Alrighty, here we go. New chapter, wooooooo! We're finally getting some action going, and a some closer inspection on Ashwina's past with the Seretei. A giant thank you to all you wonderful rays of sunshine who reviewed, favorited, followed and all that wonderful jazz. You guys are total awesomesauce.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Ashwina and all the twists and turns her appearance creates.

Enjoy~

Bounty

Chapter 7

The six invaders stared, shocked as their cannonball's barrier blew away. They had successfully broken through the Seretei's barrier, however...

"What's going on? We've passed through the shield, how come we're not dropping?," Ichigo shouted to the others, sweat building along his face.

"Everybody, don't separate!" They shared a confused look before returning their stares to the black cat. "The shield was melted by the high concentration of reiryoku. This is just holding us temporarily! Soon a tornado will form, if we separate, we will be sent flying in different directions!"

Ichigo and his comrades shared another shocked look before the wind suddenly increased, swirling into a dangerous spiral. Quickly, they were caught in the currents, Orihime's cry of surprise barely carrying to the others. Hands and legs flailing, they reached for one another in panic. Ichigo and Ganju were carried along one current, while Chad, Orihime, and Uryu were quickly pulled along another.

"EVERYONE, HOLD ON TO THE PERSON CLOSEST TO YOU! DON'T EVER LET GO!" Yuroichi cried loudly, watching as Ichigo yanked Ganju close to him while Chad gripped Orihime over his shoulder.

Ichigo scowled down at the dark haired man in his arm, "Damn."

"What the hell are you cursing for?!"

Suddenly, Yuroichi appeared on the shinigami's shoulder, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "Lend me your shoulder."

Chad, holding Orihime tightly, reached out for Uryu, who was still caught alone in the vortex. "Ishida!" The quincy looked up, eyes wide as he stretched towards the other teen, their fingers brushing ever so slightly before he was sent flying away. Tossing Orihime quickly, Chad launched himself forward before snatching the quincy's shirt and tossing him back towards the red haired girl.

"WAAAAAAHHH! SADO!"

They all watched in shock and dismay as he shot down, streaking through the sky towards the Seretei. His body, covered in reiatsu, plummeted down and out of their reach.

"CHAD!"

"Don't worry, he will find a way to survive! Don't mind it, if you want to find him, you have to worry about yourself first!," Yuroichi, still perched on Ichigo's shoulder, rationalized with him. Focusing on the current situation, he quickly reached towards his remaining friends. "Inoue!"

"Kurosaki!"

Their hands were mere millimeters apart, fingers almost touching before a sudden flash of light erupted around them. With a deafening boom, the remaining invaders were sent streaking across the sky towards the earth below.

"Damn." Far below, standing among the streets of the Seretei stood a behemoth of a man. His black hair pulled into tall spikes, all ending with small silver bells. "Which one..?" His remaining eye watched as the four streaks fell in separate directions. "Which one is the strongest?"

Quickly, he took off in a run, choosing his prey at random. The small girl with pink hair merely smiled from her perch on his shoulder. Turning her head to the side, her brown eyes lit up brightly as she waved cheerfully at a silver haired girl, who had just brought her own eyes down from the sky.

"Bye-bye Mooney!"

Mouth still hanging open, the silver haired girl waved back once, a lollipop hanging from her lips.

"Well shit."

Ichigo's P.O.V.

The sound of wind whipping past Ganju and I was deafening, I could barely see past the strong currents. Suddenly, Ganju pulled me back.

"Bastard, what are you doing? Let me go!"

He ignored me though, instead placing his hands into intricate patterns before assuming a superman position while dragging me along. "Turn into sand, SEBBA!" His outstretched hand quickly formed a circle in the air. Within seconds we were suddenly crash landing, sending dust up and out from our impact. Instead of hard rock, our bodies were immersed in soft sand.

Which unfortunately went straight into my mouth and nose.

"PUWAH!" Dragging myself up, I spit the grainy sand out, trying to breathe normal wonderful oxygen. "Hu, you're magic saved us..." All I could hear was him coughing from behind me. "Thanks Gan..." The hacking continued as he pounded against his chest dramatically. "That was your own magic, how long are you gonna cough?!" Rounding quickly, I kicked him once, pushing him away from me. "Punk, how can you kick your savior?!"

"I didn't kick you! That's the modern way of saying 'Thank you'!"

"What? Is that so?"

I stared him down, wondering if he really was so clueless to believe that.

"Yoho, so lucky!" My body froze upon hearing the foreign voice, before slowly moving to turn as two separate pairs of sandal-clad feet landed behind me.

"Originally, I thought guard duty was too troublesome, so I wondered off..." Two men stood before us, both garbed in shinigami robes. "And here's the prey right in front of me!" One was bald, red marks adorning both eyes. The other had chin length black hair and feathers connected to his right eye.

"Lucky! Today is my lucky day!" ...and now the bald one had started to sing.

"As for you, you are very unlucky."

I could feel my eyebrows pull down, showing my irritation and defiance. "Hah?"

Ashwina's P.O.V.

I breathed a very heavy sigh of relief as that behemoth of a captain kept going, not even taking notice of me standing out in the open. "Oh thank the gods, I was not ready to deal with that shit." Scratching the back of my head, I peeked out from my 'great' hiding spot and started on my way in the opposite direction of the tank with legs.

"Let's see..." I shielded my eyes with one hand, pointing lazily in a random direction. "Ichigo definitely fell that-a-way, so I guess, that direction." Nodding to myself, I continued on, narrowly avoiding a rampaging group of shinigami. They literally ran right by, not even noticing my form stuck up against the wall. "What idiots." I peeked around the corner, watching with a frown as their dust cloud continued down the road.

"Now now, Bounty Hunter-chan. That's not very nice, you shouldn't be so judgmental." The deep, cheerful voice echoed quietly in my ear, causing me to freeze in complete horror. 'Oh gods, not this ol' goob.' I let out a shaky laugh, turning quickly to face the white haired captain. "Well, well, well; if it isn't old Juushiro. You're looking quite well today, out for a stroll are we?"

The captain of the Thirteenth division just smiled serenely, his white hair swaying gently in the breeze. "Oh yes, this commotion is just too much noise for me to properly rest, so I thought a peaceful walk might be better." We both smiled at one another, a giant sweat drop running down my head as I began inching away ever so slightly. "Well, I wouldn't want to intrude. Please resume your peaceful walk, and I'll just be on my good old way."

Quickly forming an about-face, I began shuffling away in a hopefully not obvious sprint.

"Bakudo number 4: Hainawa." I felt my face meet dirt and rocks, arms locked behind my back by a bright yellow kido binding. "Shiiiiit."

"Oh, there's no reason to leave so soon, I would love a walking companion!" That bright smile suddenly filled my line of sight as I rolled over onto my back, not even straining against the kido. If this man wanted to fight, he would have done so already. There are many layers to the one known as Juushiro Ukitake.

"Fine, do whatever you want, brobeans." I huffed as the man commenced to dragging me along behind him, avoiding all other shinigami along the way. Which was quite thoughtful of him. "How's that alcoholic idiot, by the way?"

"Shunsui? Oh, he's grand. Although, we're both very upset by Rukia's execution, but..." He trailed off, leaving that thought hanging in the air. An unspoken meaning behind it.

'We don't support this decision'

"Yeah, it's a drag alright."

'Yeah, it's a drag alright'

He sighed, I sighed. It was good bonding time, I believe. We both just let the silence lapse over us as the bright blue sky above just floated on. 'Sorry, dandelion-head. Looks like our rendezvous is gonna have to wait.'

Ichigo's P.O.V.

'Damn that guy, running off like that.' I just sighed, irritated with my comrade, as I dusted the sand from myself. Ganju had run off, only to be pursued by the black-haired guy, Yumichimmichanga or whatever. Which left me with weirdo, lucky dancing guy. Great.

"HEY!" I looked up, annoyed, as the bald guy casually walked towards me. He had his zanpakuto thrown over his shoulders in ease as he approached. "I have a question, why didn't you run? That guy probably noticed that we are stronger, so he ran." He stopped a few feet away, smirking down at me. "Which I thought was a pretty smart decision."

"If you really are stronger than me...what would have been the point of running away? You would have just caught up to me anyways." I looked to my opponent then, my hand resting on my zanpakuto's hilt. "However, if you're a weakling, I can simply kick your ass and move forward. That's what I thought."

A shadow fell across his face as he stared down the bridge of his nose, sneering slightly at me. "I see...you're not so dumb after all."

Suddenly, he was on me, his sword just barely missing as he thrust it down into the ground. Skidding back, I pulled the cleaver from my back. In one swift motion, I brought the blade down in a hard strike, only to be blocked by his sheath. 'He's using the sheath!'

Reacting by almost pure instinct, I brought up one foot, jumping off of his incoming blade and up into the air. Using the new momentum, I came hurdling back down, my sword raised in attack as he brought his own up for another strike. The blades scratched along one another momentarily, before both hit their mark.

...

The sound of blood, dripping onto the ground below, was all that could be heard for some few tense moments. "One question...what's your name?"

"...Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Ichigo? That's a nice name."

"...Yeah? You're the first to ever say that."

Simultaneously, we lifted our heads, eyes meeting fiercely. "Ah, men with the word 'Ichi' in their names are often powerful and talented."

Blood flooded from his right eyebrow, causing his eye to shut tightly as he smirked manically at me. "I am Third Seat of the Eleventh Division, Madarame Ikkaku! Since we both have 'Ichi' in our names, let's make this a great fight!"

My left eye was squeezed shut, the warmth of free-flowing blood running over it and down my cheek. I raised my sword in preparation, a smirk curling my own lips. "Whatever."

The blood running down my eye became too much of a distraction, however. Scowling, I wiped at the cumbersome annoyance, which seemed to amuse my opponent.

"Even though there's a fair distance between us, when two people are engaged in a fight, only a rookie would remove a hand from his sword." I scowled at him, replacing the hand back onto the hilt. "That's none of your business. I used my hand to wiped away the blood."

"The wound on your forehead isn't very deep, how can it bleed so much?" He was mocking me, but my stare narrowed in on his own hand. He pulled the end off the hilt of his zanpakuto, revealing a tiny compartment of gel. He promptly spread a small amount across his matching wound. "Instead of constantly wiping the blood off, you should find a way to stop the bleeding."

"You have ointment! Cheater! You're only using it on yourself!" Yeah, that was my totally mature response, but jeeze, the blood was already pouring back into my eye and that guy had the audacity to tease me!

"HUH! This is not cheating! It's called being INTELLIGENT!" He popped the lid back onto his hilt, standing straight again. "Hn, what a weirdo. You're actions are that of a rookie, I really can't tell that you're a warrior."

I narrowed my eyes at him, pulling my sword into a neutral ready position.

"Your reactions are very fast, and your attacks are very strong! As for your body movements..." He seemed to think for a second, before pointing to himself with the most conceited face. "You could say it's very close to mine!"

"...Hah?" I just frowned at him, getting more annoyed by the second. 'This guy talks too much.'

"Why are you so serious? I'm complimenting you." He suddenly fell into an offensive stance, his zanpakuto pointed menacingly towards me. "But you're just a rookie, who likes to fight. Saying you're using instincts seems to be praising you too much."

Ikkaku's eyes narrowed, all joking aside as he appraised me.

"Who is your teacher?"

I stopped short at that, my eyes widening a fraction. "...He trained me for ten days. I don't know if that's enough to be considered a teacher, but someone did teach me fighting tactics."

"Who is he?"

We stared one another down, my good eye still slightly widened by this guy's persistence.

"Urahara Kisuke."

Ikkaku's eyes widened in shock. 'Did he know hat-n-clogs?'

"I see...so he is your teacher...then that means-" Suddenly, he swung his hilt and sheath around, crashing them together. "It would be very rude of me to kill you too early."

The pressure in the air quickly escalated, suppressing to surround the other soul reaper. I felt my eyes widen as my chest clenched slightly at the sudden rise in power. 'What...is this?'

"Grow: Hozukimaru!"

Ashwina's P.O.V.

Juushiro and I watched in mild interest as that ugly guy from the Rukongai went barreling through two walls, a shinigami hot on his tails. Ugly was shouting about not wanting to die as the other, seemingly annoyed by his victim on the run, hopped through the walls after his opponent.

"Huh, that's not something you see every day," Juushiro said, smiling jovially before starting forward again.

"I'd imagine not," I nodded to myself, deciding now would be a good time to just end this farce. "Juushiro, it really has been a wonderful walk, but I-" flexing my arms, I tried to break the bonds holding my arms in place. "really must...be...GOING...what the hell is this?" I huffed quietly, still straining against the quite in tact kido spell. "Oh, that would be a reinforced, pure-energy neutralizing double-bound bakudo that Shunsui and I crafted many years ago. Quite handy, eh?"

Deadpanning, I just stared at the very pleased man. "Handy indeed. You're an ass. Both of you are asses." Juushiro just tilted his head slightly, still smiling as he held up a small, brightly wrapped lollipop. "Candy?"

"No."

"Now, don't be stubborn. We both know you love candy."

"Not from asses who restrain me in kido."

And then, that damn lollipop was shoved into my mouth as I was forcefully pulled along. I just let out a very irritated "harrumph" before sucking on the sweet. 'Mmm, strawberry.'

"Ah, here we are!" I looked up, staring at the gateway reading a large 13. "Come along, it's almost time for my afternoon tea. I rarely get guests other then Shunsui, Unohona, or Rukia. It'll be a delight to have a fresh mind to converse with."

...

"How exactly am I supposed to drink tea like this? You know, for being such a nice guy, you're quickly earning the title of ass in my book." He shot me a clearly upset and offended look. I just shrugged. "Just saying."

"Bounty Hunter-san, I don't think you quite understand your standing in the current situation." I just tilted me head, not quite sure where he was going with that statement. "My standing, huh?"

"You are an enemy of the Seretei, which is not beneficial for you. If you had been found by another shinigami, we would have a war on our hands. A war we're not ready to face." Juushiro quickly snapped his fingers, releasing me from the monstrosity of a kido spell. Rolling my shoulders, I narrowed me eyes at the man. "So...what exactly do you want, Juushiro? I can't just up and leave, kinda here on a mission ya know." The white haired man sighed, waving me forward towards a large building in the center of his squad. "Come, Bounty Hunter-san. I once considered us friends, and as such, I feel we have much to discuss about the circumstance we now find ourselves in. Afterwards, you are free to leave, but I just ask you to hear me out."

Pausing, I unconsciously gripped the intangible chain still connected to my wrist. Ichigo's reiatsu was flaring on the other end, but he was still kicking. He could wait a few more moments, then. Still, I shot an uncertain glance towards his general area before following the Captain. "Alright, Juushiro. I'll listen to your speech, just make it snappy. I got kiddo's to save and a bounty to keep alive, go it?"

The normally smiling Captain's face took on a solemn look as he nodded once, opening the door for her to walk through. She cast him one last scrutinizing glare before sighing. Keeping her back straight, she entered the office with a slow gait. "I'm still getting tea, though, right?"

And with that, Juushiro's smile sprang instantly back to life. "Of course, I have a wide selection, so please choose any to your liking!"

Ichigo's P.O.V.

The pressure in the air suddenly exploded, blowing dust and debris in every direction. Ikkaku ran his hand along the now conjoined zanpakjuto and sheath, revealing a long spear with a red fur tassel at the butt of the shaft. The blade cut into the earth, slicing it like butter as he rested it spear-point down. I stared in shock, my good eye widening at the sight of the new weapon.

"You don't have time to be surprised, Ichigo!" Ikkaku suddenly was on the move, lifting the blade out of the ground. "Here I come, don't miss it!" He brought his spear up, preparing for his first strike.

"Who do you think you're talking to?!" Barely, I dodged to the left, bringing my own blade up to parry the blow. Suddenly, the red furred tassel filled my vision. The maniac suddenly jabbed at me in quick succession, using only the butt end of his spear.

"I know very well that it takes longer to attack using a spear. There's no way I'll miss it!" I felt a little more confident. My blade was definitely faster than his spear. I continued to deflect his attacks, but he suddenly backed off, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You're wrong."

"What?"

Then he swung, hard, bringing the staff hard against my blade. "Split, Hozukimaru!" The 'spear' suddenly split into three sections, wrapping around my zanpakuto and me. The blade flashed beside my eye before digging in deeply to my right forearm. Blood spurt forth, splattering against the ground as he yanked the blade away. "When I said 'Don't miss it' I was referring to that." He caught the separated 'spear', draping is around his neck. "Hozukimaru isn't a spear, it's a sansetsukon."

'A nunchuck, huh?' I stared at the profusely bleeding wound, my arm tingling in sharp pain.

"It hurts right? I think you probably won't be able to use your sword with that arm anymore." He kept talking, going on about how he was generous person or something. He really does like talking. I unwrapped the white wrapping from my zanpakuto's hilt, binding my arm tightly. Ikkaku was still going on about how he had to kill me, seemingly oblivious to my handiwork.

"If I don't kill you, then it won't count as an achievement."

"Okay."

"Hu...What?"

Bringing the cleaver up, I leaped into a hard downward strike, aiming for his shoulder. Ikkaku quickly dodged, though, leaving the wall to take the brunt of my attack. The building was cleaved in two, sending even more debris everywhere. "It seemed like you had finished talking, but you still don't know about my sword." I held the sword tightly in the wrapped arm, as I turned to face my opponent once again.

"This has just begun, Ikkaku. Next time, you won't be able to hold your own weapon."

"Such an arrogant punk," he smiled, though. Obviously, he was enjoying this fight or at least...

"Kukuku..." He found me hilarious. "I won't be able to hold me sword soon? You sure talk big, Ichigo." The amusement suddenly disappeared, though. "But I don't see where such confidence comes from!"

That wicked blade was back, skimming along my own sword mere inches from my face. It separated again, though, as Ikkaku leaped forward. "Too slow!" The butt end of his 'spear' smashed into my face, making stars explode in my head. He skidded away before starting forward again, but this time, I leaped. He blocked my strike using the connecting chain. My blade hung against it, leaving just enough time for the last segment to separate again. It came at me, which I blocked with my forearm.

He sent me flying, my back hit the ground mercilessly. Twirling the bladed segment, he stood straight. Almost haughty, if you ask me. "So is bluffing the only thing you can do? Hozukimaru's form is ever changing. A rookie like you can't possibly keep up." Keeping my sword in a defensive permission, I sat up preparing to continue on. My other clutched fist tickled lightly from the fur in its grasp. "You're wrong, I'm already...starting to get use to it." I smirked, dropping the fur onto the ground, his shocked face making the dramatics just a little too worth it.

The butt-end of Hozukimaru was cracked, the fur tassel completely ripped off. 'He single-handedly stopped Hozukimaru?!' Ikkaku brought his still shock-widened eyes back up, just in time to see Ichigo come soaring back in an offensive strike. "I'll tell you again, Ikkaku." Almost numble, he brought Hozukimaru up in defense again. "Next it'll be you who won't be able to hold your sword!"

And then, all Ikkaku knew in the next moment was blood-splattering, spine-numbing pain. His chest split open, the skin tattered as it was ripped in half. However, more alarming then that, Hozukimaru hung, split in half still in a defensive position. "Damn..."

I watched, slightly surprised as he just tossed the butt end away and laughed. "How's this? You give up yet? Too bad for you, I can still hold my sword!" Even more surprising, he lifted the bladed end up, preparing to strike. 'Even with that wound...is he crazy?' However, he began twirling it, creating a bladed twister. "The only way I will ever lose my grip on my sword is by losing my hands!" No, he's just suicidal.

"Put it away."

"NO!" Ikkaku continued to grin at me, still enjoying this fight even as blood ran down his body.

"I said to put it away! We're done, you know you've lost!" Why was he still trying to fight?!

"What are you talking about? We're still fighting! One of us will die before it's over!" And then he was coming, using only half of his blade he was prepared to continue this fight. "I, Ikkaku Madarame of Zaraki's Sqaud Eleven, will never walk away from a fight like a coward!"

He left me with no choice. Was his life so insignificant that he'd rather die then walk away and live to fight another day? Unconsciously, he morphed right in front of me. Instead of the bleeding Ikkaku, I saw Hat-n-clogs. He was coming in, fast, ready to strike. "TOO SLOW!"

My blade cut deep, nearly severing his arm in half. However, he finally seemed to stop. "Damn, you're too strong." Dropping to his knees, I watched him struggle to just stay up on his arms. "Che...tough luck." With that, he fell face first onto the ground, blood already pooling around his body.

"Damn you, that's my line."

Ashwina's P.O.V.

"Woah woah woah, pause man." I held up my hands in a time-out 'T'. I just know a damn question mark is hanging over my head. "You're tellin' me, you want us to save that brat?!" Juushiro just nodded, sipping his damn tea calmly. "Then why...is she still being executed if even the Court Guards are against the decision? Don't you idiots have some sort of government-ish policy? Veto's or somethin'? Why are you idiots leaving it up to six random people? Whom, by the way, five of which are inexperienced human teenagers!" I rubbed my temples, growling lowly to myself at the mess of this whole situation.

"The Central 46 has total rule over these things, and the only way the ruling can be over-thrown is if eight out of the thirteen squads are in agreement or there is a unanimous vote. However..." He just tilted his head to the side, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "It's really only me and Shunsui who have spoken against it. The others don't really see anything wrong with it. We've tried getting Byakuya-kun on our side, but he just won't budge." He pouted his lips at the thought of the stoic captain. "He's so stubborn, sometimes." Sighing, I could only hang my head in embarrassment for the man. "You don't say..."I could feel the sweat running down my neck.

"Damnit, Juushiro, if that's all you wanted then why drag me all the way here?! You could have just left me to my lonesome to do exactly what you wanted me to do in the first place!" Once again, the man just smiled sheepishly. "Well, there's a bit of a problem. You see, Zaraki and some others are out looking for the strongest one from your group. He, especially, wants to find you. I was hoping to keep you out of sight until the actual execution, when Shunsui and I are going to make our move." I nodded, scowling slightly. "And like I said before, if he were to begin a fight with you...well..."

"Don't worry, I'm not the same brat that came here long ago wreaking havoc all over the place." Juushiro looked up in surprise, but the girl was just staring out the window. One knee was drawn up, her elbow hanging over it as she leaned back on pillows. "That girl's gone now, I'm just here to help and be on my jolly ol' way. No childish tantrums and unnecessary blood-shed." Her green eyes were dull, clouded over in thought.

Juushiro smiled sadly, realizing this was no longer that hot-headed child, but a matured young woman. However, he couldn't help but think of her as a shell. A cracked and fragile shell, hiding away that hot-headed spit-fire that they had all come to adore in a weird way. "Ah...if you say so, Bounty Hunter-san."

She shot a smirk at him then, suddenly standing and brushing her clothing off. "Well, I enjoyed the tea-time. Great talk and all that jazz, but I gotta get rollin, man. See you on the big ol' Mountain of Death." And with that, she hopped out of the window and disappeared in small burst of smoke. Juushiro just shook his head, watching as the blue smoke dissipated quickly in the wind.

She jumped in quick successions, closing in on the spot Ichigo's energy was resting at. The chain was held tightly in hand, flashing between intangible and tangibility. Ichigo was just at the other end, all I have to do is find the end. And hope to all that is holy, that the dolt doesn't fucking move.

Ichigo's P.O.V.

I sighed, quietly alternating between watching the sky and peeking at the still unconscious Ikkaku. I had slathered both of our wounds in his ointment, stopping the bleeding and hopefully keeping him alive long enough for answers. Ikkaku's eyes slowly began to open, widening in surprise. "I...I'm alive."

"Ah, you awake?" I watched as he craned his neck, staring at me with the eyes of an innocent bald baby bird. "Yo."

...

"Ichigo...you idiot! Why are you still here?" He almost sounded like Ashwina then, which brought my mind back to why I am still here. "No reason, hey I just found out something." I lifted his sword from its resting spot beside me, holding it up for him to see. "The zanpakuto returns to its normal form when its owner is unconscious." That caught his attention.

Ikkaku's eyes widened, a deep panic seeming to settle in their depths. "My hozukimaru! Give him back, Punk!" I sighed, not at all bothered by his urgent tone. "I wasn't going to keep it, I just borrowed some of the ointment."Turning the hilt, I revealed the now wiped clean compartment. "Between the two of us, I used it all. Though, it doesn't seem to be doing much..."

"D-Damn you! What are you trying to do?!" Really...I just used his ointment. He doesn't have to be such a jackass about it. "Geeze I'm just borrowing it, you don't have to get so pissed..." Ridiculous, I used it on him to. He should be thanking me for saving his ungrateful ass.

"It's not that! Damn...how could I not die after losing so much blood?!" His outburst startled me, but he just turned his head away. His face irritated and...shamed? "What a shame to get saved by the enemy. If only I could move, I would kill you right now!"

"Che, so ungrateful," I just rested my face against my hand, scowling at he idiot. "I shouldn't have helped you." Sighing again, I finally stood up, shaking my shoulders loose as I approached him. "Oh well, I don't really care if you thank me, but I have questions for you." He turned his head slightly, smiling in a bemused sort of way. "Tch, I figured you would. Whaddya wanna know, my birthday?"

"Where is Shishin Jail?" His eyes widened in surprise. Obviously, I had caught his attention, so he craned his neck to look up at me. "Shishin jail? Where Kuchiki Rukia is being held? Why do you want to go there?" I just scowled, why can't he just tell me how to get there. "I'm here to rescue her."

"EH?! Rescue her? How many of you are there? Eight, nine people?"

"Six people and a cat."

"A CAT?! You really think you can rescue her with six people and a cat?!"

"Yeah."

We stared at one another for a moment. Then the bastard started laughing, hysterically.

"How's that...HAHAHA...possible? HAHAHA, ARE YOU IDIOTS?!" The bastard just kept laughing, splitting open his own wound in the process. I could feel tick marks appearing, feeling no pity as blood suddenly spurt from his chest. "Phew..." Finally, he calmed down, still smiling slightly in amusement. "Anyway, go straight south from here, and you'll see the main offices of the Thirteen Divisions. West of the offices is a tall white tower, that's where she is."

"Really?" I eyed him skeptically, scowling down at him. "You don't believe me?! I don't care what your real intentions are, but if want to go there, go ahead." Slowly, I nodded at him, watching as he turned his head away in disinterest. "If you stick around here any longer, someone will come by. So if you want to go, go now." Nodding again, I stood up and began walking away.

"Wait, I have a question for you." I turned back around, eyebrows raised in curiosity. "Who's the strongest in your group? Is it you?" Thinking about it for a second, I shrugged slightly. "More or less." I'm not sure about Ashwina, having never seen her powers for myself or truly seeing her fight. However, for the others, I was definitely stronger. "I see, then you better watch out for my Captain. He has no interest in the weak. If what you say is true, he'll definitely seek you out!"

"Is he strong?" Ikkaku looked seriously at me, his eyes thoughtful. "You'll know when you see him. Actually, you'll know how strong he is, if you survive the meeting." I turned my attention to him fully then, face serious. "What's his name?"

"Zaraki Kenpachi."

'Zaraki Kenpachi.' I locked that name away, repeating it a couple times just to be sure. "Alright, thanks. I'll find a way to repay you." He just shook his head disapprovingly, " I don't need repayment, idiot. By the way, what was your other question. You only asked one." Right, I was too excited to go, I completely forgot.

"Aa...you wouldn't happen to have seen a silver-haired girl with braids and tattoos running around, have you?" Once again, his eyes widened. "Are you referring to the Bounty Hunter? She's here in the Seretei?!" Tilting my head to the side, I nodded once. "Yeah, she's traveling with my group, we lost connection with her yesterday." 'What's with that reaction?'

"KEEP HER THE HELL AWAY FROM SQUAD ELEVEN AND I'LL CONSIDER THAT YOU'RE REPAYMENT!"

"What the hell kind of reaction is that?!" Ikkaku just shook his head, though. "That girl is a ticking time bomb. Keep her the hell away from our Captain, he's the only one crazy enough to attack her and break the contract. I heard the last time she was here, almost the entire Seretei was leveled from her throwing a tantrum."

"A tantrum?"

"You have no idea what you're dealing with, do you Ichigo? That girl, she's crazy. Just go and keep her away from here." I turned away then, starting off towards hopefully Rukia and Ashwina. I could hear Ikkaku cursing behind me, cursing Ashwina more specifically.

'Ashwina...who are you?'

Ashwina's P.O.V

Huffing, I jumped over yet another wall, still searching for Ichigo. After surveying this area, and still not seeing that mop of orange hair, I leaped up onto the next wall. The adjacent wall, across the path from me stopped me instantly. It was nearly cut in half, barely standing from all the heavy damage. Letting my eyes wander down, they instantly fell on a barely conscious man laying in the middle of the road. Leaping from the rooftop, I slowly made my way towards him.

When I finally got up close, I could see he was a regular Shinigami with a bald head and red-eye decoration. Jabbing my foot into his side, I nudged him a couple times. "Oy, cue-ball, you seen a dandelion-head come through here?" Slowly, his eyes cracked open to glare up at me. "Shut the hell up, woman. Can't you see I'm dyin' in here?" He started to close his eyes again, but suddenly snapped them back open. Shivers ran up my back at the open staring, his eyes roving up and down my body. 'Jesus, what a creep.'

"Damn, I really am unlucky today." Sighing, I placed one foot on his wounded chest, putting a small amount of pressure on it while throwing my head back to stare at the sky . "Can you just answer my fucking question, man? I'm not exactly having a good day." I brought my eyes back down to him, deadpanning as his eyes bulged in pain. He gasped after a few seconds, eyes narrowed venomously as I applied some more weight to my leg. "Where is I-chi-go?"

"He's already left...headed...for...Shishin Jail." Nodding, I took my foot off of his chest before turning away. I could hear him breathe deeply, cursing quietly under his breath. "Are you really the Bounty Hunter?" Looking over my shoulder, I watched him as he scrutinized me some more. "What's it matter to you, baldy?"

"I'm not bald! It's shaved, SHAVED!" I smirked, shaking my head as he thrashed about in irritation. Blood suddenly spouted from his sealed wound, making him wince and stop moving. "I see Ichigo was nice enough to patch you up, maybe you should get some help and accept the gift he so graciously gave you, eh?" With that, I started walking again. "Bounty Hunter, why are you back in the Seretei?"

I didn't look back that time, just kept placing one foot after another. "Because you idiots need a wake up call."

Ikkaku sighed, letting his head fall back to watch as the girl continued to walk away, following the Orange haired boy's steps. Once she was too far to see, he let his eyes wander back to the sky in thought. 'A wake up call...'

Many years ago...

She was seething, her still slightly chubby fists were shaking, her still blossoming chest heaving as she tossed yet another piece of decorative furniture around the partially destroyed room. Her silver hair kept falling into her face, clinging to the sweat along her brow. And the angry tears streaking down her cheeks.

This was all his fault.

"Calm down, you're acting like a ridiculous brat!" The command was sharp, full of authority. It just fueled the fire already blazing in her heart.

"You left your post, gave up your title and powers! You abandoned the family, without even a word as to where you had gone or why! You left everything in shambles! "

Grey eyes, the color of flint, softened slightly at her screech. Her voice was still maturing, breaking into that of a child's in her anger.

"I had a different path, it's time you understand that life does not follow the plans you have set. Everyone must choose the path fate has given them. The world does not revolve around you, child."

She grabbed the closest thing to her, a beautiful vase. The same vase that had sat in his room at the palace. With an over extended and awkward throw, the vase smashed into a million pieces against his armor plate.

...

She breathed deeply, her anger slipping for a moment. Her angry tears were slowly turning to fat rivers of sadness.

"How dare you act like this was some selfless, great thing you did. You left for your own selfishness, left us to face everything alone. You left, abandoned Nirrti, Avaidha...you left me."

"You do not understand anything, you still see the world through the eyes of a spoiled child. Go home, Ashwina, and do not return until you can see past your own selfishness."

It felt like she had been stabbed, her gut twisted painfully as she stared at her former father figure. The one who had taught her how to teleport, how to start shifting her face, how to ride a horse, how to hold a sword properly...the one who had taught her nearly everything she knows.

"A spoiled brat you say..." She picked up yet another vase, this one had been in his war council room. She tossed it lightly into the air before catching it. "Fine, Yama. You want a spoiled brat, I shall show you a truly spoiled brat." With that, she lobbed the vase right at his head before disappearing in a cloud of blue smoke.

He merely smacked the vase away, smashing it into the wall. His eyes dropped then, sadness finally emerging from behind the cool flint. This was not what he had foreseen when his decision had been made. However, she would get over it. She might be temperamental, but with time and a few quiet words with Nirrti, she will move past this and forgive him. She always did.

Years later, Genryusai Yamamoto was proven dreadfully wrong.

Well, that's a wrap. So, we saw a little into Ashwina's past, which will slowly be more revealed through this Arc. Anywho, please leave some commentary on how you felt about any of this chapter. I hope you enjoyed.

GhostDoor out baby~