I know, I know this is late. This is later than I wanted. For some reason my muse goes kaputt during breaks. I don't know why, I'll get back to you when I figure that out.

Thanks so much again for all the reviews. I'll get around to replying to them after this goes up. Special thanks to my beta-readers le etoile and CrystalDawn for looking over this chapter for me.

Hang in there guys, we've got only six chapters left after this one. The light at the end of the tunnel is in sight.

Chapter 30

A two-pronged plan to counter

The first rays of sunrise were peeking over the horizon when Ikkaku stepped outside his room in the eleventh division. With some rather uncharacteristic stealth, he snuck down the halls of his division, zanpakutou in hand. He had to be quiet, for now. The Royal Guard couldn't be alerted, not yet.

As he made his way to the designated meeting spot, he kept his eyes peeled for the positions of the Guard's mooks, who were stationed at various points throughout the division. They were numerous, but as Yachiru repeated to them last night (or more like very early this morning), they were weak.

Ikkaku avoided detection as he silently slid open the door to the meeting room. He glanced over his shoulder one last time before stepping in.

Yachiru, Yumichika, and the other officers and many of the members of his squad were already assembled when he got inside.

"Everyone here?" Ikkaku said, keeping his voice low.

Yumichika nodded. "Many of the other members are scattered throughout the division. They'll handle any other foot soldiers that may come to try and help."

Yachiru leapt up onto Ikkaku and climbed onto his shoulder. With Kenpachi gone and locked up, Ikkaku was going to have to do as her standing post. "Everyone, remember what we went over! Once you guys strike at dawn, I'll be heading out with the other vice-captains to get Ken-chan back! So listen to Baldy while I'm gone!"

Ikkaku's eye twitched at his nickname, but otherwise he said nothing as Yachiru hopped off to grab her sword.

He lifted his head and looked to his right, where he could see the sun beginning to rise further in the east. "It's sunrise." His face split into a shit-eating grin as he turned back towards his comrades. "Let's go."

As one unit, Ikkaku and his comrades stepped outside, zanpakutou drawn and at the ready. Everyone knew what they needed to do. Up ahead, there was a small group of foot soldiers, but what Ikkaku was most focused on was the Royal Guard member with them.

"There he is," Ikkaku murmured. He quickly went over the drawn out path to the booby trap in his head, and he had to refrain from grinning at what laid in store for the Guard. As cruel as it might have been, Ikkaku was never much of the sympathetic type, not for bastards like these Royal Guard. They had invaded his home, locked up his captain, stepped all over him and his comrades, and put humans in danger. Then there was them kidnapping Kurosaki…

In short, it was time to make them pay. He looked up and over his shoulder at Yachiru, who was sitting on the roof, waiting for the attack. She gave him a nod and a smile. He nodded back before turning towards his target.

"Let's get this party started." He drew out Hozukimaru and shouted as loud as he could, "EVERYONE, CHARGE!"

The eleventh squad's attack was also a signal for the other squads. With the eleventh's squad's love of causing a ruckus and going over the top, it would be easy enough for the other squads to sense their reiatsu flaring. That was the signal to let them know the attack was commencing.

Just seconds after the eleventh squad struck, the officers and members of the other divisions gathered and attacked. With all the squads attacking at once, it would have been nearly impossible for the Guard members to have had warning to prevent the attacks or to call for help.

In minutes the attacks were underway and the seated officers were beginning to draw out the Guard members to lead them into the booby traps. With all the commotion, the vice-captains took the opportunity to sneak out and make for the first division. It was there that their captains were being held, and where Ryou was.

They flash stepped across the roofs, avoiding the main concentrations of battles in order to avoid detection. Luckily, the Guard members being assaulted were far too busy to notice that all the remaining vice-captains were gathering in one spot.

They had decided to assemble in an alleyway near Yamamoto's quarters. That way, even if anyone spotted them, they weren't too far from one of the traps.

Momo had been the first to arrive, followed shortly by Yachiru and Rangiku. Within minutes the others had followed. Ten minutes into the assault, they were all gathered.

"Okay." Momo clapped her hands together to get their attention. "We're going to wait here until we get the signal from Urahara-san. We don't want to attack Ryou until the humans and Vizards are in the Royal Realm. We don't want to give him the chance to contact help and have it come."

Nodding, Rangiku leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. "I hope he doesn't take too long. Even Ryou's going to start wondering what's going on as the attacks continue. He's not going to ignore them for long, especially once they keep up."

Momo looked over her shoulder, her eyes unfocused. "It's up to them. Yoruichi-san said they would be getting here before dawn, but they have a long trip. They should be somewhere in the sewers by now."

Momo was right. By the time the eleventh squad had kicked off the attacks, everyone heading for the Royal Realm were well on their way in the sewers. It was a considerably large group, but their subterranean cover would mask their reiatsu well enough.

"I can't believe we have to take the fucking sewers," Grimmjow muttered darkly as they ran.

Nel looked over at him and shook her head. "It's the best way to get to the gate without being detected. You didn't have to come, you know."

Earlier that morning, while they had been formulating a plan in Hueco Mundo, Nel had cheerfully volunteered to come along. Pesshe and Dondochakka had insisted on coming along if Nel was going.

Naturally Grimmjow had refused at first until Nel reminded him that he would be stuck alone with the others in the village. "Perhaps you should stay. This would be a great chance for you to bond with them and keep an eye on things for awhile."

So of course he balked and said he'd come along.

"You roped me into it, bitch."

"I didn't rope you or anything. I offered a suggestion, which you turned down quickly."

"Because you know damn well that I don't like being stuck with those weirdoes at the village!"

Up ahead, Shinji sighed in frustration and snapped, "Would you two stop bickering? Yer giving me a friggin' headache."

Urahara smirked. "I'm a bit surprised, Grimmjow-san. I thought you'd be curious about this place. It's where Aizen was trying to get to."

"Not really," he retaliated drolly.

"It is strange, though," Nel added thoughtfully. "We are going to the place Aizen was ultimately striving to reach, but under completely different circumstances."

"It just goes to show," Urahara said, "that life never takes you where you expect it to."

Suddenly Yoruichi, who had been leading the group, stopped in her tracks. They had come to a fork in the path. With a gesture towards Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo, she said, "This is where we split. The path to the right here leads to the white tower. The rest of you need to keep going straight."

Tatsuki began to walk towards Yoruichi. Before she even took two steps, a hand reached out and grabbed her hand. Although the movement brought her to a sudden halt, Tatsuki didn't seem surprised as she looked towards the owner of the hand. "Orihime…"

Her best friend had been silent during the whole trip. She figured it had something to do with her conversation with Ichigo's Hollow. If they weren't in this current situation, she would have asked and pressed for an answer. Instead, she had given her space and time to think.

"Be careful," Orihime whispered.

Tatsuki smirked. "Hey now, I'm not the one who's going on the dangerous rescue mission. Well, okay, I am, but it's not nearly as risky as yours. Besides, we've got her," she said, jerking her thumb at Yoruichi. "We'll be fine. You're the one who needs to be careful."

"I will." Orihime looked so serious; it hurt Tatsuki a bit to see her so solemn.

With a sigh, she rotated her hand so she could give Orihime's hand a squeeze. "Don't worry. Abarai and Kuchiki are as good as free. You just get Ichigo out of that place, okay?"

This brought a small smile to Orihime's face. "You bet."

"Let's go," Yoruichi insisted. "We don't have much time."

The best friends parted with a nod, with one heading for the Royal Gate while the other headed for the white tower.

Yoruichi had gone ahead with shunpo. As much as it annoyed Tatsuki to get left behind so Yoruichi could "clear out the area" up ahead (as she had put it), she knew she was in no position to complain. These weren't just some punks she could clear out with some well-aimed punches and kicks. These people had swords and reflexes above hers. It sucked, and she wasn't used to feeling helpless. But what choice did she have?

Mizuiro and Keigo trailed behind her. The former was watching the rear while Keigo was just trying to keep up with Tatsuki.

The sewers were poorly lit, so when the ladder came into view, Tatsuki had to stumble to a stop and Keigo nearly ran into her. "Ah!" he yelled as he barely avoided colliding into her.

"Here it is," she said, not bothering to apologize as she hopped up and began climbing.

"Wait, Arisawa!" Keigo protested. "Shouldn't we-"

"You can stay down here if you want. I'm going." She was already halfway up the ladder and showing no signs of stopping.

The two boys exchanged exasperated glances before they began to climb up, with Mizuiro following Keigo. With Tatsuki as climbing as fast as she was, they were forced to scramble to catch up to her, which resulted in a few near-accidents.

Once she reached the top, Tatsuki slowly pushed up the manhole. With uncharacteristic caution she peered through the crack, her eyes scanning the area around the cover. Once she ascertained they were safe, with nothing but buildings in sight, she shoved the cover aside and climbed out of the hole. She gestured for Keigo and Mizuiro to come up before she stepped away to get a better look at their surroundings.

As the boys emerged from the sewers, Tatsuki spotted someone on a roof in the east. Her gaze immediately riveted on the figure and she went into a defensive stance. The boys froze in place, afraid they had been spotted and seriously considering jumping back down into the sewers.

"Hey!" The figure waved its arm. "It's just me! The coast is clear."

Tatsuki sighed in relief when she realized it was Yoruichi. "You sure?"

Yoruichi scoffed as she hopped off the roof. "I took care of the guards. Follow me: we're heading for the tower."

Tatsuki took off after her, leaving the boys to (once again) scramble after her. Keigo whined, something about needing to get in better shape and Arisawa being inconsiderate, but she paid no attention to him. She was focused solely on keeping up with Yoruichi as they went after her, winding through narrow alleys and ducking behind buildings.

The chase came to an abrupt halt when Yoruichi skid to a stop at the end of an alleyway. She quickly gestured to the kids with a flick of her hand for them to come over to where she was.

Keigo began to whine, but Tatsuki kicked him in the shin to shut him up. Mizuiro clamped a hand over his mouth so he wouldn't yell as he pulled him towards Yoruichi.

"What's up?" Tatsuki whispered as she tried to peer around Yoruichi.

The former shinigami nodded to the white tower that was just up ahead. "See that? That's where Abarai and Kuchiki are. I'm going to scout the area and take care of any guards I see. You guys have two jobs: find their zanpakutou and then wait for me by the entrance to their cell." She pointed upwards, towards the bridge that lead to their cell. "You need to cross that in order to get to them. Find their weapons first. They should be in storage around here somewhere. And whatever you do, don't be spotted. Got it?"

They nodded. Tatsuki's expression became intently serious as she looked around, trying to figure out the best way to go. Mizuiro seemed to be looking as well, while Keigo looked ready to panic.

"You ready?" Yoruichi asked.

"Yeah." Tatsuki glanced over at her. "Good luck."

"I'll be fine. It's you three that need the luck. But I'm sure you'll be fine." Yoruichi gave them a wink and grin before she flash-stepped away.

Tatsuki took a deep breath before she pointed in the direction she had settled on. "We'll start down that way. If we run into anyone, leave them to me. I've got the best chance out of the three of us," she added before the boys could argue. "But I'm not gonna be looking for trouble, okay?"

"Let's just hope it doesn't find us," Mizuiro said.

"We're gonna die," Keigo moaned.

"Oh shut up," Tatsuki muttered. "They're not gonna get us. Now grow a pair and let's go. We need to find their swords."

There was a storage room off to the east side of the white tower. Standing at (half) attention were two Royal Guard mooks who had been assigned to guard the room.

"What's in this stupid room?" the mook on the left said to his companion.

The guard on the right sighed and rolled her eyes. "They're the prisoners' zanpakutou. We need to make sure none of the shinigami get any bright ideas and come to get them."

"Why do we always get the boring jobs?" the guard on the left muttered. "Why did we even get sent here? I didn't want to come here. This place is boring - sterile, even. They don't even have any good food here. These shinigami live like peasants or something. Back at the palace, we always-"

"Oh would you shut up," his companion snapped. "I don't get why I'm always stuck with you whiny ones. You get to live in a bit of luxury and suddenly everything looks like something out of a pauper's house. You probably grew up in the noble district of the city, didn't you?" She glanced over at him contemptuously. "That's it, isn't it? You're a stuffy noble kid."

"And you think you're so much better because you came from the east end of the city, right?" He sneered at her in return. "Oh boo-hoo, I'm sure you had it so bad. Why don't you-"

He never got to finish his jeering lecture as suddenly from up above, Tatsuki landed on him, bringing her leg down on top of his back. The female mook drew out her sword, but before she could attack she was tackled by Keigo and Mizuiro.

"Her sword! Get her sword!" Keigo screeched, trying to hold her down while avoiding her sword.

Tatsuki instead opted to kick it away from her, sending it clattering down the path. She then bent down and placed a well-aimed chop at the back of her head, knocking the mook out.

"Phew." Mizuiro got to his feet and glanced at the storage room. "So much for not confronting any of the guards around here."

"Didn't have much of a choice," Tatsuki pointed out before she kicked open the storage room door. She glanced inside, looking for the zanpakutou. The room was cluttered with a wide array of things, from pots to crates to some weird equipment she didn't recognize.

"There." She suddenly began climbing over some of the stored items, pushing aside a few of them until she at last saw what she was looking for. Hung on the back wall were two swords, which she recognized as Renji and Rukia's swords. She grabbed them before slowly making her way back over the clutter. It was more difficult with two swords in hand, but she managed to make it outside finally without tripping.

She tossed Rukia's sword to Mizuiro. "Found them. Now we just have to-" She paused and frowned when she saw Keigo trying to pick something off the guard. "What are you doing, Asano?"

With a final heaving pull Keigo managed to rip something off from the guard's belt. He fell back on his rear, but he proudly held up the object he found. "I found this funny shaped thing on the guard. Maybe it's a key or something."

Mizuiro peered at it closely as he tucked Rukia's sword under his arm. "It might be. Not bad, especially for you, Asano-san."

"As usual, I am treated formally." Keigo dramatically wept as he held the item in his hands. "Why does Mizuiro hate me soooooo?"

As par for the course for this rescue, Tatsuki was content to ignore them as she looked for a way to get up to the bridge. "We might have to do a bit of climbing," she said. The boys looked over at her silently as she continued to scope out the area. The bridge was just off to their right, but she could see no way up to it. "I don't see stairs..."

Suddenly from down the path they heard shouting. Tatsuki immediately held Renji's sword in front of her. She was no swordswoman but she had no problem using his weapon to defend herself if necessary.

"We need to get out of here," Mizuiro said, stepping back. "Let's get to the other side. There might be stairs there."

A few mooks appeared down the path ahead. One of them spotted the humans, shouting at them to not run. "Intruders!"

"Shit, where's Yoruichi-san?" Keigo said, backpedaling until his back was pressed against the wall of the storage room.

"Run!" Tatsuki yelled before grabbing his wrist and taking off. Mizuiro was right behind her as they headed towards the only path that seemed to lead towards the tower.

They sprinted as fast as they could, but Tatsuki could already hear the mooks who spotted them begin to catch up to them. She led them towards the right when a fork in the path appeared, glancing behind her to make sure the boys were still with her before she focused her attention ahead of her.

"Arisawa!" Mizuiro shouted as he ran alongside of her. "I see stairs up there!"

She looked up to where he was pointing. He had been right; the stairs leading to the bridge were on the other side. "Then that's where we-"

A blast came from behind, narrowly missing Tatsuki and Keigo's heads as it crashed into a building off to their left. Keigo screamed as Tatsuki whipped her head around. The mooks were just yards away now, and they looked ready to fight, although she imagined they would only see it as a quick slaughter.

No choice, she thought as she spun around, drawing out Renji's sword.

"Arisawa, are you nuts?" Keigo yelled as she stood her ground. He had come to a stop a few feet ahead when he realized she had turned, with Mizuiro just ahead of him as well. "We can't-"

"I'm sick of these people bullying us!" she snapped as the mooks slowed down, eyeing her closely as they held out their weapons. "If they want a fight then they're gonna get one!"

"But Arisawa, Yoruichi-san said-"

"I don't care!" Although she was boasting, on the inside Tatsuki was terrified. She didn't know how to properly use a sword. But they would have caught up to them eventually; a fight seemed inevitable. At the very least she wasn't going to go down like a coward.

However, before they could strike, a few shinigami appeared out of nowhere (at least to Tatsuki; she figured they must have used shunpo) and engaged the Guard mooks. The three humans watched in silent shock as the shinigami drove the mooks back. One of them was stronger than the rest; he managed to cut down three of them before the other two ran off.

"Sir, should we chase them?" one of the shinigami asked him.

"No. They'll be dealt with later." He then turned towards the humans, visibly surprised to see them. "Are you three all right? What are you even doing here?"

Tatsuki straightened up as she sheathed Renji's sword. "We came here to free Abarai and Kuchiki. We're friends with them. We came here with some others who are heading to the Royal Realm. We were heading for that tower when those guys spotted us."

The shinigami in charge nodded, his surprise turning into concern. "You went to free them alone?"

"No. A woman named Yoruichi had gone ahead while we got these weapons. I guess she missed them or something."

The shinigami frowned. "I have to give it to you, I'm impressed you made it even this far. But Abarai-fukutaichou and Kuchiki-san's cell is locked. There's a certain key that can unlock it, but unless-"

Keigo held up the object he had found. "You mean this?"

The shinigami's brow winged up in surprise. "Yes, that."

Tatsuki smirked. "Not bad, huh? I appreciate your help, but we gotta get those two out, and I'm sure you got other stuff you need to be doing. We'll be okay."

"She has a point, sir," one of the other shinigami with him said. "We need to rendezvous with the other groups from our squad. Obviously there are more Royal Guard foot soldiers running around, too."

After a moment of deliberation, the lead shinigami nodded. "Very well." He turned towards the humans. "Take those stairs up there and that'll lead you to the bridge. There shouldn't be anyone up there now: we drew most of the attention when the attacks began. Give Abarai-fukutaichou and Kuchiki-san our regards. And please be careful. You may not be so lucky next time."

They were gone in a flash, before the humans even had a chance to thank them properly.

"Geez, they're dedicated," Keigo murmured.

"Well, it's their duty," Tatsuki said, shouldering Zabimaru. "Still, he's got a point. We better hurry before we run into more trouble. Let's go."

Tatsuki couldn't fathom why the shinigami had to make their buildings so damn tall. Even as fit as she was, she was a bit winded by the time she finally made her way onto the bridge.

Keigo and Mizuiro were faring worse. Mizuiro nearly collapsed against the side of the bridge while Keigo had literally crawled his way up the last few steps. Tatsuki decided they needed a minute to catch their breaths before they freed their friends. They could wait another minute or two, right?

"We... made it," Mizuiro said, wiping his brow. "At least the trip down will be easier."

"Are you kidding? I'm jumping off. I never want to see stairs again," Keigo said, sprawled out on the ground. "I don't care if I go splat."

Tatsuki straightened up, rubbing her now sore back as she glanced down the bridge. "Complain later. We gotta free them first."

So with some mumbled whining and aching limbs they made their way to the entrance. Smack dab in the middle was a strangely shaped slot which matched the shape of the key Keigo found. He pushed it in and turned it. The door began to rumble before it slowly began to rise.

Renji and Rukia were understandably confused to see the door opening, and their surprise doubled when they were met with Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro standing in the threshold.

"Oi," Renji said, blinking a few times to make sure he was seeing this right. "Arisawa? Asano? Kojima?"

"Why are you here?" Rukia said, running over towards them.

Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "For you guys, what else? Here." She tossed Zabimaru to Renji. Mizuiro followed her lead and handed Shirayuki to Rukia. "You gotta get going. The others are gonna be waiting for you."

"Waiting where?" Renji asked as they stepped out of their cell.

"By the Royal Gate. They're going to break into the Royal Realm to get Ichigo back."

"See, I told you!" Renji said to Rukia as their faces lit up in hope. "I knew they were gonna be doing something to get him back!"

"Where is the gate?" Rukia asked Tatsuki.

She stared back at Rukia with a blank expression, turning around to see if Mizuiro or Keigo had any idea. "Didn't they say something about chambers? 46 or something?"

"The Central 46 chambers," Yoruichi said, suddenly appearing behind the humans.

Keigo nearly leapt up in the air and screamed as the others spun around.

"Geez," Tatsuki muttered. "Stop sneaking up on us."

"Old habits die hard. I guess this place just brings it out of me," Yoruichi said, grinning in amusement. She lifted up her head and nodded to the shinigami. "I'll lead the way."

"What about us?" Tatsuki demanded.

"You guys did a good job. Now you need to hide somewhere until this all blows over." Yoruichi gave them a sympathetic smile. "I know you want to help, but you already did. The shinigami here will protect you. Just tell them what's going on and they'll protect you."

"Head to the 13th division and tell them I sent you," Rukia said as she tucked Shirayuki into her sash.

"Thanks guys!" Renji said to them with a wave. "We owe you one! Just stay out of trouble until we get back, okay?"

Before Tatsuki could protest, Yoruichi and the shinigami used shunpo and disappeared, leaving the humans alone on the bridge.

Tatsuki's fist clenched at her side. "Damn it, I'm not gonna hang back while everyone's in trouble."

"Arisawa," Mizuiro said, his voice uneasy. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm sick of running away and hiding. I'm sick of my friends putting themselves in danger while I sit back and do nothing. Ichigo's my friend, too."

"He's ours as well, but that doesn't mean we have to throw ourselves recklessly into this mess," Mizuiro said.

"If you want to hide then I won't hold it against you," she said. "But I'm going. Catch you guys later."

She took off for the stairs, leaving Mizuiro flabbergasted and Keigo groaning. The boys looked at each other, sighed heavily, and nodded in resignation before taking off after her.

Whereas the rest of Soul Society was in chaos and uproar, the Chambers of the Central 46 were hauntingly quiet. Orihime and the others had just arrived and were following Urahara to the anonymous tower that housed the Royal Gate.

"This is creepy," Love commented as they continued walking.

"It is awful quiet," Orihime agreed as her eyes drifted up towards the vast ceiling. "But that's a good thing, right? That means no one's here to stop us. We can get into the Royal Realm faster."

Shinji glanced at her over his shoulder, his frown contemplative. "Don't worry. We're getting in there no matter what."

"While the battles ahead will be difficult," Ishida said from Orihime's side, "with the sheer number of us going in, I imagine we'll free Kurosaki soon enough."

"We're not leaving without him," Sado assured her from her other side.

"He's probably going to be a bit mad," Orihime said with a quiet laugh. "With everyone risking their lives to come after him. He hates that."

"He's a frigging hypocrite," Shinji muttered as they approached the tower. "All right. Is this the one?"

"Yes," Urahara said as he took the steps leading up to the door two at a time. He slowly pushed it open, peering his head inside when there was enough room. In seconds he was waving his hand for the others to come up. "It's empty."

"Why aren't there guards?" Pesshe wondered as they all climbed up the steps. "Shouldn't this gate be protected at the very least?"

"They wouldn't see much point," Shinji said, waving the Ouken around in his hand. "They don't realize we've got this, so they wouldn't think we could get in."

Urahara smiled slyly as he walked through the door. "Let's show them how wrong they are."

Once everyone was inside, Urahara strolled up to the Royal Gate that was stationed on the other side of the room. He stared up at it, his fingers drumming against his chin as he inspected it. "As elaborate and ornate as I expected. Shinji, the Ouken."

"Right." But just as Shinji took a step towards him, they heard voices coming from behind. Everyone turned, hands reaching for their weapons.

From the entrance to the Chambers emerged Yoruichi, quickly followed by Rukia and Renji. "We're here!" she shouted cheerfully.

Orihime gasped in excitement as she gently nudged her way through the others to get to the tower entrance. "Rukia-chan! Abarai-kun!"

"Hey, Orihime!" Rukia waved as she ran up towards her. "You okay?"

As Rukia approached her, Orihime pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm fine. I'm just so glad you're okay."

Surprised at first, Rukia softened and returned the gesture. "I wasn't injured. The doofus behind me was, though."

Orihime lifted her head, quickly spotting Renji's injury. Wordlessly she called out Soten Kisshun and began to heal his hand. "Was it just your hand, Abarai-kun?"

"Luckily, yeah," he answered as he watched his hand heal up. "I get the feeling this might just be the tip of the iceberg once we go after Ichigo."

"Which is why we're going to be getting into groups," Urahara explained to them once Orihime finished healing. "I think we've all realized by now numbers are our best chance against them."

"What about Soul Society?" Rukia said.

"Being dealt with by the vice-captains and the squads. Our job is to not only free Kurosaki-san but also to make sure we cause enough of a ruckus so the Royal Guard still stationed in the Realm will be too busy to come help the ones in Soul Society."

"I imagine with the present company that won't be too difficult to manage," Nel said, glancing over at Grimmjow briefly.

He rolled his eyes. "I can't believe I'm helping save that dumbass."

"Take it like Urahara said: we're also there to cause some trouble. I know you can do that."

Orihime smiled to the Arrancar. "I know it might be a pain but… I'm really glad you're helping."

Nel beamed back. "Don't mention it. I never got to fully repay Ichigo back for his help anyway."

"If we're done being mushy," Shinji said, his smirk betraying his real feelings even as he tone strove to remain annoyed, "let's go rescue said dumbass. As much of one he might be, he's still ours and someone's gotta get him back."

"I'll leave this to you," Urahara said, taking a step back.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Hiyori snapped.

"Firstly, I need to signal the vice-captains for the go-ahead to attack. Secondly, there's something I must attend to before joining you. Besides, it's wisest if we don't all go in at once."

"Damn it, Urahara," Shinji muttered, but it was obvious he was resigned to Urahara's decision. "Fine, but if you don't come for us and we get captured, I'm pointing the finger at you."

The others gathered around Shinji as he pulled out the Ouken and inserted it into the keyhole.

"Remember the incantation I taught you!" Urahara reminded him cheerfully as he began to walk back. "I will see you all shortly~"

"Bite me," Shinji muttered before he raised his hand and pressed it over an inscription that appeared on the door. "With my hand to guide me and the key to lead me, I entreat to providence and the spinning wheel. Eighteen kings, nine reigns and the lucidity of all, let the hands turn and the sun over the four skies. By the permission granted with this key, open the gate!"

The door began to glow before the Ouken turned in its slot. With a loud bang the doors slid open, revealing a swirling mass of light that lead into a seeming abyss.

"There's the pathway. Everyone ready?" Shinji shouted over his shoulder.

"Remember our plan!" Ishida said. "We split up once we get inside and cover as much ground as we can. We find Kurosaki and get out of there."

"And whatever you do," Hachi said, "do not take on Royal Guard on your own. You either fight together or run together."

"Let's do this!" Renji shouted as everyone nodded.

Orihime smiled, and just as everyone moved to enter the gate, she whispered, "Hang on, Ichigo-kun. We're coming."

On the fifth floor of the massive Palace, in a tower that jutted out towards the east, was Ichigo's room. As Shirosaki had described it, all he had in his room was a cot. It was placed beneath the room's sole window, which overlooked a well maintained garden. The flowers were the only cheery thing in Ichigo's stay at the Palace.

It was those very same flowers Ichigo was staring at as the sun slowly began to peek over the horizon. It illuminated the flowers. The flowers in the center were the first to be kissed with the sunlight, as the walls surrounding the garden shadowed those on the outside.

"Hm?" Something in the garden caught Ichigo's eye. He leaned in closer until his forehead was pressed against the steel bars arching over the window.

Amongst the lilies and petunias that were in the center, there was another flower he hadn't seen until now. It was hard to tell from the distance, but it was light blue with several petals.

It reminded him of the hibiscus, the flower of Orihime's hairpins.

"Damn it." He turned away, unable to look at them now. The separation and knowing he would never see her again was bad enough. He didn't need to be reminded of it.

In the deepest reaches of his mind, he felt his Hollow stirring in anticipation. He frowned, wondering what he could possibly be getting excited about. What the hell are you-

Suddenly the whole palace seemed to erupt to life. Bells were going off and a voice suddenly came through from seemingly thin air (he would later realize it was probably a kidou spell).

"Warning, all Guards to their designated positions! We are being invaded! I repeat-"

As the voice continued to bellow out the warning, Ichigo lifted his head, trying to get a feel for reiatsu or anything that he could use to determine who the invaders were.

There was a flare of reiatsu. It was distant, but Ichigo's eyes widened as he recognized it immediately. It was surrounded by several other reiatsu, although they were beginning to break apart and spread out. He wasn't going at reading reiatsu, but he definitely knew them.

Orihime… she's here. Hirako, too. Ishida, Sado, and… Nel?

Then it fully dawned upon him what was going on.

They came for me.