Inoue and Ichigo's friends rush to save him, can they uncover anything along with the help of a few captains who have been suspicious from the very beginning?

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Chapter Ten Revelations

2 Days Until Kurosaki Ichigo's Execution

'What are we going to do!?' Orihime cried frantically, her hand on her forehead.

'We all know Ichigo isn't capable of this…' Uryuu said, pushing up his glasses and looking around. 'It's just a case of finding evidence to flush out the real killer.'

'You make it sound simple…' muttered Chad, his thick brown curls drooping over his eyes. Renji and Rukia had finished opening a Senkai gate and they turned to the others.

'Come on, first we need to go to Soul Society.' Rukia said, edging them through the gate. They all went through, anxiously ready for what was on the other side. As they stepped out of the light, Rukia gasped.

'Whats going on?' she exclaimed as she saw everyone moving towards the centre of the Seireitei, taking things to set up. A nearby Soul Reaper bounded over to her.

'Didn't you hear? Three more people were killed yesterday, they brought Kurosaki's execution forwards! It's in two days!' said the man excitedly before running off to catch up to his friends. Orihime cried a muffled scream, covering her mouth in horror. Renji span round.

'Pull yourselves together! Ichigo needs us and we've got two days to do this!' he cried. Orihime's face became serious and she nodded.

'You're right.' she said, looking up dreamily at the Repentance Cell, the wind blowing past her, her orange hair flowing out behind her. Uryuu looked around, his glasses shining.

'I'll start with the Shinigami Academy library. There must be something in there…' he said, turning and leaping away with a whooshing sound. Orihime span round and began running into the Seireitei.

'I'm going to talk with Captain Unohana!' she called out and Rukia dashed after her. Renji and Chad split up, each going to different divisions.

'What do you want?' Mayuri asked grumpily. 'Didn't I ask to be left alone?' he said, beginning to close the door but he heard a thudding sound behind him and he turned slowly to see the captain standing beside Nemu, looking interestingly at the metal skin armour she was still working on.

'I said what do you want?' said Mayuri dangerously. Shunsui smiled mockingly at him.

'Well, well, rather hostile today aren't Mayuri?' he grinned, waltzing up to him as the scientist came down the stairs into his laboratory. He whipped the metal mask out from under his haori and dangled it from his finger in front of Mayuri, the captain's upper lip quivering.

'Recognise this?' Kyoraku asked.

'I may have seen it before.' denied the captain.

'Are you sure it's not one of yours? Because I'd say the whole stitching metal onto skin idea is quite the…' he stopped briefly. '…unique one.' he said in the end, smiling politely.

'Tch…' Mayuri growled, looking away.

'Tell me Captain Kurotsuchi.' Shunsui asked, serious now. 'Who did you give this to?'

The scientist paused briefly before sighing deeply.

'Very well…' he said, turning to a drawer and rustling through a few papers. He brought out on and blew the dust from it, lying it flat on a table. 'I gave out two, both to students who claimed they were using it for a school project. I only met one, never the other.' he confessed.

'Who was the one?' Shunsui asked.

'He had lime green hair and emerald eyes but I never did catch his name…' Mayuri said. 'It was strange though…his expression was, well rather dead to be honest…'

'Tanno…' Shunsui concluded. Then he turned away. 'Rather dead?' he thought to himself. 'What could that mean…?'

'The masks can distort the users voice, it's a rather nice technique if I may add…' continued Mayuri. Shunsui's expression darkened as he remembered his clash with Tanno and how the boy spoke in a metallic voice. Shunsui nodded and stepped up, turning to leave.

'Thanks a lot Captain, this could come in very handy!' he grinned, tipping his hat and turning out of the door, his pink haori swirling in the familiar fashion.

Uryuu pushed the door open to the library and stepped inside, flicking through the books. There was little light and his glass seemed to glow orange from the sunlight. He made his way down the aisles, searching each and every book. After finding nothing that could save Ichigo he turned to look out of the window at the darkening sky.

'We don't have long…damnit Ichigo…' he thought to himself. He turned to rush out, hoping to find some answers somewhere else. However his gaze was captured by a book lying on a small table, a bookmark in the centre of it's pages.

Kiriobi placed his bookmark on the page before leaving the book on the table.

'Whats this?' Uryuu said to himself, pushing his glasses up his nose and looking at the front cover. He flicked to the page where the bookmark was on and he studied the text. His eyes widened.

'What do you think you're doing?' came a voice, interrupting his trance. He looked up immediately to see someone standing at the door, their eyes closed and arms folded.

'Captain Hitsugaya…' Uryuu said slowly.

'Ishida…' Toshiro said darkly, moving closer to him, his fingers twitching by his hilt. 'What are you doing here?'

'Nothing out of the ordinary.' Uryuu said simply.

'I should have you locked up with Kurosaki.' snapped the captain angrily.

'Why? For trying to free him for crimes he didn't commit?' Uryuu said, smirking. 'I admit I am not best friends with Kurosaki but…' he grinned. 'It's nice to see the Shinigami make mistakes.'

Toshiro bared his teeth and grabbed his sword, making for the Quincy. Suddenly someone appeared in front of him and grabbed the captain's hand, forcing it down.

'Hold on now Toshiro!' came the cheery voice of Kyoraku who was holding up the mask. 'I think we might have something else on our hands…' he said quietly and Toshiro gasped. The small captain backed off and sheathed his blade.

'What do you mean?' he asked. Uryuu handed him the book.

'I believe one of your students was looking this up.' he said and Toshiro scanned through the page.

'A mind control zanpaktou!?' he exclaimed. 'But…that's impossible…' Shunsui pulled his hat down a little bit.

'I'd say the closest we've seen to that is Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu.' he admitted. Toshiro shook his head.

'No, from the looks of this it is proper mind control.' he began to read aloud. 'The ability to take control of a person's actions and speak, this zanpaktou is both incredibly rare and dangerous.' he said, skimming through the lines. 'The ability is activated by it's command and then signified by a flash of purple light…!' his eyes widened instantly and thoughts and visions, memories and images flashed into his head.

'I saw…a flash of purple…' he sat there, confused, but hanging on her every word. '…I saw it…he was dead…right in front of me…' she said, tears forming in her eyes.

'I…I saw…the purple again…then…they were dead…' she cried. Two guards ran out behind her.

'My God…' he whispered. 'The killer is using this blade to control people…' Toshiro gasped.

'But who?' Uryuu said but Toshiro felt he already knew.

'Unfortunately no. Kurobishi died of massive blood loss and some minor burns, but nothing that couldn't have been caused by any Shinigami that knows Kido.' she said simply.

'Minor burns…' he said quietly to himself, dashing over to the window and looking out.

'Doesn't it strike you odd?' Shunsui pressed on. 'Minor burns, when no one in that squad has a flame zanpaktou?'

'No one but…' then Toshiro flared up. 'Are you saying Momo did this!?'

'Momo…' Toshiro said, his head spinning.

'Miss Hinamori?' Uryuu asked, confused. The small captain nodded.

'Yes, she's always been there…' he admitted.

'…I saw it…he was dead…right in front of me…' she said, tears forming in her eyes.

Momo came running out, blood covering her chest and neck, her eyes shut and streaming with tears.

'Not again…Momo…' he said worriedly, running up to her.

Perplexed, Uryuu continued to read from where the captain left off.

'It says here that symptoms include an entranced look in the victims eyes and face…' he looked at Shunsui who nodded unhappily.

'Yes, it's correct…' he said, remembering back.

Mayuri said. 'It was strange though…his expression was, well rather dead to be honest…'

Toshiro turned and agreed, his eyes quivering with worry.

'Captain Hitsugaya, more murders!' they cried. Toshiro hesitated. There was a strange dead look in their eyes but he shook it off. 'We saw a purple flash but then, nothing but blood…'

Toshiro made his way back to them.

'The guards…they must have been controlled so as to tell me it was Kurosaki who did it…' said the captain, admitting the truth. 'But I don't understand, who could do this?'

Shunsui shook his head.

'Poor Hinamori…' he said, his face sincere. 'I guess this mask doesn't have too much to do with it, even though it was Tanno who had it…'

Suddenly, Toshiro shot up, a determined look in his eyes.

'Of course…' he said to himself. 'When I was trying to find Momo…'

The small captain screeched to a stop as he nearly bumped into Kiriobi Shintatsi and Ryuichi as they were leaving the academy, Kiriobi's zanpaktou in hand.

'And that's my zanpaktou…oh hello Captain Hitsugaya.' he said, looking up and smiling. 'I just bumped into Lieutenant Hinamori, she went off towards her division again.'

'He was showing his zanpaktou…' Toshiro said.

'Mayuri did say that two students had taken these masks and they distort your voice…' Shunsui piped up.

'I thought only the top students were allowed in the library?' Uryuu said quickly and now a thought struck Kyoraku.

'The night of Masabi Wasushi's death…' he said slowly.

'Go ahead, Ryuichi.' she said, smiling. He twiddled his thumbs and looked at the floor.

'I…I was in the academy library last night…and I heard Masabi talking to someone in the common room…' he stammered. Soi Fon's eyes widened.

'Who was it? Was it Kurosaki Ichigo?' she asked. He shook his head.

'No…I couldn't tell who it was…' he said and she gasped. He looked up. 'Whats wrong?' he asked innocently.

'Young Ryuichi couldn't tell who it was because their voice was distorted by the mask!' Toshiro nodded, understanding. 'With Tanno in prison and Ryuichi being in the library, Masabi had to be talking to Kiriobi!'

Soi Fon's eyes widened and she tried to cover the body as the student walked in.

'It's okay, Soi Fon Sensei, I've already seen it.' Kiriobi Shintatsi said quietly, his eyes looking past her at the body of his friend. He turned away but held out a book.

'I've been studying zanpaktou…'

'Kiriobi Shintatsi!' Toshiro snarled, clenching his fist.

'One of Soi Fon's top students? But why?' Kyoraku asked, though the evidence was piling up.

'Who cares but I guess we'll find out!' snapped the captain, reaching for his sword. Uryuu threw the book onto the table and something fluttered out. Intrigued, he picked it up and gasped.

'What is it?' Kyoraku asked. Uryuu showed them and it was a picture of the 5th Division standing together. There was red pen scrawled over it and the faces of the three guards, Warane, Tachete and Yutiria were all scratched out, as was Rurou Kurobishi's.

'My God! It's his murder list…' Toshiro gasped.

'But what does he want with the 5th Squad?' Uryuu asked. Suddenly Toshiro pointed at the picture, for a red arrow was pointing to someone, the figure standing just after the three guards.

'Momo!' he cried in horror. Kyoraku was already headed for the door.

'I'll tell the captains, they will round up people. We'll stop this before it goes any further. Toshiro, get Kurosaki Ichigo from his cell before it's too late!' he span round to Uryuu.

'Find your friends, they could be in danger.' he said, his face deathly serious. Toshiro bounded out of the window, his sword in hand.

'Quickly, we don't have much time!' he cried and they dashed off into the Seireitei, ready to save Momo.