Greetings everyone! I hope everyone is getting ready for spring(if where you live it's autumn instead, I express my condolences.)

To Eothr Si'lan: I'm glad you find my story interesting, and you brought up a great point that I wish I had addressed sooner. With this being my first story and everything, I wasn't sure that I could have made a long and drawn-out story. I wanted to evolve their relationship from where it was in canon(which was nonexistent until much later, and even then, it's barley anything) to where I put them, and I saw two ways to go about it when I wrote it.

The first, which I did, was start them off hating each other, and explain it later. The second, which I avoided, was extending the story to begin right after the main story ends, which would have been mostly boring filler with no relevance to the plot. Perhaps in another story I would choose differently, but alas, this is my first.

As for their progression, just wait and see. :)

I've also made a few modifications to the Bleach universe in this chapter that I found fitting.

Bleach? I don't own it.

Enjoy.

The day started off as an absolutely brilliant morning. Both Ichigo and Soi Fong were pretty tired from the actions of the previous day, and their "commitment" during the previous evening didn't help much. Both would agree that the highlight of the morning, besides the obvious, was eating a generous breakfast.

Normally, breakfast would have been a casual activity, where food was distributed on a first-come first-serve basis. However, Ichigo had made a special request so that the entire division would congregate in one big hall to celebrate their last breaths of life.

When they saw both their captain and lieutenant walking to them, the division instantly knew that something positive happened between the two of them. Normally, they would have spread the knowledge throughout the Seireitei by now, but two factors hindered this.

First and foremost, the collaboration between Rangiku Matsumoto and Shuhei Hisagi had beaten them to the punch, and their words would only confirm the article published a few days prior. Second, over the past week, the division had grown to respect and revere their captain and lieutenant, the former more so. It grew to the point where there was an unspoken rule that if their captain didn't tell them something, they should consider his opinion before cleaning out the skeletons in his closet.

"Okay," he spoke, "I'm glad that everyone is here this morning. I want to thank each and every one of you for your service to the Seireitei and Soul Society. I will be the first to admit that I had not spent enough time with you to better understand your strengths and weaknesses, and I hope that you could forgive me."

The crowd stood silent, waiting for their captain to finish.

"Today, I don't expect that all of you will survive, but I hope that most of you do. I have confidence that you will make everyone proud."

Suddenly, a messenger appeared in the room, and approached Ichigo. The messenger gave him a scroll of some sort, and left. The confused Vizard opened the scroll, only to find that it was a special Kido designed as a map. The map detailed to the division where they would converge, and a detailed description of the surroundings.

"Now, this changes things. In fact, this gives me a great idea from a book I've read." The young captain grinned as he formulated his plan. "Okay everyone, I have a last-minute adjustment that I want to make…"

The event had not even started yet, and already there were occupants that were rushing to the scene where two divisions of the legendary Gotei 13 would wage sanctioned war upon each other. Of course, there were also betting lines, who took advantage of the "walking wallets."

"Place your bets, folks! The composed Captain Kenpachi, the one and only captain of Squad 11, is taking on the newbie Captain Kurosaki of Squad 3! Will the fan-favorite triumph, or could the underdog snatch victory under his nose! Come here and bet on who you think will win!"

In the stand, there was a marker which displayed the odds of the two captains. The numbers showed that the people believed that the odds of Ichigo winning were 33521 to 1, which shouldn't be surprising as the masses of Soul Society were, for the most part, unaware of the Winter War, and the passing conflicts within the Seireitei. If they found out that three of their best captains had infiltrated and defected, it would be scandal.

As the spectators for the event were filling into a large building, none were paying heed to the wildlife. Indeed, the animals that were sent on to Soul Society were not highly thought of by the residents of Rukongai, and largely ignored. To anyone who watched the animals now would have their eyes instantly glued to a nearby nest.

The nest held within it one egg, and two sparrows, which appeared to be its parents, were looking over it lovingly. Suddenly, a hawk descended upon the nest and attacked one of the birds. The two birds were attempting to hold off the hawk, but to no avail. Suddenly, one of the sparrows had been raked and fell to the ground. Its mate, in response, flailed madly at the hawk, which was gradually wounding the smaller bird.

This was a peculiar sight, and it drew the attention of much of the surrounding wildlife. Everything, from foxes to flies, circled around the tree that held the nest and observed. Not a soul would believe something of this caliber would have ever transpired had they not witnessed that scuffle.

"Hey, Ichigo?"

The division had finished their feast, and was in the process of marching to the designated location. Everyone was in good spirits, and they were excited for the chance to gain some pride. Their captain and lieutenant had led the charge, and while they weren't too far ahead, the rest of the Squad was out of earshot, giving the two some relative privacy.

"Yeah? What is it, Soi Fong?"

'Should I tell him? It would break my trust with his third seat, that's for sure, but she blackmailed me, after all. As an added bonus, her blackmail was used against her, so I should have nothing to lose, right?'

"There's something I need to talk to you about. It's about Kiyomi…"

As the raven-haired Shinigami spoke the last word, a silhouette started making pace to her man and much to his irritation, glomped him.

"Good morning, Captain Kurosaki. I trust that your day has gone well?" After giving him a pleasant smile, Kiyomi turned to his companion. "Good morning to you too, Lieutenant Soi Fong."

"Kiyomi, you know that I don't like you sneaking up on me like that." It was quickly noted that he had a tinge of anger in his voice, and Soi Fong noted that her beliefs that Ichigo would cheat on her were over before they began.

"Please, Captain Kurosaki? I get lonely when I'm back with the rest of the division, and you're so fun to be around." On her last note, the third seat tried snuggling into him, but her efforts were futile as she was pushed away.

The young captain sighed as the third-wheel in his love-life retracted to walk between him and the petite woman beside him. "Oh, Soi Fong, what did you want to tell me?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll tell you later."

"What if there isn't a 'later' hmm?" Ichigo said that with a smirk.

"If you die, I'll kill you." Soi Fong turned to face forward, ignoring the chuckle from the carrot-top, and the glare from the Hitsugaya-Matsumoto hybrid.

"Greetings, Captain Kurosaki, I see your timing is better than average this morning."

Said captain was about to respond, but tried to think of a clever response. He wasn't sure if the comment made by his boss was either a compliment or an insult, but he didn't care. He made a formal bow and moved, with his division behind him, to the wide expanse before him.

The field of choice was a vast empty meadow. The terrain seemed to vary, with a rather high hill on one side, a flat, rolling plain on the other, and an even higher plateau in the middle. There were trees off to the side, which made the area even more beautiful. It was a shame, Ichigo thought, that blood would soil this ground, but that was his own fault, and he couldn't let that keep him from winning.

"So gramps, when is this supposed to start? As much fun as contemplating my doom sounds, there are other things I'd like to do."

"The challenge was planned for an hour before noon, but depending on when Captain Zaraki decides to show up, you may have to wait longer."

The Vizard sighed, and almost lied down on the grass, when he felt a boisterous Reiatsu approach the area, and fast. A minute later, the crazy-hair division had stampeded to them. At their head, Kenpachi Zaraki himself was rushing in like a madman, while bickering with his lieutenant simultaneously. It was a wonder how he had not only went in the right direction for anything, but for him being early as well was an astronomical impossibility.

"Hah! We made it! Ikkaku, you owe me your paycheck for the rest of the year!"

The bald third seat of the division could be seen with twin waterfalls pouring from his eyes. At least half of the Squad burst into laughter at the sight.

"Hey, old fart," the gigantic captain spoke once more. "When do we get to fight? I've been itching for this all week!"

Yamamoto looked at the eleventh division sternly, as he always does. "Seeing as the two of you, as well as your divisions are here, I can say that it can commence. However, before you two start killing each other, there are a few announcements I must make. You may pick the area of your choosing before we begin."

"Hey Ichigo, I'm feeling generous, so I'm going to let you pick where you want your division to set up first."

"I don't need your help, Kenpachi. In fact, I think you're the one who's going to need help."

"Is that so, Ichigo? We'll see about that, just don't get overconfident like last time."

The third division, interestingly enough, had moved over to the top of the hill, which had a spectacular view. The eleventh division moved rather boastfully to the flat plain below, unfazed about the environment.

Noting that the event was one to behold, every single captain and lieutenant in the Gotei 13 was drawn immediately to the combat area. Normally, the Central 46 would have panicked at the sudden shift in manpower out of the Seireitei, but in their place were hundreds of Kido barriers erected over the past week. Every seated officer above fifth seat who was both sufficient in Kido, and not in detainment, save Retsu Unohana, was obligated to help create such barriers, and the efforts paid off. The normally impervious barrier above the Seireitei was reinforced with a shield that was so strong, that Yamamoto himself would need twenty four hours to break them all.

The old captain himself was sitting sternly in a stand that looked similar to a booth. Beside him were the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13, who were anticipating the battle to behold. The Head-Captain stood up, and made his announcement.

"Today, we of the Gotei 13 shall be witnessing the third division, and the eleventh division, fight each other in sanctioned combat. This time, the stakes are higher for the newer of the challengers, Captain Kurosaki. Due to offenses he has committed, this battle will serve as his trial."

Much commotion could be heard from said captain's division, but the first division captain quickly shut them up.

"Now, of course, the winning captain of this competition shall have one request of his fulfilled. There has been much debate raging in the Central 46 Chambers about this, and as of this morning, the decree that any and all requests shall be granted, will not be abridged."

'Any and all requests, huh?' He quickly glanced at Soi Fong, who was too absorbed in the speech to notice. 'He'll go nuts about it, him and Byakuya both, but he didn't state any exceptions.'

"Be wary, for the ground is not what it seems. Besides that, you two are now free to fight each other. Begin."

Off in the distance, the eleventh division was preparing to charge at Ichigo.

"Okay boys, time to show them who's boss! No matter what you do, Ichigo is mine!"

On the other side, Ichigo was preparing his men to fight.

"Okay everyone, I know that we aren't at the pinnacle of our power, but we can't let that stop us from winning!"

"Don't you have anything inspiring to say, Ichigo?"

"Uh," the captain was thinking, pretending that there wasn't a stampeding herd of Shinigami preparing to rip out his throat. "Defeat the enemy now, die in battle later!"

Before the third division could ask him what he meant by that, the captain barked one last command to his division. "Okay everyone, get in formation now!"

As the brave Shinigami took their places along the top of the hill, the captain of Squad 11 appeared right in front of their captain, and landed a blow that sent him flying straight to the plateau in the middle.

"Ichigo!"

"Captain Kurosaki!" Their screams were in vain, as their beloved leader was behind enemy lines, and the approaching mob had engaged them in a bloody melee.

The two captains landed with a thump, the younger appearing surprised. "Hey! What's the big idea?"

"I just wanted to make sure that our fight would go uninterrupted. Convenient that the geography itself lets that happen, huh?"

"Whatever," Ichigo said while unsheathing Zangetsu. "There're some questions that I have to ask you."

Kenpachi unsheathed his Zanpakuto as well. "I'm going to garner a guess that at least one is about my Zanpakuto. I'll explain it to you, but it will be easier if I release it first."

"Good idea. Protect, Zangetsu!"

As the third division captain released his blade, the eleventh division captain looked on with the familiar glint in his eye that he gets whenever he fights a worthy opponent. He pointed his blade to his foe, and prepared to enter Shikai.

"Come on, you can do this!"

Soi Fong was not one anyone would expect to be encouraging, and the Onmitsukido could attest to this. However, with the abduction of their beloved leader, the morale of Squad 3 dropped enormously. In order for them to have a fighting chance, something needed to be done, and someone needed to take charge.

"Look out left flank! Hold your ground! Kiyomi, there are a dozen more coming for you!"

In Ichigo's absence, the lieutenant and third seat had divided the division into two groups. Soi Fong would manage the north flank, while Kiyomi handled the south flank. The method proved rather effective, and morale had returned to its previous level.

"We can do this!" The third seat was about to jump for joy, when an eleventh division member jumped for her. He caught her off guard, and forced her back with a slash on her Shihakusho.

Her attacker stood out from the rest of the division. He stood fairly tall, with some peculiar customizations. He wore the standard Shihakusho, but there appeared to be an orange piece of clothing on his shoulders, giving the illusion of it being a turtleneck. The orange piece stretched under his uniform and ended on his right arm as a sleeve. The most notable details of him were not his jaw-length black hair, but the ornate feathers protruding from his right eye.

"What a beautiful face, almost as gorgeous as my own."

Meanwhile, Soi Fong was managing well in commanding her side. Despite the time constraints on preparation, the division was matching its opponent: for every Shinigami that fell on their side, one would surely fall on the other. Their lieutenant was positive that they could win.

Thoughts of victory may have been too soon. Just as she was getting ready to join the fray, a Zanpakuto collided with her own. Upon closer inspection, she told herself that she should have known.

The assailant appeared normal by Squad 11 standards, but the only difference was that he was bald. Other than that, the only noticable features on his face were his eyes, which had red markings on their outer corners.

"Hah, and I was just about to think that I wouldn't get any challenge at all."

"Breathe, Invictus!"

Ichigo's jaw would have dropped at the sight of Kenpachi's release command had he not seen it earlier in the week.

"I'm guessing your first question is why my Zanpakuto has such a strange name. Honestly, I don't know. I've done some research, and Chojiro tells me that it's some sort of dead language. Funny how I have an Eastern blade with a Western name, but I don't really care: at least he has a name."

Upon closer inspection of the blade, Invictus appeared to be noticeably different. The nicks on the blade had seemed to disappear, and the bandaged hilt had apparently grown slightly. Overall, Zaraki's Reiatsu grew even more monstrous, making Ichigo more cautious.

"That's impressive, but there's something else that's bugging me. At my promotion ceremony, you came with your eye patch on. How long have you been able to control your Reiatsu?"

The towering captain sighed as he prepared for the explanation. Apparently, ever since the Central 46 had been reinstated, they had passed massive legislation on the Seireitei. Part of the legislation was aimed at removing Kenpachi from his position. A new decree was issued that stated that all current captains were required to learn the name of their Zanpakuto, as well as establishing efficient communication with it, and mastering a certain degree of Kido, depending on their skills in other areas, within a year of either taking their position, or starting form the moment the decree was made law.

Everyone could tell that the enormous captain was screwed, and offered to help him as best they could. Try as he might, he couldn't even control his Reiatsu. Then one night, Kisuke Urahara appeared to him and offered his help. At first Zaraki refused, but eventually he allowed himself to be aided by the exiled Shinigami. Thanks to his Reiryoku Sphere, he had his Reiatsu under control, and his Zanpakuto sealed, by the next morning.

"Wait, Hat-n-Clogs gave you that Sphere thing too?"

"Why of course. You didn't think that you were the guinea pig, did you?" He let out a laugh. "However, he did say that he modeled the thing after you."

'After me? What does he mean by that?'

Continuing his explanation, Kenpachi had learned the name of his Zanpakuto, and established a decent relationship with it, within a few months. The necessary mastery of Kido came a few months afterwards, but Ichigo couldn't help but wonder that something was fishy in his explanation.

"That's great Kenpachi, but there's one more-"

"That's enough talk, I'm getting bored of this. Let's fight now!"

Raising Zangetsu to act as a shield, the Vizard narrowly blocked the relentless attack. After being pushed back, he raised his cleaver to slash at his large foe, but it barley made a scratch on him. The two continued to trade blows, both of them getting cuts in various places, oblivious to the battle going on below.

Meanwhile, the brawl had died down a notch.

Soi Fong was still fighting third seat Ikkaku Madarame, and Kiyomi was currently preoccupied with fifth seat Yumichika Ayasegawa, but the rest of their divisions were largely cut down. Save Soi Fong and Ikkaku, the entire northern theater was cut down: not a single notable Shinigami was standing. The southern theater, however, had vast third division casualties, but around 50 eleventh division members were still able to stand. They surrounded Kiyomi like vultures, waiting for their opportunity to pounce, and get some sick, twisted "fun."

"Don't even think about trying to save her, your fight is with me. Neither you, or your sex toy are going to help her."

"Try me, Ikkaku Madarame."

Try her, he did indeed, but the third seat was unable to stop the second-fastest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Appearing behind Kiyomi's back, the petite Shinigami raised her Zanpakuto to guard her rear. In the corner of her eye, she spotted a certain cue ball coming right for her, and apparently angry.

A loud rumbling could be heard, but none of the combatants knew where it was coming from. As the rumbling got louder, the fighting stopped altogether, and caused many to look for solid ground. Eventually, the rumbling grew even louder, and suddenly, the earth itself crumbled beneath them. At first, many expected to fall, but instead, they felt like they were elevated.

Upon inspecting the surroundings, they obviously weren't in the meadow anymore. The ground had changed from a nice, calm plain, to a sandy, flat land. The area had changed too. Instead of beautiful trees serving as a border, an enormous ring rose from the ground and reached for the sky. If the change in scenery was surprising, then what was next was a heart attack.

For reasons they didn't understand, they heard cheering as the scene changed. After everything settled, they could fully take in their surroundings. They appeared to be in some sort of complex with no exit in sight. All around them, thousands upon thousands of spectators were cheering them on. Between them and the spectators, however, was a solid line of blue Reiatsu, which appeared to be protecting them. In the front row, the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13 watched in anticipation.

"I must say, Captain Kurotsuchi, I thought that your work on Fake Karakura Town was impressive, but this blows it out of the water."

"If I must say, this is my finest work. The amount of research I gained from Aizen's archives was immense, and I must say, it was tragic that he turned out the way he did. A mind like his doesn't come around very often."

"I mind not that a mind like his is a rare commodity. Let us hope it stays that way."

"Welcome, Captain Kurosaki, Captain Zaraki, to the Soul Society Coliseum. Pay no heed to the change in scenery, or the masses that have come to watch you fight. We have already cleared the field of fallen Shinigami."

True to his word, the Head-Captain had every last fallen Shinigami from either division taken off the field, where they were presumably being treated for injury. Ichigo decided to take a look at those who were watching him.

From the looks of it, every single member of the Gotei 13 was there, including thousands of souls from every single district. The stands were packed, and he assumed that it was an enormous source of revenue. Even the Onmitsukido and the Kido Corps were there, the former watching their detained leader intently, and the latter maintaining the barrier that protected the spectators.

"I was expecting something… different," the Squad 3 captain said aloud. In the corner of his eye, he spotted Soi Fong fighting intently. "I think I'll keep an eye on her, just to be safe-"

"Forgetting about me?" A long blade came swiping right at him. Ichigo barley dodged in time to avoid decapitation.

'Maybe I'll sneak a peak every now and then…'

Meanwhile, Soi Fong was too preoccupied to notice her love's attention.

From her point of view, Kiyomi was just about to release her Zanpakuto when Yumichika appeared directly in front of her, landed a swipe on her, and cut her down. The moment that she touched the ground, her body mysteriously disappeared. This didn't make the lieutenant any less angry.

"Just come and try to hit me, I dare you worthless pieces of scum!" Zanpakuto raised, she assumed a posture that would allow her to anticipate attacks from the most possible angles.

"You little bitch!" One of the dumber of the eleventh division members broke ranks and attacked her. Unfortunately for him, he landed face-down on the ground faster than a Shinigami could say "Ouch." Angered that their comrade was beaten so quickly, another challenger came forward to avenge him, and fell just as quickly. Luckily for the provisional lieutenant of the third division, Squad 11 wasn't big in the brains department, and more and more of them charged at her, one at a time.

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

As the fight continued, Ichigo noted that it was more and more difficult to beat his opponent. At this rate, his Shikai alone wouldn't be able to match his opponent.

"I know that isn't all you got, Ichigo. Stop holding back, so I don't have to!"

"Hold back! You're holding back!?!"

"Why of course! You didn't think that my Zanpakuto didn't have any special abilities, did you?"

"What special abilities are you talking about?"

"You'll see…"

Meanwhile, surprised as she was, Soi Fong was pushed into releasing Suzumebachi soon after clearing most of the crowd attacking her.

"What's the matter, Lieutenant Soi Fong? I hope you haven't gotten tired yet: we've only just got started!" Her lone opponent, Ikkaku, held swagger in his stride as he closed in. The third seat of the eleventh division was wielding Hozukimaru, his Zanpakuto, in its released form, which was more akin to a spear.

"You worthless scum! You will be begging for mercy when I'm through with you!" She charged straight for him, Skikai raised, and aimed straight for his chest. Anticipating this, he said "split" to no one in particular, and suddenly his spear had divided into three segments. Utilizing the change in his weapon's form, Ikkaku easily trapped his opponent's arm, and rendered it useless.

"The bee isn't so fearsome without her stinger, huh?" Cue-ball smirked and tightened his hold. "Or maybe, our little bee didn't get her nectar-"

"Damn you!" At that moment, the petite Shinigami wrangled out of his hold, kicked her foe in the family jewels, and seized his neck, within the span of 3 seconds.

"Oi! Aren't you going to finish it, you man-hater?"

"You should be grateful…" Suzumebachi raised, the woman impaled her opponent straight through the back, generously missing any vital organs by millimeters. Almost as soon as it started, Ikkaku had fallen.

"I… guess that- BLAGH!" Determined to stay alive, baldy attempted to keep the conversation going, but unfortunately for him, a surge of crimson bile forced its way up his throat. Soi Fong looked on in slight disgust, and then turned her head to the more interesting battle at hand.

"I should probably go check on Ichigo, he may need my help." The detained Onmitsukido leader flash stepped her way to the scene of the battle, ignoring the various cuts and bruises enveloping her, and the trail of blood she left behind.

"Well look what we have here, you're girlfriend decided to help you out. How sweet."

Ichigo and Kenpachi were clashing blades while the rest of their divisions were picked at like meat on bones. Despite numerous cuts on both parties, neither held a clear advantage, even though the former was in Bankai.

"Soi Fong, stay out of this! This is my fight! I don't want you getting hurt!"

"No, Ichigo! I'm here to support you! There's no way I'm letting him kill you!"

'This is just like one of those bad soap operas Yuzu and dad loved so much.' After giving it a moment of thought, the young captain came to a conclusion. "Look, if you just stay out of our way, I'll let you watch us fight, and if I fall, you can come in, okay?"

"I can't afford to let that happen Ichigo! I'm helping you." Soi Fong was about to release her Zanpakuto, or so it seemed, when she was interrupted by something else.

"If you aren't going to move on your own free will," the behemoth raised his left hand, and pointed at her. "Then I'll just have to move you myself."

'Is he doing what I think he's doing?' The ginger shook his head in disbelief. 'There's no way that he could, I mean it's impossible! Him, of all people?'

"Bakudo #63: Sajo Sabaku!" A large, yellow energy rope emitted from the large captain's fingertip and wrapped around the unsuspecting Shinigami's arms. The wounds had a small part in it, but the disbelief that the great captain of the eleventh division, the man who never attended the Academy for even a day, could utilize a Kido of that caliber held a large part in paralyzing her so that it could work.

Meanwhile, back on the stands, the crowd was in uproar.

Upon the arrival of Soi Fong to the battle, everyone had assumed that Ichigo and the third division would win. When Kenpachi used revealed his Kido ability, at least half of the crowd froze in silence.

The situation among the captains and lieutenants looking on wasn't much better.

"This is bad," Yoruichi was shocked that a spell that powerful was being used by any of the three present, and even more surprised when her star pupil was entangled by it. "There's no way…"

"It seems the tables have turned," Unohana was doing her best to sound as neutral as possible, although even for her, it wasn't an easy feat. "I pray that none of them are permanently injured."

"Do you think Kurosaki can match Zaraki?" Toshiro Hitsugaya was suddenly more interested in the fight. "If he can do this, there's no telling what the extent of his abilities are."

All were too occupied on the fight to notice that a cloaked figure was standing above the highest rise, watching on with a grin.

"This isn't my style, but if I have to…"

"What are you doing, Kenpachi?" The carrot top couldn't believe his eyes at what he was seeing. A restrained Soi Fong was before him, and he was paralyzed in fear.

Just like before, Kenpachi raised his left hand, and pointed at his target once more. "I'm going to guarantee that our fight is strictly one-on-one, and I don't want her interfering."

"Don't do it, Kenpachi!"

"Hado #88: Hiryugekizokushintenraiho!" A blue beam of spiritual energy Ichigo knew all too well was emitted from Kenpachi's fingertip.

The war hero was too shocked to move. He felt that everything was moving in slow motion, and in horror, witnessed the blast land a direct hit on his lieutenant.

"SOI FONG! NOOOO!"

His pleas fell on deaf ears, and when the blast landed, an enormous explosion engulfed the area, and when the smoke cleared, no carcass could be seen: only the ashes left behind.

A/N: Oh no! It appears that Soi Fong was a victim of circumstance. How will Ichigo react? What powers do Kenpachi's Zanpakuto really have? Will Ichigo be able to win the day, or will he die by Zaraki's hand?

I decided to split this into two chapters, due to the fact that this one leaves a good cliffhanger. Despite that, I don't plan on ending the story next chapter, but there will be a few more after that. Now, if you were surprised by my choice for Kenpachi's Zanpakuto, the commercial Coliseum, and leaving the Seireitei unguarded, I made my choices for a reason.

I chose Kenpachi's Zanpakuto, Invictus, due to the fact that it's Latin for "unconquerable, or undefeated" which matches the title "Kenpachi" all too well. At first, I was going to give him a traditional Japanese Zanpakuto, but I wanted a flair of originality.

As for the Coliseum, and its massive audience, there was also a good reason, in my mind, for it. In case you were unaware, the Seireitei is known to pay its Shinigami. I looked at various sources, but I couldn't find where the money came from. From there, one idea that came into mind was a fundraiser. The Coliseum itself was chosen because in the past, various commercial fights between various combinations of gladiators, convicts, and animals were held there, and it fit perfectly. It also matched Kenpachi's Zanpakuto, which may make it a tad bit more boring, but I thought of it as original.

Now it should be a no-brainer that realistically, the Seireitei would never be left unguarded, but I had a reason or two for it. One being explained next chapter, and the other due to the fact that almost everyone within the Seireitei knew of Ichigo's existance, and his deeds, after Aizen's defeat, at least in my story, and wouldn't want to miss it for the world. So long as everyone and everything was evacuated, and enough protection was placed over the dome, no Hollow would even want to go near it, in my opinion at least.

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