The Hollow draws closer and closer to the prone woman and raises its massive claws as a ragged scream tears from her throat. There's a dull thud moments later and she opens her eyes finding only a young man standing in front of her. "Are you hurt?" asks Daisuke, kneeling down in front of her.

"That...That thing..." stutters the woman.

"I took care of it." She glances down at the sword in his right hand and then back at him before it finally dawns on her.

"You can see me!"

"I can. I'm going to help you cross to the other side now. Please, hold still." He raises his weapons and gently tapes it against her forehead, watching as the konso ritual is completed quickly and the soul crosses over. Daisuke returns Tenshi to his hip and stands. Though he'd hate to admit it, he did need to rest a bit longer before doing anything. A loud howl pierces the air and he Flash-Steps in it's direction. The moment he arrives the Hollow actually runs past. "What the...?"

He turns and two more right past him, fleeing as fast as their legs can carry them in the opposite direction. "Hey! Where are you-" A powerful Spiritual Pressure, like none he's ever felt in his life assaults him from all directions. By instinct he releases the full strength of his own as well and turns his head skywards. A Garganta closes behind a single figure and he is standing in the person's path a moment later.

It's a woman with dark skin, blond hair and a white uniform...he'd heard from Kisuke that it was the uniform Aizen's arrancar's were supposed to wear. But this woman is bleeding profusely from a ragged slash across her stomach, which stains the white hakama a bright crimson as a result. 'Is this Ichigo and Renji's work?' Daisuke asks himself. 'No...no, they wouldn't have let her escape.'

'It doesn't matter!' exclaims Tenshi. 'Finish her off! Now! Before she can attack!' Her sea-green eyes find his amber and neither of them move for a moment. Daisuke lightly grips the tsuka of his Zanpakuto and only then does she raise her own Zanpakuto.

"Are you with Aizen?" Anger like none he'd ever seen floods into her eyes.

"Not anymore," replies the woman harshly. "Are you going to attack me?"

"I don't have orders to engage any Arrancar...but I will if you make me, Arrancar. You should turn around and go back to wherever it is you came from before a Captain shows up."

"That's not an option." A garganta opens in the distance and Daisuke tightens his grip on his Zanpakuto.

"Friends of yours, Arrancar?"

"Not anymore." A pair of men step out through the Garganta, adding their impressive Spiritual Pressure to the already incredible mix. "You should just run back to wherever you came from before you end up dead, Shinigami." Daisuke watches at the woman turns to face them.

'She's wearing the uniform but isn't part of the ranks...? There must be some fighting going on among the ranks. If she's NOT with Aizen, then maybe...' Daisuke steps up beside her before he can stop himself, ignoring Tenshi screaming into his head for him to end her life.

"What do you think you're doing? I don't need your help, Shinigami."

"Really? You can fight off those two bleeding like that? You'd be lucky to take down one nursing a wound that deep." The two appear across from them and Daisuke blinks in surprise. "They're pretty damn fast."

"This isn't any of your business."

"I'm making it my business, Miss...do you have a name I can call you other then 'Arrancar'...?"

"...Tia Harribel."

"I'm Daisuke, Tia. Nice to- whoa!" He barely catches her before she falls, supporting her weight with his freearm. "Hey! Hey, wake up! Now isn't the time for a nap, Tia!" With no response forthcoming he sighs. "Crap..." The two Arrancar don't say a word as they draw their Zanpakuto.

"Hello, there!" calls a voice from behind moments before Kisuke appears at Daisuke's side.

"Well...this is a first. I must be in a pretty bad way if you're showing up on time, Kisuke."

"Well, you look like you've got your hands full, so I thought I might lend a hand." Daisuke shoots the man a dirty look in response and then looks around. "If you're looking for a place to set her down you might want to pick quickly. I don't think these gentlemen are going to wait that long...and the Soul Society is probably moblizing a Captain to come deal with this situation."

"Take her, Kisuke. I'll deal with these two." The man smirks under his hat before nodding.

"Alright. They're all yours, then. What should I do with her?"

"She says she isn't working with Aizen anymore...it that's the truth, then I figure she might be able to tell us something about the forces under his command." Kisuke takes Tia from his freearm and then spares only a single glance back before Flash-Stepping away. Two Arrancar...with high Spiritual Pressure. He wasn't going to take a chance. "Fall from the Heavens! Kurayami no Tenshi!"

The golden release of Spiritual Pressure flowers skyward for only a moment before disappearing completely to reveal Daisuke in his hooded vest and dark clothes. Arrancar or no, they aren't prepared when he just disappears from their sight. A powerful blow sends one tumbling end over end towards the city below. The other turns and ducks Daisuke's kick, raising as he whirls around and completely forgetting about his right foot.

It catches him in the torso, sending him skidding backwards several meters...right into Daisuke's range. He was moving faster then the Arrancar could see and with his Kurayami no Tenshi, the Arrancar cannot rely on his ability to sense Daisuke's Spiritual Pressure. He grasps it by the back of it's uniform and throws it earth-bound, watching as it impacts with enough force to create a small crater. 'Oh, hell! Tenshi wasn't kidding when she said it'd make me stronger,' Daisuke muses to himself.

Sensing the rapid return of the first Arrancar from behind he uses a move once used on him. He turns to face the Arrancar, turns his shoulder and swats him in the back of the head with a loud 'slap!' sounding from the impact as he leaps in the opposite direction. Daisuke reaches back towards the black tsuka of his Zanpakuto as the Arrancar turns to face only an empty sky. "You're slow."

An 'X' shaped pair of slashes appears on his chest, an audible 'click' sounding as he returns Kurayami no Tenshi to her saya. A small shower of crimson blood paints the sky before the Arrancar falls into four parts and plummets towards the earth. The second Arrancar comes back as well, but doesn't attack. Rather he grips his Zanpakuto in both hands and points it skyward. "Devour all Things, Okui!"

It's Spiritual Pressure spikes and easily rivals Daisuke. "This must be the Arrancar's release...Resurrección." When the orange Spiritual Pressure finally disappears it reveals a rather fat looking Arrancar standing before him. "Heh...you put on weight." Despite his rather large weight, he moves fairly quickly, appearing behind Daisuke in the blink of an eye. He glances over his shoulder moments before a Cero is fired at point-blank range.

It stumbles forward a moment later. A powerful knee to the back of the head from Daisuke is enough to blur it's vision. He drops down and sweeps it's feet before finally kicking it in the middle of the back and sending it sailing skyward. He follows, not willing to let up his assault on the released Arrancar. Despite the speed its traveling, Daisuke passes it with ease, dealing two blows faster then it can react.

It splits into quarters as it loses it's momentum and then plummets towards the earth, away from an uninjured Daisuke. "Daisuke!" calls a voice from behind, causing him to turn to face not only Jushiro but Shunsui as well.

"Jushiro! Shunsui!" exclaims Daisuke. He looks down at himself and then the two of them. "I...guess you've found me out."

"So, you CAN use Bankai," comments Shunsui. "I had a feeling but I wasn't too sure. I guess we didn't need to come out after all, except...we were told that there was an Espada out here."

"An Espada? I...didn't see one."

"You're sure?" asks Jushiro, approaching. Neither of the two men seem to be remotely affected by his Spiritual Pressure. Which he knows is because both of them were trained by Head Captain Yamamoto personally. Compared to the Head Captain he doesn't even register as a threat to either of them, even with his Bankai. "There was only these two?"

"Well...there was another. A woman with a serious wound."

"Where is she?"

"You're not going to kill her, are you?"

"Show us to her, Daisuke..."

As Daisuke approaches the door to Urahara's shop, it dawns on him that neither of the two men have seen Kisuke since he's left the Soul Society. But the door opens before he can speaks to either of them about it and Kisuke stands there. "Hello, there!" he calls to the trio of me, surprising them. "Won't you come on in, gentlemen? I'm sure we have a lot to discuss."

They enter the shop and are taken to a sitting room by Kisuke. "How is she?" asks Daisuke.

"Tessai is treating her wounds at the moment. Did she say anything before she passed out?"

"Just that she isn't working with Aizen anymore and her name...Tia Harribel. That's all."

"Is it wise to be treating the wounds of an Espada?" asks Shunsui. "I mean, there's a chance she might be lying to us after all." The door to the room opens and Tessai steps in.

"Hm?"

"She's awake now, boss," Tessai tells Kisuke. Daisuke stands and leaves the room and the others behind. Down the hall to the room with the open door he steps inside and closes it behind him, staring down at the Espada. Tia's sea-green eyes find him immediately and the Zanpakuto at his him. He follows her line of sight and then smirks.

"Don't worry," he tells her. "Like I said, I don't have orders to engage any Arrancar, Tia. But I do have a few questions I'd like to ask." He approaches closer and she sits up quickly. "Relax. I wouldn't save you just to try to kill you now...but if you're looking for a fight then the two Captains in the room back that way might be happy to oblige you."

"I didn't ask for you help," replies Tia.

"I saw an opportunity." She narrows her sea-green eyes in response. "You hate Aizen...right?" That same anger floods into her sea-green eyes and Daisuke nods. "I thought so. Well, if you used to work for him then obviously you might have some information that could be valuable...maybe even worth your life."

"You want me to tell you everything about his army."

"You catch on quick. That's good. Things-" The door opens and Shunsui and Jushiro step in. Daisuke turns to face the two men and steps closer to speak in a hushed voice to them. "I think she has some information that may prove useful to the Soul Society, Jushiro. And if she isn't working with Aizen then there shouldn't be any reason to kill her."

"She is an Arrancar, Daisuke," Shunsui reminds him in a hushed voice.

"Then why didn't she attack me when I encountered her? I felt her Spiritual Pressure, she could have killed me as easily as swatting a fly but she didn't. She only raised her Zanpakuto when I raised mine."

"What do you want us to do?" asks Jushiro. "Pretend we never saw her?"

"Not exactly. Take my proposal to Head Captain Yamamoto or let me. All I'm asking for is a little trust from both of you." The two men exchange glances and after a moment of consideration nod in agreement.

"Fine. Just convince her that it's in her best interest and we'll see what we can do." Daisuke nods quickly, thanking both of them as they leave the room. He turns to face Tia, finding her standing on her own two feet once again, eyes leveled on him evenly. The damaged Spiritual Pressure he had felt when she arrived was nearly gone, replaced with an even, collected flow.

"You were speaking with them about me," asserts Tia.

"I was," replies Daisuke. "Jushiro and Shunsui are two of my oldest friends. I asked them to give you a chance and if you cooperate...you might be given leniency. Head Captain Yamamoto is set in the old ways but he isn't foolish enough to let a chance like this pass him by."

"Do I have a choice in the matter?"

"Unfortunately, no. With two Captains here the odds are not stacked in your favor, Tia. You'll just have to take your chances and hope that he agrees. But look at it this way, you've got a fifty-fifty shot, right? It can either be 'Yes' or 'No'."

"Are you an idiot?"

"You know...I really don't need that from someone who passed out in the middle of a fight."

"What was that?"

"You heard me." The door opens again and both glance towards it. "Shunsui...?"

"I don't mean to interrupt, but we should be going," Shunsui tells them.

"Very well," replies Tia. "Since I don't seem to have much of a choice in the matter." She leaves the room and Shunsui stays where he's standing, staring at the young man in absolute silence.

"I was going to tell you and Jushiro," Daisuke explains. "When the time came up."

"You know, there are open positions for Captain and if you have a Bankai-"

"No. I didn't become a Shinigami for that reason." Shunsui nods and then motions towards the door. "Alright. Let's hope things go smoothly...and none of us end up in a cell in the Maggots Nest for disobeying a direct order..."

- - Soul Society - -

"What is the meaning of this?!" demands Yamamoto, the spike in his Spiritual Pressure causing Daisuke to grunt under it's weight. But he stays standing behind Jushiro, Shunsui and Tia. The Arrancar stands in the middle of a small triangle formed by the three of them and it didn't seem as though she would go running off. "Why have you brought this Arrancar into the Soul Society?"

"Yeah, about that, old man Yama," speaks Shunsui, adjusting his grasshat. "Seems she's betrayed Aizen. So Daisuke here figures she might have some information that could prove useful to us." Shunsui grasps the young man by the shoulder of his kosode and pulls him up to stand beside him. "Tell him, Daisuke." Yamamoto's gaze finds him and that suffocating Spiritual Pressure presses down on him like a weight.

'Guh! It's...like a damn...weight!'

'Focus, Daisuke! Focus your Spiritual Pressure and keep on your feet! Now!' He does as Tenshi orders and manages to regain the ability to breath. Mercifully, the Spiritual Pressure is lifted moments later.

"Explain yourself, Tenth Seat Daisuke Arata," Yamamoto demands.

"If she's turned against him, then she won't have a reason to with-hold any information regarding his army," explains Daisuke. "Things like the number of troops under his command, their strengths as well as the location of his fortress. Things that may save the lives of many Shinigami, Head Captain Yamamoto."

"See?" asks Shunsui. "Smart kid, isn't he?" His gaze then rests firmly on Tia, standing with her arms crossed under her bust.

"You will share this information, Arrancar?" asks Yamamoto.

"Just ask me what you want to know," replies Tia evenly.

"Tenth Seat Daisuke Arata." The young Shinigami stands up a bit straighter. "You are dismissed, now. Return to the Thirteenth Division and attend to your Division duties." Daisuke bows and steps back, turning and leaving the room despite the fact that he doesn't exactly want to leave. He just hopes that Jushiro and Shunsui haven't stuck their necks out for no reason...

The day passes slowly for Daisuke as he attends to his Division duties. The sun is beginning to set when he is approached by Lieutenant Kotetsu. "Captain Ukitake wants to see you in his office, Daisuke," she tells him, leading him in that direction. It takes only a few minutes to arrive at his office and Lieutenant Kotetsu knocks on the door.

"Come in," calls Jushiro as she pushes the door open and the two step inside. "Thank you, Kiyone. That's all." The Lieutenant nods and dismisses herself from his office without complaint...which stuck Daisuke as odd. The girl closes the door and he approaches Jushiro. "I'm sure you're eager to hear how things went?"

"I am," replies Daisuke.

"After hearing all the information Tia Harribel had to offer, Yamamoto has decided to grant her amnesty. She will stay here in the service of the Soul Society as a condition of that." Daisuke nods. "And...I am proud of you for what you did, Daisuke."

"Jushiro?"

"You did what you thought was right and acted with others in mind rather then just carrying out your orders." There is a small sparkle of mischief in Daisuke's eye at hearing that praise.

"Of course I did. I remember being told to leave any Arrancar I encounter to Captain Hitsugaya's advance force." Jushiro smiles a bit. "I couldn't very well disobey a direct order from my Captain, now could I?" Jushiro laughs in response.

"I suppose I did say that."

"If you don't mind my asking, where is she at exactly?"

"She's being held in the First Division for now. When the war is over then she'll be released. It's just a precaution to make sure that she doesn't try anything." Daisuke nods in understanding...

The First Division barracks are quiet now as they rest in the barracks. Moonlight streams through the window in the cell, splashing against the wooden floor and bathing most everything in it's soft silvery glow. The lone figure in the cell stands with her back to the bars, staring out at the dark sky. Even so, she realizes she isn't alone. "How long do you plan to stand there in the shadows?" asks Tia.

"Until I don't feel like it anymore," replies Daisuke, approaching the cell. Tia slowly turns to face him. "I heard things went well from Jushiro."

"Then why are you here?"

"I don't know, really. Maybe I'm just curious. I mean, I've only ever seen three Arrancar in my whole life...and the other two didn't exactly give me a chance to get a good look before they attacked me."

"Is that really it?"

"Like I said...I'm curious. Why would you betray Aizen?" She approaches the bars of the cell slowly, anger present in her eyes once again...her very...beautiful eyes. Daisuke shakes such thoughts from his head, focusing on the task at hand. "Well?"

"He betrayed us."

"Us?"

"My Fracción over-heard him speaking with Gin. He's just using us until we're no longer convenient for him. After they told me I confronted him about it...he didn't even try to deny it. He killed my Fracción and nearly killed me."

"You managed an escape."

"Because my Fracción asked that I run."

"They sacrificed themselves for you." Daisuke nods slowly, understanding the loyalty involved with such an action. He would gladly lay down his life if it meant that any one of his few friends could make an escape. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"...No world is without sacrifice. Their sacrifice allowed me to escape and to keep fighting, and for that I am grateful to them."

"But that doesn't make it any easier of a burden to bear. I can only tell you that you'll feel much better after you've properly grieved their passing." Tia scoffs a bit in response. "I thought as much..." He reaches into his kosode and produces a small book from within the folds of cloth. "Here. It's not much...but at the least it should keep your mind distracted while you're waiting."

Daisuke holds it out to her and after several long moment she accepts the book. "Very well." Tia gazes at the title of the book. "...'Rejection of the Twin Fishes'? This sounds like a child's book." His cheeks tint red in embarrassment and he snorts.

"If you don't like it then don't read it, Tia." Hearing footsteps outside of the room he glances in that directions. "Looks like that's my cue. Try not to go stir crazy while you're here, huh?" He pauses. "Oh! Before I forget..." Daisuke produces a tightly packaged ball from inside his kosode and tosses it to her. "...have a snack." Tia gazes at the rice-ball and then looks up to find him gone.

'What a strange Shinigami,' Tia thinks to herself...