Ch. 9

A couple hours have passed since the battle at the Senzaikyu. After placing Rukia back in her cell, Captain Jushiro Ukitake of Squad 13 escorted one Hanataro Yamada to Central 46 Headquarters to report for his crimes for aiding and bedding criminals. Though the 7th seat's claims were honest and heartfelt, the healer was still to be detained for aiding the intruders and freeing (temporarily as it may have been) an imprisoned criminal. Thankfully, his punishment wouldn't be too severe.

Once he left the chamber, Ukitake was making his way to Ugendo, his estate in the Squad 13 area. On his way to his home, he met up with fellow captain (and fellow 'whitehead') Toshiro Hitsugaya. The young leader had a lot on his mind as he moved. "Hey there, Toshiro," Ukitake said with a sincere smile. "I haven't seen you around in quite some time."

"Ukitake," Toshiro replied. "Is it true that the ryouka infiltrated the Senzaikyu earlier."

"It is. One of them was able to fight on par with Captain Kuchiki before Yoruichi arrived."

"So the rumors are true. And I also heard that Yoruichi is involved as well." Joshiro nodded to the child genius' claim. Acknowledging this, the young captain folded his arms and contemplated. "What the hell is going on here?"

"I do not know. But I do know that the ryouka you were looking for was also present."

Toshiro snapped his head to face the veteran captain. "He was?"

"Indeed. He emits an odd, yet strong spiritual pressure. And his zanpakutos were originally created here." Toshiro's eyes widened after hearing this. What does he mean by this? That he's been stealing swords as well as clothing? Seeing the juvenile's bewilderment, Captain Ukitake felt that he must explain. "Many years ago, an experiment was run in Research and Development whose aim was to create the perfect zanpakuto. One which can be wielded by anyone, including the living. After many dead ends, the R&D lab managed to create these swords."

"The perfect zanpakuto… So what happened?"

"Though the experiment created two successes, the project was quickly shut down. It turns out that those blades have a side-effect of damaging the user's body and mind. Sensing the danger such weapons would cause, the subject was shut down and all data pertaining to its research was erased. Supposedly the swords were disposed of into the oceans of the living world, but it seems they somehow survived and have found a wielder."

"So there's a chance that this ryouka is in possession of these swords." "And his transforming ability may also be due to those weapons."

"Yes. I do not know exactly how he came into possession of those zanpakuto, but what I do know is that he is strong. However, the swords' power has been drained over the millennia, meaning they are not at their full potential. In order to return to their full strength, the owner must fight continuously, gaining experience for the swords to grow."

"I see… I appreciate the information," the small captain said as he gave a respectful bow. Continuing down his path, Toshiro now had an idea on what he was dealing with and knew he had to track down this intruder before he gets any stronger.

"Before you leave, Toshiro," Captain Ukitake began, "there is something else I wish to share with you."

"Really?" Toshiro turned around to meet face-to-face with the veteran captain. Just then, he was met with the smiling face of Captain Ukitake holding large bag of candy. "Here you go! It took me a while to get them. I hope you like them," he replied as he pushed the large sack on to the smaller shinigami.

Toshiro tried to keep the sugary sweets away. "Wait, I don't want this!" he cried out.

"Oh nonsense! Take it. It's yours." With the bag finally in Toshiro's possession, the taller whitehead walked passed the confused captain. "Take care! And enjoy your sweets!"

Toshiro's eye brow flinched as he held the full bag of treats. "Why is it he always does this…" he thought.

With his guise still working, Dante was able to move through the streets with little incident. Though he knew he was an intruder, the black teen was gradually starting to like these shinigami. "You know, for a bunch of dead dudes, these guys aren't so bad," he said as he moved. "Still, if they wanna start something, I'll still have to kick they asses." Reaching into his pocket, Dante pulled out a map he received from one of the shinigami he befriended. "Alright, let's see…" Scanning the map, the young maverick determined that he was in the 12 Division's area. Checking inside of his robe, he also saw the insignia of a thistle. "Well, that takes care of who I am and where I'm at. Now to get back to the hill." With "Dark World - The Legend of Zelda 3: A Link to the Past" from Super Smash Brothers Brawl playing in his ear, Dante trekked forward, moving in the northwest direction. It seemed that he might reach his destination with relative ease.

However, that was before he was sidetracked once more. This time, by a small black lepidopteran which fluttered above his head. It was a Hell's Butterfly, a diminutive insect that was Soul Society's answer to messenger pigeons (or the tele-snails from One Piece). "Oh, pretty," Dante replied as he looked up at the fluttering form. Just then, the bug flew past him. Like a small child, Dante chased after the insect with a sense of curiosity. Little did he know that he was being led away from Sokyoku Hill and to the border between this division and Division 10. "Hey, wait up!" he called. "I ain't gonna hurt you! Hold on!"

About ten minutes passed as Dante chased after his quarry. Following it turn by turn, the black teen was more focused in the small insect than he was trying to find Yoruichi. However, because he was not paying attention to his surroundings, the juvenile's body soon collided with a wall while the insect flew higher to avoid it. This accident had the Hell's Butterfly turn for about a second before quickly losing interest and heading off to deliver its message. Prying himself loose, Dante held his sore nose and gently rubbed it. "Ow, man! That stings!" he replied. "Damn!"

Just then, the sounds of muttering grabbed his attention. "Don't tell me someone saw that." Following the sound, Dante turned a corner and saw five male shinigami surrounding a female shinigami. Examining her, she was about five feet tall (a lot of it being legs) and rather slender. With her purple hair in a long braid on the back with two bangs in front and large green eyes, Dante knew that this was the lieutenant of the 12th Division, Nemu Kurotsuchi. "Hey, it's Nemu," he said to himself. "Damn she's fine. She's like… what's today, Saturday? Yeah, Saturday. That makes her my third favorite female character. Right behind Matsumoto and Yoruichi. Heh heh. Sweet. Wonder what's up over there?" Climbing up the wall, Dante hopped on the next roof and crouched just above the shinigami. Inspecting the group, the black maverick noticed something odd about the low-ranking officers' robes. "Hey wait. Those guys are from the 11th. What are they doin' here?"

"Damn you!" shouted one of them. "It's your fault that my cousin was killed."

"Yeah! And my brother!" hissed another one.

"You said you would do something about your captain and you haven't done shit!" yelled a third.

"I am sorry, but it is all beyond my control," Nemu replied with a melancholy tone. "Perhaps you should see my captain about this issue."

"You can't be serious," replied the first man. "That crazy bastard would use us as test subjects for his sick experiments."

"What we're gonna do is give him a little message of our own," said the third soul reaper as he drew his blade. "And you're gonna deliver it." With their swords drawn, the five men approached the lieutenant. The shinigami, racked with pain, grief, and a desire for revenge were ready to take their frustrations on the young woman. However, Nemu only stood in her place.

"A smart person would just go on with whatever they was doin'. But come on. As a ladies man, I can't just stand around and let a fine woman like her become a pincushion. I do have my morals, you know," Dante said before jumping down between Nemu and the small mob. Both parties turned to the black teen in surprise (though Nemu hid it behind a stoic demeanor). "What it do, punk-asses?" Dante replied to the trespassing shinigami. "Don't you know gangin' up on a woman is a bitch move?"

"What the-!? Who the hell are you? And what are you doing here?" replied one of the shinigami.

"I could ask the same thing? Don't you fools know this is 12th Division turf?"

"Damn it! I thought there was no one here!" a fourth replied.

"Who cares! Let's get him out of the way and finish what we started!"

"If you think you can." Dante then turned to Nemu with a smile. "I'll handle these punks, Number 2! You just sit back and relax." Nemu was perplexed by this young man. She has never encountered this individual before and did not know his motives. Even if this young man had the garb of a Squad 12 shinigami, the vast amount of spiritual energy in him was too high for a mere subordinate. Could this be one of the ryouka she's heard of?

With his swords drawn and "Sinister Sundown" from Kingdom Hearts II playing in his ear, Dante charged into battle. The five soul reapers also went on the attack. With a strong slash, Dante managed to throw one of the foes in the air before leaping up and slamming his swords upon the enemy, causing him to crash hard onto the floor. From behind, one of the shinigami was about to attack, but Dante quickly swung around, his blades moving the opponent away. He then slashed multiple times before kicking him to the ground. "Ha! You just got kicked in yo' chest, foo'!" the black teen taunted. The remaining three men glared at Dante, who spun his zanpakutos casually. "Anyone else want some?" the ryouka asked in a brash tone. Looking at one another, the Squad 11 grunts nodded and rushed at him. Two of the men flanked him, but Dante blocked their swords with his own. However, now restrained, he was at the mercy of the remaining foe coming from the front. Unable to fight back, Dante believed he would be cut down for sure. However, the Squad 11 shinigami was thrown to the side as a sharp kick connected to his body. Dante and the other two shinigami were surprised as the one who attacked was Nemu, who displayed amazing strength with such an attack. However, the black teen took this opportunity and shoved the enemy on his left away before leaping onto the other foe and bouncing off. Stunned, the foe was easy pickings as Dante shouted, "Burst with the fury of the future! Akumu hi Ryuujin!" Before the opponent could react, the diamond-shaped tip of the released scythe shot forward and wrapped around his arm by a strong thin wire. Pulling Dante in, the black teen slash the restrained quarry with the chainsaw-like roof of the blade. With his clothing ripped, the enemy shinigami toppled to the ground in defeat. With a satisfied smile, Dante retracting the wired tip and rested the scythe on his shoulder. "Haseo ain't the only motherfuckin' terror of death in this bitch," he thought.

Now only one shinigami remained. Turned on his back, his face was plastered in terror as he gazed upon the two warriors hovering above him. The lone soul reaper was speechless. What would Nemu do to him? Kill him right here? Allow this subordinate do the dirty deed? Or worse: have her father experiment on him like a lab rat. The Squad 11 officer closed his eyes as he awaited for his doom. However, what he would hear was something he didn't expect. "Please, return to your squad," Nemu's gentle voice advised. The low-ranking shinigami opened his eyes onto the two warriors. Was he hearing things? "And please contact Squad 4 to treat your comrades."

Returning to his feet, the shinigami looked one last time at Nemu's flat expression. He then turned Dante's scowl and quickly hurried from the scene. "Well that was a good workout," Dante replied as he returned his swords to his back. "Yo, thanks for the help. You cool?" Nemu turned to Dante with another expressionless glance. "I-I mean! Thank you for saving me. Are you okay, Lieutenant Kurotsuchi?" the black teen quickly corrected as he bowed.

Nemu scanned the young teen with an observant eye. She then turned to the zanpakuto's shiki form. Never had she seen such a weapon like this. It's spiritual pressure gradually growing. "Who are you?"

"Me? Well I am Jaque Raphael de la Oicho Gustenburg. Jinsiri Arom Tulse Don Saluc Bob Cheen. But please, call me Dante Blaine."

"As you wish. I do not believe we have met."

"Really? Um… That's because… I just got here!" Dante replied as he figured a logical cover story. "Yeah. I'm the new guy, but I didn't get any chance to report in because of all the ryouka. And I didn't exactly know where to go… So, yeah… That pretty much sums it up."

"I see. I am sorry for the inconvenience. Still, why'd you aide me."

"Oh that? Heh. Well I couldn't let someone like you get hurt. Guess you can say I have some ol' school chivalry in me. Not only that, but those Squad 11 guys ain't even suppose to be here, right?"

"You are correct. However, I feel partially responsible for what happened to their relatives who were killed as a result of my father's ambitions."

"I get it," Dante replied. Silence fell between the two of them for a moment. At this time, Dante couldn't help but admire the woman's beauty. Not just that, he also remembered some similarities between the two, such as being torturous experiments for scientists. Nemu, on the other hand, knew that Dante was a ryouka. Still, she did not wish to harm the youth in any way. And knowing her father, the man would subject the black teen to painful experiments (again). However, if the captain gave the order, Nemu would not have hesitated to have see it fulfilled. Luckily, Mayuri had not issued any such command, meaning the maverick was spared and the lieutenant did not have to see any harm done. At least, for the time being. "Now it's my turn," Dante finally said.

"Yes?" Nemu said.

"Why did you help me back there? You could've just let me get cut."

"As a lieutenant, I felt it was also my responsibility to ensure the well being of my subordinates. At least, that's what I felt anyway. Anyway, I should return to my duties. It was a pleasure to see you, Dante. I hope we meet again," Nemu said with a light smile.

"Heh. Me too," Dante replied with a smirk. Just as Nemu was about to leave, Dante quickly called out, "Wait, hold up a sec." The attractive officer turned around to face the black teen. "Just out of curiousity, you know where we're at?" Dante chuckled with embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You are on the border of Squads 10 and 12, Dante," Nemu answered nonchalantly. "Squad 10's headquarters are to the north of here."

"For real? Thanks."

"Also, Dante. Please call me Nemu."

"Okay. Thanks Nemu." After giving a bow, Nemu turned around and left the scene. Dante watched as the attractive woman paced forward, the end of her ponytail swinging subtly from side to side. However, the black teen showed more interest below the hair extension. A perverted smile grew on his face as he slowly turned his head clockwise. "Man, I would love to tap that…" he thought before shaking his head, sealing his blade, and moving in the other direction. Dante then pulled out his map and looked it over. "Going by what Nemu said, I should go Northwest. Sounds easy enough." Acknowledging this fact, Dante continued on toward his destination.

For about a couple of hours, Dante traversed through the area. The sun was beginning to set as night started to creep in. Knowing his cover would be of little use in different territory, the black teen used his stealth to pass the many 10th Division soul reapers in his path. It seemed his plan was a success. At least it would have been had he not turned a corner and met the two most powerful elements of nature. A pair of features shaped and crafted by the gods themselves. The kryptonite of all men (and as we all know, Dante was far from immune). These were… large breasts. The owner of those mammary wonders was a tall woman with flowing orange hair, a thin figure, and ice blue eyes. Considered by many as a vision of beauty to rival the goddess Aphrodite, this was the well-known, well-endowed lieutenant of Squad 10: Rangiku Matsumoto. For about a minute, the two stared each other down (with Dante trying to show resistance while Matsumoto only stood in bewilderment). "Must… Resist… Gangsta… Urges… But the power… it's too strong… to ignore..."

"Is there something wrong?" Matsumoto asked as she cross her arms. However, instead of resting them over her chest, she placed her arms under her large assets, situating her features and exposing a little more skin.

"Oh well… What's important is that I tried…" Dante thought with a shrug as only one word came to mind. "The heavenly treasures! They call me!" Dante pounced forward with a large letcherous smile on his face like a tiger on a deer. It was clear he had temporarily lost his mind (or at least, what was left at that point). However, the black teen's projectory encountered a sudden stop as the lieutenant raised her foot, the outsole of her shoe colliding with Dante's face. "The real sad truth is…" Dante weakly said with his face still pressed against the shoe, "I knew this would happen…" He then slid down to ground, his face now decorated with a red shoe print. Dazed and in pain, the maverick held his face.

Matsumoto looked down at the young man before knelling down. "I haven't seen you here before," she said.

"Well that's because I'm new," Dante replied as he sat up. Thanks to the pain of the collision, the black teen began rubbing his face. "Ow, dammit! If this keeps up, my face'll be looking like Gary Busey! Why do you gotta do that?"

"What? It's not my fault you ran towards me like a pervert," Matsumoto said innocently. "I had to defend myself."

"Not your fault!? Are you kiddin' me!? Everything was cherry before two-thirds of your titties hung like apples off a tree! Who do you think I am? Yumichika?" Dante stood back up, still cradling his face. "Damn, that hurts!"

"How about we start over."

"You mean I get to cop a feel this time?"

The busty blonde only laughed at Dante's comment, waving a hand as she did so. "You're pretty funny, you now that?"

Dante only sighed. "I'm guessing that's a no."

"Anyway, I'm Rangiku Matsumoto, lieutenant of Squad 10. Who are you?"

"I'm Jaque Raphael de la… What was the rest…? Screw it. I'm Dante Blaine, the new guy in Squad 12." The two shook hands and exchanged smiles.

"Squad 12, huh? Pretty interesting. A little advice, you might wanna watch out for your captain."

"I've heard. That mo' fo's buggin'!"

"You have no idea. So, since you're new, I take it you don't know where all the hot spots are."

"Nope. Didn't know you had some."

"Alright, let me show you are."

"Alright. I'm game." Using their flash steps, Rangiku gave Dante the grand tour around the many hangouts inside the soul society such as the Silver Dragonfly Glasses Store and the hot springs retreat. The two had a good time sharing stories about their own adventures and telling the end of the day, the two arrived at one of the local bars near Squad 11.

"So wasn't that fun?" Rangiku asked with a smile.

"Yep. It was pretty cool," Dante replied as he pulled out a pair of sunglasses he recently obtained. They had a red frame with black lenses inside. "Especially when you flirted around with those chumps back there to get these tight shades."

Rangiku turned to the black teen, wearing a pair of lavender glasses with magenta lenses. Peering over her shades and with a mischievous smile, she simply said, "Go on." The blonde-haired woman then turned to the establishment in front of them. "Well, how about we go inside. I have a couple of friends I'd like you to meet. Plus I feel like a drink. You have enough money, right?"

Dante dug into the pockets of the previous owner's robes. Gathering the money, he counted how much currency he had available. "I think I have enough for a round," he said.

"Great. You're buying," Rangiku replied as she headed in. Dante shrugged at the decision. After all, the lady did show him around the area. The least he could do was treat her and her friends to a drink or two (then again, it wasn't like the money was his. So why be stingy?). Dante walked into the bar, which was rather spacious. There were a few other soul reapers inside, but they did not seem too alarmed (either because they were to drunk or didn't care). Standing in the back was a large brown jar, no doubt filled with sake. The black teen turned to a table near a window where Rangiku waved him over. With a smile, Dante walked over to the location. "Hey, Dante. Let me introduce you to a couple of my drinking buddies. This is Shuhei Hisagi, lieutenant of Squad 9."

"Pleasure to meet you," said the man with three scars on his right cheek and a '69' tattooed on his left.

"What it do," Dante replied.

"And this is Captain Shunsui Kyoraku of Squad 8."

"So you're a new face around here, huh?" asked a man with a beard wearing a straw hat and a pink flower robe over his standard captain's haori. "Nice to meet you."

"A captain? Cool," Dante said as he took a seat beside Rangiku.

"Nice to meet a fellow twin swordsman," Shunsui asked as he observed the black teen's zanpakuto. "It's a sign of a unique warrior."

"For real? Thanks. So, what ya'll doing here anyway?"

"Well after everything's that's been happening, I figured it was time to clear my head. At least, until I know what to do next. Rangiku was kind enough to invite me over to join for a drink and I couldn't refuse."

"To tell you the truth, I'm just here to make sure these two don't go over board," Shuhei replied in a brooding posture.

"Yeah right," Rangiku replied. "You wanted to come so you can have some too."

The tattooed lieutenant turned away. After about a second, he scanned his tablemates before saying, "Maybe for a small sip."

The Squad 8 Captain gave a light chuckle. "I thought so," he replied. "So, who's buying today?"

"Actually, Dante is," Rangiku replied as she lightly shook the maverick by his shoulders.

"She's right. I got this. Yo barkeep!" Dante called out. "Bring us a bottle of some sake! We're thirsty!"

"Coming right up!" the barkeep called. Grabbing a full bottle of sake, the bartender walked over to their table, carrying it and a few small shot glasses on a tray. "Will that be all?"

"Yep." Dante replied.

Shunsui poured the alcohol into the small cups and passed them around. "So tell me, Dante. How'd you get here anyway?"

"How did I come here?" the black teen replied.

"Like where did you come from?" He sat silently trying to think of what to say. "Damn it," he thought. "Maybe I shouldn't have done this… Maybe I could… Hold on. I got it." With a smile on his face, the black teen thought of a good story that might give him time.

"Well…" Dante started. "The day I was finally able to see ghost, my dead brother, who was a hollow at the time, tried to eat me and push some Soulja Boy Tellem tapes on me. To tell you the truth, I rather have been eaten. Less painful. But soon, everything really went down the pipe when my grandpa kicked me out the house just as a bunch of dudes came up and started beating his ass. After I was shot dead for drawing Chappy the Bunny on this one guy's head, I found myself in the slums of Rukongai's 98th District. Then I was thrown in a prison cell before I escaped during a riot started by this one nutjob who was a fan of some ninja chick. That was when my shinigami powers activated and I was finally thrown here in the Academy."

Rangiku and Shuhei stared at the teen with astonishment on their faces. His story was too ridiculous and unbelievable to truly believe. It was too random, jumping from one subject to the next like a connect-a-dots drawing. Shunsui only chuckled. "That's not true," he said. Honestly, the captain was finding Dante's rather entertaining. Aside from the story not making sense, the captain noticed how fast the black was taping his index finger against the table rather fast. "Come on, kid. Tell us the real story."

Dante sighed. "Alright, you got me," the black teen replied with raised hands. "See, what really went down was I was kidnapped years ago and was experimented on for some crazy ass shit. The guys that did it said it would enhance my soul. Oh it was enhanced alright, because I found out that I have shinigami powers. But some accidents were made and they were ready to dispose of me. But yo' boy don't like to play that shit and I took my sweet revenge on those nerd bitches. Guess you can say it was a little tutorial for the bigger game. Soon enough, I was sent here where I became a true blue soul reaper." This time, Dante's explanation was a bit more truthful. Of course, he made sure to not divulge in the actual details.

However, the three shinigami were still a little unsure. The whole prospect of making shinigami in the real world was not exactly sitting well with them. However, Shunsui surprisingly seemed to accept this fact as he noticed Dante's spirit energy was rather high. Also, Dante seemed to be more calm and still as he spoke. With folded arms, the experienced soul reaper gave a light nod, accepting this truth. "Well, I see this may be the truth. Sorry to hear what happened to you back in your old life."

"Oh, you know… There's nothing I could do about it now… So…" Dante held his head down as he wondered if there was really something that could have been done. For about a minute, the table was rather silent. "But it ain't all bad. After all, I did get here and meet you guys, right?" Hearing this, Rangiku smiled as Shuhei gave a nonchalant smirk. "Not only that, we got a bottle of sake standing right there."

"So why aren't we drinking this already?" Rangiku said enthusiastically. With their cups in hand, the four held drinks up high. "A toast to new drinking buddies and new stories!"

"And a toast to my new peeps and da Soul Society! 'Cause we run this shit!" Dante added. Tapping their cups together, the four took a gulped their drinks. As soon as it went down, Dante was beginning to feel a loss of balance. Though it had a sweet, delicious taste, it was still quite strong. "Mmm. Man, this stuff is pretty strong. Hennessy ain't got nothin' on this."

"Yeah," Rangiku said. "Up for another?"

"Oh yeah!" The four drank their bottle, talking about many different topics as their inebriation progressed. Dante even sung the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme (albeit with some inaudible slurring). They also cheered on everything that came to mind. Thirty minutes passed and their sake bottle was at the half way point.

"Man, this is good stuff," Shuhei said as he head rested up against the wall.

"You said it," Rangiku agreed as her head leaned back against the seat.

"Hey, man! Hey, man!" Dante replied as he swung his arm ahead, grabbing the attention of a drunk Shunsui whose head was drooped. "Let me tell you something… Christian Bale wasn't pissed because of his cast crew messing up… He was mad because he found a clip of me and his wife fuckin' in Latveria with Dr. Doom as the cameraman and Ivy Valentine as the third wheel!"

"Oh man! You are too crazy!" the captain replied as the two tapped their glasses and gulped the contents inside. The two placed the glasses on the table's surface and exhaled with content and satisfaction. "Hey, Dante…" Shunsui whispered. "What do you think… of Shuhei's tattoo…"

Turning to the lieutenant, Dante inspected the '69' inked on his cheek. Looking at it, he couldn't help but smile. "Guess he's a big fan of the skill, my man." Once more, the captain started chuckling.

A buzzed Shuhei turned to the duo, puzzled by the two's behavior. "What are you all laughing at?" he asked.

"Nothin'," replied the maverick and easy-going shinigami.

Rangiku turned to the window. Darkness and a full white moon now decorated the nightly sky. She couldn't help but admire the picture. The beautiful blonde smiled gently as she turned to Dante, whose cheeks were as red as hers, before taking another swig from her cup. Another thirty minutes passed and the table was covered in small cups and half eaten plates. Moans and groans echoed between the four hammered swordfighters. "Hey Dante…" Shuhei called.

"What it do, 69?" Dante answered, trying hard to hold his head up.

"What do you think we are? You know... On a grander scale?"

"Man, that's tough... For all we know... we could be some make believe people... thought up by some guy in another dimension... Hell, for all we know... I could be just some obsure character... made up by some bored dude... whose watched too much t.v."

"No way..." Rangiku said in an inebriated disbelief. "That's just wierd..."

"But pretty deep..." Shuhei replied before his head hit the table.

"Well, time for you to leave," said the barkeeper who walked over to the table. He scanned the patrons, whose faces were red as cherries. "This place is about to close."

"What? But I was having fun!" Rangiku whined.

"Yeah! Can't we stay for a little longer?" Dante added.

"Go on, get," the proprietor said. "You guys are hammered. Sleep it off and come back tomorrow."

Dante sighed. The next day, everything would return to being Dante running from these guys. "Oh well... at least I had a rare treat... A good sake for a good day," he thought with a drunken smile. Hearing that their fun in the bar was over, Dante, Rangiku, Shunsui, and Shuhei left their seats and started walking out of the establishment. Of course, due to their intoxicated state, the four had a hard time walking straight. Still they managed to find the exit just as the lights inside went off.

"That was a great time," Shunsui said.

"Oh yeah! That sake was great!" replied Rangiku as she stretched her arms above her head. "Well, I think we'll just call it a night."

"Yeah, you're right," Shuhei agreed. "See you all tomorrow."

"You, too."

"Later, Dante," Captain Shunsui replied. "Hope to hear another story from you later."

"Same here, Captain Pimp!"

"Captain Pimp...? Hm… I think I like it. Well, see ya."

"Later!" Saying their good-byes, Shuhei and Shunsui left the scene using their shunpo ability. Dante couldn't help but wonder what would happen when the captain returned to Squad 8 headquarters. A mental picture of a book holding Nanao waiting for a drunk Kyoraku, who returns and decides that everyone should call him 'Captain Pimp.' Only for that order to be quickly cancelled by a sailing hardcover landing in his face. Visualizing this, the black teen snickered to himself with in a message in his mind saying "He's so screwed…"

"Let me guess," Rangiku said. "You were thinking about what would happen when the captain returns."

Dante gasped. "You're a mind reader!? Yo, that's so friggin' awesome!"

"Well, we better get going," Rangiku replied as she was about to leave.

Just then, a few loud blasts caught the duo's ears. The two turned to the south direction in shock. "What was that?"

"Quick! Up there!" Rangiku ordered as she leaped on top of the bar's roof. Dante followed close behind. Off in a distance, smoke started floating into the sky. Then another blast erupted, followed by a loud scream. Judging from the location, it was coming from the middle of the 12th Division. "What do you think is going on over there?" the blonde asked.

Dante stood quietly with a stern face as he knew the exact cause. "Looks like Uryu's going up against that crazy prof, Mayuri," he thought. Thinking about the mad scientist sent a shiver down his spine. The captain-level shinigami reminded him of the Joker: a clown-like psychopath hiding a malevolent genius and an intimate knowledge of toxins. It also reminded him of his bitter detestment of clowns. "I would love to get me a piece of that bastard…"

"Let's get over there and-" Before Rangiku could finish, something else caught the attention of the two warriors, this time in the opposite direction. This time, it was a sudden release of spiritual energy grabbing their attention, followed by a slight chill in the air. Captain-level as a matter of fact. Not only that, but there were two of these releases. Such a surge was enough to sober up the two fighters. Lieutenant Matsumoto knew exactly who these were and stood still astonishment. "It's Captain Ichimaru… and Captain Hitsugaya…" she said with astonishment.

"Somethin's goin' down," Dante replied.

"I have to go to my captain. You'll be okay, right?" Rangiku asked with concern to the younger individual.

Dante nodded. "'Course I will!" he replied confidently. "I'll holla at you later."

"Just stay alive," Rangiku replied. Flash stepping in opposite directions, Dante and Rangiku hurried to their destinations at high speeds. With his hands on the collar of his robe, the black teen pulled it off. Now in his normal attire and his swords drawn, the maverick was ready for battle.

Author's Note 1: In the next chapter, Dante teams up with Uryu Ishida once more in a double team fight to the finish against the Kurotsuchis. Has the black teen and Quincy genius biten off more than they can chew? Will Dante's hatred of clowns and scientists be his downfall? Keep reading and find out!