Wow, it's nice not to have to apologize right off the bat.

Yes, very quick update on my end. This is one of the few chapters that just came to me rather easily. My lovely beta-readers also got back to me very fast, so much thanks to both of them for the quick edit.

Mucho grande thanks for all the reviews, even if most of them were yelling at me for the cliffhanger. Granted, I deserved it. But see, I updated nice and fast so you guys weren't left hanging long. Aren't I nice? ...Don't answer that.

Anywhoo, thanks again everyone, and here's the next chapter.

Chapter 27

It all comes tumbling down

It was barely dawn when both Rukia and Orihime woke in their beds at the same time, startled out of their sleep. In the murky morning light, they laid in their beds, pushing away the cobwebs of sleep while trying to understand why they were awake. Sleepiness was quickly replaced with an unexplained dread that built with each passing second. It festered in the pits of their stomachs and reverberated throughout their bodies. They didn't know what it was, but regardless, they both jumped out of their beds, knowing that they had to get up.

Knowing that something was wrong.

Orihime ran down the hall to her living room, her breathing accelerated by this intuitive panic. Her eyes darted to her sleeping housemates, roving over each one individually until she knew they were well.

Everything seems okay here, she thought. But if the emergency wasn't here, then where was it?

Rukia ran lightly towards Ichigo's room as to not wake the rest of the household. She pushed open his doorway, expecting to see him in his bed. However, she was in for a nasty surprise.

"Ichigo?" she whispered, his bed empty and still made. He didn't even sleep in it last night. She stepped into his room and began to look around, searching for some clue as to his whereabouts. While almost tearing apart his room, her eyes fell on a folded up piece of paper on his desk.

She opened the letter, and her fingers began to tremble.

Orihime's next instinct was Ichigo. Her eyes widening, she immediately began searching for his reiatsu. Long seconds passed, and the seed of dread in her stomach curled and grew into the root of panic.

She couldn't sense him at all.

Rukia lowered the letter in her hands when she was finished reading it. The message had winded her, so she felt like she couldn't even breathe. Her eyes stared blankly at the wall in front of her as she processed what she had just read.

In unison, both girls realized, He's gone.

It didn't matter that it was an ungodly hour of the morning. Everyone close to Ichigo – his friends, the shinigami, those in the Shouten, and the Vizards – were called and woken up in rapid succession.

It wasn't even six in the morning when many of those called met in an empty parking lot near Ichigo's house. Rukia was there, waiting and shivering in her jacket and pajamas as Renji arrived, with Ishida, Sado, Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro right on his heels.

"Have you seen him?" she demanded immediately, her arms crossed to keep out the chill.

"No. What the hell happened?" Renji asked, his long hair hanging loose instead of being in its usual ponytail. The others looked just as unkempt; although most of them were in regular street clothes, none of them had taken the time to look presentable otherwise before rushing here.

"I just woke up suddenly. He didn't come home last night, so I checked on him and he was gone. There was just a letter." She looked past Renji, as if expecting to see something. "Isn't Urahara with you?"

"We tried calling Shinji, but no one at the warehouse answered." Renji's gaze was temporarily cast in the direction of the warehouse district. "To be honest, Urahara looked pretty put off when I told him about Ichigo. Something else is up. He even flat out told me to go help with the search while he went to the warehouse."

Ishida raised an eyebrow. "You mean as if he didn't want you to come with him?"

"That's exactly what I mean." Renji blew out a breath. "That damn shopkeeper is hiding something again."

Sado looked over his shoulder, and nodded to something behind him. "Inoue and the shinigami."

Everyone looked over, and they watched in silence as Orihime and the shinigami stationed in town ran up to them. Orihime was trembling, but it wasn't just from the cold. "Rukia-chan, everyone…"

"How did you know he was gone?" Rukia asked. She had been surprised when Orihime had called her communicator, but her surprise had doubled when the first thing Orihime had asked was where Ichigo was.

Orihime rubbed her arms in an attempt to get warm and to calm herself. "It's strange. I woke up, like I was having a bad dream. At first that's what I thought it was, but then… I don't know. Something was telling me that something was wrong. When I saw Rangiku-san and the others were okay, I then thought of Ichigo-kun." Her stomach nearly revolted as she thought back to earlier, when the realization dawned on her that Ichigo was missing. "I couldn't sense his reiatsu, and I panicked. That's when I called you."

Hitsugaya crossed his arms, his expression thoughtful. "Something must have happened that woke both of you up," he said. "It might have been when his reiatsu disappeared."

"Where could he have gone?" Momo asked.

"Why is he gone?" Tatsuki added, running a hand through her twice as unruly hair. "I mean, at least the last time this happened there was some kind of explanation, even if it was a stupid one. But he was fine yesterday."

"I don't know," Rukia said, her fists clenching at her sides. "Damn it. I've been harboring this gut feeling that something was going to happen, but I ignored it. Now-"

Renji immediately cut her off as he puts his hands on her shoulders. "Hey. Don't even try taking the blame for this. There's no way you could have known."

"Abarai is right," Ishida said. "There were no warning signs this time. Something must have happened to him between the time he left Inoue-san's house and this morning."

Shuffling his feet, Keigo looked at the shinigami, and then at his friends when no one said anything. He piped up, "Maybe he got into a fight."

"We would have known," Rangiku said, dismissing his suggestion. "Is it possible he was taken?"

Most of them looked incredulous at the suggestion, and Ishida voiced their thoughts, "I have a hard time imagining someone taking Kurosaki by force. Like you said, there would have been a fight and we would have sensed it."

Orihime clutched her hands tightly together, her gaze cast towards the ground. "Maybe he wasn't taken by force," she said. "But there are other ways of making someone go."

Rukia sighed softly. "Right. Sorry, Orihime." She went to put her hand on her friend's shoulder.

However, just as she did so, a voice called out, "How convenient. We don't have to round all of you up."

A chill shot down everyone's spines, and it had nothing to do with the biting wind. Hitsugaya immediately stepped out in front of the group, his eyes narrowed as a man wearing a uniform he had never seen approached them, followed by a few others who wore captain haori over their shoulders.

His eyes met the leader's, and he suddenly recognized him. "You – You're the one from the diner!"

Ryou smiled, though his eyes glinted with something far darker. "We meet again, Hitsugaya-taichou."

As things were about to go south in the human world, the proverbial light bulb was about to go off in Hueco Mundo.

Neliel was spread out over a large rock that jutted out over the side of a deep sand dune. Her knees were bent, leaving her legs and feet dangling in the air as she stretched out on her stomach. She relaxed, resting her head in her arms. Her eyes closing, she looked like she was ready to take a nap.

Even if she was, she wasn't going to be able to. A loud voice rang from behind her, "For fuck's sake, there you are!"

Suppressing an amused smile, Nel lifted up her head and glanced over her shoulder. "What is the matter, Grimmjow?"

He scowled at her splayed form as he trudged up the sand. "You know damn well what. What the hell possessed you to leave me alone with the others while they had that – that group thing?"

"It's called a meeting," Nel supplied for him, "and I wanted you to try and learn to get along with them. You are a part of this community as much as I am. They look up to you, even if you do tend to throw them across the sand pits when you're mad." Sometimes Nel wondered if Grimmjow even realized how good of a leader he could be, if he could just stay his temper. He had a way of getting people to follow him, even if his means were rather violent. He was also powerful. The others respected that.

"I'm not gonna stand there and tell these pussies what and what not to do. And I'm not here to make friends. I'm here because I have to be, and someone has to make sure some asshole doesn't come in and fuck things up."

"No one's making you stay," Nel said. "But from what you just said, you're here because you want to be. You're choosing to stay and protect us, and that's something." She half-smiled when he growled at her. One of these days, she mused, he was going to have to smarten up. "Besides, you used to have companions. Your Fraccion. Don't you miss having that?"

Grimmjow looked away, scowling at a random object in the distance. He shoved his hands into his pockets. Nel could tell he was getting defensive from his stance; she had hit a nerve. "What were you doing up here anyway?" he said, changing the subject.

She decided to go along with him, for now. She'd push the subject another day. "I was just thinking and getting my thoughts together."

He looked back at her, his eyes narrowing. "Damn it, Nel. Were you obsessing over Kurosaki's fucking Hollow form again?"

If she didn't have a better presence of mind, she'd have smiled. He was getting to know her. "Yes. It's bothering me that I can't understand this. I promised we'd help with figuring it out."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "You and your freaking bleeding heart. Do you even have a Hollow hole?"

Nel was about to answer that she did, a bit indignant at his accusation. However, his words, coupled with the mental image she had of Ichigo's Hollow form, stopped her.

She suddenly got up on her knees, her eyes narrowed in thought. "Hollow hole…"

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. "I was joking, you broad."

"Not me," Nel said, beckoning Grimmjow to be quiet. "Ichigo. His Hollow form. It had a Hollow hole."

Grimmjow waited, expecting her to continue. When she remained silent, obviously lost in thought, he growled and said, "And?"

She was onto something. Nel could feel it as she leaned back on her knees. "Grimmjow, what does a Hollow hole signify?"

"That you're a Hollow, dumbass."

She shot him an annoyed look. "Yes, but what does being a Hollow mean?"

"I hope you're gonna get to your point quick," Grimmjow muttered. Playing along for the moment, he shrugged and said, "It means you lost your heart and Hollowified."

"Exactly." Nel drummed her fingers on her thigh. "Think about it: if his Hollow form had that hole, it means that it didn't have a heart. It was truly a Hollow form."

"Yeah. That's what they've been saying, ain't it?"

Her drumming tempo increased as her excitement spiked. She was realizing something, and it was important. "Yes. A full Hollow form. Yet, it wasn't just his Hollow. Ichigo is a part of that form, too, right?"

She could see Grimmjow's patience running thin, so she continued, "Ichigo has a heart, Grimmjow. But he had a Hollow hole in that form."

It took him a few seconds, but she saw the light of understanding in his eyes when they widened. "What the…" He blinked, his brain scrambling to process this bit of information. "Where the fuck did his heart go, then?"

"That's the question, and I think that's the piece we've been missing." Grabbing her sword, Nel leapt off the rock and began running back towards the village. "This is something they need to hear."

"Yo, Nel!" Grimmjow shouted, running after her. "Where the fuck are you going?"

"The human world! This is going to help them!" she called back, her voice excited as she skidded down the sand bank.

Down in the makeshift village, Dondochakka and Pesshe were walking towards the entrance, intent on finding Nel. To their surprise, they didn't have to look far. They saw her running towards them, with Grimmjow following behind. It didn't look like he was chasing her (it wouldn't have been the first time), so they stood back and watched as she approached them.

"We're going to the human world!" Nel said to them when she was in earshot. "I figured something out about Ichigo's Hollow form."

Dondochakka cheered as Pesshe jumped up and down excitedly. "That's great! You're a genius, Nel-sama!"

"I'll open the Garganta!" Dondochakka volunteered before rushing off to open one.

Nel skid to a halt next to Pesshe. As she caught her breath, one of the Arrancar came up to her, likely having heard the commotion. "Is everything all right?"

She nodded. "Ah, Pascal. Yes, everything's fine." She heard Grimmjow yelling in the distance, and she knew she had to hurry. "Would you keep an eye on things while I'm gone? It shouldn't be too long."

He nodded, and she beamed. "Thanks. And don't mind Grimmjow. He's just being cranky."

As she took off with Pesshe, following Dondochakka, Pascal muttered, "When isn't he cranky?" He sighed, and then turned towards Grimmjow, who was fast approaching. Knowing the former Espada all too well, he immediately pointed in the direction Nel left. "She went that way."

Grimmjow ran past, but shouted over his shoulder before he was out of range, "Your ass is fried if something happens while we're gone!"

Pascal shook his head. "Ha, he's starting to care. Maybe Nel-san was right."

By the time Grimmjow caught up to Nel and her old Fraccion, they were already getting into a Garganta. He hopped in after them, just before the rip could close.

Nel was making her way through the inter-dimensional rift, her footsteps light and sure as she kept a steady pathway with her reiatsu. "Ah, you know," she said, talking to no one (or all of them), "it's kind of embarrassing we didn't think of this sooner."

"It is kind of weird," Pesshe admitted, his pace slowing to a jog. Nel had filled them in on her revelation along the way. "Shouldn't it have been obvious?"

"Well those idiots didn't think of it either," Grimmjow pointed out, strolling down the reiatsu path Nel was making.

Nel was tempted to pick on Grimmjow, since he sounded like he was trying to cheer her up, but she refrained. There was no need to ruin the moment. "I guess everyone was just so caught up with the big details, they didn't notice the little ones. I can't wait to hear what they have to say. If they've learned more, then maybe we'll figure it all out really soon."

"That'd be great," Dondochakka said, hopping cheerfully down the path. "And we'd get to say we'd helped, dontcha know?"

"I just want to help Ichigo," Nel said, unconcerned with taking credit. "It's been bothering him. I could tell even – oh! I see the exit." She hurried forward, the others running to catch up. "We should be exiting at the warehouse," she added as she made it to the end.

Neither Neliel, nor the men with her, had any idea what they were about to walk in on.

The rip opened, and Nel was naturally the first to jump out. She landed with a smile, eager to find the Vizards. She heard Grimmjow and her Fraccion land behind her, but she paid no mind as she walked further into the training grounds. "It's quiet," she murmured.

She looked to her left, and realized they had landed behind the stairwell. She hurriedly stepped around the stairs, poking her head out to see. Voices drifted towards her, and she assumed they were the Vizards'. "They're here."

Nel ran towards the source of the voices, announcing her presence, "Hello. Sorry to-"

When they came into sight, she stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide.

Urahara, Yoruichi, and Tessai were with the Vizards, but they weren't the only ones on the grounds. Several people with captain haori over their shoulders had their swords drawn and had surrounded the group. One man was wearing a white uniform Nel didn't recognize, though he too wore a captain haori on his shoulder.

Grimmjow came up from behind her, and he froze, too. His eyes widened in recognition at the man with the captain's haori. "They're the ones I saw," he said, flashing back to when he was spying on Ichimaru and Tousen. From the back, he recognized the cloaks he had seen in Las Noches were in fact the haori the intruders wore.

The intruders turned, surprised by the sudden appearance of the Arrancar. The uniformed one narrowed his eyes. "Who are-"

It was all Urahara and the Vizards needed to strike.

In seconds, swords were clanging and a fight broke out as they pressed the opportunity. It took Nel a moment to register what was going on before she drew her sword and ran into the fray.

She charged forward and kicked one of the intruders, knocking them to the ground. She rolled away and got to her feet, sword at her side.

Dondochakka and Pesshe had stood rooted in their spots when they saw what was happening. However, when the fighter Nel had attacked drew his sword on her, they went into action and joined her battle.

Pesshe spit out some of his Infinite Slick, causing the intruder to drop his sword. The moment his weapon dropped, Nel immediately used Sonido and cut the attacker's side, sending him to his knees.

Meanwhile, Dondochakka summoned Bawabawa and spit him out. The Hollow insect charged into the fray, knocking some of the intruders off their feet. Of course, it also knocked a few of their allies on their rear-ends, too.

"What the hell was that?" Hiyori snapped as she untangled her limbs.

"Really good timing," Shinji said before he whipped out Sakanade and clashed his blade against one of the Royal Guard's.

Grimmjow cursed as he drew his sword and ran into the mass of fighting, knocking a Royal Guard member away from an unsuspecting Pesshe.

As everyone else scrambled to their feet, the distinct sound of metal clanging against metal filled the room as the fights continued and intensified. The Royal Guard had power and skill on their side. The only thing Shinji and the others had to their advantage were numbers.

"Grimmjow!" Nel shouted to him as she struggled to hold off her opponent. "Shoot me a Cero!"

"What the hell for?" he yelled over his shoulder, Pantera grinding against the Guardsmen's blade.

She spun on her heel and aimed a kick at her adversary's side, knocking him to the ground. "Please just do it!"

Grimmjow shoved his opponent back before charging up a Cero and shooting it over towards Nel.

Nel lifted up her hand, holding the Cero in place. She opened her mouth and inhaled the Cero, tilting her head back.

Her opponent got to his feet and drew his sword back. "Flash-" he began, ready to bring out his shikai.

She finished inhaling, and then she fired her Cero Doble, combining her Cero with the one she swallowed. It shot out, temporarily brightening the room before it slammed into her enemy, leaving a large explosion in its wake.

To her dismay, her opponent walked away from the explosion. He was scratched and bruised, but otherwise he seemed unscathed. "Nice trick, Arrancar."

Sensing Nel's struggle, Dondochakka left Grimmjow to handle his opponent while he ran to Nel, pulling out his kanbo. Together, the two Arrancar exchanged blows with their opponent, though he continued to match them, two to one.

The others were having as much difficulty as Neliel. It was obvious how hard everyone was fighting just to hold the Royal Guard back. Realizing it was a losing battle, Urahara leapt back from his opponent and said to Tessai, "We need to get out of here."

He nodded. "I can transport us someplace safe. I need to gather everyone in one spot, though."

Yoruichi overheard them and immediately moved towards the rest of the fighting, beckoning to her allies and hollering, "Everyone, gather around!"

Nel looked over at Grimmjow, and they both nodded. While none of them knew what Yoruichi was up to, they had no choice but to trust her. They dodged around their opponents, heading towards the quickly forming group in the center of the room. Dondochakka and Pesshe took off after them, the latter coating the spot behind them in Infinite Slick, causing the Guard members chasing them to slip and fall.

Hachi glanced over at Tessai, his brow furrowing as he saw what he was doing. He immediately motioned with his hands, and put up his barrier around all of them once everyone was together in a circle. "This should hold them off."

"Not for long," Shinji murmured as the Guardsmen and women fired kidou at the barrier. Already it began to crack under the pressure. "Hurry, Tessai."

Just as the barrier began to crumble, Tessai finished the first incantation and used the kidou technique Jikanteishi. The space around them froze, stopping time. Immediately he began chanting the incantation for the next spell, Kukanteni.

"Forbidden kidou," Riza said. "Our new buddies in the Seireitei aren't going to be thrilled."

"Considering the situation," Urahara said, "they're going to understand. We're in a serious emergency."

Tessai finished the last spell, and said, "Kukantei!" The space around him and his allies lit up, dwarfing them in light.

By the time the first spell wore off and the Royal Guard were able to move again, their targets were long gone.

Tessai's kidou placed them in Urahara's basement. The moment they landed, Urahara heaved a huge sigh. "That was close." He turned to the Arrancar, nodding to them. "You four have impeccable timing. If you hadn't arrived, I'm not sure we would have gotten out of there."

"Who were those people?" Kensei asked, sheathing his zanpakutou – for now.

Shinji narrowed his eyes at Urahara. "You came with bad news, and then those whack jobs show up just after you did. This ain't a coincidence."

Urahara took off his hat, dusting it off. "No, it's not. Those were Royal Guard. They came to capture us, I imagine, if not worse."

"What?" Hiyori screeched, her eyes as wide as everyone else's. "What the hell were they doing here? Aren't they supposed to be protecting that Reiou guy?"

"Yes, that's their duty." Urahara put his hat back on, his eyes covered in the shadows once again. "But they seem to have developed another agenda. I came to you this morning because Kurosaki-san has gone missing."

"And those Royal Guard took him," Nel said, quickly putting two and two together.

"Most likely." Urahara's head was bowed, his stance tense. "We're all in serious danger. Most likely, they have another group heading for the others."

"Why the hell didn't you say so sooner?" Shinji snapped, turning for the exit. "We gotta get them!"

Urahara grabbed his elbow, stopping him from moving. "Hirako-san, I understand your feelings, but we weren't even able to free ourselves without a distraction and forbidden kidou. How exactly do you plan on helping the others?"

Before Shinji could fire off a retaliatory remark, Neliel ran past them, heading for the exit.

"Nel!" Grimmjow yelled.

She stopped, and she turned towards the group. Her voice was low but firm as she said, "I don't care for your logic, Urahara-san. I will not stand by and let others I hold dear be put in harm's way. I have to go and help them, even if my chances are minimal." Not allowing him the chance to rebut, she next turned to Grimmjow and said, "Get everyone else to Hueco Mundo. If it's not safe here, then they can go there for the time being. I'm going to help the others and bring them to Hueco Mundo, if I can." She then gave her old Fraccion a smile. "Dondochakka, Pesshe… you two help Grimmjow, okay?"

"But, Nel-sama," they both protested.

She shook her head. "Please. I'll be fine."

Shinji wrenched his arm free from Urahara's grip. "I'm going to help her. We got advantage in numbers, so let's press it."

The other Vizards moved towards Neliel, indicating they were going as well. "We'll be in Hueco Mundo soon," Rose said, nodding to Urahara. "You go and get things set up there."

Not bothering to wait for Urahara's approval or commentary, Shinji said beckoned to his friends before they headed towards the hatch.

Hitsugaya stared uneasily at Ryou and his followers as they slowly approached. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Ryou stopped, considering Hitsugaya's question. "I am Surayuki Ryou. I am a captain and an assistant to Commander Kurou of the Royal Guard."

"What?" Rangiku breathed as Momo gasped.

"The Zero Squad?" Renji said in disbelief.

Although she seemed just as shocked as the other shinigami, Rukia didn't voice her emotions. Instead, she said, "Why are you here?"

"Reiou's orders," Ryou said, gesturing vaguely to the shinigami. "All of you are to return to Soul Society. The captains are to assemble and turn over their weapons, and the vice-captains-"

Hitsugaya reached for his pill dispenser. "That's ridiculous!" he snapped, his reiatsu flaring along with his temper. "The Reiou has no jurisdiction over the main dimension of Soul Society. He hasn't in over two millennia."

Ryou's sword was out and pointed at Hitsugaya's neck before the young captain even realized what happened. "He does now." He gestured to the other Guardsmen and women with him. "Take the shinigami into custody." He then pointed to one in particular. "Open a senkaimon to Soul Society. We'll be leaving as soon as the shinigami are in custody."

Many of the shinigami reached for their pill dispensers. The next thing anyone knew, several kidou spells had been cast, and the shinigami were bound and restrained.

"Rukia-chan!" Orihime tried to run over to her, but one of the Guard stepped in between, blocking not only her but the other humans from helping their friends.

"Don't move!" Hitsugaya shouted at the humans. "We'll handle this."

Ryou stepped up to him and grabbed the back of his shihakushou. Hitsugaya spluttered in indignation as he was lifted up. "What are you-"

"Put him down!" Momo yelled, trying to wriggle out of her kidou restraints. Another Guard grabbed her and yanked her back, making her head snap back. "Ah!"

"Hinamori!" Hitsugaya wrenched and tugged, trying to break free from Ryou's grip.

"That's enough!" Ryou snapped, pulling Hitsugaya forward towards the opening senkaimon gate. "Another protest and throats are getting slit!"

Orihime covered her mouth to stifle her gasp as the shinigami were pulled and pushed towards the gate. "No…"

Ryou turned towards the humans as he ushered the captain he had in his grip into the gate. "Arrest the humans," he said, his gaze still fixated on them. "Keep them contained until I return."

Rukia jerked in her restraints, trying to spin around when she heard the orders. "No! Leave them out of this!"

"They were involved in the training of Kurosaki Ichigo's Hollow form." Ryou pointed towards Orihime. "Keep an extra eye on her." He smiled, his countenance darkening. "She's Kurosaki's girl. He'll be feeling a bit more cooperative if he knows we have her in our care."

"Don't you dare!" Rukia screamed as she was pushed into the senkaimon, following the rest of the shinigami. Renji was just ahead of her, trying to get free as well. "Leave her alone! Orihime!"

Orihime bit her lip, refusing to scream or say anything, lest she trigger the Guard members' wrath. Rukia disappeared into the senkaimon, and Orihime let a pained groan escape. "Rukia-chan…"

Ryou motioned to the remaining five Guard members. "Arrest them. I'll be back soon to deal with them." He then disappeared into the gate, letting it shut behind him.

Tatsuki stepped in front of Orihime, pushing her back with her arm. "You aren't getting near her!" she said to the rest of the Guard.

"What an obnoxious human," a Guardswoman said. "Do we necessarily need her?"

"Captain Ryou said the more the better," another one said. "Though the only one we really need is her," she said, nodding to Orihime. "I think he'll overlook one dead human."

Tatsuki clenched her teeth, refusing to budge. "Make one move towards me and I'll flatten you. I don't care if you're some king's guard." She stared down the Royal Guard members, her fists clenched and ready to strike. "No one lays a finger on my best friend."

"We'll see if you're still talking tough once you have a sword in your gut," the first Guardswoman said before drawing her zanpakutou and charging at the humans.

Ishida and Sado summoned their weapons while Keigo screamed and Mizuiro tried to grab Tatsuki and pull her back. As the Guard member got close, Orihime threw up her shield, rejecting the attack just inches from Tatsuki's face.

As the Guard member stumbled, the others drew their weapons. One of them glowered at the humans. "Tch! You little-"

They were so busy being irritated with the humans that they didn't see the eight Vizards and the Arrancar come at them from their right.

Swords were swung and blood was spilt as Nel and the Vizards leapt into the fray. Two Royal Guard members were struck down before the rest even had a chance to retaliate properly. Although they were on par or stronger than their opponents, there were only three of them against nine.

Nel relentlessly swung at the one who tried to attack Tatsuki, pushing her back from the humans. She drove her towards Hiyori and Shinji, who then overpowered her easily with their masks on. It was a ruthless assault on her, and with no help, the Guardswoman fell within minutes.

The others had similar luck, pressing their advantage in numbers and essentially ganging up on the Guard members. It wasn't the most honorable way of fighting, but this wasn't a battle for honor. It was purely for survival and escape.

Once all the Royal Guard fell, Nel turned to the humans and sighed in relief when she found none of them were harmed.

Ishida nodded to them, putting away his weapon. "I see you're all fine."

"Barely," Shinji said, breaking off his mask. "We woulda been screwed if our friendly neighborhood Arrancar hadn't shown up when they did." He glanced over at Nel. "Why exactly did you come, anyway?"

She shook her head. "It's of little consequence right now."

"We need to get the hell out of here," Hiyori said, glancing at the unconscious Royal Guard. "All it'll take is for one of these guys to wake up and raise the alarm."

Shinji nodded, but his attention was diverted towards Orihime. She was unusually quiet, her shoulders hunched. "Orihime-chan… are you okay?"

Tatsuki stepped back and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I know. They've got Ichigo."

Orihime remained mute, her eyes fixed on the ground in front of her, even when Tatsuki gave her shoulder a shake. When the silence stretched out, Tatsuki lifted her eyes and looked at Shinji. Her expression told him everything: no, everything is far from okay.

But there was no time to deal with it at the moment. "Let's get to Hueco Mundo," he said, turning away. "That's our best refuge for now. I don't think Soul Society-"

"Soul Society is out of the question," Ishida said, crossing his arms. "From what I understood, the Zero Squad is intent on taking over Soul Society, including the Gotei 13."

Riza's head snapped up in surprise, but she wasn't the only one who looked shocked. "Seriously?" she said.

"I'm afraid so. They dragged the shinigami away just before you showed up."

"So, they've got Ichigo, likely in the Royal Realm, and they've got the Gotei 13 under their thumb, or they will shortly." Shinji rubbed a hand over his face. "It's not even 7 in the morning, but already this is turning out to be a shitty day."

Nel walked over to an open space and began to open a Garganta. "Talk later. We need to leave before more show up."

Keigo glanced uneasily at the portal she was opening. "Uh… are we coming along?"

Sado nodded. "They mentioned something about us being 'involved' with Ichigo's Hollow training," he said, his brow creasing. "You guys were there, too."

"We're all going. Urahara and the Shouten gang are already there." Shinji began walking towards the Garganta, followed by the other Vizards. He jerked his head at the gate, motioning for the humans to follow. "We'll carry you three," he said, referring to Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro, "since you can't control your reiatsu."

He stopped when he was next to Orihime, who was still staring at the ground, mute and unresponsive. Shinji tried to think of something – anything - to say, but nothing he could think of was comforting or even remotely helpful. Ichigo was gone, and the chances of her seeing him again were slim. What could he say to that?

It had been a long time since he had felt so helpless, and he hated it. Biting back on his anger for now, he just let himself feel said for the girl in front of him. He sighed heavily and said to her, "Let's go, Orihime-chan."

A/N: In case anyone was wondering, the spells Tessai used earlier are from the Turn Back the Pendulum Arc (or the flashback arc when the Vizards... well, turned into Vizards). He used them to get Urahara and the Vizards back to the 12th division after Aizen left.

See you next time, kiddies.