To Find a Purpose in Death

by Bruuz

Follow Ichigo's journey as a Hollow in Hueco Mundo with no memories of his previous life. Watch him as he struggles to choose between his loyalty to a man who's goals are unknown and between doing what he believes is the right thing to do. Ichi/Nel.

14. Father and son, reunited!

Chapter 13: Father and son, reunited!

I apologize in advance for the time it took me to get this chapter up. Why will be explained down below in the author notes. Furthermore I will not answer any reviews this once, mostly because there are simply too much (I blame myself for this because I took so damn long in working this chapter out!). Answering too many reviews would end up in a messy-looking chapter as well as mess up the word count of the actual story. With that out of the way, all I have left to say is enjoy the read. I made this chapter extra long both because I had a lot of things to work out in this chapter as well as I feel I have something to make up to all of you.

=0=

Ichigo was seated in the Espada meeting room. As usual he sat at Aizen's right side, with Nel seated next to him, at his own right side.

Aizen had called them all here for an urgent meeting. He had arrived no more then a few minutes ago and now that they were all seated and everyone had their tea, Ichigo expected Aizen would soon start speaking.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Espada," Aizen started. "We are under attack."

Several eyebrows rose at Aizen's statement and some eyes widened slightly. Ichigo for his part was surprised as well, even though this didn't show on his face. He certainly hadn't expected this. Attacking Las Noches, the self-proclaimed Capital of Hueco Mundo, was a dangerous move. It was unlikely anyone could pull off such a stunt and live to tell the tale, especially after Aizen had taken up residence in the fortress and had thrown both Soul Society and Hueco Mundo in disarray. Ichigo decided to wait for Aizen to elaborate.

"But there is no need to worry. You are safe, as long as you are with me."

There were no outward signs of reaction to Aizen's comment on any of the Espada's faces. But Ichigo knew that the opinions about Aizen's words would differ greatly among many of the Espada, even if it didn't show.

"Kaname," Aizen's voice rang out again as he locked eyes with Tousen before giving a slight nod in the man's direction.

Tousen seemed to understand what Aizen meant with the gesture. He slowly walked over to the wall behind Aizen and opened a small hatch in the wall before taking out what looked like some sort of remote control. After he pressed a couple of buttons another hatch opened, this time in the middle of the table. An image was immediately projected in mid-air just above the hatch. Ichigo recognised the area that was shown instantly but more importantly he recognized two out of the five Shinigami that were shown.

The first was the white haired kid he fought in Soul Society. Juubantai-taicho Hitsugaya Toushirou. Soul Society's child prodigy.

The second person however was a real shock. Ichigo's eyes visibly widened as he recognized the man that used to be his father, Kurosaki Isshin. Dressed in a Shinigami's shihakusyou and what looked like a Captain's haori draped over his left shoulder. Another eyecatching addition was the enormous cleaver-like Zanpakutou which hung on his back.

Ichigo was shocked. His father, no the man that used to be his father, was a Shinigami? The goofy old man Ichigo had gotten slightly reacquainted with through his regained memory of his life before he became a Hollow, was a Shinigami? On top of that Ichigo knew he had to be a powerful one at that.

To start off with there was the bandaged cleaver-like Zanpakutou. Ichigo knew most of the stronger Shinigami were able to, by effectively using their reiatsu, increase or decrease the length of their Zanpakutou. He was sure however, that the shape could not be controlled to the extent displayed in Kurosaki Isshin's Zanpakutou. Thus, this lead Ichigo to believe it had to be one of the rarer permanently released Zanpakutou. While Shikai wasn't near enough to beat an Espada it was still proof that the man was an experienced Shinigami.

What troubled Ichigo the most however was the tattered piece of clothing that much resembled a Captain's Haori draped over the man's left shoulder. He had never heard of, nor seen the item worn like that. Nonetheless it was proof that his father was powerful by Shinigami standards.

He shook his head and returned his eyes to the projector. The remaining three he didn't instantly recognize. Juding by the Captain's Haori, hairstyle and brutish looks Ichigo believed one of the tree was Juuichibantai-taicho Zaraki Kenpachi.

One of the two remaining men was a bald Shinigami with small but distinctive red markings near his eyes.

The second of the two remaining unkown Shinigami had a rather eccentric appearance. He wore an orange piece of clothing around his neck on top of his Shinigami's sihakusyou. He had what appeared to be a pair of colourful feathers on his right eyelashes and eyebrow. The man had shiny skin and jaw-length hair. To Ichigo his appearance seemed rather feminine.

"They are Juubantai-taicho Hitsugaya Toushirou, Juuichibantai-taicho Zaraki Kenpachi, Kurosaki Isshin," at the mention of the last name most of the Espada turned to look at Ichigo. When Ichigo was about to respond to their annoying looks he felt a small hand on his leg. Looking over to his right he saw Nel looking at him with a worried expression. He smiled gratefully at her and she squeezed his leg lightly before returning the smile. Ichigo put his larger hand on top of hers and returned the squeeze before turning his attention to the table in front of him with an impassive expression.

"Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika." Aizen continued as if nothing had happened. "They have likely come here to rescue their recently captured comrade, Hinamori Momo."

"Tch, haven't they learned anything after Kurosaki single-handedly kicked the asses of two of their Captains?" Grimmjow's voice rang out loudly.

"I agree with Grimmjow," Zommari's deep voice rang out. "Have Shinigami become this arrogant? To believe they could stand up to all of the forces within Las Noches with just the five of them?"

Several of the Espada nodded in agreement. Aizen however, merely smirked. "We will allow them to take our prisoner back to Soul Society." He spoke up, much to the surprise of most present.

"What?!" Grimmjow all but shouted. "First you send Kurosaki to bring her here and now you will just allow them to take her back with a fight? Are you growing weak Aizen?!" Grimmjow yelled, outraged.

The tension was palpable in the air after Grimmjow's disrespectful outburst. Tousen's hand instantly grabbed the hilt of his Zanpakutou. Ichigo, who noticed this, decided to intervene.

"Grimmjow," He started, gaining everyone's, including Tousen's attention. "Be wary of who you are speaking to. I am sure Aizen-sama has his reasons."

His words seemed to calm Grimmjow down somewhat as he grit his teeth in frustration and finally tore his gaze away from Aizen.

"Arrigatou, Ichigo," Aizen started again. "I have my reasons Grimmjow. But you need not concern yourself with those. However, whoever said there would be no fighting?" Aizen finished with the smallest hint of a smile.

At this the Espada's heads perked and Grimmjow's visibly shot up in the air, a wide grin could be seen sported on his face.

"Yammy, Grimmjow, Ichigo. I have a mission for the three of you."

=0=

Rukia was breathing heavily as she stood in front of her Nii-sama Kuchiki Byakuya. Her clothing was slightly torn and some minor cuts and bruises could be seen sported across her entire body. Despite her obviously battle-weary condition the grip on her Zanpakutou was still firm and her battle stance remained solid.

Much to her surprise, her brother had started training with her the very first day after he confessed the true reason of her adoption to her.

[Flashback:]

Rukia was walking across the training grounds of the Kuchiki Estate with her brother walking slightly in front of her. She was a bit confused when he had asked her to join him for a walk. After all it had been no more then a day ago that he had confessed to her the true reasons for her adoption and the voews he had made to both his parents and his former wife Hisana, Rukia's older sister.

"Defend yourself." Her brother's voice rang out suddenly.

Before she even got a chance to figure out the meaning behind his words he disappeared in a flash of Shunpo. Her hand instantly went to the hilt of her Zanpakutou as she finally realised the implication behind his words. Before she got any further then drawing her sword a mere inch from it's scabbard though she felt the touch of cold steel against her throat.

"Had you reacted the second you heard my words you might have gotten as far as actually drawing your sword." Her brother told her with him expression as impassive as always.

Rukia's shoulders sagged. She had disappointed her brother once again. How could she ever hope to become powerful enough to hold herself to the silent vow she had made to herself if she couldn't even draw her sword from it's scabbard in time?

"Still, considering the fact you didn't decipher the meaning behind my words until I Shunpo'd your performance was rather impressive."

Her eyes widened in surprise at his statement and for the first time since her adoption in the Kuchiki Clan she felt like she could, one day, actually truly be accepted in it.

"But don't let that get to your head. I will be the first to admit that you are far too powerful to be an unseated member. The reason you are, is of course my fault, but if you wish to become truly powerful there is still a lot of work to be done."

Rukia's eyes widened. Her brother seemed to know a lot more then he let on. She silently wondered if he got the information from her Captain or if he was just this perceptive. If it was her Captain he got the information for there might be a lot more that he knew. Just how much did he know exactly?

While she had a newfound sense of respect for him and even felt a new sense of kinship for the man she didn't think it would be wise if he knew of her true feelings towards Kurosaki Ichigo. Who had become rather infamous all around Soul Society. It wasn't too surprising considering the fact he had solidly defeated two Captains at the same time.

"Did I surprise you, Rukia?" Byakuya started. "While I have not been particularly close to you over the years I do price myself as being rather observant."

Rukia closed her eyes and nodded in understand, as well as a bit of silent relief. It seems that what her brother knew were only those things he had figured out himself. So far he knew at least part of the truth. She decided that perhaps she too should show some more trust in her brother. After all, considering the information he had shared with her no less then a day before she owed him that much at the very least.

She raised her head and met her brothers gaze as she started speaking. "I made a vow to someone." She started. "A vow to become stronger, strong enough to come out of this war alive."

Her brother raised an eyebrow at this but other then that his facial expression remained stoic. Most people would believe he hadn't about the words she'd spoken just now. But she knew better then that. She knew his true emotions were merely hidden behind he mask of impassiveness. And she knew her brother knew exactly who the person was that she had made this promise to.

"But silently I made another vow to myself," She continued, almost in a whisper as she looked down to the ground. "I promised myself that I would get stronger not only to make it out of this war alive. Above all I want to get strong enough to make sure he too, survives this war, strong enough to make a difference."

Byakuya's eyes softened somewhat as she said this. "To protect those closest to you, that is the embodiment of true strength. I would have done anything to protect Hisana. If this Kurosaki Ichigo is that important to you then perhaps he is more then just a lowly Hollow."

Rukia smiled at him sadly. She knew it was one of the greatest compliments, coming from her brother. She was well aware of his view on Hollow and had unconsciously still feared how he would react to her statement. Her fears had proved to be unnecessary though.

"You realise, Rukia," Her brother started, regaining her attention. "That to make a true difference will require a strength that far surpasses your current level? A strength that very few people in all of Soul Society can ever hope to achieve? You realise, that to make a real difference will require the strength of a Captain of the Gotei 13?"

She had dreaded hearing this. She had known of course that it was true. But she was afraid her brother didn't think she had it in her to go that far. Once again lowering her gaze to the ground she slowly nodded.

Byakuya remained silent at this for a while before his facial expression shifted from impassive to what seemed to be dead-serious."If your resolve is truly as strong as you have made me believe so far then I believe you have it in you, Rukia." He said with the smallest hint of a smile adorning his facial features.

Rukia's eyes visibly widened in both relief and surprise. It wouldn't have surprised her if her eyes had even started to water after his statement. Inwardly her chest swelled with pride. Before she got a chance to express her gratitude for his compliment however her brother's face once again became serious.

"But let me ask you something first, Rukia," Her brother said as he looked her straight in the eyes. "If you were to face him in battle could you possibly give it all you have? Could you possibly fight him without holding back?"

Rukia's first thought was to tell him that it wouldn't happen. They wouldn't face each other in battle and that was all there was to it. She knew he wouldn't seek her out on the battlefield and she certainly wouldn't seek him out either. But she knew from personal experience that things didn't always go the way you had planned. Things weren't always as easy as they sounded at first. She didn't think Ichigo for one could ever disobey a direct order from Aizen for example. But then, she remembered something important. She remembered how Ichigo had told her that if he were to die in battle he would want his death to be by her blade. She smiled sadly as she remembered the words he'd spoken to her that day.

"Ah. If I were forced into a confrontation with Ichigo I would give it all I have and more." She said, before silently adding. "I owe him that much, at least."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at this but decided not to press her on the issue when she chose to remain silent.

"Very well then. I will hold you to your word, Rukia." He said with a stern expression before turning around to make his way back to the estate. After only a few steps in the estate's direction however he stopped. Turning his head around he locked his eyes with Rukia.

"I believe I can help you. Meet me again at this training ground, tonight at eight p.m."

[End Flashback:]

"Your attention is wavering, Rukia," Her brother's voice called out to her, shaking her from her thoughts.

"I'm so-" She started but was quickly cut off.

"Do not worry about it. We have been working for a couple of hours now, let us take a break." Byakuya said as he sat down on the ground.

Rukia walked over and sat down on a spot close to him. Servants soon came rusing over and handed them each a bottle of water and a damp towel.

"You have done well over the past days, Rukia. You have exceeded my expectations time and time again. At this rate I believe the next phase of your training may be reached sooner then anticipated. Perhaps in a couple of weeks even, rather then months." Byakuya told her.

At the mention of the next phase she shouldn't help but think back to that first night he had asked her to meet him at the Kuchiki training grounds. They had sat down and discussed her upcoming training well until midnight. Her brother had started with an evaluation of her current skills. He had told her that while her Zanjutsu was adequate it wasn't much better then that of the average Third or Fourth seat. He had also told her thought that she couldn't do much about that. Her small frame and light body greatly reduced the power of her strikes. He had concluded that it would be wise to train her in a style that relied on swift strikes and deadly precision combined with a very proficient use of Shunpo.

She had readily agreed to this but hesitantly admitted that while her Shunpo wasn't by any means bad, she didn't think she was good enough with it to allow her to use a style such as the one her brother intended to teach her efficiently.

Her brother had then told her that he would teach her about Shunpo in a way that wasn't taught to anyone in the academy. Making her believe there was a lot more to Shunpo then she had originally believed. She wouldn't know just how right she was about this until the next day. Her small frame and light weight combined with the new methods of and aspects her brother taught her had allowed her to increase in this field at an exponential rate. He had told her that if she continued to improve at such a rate she would eventually become one of the most proficient users of Shunpo in all of Soul Society. Second only to Byakuya himself and Goddess of Flash, Shihouin Yoruichi.

The next issue they had addressed were her poor skills in hakuda. Byakuya had admitted he wasn't too proficient in this field himself but nonetheless he did believe he could teach her a thing or two about it. He also told her that this particular field likely didn't suit her too well. If she truly had more interest in it though, her brother told her to request some training together with Soifon's Secret Mobile Corps.

After they finished on the topic of hakuda they moved on to the one Rukia had been looking forward to: Kidou. It was the one field she believed she actually excelled at. Her brother told her so as well and promised her he would teach her some higher level spells eventually and possibly even some Kidou that wasn't commonly taught to anyone but Captains or higher-ranked members of the Kidou Corps. One other thing he promised her was that he wouldn't teach her any new spells before she learned to use all the Kidou spells she currently knew without the use of the incantation.

Eventually Byakuya addressed two other subjects she hadn't really expected. They were stamina and reiatsu.

Her brother believed she would gain stamina extensively through the use of both her Zanjutsu and Hoho training. He didn't believe it was an issue that needed to be addressed individually and so they left it at that.

Her reiatsu however was another matter entirely. Admittedly, Byakuya did tell her her reiatsu was at about the level of the average Vice-Captain. But they both knew that the amount of reiatsu of a Vice-Captain compared to that of a Captain-level Shinigami would hardly even register. So a lot of work had to be done in that field. Generally, ones reiatsu would steadily increase throughout a Shinigami's life, as well as when they grow more connected with their Zanpakutou. Her brother however told that there were other methods. The one they would be use was a method that would help increase it at a fairly quick pace. During her Kidou training she would force herself to the point of near total depletion. A nearly completely depleted reiatsu pool would return bigger then it was before after no more then a couple of hours sleep.

This brought them to what her brother called the second stage of her training. A point which she could not do without if she wanted to reach the level of a Captain-class Shinigami. The point that was known as the very pinnacle of a Shinigami's strength and potential. Bankai.

She had told him how she had reached materialization and was ready to receive the task from her Zanpakutou spirit, Sode no Shirayuki, any day now. The reaction she had gotten from her brother had surprised her.

Her brother had explicitly forbidden her to start the task her Zanpakutou spirit would set for her until he deemed her ready. When she had asked him why he had sighed but started explaining nonetheless. He told her how some tasks set by Zanpakutou spirits could not be ended until they were completed, failure often resulting in death. How most of the tasks put the Shinigami's life at risk in one way or another. Most tasks also held some sort of time limit and in some rare cases the tasks could only be performed once. Failure resulting in either death or the inability to ever achieve Bankai for the rest of their lives. He also told her how there were actually a fair amount of Shinigami in Soul Society who eventually reached materialization of their Zanpakutou. It was often the task set by their spirit that was fatal. Few lived to tell others about their task and those that did usually chose not to speak about it. The few that lived were the few that were allowed the honor of going into history as one of Soul Society's strongest Shinigami.

Rukia had swallowed heavily and as if to emphasize his point her brother had told her how his own pride and arrogance had nearly gotten him killed when he took his test before he was ready once. He had been young and arrogant and believed he could take on the world on his own. It had been nothing but dumb lack that he lived through his first test and even more luck that he was allowed to take the test again another time.

Rukia had once more swallowed heavily after she heard this and when he asked her if she understood she quickly nodded.

Returning to the world of the living Rukia smiled softly at the memory. She had improved greatly as the days had passed. Her Hoho skills were at an entirely different level. Though her small frame and light body allowed her to progress in that particular field at a peace that was practically unheard of.

Her remaining skills were progressing at a steady pace as well. She had to admit though that she had come detest her Kidou practise sessions which were scheduled at the end of every day. They always left her close to completely reiatsu depleted. It was on purpose ofcourse but she still hated the feeling. It was almost impossible to even walk back to the mansion and climb in her bed at the end of the day.

Remembering her brother had complimented her she looked up to meet his eyes before answering. "Arrigatou, Nii-sama."

He in turn merely nodded at her. He seemed about to speak up again when they were distracted by the sound of footsteps heading their way. Simultaneously turning their heads in the direction of the sound Rukia immediately recognized the figure of her own Captain, Ukitake Juushirou. He was casually strolling down the path leading towards the Kuchiki Estate's training grounds.

Upon seeing him Rukia shot up, momentarily forgetting the fatigue of a couple of hours of training, and shouted a loud: "Ukitake-taicho!"

Ukitake for his part merely smiled at her enthusiastic greeting as she approached him. "Rukia, I hope you are doing well? And perhaps even more importantly, how has your training been going until now?"

Rukia had, just days previously, requested an extended leave from duty so as to allow her more time to train. Ukitake had instantly granded her three months on the condition that by the end of this time she'd have attained Bankai. It appeared this had been a joke though as her Captain had winked at her as he said this, as if to let her know he wasn't too serious about the last part.

Remembering his question she nodded at him and immediately launched into a detailed explanation of what she had done so far and what more she intended to improve upon. As she finished her explanation a little while later the two of them were joined by Byakuya. He too greeted Ukitake, albeit in a more formal manner.

When the two Captains engaged in some small talk about some seemingly unimportant issues there was still one thing that puzzled Rukia. What was her Captain doing here? If he had come to inform her brother of something he would've cut the small talk by now. Captain business wasn't often something that could be put on hold. She couldn't imagine he had come here just to check up on her training either. While Ukitake certainly was that kind of person, being a Captain simply didn't allow him the time for it.

Deciding to cut to the chase she spoke up. "Excuse me for my rudeness," She didn't continue until she was sure his attention was on her, it was considered rude to interrupt two Captains engaged in a conversation but she knew her Captain wouldn't mind. "But, why are you here, Ukitake-taicho?"

After asking the question she blushed a deep shade of red, obviously ashamed of her bold and rather rude question. She instantly tore her gaze away from the two Captains and looked to the ground.

Her Captain however, merely smiled at her before he replied. "You should loosen up a bit, Rukia," He started with a bright smile. "But to answer your question. I've come here to offer you to the position of Thirteenth Division Vice-Captain."

=0=

Kurosaki Isshin was glad that after what could've been days he finally raised his gaze to look upon the grand iron gates of Hueco Mundo's self-proclaimed fortress capital, Las Noches.

Their journey there had been rather uneventful. They had ran into virtually no enemy forces whatsoever, it was almost as if Aizen was inviting them inside. Isshin was certain that Aizen was aware of their presence but the fact that he wasn't taking any action didn't bode well at all. Isshin would've prefered to have to fight his way here, anything was better then this silence before the storm.

Their small invasion force had been very optimistic after they had first arrived in Hueco Mundo. They had arrived in one of the underground tunnels leading to Las Noches. It hadn't been long however before they encountered their first and untill now, last opposition. They were two Arrancar going by the names of Iceringer and Demora, both looked and in the end, were, rather weak.

They had been effortlessly disposed of by Zaraki Kenpachi and Madarame Ikkaku, both had been eager to test their respective powers against Aizen's Arrancar. Truth be told they had been dissapointed by the lack of strength the two Arrancar had displayed even though the two managed to collapse the underground tunnels to Las Noches in a last ditch effort to take their enemies with them but nonetheless the invasion force in general had been relieved.

While the powers of each of the individual members were impressive, their numbers were few. Isshin had been wary of the strength of Aizen's Arrancar. Going by the strength his son Ichigo displayed against his former friends in the real world they appeared to be very powerful. From the reports Isshin had received from the three teens Ichigo appeared very much like a normal human being and was even wearing what appeared to be a Shinigami's Zanpakutou.

The Arrancar they had encountered however didn't look like they had any human forms whatsoever. Other then that they didn't wield Zanpakutou either. Something was off about that but he couldn't lay his finger on it.

Urahara had however told Isshin several things. To start off with Urahara suspected that Arrancar were in many ways very similar to Vaizards. Vaizards could call upon their Hollow powers to increase their strength exponentially. It would only be logical to assume that Arrancar had a similar ability, which would mean that his son hadn't shown his true colors yet either.

Another thing Urahara suspected was that among Aizen would have formed some sort of top among his army. His strongest soldiers brought together, likely in a similar way to Soul Society's Captains of the Gotei 13. Urahara had believed that Ichigo and the woman that had been with him were part of this top, but he had no proof to support his theory.

Isshin sighed wearily, the mood among their party had gradually decreased as the days passed. No sign of any enemies and the walls of Las Noches never seemed to be growing any closer. The tension was thick and Zaraki and Madarame in particular had been very annoyed with the lack of battle opportunity presenting itself.

Isshin, and Hitsugaya too however had felt the same tension although for entirely different reasons. They knew that Aizen had to be aware of their location and yet they hadn't encountered any resistance. It was obvious they were being led into a trap.

As if answering Isshin's thoughts a loud noise of metal grinding against stone interupted him from his thoughts. Looking up, he could clearly see the metal gates of Las Noches main entrance opening.

All five of them were instantly on guard, hands on the hilts of their Zanpakutous, ready for battle at a moment's notice. Looking over to his left he could see Hitsugaya standing next to him, a determined expression on his face.

When the gate finally opened completely it revealed two figures standing right in front of them. Both of them were grinning as if christmas had come early.

One of the two had light blue spiky hair with green lines below his eyes. He wore a white vest, which was opened and exposed his bare muscled chest as well as the hollow hole located on his abdomen. He had a remnant of his former hollow mask in the form of a right jawbone.

The other was a giant dark-skinned Arrancar. He had long bushy sideburns and a thin ponytail could be seen only just, but other then that he appeared to be bald. The man also had orange eyebrows and red markings beneath his eyes. Like the other Arrancar next to him he wore a similar vest, exposing his muscular chest for all to see as well as a hollow hole in the middle of his chest. Last he too had a mask fragment that consisted of his entire lower jawbone resting on his chin.

"Tch." The blue haired Arrancar said, grabbing everyone's attention. "So you're the kid that got his ass kicked by Ichigo, you've got some nerve coming back for more." The Arrancar spoke up as he looked at Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya in turn grit his teeth in anger at the remark. Though wether it was for being called a kid or because of being reminded to his humiliating defeat at the hands of Isshin's son, Isshin would never know. He guessed it was probably a bit of both.

"You better be more powerful than the last two of you Arrancar we encountered," Zaraki's voice spoke up. "It'll ruin the fun if you aren't." The man finished with a wide grin on his face as he unsheated his Zanpakutou.

The blue-haired Espada in turn, laughed loudly at Zaraki's statement. "Iceringer and Demora? They were weaklings! They discarded their human forms because they were too weak to defeat anyone without using their resurección!" Grimmjow shouted out, laughing madly all the while.

'Resurección?' Isshin thought. That was a word Isshin hadn't heard before. But it seemed that the Arrancar did have a way to power-up after all, most likely similar to that of a Vaizard.

"Good! So that means you'll live longer as I cut you up, right Arrancar?!" Zaraki shouted grinning, in return.

The blue-haired Espada's eyes narrowed and he was about to shout something in return when Isshin motioned for Zaraki to quiet down for a bit. The Arrancar, who took this as a sign Isshin was about to say something seemed to swallow his words as well.

"What do you know about Kurosaki Ichigo?" Isshin spoke up, a serious edge in his voice.

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed for a second before he replied. "Tch. Like I'll tell you."

Isshin had expected something along those lines but he was sure he could force something out of the Arrancar one way or another. "Then perhaps I should force it out of you," He said as he grabbed Zangetsu's hilt and slightly bend his knees in preparation of a battle stance.

"Heh! Perhaps you should!" Grimmjow shouted with a grin. "But you should know that Aizen-sama has asked me to tell you something."

At the mention of Aizen, Hitsugaya's expression darkened and the remaining Shinigami all narrowed their eyes.

"He said, that if you wanted to rescue that Shinigami bitch of yours," Hitsugaya's expression turned one of outright fury, "You should head through that door." He said, pointing to a door behind him. "Head through it and continue going in a straight line, if you do that you will end up at a dead end with a door right in front of your nose. That's where she's kept."

Isshin's eyes narrowed. It was clear Aizen was playing some sort of game with them, going as far as to tell them where they could find Hinamori. But another possibility was that he wanted Hinamori returned to Soul Society. Isshin personally was starting to believe the last one was more likely to be true.

"Thank you for showing us the way, Arrancar. But it makes no-" Isshin started before he was cut off again by the same Arrancar.

"I wasn't finished yet!" He shouted, angrily. "Aizen said that you had one hour exactly to find her and take her out of Las Noches. If the hour passes and you are still here..." Grimmjow said, leaving the unspoken consequences hanging in the air. All of them could probably guess what would happen then. Nonetheless, what could Aizen possibly gain by this?

"Good!" The excited voice of Madarame Ikkaku called out, speaking for the first time since encountering the two Arrancar. "Hitsugaya-taicho, Yumichika, Kurosaki, you continue on, me and the Captain will take care of these two!"

Said Shinigami merely nodded at Ikkaku before speeding off.

"Ha!" The loud voice of the bald Arrancar, who spoke up for the first time as well called out. "They're leaving only two to fight us? And only one Captain? This won't even be good enough for a warm-up."

His words instantly caused the remaining three to halt. This Arrancar at least knew what a Captain was. Knowing about Captains he was sure to know about their strength, considering Aizen was their leader. Could it be? Could these Arrancar all be as powerful as Ichigo appeared to be?

As if reading their mind. Grimmjow answered the unspoken question. "Heh. Not all Arrancar are as powerful as we are, if that is what you're thinking." He spoke up, causing relief to show on Isshin's face. "We're part of the Espada, the absolute best among all the Arrancar." He said and when it seemed he wanted to continue he paused again for a small moment as he grit his teeth in frustration before continuing. "But even among the Espada, there are those that are on a completely different level. I don't easily admit weakness but I can tell you this: Among all of the Espada there is at least one of them that is more powerful then I am." He spoke these words while looking up into the sky all the while, not once making eye contact with anyone, as if it were a disgrace to admit such a weakness.

Hitsugaya who seemed to decide they had dawdled enough nodded once at Yumichika, letting him know that it would be him who would stay here.

Yumichika nodded once in return before halting his step. He continued to look at the backs of Kurosaki Isshin and Hitsugaya Toushirou for a mere moment more as they sped forward, before he too turned around to face their opponents.

=0=

Ichigo walking out of his bathroom, having just dressed himself. He had received the signal mere minutes ago and it was now time to make his way to the place Aizen had designated.

As he walked into his living room he looked up only to come face to face with none other then Nel. Her expression was stoic and determined.

"So you're going to go through with it? You will do as Aizen has ordered you?"

"Ofcourse," Ichigo stated flatly, her rebellious attitude was getting a bit on his nerves lately.

Nel sighed and turned around to walk out of the room. "Go on like this, Ichigo, and soon you will be nothing more but a mindless slave of Aizen's will."

Catching one last glimpse of her face before she turned her back on him completely he saw a silent tear treading down her face. Her words had made more of an impact on him then she could ever know. What choice did he have? If he disobeyed Aizen he would be killed or atleast disciplined, one way or another. He may be Aizen's most powerful warrior but that didn't mean he could do what he wanted. He had sworn loyalty in return for power after all. A promise he had made before even thinking about it. He had been a fool. But what use did it have to dwell on past mistakes? All he could do now was live by the vow he'd made untill death would finally take him.

The mission Aizen had given him, was to guard a courtyard leading to the final hallway before the invaders would reach Hinamori Momo's location. Which was a contradiction in itself considering that he wanted Hinamori to be taken back to Soul Society. As Aizen had continued his explanation however things started to make sense. If Ichigo encountered either of the invaders in the courtyard he was allowed to fight them but not to kill them. If one out of the multiple invaders intended to retrieve Hinamori while another fought Ichigo, he was to go along with this. But above all if Ichigo ended up fighting his father he was expected to fight with the intend to kill. To give it his all and not toy around. Ichigo understood now. Aizen doubted his loyalty. After all Ichigo had done for him, he doubted his loyalty. Nelliel, the one person who was always there for him and who meant everything for him had just stated he would turn into a mindless slave if he continued like this. Yet, Aizen still doubted his loyalty! The thought alone made Ichigo boil in anger. He had done nothing but carry out Aizen-sama's will. When had he ever disobeyed an order? When had he ever dissapointed Aizen-sama?

Looking up again he saw Nel was almost at the door. Without thinking he acted. A loud buzz of Sonido alerted Nel to his movements but she didn't react. Not untill two strong arms closed around her and she felt Ichigo with his chest against her back.

"Nel," He whispered softly. "What choice do I have? What do you think will happen if I disobey? Is that what you want? Besides the man is no longer my father, I remember him ofcourse but I died."

Nel felt a bit sorry for the words she'd used against him earlier now. She knew ofcourse that he didn't have a choice. Was she hoping he would go against Aizen? It would undoubtedly be the last thing he ever did. But the words he spoke about his father slightly angered her, he just didn't understand.

"You believe that is what your father thinks Ichigo? That because you died he is no longer your father? I understand that you do not have a choice, considering your orders, but if you're going to kill your father atleast allow him the courtesy of being called dad by his only son before he dies!"

Ichigo tightened his grip on Nel as he laid his chin on her shoulder. Her words made sense and he had to admit that it felt natural to think about the man as his dad. He rubbed his cheek against Nel's before continuing softly.

"You're right, Nel." He started. "You always are. I'm sorry for all the worry I cause you. I will make it up to you, I promise."

Nel removed his hands from her waist and turned around with a smile. Putting her arms around his waist instead she laid her head on his chest, contented. "I know you will Ichi, you always do."

Ichigo smiled as he put his arms around her. He could not express his thanks in words. Having Nel in his life was a blessing so great he couldn't even describe. He had told her before that while his loyalty was to Aizen, it was also to Nel. Nel meant more for him then any other person with just her mere presence.

Acting on pure instinct and without thinking about it he softly kissed the top of her head, surprising Nel. "Watch over Ggio while I'm away will you,"

Nel, who took a while to get over her surprise finally let go of him and nodded with a more serious expression. "Ah. I will. I think I might go down to the surveillance room to keep an eye on your mission, I'll take Ggio with me."

Ichigo nodded before turning his back to her and opening the door. As he was about to walk through Nel spoke up one last time.

"One more thing, Ichigo." Her voice spoke up. "Don't let it get out of hand, remember what I told you. I will be watching and I will intervene if I deem it necessary, regardless of the consequences."

Ichigo sighed inwardly. He knew she meant well and the truth is that he did appreciate it. But he feared what might happen to her should she intervene. He knew Aizen would discard her if he could find a good enough reason to do so. Closing his eyes, he walked through the door before replying.

"Ah."

=0=

Grimmjow grinned widely as the Shinigami dressed in the ragged Captain's Haori unsheathed his sword and charged at him, grinning equally wide.

Unsheathing his own Zanpakutou, Panthera, he went into his battle stance by bending through his knees slightly and putting his left foot slightly in front of his right.

Raising Panthera vertically the sound of metal clashing against metal signified the start of their battle and a large explosion of reiatsu caused sand and dust to obscure the two fighters from view.

The fact that a mere swing of his sword caused such a huge blast-wave was a clear sign that the Captain whom Grimmjow was up against had to be a powerful opponent. Grimmjow grinned excitedly, this was the sort of fight he'd been itching for! He'd prove to Aizen and the other Espada that he was the king and he wasn't one to be taken lightly.

As the dust cleared both fighters could be seen, each trying to overpower the other. The Captain was holding his Zanpakutou with one hand, hortizontally against Grimmjow's vertically raised Zanpakutou. Both of the fighters were grinning madly and it would've been clear to anyone spectating that it would not be wise to interfere in their battle. Despite the fact that the battle had hardly started.

"Nice to meet you, Shinigami Captain!" Grimmjow shouted excitedly. "Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, Sexta Espada." He declared. Grimmjow realised that he didn't usually introduce himself to his opponents, but this was one had proved himself worthy the very first time he'd swung his sword at him.

The Captain grinned at Grimmjow in return, each still trying to overpower the other. "Heh, looks like you'll be able to give me a good fight!" He shouted back excitedly. "Juuichibantai-taicho Zaraki Kenpachi!"

Enough words had been spoken but Grimmjow's eyes widened as the man who had just introduced himself as Zaraki Kenpachi started pushing towards Grimmjow harder. Causing Grimmjow to be pushed back slowly. Realising what would happen if this went on for much longer he raised his other arm and pointed his open palm at the Shinigami Captain. As a large red orb started to form in his palm, he smirked.

Zaraki's grin never left his face but he did seem to realise the situation he was in as he instantly withdrew his sword and jumped back several yards. Grimmjow, who continued charging his Cero laughed maniacally as the Cero released and sped towards the Captain, the bright red light obscuring him from view.

"Take that, Shinigami Captain Zaraki Kenpachi!" He shouted out, continuing his laughter all the while.

The laughter abrubtly ended as a loud bang reverberated through the area and Grimmjow's Cero was knocked off course. Looking up, Grimmjow could see Zaraki standing there, with one hand in front of him. The hand sported some minor burn marks but other then that he appeared uninjured.

"Tch. I hope you can do better then that. This ain't even enough to warm me up."

Grimmjow roared in anger at Zaraki's statement. How dare this man insult him like that? That Cero held a lot of power and he just casually knocked it off course with one hand? Grimmjow knew his Cero was powerful, it was definitely above average even among Espada standards. He vowed right then that he would show the man not to mock Grimmjow Jaegerjaques.

With a loud battle-cry Grimmjow vanished with a buzz of Sonido and appeared slightly to Zaraki's side. He swung his Zanpakutou widly in a diagonal slide causing Zaraki's eyes to widen as he turned around. The Captain who realised the danger instantly raised his sword and blocked the strike causing another explosion to rock through the entrance of Las Noches.

"That's more like it, Espada!" Kenpachi shouted in excitement as the grin returned to his face.

Grimmjow in turn merely smirked as he shifted his blocked blade so that it was pushing towards Zaraki rather then pushing down on his Zanpakutou. Having assured his own safety he quickly raised one leg from the ground and sent Zaraki flying with a frontal kick to his chest, before losing his balance.

Zaraki crashed into one of the walls of Las Noches and Grimmjow instantly charged over to his position, not allowing him any time to rest. Another large smoke cloud had erupted at the point of impact and Grimmjow's eyes widened in surprise when Zaraki came dashing out of it, his Zanpakutou held firmly in one hand still, and the large grin never seemed to have left his face.

As the two fighters approached eachother Grimmjow noticed Zaraki was laughing madly, which angered him, was this Captain mocking his strength?

"Awesome!" Zaraki shouted out, still laughing. "You'll do!" His maniacal laughther continued as Grimmjow realised the reason for it. The man loved fighting, he loved it as much as Grimmjow himself. It was the perfect opponent for him.

After Grimmjow came to this realization he grinned. His grin soon turned to the very same maniacal laughther, mimicking the Captain. When the two powerful forces collided with eachother an explosion unlike any of the ones before shook the very grounds of Las Noches. The sound of metal hitting metal couldn't even be heard through it anymore. A bright white light originated at the position of the two and as it came to a climax it exploded outwardly in twirls of yellow and blue reiatsu causing sand to rage around the two like a sandstorm. Cracks started to form in the walls of Las Noches and the main gates were blasted from it's hinges.

When their reiatsu dissipated and the sand lay low again the two figures could be seen standing with their backs to one another, Grimmjow was panting slightly while Zaraki showed no signs of tiring just yet.

Zaraki had a large and deep wound sported on his shoulder, but he didn't seem fazed by it. His grin remained on his face as he turned around and came face-to-face with Grimmjow who by now had turned around as well.

The grin had left Grimmjow's face and was replaced by a weary expression. His breathing had only become worse and was slowly starting to become rather ragged. A deep diagonal cut was running from his right shoulder all the way over his chest untill it reached his left hip. His body was bending forward slightly and when he almost lost his balance he was forced to stick his Zanpakutou in the gound in order to regain it.

"Tch. Guess I overestimated you, you ain't as powerful as I'd hoped." Zaraki's voice said in an almost grieving tone. As if he were mourning for a long lost friend. But that was probably exactly what Zaraki was thinking right now, battle was without a doubt his closest friend.

"Ha!" Grimmjow spoke up in an attempted shout. "I ain't defeated yet, you want to defeat me then you'll have to kill me!" He shouted out as he removed his weight from his Zanpakutou and stood upright once more.

"Idiot." Zaraki said. "You ought to be h-" And that's as far as he got before he was interupted by another loud shout.

"Kishire, Pantera!"

=0=

"Don't interfere, Yumichika, this is my battle." Ikkaku's voice called out to the fifth seat. Yumichika merely nodded in answer.

"Ha! You believe you can defeat me on your own, Shinigami?!" The large brute of an Arrancar shouted at Ikkaku.

"Ah. I do!" Ikkaku replied with a smirk. "But for that to happen we'll have to take this fight elsewhere."

Those were the last words he spoke as he dissapeared in a whisper of Shunpo. The Arrancar in turn dissapeared with a loud buzzing sound. Yumichika followed the two of them, deciding to atleast witness the battle that was about to take place.

=0=

Ikkaku stood in front of the giant brute of an Arrancar with his ever-present smirk etched into the features of his face. It was a trademark sign that showed his opponents he was excited to go into battle with them. In a way it was one of his ways to show his respect for his opponent. After all in a battle like the one that was about to commence both fighters would put their lives on the line.

"In Soul Society we consider it a courtesy to give our opponents our names before doing battle. So that the loser will have the knowledge of the name of his killer when he dies." Ikkaku started, to which Yammy laughed loudly much to his annoyance. Nonetheless, he carried on. "Eleventh Division third seat, Madarame Ikkaku."

Yammy's laughter soon stopped as the man replied. "You wouldn't have had to tell me yours but since it is considered a courtesy let me tell you mine." Yammy started. "Yammy Rialgo, Décima Espada."

After those words left the Arrancar named Yammy's mouth Ikkaku grinned and instantly charged at the Espada. Yammy merely remained standing and didn't even bother to unsheathe his Zanpakutou. Ikkaku believed it was the man's arrogance acting up again. Ikkaku might not be a Captain but he knew he was not an opponent that was to be taken lightly and he would prove it!

Removing his scabbard from his hip he unsheathed his sword with his right hand, while keeping the scabbard in his left. When Ikkaku reached the Espada he instantly slashed down at him with a vertical strike. The Espada merely raised one of his arms and as the metal of Ikkaku's Zanpakutou made contact with the Espada's wrist a loud bang reverberated through the area.

Ikkaku's eyes went wide as a jolt of pain shot through his entire arm. Looking over to the man's wrist his eyes widened even further, if at all possible. Ikkaku had slashed down at him as hard as he could since the man hadn't even made a move to take a battle stance. He had intended to crush the man's apparent disinterest in fighting someone whom he considered weak. Looking down at the hand holding his Zanpakutou he could clearly see the red color of blood seeping through his own fingers. Perhaps it was he who had underestimated his opponent.

Before he got a chance to get further into his thoughts however he was interupted by the same loud voice again. "Ehh?" It spoke up. "You can't even cut me!" Yammy started laughing mockingly as he came to this realization.

Ikkaku for his part was getting more and more angry as the seconds passed. When the man wouldn't stop laughing he withdrew his sword and made to attack the Espada again, with a diagonal slice this time. Before he got any further then raising his Zanpakutou however he had the wind knocked out of him and was sent flying back where he came from. Causing sand to fly up at the point of impact.

Yammy for his part was muttering insults towards Grimmjow. "Damn Grimmjow, taking the good opponents for himself. Now I'm stuck with this thrash!"

That was when he realized that there wasn't just one Shinigami but there were two. Why weren't they fighting him together? Perhaps the two of them could pose more of a challenge together.

"Oi! You!" Yammy shouted out, grabbing the attention of Yumichika. "Why don't you join in? The two of you together might be more fun, this guy is boring me already!"

"Help him?" Yumichika replied. "No."

"He'll die if you don't-" But that's as far as Yammy got.

"Perhaps," Yumichika started. "But he'd be satisfied if he died fighting a stronger opponent. He'd have finally met his match and to top it off he would know the name of his killer."

Yammy's expression turned to one of anger as he was denied his request so easily. But before he got a chance to voice this Yumichika spoke up one last time. "But if I were you, I wouldn't drop your guard like that."

Yammy's eyes narrowed as he turned around to look at where Ikkaku was supposed to be.

"Nobiro, Houzukimaru!"

Before he got a chance to turn around completely those were the words that were shouted from closely behind him. Turning around completely he was just in time to see a Naginata-like weapon being thrust towards his chest. His eyes widened in surprise and he instantly drew back his arm to launch a punch at Ikkaku.

As his fist collided with Ikkaku's face and he sent the Shinigami flying he noticed, when looking down towards his stomach, that a small trickle of blood was running down his exposed chest.

"Heh. You're stronger then you look." Yammy said against Ikkaku, his interest in fighting the Shinigami returned.

=0=

Hitsugaya Toushirou and Kurosaki Isshin were running through the hallway that had been indicated would lead to Hinamori Momo's cell. They had been running for atleast a quarter of an hour by now and there just didn't seem to come an end at the length of the hallway. Both of them were getting annoyed with it, considering they had a time limit of an hour.

Even if they were lucky enough not to encounter any sort of resistance, if the hallway was much longer it would take them too long to get back to the gates of Las Noches which would mean their time expired and their fates would likely be sealed.

While no words had been spoken about what would happen if they exceeded the time limit they realised the implications of the hidden threat without trouble. Isshin thought it likely that after their time expired more forces would be send out for them, most likely more of what Grimmjow had called the Espada. While their group by no means consisted of weaklings they were few in number and to top it off they had been split up as well now. If Ichigo's strength was any indication Aizen's Espada were not be taken lightly.

Thinking of the Espada made Isshin recall the last words he'd heard from the blue-haired Espada.

'We're part of the Espada, the absolute best among all of the Arrancar.'

Isshin was positive this was true. It made sense. The two Arrancar they had encountered when they had encountered Hueco Mundo had been nothing short of weaklings. Soul Society had feared that all Arrancar were extremely powerful. Of course they had suspected that one of their strongest or some sort of stealth specialist had been sent to infiltrate Seireitei but they had no concrete evidence. Now however, they had and Isshin was sure that his son was part of what Aizen called his Espada.

But the Espada had spoken a few more words. Words that held a certain sense of foreboding. 'But even among the Espada, there are those that are on a completely different level. I don't easily admit weakness but I can tell you this: Among all of the Espada there is at least one of them that is more powerful then I am.'

Isshin could tell that the Espada had a very hard time to admit this indeed. The blue-haired Espada was a proud Arrancar of that much he was certain. And judging by the grin present on Grimmjow's face the majority of the time Isshin believed he was someone who enjoyed fighting. A perfect opponent for Zaraki.

Somehow though, Isshin believed that the blue-haired Espada had refered to Ichigo. Wether Grimmjow was hinting at something because the two shared the same last names which they had likely been informed of by Aizen, or perhaps paying his respects to Ichigo in one way or another Isshin wouldn't know. Nonetheless, he was fairly certain that it had been Ichigo that the blue-haired Espada had spoken of.

He was soon shaken from his thoughts as they ran out of the hallway into a large courtyard. At the end of the courtyard the hall appeared to continue and so they resumed their previous pace and made their way across the courtyard.

As soon as they were about halfway across however, a voice from behind them rang out. "It's been a while, hasn't it, father?"

Startled, both of them froze and slowly turned around. Isshin dreaded what he would come against, he had looked forward to seeing his son again ever since he died but now he wasn't so sure if he wanted to. It was very likely that they would end up having to fight one another.

Hitsugaya and Isshin soon laid their eyes on the man that they both knew was Kurosaki Ichigo. Isshin's eyes widened at the sight of him. Despite everything his son looked much like he always had, not much had changed in that aspect. His outfit however was different entirely. He seemed to wear atleast part of what Isshin had labeled as the standard Arrancar uniform. His vest however was entirely different. It was a sleeveless vest and unlike the other two Espada they had encountered he actually wore it closed. Perhaps he believed it was a sign of weakness to have to expose your chest to make a point or perhaps it was mere coincidence. The most intimidating part of his vest however was the collar. The collar reached up all the way untill Ichigo's mouth and completely covered his entire neck and lower part of his face, including the mouth and nose from view. His Zanpakutou he wore on his left hip.

Turning around to look at Hitsugaya he sighed inwardly. The man had an expression on his face that was akin to fear, it appeared that the beating Hitsugaya had received at his son's hands had been etched deep into his memory. Surprisingly it was not Isshin's voice that commented on it.

"Juubantai-taicho Hitsugaya Toushirou," Ichigo spoke up, gaining Isshin's and Hitsugaya's attention. "Your face reveals too much. You are young for a Captain and while I have heard you are powerful in your own right you are inexperienced. Don't reveal your fear to your opponents for it is a sign of weakness."

Isshin had to agree with Ichigo on this part. Hitsugaya was a powerful Captain in his own right. A true prodigy considering the time in which he achieved this power. And while he was certainly above average in terms of strength he lacked experience.

"Your fear for me is ungrounded, juubantai-taicho," Ichigo continued. "Why do you fear me? Because I defeated you? Rest assured, there are few if any Captains in Soul Society who can ever hope to defeat me."

Now this annoyed Isshin. Arrogance. That was one thing he had always hated. It was one of the reasons he'd never got on well with the four noble houses of Soul Society. Then again, perhaps this wasn't mere arrogance, after all his son would probably be well aware of his powers and beating two Captains simultaneously was a very impressive feat. He sighed and had to admit that in this case, it was a possibility that the arrogance was justified.

"There is no need for you to fear death either is there, juubantai-taicho? After all," Ichigo continued once more. "You, and I, we're already dead. But rest assured I defeated you merely because those were my orders, I have no personal desire to kill any living being needlessly, which is why you as well as the niibantai-taicho are alive today."

At this Hitsugaya's expression changed. It looked like he was annoyed for a second and wanted to comment on what Ichigo had said. But in the end he reigned in this emotions and merely nodded after which he gave a warning glare at Isshin, indicating that none of this was ever to be spoken of.

Hitsugaya locked eyes with Ichigo as he spoke up. "I suppose letting us pass is not a possibility?"

"No," Ichigo answered at which Hitsugaya sighed and moved his hand to the hilt of his Zanpakutou, "Not us." Ichigo finished.

Hitsugaya's eyebrows rose in confusion. "What is that supposed to mean? Not us?"

Ichigo smirked. "It means that I was ordered to guard this courtyard, and thus engage in combat with any trespassers. However Aizen-sama did tell me that it would be no problem if, in the case of multiple opponents, I'd let some continue on their way to retrieve our prisoner."

If possible Hitsugaya looked even more confused then before untill he narrowed his eyes in suspicision. He appeared to be deep in thought for a while but eventually broke out of it and instantly grabbed the hilt of his Zanpakutou, Hyourinmaru.

Before he had a chance to draw it however Isshin spoke up. "Toushirou, go get your friend." It was an order, his voice had been authorative and left no mistake that he was not to be questioned. Considering the fact that it was his son they were facing Hitsugaya thought that he was probably the more justified to fight the Espada out of the two of them.

Turning around, he instantly vanished in a whisper of Shunpo. Leaving only father and son standing in front of one another, staring eachother down.

"You made the worse out of the two choices, Kurosaki Isshin," Ichigo spoke up. "I wasn't obligated to finish off any of the other Shinigami. However, Aizen-sama has ordered me to fight with the intend to kill should I come up against you."

Ichigo's face was impassive as he said this. But that could also be because a large part of it was hidden by the collar of his sleeveless vest. Isshin looked annoyed at the collar which Ichigo appeared to notice.

"I suppose, that as my former father, you deserve to atleast see my face." To which he unzipped his collar, exposing the rest of his face.

Isshin was left speechless as his son's face was exposed. He hadn't aged a day and looked exactly the same as he always did. The only thing missing was the ever-present scowl on his face which was now replaced by a mask of impassiveness. There were two changes Isshin did notice however The first was the two bone-like earrings in the form of two large, sharp-looking teeth. The earring hanging from his left ear appeared to be significantly longer then the one hanging from his right. And the second was an ornate black '1' tattooed across the left side of his throat. He had no clue whatsoever what it stood for and before he had a chance to ask Ichigo spoke up again.

"Tch. I guess you don't talk as much as you used to. But that's enough words, I suppose we should get started."

Ichigo dissapeared in a loud buzz of Sonido which caused Isshin's eyes to widen. He was only just in time to raise his Zanpakutou partially from his back in order to block the horizontal slice coming from behind him. Turning his head he saw Ichigo's eyes had widened slightly in surprise.

"Interesting," He started. "Your strength must atleast surpass the average Captain and it seems I was right in believing that that Haori you wear draped across your shoulder is a sign that you are, or were once, a Captain. Not many have managed to block my first strike."

Isshin reacted to his son's statement for the first time since their reunion. He smiled. "It is obvious you are some sort of master in an art similar to Shunpo, Ichigo, but you aren't the only one who is skilled in that field."

As those words left Isshin's mouth he dissapeared in a whisper of Shunpo and applied the same tactic Ichigo had just used. Reappearing behind Ichigo he slashed at him vertically so as to force him to have to turn around to actually block the hit. Ichigo however didn't seem to have trouble keeping up as he turned around, blocked the hit and still had time to spare.

"It's good to see you can talk after all. I was starting to believe you'd lost your tongue." Ichigo commented. "But you were right, my Sonido, not Shunpo, is the fastest among all of the Espada."

Isshin sighed. Truthfully he really didn't want to fight Ichigo. He'd had trouble launching that one blow at his back just now. He couldn't imagine just how hard it would be to have an all-out battle with his only son.

"Ichigo," Isshin spoke up. "Why do you serve Aizen?"

Ichigo sighed and lowered his sword as he started talking. "Aizen promised me power. He has held word and I vowed to serve him if he held true to his promise."

Power? His son had wished for power? Isshin had often thought that Ichigo had wanted some sort of power. But only so that he could have prevented Masaki's death. He had no idea why he would've wanted power after his own death. Then again, Ichigo hadn't just died, he'd become a Hollow. What else but power and souls did Hollow ordinarily seek?

But Isshin knew that Aizen merely used Ichigo as another tool. He had deceived Soul Society for more then a century. Isshin was sure that his Espada too, were tools that were created to help him achieve his goal, whatever that was. Each and every one of them was disposable.

"You fool, Ichigo.." Isshin spoke up softly, causing Ichigo's eyes to narrow. As Isshin raised his eyes to meet Ichigo's they held a furious expression. "You believe Aizen cares about your life? You believe Aizen cares about what happens to you, Ichigo?! If you're powerful enough, he might keep you with him untill the end but if your loyalty or your use to Aizen falters for even a second...he will discard you!"

Ichigo's face remained impassive at those words. Inside however, he was seething. Not just because of his father's words, but because, deep down, he knew the man was right. But Ichigo knew what to do for now.

"Heh, so what!? If Aizen-sama chooses to discard me then so be it!" Ichigo started, causing Isshin's eyes to widen. "But as long as I remain Aizen-sama's most loyal and most powerful soldier that won't happen!" He added with a smirk.

Before Isshin got a chance to reply to that statement Ichigo pointed his index fingers at the large intricate '1' tattooed on his throat. "All of us, Espada have been branded with a tattoo such as this one. The Espada number from ten to one. With ten being the weakest of us." Ichigo explained. He paused for a couple of seconds before continuing. "And one, being the strongest."

Isshin's face looked shocked at this revelation but only for a while. It wasn't long before his mouth curved upwards into a smirk. When the man raised his eyes to meet Ichigo's, Ichigo knew what would come next.

And so both of them dissapeared in a simultaneous Shunpo and Sonido. Less then a second later the sound of metal hitting metal could be heard throughout the courtyard and a large explosion caused a crater to erupt beneath the two of them. Sand flew everywhere around them and the stones of the surrounding buildings had small cracks forming in them.

As they continued to trade blows Isshin had a hard time figuring out Ichigo's battle style. He fought one-handed, as Isshin had done once before he learned the name of his Zanpakutou. Ichigo's unoccupied hand remained firmly in his pocket. Ichigo fought with vicious and deadly attack patterns. He seemed to try to create openings and Isshin had to admit that he had a very hard time keeping up with his son.

Already several small cuts and bruises had formed mainly on his arms and legs and he was growing weary. If he truly wanted to stand a chance he wouldn't hold on much longer like this. As if proving his conclusion to be right they once again locked blade and each pushed with all their strength trying to overpower the other. Isshin with his heavier Zanpakutou and both hands against Ichigo with one hand and his lighter Zanpakutou. Yet, none of them was gaining even an inch.

Isshin was instantly on guard when Ichigo removed his left hand from his pocket and grabbed Isshin by his Shihakusyou rooting him in place. Isshin attempted to look Ichigo in the eyes only to notice that his son was looking at the hand that was holding Isshin in place.

Isshin's eyes widened when he noticed that Ichigo's index finger removed it's grasp from his Shihakusyou and pointed positioned itself at his chest. He openly gasped as Ichigo spoke his next words.

"Hadou #4 - Byakurai."

A large beam of lightning erupted from the tip of Ichigo's index finger and went straight through Isshin's shoulder and part of his chest. The beam had been far larger then he had expected, Isshin could count the amount of people that could use Kidou to such a proficient degree on one hand. A painful burning sensation shot through his chest and his shoulder joint but Isshin believed that vital organs had not been hit.

His shoulder ached badly every time he moved it even slightly though and in the long run an injury like that could decide the battle. He was sure Ichigo was aware of this as well.

Isshin decided enough was enough. If he wanted to purify his son he had to get his act together and stop holding back. He quickly spoke the next words before allowing Ichigo to break free from their deadlock.

"Getsuga..." Isshin started, as he locked eyes with Ichigo. Ichigo's eyes visibly widened as he heard this word. "...Tenshou!"

Ichigo who knew what would be coming now, he just knew, he jumped backwards just in time to create some distance. Throwing his Zanpakutou to the side he held both hands forward in an attempt to block the incoming wave of amplified blue reiatsu.

The ground beneath the Getsuga Tenshou was being torn apart and formed a canyon right in the middle of the courtyard. Dust and debris were being thrown about and the power of the attack caused the ground to shake and the very foundations of the buildings around them to start cracking even further then they already had throughout the battle so far.

Isshin watched with a sad expression as his Getsuga Tenshou closed in on his son and finally exploded on impact. A direct hit of that attack was almost always fatal. Isshin had deliberately made it as powerful as he could and thus he honestly didn't believe Ichigo would get out of this in one piece. Not even the Captain-Commander would have gotten out of that attack unscathed had he taken it head-on.

As the dust cleared, Isshin was instantly on guard again for he couldn't detect his son's presence. Getsuga Tenshou was a powerful attack, but it would by no means completely annhililate it's victim. A loud buzzing sound behind him warned him of Ichigo's appearance but before he got a chance to turn around a blinding pain erupted from his back and Isshin stumbled forwards as his legs weakened.

"That's an...interesting technique," Ichigo's voice rang out from behind him. Slowly turning around, Isshin found that while his son's clothing was burned badly and he had some minor burns all over his body with some small cuts and bruises likely because he was thrown into the wall at the other end of the courtyard, he appeared otherwise unharmed.

"How...?" Was the only word Isshin managed to bring out.

"Getsuga Tenshou, an amplified blast of reiatsu released from the tip of the sword. It is a deadly technique and it would've gravely injured me had it actually hit me."

Isshin's face consorted in confusion. He was sure the attack had hit him. Ichigo figured as much and so he continued.

"I fired a much weaker Cero at your Getsuga Tenshou a moment before it impacted with me. The collision of the two attacks caused an explosion too close to me for comfort. Nonetheless I was hit only by the backlash of the explosion from our two techniques and was never actually hit by either of them."

Isshin's eyes widened. He had thought of such a move this quickly? It was a risky solution yes but in Ichigo's situation it was most likely the only one as there was no time to escape the attack. Isshin sighed, he didn't have a choice now, it was time.

"Tell me one thing, Ichigo," Isshin started.

There was one thing Isshin had wanted to know from the very beginning since his reunion with his son. He had expected Ichigo to be ruthless and to not be willing to even talk. He had expected his son to attempt to decimate Isshin as quickly as possible. Just like he had done with Ishida, Sado and Inoue.

"Why did you pretend to not know your friends when you met them? Why did you try to kill them? Their wounds were almost critical."

Ichigo's face took on an expression akin to guilt for just a mere moment untill it dissapeared again and his emotionless mask reappeared. "I suppose I could answer that question." Ichigo started. "When I turned into a Hollow I lost my memories. When I encountered Inoue, Sado and Ishida I really did not know who they were, I was merely following orders."

Ichigo had enough of the talking though, he couldn't say what he wanted under Aizen's watchful eye. He would have to wait for the right moment.

"But enough talking, Kurosaki Isshin. If you want to know more, then live past today. Live past today and speak to the Shinigami Kuchiki Rukia!"

Ichigo regained his battle stance after this and was about to charge again when he noticed Isshin was holding out his large cleaver-like Zanpakutou in front of him. He was holding it out horizontally with his right arm and his left was lying on top of the bicep of his right arm. He locked eyes with Ichigo once, and smirked.

"Bankai..." As soon as Isshin uttered these words a large explosion of red and black reiatsu exploded outwards from Isshin's position. Dust, sand and debris was thrown around the courtyard and Ichigo's eyes widened. The cracks in the buildings around him started to grow and grow untill finally the first of them collapsed. At first it was just some walls cracking and collapsing but in the end entire buildings and structures went down. Building after building collapsed untill it seemed like the courtyard had almost doubled in size.

The red and black reiatsu that was obstructing Isshin from view was slowly but surely retracting back inside his body causing the raging wind to lie down and the area to become quiet once more. "...Tensa Zangetsu."

When Ichigo raised his eyes to the man that was his father his eyes widened. Isshin's robe was replaced with a long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat with red lining that was closed at his chest, then left to flare out into ragged ends. His large cleaver-like Zanpakutou had taken the form of a much smaller Daito with a four pronged crossguard. The Daito was completely black and instead of a piece of clothing hanging down from the hilt there was now a small chain.

Ichigo was confused. As far as Aizen had told him most Bankai's were incredibly big and grand manifestations of power. Tousen had displayed his Bankai once for Ichigo and Ichigo had to admit that it had been an incredibly dangerous weapon. Ichigo had also seen Hitsugaya Toushirou's Bankai and while he had not seen near the full extent of the young boy's Bankai he had been severely injured by a single direct hit of it.

Nonetheless he decided not to underestimate his father's Bankai. After all his father had proved a powerful opponent up untill now. It would not do well to start underestimating him now that he had unleashed the final release of his Zanpakutou, a Shinigami's last and most powerful trumph card, Bankai.

He had to admit though. So far he had seen some similarities with his father. To start off with there was the cloth in which his father's original Zanpakutou, his Shikai, had been wrapped. He too had a small part of it hanging down from his hilt, exactly like Ichigo had in his resurreción. Secondly there was his father's technique, Getsuga Tenshou, from what Ichigo had seen, it was the exact same as his technique, Kuroi Getsuga, the only difference being that his father's was blue.

Before he got a chance to get any further in thought however the sound of feet running towards him distracted him. Surprisingly the sound was getting very close way too fast and as he finally looked up he could see his father's black Daito coming at him for a horizontal slice across his chest.

Ichigo, who was unprepared for this had no time to raise his blade and block the attack. Before Ichigo knew it he had been cut over his chest many times over and he just barely managed to raise his blade to block the attack that Isshin wanted to finish things with.

Isshin attempted to stab him through the head but Ichigo just barely raised his own blade and blocked the stab by using his remaining hand to knock his father's blade ofcourse by pushing against the flat side of his own blade.

He realised now how strong his father truly was. But he'd gotten over the surprise attack that his father had started with. He was ready now and he could do this!

Reacting with a stab of his own his father simply dissapeared and Ichigo lost sight of him for a short moment. Deciding he better play safe then sorry he vanished in a buzz of Sonido and reappeared on the other side of the courtyard. His eyes widened however when his father was standing there, waiting for him. Ichigo's eyes narrowed in anger, he clenched his fists and was shaking in anger, it was his turn to get some answers now.

"How are you so powerful?! How are you even a Shinigami?! When I was still alive you were a mad old goofball! Tell me and tell it to me now, quit playing me for a fool Kurosaki Isshin!" Ichigo shouted, furiously.

Isshin didn't react at first and when he did he lowered his gaze to his feet. His voice was silent and slow, and Ichigo had never heard the man talk in such a tone before. "I never was a human to begin with, Ichigo," His father started with a regretful tone in his voice. "Approximately twenty-five years ago I was a member of the Royal Guard of the King's realm." Isshin stated flatly, causing Ichigo's eyes to widen.

"Judging by your reaction, you know what that means?" Ichigo nodded at this. Aizen of course, had told him all about how some Captains were occassionally picked out and promoted to Royal Guard which meant they could ascend to the King's Realm, never to be seen again.

"I had been part of the Royal Guard for a little over two-hundred years. That is, untill twenty-five years ago which is when I was sentenced for execution for unjust reasons. I escaped the King's Realm came to the real world and not long after ran into Urahara who build me a Gigai that would completely hide my reiatsu. The Gigai would age with the years as well and thus I was turned back to a normal human as long as I was within that Gigai, albeit an immortal one."

Ichigo meanwhile was left speechless and couldn't bring out a word. "Needless to say, I soon met your mother and from one thing came another."

Ichigo sighed, his anger had been unjustified but his father had explained his actions and so what could he really complain about now? It appeared that his father had had a rough time as well, being sentenced for execution for something unjust, whatever it had been, it didn't matter. He did trust his father on this matter.

Raising his gaze, he locked eyes with his father. "I see," Ichigo spoke up. Before Isshin even got a chance to react Ichigo smirked at him and shot up into the air, leaving his father to follow in his wake.

Isshin soon caught up with his son who kept flying up further and further. Raising his gaze upwards in the hopes to see his son's destination he was surprised to see none. He was even more surprised however to see his son vanish in thin air and soon after he felt a cold sensation all over his body before it dissapeared as quickly it had started.

Looking around himself he noticed that the bright blue air and sunshine that existed within the walls of Las Noches had dissapeared again. It had, once more, been replaced by the dark black night of Hueco Mundo. The only light present was the slight shimmering of the full moon. Isshin, looked at Ichigo questioningly.

"You must wonder, ofcourse, why I have brought you here." Ichigo spoke up. At Isshin's nod, he continued. "Two reasons."

He paused again for a second before continuing. "First of all, none of the Espada ranked number five or stronger are allowed to release within the dome of Las Noches."

Isshin's eyebrows rose in confusion. As he opened his mouth to ask why however, Ichigo continued once more.

"It is because it would do too much damage to our city to have one of the upper five do battle within it's dome." Isshin once again raised an eyebrow, signifying for Ichigo to continue. "The top five Espada, dad, were all created out of Vasto Lorde Class Hollow." Ichigo stated flatly, causing Isshin's eyes to widen considerably in surprise.

"And the second reason, is one I will tell you in due time. It's time to continue our battle, dad."

The air around the two of them became heavy as red reiatsu started leaking out of Ichigo's body. It twirled itself around Ichigo as if binding him in place and soon before the cocoon of reiatsu completely obstructed Ichigo from view Isshin could just see his son sheating his sword.

The air around them slowly but surely started to vibrate more and more and Isshin was sure that if they were not flying up in the air above the dome of Las Noches right now the entire palace would be shaking and collapsing. It appeared that the reason for the rule Ichigo had explained to him just now was not just a bluff.

Just as Isshin started to wonder if the air could possibly get any heavier as his breathing was started to become ragged two words could be heard coming out of the giant mass of red reiatsu.

"Shimasu, Atrevico!"

=0=

Hinamori Momo sat in the quarters she'd been assigned by Tousen the first day, quietly overthinking the events that had transpired just hours before.

Aizen-taicho had finally come to her. She had slowly but surely been getting angry because she had been waiting for days and he didn't show while he had promised her he would drop by soon so they could talk. When the door to her room opened however and Aizen stepped inside her anger evaporated on the spot and was replaced by relief.

She had silently been worried, something could've happened to him which caused his absence. As he entered however all of that vanished, she had ran up to him and hugged him tightly.

After Aizen had reassured her he was alright she let go. He went on to apologize for his lateness and explained that he had had some very urgent business to take care of which absolutely couldn't wait. He had left right after the meeting that had followed her arrival in Las Noches was what she was told.

She forgave him in the end and said she was glad to finally see him again. Aizen in turn told her he arrived here safely and hoped she hadn't been too scared during her so-called kidnap.

Hinamori explained how the man who rescued her had been quite nice to her actually and had kept her safe at all times. She had been a bit scared during his battle with the two Captains because she didn't believe he could win and because she was scared he would kill Toushirou.

Aizen however assured her that he hadn't which satisfied her. After all, Aizen would never lie to her. The question that had come next however had surprised Hinamori. Aizen had asked her if she liked the man that rescued her.

Hinamori reminded him that it was a question that she had already answered, nonetheless she once again told him that the man had been nice to her and had kept her safe. Aizen nodded at that, his next statement however, threw her completely off-guard.

"Did you know Hinamori? That the man that rescued you, Kurosaki Ichigo, was a Hollow?"

Hinamori's face paled at this as she had trouble to form a reply. She eventually told Aizen that couldn't be true because he didn't have a mask and she hadn't seen a Hollow hole either. That, and Hollow didn't take on a human form!

Aizen had merely smiled at her and told her he would start at the beginning. He explained to her how Soul Society had sentenced Kuchiki Rukia for execution not because the crime she committed was that great, but because they needed something that was inside of her. The intense heat would vaporize her body and soul and the object would remain, unscathed. The object was one that could separate the barriers between Shinigami and Hollow. Allowing a Shinigami to gain Hollow powers and a Hollow to gain Shinigami powers.

Aizen explained to her that he uncovered their plot and the item they were after and that he realised what could be done with such an item. Soul Society would hide it only to keep it from ever being used, believing it was 'unnatural' for such phenomenoms to be allowed to occur. Aizen had said he didn't believe so. He believed it could allow Shinigami and Hollow to live together in piece because along with Shinigami powers it would allow Hollow to gain a rational mind along with emotions and it would end their everlasting need to consume more souls.

Hinamori had had tears leaking from her eyes as Aizen got further into his explanation, eventually she started sobbing and in the end she was all out crying. Her Captain wasn't a traitor. It was Soul Society that was in the wrong! He had done nothing wrong, he wanted to create peace for both worlds, to use such an item for which it was created.

She reassured Aizen that she really did like the man that rescue her and that he was absolutely nothing like an ordinary Hollow. Aizen had smiled at her.

From there on the evening had slowly progressed into the wee hours of the night. Finally as Hinamori was starting to get tired and Aizen told her he would soon retreat to his own quarters, he asked her one last question.

He asked her if she would accept a present and she had asked what it was he told her that it would allow her access to Hollow powers. She had been reluctant at first but Aizen had soon explained that it was nothing to be afraid of, he had told her that he needed her to spy for him in Soul Society to which she took on a sad expression.

She admitted that she didn't want to leave his side but Aizen reassured her by saying that they would be together again and with her knowledge of the truth about events she could live there peacefully for a while untill the war came to a climax. Aizen did need information and asked her to subtly obtain some during her Vice-Captain's meetings. If she learned to control her Hollow powers she would at one point or another be able to use Garganta to travel from one point to another and keep Aizen informed.

Realising that with the use of Garganta she could still see her Captain regularly as long as she had information to share with him she did agree, albeit a bit reluctantly. He had expressed his gratefulness by hugging her and told her he wouldn't ask her something like this if it wasn't absolutely necessary.

The last thing Aizen told her was that she would soon be rescued by a small squad of Shinigami. She smiled at him sadly as they bade each other goodnight.

As she got in her bed and took one last look at her Captain before he left through the door she thought, for a moment, that she had seen something resembling a cruel smirk on his face. But it had dissapeared as soon as she had thought she saw it and so she believed it must've been a trick of the eye.

Her thoughts were interupted as the door to chamber was opened and in slipped her childhood friend, Shiro-chan. Although these days he was more commonly known as juubantai-taicho Hitsugaya Toushirou. Before she got a chance to so much as greet him he rushed over to her and picking her up bridal style he Shunpo'd out of the room again.

"Be quiet Hinamori. We don't have much time, we have to hurry!"

Hinamori simply nodded in answer.

=0=

Kenpachi laughed maniacally as the sand cleared and Grimmjow's released form was revealed.

Grimmjow was now dressed in what looked like a form-fitting white segmented armor. His blue hair had grown significantly and reached all the way up untill his knees with the markings beneath his eyes having become more distinctive and his ears had turned very cat-like. His hand and feet had turned black and were shaped more like claws then mere hands. His distinctive jaw-mask had dissapeared and instead he gained some sort of crown which was resting on his forehead. All in all taking the slender whip-like tail into account, Grimmjow had taken on a very cat-like appearance. His Zanpakutou had dissapeared and instead he had one large blade protruding from each of his forearms and calves.

"That's more like it!" Kenpachi shouted excitedly. "Show me what you've got Espada!"

"Heh. We'll see who's laughing last, Shinigami!" Grimmjow shouted back, equally excited.

The two fighters instantly dashed towards each other two equally wide grins could be seen sported on their faces.

Kenpachi lashed out with a horizontal slice as soon as he got within range. Grimmjow blocked the blow with his left arm but he could feel the power put behind it as a small surge of pain shot through his arm.

Angered by this he lashed out at Kenpachi with his right arm seeing as, with his Zanpakutou currently occupied, the Captain had no means to defend himself.

Kenpachi's maniacal laughter returned as soon as he was sliced across his chest area and blood spurted out of the open wound. "That's more like it! Keep it up, Espada!"

Grimmjow grinned in return. A form of mutual understand had developed between the two now. Their love for battle was their reason for living. Kenpachi enjoyed fighting so much that he enjoyed being cut as much as cutting others.

They continued to exchange blows for a while, neither really gaining the upper hand in their battle. Explosions rocked the area near what used to be the main gates of Las Noches and dozens over craters had formed around the area. Walls of buildings started to crack and a small part of the wall around Las Noches had been reduced to rubble in it's entirety.

Both of them were sporting their own fair share of injures by now. Grimmjow had a new large wound running across his chest which replaced the one that had healed after he used his resurección. One of his shoulders had been pierced and his left hip had a deep cut running along it's length untill it reached the knee. Other then those he had a large amount of small cuts and bruises all over his body, which he gained after being sent flying through the outer wall of Las Noches.

Kenpachi on the other hand had no real small injures except a shallow cut running over his right cheek. Other then that he had a deep cut over both his shoulders, the original cut across his chest as well as one other that ran diagonally across from the first one.

Despite the fact that they were matched pretty evenly Grimmjow started to notice one major difference. Zaraki didn't seem to tire at all, while Grimmjow's breathing was slowly becoming worse with every minute that passed. As a matter of fact, Zaraki's maniacal laughter had continued all the way throughout their battle. Deciding to take a risk, Grimmjow once more charged at the Captain.

He was just in the nick of time to block the vertical slash coming at him and as he made a move to slice Zaraki across the throat his hand was grabbed, stopping his attempt to end the battle.

As Zaraki looked at Grimmjow's face however he was surprised to see a smirk present. Looking over at Grimmjow's left hand he could see him opening his palm and form a bright red orb inside of it. Zaraki's eyes widened but before he had a chance to react the Cero fired and both fighters were obscured by the backlash of the explosion.

As the dust cleared, both fighters were revealed to still be standing. Kenpachi's smirk was wiped of his face as blood was starting to seep through his clothing, his breathing had suddenly become rather ragged as well and while he was certainly wounded he wasn't critically injured just yet.

Grimmjow on the other hand had been way too close and he knew it. It had all come down to which of the two fighters could take more of a beating. As Grimmjow looked himself over he wanted to shout out in anger but his throath was dry and no sound came out. His white segmented armor was torn and ruined and his entire torso was covered in large burn marks. His breathing had become slow and ragged and one eye was covered in burns as well, obstructing the actual eye from view. His legs and arms also held some light burns but none of them were as severe as those on his chest.

Kenpachi's grin had faded and his expression was almost mocking as he turned his back on the Sexta Espada and walked away. "Tch. Idiot."

Grimmjow's own arrogance had done him in in the end. He believed that he could take more of a beating then Zaraki could. He attacked in what would have been a suicidal move had he not limited the power of his Cero. Nonetheless his defeat had been decided long before he resorted to his almost suicidal move. He had known that Kenpachi would outlast him in a battle of stamina, which was slowly what this was turning into.

But even now, Grimmjow wouldn't take no for an answer. He raised his arm towards Zaraki's retreating back and opened his palm once more. "Y-You bastard, t-this ain't-" But that was as far as he got.

A loud buzzing sound could be heard next to him followed by a gloved hand that grabbed Grimmjow's wrist before he could continue with his sneak attack. Raising his one uninjured eye towards the source of the interuption Grimmjow ended up glaring in the face of none other then the Segunda Espada, Coyote Starrk.

"This has gone far enough," Starrk started, by now Zaraki had noticed the arrival of another opponent and the grin reappeared on his face. "You will come back with me, Grimmjow."

Zaraki who wouldn't take that as the answer to his renewed interest unsheathed his Zanpakutou again. The loud ringing sound caught Starrk's attention as he looked at Zaraki, feigning disinterest.

"I wouldn't recommend that, Juuichibantai-taicho. As much of a drag as it is, I was send here only to retrieve Grimmjow. You have ten more minutes so I would recommend you help out your comrades before making your escape."

Zaraki face displayed annoyance at Starrk's words and as the Espada dissapeared again with a loud buzz the Captain resheathed his Zanpakutou. Before turning around again and walking away with a loud resounding 'Tch'.

=0=

Madarame Ikkaku stood in front of the Espada named Yammy Rialgo, a wide grin still sported on his face. His condition had only grown worse since he had starting using his Shikai.

At first it seemed like perhaps he had a bit of a chance. He had surprised Yammy a handful of times by separating and reconnecting the three sections of his Naginata. Yammy had received a handful of small, shallow cuts all over his body and even one deeper cut across his right shoulder.

Ikkaku had been optimistic about this at first as he actually seemed to be able to injure his opponent now, even if only slightly. But as the fight progressed Ikkaku's own condition grew worse by the minute, Yammy seemed to enjoy toying with him. This had resulted in Ikkaku ending up at the receiving end of several Bala's as well as a lot of Hierro covered punches.

"Tch. Is this all you've got, Shinigami?" Yammy asked loudly.

Ikkaku for his part closed his eyes in silence for a moment. He had no choice now. He knew he was far enough away from the others and Yumichika already knew, of course. Nonetheless he was very wary in using his trumph card. He refused to die if there was a possibility of beating his opponent but at the same time it was his wish to die under Zaraki-taicho's command. If this came out, he would not be under his Captain's command for much longer, especially considering Soul Society's current situation.

"Heh. You haven't seen anything yet, I guess I have to use it." Ikkaku replied.

Yammy for his part could clearly sense the reiatsu in the area increase, even with his almost non-existant skills in that field. The air grew thicker and thicker with each passing moment. Returning his gaze to his opponent, Madarame Ikkaku he noticed his body was starting to glow red with reiatsu and the pupils in his eyes had dissapeared as his eyes started to glow a bright white.

"Bankai..."

Instantly a wave of violent blue reiatsu erupted in the middle of his Naginata, Houzukimaru, and forced itself to the edges. As it reached the edges of his Naginata they became larger and more violent untill they completely surrounded Ikkaku.

Yammy had to hold his arm in front of his eyes to protect himself from the violent force of the reiatsu Ikkaku was emitting. As the blue reiatsu reached a climax Yammy noticed two seperate beams of red reiatsu emerged from the top of the large blue twister that was Ikkaku's reiatsu. Both separate red reiatsu seemed to form a dragon's head, each facing the other as if preparing for battle. They lasted only a second before they retreated back into the blue twister, seemingly causing the violent storm of reiatsu to slowly die down.

Now this caused Yammy to grin. There was more to the guy then he'd thought after all! It was a good amount of reiatsu, very impressive, for a Shinigami. He was sure there had there been more of an environment around then just the sandy desert of Hueco Mundo the entire area would having been turned to rubble.

As Ikkaku was revealed again Yammy couldn't help but openly show his excitement. Ikkaku stood in front of him with two extremely larged axe-like weapons held in his hands. Both of them were connected to another larger and wider but yet similar axe-like weapon that was raised in the air just above his back. The one above his back sported a large long dragon crest all along the length of the weapon.

"...Ryuumon Houzukimaru!"

It was obvious, even to Yammy that this was a weapon meant to deal major damage with nothing other then brute strength. One thing that was still similar however was the three-segments. His Naginata had been a weapon divided in three segments and the same held true for his Bankai it appeared.

Ikkaku did nothing more but grin at Yammy before he charged without warning. Yammy who grinned equally wide in return awaited Ikkaku's charge.

When Ikkaku got close enough he raised the blade held by his right hand and made to slice at Yammy vertically. The Décima Espada who didn't appear to be too great in the brains department raised his hand in an attempt to block it.

Ikkaku smirked as Ryuumon Houzukimaru cut deep into Yammy's arm, almost going as far as to cleanly cut it off, had Yammy not retractred his arm as he screamed in pain and most likely anger too.

Before the giant Espada got a chance to counter attack Ikkaku slammed the remaining axe of Ryuumon Houzukimaru right in the center of Yammy's stomach, burying it deep inside his body.

Yammy's screams got even louder at this point, if at all possible as he quickly jumped back to regain some distance. Yammy roared in anger as clutched his injured right arm.

"You'll pay for that!" Yammy roared furiously before charging at Ikkaku with his uninjured left arm raised. That was when he noticed two things. To start off with the edges of Ikkaku's Ryuumon Houzukimaru were already damaged and probably could not last for more then two or three more attacks each. And secondly the red dragon crest ingraved in the axe in the middle was starting to glow. So far more then half close to three quarters of it was already glowing.

Not knowing what this could possibly mean Yammy ignored it and as he reached Ikkaku he slammed a vicious hierro-covered punch right into the Shinigami's face who was too slow to raise his heavy weapons in defence.

Ikkaku was sent flying and the impact of both him and his heavy weapons on the sandy desert ground created a crater on impact.

Yammy slowly walked over to the creater, intending to finish the Shinigami off with one final attack. As he reached the end of the crater the sight that greeted him was not what he had expected.

Madarame Ikkaku stood in the center holding both axes still firmly in his hands. But what grabbed Yammy's attention the most was the obvious rise of reiatsu that was palpable in the air. Looking at the completely filled up red dragon crest Yammy wondered if that had anything to do with it.

As he locked eyes with Madarame Ikkaku once more he felt a feeling of dread overcome him, despite that it didn't show in his stance or facial expression. The man's eyes were too determined.

As if answering Yammy's thoughts Ikkaku pulled back both of his arms before smirking cockily at him. "It's over, Décima Espada, Yammy Rialgo!" He shouted in excitement before throwing both axes at the Espada. The sound of the chains following in their respective axes wake could be heard ringing throughout the air.

Yammy had no time to react. No time to defend. Not even enough time to raise his arms. Ikkaku was too close, with no more then a handful of feet between the two of them. He could clearly see one of the axes heading for his head, the other was slightly lower, heading for his already injured right arm. They were approaching slowly, as if in slow-motion, yet Yammy's body wouldn't move fast enough.

He closed his eyes as the axes were about to impact with his body and moments later a sharp pain rang through his arm along with the sound of metal hitting metal no more then a foot away from his face.

Opening his eyes the first thing he noticed was Ulquiorra standing in front of him, his Zanpakutou unsheathed and the axe that had been heading for his face lying at his feet. "U-Ulquiorra!"

"Grab your arm, we're leaving, Yammy." Ulquiorra stated flatly before walking away.

Ulquiorra's words caused Yammy to look down towards his right arm and he instantly realised why he could no longer feel anything in his arm except for a blinding pain near the shoulder. His arm had been cut off cleanly just beneath the shoulder joint. He grit his teeth in anger and glared at the body of Madarame Ikkaku, who was lying unconscious on the ground, before turning around and following Ulquiorra.

Yumichika silently watched the proceedings and as the two Arrancar left he made his way over to his comrade and hoisted the man over his shoulders. Turning around, he walked back to the gates of Las Noches, intending to meet back up with his Captain.

=0=

"Shimasu, Atrevico!"

As Ichigo spoke these two words the heavy air seemed to subside and retract back inside Ichigo's body. Silence reigned the sky above the dome of Las Noches. It was the silence before the storm.

Isshin didn't know this and was starting to wonder what had just happened. His answer came in the form of a small sliver of reiatsu that escaped Ichigo's body. It sounded like a soft wind blowing through the night's sky it was a soothing sound during such a harsh trial. Father and son fighting each other in a battle for their lives.

It didn't last long however as a loud blast reverberated through the air and the night's sky was lit up in a shower of red and black reiatsu. The pressure in the air grew heavier then ever and Isshin found himself bending forward slightly because of it. His breathing had become irregular as he looked upon the raging inferno of reiatsu in front of him.

Amidst it all he could only just make out the figure of his son Ichigo. He could barely make out his features but it was clear to Isshin that he would have a hard time recognizing his son as the young boy who attended Karakura High after his transformation was completed.

Just as Isshin thought it was over another heavy storm of reiatsu was sent in every direction and Isshin had to try his very hardest to remain firmly in place. The rough and violent wind along with the bright red-colored storm of reiatsu forced him to close his eyes.

Slowly but surely Isshin could feel the raging wind die down and as he slowly opened his eyes he had a hard time readjusting to the renewed darkness of Hueco Mundo's night sky. He could clearly sense however, where the man that was his son was standing, raising his gaze the two locked eyes. Isshin's eyes visibly widened as he gasped at the sight that met him.

Starting with his head Ichigo's hair had grown slightly, reaching just past his shoulders now. His eyes were a bright yellow with a dark black pupil which looked positively intimidating. His eyes seemed to bore straight through Isshin as if looking at his very soul.

Ichigo's sleeveless vest was torn almost completely and several large spikes had sprouted all over his left shoulder and from what Isshin could make out they seemed to continue to run partially over his back as well. Apart from the spikes itself a large part of Ichigo's shoulder was covered in a white bone-like substance.

His right shoulder on the other hand was covered in what appeared to be a ragged and dirty-looking cloth which was kept in place by bolts that seemed to be stuck in the shoulder. The ragged looking cloth continued from his right shoulder to his left hip and from his left hip it hung loosely at his right.

The way the cloth covered up part of his body would normally be rather barbaric but in this case it just seemed to fit. It caused the left side of Ichigo's chest to be exposed and Isshin noticed a large amount of intricate red markings were originating from his Hollow hole. They ran all the way up untill his left shoulder and presumably Isshin thought the same went for his right. Which in turn would have the markings form some sort of large intricate cross across Ichigo's chest.

Ichigo's hands too, Isshin noticed were covered in the very same bone-like substance as his left shoulder. After taking a closer look at it Isshin believed it was the same material that a common Hollow mask usually consisted of.

The last change Isshin noticed was a surprise. Ichigo's Zanpakutou had become completely black in color and it seemed it had grown close to a foot longer as well. The same ragged and dirty-looking cloth that was wrapped around Ichigo's shoulder and half of his chest was wrapped around the Zanpakutou's guard all the way untill the end of the hilt. At the end of the hilt a small piece of cloth could be seem falling down from it. The cloth pretty much hid the exact shape of the guard but that wasn't what intrigued Isshin about Ichigo's new Zanpakutou the most. It bore a striking resemblance to Isshin's own Zanpakutou in it's Bankai form, granted he couldn't see the hilt ofcourse and it was quite a bit longer as well. But combined with the cloth wrapped around the guard and the hilt it seemed the perfect combination of Isshin's Zanpakutou in Shikai and Bankai forms respectively.

One other thing Isshin noticed had remained the same was the intricate looking '1' tattooed on the left side of Ichigo's throat. Isshin knew what it meant now, of course. It signified his strength as the most powerful Arrancar in Aizen's army.

Ichigo merely smiled at his father. There was another thing he wanted to tell his father, but he couldn't find the right words. He knew he should tell his father now but he decided to wait. Enough words had been spoken for the time being.

Simultaneously, both fighters tightened the grip on their respective Zanpakutous, as if in unspoken agreement. Both fighters raised their respective gazes and locked eyes once more. The look they gave each other said more then any words ever would.

Isshin was the first to act as he dissapeared with the phenomenal speed his Bankai provided him with. Reappearing at his son's left side he raised his sword and slammed it down in a vertical strike. Isshin smirked as his son didn't even get the time to turn around.

His smirk however soon dissapeared as Ichigo raised his hand and caught Isshin's blade in a firm grip. Ichigo hadn't even turned his head to see where the strike would come from. He merely stood there, holding Isshin's blade in his hand, still looking at the spot where Isshin had previously stood.

Isshin who was getting annoyed by his son's lack of action decided to take advantage of it. The smirk on his face reappeared.

"Getsuga..."

It was pointless however, as Ichigo removed his index and middle finger from Isshin's blade and pointed them at the man's chest.

"Hadou #1 - Shou."

Isshin's eyes widened as Ichigo let go of his father's Zanpakutou and Isshin was send flying by the incredible force of Ichigo's Kidou spell.

"...Tenshou!"

A large red and black wave of reiatsu erupted from the tip of Isshin Zanpakutou. And even though the distance between father and son was certainly further now, Ichigo would still have a hard time to dodge the attack.

Isshin's confusion rose however as Ichigo calmly turned around and raised his Zanpakutou with one hand above his head. He smiled solemnly at his father as he spoke the next two words.

"Kuroi Getsuga!"

Isshin's eyes widened even further and he gasped openly as the same red and black jet of reiatsu had just left the tip of his own Zanpakutou erupted from Ichigo's. Ichigo's however was far larger and as the two collided it was as if Isshin's didn't even exist. Ichigo's Kuroi Getsuga tore through it and continued on it's way towards Isshin, who was still flying backwards, as if his Getsuga Tenshou hadn't even been there.

Ichigo, meanwhile, was watching as his father was engulfed by his Kuroi Getsuga. He hadn't put too much power into his Kuroi Getsuga and so he was fairly certain that his father should have survived the attack.

Turning around, he decided to continue his act for now and made to leave the battlefield and return to Las Noches. Before he got very far however, something from behind him caught his attention. Turning back around he saw he could see another crescent moon-shaped reiatsu blast coming at him. He smirked once before quickly dissapearing with a loud buzz.

Isshin for his part let out a loud sigh as he saw his Getsuga Tenshou was about to land a direct hit on his son. Much to his surprise however he saw his attack continue on it's way rather then impact on the position where he believed his son to be standing. It was hard to tell with his own attack blocking his view. Before he got another second however he heard the loud buzz of Sonido announcing the arrival of his son behind him and less then a second he felt cold steel touching his throat.

Isshin was speechless. He didn't know what to say. Never before had he been defeated so utterly and completely. His throat was dry and his breathing was heavy. He tried to breathe slowly so as not to cut himself on his son's blade, it was pointless however, his emotions were getting the better of him.

He was certain this was the end for him. Yuzu and Karin would grow up not only without a mother and an older brother but also without a father now. Isshin closed his eyes in silent regret. He knew he should be happy, he would pay for being a failure as a father now. But that wasn't what he felt, he may not have been the perfect parent but he was sure that both Yuzu and Karin wanted none other then their own father to raise them. A silent tear leaked down from his eye. 'Yuzu, Karin, Ichigo, Masaki, I'm sorry.'

"The other reason I brought you here," Ichigo's voice rang out, much to Isshin's surprise. "Is because Aizen knows about everything that goes on within the dome of Las Noches."

Isshin's eyes widened. If what Ichigo was saying was a hint of any sort then he had to mean that he had some sort of plan that Aizen wasn't supposed to be aware of.

"Don't get your hopes up though, dad," Ichigo spoke up again, the use of the word dad surprised Isshin though, "I don't intend to betray Aizen and nor will I disobey his orders."

For the first time since the reunion with his son Isshin had heard Ichigo speak Aizen's name without using the honorific. Yet, Ichigo's words confused Isshin even more. If he didn't intend to do either of the two, then why did Ichigo bring him here, out of Aizen's sight.

"I want to answer your earlier question." Ichigo spoke up in answer. "If Aizen ever betrays me, or if he intends to hurt or discard me or my nakama...I will make him regret it, that is a vow I have already made."

A smile appeared on Isshin's face at this. Not only wouldn't Ichigo allow himself to be discarded by Aizen, Ichigo had spoken of his nakama. Isshin couldn't help but wonder who this could be and wondered if he would ever find out.

Ichigo meanwhile sighed once before removing his blade from Isshin's throat. "But you should know, dad, that I can't betray Aizen. We will finish our battle and I will prove my loyalty!"

Before Isshin had a chance to react he was smashed back towards the Dome of Las Noches by what he presumed had been Ichigo's feet.

Ichigo meanwhile closed his eyes for a split second in silent grief. He knew this was getting out of hand. His lust for battle and his willingness to prove his loyalty to Aizen were taking over. His anger and frustration with Aizen were dominating the battle. He recalled Nel's words from earlier and felt ashamed when he realized she had been watching all this time. Luckily however, she at least hadn't seen what happened above Las Noches. Clearing his mind he decided to get this over with before Nel decided to make an appearance, he was sure she would if this dragged on any longer. Reopening his eyes he silently started chanting.

"Bakudou #63 - Sajo Sabaku."

A large golden chain appeared in mid-air and at Ichigo's command it sped towards the descending figure of Kurosaki Isshin. As it approached the man Ichigo closed his fist, causing the chains to bind itself around his father's figure from top to bottom mere seconds before the man dissapeared from view, swallowed up by the dome of Las Noches once more.

=0=

Hitsugaya Toushirou was relieved to find out that Zaraki, Madarame and Ayasegawa were all still in the same courtyard where they had split up. Hitsugaya quickly increased the pace of his Shunpo. Before he reached the other three Shinigami however he felt two other reiatsu signatures somewhere far above them. Both were familiar yet he wasn't completely sure about the identity of either. One seemed too small to be who he thought it should be and the other seemed too...chaotic and wild to be who Hitsugaya had thought.

Nonetheless he didn't need to think about it any longer when a figure bound in golden chains could be seen flying down. As it got closer Hitsugaya just barely made out a huge cleaver-like Zanpakutou held in the figure's hand. His eyes instantly widened as he took notice of this.

"Ayasegawa! It's Kurosaki, catch him!" Hitsugaya's voice rang out over the courtyard, causing Yumichika to take his eyes from the descending figure to look at Hitsugaya for a split second before nodding in return.

Hitsugaya sighed in relief when he saw Ayasegawa was about to close his arms around Kurosaki Isshin's waist. His relief was squashed instantly however when Ayasegawa was sent flying a split second before he'd managed to get a firm grip on Kurosaki Isshin's body.

Hitsugaya put down Hinamori's body and instantly reached for his Zanpakutou. His suspicions were confirmed as he looked up towards the figure that was rapidly approaching the still descending body of Kurosaki Isshin. He certainly looked different, but he knew it was the same man, he was certain of it.

=0=

Ichigo closed his eyes once more as he approached the descending figure of his father. He didn't like what he was about to do, he hated himself for it. Hated himself for taking the life of someone that didn't need to die. He hated himself for taking a life merely because he was ordered to fight with the intend to kill. But above all he hated himself for taking a life when he knew Nel didn't want him to.

As he opened his eyes again he strenghtened his resolve. Determination shone from his eyes as he pulled back his blade, intending to pierce his father's chest. Yet, when he finally thrust his sword forward, he ended up closing his eyes again after all, a clear sign of the fact that he didn't want to witness what he was about to do.

Instead of metal piercing soft flesh however, he heard the sound of metal clashing against metal which caused him to open his eyes again instantly only to find the prone form of his father missing. Instead he was looking straight into the face of the one person he dreaded seeing the most at this very moment. He was looking right into the face of an impassive looking Nelliel Tu Oderschvank.

Ichigo could feel his mouth was opening and closing repeatedly, as if unable to find the words he wanted to say. She merely sighed and broke eye contact as she walked over to the five Shinigami.

"Your hour has passed," Nel's voice rang out, breaking the silence. Hitsugaya could be seen gritting his teeth in frustration with their current predicament. "But for defeating two of Aizen's Espada he has decided that you may live."

Before any of them got a chance to reply she tapped her index and middlefinger into the air, causing a garganta to appear in mid-air. Not giving them any chance to react she turned around and walked back to Ichigo.

"Aizen-sama, is awaiting our return, the others are already gathered, we should hurry, Ichi." Nel stated with a small smile.

Ichigo only looked at her blankly, confusion clearly in his eyes, nonetheless he nodded.

"I would advise you leave before Aizen-sama changes his mind."

Those were the last words the five Shinigami heard before the duo dissapeared in a buzz of Sonido.

=0=

Unexpected ending? I hope so, for that was what I intended!

Anyway first of all I want to apologize for the huge delay in this chapter. Real life has been troubling to say the least, ever since I returned from holiday. I've returned only to find that I got fired and thus had to find a new job. I've been quite occupied with my new job the last couple of weeks, add in to that that I've had some other major and minor issues I've had to deal with. I bet many of you thought I'd quit writing altogether but let me assure you that I haven't!

In a way of making things up to you I've made sure to make the new chapter my longest one so far and I certainly hope you found it fun to read. I do have to admit though that from here on out it will probably take me longer to update in between chapters as apart from the fact that I have less time to write I'm also having trouble to keep my storyline running as smooth as I intended. That and the fact that it's really time I start editting some of the older chapters. I've read some of them over briefly and I couldn't help but notice that the quick and perhaps even rushed way of adding new chapters really did cause the grammar and spelling in this story to become rather shameful.

Once again, reviews are appreciated. I'm curious to find out what people think of everything so far as well as your thoughts on this chapter in particular.

~Bruuz