Countdown till final: 1

The father stood there, a cruel grin on his lips, as Shiro snarled at him.
He couldn't understand it the least.
That man up there was definitely the man who raised him, but Kuchiki, their all ancestor also called him father.
Basically, that meant him and Byakuya were on the same level?

Another person appeared at the railing, a young looking woman.
"Hello dad! Hi uncle! Ha, hah, that's like a family meeting!"
'She's strange.'
Thought Shiro and turned his eyes toward Kuchiki.
"Who is she?"
"Benerice. My fifth daughter, and the third I have with my granddaughter. To think that he chose her of all..."
Rukia pulled a face upon hearing of the section of that Vampires family tree and mentioned saw it out of the corners of his eyes.
"How else do you think we managed to uphold a clan of pure blood? The only way are incestuous relations. Other than you human, we won't have malformed offspring through this. Though I can't guaranty that for the psychic health."
Byakuya told and Shiro added.
"I agree on that one."

"So what do we do now?"
The woman in the trio asked the other parties as quietly as she could.
"The two of us will have to fight them. You should search for Ichigo and try to help him, depending on his state."
"Alright, once they are busy with you I get up there."
She split off of them and Benerice was already after her, when her father stepped in between.
"You're staying here."
"Out of my way! You're just another failure that grandpa will erase."
Byakuya slapped her and barked.
"Don't you speak toward me like that! I am your father!"

Shiro forced himself to turn his attention to the man who descended from the ship now.
"Jehan, I won't let you do this. I don't care if you're my father or the father of humanity or whatever. As long as I breathe you won't get away with your plans."
His father sighed.
"Why am I coursed with those beautiful daughters and insolent sons? I should have known from the moment that I heard of you sharing a bed not only with another man, but with your brothers reincarnation. You either, won't understand my reasoning, will you?"
"What reasons could you have? You're just out of your wits!"
Shiro yelled, and Jehan shrugged.
"It's because he dared to point a weapon at me and kill my beautiful Louann, your mother, in front of my eyes. Moswen fell in my back and out me to sleep, somewhere in a cave in your old home. And now after my long sleep, I am faced with that cross-breed controlling the freedom of my children. I've had enough of it! You kids have to be punished!"
Suddenly he jumped forward to attack Shiro, who dodged and blocked a follow up kick just barely.
"Gwyn, how do you call yourself in this countries language?"
"It is Shiro, old man."
He answered between a growl and aimed with his talons for the older one.
"Then, following that lead, you should call me by my real name. Juha."

Something black with a silver sparkle moved next to them in the next moment.
Juha jumped back, covering his neck.
"Enough of the pleasantries. We have to beat him once and for all."
"Byakuya! What happened to your daughter?"
"I put her to sleep. When we're finished here, I will put her straight."
He answered without changing his expression one bit.
"How do you intend to end this? When you seal me away again, someone will break it sooner or later and we start all over and I am truly immortal."
Byakuya pointed the sword he wore at Juha and spoke.
"You've lived so long that it escaped your mind already? It doesn't matter if you survive being shot, stabbed or bled out. When your head is severed even you won't rise again."

...

It was dark and hot.
He was burning and couldn't open his eyes.
Where was he?

"...I can't let you do this!..."
That voice...

"Shiro..."
Ichigo slowly came to his senses, but only for a short time.
Intense pain shot through him and his vision that just focused got blurry again.
"Aargh!"

Thirsty.
He was so thirsty.
His whole body ached for the life spending fluid.
He wasn't allowed to give in, he had to fight or that man would win.
Ichigo could feel himself loosing the grip on his senses.

"...-go!
The orangettes muscles flexed, the chains groaned under the strain and began to break.
"Ichigo!"
Rukia.
His Rukia, his...
The chains broke and he was free and in the same moment the chains on his reason shattered as well.

Prey!

He waltzed through the door, beginning his hunt.

Soon enough everywhere on the planet S.I.N.'s reacted to his unleashing and the struggle to keep them at bay began.
With Ulquiorra as the head, everything went as the plan was intended to go, though.

All the while, Ichigo searched on the ship for some prey, until eventually he found the raven that was looking for him.
When she saw him, she first was relieved, but then noticed in terror what happened.
Rukia began to run, with Ichigo on her heals.
Even if the ship was large, in the end she ran into a corner, which was the fore of the freighter.
She looked around, but couldn't find and escape route, with Ichigo coming straight toward her.
No matter where she would run, he would adjust and catch her.
Rukia knew that talking to him would be useless by now, but she still tried.
"Ichigo, snap out of it! You're helping the enemy!"

The ones below heard her and while one smiled winningly, the other two were set on alert.
"It started."
Juha stated and attacked Byakuya after he send Shiro flying.

On the deck Ichigo slowly was closing in on Rukia.
The scared woman had pulled her gun and pointed it a Ichigo.
"Don't come closer!"
Of course the orangette didn't listen, and she shot to his feet in hopes that it would scare him off.
It had the opposite effect.
Ichigo sped forward, surprised Rukia shot one more time, while at the same time, turning head head to the left side and pulling up the left arm and sling it around her throat, covering all of it that way.
The bullet she shot, grazed Ichigos cheek, and a second later he dug his fangs deep into Rukias arm.
She flinched and teared up because of the intense pain the canines caused.
Swallowing a sob, she tired to talk to Ichigo once more.
"You have to wake up now. Shiro is down there. He needs your help."
Rukia felt him begin to suck the blood from her and how she got weaker by the minute.
If she didn't reach him soon, everything would be lost.

"It hurts! Didn't you promise to protect me? Wake up already! Dad!"

Chapter 27
End

Names:
(Translated by the meaning of the original names)

Louann → moon (Breton)

Moswen → White, Light skin (Egypt)

Gwyn → White (Welsh)

Jehan → God/Yahweh is gracious (Belgian)