"We have come with a request from Captain-commander Yamamoto, "bring the Arrancar Rayona Kuchiki and the Vizoreds Shinji Hirako, Hiyori Sarugaki, Love Aikawa, Mashiro Kuna, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, Kensei Muguruma, Hachigen Ushōda, and Lisa Yadōmaru back to Soul society." So there you have it, Captain-commander Yamamoto needs you." Byakuya said coolly looking around the room.
Rayona smirked and straightened up, walked towards him and stopped when a dagger was thrown at her, landing in front of her feet. She looked up to see her Zanpaktu Sakurako materialized and looked at her sternly. She looked at her empty sword container, Che so he got out when my attention was elsewhere huh? She spoke to herself and her eyes flashed red like a demon and then Sakurako started un-materializing in front of their eyes and he had a look of desperation and reached towards her before finally disappearing. She looked at KuroiHonooNoko, red flashing and she disappeared as well and she had also looked desperate and afraid, she screamed her name and reached for her and then disappeared. Rayona turned back to Byakuya and smiled with them back in their holsters, dropped to her knees, and fell forward; she caught herself and was panting hard. As she thought, her hollowfied BanKai was difficult to manage, but Byakuya went too far in stopping her. She looked up at him and suddenly she could feel Chihiro getting irritated and she was pulled into the inner world of a shinigami, her world that her will created. She stood there facing Chihiro who was exactly the same appearance wise but in black and white and grey with yellow and black eyes. Chihiro was pissed off and so was Rayona, she reflected Rayona's feelings and her true instincts, Chihiro was her hollow self and she accepted her fully, she smiled and listened to what she had to say with full pride and understanding.
"Hey Rayona, when are you going to shut him up and make him realize that he's not the boss of you anymore, that he's no longer your superior but now he's just an obstacle of you getting to the position to meet the Soul King" Chihiro told her as she flipped her hair and placed her hand on her hip, keeping calm and her eyes level.
Rayona sighed and smiled at Chihiro and spoke softly with grace and a hint of embarrassment in her voice, "You're right Chihiro so I'll stop him from trying to order me around all the time. So, why did you call me here, it couldn't have been for this, was it?" She asked calmly and her eyes narrowed a bit into a small, friendly glare.
"Now that's my master… Welcome back I've missed this side of you, master." Chihiro said lovingly to Rayona and hugged her, Rayona hugged back and they soon departed.
Rayona came back into the real world and stood up slowly, not shaking or panting hard anymore, but calm and serene, at peace with her decision she and Chihiro made, she faced Byakuya squarely and smiled at him and told him she would go but only if he stopped ordering her and when he admitted her was wrong for mocking her and Chihiro. He snorted and said 'fine' and turned around to leave, Rayona looked at Shinji and sighed, she said sorry and left with Byakuya, Rukia traveled with the others and they ended up back in the soul society. Rayona sighed as she saw what chaos it had been in, she giggled at them needing her and she looked at everyone with glowing yellow eyes and pale skin, her outfit changed to her Arrancar uniform and her hollows mask part appeared on her and she continued walking. Everyone was pulling out their sword to defend her off but their Zanpaktu spirits manifested and followed her in awe, she was radiating life energy and when she passed by the squad 4 barracks everyone was rapidly healing and everyone unconscious suddenly woke up. She smirked and saw Kazeshini, Wabiske, Tombiume, SenbonZakura, and many others manifest and follow her to Captain Commander Yamamoto's room. Once there she laughed at his reason for bringing them back and started to walk out of the room but she froze when she heard his words, she clenched her fists helplessly as she listened.
"Rayona Marie Kuchiki, I have summoned you here to bring this proposal to you, it's about time I give up my position as leader and let the younger generations take over for a change. Rayona Marie Kuchiki, I hereby request that you become the Captain of the first division." Yamamoto said and she clenched her teeth in anger.
"You stupid old man, why would you appoint me as the 1st division captain even though you know that I's not suited to be captain anymore? Are you asking for a death wish?! I'm an Arrancar! Not a Shinigami, I do have Zanpaktu but they are permanently manifested unless I tell them otherwise, why would I have to give up my freedom and pride as the vice-captain in Hueco Mundo just to be a Captain Commander for Shinigami who have betrayed me and even out casted me as a freak, why would I have to lead them when they already hate me as it is." Rayona said through tears and her hatred surfacing that she's bottled up for so long.
"I guess you saw through it, but there is another reason, the Quincy's have invaded and their leader, Juha Bach, is going to kill me either way. I ask this of you, become the Commander of the Soul Society and lead them through my death, at least when I die they will have someone strong willed and capable to break their sadness and grief and pick them up, dust them off, and bring them back better than ever." Captain Commander Yamamoto said with great wisdom and acceptance in his old voice.
"Fine grandfather, I will lead them but until I find another stronger than me, I will remain the first division leader. Until you die, I will stay by your side, thank you for bringing me up but now it is my time to protect you from Juha Bach, like you did 1000 years ago when he came to kill me off and then kill you off as well." With that Rayona left and the Captain Commander smiled at her warmly and a single tear fell from his old and tired eyes, with that she walked with dignity as the first division captain.
It had been days and she was training with Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Byakuya, Shinji, all of the Captains in the 13 court Guard Squads, and Orihime as the medic in the Soul Society when suddenly huge pillars came barreling down and landed in a square shape. She immediately ordered Orihime to put her Shiten Kōshun and all the others to get behind it, Rayona took a wide stance and bent her knees, she held her Zanpaktu's backwards so the blade went along the lines of her forearms. A door appeared and she stood strong and firm with her face twisted into a cross between pain and anger, fog came out when the door opened and she saw five figures coming out of the doorway. The fog cleared and she knitted her brows closer together in an even more, so who were these five people, appearing out of the blue, how dare them! Rayona slightly adjusted her posture and the big fat woman started yapping away with this annoying voice that Rayona wanted to kill herself.
"Oh my! Rayona darling, you've grown a lot, how've you been lately?! It's been a few hundred years hasn't it?! Oh hohohohoho! My my my, I'm just so excited to finally see you again after a really long time darling!" She squealed hugging Rayona and when she stopped Rayona had slashed at her with her eyes flashing bright purple and the woman just barely dodged it.
"You stupid, reckless, and idiotic woman! What the hell do you want with me?! Who are you anyways?! To touch me so casually do you not have any shame as a Soul Reaper to casually touch an Arrancar without even thinking of the countless number of consequences?!" Rayona shouted with rage and she clenched her fists and she stood there, wearing her Arrancar outfit with the first division haori on, but she modified it so it had no sleeves, and it was black, also it had the words "1st division captain" in kanji letters down the back in white letters.
"Oh my, Rayona I haven't heard of you being an Arrancar, does that mean that you've sided with your hollow side now? But you're helping the Soul Society when it is in need?" The woman said surprised and her expression changed to understanding when she saw Rayona's hole in her chest and Rayona's expression softened and she sighed, stood up straight and begun to speak.
"Oh, it's only you Kirio-chan, I thought it was one of those Shinigami who's claimed to like me but really wanted to kill me. Because I'm such an abomination to the world I might as well die anyways. So, why have you come here, Kirio-chan, Oshō-kun, Senjumaru-san, Tenjirō-chan, and Ōetsu-kun? I sure hope you're not here to lecture me again as always and then go back to the King of Souls, but if that's the case then save it. I'm in no position to listen to your trash, besides; I've got more important matters as the Captain of the 1st division. You're just wasting your time coming here; now scat before Chihiro gets angry at me for putting up with you five. Although Sakurako is a bit more patient, KuroiHonooNoko isn't patient like Chihiro but Chihiro is a ticking time bomb, so be gone from my sight before I use these," Rayona said crashing her knuckles and Sakurako and KuroiHonooNoko materialized and took out their shikai swords. "To kill you here and now. I won't show mercy. Sakurako, prepare for Sakuranomuchi, and KuroiHonooNoko, behave yourself and stay here to protect everyone else from the explosions and debris, alright you little brat?." With that Sakurako dematerialized and Rayona held out her hand and suddenly cherry blossoms that were really tiny blades started swirling around them, a whip started forming and it finally made a solid form. Rayona smiled and leap toward Kirio and the others when suddenly different tiny blades cut hers out of the way, she looked and sighed. "Byakuya nee-san, quit it, I don't care if Kirio IS on the Zero division she is still younger than I am, so she must shut her mouth and receive her punishment for disrupting my training." Rayona said angrily and put away Sakurako, she turned around and disappeared.
"Kirio, leave her be, she's become even more hot tempered than when we last saw her trying to recruit her. Leave it at that already, she doesn't want to join right now only because she is faced with the inevitable future death of her grandfather." Oshō said calmly grabbing Kirio's shoulder and looking her straight in the eyes.
Everyone had been listening in on the conversation and some of them had been discussing what to do about the Zero division visiting so suddenly and why they had come to this specific area to greet people. Captain Sei-Feng had silenced everyone and explained some of what she knew of what was going on here. Everyone became dead silent after hearing her words and Ichigo clenched his teeth in anger, and he also stood up fast, clenched his fists and walked over to Kirio. Kirio had been talking and discussing with Oshō about how to deal with Rayona and Ichigo called out to them furious at Rayona's decision.
"Hey! Oshō or whoever you are, why have you come to get Rayona, what is so important that you need the first division captain for, can't you see that she's not in the right state to continue as she is! She's had loss after loss and if you try to recruit her and make her battle now then she'll have a mental breakdown like a few years ago and go on a rampage killing and killing until someone pierces her heart! She cannot fight or even interact properly after you tried to train her body once before because the hollow inside of her isn't stable still, and her Zanpaktu spirits aren't mature yet, nobody can even handle her when she unleashes a tenth of her power!" Ichigo yelled at them and they looked at him with wide eyes, Oshō smiled and commented very slyly and started walking away.
"That's exactly why we are recruiting her, we need her to be a member of the zero division so we can analyze her powers and try to help her, with our new perfected training she will be as stable as ever when she comes back." With that the zero division left and Ichigo sighed, looked behind him, then used his flash-step and reached the squad 1 barracks in no time.
Ichigo put his hand on the door and guards suddenly rushed out and surrounded him with their swords pointed at him, he smiled and told them that he was just there to see the Captain-Commander; they said he only had 5 minutes and he swiftly walked into the barracks. He reached Rayona's room, opened the door, and was shocked to see the sight in front of him, Rayona was lying on the ground bleeding from cuts with her hollow mask on and Sakurako was materialized, looking down on her with sad eyes. Sakurako turned to Ichigo and spoke with sorrow in his voice but his words rang through Ichigo's head.