Hey, guys! I'm back with another chapter! It's the one you've all been waiting for! The fight between Imayru and our mystery guy! Things get serious and rather intense in this chapter, so let's see how you hold up! A few things are revealed as well! Enjoy the latest chapter!

Chapter 7

"Bankai!"

Her words were a battle cry as she erupted into white flames that completely engulfed her. I knew that there was something about this guy that made her just as uneasy as I was and so she wanted to make sure that she stood at least on even ground with him. I looked down at the object that I was clutching in my left hand, the communications device to the Seireitei that Rangiku usually kept, and resigned myself to call in should the need arise. The white flames turned black for a split second before flickering out, revealing Imayru in her new form.

As usual, she was now wearing a strapless black dress that was more reminiscent of a coat, a tiny black string keeping it together near her chest so it only showed off a little skin. There were two silver bands around her ribs that crossed together like an X to keep that part of the outfit closed but it opened up again near her stomach to show off more skin. A white piece of fabric around her hips upheld her modesty and the rest of the dress from the hips down separated into thick strips of fabric that were pointed once they reached her ankles, the symbol for Squad 5 adorning the ends of the fabric itself. White gloves with black dragons stretched from the tips of her fingers all the way up to her biceps and black heeled boots that went all the way up to her thighs were on her feet. In her hands, Tatsuya had separated into two katanas with black and silver blades, one for light and one for shadow. Last but not least, her long blue black hair flowed down her back, hiding the tattoo that matched the one on me.

If she said anything else, I didn't hear it as she seemed to just disappear into thin air, reappearing in front of the mystery guy who had just barely managed to get his sword up in time to block her attack. I could see his expressions morph into shock before it went back to being blank as a slate. He tried to push her back, but she wouldn't allow him to, forcing him to lean back further and further until he nearly fell to the ground. He grunted a little before finally shoving her into the air and I watched her do a little flip before touching the ground, launching herself back at him before he could move away.

"I don't think I've ever seen her move that fast before," Ichigo said in awe. "She was holding back that last time we fought."

"She's still holding back now," I explained. "I've seen her move much faster. I think she's afraid of somehow punching through the limiter, which means she's reached the extent of the powers given to her."

"Why did she need such a huge limiter on her in the first place?"

"She has enough power that can get so out of control that it could destroy the Soul Society entirely. If she has a limiter on her at all times, both in the Soul Society and the Human World, there's no chance of her forgetting how dangerous she can be."

"I wish I could fight with her," Ichigo said, sounding torn.

"You and me both."

This guy was holding back, just like I was. He was trying to make me let my guard down but I wasn't going to fall for the easiest trick in the book. Earlier, he said that he wanted answers. That was great because there were a few answers that I wanted from him as well. If he wanted to talk, then we would talk in between blows.

I launched myself at him as he was forced to block, but I kept pushing until we were locked in a battle of wills before I spoke. "You said that you wanted answers," I said calmly. "My friend that you fought a few days ago said that you are looking for someone."

"That's right," he said, sweat beading on his forehead. "However, I have narrowed down that person's location. They have to be in the Soul Society."

"Who are you looking for?" I asked.

I saw his eyes flash in irritation before he pushed me back, running at me as fast as he could and swinging his blade down at me. Now he was getting faster. With my blades in the shape of an X, I caught his easily and held it in that position as he growled, "That is none of your concern. I have searched all over, gathering information on their location, and you Soul Reapers have them hostage."

"Are you crazy?" I asked incredulously, pushing back his blade as he did the same, both of us using the depths of our strength. "I am a captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads. I am pretty sure I would know if we were keeping someone hostage and I can assure you that there is no one like that there."

"You're wrong!" he yelled. I could see the emotion finally blazing in his eyes and the only way that happened is if this was personal. "The only other option is that they became a Soul Reaper and that is impossible! We grew up together and we both hated your kind!"

"Listen to me!" I yelled back, pushing harder so that his feet were sliding on the grass. "We don't just take hostages! We are not the monsters that you are making us out to be! Your friend has to be a Soul Reaper!"

"No!" he howled and that was finally when he went all out.

I didn't even see him move as he swung his blade at me. I was forced to hop into the air to take the hit with the flat of his sword, knocking me into the air until I slammed into a tree. I gasped as the breath rushed from my lungs when my back hit the tree, looking up just in time to see the guy appear before me with his blade in the air and about to strike it down on me. I jumped out of the way just in time but he still managed to cut me with that huge sword. My shoulder was stinging as blood began to flow and drip down my chest. I knew it was time to go all out myself, but I couldn't or else I would break the limiter. As I dodged another attack, I could see Toshiro with a hand to his ear and realized that he was talking with the Soul Reapers from Squad 12.

"Adjust the limiter on her now!" I heard him yell. "You went too far this time and now she can't even hold her own in a fight that typically wouldn't be a problem for her! Take her up to fifty percent!"

Just as the mystery guy was sending his blade at my head, I felt a wave of power flood through me and I lifted one of my Zanpakuto in the air to block it, hearing a screech of metal from his blade but it held. I looked over at him and said, "Now it's my turn."

I barely had to push him away and this time he was pushed through the air. I flash stepped to him and he tried to dodge my next attack in midair, but I still managed to slice into his chest with the Zanpakuto in my right hand. Now we were even and he knew it, his gaze getting harder as he became even more determined. After a few minutes more, we were both covered in cuts and bruises, panting a little since we were becoming out of breath. Another second later and we were back at it again, fighting even more fiercely than before because we both wanted to end it as fast as we could. We were searching for a fatal flaw in the other's fighting styles when I finally found his. He left himself open for a split second between attacks and I took advantage of that, knocking his blade away with one Zanpakuto and then pressing the other against his throat. He froze instantly, watching me warily as if he thought I would kill him without a second thought. Then, I watched as his expressions turned from cautious to confused.

"I don't understand," he said softly. "Only one person could beat me. No one else is able to match my speed so thoroughly except…" His voice trailed off as he stared at me, his eyes getting wide and he was about to say something when I heard a strange buzzing noise. I was about to turn around to find the source of it when I heard it getting closer within a split second. Next thing I knew, another screech could be heard and I felt someone's back pressed to mine.

"Don't worry," I heard Toshiro say to me. "There's another one out there and I won't let them attack you while your back is turned."

"Stop!" the mystery guy yelled, glaring in some direction behind me. "Don't hit her!"

"But Ryzen, she's going to kill you!" a female voice called out.

"So your name is Ryzen," I said softly.

I was about to say something else when something surfaced from the depths of my mind. Ry! a tiny voice yelled in my mind, startling me a little. I didn't know where it came from and I didn't recognize the feeling behind it, so I shook my head and forced it back. The mystery guy, who was named Ryzen, looked at me with a strange expression.

"Yes, that is my name," he confirmed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think it's time for us to leave."

He walked over to grab his blade and walked towards the woods. A female figure appeared into view and I noticed that her features were similar to Ryzen's. She had the same blue black colored hair that was short with a pixie cut and dark eyes. She had a tiny sword and she pointed it at Ichigo, a green ball of light appearing there before it formed the shape of an arrow and was launched at him. I yelled at Ichigo to move but it was too late for it hit him directly on the chest.

As he fell to the ground, I was about to rush at the two of them when Ryzen said, "Don't worry. She was just undoing what I did to him a few days ago. He should be able to use his Soul Reaper powers as soon as tomorrow."

After that, they both disappeared into thin air. I stared off into the space where they had been standing before Toshiro said, "Let's go get Ichigo and see if the others have waked up yet. Hopefully, Orihime is awake and she can heal your wounds before you let go of your Bankai."

"That would be helpful," I said vaguely before turning my gaze to him. "We know the name of our mystery guy now."

"That we do," Toshiro said with a nod. "We also know that they are looking for someone who is a Soul Reaper."

"Here's what I don't understand," I said as I narrowed my eyes in concentration. "If they thought that this person was a hostage of the Seireitei, then why did they go to Hueco Mundo?"

"I guess that it's yet another mystery for us to solve."

"Yeah, well, I'm sick of them already. I'm tired of having to find out someone's motives behind why they do stupid things."

Toshiro helped the barely conscious Substitute Soul Reaper to his feet as a large amount of footsteps approached. I looked up and saw all of our friends finally making their way over to us, Orihime running as fast as she could when she saw all the blood covering me. She practically shoved me on my back and immediately began to heal me, a look of worry on her face.

"Captain, what happened here?" Rangiku asked, walking over to Toshiro. "The last thing I remember was waiting for the mystery man to appear and then there was a whistle. After that, I fell unconscious and woke up a minute ago."

"He used that whistle to even the odds for himself," Toshiro explained. "He didn't want all of us to interfere in his fight with Imayru."

"She's so cut up," Rukia said as she kneeled beside me and Orihime. "Did he do this?"

"If it makes you feel better, he looks worse than I do," I told her reassuringly. "Not only that, but we now know his name and his motive. His name is Ryzen and he is searching for someone who he thought was taken hostage by the Seireitei."

"We don't do that sort of thing," Renji said. "He must have gotten his facts mixed up."

"Whoever this person is, they are extremely important to him," I explained. "They must be a part of some faction that hates all Soul Reapers. He said that this person hates us like he does and that it was just impossible for them to become one."

"How is this even possible?" Ikkaku asked. "If their resolve is so strong, they wouldn't have become a Soul Reaper."

"Maybe this person is deep undercover?" Yumichika suggested.

"They would have checked in with this group if that had been the case," Rangiku said. "We're missing some piece of information here that is vital for us to understand what is going on here. If only we knew who this person was that Ryzen's group is looking so hard for. Then we could ask them ourselves."

"I get the sense that this person is female," I said softly, looking up at the night sky through the golden dome of light.

"What makes you say that?" the voice of Ichigo was heard, sounding feeble but getting stronger.

"Even if he didn't want to show it, I could sense his desperation deep down," I answered. "People don't typically feel that way if the person is male. They automatically know that he'll come back eventually. If they're female, it would explain why they are so worried. People tend to worry more about the females. Not because females aren't resourceful or strong, it's just in our nature to worry more."

Orihime let the golden light go once she was done and I finally let my Bankai go with a sigh of relief. Toshiro walked over and grabbed me by the wrist, pulling me onto my feet as I looked over at Ichigo. I could see that he looked exhausted and I was curious to see how he was feeling. Giving Toshiro a quick kiss on the cheek in thanks, I moved over to Ichigo, who watched me warily. He flinched a little as I slowly reached out a hand for him but didn't move once I gently placed a hand on his forehead. His skin felt hot and he wasn't blushing, so I used my fire to assess the exact temperature.

"You've got a fever," I told him. "It's pretty bad. I think we need to let your father see to you. I don't think my healing kido will work for this."

"I really don't feel well," he said before he slumped forward. I yelped in surprise but easily caught him, thankful that I had been healed before this happened. "What's happening to me…?"

"Ryzen said that the girl fixed what he did to you and that you should have your Soul Reaper powers back soon," I told him. "I guess it will get worse before it gets better. Just try to hold on until we can get you back to your place."

Renji and Ikkaku appeared by my sides and grabbed Ichigo for me, throwing his arms around their shoulders before flash stepping away. Ichigo's human friends decided to part ways and head back to their houses, along with the Soul Reapers that were staying with them. Toshiro and I were the only ones left in the park and I let out a sigh.

"It's been a crazy night, hasn't it?" I said softly, turning my gaze to him and feeling exhausted.

"That it has," he said, slowly walking over to me. I moved closer to him when he was standing in front of me and rested my forehead against his collarbone. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm not in pain anymore," I laughed. "By the way, try not to get cut by Ryzen's sword. The sharp end feels like a saw and it hurts way worse."

"Kind of like Renji's Zabimaru?" he asked.

"Sort of like that," I said with a smirk before a somber feeling came over me. "There's something I've been wondering about."

"What is it?" he asked, his left arm wrapping around my waist and the other lightly rubbing my back.

"It's about Ryzen," I said quietly, my eyebrows drawing together as I concentrated. "The way he looked at me… I just don't understand. It looked like a look of comprehension, but what did he realize?"

"I get the feeling that everything is being set in motion and that we'll find out those answers sooner than we think," he told me. "Don't worry about it just yet or you'll drive yourself crazy."

"Oh, Shiro, what would I do without you?" I said with a small giggle. "You're like my voice of reason."

"I'm sure you'd be in even more trouble than you are now," he chuckled, pressing his lips to the top of my head for a few seconds. "Let's head back to Ichigo's place. We can check up on him and then get some rest. I think you'll need it."

We flash stepped away as soon as I put Tatsuya back into the sheath attached to the chain on my back and we made it to Ichigo's place within a few minutes. Once we made it inside, Yuzu was already standing there to wait for us and led us both into the clinic portion where Ichigo was resting. For once, Isshin didn't make any moves to ambush me. He was standing beside the hospital bed they had set up for this sort of situation, Ichigo lying unconscious there with a vague pained look on his face.

"Good, you're both here," Isshin said without once looking at us. "Now you can explain why my son is lying unconscious in the clinic."

"The girl that was with our mystery guy, who we now know is called Ryzen, sent this green arrow of light at him," I explained. "He seemed sincere as he told us that all she did was reverse the magic suppressing his Soul Reaper powers and that he would be back to normal tomorrow."

"He better be," Isshin said vehemently, "or you'll have to answer to me."

With that, he waved us out, still refusing to look at us. I was shaking a little as we left, heading for the stairs and up to our room on the second floor. Once there, we crawled into bed, holding each other after getting situated under the blankets and falling into an easy sleep.

Help…

There was a tiny voice that I could hear in the darkness. It sounded afraid and I could feel the fear slowly overtaking me.

Help, I'm scared…

The voice sounded desperate, pleading to whoever could hear it. If I could move, I would find the person calling out but nothing I could do would allow me that.

Please… I don't know where I am and it's so dark…

The voice sounded like that of a little girl and I felt terror rush through me. I couldn't explain where it was coming from. I was getting frantic with the need to help this girl. I was panic stricken over the urge to escape.

Help me! They're coming for me!

I was trying to move, torn between wanting to help the little girl and needing to run away. There was something out there in the darkness, something evil that wanted to kill. There were more and more of them that I could sense and I was petrified. I felt paralyzed as the fear took over and I was screaming in my mind as loud as I could.

Help! They're here!

They were much closer now and I could practically feel their breath on my skin, smelling like death and age old ruin. That stench invaded my nostrils and I felt myself gag, wanting nothing more than to at least throw up. The monsters kept getting closer and closer.

HELP!

I was instantly sitting up, screaming at the top of my lungs as if I could get the fear out that way. Toshiro was awake in an instant, trying to calm me down by hugging me but I scrambled away off the bed before he could and into the corner of the room. My body felt possessed as I continued my horrible wails of terror, clutching my head in my hands as I felt the hair stand up on the backs of my arms and the nape of my neck. I couldn't stop the paralyzing fear and I was shaking violently as I curled up as small as I could.

"Imayru, stop!" Toshiro yelled over me, worrying coursing through the bond heavily and I could feel more than hear him slowly approaching. "Please, just stop this!"

I kept letting out blood curdling screams until Toshiro realized that he didn't know what else to do but to just hug me to him and keep me pinned to his body. He slowly rocked us both back and forth, placing a cold hand on my forehead and waiting patiently until my wails turned into whimpers before I eventually fell silent. With each shaky breath, I relaxed into Toshiro's hold, feeling tears stream down my face and hearing the sounds of people outside our door.

"I'm sorry," I whispered hoarsely.

"A nightmare, I'm guessing," he said softly. "You haven't had one in two years. What was this one about?" I was about to answer him when I heard something that sent chills down my spine.

Help me!

It was in my mind, which made it amplified enough that shivered a little. Next thing I knew, there were the sounds of roaring echoing all throughout Karakura Town. It was the typical sound for a Hollow, but there were much more than one of them. There had to be a huge mass of them, all heading for a large source of spiritual pressure.

"Shiro," I said worriedly.

"Yeah, I know," he said straightaway, pulling me to my feet as he stood up. "Let's go. We can talk about the nightmare later. It sounds like the Hollows are outside of your barrier."

We ran for the window, throwing it open and flash stepping away as fast as we could. The kido shackles were lengthened a little so it would give us more room to fight and we both pulled our Zanpakutos from their sheaths. It wasn't long before I caught sight of my barrier, along with the huge mob of Hollows that was only getting bigger. We landed on a building to assess the situation just as the two Espada appeared.

"Are you two behind this?" I yelled over the roars of the Hollows.

"This isn't something we would do!" Grimmjow shouted with an annoyed look on his face. "The Hollows are acting out of character! There is some sort of spiritual pressure that is drawing them in and it's unique enough that they are out of control! We need to either put them out of their misery or get the source behind all of this!"

"You two keep them off our backs while we go get the source!" Toshiro commanded.

The Espada nodded sharply before jumping down towards the Hollows. I gave Toshiro a nod that I was ready and we both flash stepped off of the building. We landed in a section just before the Espada and watched as they cleared a path for us. I wanted to charge up my light but I didn't want to run the risk of having whatever was causing this whole situation to be destroyed. We fought off the Hollows that were so determined to get to us until we finally made it to the center of the ring of Hollows. Toshiro and I ran to a small dark shape that was lying on the ground that was entirely covered in blood. After kneeling down beside it, Toshiro remaining upright in case he needed to defend me, I rolled over the figure to see that it was a girl. With a jolt, I realized that it was that same girl who was with Ryzen. I slid Tatsuya back into its sheath before picking the girl up in my arms, noticing vaguely how light she felt.

"We need to get her out of here!" I yelled to Toshiro, who glanced back at me. "I don't think my barrier will hold off this many Hollows! I think we need to take her back to the Soul Society for now!"

He nodded before yelling back, "We can get Squad 4 to heal her and then we'll question her after she's conscious!" Grimmjow moved closer to us to hear what we were discussing and Toshiro turned to him. "You guys can go now! We're heading to the Soul Society temporarily!"

"We'll hold them off until you can get there!" Grimmjow shouted.

Toshiro created the gateway for us and we leapt through, making sure that I kept the girl tightly in my grasp. I wasn't entirely sure, but I thought she might have shifted her position a little to snuggle against me. If she had, it was because I am warmer compared to most and everyone always turned to me when they were cold. We made it through the gateway into the Seireitei in the street outside of Squad 4 and ran into the courtyard. As we were making our way to the hospital, I vaguely noticed that Seigo was standing there in a corner with Yuukin, both of them holding pieces of paper that Momo must have sent with them. Seigo had a foreign look on his face that I didn't recognize as he watched me like a hawk and I filed this moment away for later use if necessary as I ran behind Toshiro.

Hanataro happened to be standing outside, a look of surprise on his face before he beckoned us to follow him. "Who is that girl you have with you?" he asked curiously.

"A person of interest that we'd like to question," Toshiro stated simply. "Aside from that, there's nothing else we know about her."

"First, we need for her to be healed," I told him. "She was badly injured."

"How did this happen?" a voice said from an office room, one I soon realized was Captain Unohana's office in the hospital.

"She's almost like a Hollow magnet," I said. "There was a huge mob of them, all trying to take a chunk out of her. Her spiritual pressure is unique enough that it drew them in. Do you think you can get her in a stable condition so that we can later question her? It would really help us solve a few mysteries we're trying to unlock."

"Not a problem," she said with a kind smile, walking closer to examine the girl a little. "Good news is that she isn't in critical condition. Follow me and I'll have her healed within two hours."

We followed behind her as she led us down a few halls and to a room without windows. Once there, I set the girl down on the bed and Hanataro shooed us out of the room, shutting the door after we left so he could concentrate on helping Unohana. We walked down the halls until we reached a waiting room of sorts, which was completely empty. We sat down in the chairs and I leaned back with a sigh of exhaustion, noticing the kido shackles still keeping us connected.

"Can you take these off now?" I asked, lifting my wrist so he would pay attention.

"I shouldn't," he said nonchalantly. "I don't have to worry about you sneaking off somewhere and getting into trouble."

"Come on, you said it would be a one-time thing and that you'd get rid of them once we had our confrontation with the mystery guy. Well, we had one and now we even know his name. I think it's time for them to come off."

"Promise not to get into undue conflict?"

"Did you get hit in the head by a Hollow during that fight?"

"Do you have to answer a question with a question?" he asked, a slight smirk on his face.

"Always," I stated plainly. "Now, don't make me promise something that I might not be able to keep."

He tilted his head to the side an inch or two for a few seconds before saying, "Fair enough." After that, he muttered something under his breath and then tapped the kido shackles with his index finger, making them wink out of existence. As I absentmindedly rubbed at the skin on my wrist where the shackles had once been, he quietly said, "Just try to be careful. You know I wouldn't want anything bad to befall you."

"I'll do my best to keep myself safe," I replied, patting his arm comfortingly. "I wouldn't dare get myself in that much trouble again."

"Good," he whispered before taking my hand and sliding his fingers between mine. We sat there for a while and I decided to rest my head on his shoulder when I began to feel sleepy. Just before I managed to fall asleep, I heard him softly ask, "What was your nightmare about?"

Instantly, my body stiffened as the memory hit me again. If I concentrated, I thought I could feel the monsters in the dark getting closer and the little girl calling out for assistance. "I don't remember," I uttered quickly, feeling my body beginning to shake almost imperceptibly.

"Do you honestly believe that such a lie could get past me?" he asked. "I suggest you try again, only this time you tell me the truth." With a sigh, I told him everything that I could remember. I brought up how it was completely dark in the dream and that I could just hear a little girl asking for help, even the parts with the monsters getting closer and closer yet I couldn't seem to move a muscle to escape. When I was finished, he thought about everything that I had said before asking, "That's everything about the dream? You didn't leave anything out?"

"I told you all that I knew," I whispered.

"Well, let us hope that the nightmare isn't a recurring one," he told me before he stood up, stretching a little. "You stay here and wait for the girl to wake up. I'm going to go see Momo. She and I haven't talked in a while and I would like to change that."

I nodded and watched as he walked out, feeling a tiny bit suspicious as to if he had other motives. I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes, taking a nap as I waited for either Hanataro or Unohana to give me good news.