Not sure what to say about this chapter, other than there will actually be a captain in this one towards the end. Enjoy!

It all happened so fast. Orihime was healing the Shinigami (Yggdra had no idea at the time why Grimmjow wanted him healed, but Orihime seemed to know him) then Ulquiorra had appeared. He and Grimmjow fought briefly before Grimmjow pulled out a caja negacion and trapped Ulquiorra with it. Apparently nobody had bothered to confiscate that from him and now Yggdra felt like she would be indicted for treason for not doing anything to stop it. Orihime argued against healing the Shinigami just for Grimmjow to beat him up again (the apparent reason for the healing) when the Shinigami got up and told her to heal him and Grimmjow's injuries from the short fight with Ulquiorra.

Yggdra admired the Shinigami's honor, but figured that it was all for naught. The Shinigami might've been able to defeat her and some of the lower ranked Espada, but with Grimmjow out of his Resurreccion he was barely a match. Once it came to that point, he would be finished. Needless to say, it wound up being one of the most interesting one-on-one fights she ever bore witness to.

Roder sensed Grimmjow's reiatsu and the Shinigami's throughout the fight. Impressive as it was, he had half a mind to break it up and put Orihime back in her room, but knew that that would just enrage Grimmjow further. He'd let him vent out his steam, then go and pick them up. It would be too dangerous to let Emelia go out and retrieve those two, and he needed Yggdra to keep an eye on the poor human girl less she get herself hurt.

Then their reiatsu's dropped. He sonidoed his way to them. Nnoitra was close. He didn't know what the Quinta Espada was planning but it was best to beat him to the punch before he pissed in it, because piss he would.

He saw Grimmjow getting up when he arrived. Yggdra looked ready to charge over and start formalities, but Roder waved her back, indicating that she should stay with Orihime.

"Whoa-oa! You're fast!" a tiny voice said. Roder's head perked up and he looked behind himself to see that he had a hanger-on.

"Nel?!" The tiny Arrancar in question was clinging to the back of his jacket. She was wearing her new clothes, a one piece dress with the normal white and black outline and a black stripe around her waist. On her feet were tiny shoes and Roder still had no idea where those had come from. "Nel, what in the world?"

"I was tryin' ta get your atenshen and you super-speeded out here."

"Damn. Sorry Nel." Grimmjow apparently took a slash at the Shinigami, who grabbed his blade, apparently trying to talk him down. If this Shinigami really was against killing him while he was this weak, then Roder could definitely work with that. "Well, I'll take you back once those two-" A large blade on a chain crashed into the side of Grimmjow's neck and retracted back. Oh yeah, Nnoitra. Well, time to step in.

Before the Shinigami could basically commit assisted suicide, Roder dashed in.

"Really, Nnoitra, can't you let two rivals settle their dispute before trying to chop everyone up?"

"Eh, Roder? The fuck are you doing out here?"

"Just picking up the pieces as they fall. Really though, what was the point of that?"

"Who cares? He was weak."

"We were all weak once. You just got stronger first."

Nnoitra grimaced. "Whatever. I came here to fight the Shinigami."

Roder looked back where Orihime was healing the Shinigami and Yggdra had dragged up Grimmjow. Nnoitra's one Fraccion was nearby, seemingly studying Nel, who was now hiding on the other side of Yggdra's dress.

"Yggdra." Roder indicated the healing sphere. She nodded and shattered it like glass with her sword. Orihime shouted and landed on her rump.

"Yggdra-san?" the girl cried, sounding betrayed.

"I'm sorry Orihime-chan. Don't worry, he's in stable condition, but I can't let you bring him back up to fighting strength. For now focus on bringing Grimmjow back to stability enough to walk."

Orihime nodded in understanding and started to do so. "I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun."

"There, as you can see, the matter is already-"

"Roder! Look out!"

Roder turned about face and punched downwards, intercepting Nnoitra's attack.

"Huh. Should've known that was a one-hit wonder."

"What the hell, Gilga!?"

"Well, since you're out here playing the part of the traitor, I'd thought I'd be the one to put you down."

"I'm here apprehending the Shinigami and taking Orihime back. How is that being a traitor?"

"It will be once I kill you and your Fraccion and those two half-dead dunces. Then I can tell Aizen whatever I want."

Roder's eyebrows furrowed. He figured Nnoitra would be difficult to work with, but now it was obvious that he'd just have to do away with him. There was no room for such a rogue element like him.

"Assuming you can even kill me, and that's a BIG assumption."

"You're only the Sexta. In case you forgot, I'm a whole number above you."

"So you can count? Very well then." He pulled out his tonfa and dropped down into his fighting stance; feet apart, left forward, right back; left arm up, tonfa held like a shield; right arm low, ready to strike. He could easily reverse the whole stance, but this way was the default.

Nnoitra smiled that big, creepy smile of his and charged forward. Roder met him head on.

Tesla, while not receiving any orders to, figured that Nnoitra wanted him to engage with Roder's Fraccion. He wasn't too eager to do so, but he had to. Yggdra had already drawn her sword and he held his at the ready.

"This battle is pointless," she said. "No matter which of us wins, if the other's Espada wins, they'll finish off whichever one of us is left standing."

"That may be, but Nnoitra-sama will not be lenient with me if I just stood by casually with an enemy near."

"Has it come to your mind that he has crossed the line here?"

"It doesn't matter. Crush, Verruga!" Tesla yelled as he changed into his released form, a large, warthog-man creature.

He punched towards Yggdra, who blocked his fist with the broad side of her blade and shoved back. She jumped and swung upwards, causing Tesla to leap out of the way. There was a small scratch, but it would be considered inconsequential even on a child. He swung his left fist at her, which collided and sent her tumbling to the side. She rolled back to her feet as soon as she hit the ground and righted herself. Tesla came in with another punch, which was blocked by Yggdra, but this time with no parry. He wondered if she was weakening when he felt her blade go across his chest. Now he had a wound that would've killed a child. Tesla, however, was no child and even less so when in his Resurreccion. He shrugged off the pain and continued his assault.

Yggdra leapt sideways and parried Tesla's fist. He didn't notice it yet, but she had been leading him away from the injured and the child. She batted away his left fist and swung down, cutting through much of his arm. He grunted in pain and backhanded her. She flipped in the air, righting herself before landing on her feet. His hits hurt, but she was putting on some serious damage herself. Tesla's Hierro was strong, keeping her from landing an immediate finishing blow, but it wasn't enough to defend him against her attacks entirely.

She jumped over his fist, but then his other met her mid-air.

Roder parried another one of Nnoitra's strikes and noticed the commotion in the corner of his eyes. "Seems like our Fracciones have started to fight as well."

Nnoitra looked for a half a second. "Pfft, who cares? I'll chop you up into pieces and Tesla will beat your little bitch into paste. Who knows, maybe she'll still be alive after I'm done with you, then I'll be able to have little fun with her."

Roder's eyes opened wide in rage, but then went back to normal. He had almost lost control there. Sure such a comment should anger him, but he should be able to shrug things like that off instantly. It seemed fighting broke his façade just a little.

Nnoitra took another swing, which Roder ducked under, before leaping forward to try and strike at Nnoitra's stomach. Nnoitra side-stepped.

"Gotta ask before I kill ya; what the hell's with the sticks? Can't cut nothing with a couple of sticks."

Roder paused a moment. "What do you know about the Tyrannosaurus Rex?"

"Big-ass meat-eating dinosaur. What of it?"

"See, the T-rex's teeth were not designed like most other predators. They were rounded, tapering off to sharp points rather than shaping like knives. T-rexes didn't kill their prey by biting jugulars or cutting open their bellies. They would snap down on their prey and crush their bones with enough force to bend steel, then rip out chunks of them to swallow. My tonfa aren't supposed to cut. They crush and rip my enemies apart."

Nnoitra chuckled. "Too bad for you. You can't even hope to seriously hit me."

"Really?" Roder decided to let himself have one second of gratification. He dashed forward. Nnoitra made to block, but then Roder seemingly vanished. Nnoitra looked around for a moment before feeling pain shoot up his left arm. He looked down and saw that most of his arm was missing, leaving a bloodied half of an arm left.

"Looking for something." He turned and saw Roder holding up his left tonfa with Nnoitra's severed arm impaled on it. About three inches of white bone stuck out of the end of it, surrounded by red flesh before going to the almost perfectly good arm, the gaping hole being the only thing to break it.

Nnoitra gripped his stump, the shock finally leaving his system. "Damn you! Fuck!"

"Don't worry. It won't go to waste." Roder bit down on the elbow with his mask's teeth and pulled it off the blunt weapon. He started to lurch his head back and swallowed the arm bit by bit. His bloodied maw opened once more as he sighed in satisfaction. "Thanks for the meal!" he called out mockingly.

"Bastard! I'll kill you!"

"Yes, as you have stated before. I'll do you one better." His maw opened again. "I'll eat you. Cero!"

A dark orange cero fired from the tips of his teeth right at Nnoitra. The Quinta tried to block, but he was hit head-on. When the smoke cleared, everyone could see Nnoitra, still standing, but bleeding profusely from his arm-stump and on his right leg.

"Eat me, huh? Well eat this! Cero!" He stuck his tongue out and a yellow cero began forming. Roder prepared to dodge the attack.

"Roder-tan!"

Roder looked to see Nel running towards him.

"Nel, stop! It's not safe!"

The cero was fired, Nel right in its path. Roder tried to reach her in time to block it or move her or anything, but it had already reached her…and stopped. The cero had stopped and was seemingly being sucked in by Nel's mouth. Everyone was frozen in place, even Yggdra and Tesla had stopped their fight to look. Soon, the whole thing seemed to have been swallowed by the little girl, and the eyes of her mask fragment glowed.

'Don't explode! Don't explode! Don't explode!'

Nel suddenly spat the cero out, right back at Nnoitra. Once the second explosion cleared, Nnoitra audibly collapsed. Tesla, now no longer caring about his own battle ran forward. Roder looked down amazed at Nel, who was lying down exhausted.

"You…aren't going to really eat him, are ya?"

Roder smiled. "Nah, just tried scaring him. Orihime-chan can always fix his arm later."

"That's good. Hehe, Nel saved the day." Then she was snoring.

Roder scooped her up and walked to where the others were. Grimmjow was out cold, the Shinigami could barely stand, Orihime looked frightened and Yggdra was being healed by Orihime.

"Yggdra, I'll take Nel and those two to the palace. You take Orihime back to her room before Aizen gets antsy or Ulquiorra decides to bust our chops over it."

"Like hell you're taking her back," the Shinigami hissed. They ignored him

Before she could answer though, a figure appeared.

"Ah, Stark!" Roder said. "Nnoitra and I had a scuffle. I'm going to lock up the intruder and-"

"Can't chat. Sorry, gotta go." And with that, he grabbed Orihime and took off. Roder blinked.

"Nevermind then. I'll grab Grimmjow since he's wiggling less. Bring the Shinigami along."

"Don't touch me," he threatened, but Yggdra simply knocked him on the head, causing him to collapse.

"Honestly, you're so stubborn." She threw him over her shoulder and took off, stopping at the door to their home. Roder was already carrying Nel and Grimmjow in. Yggdra followed, even as the Shinigami tried to struggle free.

Yggdra unceremoniously dumped Ichigo onto the floor, where he writhed in pain for a moment before being bathed in an orange light.

"Orihime?" Ichigo looked up expectedly, but instead of his redheaded friend, an Arrancar wearing several billowing robes and a mask fragment covering his eyes was there to greet him.

"Ah, so this is the infamous Kurosaki Ichigo? Pleasure to meet you. I am Nessiah Aries."

"Ichigo!" The substitute looked over to see two friendly faces he hadn't seen in a while.

"Rukia! Chad!"

They both stopped right next to him and kneeled down. "What're you guys doing here?"

"Roder-san had us picked up," Sado said.

Rukia nodded. "He and his Fraccion have been going around picking up whoever had been beaten in all of our battles. He's done so saying that he's imprisoning us and saving his allies."

Ichigo thought back. Had that been why he insisted on taking them even when a higher ranked Espada fought him over it?

"You're probably wondering about why, aren't you," the Arrancar with a mask that covered his face said. Ichigo looked up at him and was reminded by the blood on his sharp teeth about how functional they really were.

"Yeah."

"Well, to put it shortly, I want to overthrow Aizen."

"Overthrow him? But most Arrancars praise him like a god."

"Then call me a heretic. Zommari did. Now he's dead."

"Zommari?"

"Ask your lady friend. She was just awake enough to see."

Rukia could barely hear what was going on, but it was had been picked up and was being placed down again.

"You ate him."

"I did. He was already dead when I got here. Probably underestimated her, like Aizen told us not to do."

"I see. Then I'll finish it."

"Finish what?"

"Her."

"Don't worry about her. I have a nice, damp cell for her to spend to night in."

"It is not enough. I will kill her."

There was sound like a blade sliding from its scabbard, but it was stopped short by a hard pat.

"She is already down. There is no point in killing her when she can become our prisoner."

"She killed an Espada. For that, she must die."

"You aren't the one that decides these things."

"It is Aizen-sama's will."

"Forget about Aizen's will for one second."

There was a pregnant pause.

"You dare!"

"Damn. Forgot about how fanatical you are when it comes to Aizen."

"You damn heretic."

"Hm, no choice then."

For a while, the sounds of battle could be heard as blade met bat. Then there was a pause.

"You still hold that clone in your jaws. In case you think your eyes deceive you, I am indeed over here."

"I figured so" the voice was a little muffled, "but this clone…made by your Gamelos Sonido…it has your reiatsu and reiryoku."

"Yes."

"Therefore, one can assume that these are like an extension of your body. Much like an arm or leg."

"In a manner of speaking."

"Ah, I see. Perhaps you'd like to see a unique power of my own?"

"What is it then?"

"Trague Mantenido. I can swallow the entire reiryoku and body and soul of anything I keep clenched in my jaws for eleven seconds. By now, I've had this clone's neck in for almost twenty."

She could almost feel the Arrancar's eyes widening.

"Let's see just how close to a part of your body this clone is."

There was a sound like wind starting up that grew louder and louder until it seemed like a hurricane. The other one was shouting, sometimes several times at once. He shouted and cursed and called out to Aizen, and then in his last words, he praised Aizen like he was a god that would cradle his soul after death. Then there was silence.

"After that he brought me here, and Nessiah-san healed me and repaired my Zanpakuto."

"You…killed another Espada for her?" To say Ichigo was stunned was like saying Hueco Mundo was a bit sandy.

"I would've had to anyway. I doubt he'd take kindly to me overthrowing his oh-so-precious Aizen."

"Why do you even want to overthrow him so bad?"

"Should it really matter? No, I guess it should matter to you. Let me put it this way; Aizen did, in fact, come along, take down an 'evil' dictator, make us into Arrancar and set up this structure of a sort of government. He did not, however, do this for the sake of the Hollows he changed or out of the kindness of his heart. He made us into tools to use for his own end. I want to overthrow him, take the reins, and turn Los Noches into a veritable Arrancar city complete with a full government system and citizens. All for the sake of the Arrancar, not a Shinigami who would just as soon throw us at the Soul Society hoping to knock down a few buildings."

"So, you're in rebellion."

"Yes, it's just not an open rebellion. I've had to prepare for this for a long time. Almost as soon as my friends and I became Arrancar, in fact. Soon though, while Aizen is fighting your fellow Shinigami, and his defense is at the minimum, I will strike."

The orange cleared away.

"All done," Nessiah announced.

Ichigo and his friends stood up. "And you want our help?"

"It would be appreciated. Your friends here said they were willing if you were."

"If we do this, you'll give us Orihime back?"

"Nessiah has learned how to replicate her powers. You can take her if you wish. Though, I leave prying her away from Ulquiorra up to you."

"About that. Grimmjow stuck Ulquiorra into a caja negacion," Yggdra filled in.

"That won't hold for too much longer. I give it an hour, tops. Also, Aizen won't leave until he at least feels him breaking out."

"I'd also rather have Renji and Uryuu with use," Ichigo stated.

"No worries. Last I checked they were fighting Szayel Aporro Granz. He's a bit of a mad scientist, but relatively weak. In fact, I can feel his reiatsu going down now." He started towards the door. "Get him acquainted with everyone while I'm away." He checked his back for some reason, then sonidoed away.

Roder stopped a little away from Szayel's battle then saw a weird looking Shinigami standing way too close to Szayel. He sonidoed down next to them and the Shinigami jumped back in surprise.

"Hey, how's it going, Szayel?"

There was no answer. "Szayel?" He looked at the Octava Espada, whose eyes were slowly moving to look at him. "The hell Szayel, what's the matter?"

He heard a laugh and looked over to see it was coming from the weird Shinigami. His face was painted black and white and he seemed to be wearing a mockery of an Egyptian headdress.

"So, are you wondering what has happened to your fellow Arrancar? Eh, Espada?"

Roder raised an eyebrow. "So, you know about me? I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage there."

He laughed again. "I'm afraid I have you at every disadvantage, Roder Tyranus, Sexta Espada. You fit the description perfectly."

"Ah, of course. My debut in the world of the living. You should know then that I am far more powerful than my compatriot here."

"Yes, and I can't wait to take back your corpse and dissect it and find out all about what makes you tick."

Roder felt his skin tingle in warning. He really, really did not like him. Everything in him was telling him to run as fast as he could or completely destroy him.

"Since I already know of you, I'll be gracious enough to lend you my name. It'll be the last you learn. I am Captain of the Twelfth Division and head of Research and Development, Mayuri Kurotsuchi."

"A captain? Well, you're definitely not one of the two I was looking for."

"Hm. Were you perhaps looking for a Quincy and a Lieutenant? Well, I'm afraid you'll be dead or paralyzed before you can find them amongst this rubble."

His instincts went from just telling him to screaming directly into his ear and throwing things at his face.

"Just so you know, your comrade has been experiencing everything extremely slowly. A minute seems like a hundred years to him right now. I won't do the same to you. I'd rather try something…different."

Now the instincts were punching him. This guy had to go, yesterday.

Roder dashed forward, grapping the captain by his arm. The captain's face looked surprised, and then went to anger. He pulled out his sword with his other arm and sliced down.

"Unhand me you barbarian!"

The blade was stopped, however, by Roder's Hierro. Caution and holding back be damned, this…thing had to be gotten rid of. He punched the captain in the face, making a loud cracking noise, then threw his body forward, smashing his front into the dirt. He grabbed his back and spun around with him several times before throwing him almost straight up.

"You damn beeeeeast!" he yelled as he gained altitude.

Roder opened and closed his mask's mouth faster than he ever had before, biting the tip of his tongue. He looked back up at the captain with fresh blood on his teeth.

"Gran rey cero!" The lime green cero leapt from his teeth at the captain. As it collided with him, a scream could almost be heard.

Roder huffed and huffed, glad to have rid himself of that…thing. He dared not give whatever it was any humanizing thought. As he gained control of himself, he looked to see two heads staring at him from over some rubble.

"You…" the red-haired Shinigami started in pain, "you completely vaporized him. He didn't even have a chance to use his nikushibuki."

"I don't know what that is, but I'm glad he didn't." Roder shivered. Damn creepy, clown-faced Shinigami captain.

"I for one am actually glad he's gone," the glasses wearing human stated.

"Wh- what? You realize he was our last hope, right?"

"I'd sooner be saved by an Arrancar than let myself be indebted to that monster."

"Ah, that's good. I actually came here to take you to your friends."

The two seemed to perk up at that.

"You're not lying, are you?"

Figuring with Szayel all but frozen, he could risk speaking a little more freely.

"Yes, Ichigo, Rukia, and- Do you call him Sado or Chad? Either way, they're waiting for you at my palace."

He lifted Renji and put him over his shoulders and then put Uryuu right on top of him.

"Ah, what the hell?"

"I need my other arm for Szayel. Oh, who's this?" He threw a Shinigami woman on his shoulder before grabbing the Octava.

"Why save that psycho?" the Shinigami yelled.

"Why whine about vaporizing that other one?"

"Well why am I on the bottom?"

"The human looked lighter. Now hold still. We'll be there momentarily."

After the five disappeared, two heads poked up out of the rubble. "Hey Pesche, where did they go?"

Trague Mantenido= Maintained Swallow. A lot of Espada have some kind of special power like Yammy getting stronger from sitting around and eating (living the dream, man), Nnoitra's extra-strength Hierro, and Stark basically being a walking nuclear waste deathtrap for anything a certain amount weaker than him. I gave Roder this power since it goes well with his theme of a hungry predator.

Please leave a review letting me know what you think, feel, or what grammatical/spelling errors you may have found.