Renji let out a low whistle. "Damn."

The Soul Reaper team was in konpaku form and sitting in one of the stands on the quidditch pitch on the cold and biting December morning. Risa and Jake had just finished explaining all the information they knew, starting with the meeting they had overheard back in September.

"So Dumbledore wanted Byakuya and Ukitake in the Order?" Jen asked. Risa and Jake nodded. The team's number was lower since several members had been brought back to the Soul Society. "That makes sense but why would they exclude you guys? Us I can understand but you two are captains."

"Fred and George were pissed," Jake said. "They felt that if we could join they could as well."

The group sat there in the silence until everything had sunk in. Finally after about twenty minutes Jen suggested they head back to the school. They were no more than halfway up when a sudden shift in reiatsu made them all stop.

"What the hell is that?" Shuhei asked turning in the direction of the forest. He looked at Risa. Without fail the young captain pushed off the ground and started flashing in that direction. Marcus Shuhei and Ichigo followed. Close behind them were Renji and Jen.

"What's going on?" Jen yelled to Risa as Jake Jack and Rukia closed in on them. Halfway between the forest and the quidditch field Risa stopped dead causing Jen to knock into her and Renji to knock into Jen. Figures were emerging from the forest. Highly unwelcome figures.

"Those are," Jake started. "Those are arrancars."

Risa shot Renji and Shuhei a look. The arrancars weren't advancing and neither were the soul reapers. Nine hands went instantly to nine zanpaku-tos.

"Don't draw yet," Risa advised. "Play defense."

"Yes ma'am," Shuhei and Marcus answered.

"Sniper," Risa hissed at Jen. "Take altitude, wait for my signal."

"Yes ma'am," Jen muttered slinking off to the side before disappearing both in vision and reiatsu.

"This stalemate's not gonna last," Risa said in a hushed voice. "They've seen us and we pretty much barged in being blatantly obvious. There are four of them but if they're Vasto Lordes, it'll take at least three of us to take one down."

"What about Gentei Kaijou?" Renji asked. "Get permission from the Soul Society and fight at full force."

"Not yet," Risa advised pulling transmitters from her obi and handing them to her men. "We'll see how this battle plays out."

Suddenly one of the arrancars, locked eyes with Risa and pointed its finger at her. Risa knew at that moment the stalemate was over. Like last night she drew her sword in a blur of motion.

"Go!" she commanded and from then it was all out chaos.

Risa charged at one arrancar, a tall one that looked slightly like a cat. It smirked as Risa slashed.

"You're gonna have to do better than that if you want to even fight me," it laughed taking a swing with it's sword at Risa. She ducked and blocked with her own blade. There was a clang of metal on metal.

"Not bad little girl," the arrancar laughed. Risa wiped a drop of blood from her mouth. Behind her Renji was taking on another arrancar and Marcus and Ichigo were fighting the other two. Risa slammed her sword against her arrancar's sword. Knowing the boys they wouldn't accept help in their battles, and Shuhei, Jake, Jack, and Rukia were waiting on standby.

Meanwhile up in the trees Jen was fidgeting with a sniper rifle, A special one that wouldn't hurt humans but its bullets were fatal to beings made of reiatsu, i.e. soul reapers arrancars and hollows. Jen had precession pinpoint accuracy and was the only sniper trained by the soul society. When her gun was loaded and ready Jen snuck up in the trees to just over where Risa and the others were fighting the arrancars themselves. She positioned herself and waited for Risa's signal.

Risa on the other hand wasn't having much luck and by the look of it, neither were any of the boys. In their short clash Risa had come off worse than her opponent. There were slashes all up her arms and her shihakusho was ripped in places. Taking a deep breath Risa held her blade perpendicular to the ground.

"Ban-KAI!" she yelled and all around her the call echoed.

"BANKAI!"

"BAN-KAI!"

"Ban KAI!"

The last voice had to have come from Jake because as Risa stole a glance she saw that everyone's outfit had changed. Ichigo was wearing a black trench coat over his hakama and the inside of it was blood red. His massive sword was reduced down to a normal sized one and it was all black. Jake had on a very similar outfit to Ichigo's except his was all white and the lining was silver, but his sword remained the same size. Renji was wearing something furry on his shoulders and his sword had elongated and looked like it was made of bone segments. Risa was now wearing a sleeveless shihakusho and long black gloves (A/N think Soi Fon's outfit) her sword was completely gone and in it's place was giant black dog made completely out of black water.

"Kurosange," Risa said calmly to her arrancar opponent. "Mizu Kuroinu"

"Tensa Zangetsu," Ichigo yelled.

"Hihio Zabimaru," Renji bellowed.

"Shiromaru," Jake muttered with his trademark smirk. "Shira asa Shimo."

Jen snarled to herself in the treetop. Risa still hadn't given the signal to snipe out the arrancars yet and now she and three others had released their bankai. Nevertheless Jen kept in her position ready to shoot if the signal was given.

Four men with bankai released still weren't enough to beat the arrancars. Risa kept her distance from hers and attacked repeatedly with her giant black dog. She controlled it using hand motions (try to imagine a water bender from Avatar.) Stealing a glance into the trees Risa made eye contact with Jen and then the captain promptly bolted into the woods.

A loud bang ran out and the arrancar Risa had been fighting dropped dead on the ground and dematerialized into a pile of dust. Each person stopped their own battle to watch. Risa jumped into a tree and landed next to Jen.

"Thank you," Risa breathed leaning against the tree trunk. Jen nodded and reloaded her sniper rifle.

"Am I taking down the other three?" Jen asked taking aim at the arrancar Jake was fighting. Risa took an overhead glance the battle.

"Jake can hold his own for a little while longer," Risa said. "Abarai's taken some hits; he'll go down without assistance."

"So am I shooting or not?"

"Take out Kurosaki and Emmerson's opponents," Risa said jumping out of the tree and landing catlike on the ground. "I'm gonna go help Renji."

Jen shot Risa a "what the hell do you want me to do?" look.

"Bletchley, fire at will!"

Risa reached the battlefield just as the arrancar took a swing at Jake and caught him into the stomach. The captain went down on his knees and the arrancar went to take the final blow. Once again a loud shot rang out and the other arrancar dropped dead and dematerialized into dust. By now the remaining two arrancars had caught onto something and ran into the forest. The first one stabbed Renji in the second his guard was down. He didn't get very far as Jen sniped him before he could advance. The last arrancar darted into the forest.

"Shit," Risa muttered advancing from her post to check out Renji's injuries. They were pretty serious. "Flint, Emmerson, drop back and aid Bletchley, Hisagi go up to the castle and get Amy and see what she can do regarding division four back up. Tell her we have a level two and a level one. Where the fuck is Kurosaki? Did he disappear without orders again? Kuchiki, can you tend to Emmerson and see what you can do about basic first aid?"

Limited with supplies Risa pulled off her obi and wrapped it around Renji's chest in an attempt to stop the bleeding. (A/N Risa always wears a black tank top underneath her shihakusho) The arrancar had missed a vital spot by centimeters. Meanwhile Rukia was trying to help Jake with his wounds but the other captain was at Risa's side with a box full of Maxi pads and duct tape.

"Cut his shirt off," Jake said briskly, untying Renji's obi to expose the extent of the injury. Without hesitation Jake had a pad unwrapped and pressed against the wound site. Rukia sat at Risa's other side watching intently.

"That's pretty bad," Risa said as Renji's breathing became strained. Rukia was busy unwrapping more pads. She handed them to Jake who was making the blood clot where it needed to be.

"When the bleeding slows down we need to keep the pads in place," Risa told Jake. "I take it that's what the duct tape is for?"

"Yeah," Jake mumbled. "Rukia can you start breaking off strips about a foot long?" Rukia looked at him as she did so.

"Is he gonna die?" she asked. Jake didn't answer because at that moment Jen, Jack and Marcus emerged from the forest and Jack and Marcus were carrying Ichigo between them.

"We got another one," Jen said.