Summary: The rescue team struggles with their badly compromised mission.

Mictlan Temple

The obsidian edged club seemed to be moving in slow motion as it descended towards Uryuu's face. It looked like it would take all day to reach him. He knew it was just an illusion caused by the adrenaline pumping through his system. In reality, he had only a split second to act. Landing in the middle of the enemy's lines, his biggest advantage was they couldn't all strike at once and they had to be careful not to hit their friends. He had no such restrictions. Rolling to his left, he barely felt the sting as shards of volcanic glass shattered on the pavement and flew into his cheek. He had to get on his feet and moving if he had any hope of survival. He blocked another strike with his bow, feeling the shock run down his arm. A near miss at his back scored a shallow cut across his shoulder. He wouldn't feel it until later. In his heightened condition, he felt no pain or fatigue, his body floating over the ground. It wouldn't last of course. He would feel ten times worse once it was over. If he survived. Pulling a seele schnieder off his belt, he blocked another strike as he accustomed himself to his enemy's rhythm and concentrating on feeling their reiatsu to mark their position. His world shrank to a small circle where enemies entered and exited his striking range. He struck and dodged, blocked and turned, blocked and struck again. In the whirling melee his mind continued to move at light speed. Despite using all his skills to gain an advantage, in the end, he would lose. The men he faced were too many, too strong, and all seasoned fighters. Eventually, he would be overpowered. After what seemed like hours of combat, he saw see a man just outside of his circle preparing to spear him through the chest. His right hand was blocking a club with his bow. His left was following through with a backhand slash. He would not be able to get either hand in position to block in time. He would not be able to dodge. He was about to die.

Time sped up to normal again as a blast of blue-white energy slammed the spear wielder off his feet. Chad punched huge gaps into the enemy lines, making a path as the shinigami advanced in a group towards the temple steps. In a few moments, Uryuu was surrounded by friends.

"Are you all right?" A large man with sunglasses asked. "You're bleeding."

Uryuu thought the man was Iba Tetsuzaemon. He fit the description for the seventh division's lieutenant. "I'm fine." Uryuu replied. "It's all superficial cuts."

"You're damned lucky then." Iba said. "Can you fight?"

Uryuu wanted to say yes. His body wouldn't allow it. "I'll need a minute to catch my breath." He said.

"Don't take too long." Iba said. "Looks like more people are showing up!" He pointed behind Uryuu before rejoining the fight

Impressions came in flashes as he tried to get his bearings. It was chaotic. Men were converging on them from all over the stadium. It was fortunate that none of them had expected a fight and there were no bows or slings in evidence. The shinigamai were fighting an aggressive defense. In the low energy environment, they couldn't get airborne or use kido much. Only one person seemed able to fight at full strength and he seemed to have his hands full. Guarding the rear as they fought to reach the stairs, Ichigo blocked and countered a strike from the emperor who seemed determined to drive Ichigo into the ground. Both gave off reiatsu in massive waves. Ichigo might be able to hold him off, but if they didn't make it to high ground soon, the crush of enemy forces surrounding them would crack their defenses.

Uryuu ran up to Chad to shout in his ear. He pointed to the line of warriors blocking their path up the stairs. "Chad! Can you fire a blast right up the middle?"

Chad grunted as he nodded and struck one more enemy aside with his huge fist. Sweat beading on his face, he gathered power into his right arm.

"El Directo!" he called out as he released a massive blast of energy.

Many warriors went flying, but others moved quickly to fill in the gap. It was not possible for the shinigami to move as a group. It was possible for one person, if they moved quickly enough.

Uryuu sped through the rapidly closing gap.

11th division

To Yachiru from her perch up in a tree, it looked like a black diamond, spearing through the colorful field of the enemy forces. The eleventh division maintained a tight wedge formation as they attacked, making sure to guard the sides of their squad mates to the left and the right as they attacked whoever got in front of them. This was what they lived for. This was what they excelled at. Direct melee combat. At the point of the formation, leading the way was a glowing yellow spot. "Go Ken-chan!" Yachiru yelled. "You're the best!"

Zaraki Kenpachi strode into battle like the avatar of an ancient war god. Many of the warriors he faced couldn't even reach him as they were overpowered by the force of his reiatsu.

"Come on!" He screamed as he batted aside the few still on their feet. "Come on you candy-assed sons of whores! Can't one of you misbegotten bastards fight?"

A huge jaguar knight answered his challenge. Running at Kenpachi, he swung his macuahuitl straight at his head. To his astonishment, Kenpachi caught his weapon in his left hand! The fierce captain actually paused for a moment to watch the blood drip down his arm from the cuts the obsidian blades had made on his palm. He turned to the knight and grinned.

"Well now." He said. "You might actually be some fun!"

He raised his nameless sword and swung it down.

4th division

For all their strength and skill, the eleventh division soon took casualties. Cries of "Medic!" came in the wake of their advance as the wounded lay or knelt waiting for help. In every case, help soon arrived in the form of two fourth division members with a stretcher. One team dropped off a casualty, then picked up an empty stretcher to return to the field.

"Lieutenant Kotetsu!" one said. "We're having difficulty evacuating patients using shunpo. This place seems to be draining us."

Kotesu Isane looked up from the wounded man she was triaging.

"Save shunpo for dangerous locations and the most serious cases only. Bring them in at normal speed. Spread the word."

"Yes ma'am!" they said and they trotted back to the battlefield.

"How are we looking Iemura?" She asked her third seat.

Iemura Yasochika, sitting behind a portable field desk, adjusted his glasses and ran a finger down the roster as he tallied his figures.

"Causalities are surprising light Lieutenant. Most are from arrow and other missile strikes. Perhaps it's a bit early in the battle, but I expect we'll get about 20% wounded with 1% fatalities. We're actually getting more enemy wounded than friendly."

Normally, the fourth division didn't have to worry about enemy wounded, but this was not like fighting hollows. As much as possible, they worked to stabilize the enemy wounded as well. When they left, they would leave them behind. Who knows, it might do some good in the future.

"Have we heard anything on our missing body?" Isane asked.

"No, "Iemura replied. "No one has seen or heard from seventh seat Yamada all day."

Isane was worried about Hanataro. He was clumsy and nervous but he never shirked his duties. She hated to think she might have to punish him. Where could he be?

"Hey! Look out!"

Whirling around, Isane saw one of the enemy was in better shape than they had thought. Though streaming blood from a head would, the man had got to his feet and was attacking her people barehanded with a look of fury in his eyes.

She pointed at him. "Rikujokoro, Six Rods Prison of Light!"

Six glowing rods pinned the man where he stood. Isane quickly ran to him, pulling a small bottle out of her sleeve as she did so.

"I apologize for the inconvenience." She said. "This will help you relax".

She placed a drop of the potent shinten anesthetic on his forehead. In seconds, he was unconscious. "You'll feel better in the morning." She said as she released the six rod prison. More causalities were coming in. She had no more time to worry about anything else.

Mictlan Temple

For the first time in weeks, Ishikawa Kaoru of the twelfth division felt hope. He woke up that morning knowing he was going to be cut open and shown his still beating heart as a sort of wedding gift for his own lieutenant. He was sure the look of dread and fear he saw in his companions eyes were also in his. This was the first time they were all together since their capture, but they would be separated again one by one to take their turn on the altar stone. He had prayed he would meet his end with courage and dignity. But now! Now there was a chance they would be saved. This gave him the will to act. He would not just sit around and wait for someone else to get them. This was it. This was his chance to show he was not just cannon fodder. When the strange looking archer attacked, the priests and guards scattered. First one, then another of the priests who were in charge of watching them were sent to get the lieutenant off her scaffold. The last one left was too busy watching the chaotic scene to pay attention to him. The time to act was now! Jumping to his feet, he put his bound hands over the priest's head and pulled him down among the kneeling captives.

"Get his knife!" he shouted.

One man got the obsidian blade from the priest as another pounded their prisoner on the head until he went unconscious. Acting quickly, they cut the ropes around their hands and feet. As soon as they were free, the shinigami went to those enemies the archer had shot down and took their weapons. Soon, they were all free and armed. They fought anyone left standing now that the archer had fallen down.

Ishikawa saw a priest carrying an unconscious Nemu towards the door in the back. He pointed at them with a club he had found.

"Save the lieutenant!"

The other former prisoners took up the cry. "Save the lieutenant!"

As they rushed to the door one of the priests held up a shiny round black object.

What is that? Ishikawa thought.

It was the last thought he had before the darkness and pain closed in.

Once again, Uryuu floated in a state of heightened awareness. He had to get to the top of the stairs for his plan to work. Running through the gap Chad made for him in the enemy line, he had no time to think, only to act. One tried to tackle him. He leaped over the flying body. Another swung a club at his head. He ducked under and allowed the man's own momentum carry him past until Uryuu could stand up underneath him, the leverage flinging the man down the steps. A third thrust a spear at his chest. Spinning counter to the spear's movement, he grabbed the enemy's wrist and helped him fall painfully on his face. Knocking aside strikes from two more men with his seele schneider, he finally got in the clear. He dashed up the steps to the top of the platform. Returning the seele schneider to his belt, he readied his bow, preparing to take down anyone still moving. No one was. He saw bodies of the natives mixed with shinigami in ragged uniforms. He didn't see Nemu. The scaffold where she had been tied was empty. There had obviously been a fight after he fell off Zabimaru. Aware that someone may sneak up behind him, he faced down to where the shinigami still struggled with the warriors who were even now still approaching from all sides from the stands. He pulled several ginto, the silver storage tubes, out of various pockets in his uniform and activated them. What he was going to do next required a lot of energy and there was no nearby source he could tap into. Absorbing everything he could, he put the ginto away.

What happened next brought despair to his enemies. He fired at his maximum rate into the massed enemy below. The line trying to prevent the shinigami from moving to the high ground melted away under his rapid fire. Seeing the hole, the shinigami fought their way free and were soon in a fighting retreat up the steps. Uryuu provided cover fire, picking off enemies to the back and sides. He fired several shots at the emperor who doggedly followed Ichigo. The arrows bounced off the halo of reiatsu. Uryuu shook his head and returned to covering the others.

Renji was the first to reach the top. "Good job Ishida!"

Hisagi Shuhei began to issue orders as soon as he hit the top stair. "I want you to take our people to the left flank, your group on the right, everyone fourth seat or lower start making a barricade."

He turned to Uryuu. "Great job opening that hole for us Ishida-san. Can you keep this up?"

Uryuu only wished he could. He wasn't able to draw more energy from his surroundings and could feel his reserves getting lower by the second. Already he had cut his rate of fire three times as his energy levels decreased.

"I'm sorry Hisagi-san." He said. "I can keep this up for maybe another five minutes."

"Go for three, then stop. We may need your abilities later." He shouted over the noise. "Firm up the line people, we lose cover in three minutes!"

Already, the lower ranks had broken up the altar, statues and whatever masonry they could find and were forming a waist high barrier. The fourth division members started treating the wounded. Kira was sitting up as one bandaged him.

"I'll be fine, just hurry!" he said.

"Hinomori-san, what's the status on our portal?" Shuhei asked.

Hinomori Momo had her zampakuto out as she tried to activate a gateway.

"We're still being disrupted!" She replied. " We're stuck for now."

Shuhei cursed under his breath. "Keep trying. As soon as you get anything, we're out of here."

From high above their heads, a strange wailing sound was heard.

"Yaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

With a BOOM, Ichigo landed hard on his back, cracking the pavement.

"Ouch." He squeaked.

The ground shook as Emperor Mictlantecuhtl himself, eyes glowing with rage, leapt astride their make-shift barrier in pursuit of his foe.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!"

Rukia called out her second dance, encasing the emperor in a block of ice and sending him falling back down the stairs to crash into his own people. It wouldn't hold someone that powerful long. Rukia was panting with the effort it took for her to use her special ability.

"Ichigo!" she shouted "Stop playing around with this guy. You're getting to be as bad as Kenpachi!"

"So I underestimated him a little." He replied as he got up from the crater his body had formed. "I'm still taking him down. Bankai!"

His uniform changed as he leveled up and he ran to the barricade. As expected, the emperor was already free of the ice and running back up the stairs followed by his men. Ichigo raced downwards to meet him. The explosion of energy when the two collided was enormous! Holding onto each other's wrists, the tumbled down the stairs taking the enemy soldiers with them.

"Ichigo!" Rukia cried.

"Don't worry." Renji said. "Nobody in their right mind will approach those two while they're fighting. It'd be suicide. He'll be fine."

"You really think so?" She said.

"You bet." Renji replied. She couldn't see the crossed fingers behind his back.

In a way, Ichigo had helped them all by clearing the stairs as Uryuu didn't need to shoot anymore. It would take a while for the enemy to rally and try to attack again. The shinigami worked feverishly to improve their fighting position. Shuhei directed from the center as he tried to figure out the next move. A fourth division member approached.

"Sir, we have accounted for all the prisoners. All missing twelfth division members are present except for Lieutenant Kurotsuchi Nemu."

"Do they know where she is?" Shuhei asked.

"This man claims to have seen her carried off." The man replied.

Two other medics carried a haggard looking shinigami up to Shuhei. Without thinking, Uryuu had edged closer to hear.

"Ishikawa Kaoru of the twelfth division, sir" He tried to salute as best he could. "I saw them take the lieutenant through that door."

He pointed to the elaborately carved solid stone door that opened into the mountain itself.

"Was she all right? What condition was she in?" Shuhei asked.

"Don't know, sir. One of them was carrying her over his shoulder. She wasn't moving. I think they did something to her." Ishikawa replied.

Uryuu was alarmed. They did something to her? They hurt her? He guessed she would have had to have been knocked out for one man to carry her off. He was worried and angry.

"Hisagi-san, " he said, "I would like to breach the door and attempt a rescue."

Shuhei looked around and saw their perimeter was secured. There were enough people to man the barricade and some in reserve. "

Alright." He said. "Make it fast. As soon as we can get a portal working we're gone. This mission is too close to failure as it is."

"Chad, Renji, this way." Uryuu called.

"Matsumoto, gather your people and provide back up." Shuhei said.

"I'll go too." Kira said. His left arm and his ribs were swathed in bandages.

"Are you sure?" Shuhei asked.

"I won't be much use on the line." Kira said. "I might be more useful as back up for this."

"Glad to have you Kira-san." Uryuu said.

"Just don't expect me to baby you." Matsumoto said.

"Let's do this!" Renji said.

Chad nodded with a grunt.

Chad stood before the stone door trying to get an idea of how heavy it was. He didn't take long. With a guttural shout, he punched a fist sized hole in the front. Using it as a hand hold, he yanked the door off its frame and tossed it aside. Matsumoto was the first to enter.

"Clear!" she shouted.

Kira followed and moved three meters farther in. "Clear!"

Renji went past them both and looked around the corner of the first intersection. "Clear!"

He turned to look back at his companions. "What's up with this? No ambush? No booby traps?"

Kira shrugged. "We must have caught them totally by surprise. "

"Looks like these tunnels go on for miles." Matsumoto said while peeking around the corner. "We're going to have to split up to search them all."

Renji grimaced. "I hate splitting up."

"I'll go outside and get the others." Kira said.

"That's the situation." Kira said. "To get this done as quickly as possible, we'll use shunpo while we search. We'll split up every time we hit an intersection until we run out of teammates. If you see anything, call it in to Lieutenant Matsumoto on your phone. If you don't find anything, keep searching in a clockwise direction. Does anyone have any questions? No? OK, follow me!"

He flickered as he used shunpo to enter the tunnels. The other members of the rescue team followed.

Uryuu prepared himself to follow using hirenkyaku. The words of the shinigami Ishikawa bothered him. Nemu wasn't moving when they carried her off? They did something to her? Maybe she would need medical attention when they found her? He looked around and spotted a fourth division member who wasn't occupied at the moment.

"You! Medic!" he shouted. "Follow me!"

He flickered and disappeared from sight.

Hanataro looked behind him. Did that guy mean him? He guessed so, since everyone else was busy. He would never be able to catch up to them, but he was willing to enter the tunnels if it would help. Checking his bag and zampakuto, he started to trot after the rescue team. Suddenly, the man in white reappeared before him.

"What are you doing?" He asked. "Why didn't you shunpo after me?"

"Oh, ah, I'm so sorry." Hanataro said. "I can't shunpo. I haven't learned how to do that yet."

Uryuu couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

"You can't….You haven't learned…What are you doing here if you can't…" he sputtered.

He looked around, but all the other medics were busy with casualties. He went down on one knee.

"Get on my back!" he ordered.

"Huh?" Hanataro said.

"DO IT!" Uryuu yelled.

"Uh, alright." Hanataro said as he climbed onto Uryuu's back.

Uryuu stood up. "Hang on!"

He said and he dashed into the tunnels as fast as hirenkyaku could safely be used. It wasn't until he was deep into the tunnel system that it occurred to him he should have had this guy switch out with a more skilled medic, but it was too late to do anything about that now.

The faint boom from the door being pulled off its hinges reached all the way down to the lowest level of the tunnel system.

"What was that?" Ixtlilton asked.

He was following Tezcatlipoca while carrying Nemu. Tezcatlipoca frowned. They shouldn't be here already. The imperial guard should have prevented them from ever reaching the door. Even if they did get there, it would take a lot of power to break in. He pulled his mirror from its pouch. He muttered an incantation over it and watched as it became cloudy, then colored dots formed on its surface. Lots of colored dots. They were in! He saw they were searching the top levels using that fast moving technique he'd seen the lieutenant use.

"We have to get out of here." He said to Ixtlilton. "They'll be here any second."

Even as he said it, he felt a powerful presence coming up behind them. They both turned in time to see someone flicker into sight at the end of the tunnel. It was a giant of a man dressed in strange clothes with one arm encased in some kind of armor. He spotted them and narrowed his eyes. Tezcatlipoca could feel the power radiating from him. He was going to have to think fast. Attacking him directly would probably be futile and dangerous. What could he pull from his bag of tricks? The man strode towards them purposefully, saying not a word, his intentions plain in the set of his jaw and in every step. The high priest reached into the pouch at his side and pulled out a round object. He threw it at the giant's feet. It exploded into a cloud of gritty grey/black smoke. He shouted to Ixtlilton.

"Run! If we can lock ourselves in the vault, we'll be safe!"

They moved as fast as they were able. Tezcatlipoca couldn't move that fast on his bad leg and waved for Ixtlilton to go ahead. He wished he had a transportation spell on him, but there was no helping it now.

Chad put his hands over his mouth and nose in a vain attempt to protect himself. The smoke burned and irritated everywhere it touched bare skin. His eyes watered and he coughed uncontrollably. He wanted to run away from the smoke, but continued to press through. He could not allow them to get away. Using sonido was out of the question. He had to feel his way along using the wall as a guide. Once he got past the cloud, he'd see what he could do. He realized too late he did not have a soul society cell phone. He would not be able to alert the rest of the team. If he couldn't rescue Lieutenant Kurotsuchi by himself, he hoped the others showed up in time. As the smoke started to thin, he took a chance by opening his eyes and broke into a run. He thought he saw the two men carrying the lieutenant into a large room. A huge door started to slide down from the ceiling.

Uryuu sped through the many passages working his way lower and lower. He stopped several times to check rooms or to ask shinigami what they'd found. So far, they had only found servants and young acolytes. They didn't want to fight and cowered face down on the ground. Uryuu was growing frustrated. Using hirenkyaku took up less energy than fighting, but he was running out fast. Where could they have taken her? The lower levels were cruder than those on top with much less light. He almost missed Chad as he ran down a corridor.

He ran back to the hall he passed where he thought he saw Chad. Coming to a stop, he could see Chad was straining to lift up a huge stone door that descended from the ceiling. Chad had caught it with only a half meter gap left. It gave off mechanical shrieks and groans as it fought against the young man's strength. Chad forced words through gritted teeth.

"Ishida. They're in here."

Uryuu was by his side in a flash. He took hold of the door and tried to help his friend lift it.

Chad shook his head. "Stay back. Get ready."

Uryuu did as he was told. He set himself to sprint inside at the first opportunity. Chad's muscles bunched as he prepared himself for monumental effort. With a loud cry, he heaved and strained until with a horrible screech, the door began to rise. Amazingly, Chad was able to lift the door first up to his chest, then above his head!

"Now!" he groaned as he held that impossible weight.

Before Uryuu could move, a blast of white light caught Chad square in the chest. He was thrown backwards. Uryuu had only a split second to act. The door was closing fast. What should he do? Stay and make sure Chad was alright or try to get inside that room and save Nemu?

With a short prayer asking for forgiveness, he used all his energy for hirenkyaku and heard the door slam shut behind him.

Entering the chamber he saw a young man with green and yellow face paint holding a large white crystal. That must be what hit Chad. He stopped to activate his bow…and found he could not. He had used up all his energy reserves to get here.

The look on his face must have encouraged his foe. With a smile, he fired a beam at Uryuu.

He didn't expect what happened next. Anticipating the attack, Uryuu side-stepped the beam and lashed out at the man's chin with a sharp uppercut! The priest went down like a sack of potatoes. Scanning the room, Uryuu saw only one other man standing. Nemu was on the ground behind him. Well, it his powers were not available, he'd deal with this gentleman in the same manner. Running across the room, he saw the priest hold up a round black object. Black smoke poured out and headed towards him. He tried to dodge, but he stuff followed him. No matter where he went, the smoke got closer and closer. At last, it enveloped him and his world turned into darkness and pain.

Nemu's head was pounding. Her eyes felt rusted shut and she had to struggle to open them. She seemed to be in some kind of warehouse with jars and baskets on shelves all around. Her ears rang, but soon she could hear things. Sound like combat. Sounds of screaming. She raised her head to see where it was coming from. With his back to her, the high priest Tezcatlipoca held up his strange mirror that issued smoke. She remembered well how that felt. How it surrounded you completely. How it stung every inch of you. Who was wrapped in its clutches? With a gasp, she recognized Uryuu! He needed her help! She struggled to get to her feet. Tezcatlipoca didn't seem to notice her moving. Once standing, she tried to figure out what to do. She was still very weak. The room spun and tilted as she tried to stay upright. If she tried to fight, she'd just fall down. What could she do? Suddenly, she had an idea. She grabbed a heavy clay jar off the shelf. Using both hands, she swung it against the back of Tezcatlipoca's head.

"Ayah!" he cried as he held his head with both hands. His spell broken, Uryuu fought to regain his bearings. Nemu grabbed the priest's cape to keep from falling. Concentrating intensely, she snatched his mirror out of his hand.

"Uryuu, catch!" she shouted as she tossed the mirror as best she could in his direction. The mirror took a wobbly spinning arc to Uryuu's left. He had to take several hopping steps to get under it, but he did manage to catch it. Tezcatlipoca pushed Nemu away and began to frantically rummage in the pouch at his waist.

Uryuu could feel power flowing from the obsidian mirror. Whatever that thing was, it was strong. More importantly, he could use it! He tucked the object into his uniform. Activating his bow, he fired at the high priest. To his dismay, the arrow bounced off. The priest had already activated his shield. It showed no signs of cracking as he fired over and over at it. With a look of triumph, Tezcatlipoca held up a blue stone and began to speak an incantation. Uryuu knew if he didn't so something creative, he was done for. With a mental kick at himself for not thinking of it earlier, he fired into the shelves next to the priest. Soon enough, they fell over on the man, trapping his arms and knocking the blue stone from his grasp. The fight was over.

Nemu held onto the wall to keep her balance. Slowly her strength was coming back. She couldn't believe her eyes. Uryuu was here. He came for her. She never imagined that would happen. Joy sang throughout her body as she looked upon her scuffed and bleeding rescuer in white.

"Ishida-san. …It's …good to see you."

Oh no! Did she really say that? Even to someone lacking social skills as much as her, that sounded lame.

"Nemu-san, you're alright." Uryuu replied.

They both stood there. Looking at each other.

Oh no! Uryuu thought.

Of all the scenarios he had run through his head on rescuing Nemu, he never thought of this one. This was the worst possible scenario. Awkwardness. Why had he only said 'you're alright.' How lame was that? He had to think of something else.

"Uh, you look…um…different." He almost winced. That was even worse!

Nemu's hand went to her face. He said she looked different. Did that mean he liked what he saw? She could only imagine how she must look to him in native dress and makeup. She took a good look at him and noticed something odd.

"You seem to have someone clinging to you." She said.

"Huh? Oh yes, I forgot." He tapped on the arms wrapped around his neck. "Hey, you can let go now."

Hanataro uncurled himself from the ball he had formed on Ishida's back. "

Is it safe?" he asked.

"Yes, the fighting's over. Please go examine Lieutenant Kurotsuchi now." He turned back to Nemu. "I thought you might need medical attention, so I picked him up on the way. I'm sorry, I didn't catch the name."

"Ah, I'm Yamada Hanataro, seventh seat of the fourth division. Please sit down lieutenant."

Hanataro kneeled down and took off his carrying case.

"Why were you carrying him on your back?" Nemu asked.

"Um, it's a long story." Uryuu replied. He was spared from explaining further by someone pounding on the door.

"Hey!" a muffled voice called. "Are you OK in there?"

"Renji?" Uryuu shouted through the door. "Is that you?"

"Yeah." Renji replied. "How're you doing in there?"

"We're OK. How's Chad?"

Uryuu heard his friends voice rumble. "I'm fine. Chest hurts."

That was a relief.

"Hey, can you open the door from in there?" Renji asked.

Uryuu looked, but he didn't see anything that looked like a handle or a switch.

"I don't know." He shouted through the door. "I can't see how they activated it."
"Stand back. We're going to try something." Renji replied.

Uryuu watched the door shake as a series of blows from the outside hit it. After a minute, they stopped.

"Do you see any damage from your side?" Renji said.

"No." Uryuu replied.

"Nothing on our end either. I don't think this is natural stone. We're going to need some help."

Uryuu was knocked off his feet as the very ground seemed to bounce.

"What did you guys do?" he said.

"It wasn't us." Renji replied.

The ground heaved and shook again.

"Ishida, what's going on in there?" Renji asked.

Uryuu crawled to the door.

"Everything's shaking, but we're alright." Uryuu replied.

"We have to get out of here." Renji said. "The ceiling is caving in. Try to find another way out. Call us or use your flare if you succeed."

Uryuu's blood ran cold. They were leaving. He understood they had no choice. It was still a frightening thought. He could already hear the stones dropping outside.

"OK Renji, we'll do that. Get out of here!"

"Good luck man!" Renji said.

Uryuu could only assume he and Chad left after that. Putting his ear to the door, he could hear the hallway fill up with rubble as the room continued to bounce and shake. After a while there was no more sound as the hallway was completely filled. After five minutes or so, the shaking stopped as well. He got up and looked at Nemu. She and Hanataro were looking at him with wide eyes. They were buried alive.