Raphael cracked his knuckles after Urahara instructed him on how to return to his body.

"I've heard 'a out-of-body experiences," he remarked, "but that was just trippy." When no one responded to him, Raphael looked up and noticed that he appeared to be alone. "Oh cripes, what is this? Another one 'a your cockamamie tests?"

Yoruichi had been right in saying that Raphael would find her irritating by the end of their training session. He wholly expected her to be hiding behind a grassy knoll and getting ready to pounce on him to see if his flash step worked now that he was in his physical body. She had said that it wouldn't, but Raphael had already learned to take everything these people said with a grain of salt. Just because she said it wouldn't work didn't mean that she or Urahara was above experimentation.

Moving cautiously around the closest incline in case someone was lying in wait, Raphael relaxed somewhat when he saw Ichigo in his street clothes resting on the grass. The orange-haired boy caught sight of him and sat up. "Yoruichi got some kind of important message," he explained. "Just when you were starting to stir, she grabbed Urahara and they ran off. Said they'll be in touch."

Confused, Raphael murmured, "That's weird. I don't remember conkin' out or nuthin'. It couldn't 'a taken no more than a few seconds for me to get my bearin's straight after that workout Yoruichi gave me. What, does the whole scenario always change at the speed 'a light when you're dealin' with shinigami?"

"Pretty much," Ichigo said, rising to his feet. After looking at Raphael curiously for a moment, he asked, "How do you feel? Ready enough to stand your ground against Soul Society?"

"If I ain't ready now," Raphael told him as the boy started leading him towards the exit, "then I don't think I'm ever gonna be. Might not be a master 'a speed or nuthin', and maybe I won't be able to go Bruce Lee on some shinigami butt once the playin' field's changed, but I'm hopin' I'll surprise 'em enough to keep 'em off for a bit."

"Doubtful," Ichigo stated as he took a small penlight from his pocket to help light the way in the dark corridor outside of Urahara's training grounds. As Raphael had suspected, it did indeed look like they were in an abandoned subway tunnel. "Most shinigami are old enough to not be too surprised by anything. And since Leonardo told me that they now know about Urahara's involvement, they should probably know that you'd have a few tricks up your sleeve if they ever manage to catch you."

"So much for Leo always gettin' on my case about respectin' the element 'a surprise," Raphael scoffed.

Ichigo was about to tell him that Leonardo couldn't have known that having Urahara on their side would be an unexpected advantage, when his cell phone began to beep. Both of them were somewhat amazed that the phone had any reception this far underground, but neither said anything as Ichigo answered it. "Hello?"

"Kurosaki-san," Urahara said on the other end. "I hope Raphael-san is well-rested. It would appear that certain circumstances have forced the metaphorical ball onto our court. Make your way to the corner of Metropolitan Avenue and 32nd Street as quickly as you can. It's only three or four blocks from your hotel, and Raphael-san should be able to guide you in case you lose your way."

Before Ichigo could ask any questions, the line was dead.

Raphael stopped short at the sight of his brother's swords lying discarded on the ground.

Slowly approaching them, he hardly noticed the presences of Urahara, Yoruichi, and Captain Toushiro Hitsugaya and his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto. No one said anything as Raphael crouched besides the swords. Before he could pick them up, he noticed something staining the cement beneath Urahara's sandal. He was sure that the man was trying to hide it from him. Blood. A few feet away from Leonardo's dropped blades.

"Before you say anything, Raphael-san," Urahara quickly stated when he saw that Raphael noticed the blood, "I have confirmed that Soul Society is willing to do all they can to retrieve your brothers and only ask that you return with them for safe keeping."

"Brothers?" Raphael asked, looking up at the blond man. The fact that Urahara's eyes were still shadowed by his hat somehow made Raphael even more enraged. "Brothers? You mean it ain't just Leo? Who else they got? Mike? Donnie? Both 'a them?"

Always blunt, Yoruichi saw no reason to hide anything from him. "Your teacher as well. That is, if we can believe everything that Ichimaru told Kira."

"Ichimaru?" Ichigo asked, surprised. "Ichimaru was here? And Kira-san? Don't tell me they had a face-off over Leonardo."

"Kira was bleeding heavily from a sword wound," Matsumoto explained. "I was the one standing by the gateway, hoping to receive both him and Leonardo. Instead, Kira was pushed through, and he told me that Gin... that is, that Ichimaru had..."

Knowing that talking about Ichimaru was always a sore spot for his lieutenant, Hitsugaya spoke up. "From what Kira was able to tell us and from what evidence remains here, he had encountered Leonardo and made another attempt to take him to Soul Society. During their skirmish, Ichimaru appeared and told them that Aizen wanted to speak with Leonardo and already had the remainder of his family hostage. When Leonardo agreed to go to Hueco Mundo-which is the world of the Hollows-Ichimaru stabbed Kira and sent him back to Soul Society. By the time Matsumoto and I gained clearance to come here after them, all we found were Leonardo's swords. I'm assuming that he dropped them during his battle with Izuru, as Izuru's soul slayer often has that affect on his opponents."

Raphael didn't know what Hitsugaya meant about the last part, but he didn't really care. Glaring up at Hitsugaya, he asked, "So ya tellin' me that some sword-wieldin' maniac managed to get rid 'a one 'a your guys with just one swing and now has my entire family over in the world where these crazy Hollow monsters 'a yours come from, and Leo's over there without any weapons?"

There was a moment of silence before Urahara wryly replied, "Oh good. We were afraid you wouldn't understand."

"Shut up, Kisuke," Yoruichi told him before turning to Raphael. "This changes everything, Raphael. According to Hitsugaya, whatever Soul Society was planning on doing with you would have most certainly ended with you being alive. With Aizen, he isn't above plotting someone's demise if it meant getting back at his enemies, even if he runs the risk of hurting himself by killing you."

"What are ya talkin' about?" Raphael asked angrily, jumping to his feet. "Who's Aizen? Why is me dyin' gonna hurt 'im? How'd I become his enemy? I'm sick 'n tired 'a not knowin' the whole story! One of ya had better stop playin' this stupid game 'n let me know what I'm dealin' with 'n what I gotta do to get my family back!"

"I can answer that for ya, turtle."

The group spun around at the unexpected voice. Standing at the edge of a black portal and leaning against a building with his arms crossed over his chest was the silver-haired man that Leonardo had met. Though Raphael had never seen his face before, he could tell by the soft surprised cry from Matsumoto that this was the infamous Gin Ichimaru that she found it so difficult to talk about.

"Ichimaru!" Ichigo cried out. He had taken out the badge that would turn him into a shinigami, but he didn't use it yet. Raphael knew that Ichigo couldn't risk leaving his body defenseless, especially not when the enemy was vastly outnumbered anyway. Hitsugaya immediately put a hand to his sword, and Yoruichi and Matsumoto were clearly on the defensive. Only Urahara hadn't changed at Ichimaru's arrival.

"How 'bout it, turtle?" Ichimaru continued, as though not having noticed the tension his presence caused. "You can leave these guys behind and come to Hueco Mundo, where all Aizen-sama wants to do is explain what it is that makes ya so darn special."

"Don't you move a muscle, Raphael-san," Urahara told the turtle. Raphael ordinarily wouldn't listen, but there was something different about the man's voice. For once, he actually sounded serious. "If you value your life, you won't set foot in Hueco Mundo."

"Then would ya prefer I kill him here?" Ichimaru asked with a wide grin.

"So ya are gonna kill me," Raphael growled. "At least, you're gonna try. Well, I got news for ya, chump-"

"You've been training with Kurosaki and his ever-present mentors, right?" Ichimaru remarked. Raphael was stunned. From what he could gather, this guy was against Soul Society for some reason or the other, so how could he have their knowledge about his recent training? "Don't look so surprised, Raphael-sama. I had a very interesting talk with your brother. Isn't that right, Leonardo-sama?"

From out of the portal besides Ichimaru emerged a bound and gagged Leonardo, moving as though summoned through telekinesis. "Leo!" Raphael cried out. He tried to dart forward at the sight of his writhing brother, but Urahara grabbed hold of his arm and managed to yank him back. Surprised by the man's strength, Raphael crashed against Ichigo and both of them fell to the floor.

"Why, Urahara-san!" Gin laughed. "I didn't think that you were one to use force on your subordinates." To Raphael, he explained, "When you're ready, Raphael-sama, you can look up at your brother. Other than being restricted, he's clearly safe and sound. You see, we decided that he was being a little too rambunctious over at Hueco Mundo, so we thought we'd have better use for him if we simply offered him as a bargain. My orders are fairly simple: return to Hueco Mundo with you after setting Leonardo-sama free so that you can attend to your family in his stead... or kill ya where you stand." Somehow, his grin grew even wider when he mentioned, "I don't think anyone here wants that second thing to happen."

"What do ya mean," Raphael breathed, slowly picking himself up, "'attend' to my family?"

"My job is merely to retrieve or act," Gin replied. "Not explain myself."

"There was a time when you didn't act like such a blindly loyal dog, Gin," Matsumoto told him through gritted teeth.

It seemed that the woman's outburst had some sort of affect on him, but Ichimaru's smile only faltered for a moment. "There was a time when you weren't such a hesitant pussycat, Rangiku. You don't even have a hand on your sword. What happens if I choose to strike?"

"I'll stop you," Hitsugaya told him lowly, beginning to unsheathe his sword.

"We all will," Yoruichi affirmed. "You're gravely outnumbered, Ichimaru. This leaves me to wonder exactly what it is that Aizen has in mind if he sent you out to deal with all of us. He knows we won't just let you get your way."

"With all due respect," Ichimaru sarcastically told her, "Aizen-sama couldn't care less what the lot of you would do. His only concern is speaking to Raphael-sama in order to enlighten him about what he really is. Is that understood, Raphael-sama, or should I begin throwing ludicrous threats towards your brother? I'd prefer not to, as I rather like him."

Tired of hearing everyone saying they'll fight to protect him, Raphael tried once again to move towards Gin. He couldn't stand to see Leonardo tied up, and he was certain that the others could take care of Ichimaru if he tried to go back on his word. And if Michelangelo, Donatello, and Splinter were still in danger, then he'd have to take the risk of getting to them and making sure they were okay. He had training. He was prepared.

"Raphael-san," Urahara said as he held an arm up to block Raphael, as though reading his mind. "I'm going to warn you that, should you decide to go to Hueco Mundo, you will be on your own. Yoruichi and I will not be there to help you, and I strongly recommend that Captain Hitsugaya, Lieutenant Matsumoto, and Ichigo refrain from following you as well."

A small exclamation came from Hitsugaya and Matsumoto while Ichigo barked out something in Japanese. It sounded as though it were akin to, "Are you crazy?!"

Urahara offered a sideways glance to those at his side. "He is the Alma Roja."

Ichimaru's mysterious grin seemed to grow even larger as a stillness overtook Hitsugaya and Matsumoto. Raphael was perplexed. "Alma wha-?" At the sound of Ichimaru's laughter, Raphael's anger got the better of him. "Hey, instead 'a standin' there chucklin', fox-face, how 'bout ya offer up some answers like ya promised?"

"Your answers, as well as your brothers," Ichimaru told him laughingly, "are on the other side of this gateway. If I kill ya though, you won't get any answers at all. And while Urahara might like to explain some things to ya, my patience is running a little low. So since Leonardo-sama's a little tied up at the moment, I could think of plenty of ways that he could help alleviate some of my boredom."

Seeing Ichimaru's hand fall to the sword at his side, Raphael pushed past Urahara's arm. "All right, ya got me in a fix. Fine. Put Leo down, and I'm goin' with ya. If the others are there, then I gotta cooperate with ya until I find the right time to stab ya in the back."

"A turtle after my own heart!" Ichimaru exclaimed. "Assuming ya don't stab me in the back anytime soon, we might end up being friends. That'd be tremendously exciting!"

As Leonardo was lowered to the ground and Raphael slowly walked towards Gin, Matsumoto spoke up once again. "What are you doing, Gin? Don't you know what will happen to you if you meddle with the Alma Roja? Don't you know what you're risking?"

It almost seemed to Raphael as though Ichimaru's grin actually disappeared for a moment. The silver-haired shinigami's voice lowered as he replied, "Life's no fun without a few risks. All the same, I'd rather ya stayed here, Rangiku. It'd be a shame for something to happen to that pretty little face of yours." Instantly, Ichimaru's expression returned to normal as he reached out and grabbed Raphael's forearm. "C'mon, turtle. As the people on this end of the world would say, let's blow this joint."

Raphael didn't even get a chance to say anything before he was pulled through the portal and engulfed in darkness.

As soon as Ichimaru and Raphael were gone, Leonardo's binds fell away and he was dropped to the ground. Leonardo coughed several times. The bindings had been rather tight, so he was grateful at least for being released as promised. Still, he looked back at the black gateway still swirling along the wall and wondered over his brother's fate.

Someone stooped besides him, and he turned to see Urahara crouched besides him. "Are you all right, Leonardo-san?" Though his voice sounded concerned, Leonardo couldn't help but notice that the man's eyes were focused on the wall, as though dreading something horrific coming out.

"Yeah," Leonardo muttered, making his way up to his feet. "I'm surprised. Nothing wounded but my pride." Following Urahara's gaze as the man stood up, he added, "Ichimaru lied. My brothers aren't there. It was just his way of luring me there to get a bargaining chip for Raphael."

"Of course," Yoruichi remarked, her arms crossed as she glared at the wall. "Aizen has no use for any of you save the Alma Roja. Ugh, how could that blasted turtle be so stupid as to walk right into the wolf's den?"

"Hey!" Leonardo barked out reproachfully.

"Don't be so hard on him," Matsumoto told Yoruichi. "He loves his family. If something happens to them, I don't suppose he thinks it matters much what happens to the rest of the world. Love is like that." Leonardo noted the wistful tone to her voice, and wondered what had happened to make the confident and cheery woman so contemplative.

"Then he's an idiot," Yoruichi went on. "And selfish, to boot. All of creation shouldn't have to suffer because of the sentimentality of one turtle."

"All of creation?" Leonardo asked, perplexed. "Okay, wait, I'm sure Ichimaru probably claimed Aizen and I had some kind of chat, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I didn't manage to overhear anything important over there, and I certainly don't know how Raphael's actions could affect all of creation. What's the Alma Roja, and how is it connected to Raph?"

Leonardo heard a soft muttering coming from someone behind the main group, and he realized that Ichigo had just uttered a quiet curse in Japanese. The orange-haired boy was on all fours, as though looking for something. "My shinigami badge," Ichigo explained, more to the others than to Leonardo. "I dropped it when Raphael fell against me. And now I can't find it."

"He took it, of course," Urahara echoed quietly.

"Did you see him?" Hitsugaya asked.

"No," came the reply. "But he knew that he would be able to use that to extract his spiritual powers. And he also knew that without it, Ichigo wouldn't be able to follow."

"Like hell I won't!" Ichigo blurted out as he jumped to his feet. "You can make me a shinigami by tapping me with the end of your cane! You've done it before, and you're going to do it now before Aizen releases the Alma Roja!"

"No," Urahara answered curtly. "I won't." Finally tearing his eyes away from the portal, Urahara glanced over his shoulder at Ichigo. "Raphael is more intelligent than I had given him credit for. He knew that he'd be able to use your badge to his benefit, and he also knew you'd be forced to rely on me to regain your shinigami powers. And in that case, I'm afraid I won't be assisting you."

"Why not?" Leonardo inquired, both confused and desperate. "If you were trying so hard to keep Raphael from the wrong people, then why won't you go help him? Those things I saw over there; they looked like smaller, smarter versions of that Menos Grande I saw earlier! And there was one guy there who looked like he would've been more than happy to dissect me if Aizen gave him the okay."

"What a blessing that he won't get the chance then, eh?" Urahara mentioned, not liking Leonardo's interferences.

"He'll get the chance," Leonardo attested, "but he won't be able to." This was crazy. He had believed that Urahara and Yoruichi were friends of Ichigo's, so why would they just stand by and let Raphael get hurt? "Ichigo," he said, finally deciding to give up on Urahara, "the hotel's not too far away. We can go grab Kon and you can use him to turn into a shinigami. The portal's still open, so maybe we'll be able to get back in time."

"Good idea!" Ichigo told him. He was about to race off in the direction of the hotel, but Urahara grabbed him and pulled him back. He cried out when he felt himself fall onto the pavement.

"And have neither of you wondered why the portal is still open?" Urahara asked. Turning away from Ichigo, he said, "Hitsugaya-kun, be so kind as to make sure Ichigo isn't tempted to do anything foolish."

Ichigo tried to sit up, but stopped when Hitsugaya unsheathed his soul slayer and held it poised in front of him. "Tch," Hitsugaya told Urahara distastefully. "It's Captain Hitsugaya. You should know better, Urahara."

"What the hell is going on?" Ichigo demanded.

"Let him go!" Leonardo cried out.

"Captain!" Matsumoto called to Hitsugaya. Seeing that he wouldn't listen to her, she turned to Urahara and Yoruichi. "Someone, please! I understand why you're doing this, but Leonardo doesn't. Don't you think someone should explain to him what's at stake here?"

There was a moment of tense silence. Just when Leonardo wondered if he'd be able to get past Urahara and grab his discarded swords to see if they were useable, Yoruichi spoke up. "Intrigue's overrated, Kisuke. If his brother's going to die, he's got a right to know why."

Urahara sighed deeply. "Delicate as always, my dear." Looking now to Leonardo, he conceded, "All right, I suppose that's fair. While Raphael's training with us helped to make Hitsugaya and Matsumoto visible to him, you haven't had the benefit of our lessons. Your spirit power is quite exceptional, Leonardo, and for that you deserve praise. But that doesn't mean that you can just run blindly back into what some people would consider Hell and expect to come out on top."

"You're stalling," Leonardo observed bitterly.

A grin surfaced on Urahara's face. "You're perceptive! What a refreshing change from your brother!" Noting Leonardo's harsh glare, Urahara cleared his throat, meaning to go on. However, before he could continue, the more straightforward Hitsugaya spoke up.

"The Alma Roja is the first soul that ever lived," he explained, keeping his sword on Ichigo while he glanced at Leonardo. "Long before shinigami existed to perform the proper soul burials, this soul was already walking the earth. Once the laws of Soul Society were established, shinigami buried the souls that had previously been endlessly reincarnated, granting them rest. There was an account, however, of a shinigami who encountered a soul with a red-hot chain of fate connecting it to its former body. Before he could call it in for it to be studied, the soul vanished of its own accord, showing a remarkable rate of reincarnation."

"It proved to be elusive," Yoruichi went on. "While a soul gains a different personality and different set of memories with every reincarnation, it's still the same soul, and spending so long in an unending life cycle grants it a certain kind of strength, hence why shinigami make it a point not to keep a stray soul hanging around Earth too long. It was centuries before a shinigami managed to perform a soul burial on the Alma Roja, and even then, it didn't stay in Soul Society long. It was so powerful that we couldn't help but place it back into the reincarnation cycle before it destroyed us all. Now that our technology has gotten more advanced, we're better equipped to deal with it rather than leave it loose in the world. We need to get it behind the walls of Sereitei as soon as possible."

"Sereitei?" Leonardo asked.

"The capital of Soul Society," Ichigo answered, moodily rising to his feet. As he brushed his trousers free of dirt, he elaborated, "The place where the shinigami live. They want to contain it so they can study it."

"Not quite," Urahara replied. "It must be contained for the sake of safety. During its stay in Soul Society, it was discovered that the Alma Roja was a primal force. When forcibly parted from its host-in other words, when its body dies- it becomes a little more unstable. This instability will inevitably become so chaotic that it can cause cataclysmic damage at the death of its final host. Because of their capacity for reason, the death of a human is an exceptionally jarring experience for a soul. As such, they've seen to it that the Alma Roja would from thenceforth reside within the bodies of animals. Thus it would ease the volatility that would have intensified had it been reincarnated as a human."

Realization dawned on Leonardo's face. "An animal. Like a turtle. Like Raphael... or like what Raphael started out as."

"Precisely," Urahara said with a nod. "Your genetic mutation was an unforeseeable dilemma. I knew that there was something different about Raphael based on his rietsu readings, but it wasn't until the training period that I realized that he was the Alma Roja. But given his human characteristics... and his surprisingly short temper... and the fact that Ichigo nearly burned his hands when he touched Raphael's chain..."

"In all likelihood," Yoruichi broke in, "this is the last sustainable incarnation for Raphael's soul. It's wholly possible that, upon his death, he won't be the only one to die. Research has indicated that being in the presence of the Alma Roja while it's at its end will be the equivalent of sitting atop of an atom bomb."

Leonardo blinked at the lot of them, trying to wrap his mind around all of this. "So basically... Raphael's soul is the first soul to ever walk the Earth and it's now dying out, so if Aizen or Ichimaru decide to kill him, they'd essentially be unleashing a power that would destroy the world."

"My," Urahara remarked, "you turtles are certainly good with summaries. You should consider getting jobs as Shinigami Academy lecturers. I'm sure the students would appreciate the-"

"Shut up, Kisuke," Yoruichi ordered. "I'm finding myself having to say that a lot lately, so let's view this with the gravity it deserves, all right?"

"It's simply another end of the world," Urahara told her, though his expression went slightly grim. "What's a restorative vacation to New York City without a decent apocalypse to keep us on our toes?"

"How can you treat this so lightly?" Leonardo inquired. "My brother's basically being used as a ticking time bomb for some kind of terrorist act by a bunch of disgruntled former shinigami. Aizen could be setting him up anywhere right now, from Times Square to Tokyo, and-"

"He could," Hitsugaya interrupted, sheathing his sword after ascertaining that Ichigo wasn't going to try to bolt. "But I don't think he is. Aizen is a power-hungry traitor; he wouldn't hide his true nature from us for so long just to annihilate us with the Alma Roja. Sending Ichimaru out after us and arbitrarily wounding Kira... it reeks of improvisation. Aizen's big move wouldn't rely on improvisation."

"You're right," Matsumoto agreed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Men like Aizen want to take over the world. What's the fun of taking over the world if you're just going to destroy it?"

"Then what does he want with Raphael?" Ichigo asked. "Is he going to try to harvest the Alma Roja's power or something?"

"That sort of power can't be harvested," Urahara stated. "As I said, it's a primal force. It is what it is. The Alma Roja at the end of its cycle has only the power to destroy, and nothing more."

"Then what-" Ichigo started.

"What were you going to do?" Yoruichi asked. "When you saw him go through the portal, weren't you planning to go in after Raphael? Isn't that what you were looking for your badge for?"

"Aizen knows of your history of protecting your friends," Urahara told him. "So if you considered the Alma Roja a friend, he wouldn't need to lift a finger to get rid of you. It may be the equivalent of killing a fly with a missile launcher, but Aizen knew that you would be likely to follow after Raphael. Perhaps he was counting on us not discovering the truth behind Raphael's origins until it was too late and also going in to help him. Imagine, not only destroying you, a captain, and a lieutenant, but also doing away with two people as dashing as Yoruichi and I!"

"Can't you take anything seriously?" Hitsugaya asked disdainfully.

"Especially when I'm at least as attractive as the two of you are," Matsumoto brought up.

With a small, worried sound, Leonardo put his head in his hands. "And you guys are the people who are in charge of every human's soul when they die? Please tell me there's a separate realm of Soul Society reserved for turtles."

"You'll never find out if we don't figure out what to do," Yoruichi said.

"I already know what to do," Ichigo declared. "I'm going to go through that portal and get Raphael out of there. If Aizen wants to try and get rid of me, then he's welcome to try. We don't know what the Alma Roja's really capable of. Maybe your scientists just strung a bunch of theories together and came up with something that'll make you want to find the Alma Roja and bring it back to Sereitei. We don't know, do we?"

"No," Urahara agreed, "we don't."

"See?" Ichigo threw at him. "Then-"

"As you said," Urahara continued, "we don't know precisely what the Alma Roja is capable of. It's all conjecture. However, while you could be an optimist and think that the released Alma Roja will simply emit a scent of roses, you can also be a realist and face the facts; all of Soul Society's greatest geniuses attested to the destructive powers of the dying soul. And they also said that those most likely to suffer most from the Alma Roja's affects are those made of spirit particles. If you go in there in your shinigami form, you're likely to be a victim of the ill effects of the Alma Roja regardless of the extent of its dangers. And in your mortal body, you're even easier prey for those in Hueco Mundo."

"And the four of you are shinigami, aren't you?" Leonardo added. "So the same pretty much applies to all of you."

Matsumoto was the one who instantly knew what Leonardo was getting at. "That leaves Leonardo as being the most eligible of us to go on the retrieval mission."

"Don't be a fool," Yoruichi told the turtle. "If Ichigo can't go in with his human body, then you're not much better off going in like that, especially not alone."

With a determined glint in his eyes, Leonardo proclaimed, "I won't be alone."