dozen Surveillance Bugs scattered across the barracks in case I missed something or my targets got away. Many of them were destroyed, no doubt by the perpetrator but not all of them."

"Well, who is it then? Who dares disgrace the Gotei 13 and Head Captain Yamamoto?!" Sajin demanded the answer, already swearing vengeance on those who dare betray them.

"No idea! I can't make heads or tails of this person, let alone their gender because they also use Kidō to obscure their visage," Mayuri snarled.

"In fact, seven new Kidō Spells have recently been invented and one of them just so happens to grant one the ability to disguise themselves from monitoring equipment for espionage missions, therefore there should only be a small handful of people who know how to use it."

"The list of people who even know about the newer and more advanced spells is classified and known only to the Grand Kidō Chief. We'll have to consult with him before we can conduct an investigation," Tōshirō said.

"And I will most certainly like to spearhead that investigation myself," Mayuri exclaimed, livid at the humiliation he endured, before next turning his gaze at Fujimaru and Matsuri. "However, I do already have a few suspects in mind."

"Wait… us?!" Fujimaru gasped at the sudden accusation.

"On what grounds do you have to make any claims against one of my own, Kurotsuchi?" Soifon demanded.

"A thousand if you must know. The most glaringly obvious is the fact that Isshin Shiba is one of the invaders and who here besides Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto know about him more than your Lieutenant and his twin sister, who were practically raised by him," Mayuri stated. "And how could we forget the fact that his half-brother, Hanatarō Yamada is still missing."

"We thought he was dead like everyone else," Fujimaru uttered, still trying to grasp a hold of the revelation that keeps slipping from his hands.

"Yeah, I think you're really jumping the gun on this one," Matsuri said while folding her arms, though those around her can tell how nervous she is and more likely because of the fear Mayuri normally induces in everyone around him and it is a known fact that she is especially afraid of him for some reason. "And yes, I'm on the list of people who acquired the new spells but I never once set foot in the 12th Division Barracks."

"If you two are going to shower us with excuses and crocodile tears you might as well spare us the show because no one here is going to buy it," Mayuri sneered.

"Speaking of which, Lieutenant Matsuri, you and Lieutenant Hisagi were tasked with guarding the 4th Division Barracks and out of the blue you left to send a message to your brother just when a Captain was found dead in the very barracks you failed to guard. Now what could have been so important you would take the time to do something so trivial at such a critical moment unless you expected something like that to happen."

"I… admit that was very questionable on my part, especially when Hinamori needed all our support but that still doesn't make us guilty. I got back to my post twelve minutes later, way before your battle with the Ryoka," Matsuri countered.

"Always full of answers, aren't you?" Mayuri hissed, not relenting in his accusation, certain that he is correct and his violent glare makes Matsuri more nervous.

"That's enough Kurotsuchi!" Captain Komamura warned, stepping towards Mayuri. "You are the last person alive who should be lecturing anyone about treachery or insubordination! Don't you even dare entertain the idea of doing as you please with one of my own."

"Captain…" Matsuri muttered whiles Fujimaru pulls her away from the two men for her safety in case another fight ensues.

"No one is talking to you, you annoying mutt. Don't bark at me with your petty insecurities," Mayuri said smugly.

"All I'm hearing right now is a coward desperately trying to shift the blame on someone else to escape the gravity of his failure," Sajin insulted.

"Knock it off, Sajin. Both of you. You're being pathetic," Kaname spoke up next, wanting his friend to stay calm.

"At least I was out there! Doing something about the infestation, unlike the rest of you noisy, whiny, pompous-"

The perpetual bickering between the High authorities of the Gotei 13 are again put to rest by the Head Captain who finally arrives. His immeasurable Reiatsu courses everywhere as they all turn to see him enter the room.

Beside him is his Lieutenant, Chōjirō Sasakibe, a man in his fifties, with short silver-gray hair and a small black handlebar mustache with lightly tanned skin. He wears a white jinbaori over a standard Shinigami uniform with long white arm guards. He wears a white turtle neck under his uniform and has his lieutenant armband on his left arm.

He, like the Captains, are the only ones able to remain standing while all the others fall to their knees before the strongest Shinigami in history who is not happy.

Saying he's angry is not just an understatement but a fact truer than anything seen in the Seireitei.

His red eyes belong to a Demon rather than a guardian of the Afterlife looking down at the men and women he has the misfortune of working alongside him in his sacred duty again continue to bicker and fight among themselves while their true enemies go about in their capital doing as they please with no one to stop them.

The rest of them can only look down in shame, refusing to look upon their Commander as he makes his next judgment.

"Inexcusable. Inconceivable. To think that this is what the Gotei 13 has been reduced to. Mere children who'd rather allow their grievances to flourish than see their duties fulfilled. Failure after failure with no end in sight, the strength and honor of the Shinigami name brought down low primarily by a human pretending to be one of us. This will not stand," Genryūsai roared, fires coursing through him with his power threatening to incinerate all before him. "It seems I have no choice. It now falls to me to see the Ryoka finished and in the name of Reiō, Justice will be served!"