In the main meeting room of the Soul Reapers, The captains stood in a single file row before General Yamamoto.

"This meeting of the Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads shall come to order! We have received an urgent message from Captain Hitsugaya on assignment in the world of the living. A new development has arisen demanding our full attention. According to Captain Hitsugaya, the Arrancar formerly under Aizen's command have apparently moved into Karakura Town, in the World of the Living." General Yamamoto said as the Captains looked at each other in surprise but remained silent.

"The Arrancar are led by three of the former Espada, Stark, Tia Halibel, and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Their respective Fraccion, along with the former Fraccions Ggio Vega and Tesla, and the Numeros twins Loly and Menoly are with them. To make matters even more concerning is the news that the Visoreds are harboring them with welcome arms. Their purpose for being there is allegedly for them to study humans as humans are technically the building blocks for their beings." Yamamoto continued.

"According to Captain Hitsugaya, they have sworn to never consume a human soul, living or dead. They have also created a list of five rules that they have sworn to follow. We must decide whether or not to permit them to remain." Yamamoto finished.

"I can't say as I blame them for their desire to learn more about themselves, it's a natural scientific instinct." Mayuri said, receiving glares from some of the Captains.

"Hate to say this, but Captain Clown face is right." Kaichou said.

"What if the Arrancar are telling the truth? They agreed to the peace pact between us without question so what if they really are not interested in being malevolent and are actually trying to be of some help." Ukitake pondered.

"He has a point; we owe them the benefit of the doubt. After all, we share a common goal in wanting to be rid of Sosuke Aizen. Perhaps they would be willing to assist us." Kyoraku suggested.

"Also consider that there is no way for them to replenish their numbers since the destruction of the Hogyoku. For there to only be three Espada and their Fraccion, plus two Numeros, it would most definitely be suicide for them to try and take on the Soul Society. We have the tactical and numerical advantages." Kaichou added.

"But if the Visoreds try to help them?" Komamura asked.

"I doubt that they will try to help the Arrancar invade. Many of them are former Soul Reapers after all and it wasn't their fault they gained Hollow powers. Like with the Arrancar, they were betrayed by Aizen. I still firmly believe that they were dealt a bad hand by Central 46." Kaichou replied.

"Most of the Visoreds, prior to their condemnation by Central 46, were good and loyal officers. I doubt that they would intentionally side with a group that would seek to destroy us." Ukitake commented.

"Most of them probably don't even care to bother with us anymore. They like to keep to themselves nowadays." Kaichou added.

"They might also be the key to the Arrancar's learning more about humans as well." Mayuri explained.

"Never the less. These are Arrancar that we are dealing with, and they should be treated accordingly." Byakuya said in his usual stoic manner.

"Oh get the stick out of your rear for once Kuchiki. Were this under normal circumstances I would agree with you but these aren't normal circumstances so think with an open mind for once." Kaichou said as she crossed her arms.

"Enough!" Yamamoto ordered and the Captains fell silent.

"Captains Soi Fon, Unohana, and Zaraki, you have all been silent throughout most of the discussion, what are your opinions on the matter?" Yamamoto asked the second squad Captain.

"I'm not quite sure. Did Captain Hitsugaya say whether the former Espada, Neliel, agreed with them or not?" Soi Fon asked.

"He mentioned that Nel believed them." Yamamoto replied.

"Neliel hasn't given us reason to distrust her but Captain Kuchiki raises a valid point that these are Arrancar after all. I am undecided on the issue." Soi Fon said.

"I'm not sure what to think of the situation really. I'm just hoping we find a peaceful solution." Unohana remarked but naturally Kenpachi's opinion differed entirely.

"Peaceful solution hell, I've been itching for a good fight." Kenpachi said with his trademark grin. Komamura however had a solution.

"Perhaps if we found a compromise. We send a special task force to monitor the Arrancar and we make a decision based on their recommendation." Komamura suggested.

"That makes sense." Kyoraku said with a lazy smirk.

"Then the question would become, who do we send? I don't think we should try to reassign Hitsugaya's task force from protecting the Key and only Captain level Soul Reapers can even hope to defeat an Espada." Ukitake suggested as Yamamoto nodded in agreement.

"Ukitake is correct, it took Captain Level Soul Reapers to defeat even the low level Espada with the exception of Rukia Kuchiki when she battled the ninth Espada and defeated him." Yamamoto said as he turned and looked directly at Kaichou and Byakuya.

"Captains Wrangler and Kuchiki, both of your lieutenants are already present in the world of the living and so you shall be assigned to the observation team for the Arrancar." Yamamoto ordered before turning to Kenpachi.

"Captain Zaraki, you and your lieutenant will join them." Yamamoto added, causing Kenpachi to grin once more.

"The world of the living eh? I haven't been there since that whole Baishin incident." Zaraki noted.

"Oh I smell a disaster coming." Kaichou whispered to herself.

"The four of you will go to the World of the Living to monitor the Arrancar. I recommend that you all check in with Hitsugaya and his team upon arrival. Remember this is an observation mission; do not take action unless you find it necessary." Yamamoto ordered.

"When do we leave?" Kaichou asked.

"As soon as you are all ready. This meeting is adjourned." Yamamoto said and the Captains began dispersing. Kaichou then headed straight for Mayuri.

"I assume you're going to keep working on our little project right?" Kaichou asked as Mayuri nodded.

"So long as you don't bring that blasted Urahara in on the other side." Mayuri said as Kaichou smirked.

"I'm not making any promises." Kaichou said as she turned on her heel and headed out of the meeting hall. As she headed out, she was confronted by Kenpachi.

"You do realize that this changes nothing. We will fight eventually." Kenpachi said with his grin.

"I know but for the sake of keeping the damage to the real world as minimal as possible, I suggest we hold off on the match until we get back to the Soul Society. Same place as last time but no Bankai and no death match." Kaichou said as Kenpachi grinned even wider.

"I'll be looking forward to it." Kenpachi said as he vanished in a cloud of smoke as he ran off.



In the World of the Living…

The team had returned to the Kurosaki Clinic, Jinta and Uluru returning to the Urahara shop, and was sitting quietly around the living room.

"So…are we going to get grounded or something?" Karin asked impatiently.

"Don't be absurd. There's no warranting any sort of punishment on anyone. You were unaware of the situation and truthfully they did attempt to be helpful after all." Toshiro replied.

"Lilynette did fire some powerful laser beam at that big thing. Too bad it didn't do anything to it." Yuzu said as Nel chuckled.

"That was probably Cero. Lilynette has never had a particularly powerful Cero." Nel said with a smile.

"Can you use Cero?" Yuzu asked as Nel chuckled.

"I can but I also have a special technique called Cero Doble allowing me to absorb another's Cero, add my own to it, and then fire it back. It's a little bit straining however but it's really powerful." Nel explained.

"Something's been bothering me about that. How do you get your Cero to change color?" Ichigo asked as Nel chuckled.

"We don't choose the color of our Cero; we just use whatever we get." Nel replied.

"I just hope we can use those three at the game on Monday." Karin mumbled.

"That depends on what the Thirteen Court Guard Squads decide to do with them." Renji replied as he leaned against the wall.

"Until then I suppose I should make up for my absence at soccer practice and assist you in your Bankai practice." Toshiro said as he looked over at Karin.

"Sure, it beats sitting around here all day." Karin said as she, Toshiro, Rangiku, and Ichigo shed their bodies and headed for the door.

"We'll be back later." Ichigo said as they headed out the door.

"DON'T BE LATE FOR DINNER ICHIGO!!!" Isshin yelled. Ikkaku and Chad also started heading for the door.

"I've got patrol right now so I guess we'll be going too. You coming Yumichika?"" Ikkaku asked as he drew Hozukimaru.

"Not right now. I feel like I would be abandoning my post in protecting young Yuzu here. Besides in this room filled with such beautiful people, I have no real reason to leave." Yumichika replied.

"Sure whatever. I'll see you back at Sado's place." Ikkaku said before flash stepping away.

"I'll be at home." Chad said as he left with Ikkaku's Mod soul possessed Gigai.

"I need to run some errands myself. I'll be going as well." Uryu said.

"May I accompany you?" Nemu asked with a caring smile. Uryu smiled and nodded before offering his arm. The two then walked out together.

"Those two are meant for each other I swear." Rukia said. Tatsuki in the meantime was slumped against the wall in a huff.

"What's the matter Tatsuki?" Orihime asked caringly.

"It's not fair. You guys all had someone to show you how to use your powers. My teacher is still in the Soul Society and so I've got no one." Tatsuki said as everyone pondered. Nel then had an idea.

"This might sound a little odd but there is a group of people who might be willing to help. It would be a step in the right direction for them and it would help to prove that they're serious about their new lifestyle." Nel explained but everyone caught on instantly.

"The Arrancar?!" they all asked in unison.

"Who better to help Tatsuki train? They have Hierro enhanced skin so injuring them is more difficult than normal. They would be helping a human and that's exactly what the Soul Society will be looking for. More than that, the Visoreds can provide some help." Nel suggested.

"But what if we receive word from the Soul Society? They said you and Ichigo had to be the messengers so what if something comes up?" Momo asked curiously.

"That's when I will ask them for their assistance in training her. I wasn't going to just show up on their doorstep with Tatsuki and ask them for help." Nel replied.

"Oh." Momo replied.

"What about me? Shouldn't I get some training?" Yuzu asked.

"That's not a bad idea really." Rukia said as she scratched her chin.

"Perhaps you should get Kisuke Urahara to help out. He trained Ichigo after all." Renji commented.

"Not a bad idea. A Captain level Soul Reaper should be the one to train her." Isshin said before getting a death glare from half the room.

"Says the Captain level retired Soul Reaper himself." Tatsuki said as Isshin shrugged.

"Yuzu, what's the name of your Zanpakuto?" Isshin asked as he scratched his chin.

"Umm…I don't know. I never heard its name." Yuzu replied meekly.

"I'm not the person to train her. Urahara and even Yoruichi would be better choices. Basically someone who knows both sword skills and Kido skills. Or even maybe two people, one with sword skills, the other with Kido skills." Isshin said as Yumichika had a suggestion.

"If that is the case, I would like to volunteer to show her swordsmanship." Yumichika said as everyone looked at him surprised.

"You?! I would have thought you to be too vain to do something like that?" Rukia said but Yumichika only gave her a smile with narrowed eyes.

"I am a member of squad eleven where we pride ourselves on our swordsmanship. Isn't that right Captain Kurosaki?" Yumichika asked as Isshin nodded.

"Yep. He's got a point." Isshin said as Momo raised her hand.

"My Zanpakuto is Kido based and I had high scores in the academy for Kido. I guess I can give it a shot." Momo suggested.

"How about it Yuzu, Do you mind these two being your teachers?" Isshin asked as Yuzu smiled and nodded.

"Sure. I'd be happy to learn how to be of some help out there." Yuzu replied.

"Good, then we shall begin when you're ready." Yumichika said as Yuzu pondered.

"Well I want to start right now but then what will we do for dinner?" Yuzu asked.

"Leave that to us! We'll fix dinner!" Orihime declared proudly, causing nearly every face in the room to turn green.

"On second thought, why don't we just go out for dinner?" Yuzu asked innocently.

"Not a bad idea really. There's a great steakhouse in town." Isshin said quickly.

"Great! We can start training now and meet up there for dinner!" Yuzu said as she quickly popped a soul candy in her mouth and shed her body. Yumichika and Momo did the same.

"Why don't the rest of us just come along too for safety sake?" Rukia suggested.

"Sure why not?" Nel replied. She was still out of her Gigai.

"Then off we go." Momo said as the others shed their Gigai and headed out the door.



Meanwhile under the Urahara Shop…

Karin was finally to a point where she could kick the electrically charged soccer ball at her usual speed when on the field. She was kicking the ball closer and closer towards the goal, she was almost there when without warning Hekireki Megami appeared in a bolt of lightning in front of her and kicked the ball out from her and then kicked it towards the back wall.

"HEY WHAT GIVES?!" Karin growled.

"You're advancing faster than I first expected. That fight against the Menos really gave you a boost of confidence. This confidence has removed a substantial amount of what weighed down the ball originally. Maybe you need to be put in life threatening situations more often. But you've reached phase two of training now. You can kick the ball but can you keep it?" Heki asked as she reached her right hand into the air.

A lightning bolt then struck the ground next to Karin and Heki's Shikai form appeared in midair.

"Take this; it'll help you defend against my attempts to steal the ball. Every time I take the ball from you successfully, the ball will return back at the other end of the field and you'll have to start again." Heki explained as an exact duplicate of her Shikai form appeared in her hands.

"Then let's go!" Karin said as she ran back towards the ball. Without warning Heki appeared and took a swing at her but Karin parried the blow and knocked Heki away.

Meanwhile, Yoruichi, Ichigo, Toshiro, and Rangiku watched with curiosity.

"I wonder what Heki's plan is. This is nothing like what Zangetsu put me through." Ichigo said as Yoruichi, in her human form, nodded in agreement.

"There is no uniform way to achieve Bankai. The Tenshintai allows for the Zanpakuto itself to train its wielder how to achieve Bankai. Your Bankai is complete physical enhancement where your speed, agility, reflexes, and senses are enhanced beyond the normal limit. My guess is that since Karin's Zanpakuto is a lightning based Zanpakuto, it will have something to do with electricity and may even share some of the physical enhancement. I'm completely unsure though. But I believe that she's using a method that Karin is familiar with to train her. When she's achieved Bankai she'll know it." Yoruichi said as Toshiro nodded.

"Not exactly that farfetched of a theory. It is possible that she will gain some of Ichigo's own Bankai enhancements but she will also gain some of her own unique abilities. However there is one thing that concerns me." Toshiro said as the other three turned to him with curious expressions.

"What would that be Captain?" Rangiku asked.

"I am concerned that she might have one thing that Ichigo has as well…an Inner Hollow." Toshiro said as their eyes widened in shock.

"An Inner Hollow?!" Ichigo asked.

"Karin never gained her Soul Reaper abilities the normal way. She merely gained them by going to the Soul Society where she was able to gain a Zanpakuto. Doing that causes much trauma to the soul chain. Such a shock to her soul chain can cause it to become damaged and allow the possibility for encroachment as if she were a normal Whole. Also consider that she has spent a lot of time around Nel and that she encountered those Arrancar women and that Gillian earlier. Wasn't it true that in the cases of both Orihime Inoue and Yasutora Sado that they gained their abilities through a combination of their constant proximity to you, Ichigo, and repeated encounters with Hollows?" Toshiro asked as the three others pondered in silence.

"While I pray that I am wrong, Karin may very well have an Inner Hollow. Though it is weak at the moment, I fear that when she gains Bankai, the rate of its growth will accelerate and eventually we will be forced to end her." Toshiro said as Ichigo shook his head.

"That's where you're wrong Toshiro." Ichigo said as Toshiro and Rangiku gave him surprised yet curious looks.

"How is that exactly?" Toshiro asked.

"If she does have an inner hollow, then I can take her to the Visoreds so she can learn to control it like I did." Ichigo said as Toshiro nodded.

"This is true. Hopefully she'll never have to do so." Toshiro said as the others nodded. Suddenly the room became dark.

"Looks like Urahara didn't pay the light bill." Rangiku chuckled.

"I don't think that's the case. LOOK!" Toshiro exclaimed as the familiar doors of the Senkaimon appeared and slowly opened. Soon four Hell Butterflies fluttered out with four familiar Soul Reapers behind them.

"Aunt Kaichou!" Karin exclaimed as she saw Kaichou, Byakuya, Kenpachi, and Yachiru emerge from the Senkaimon which disappeared almost immediately after they exited.

The special task force had arrived.



End Chapter 35.

Soul Reaper Illustrated Guide

In the Visored's Warehouse, Lilynette, Loly, and Menoly were sulking in their Gigai's in the underground training area.

"(Sigh) I'm bored." Loly mumbled.

"We know. That's the fifth time you said those exact two words in the same order for the past five minutes!" Lilynette groaned.

"Well hey it's not my fault we couldn't stop a lousy Gillian!!!" Loly growled.

"Before this escalates into a fight I think I might know how and why it happened." Menoly said as the two glared at her in expectation.

"Okay you have our attention." Lilynette replied.

"I've been reviewing some copies of the Bleach Manga and Anime as well as consulting the Bleach Wikipedia and I believe that our failure to stop the Gillian in the previous chapter is as a result of a unique phenomenon called a plot bunny. These creatures are probably the cause for our inability to destroy the Gillian." Menoly explained, receiving disbelieving looks from the other two.

"What in the name of the Hogyoku have you been smoking Menoly?" Loly asked.

"Yeah what is this crap about Plot bunnies and such?" Lilynette asked.

"Oh…well then would us being affected by the same limiters as the Soul Reapers make since?" Menoly asked. The other two looked at each other and nodded.

"Yeah that works." Lilynette replied.

"It makes since." Loly added.

"Okay then." Menoly said with a nervous shrug as she glanced over her shoulder to see a small white rabbit with a hollow hole in the middle of its chest. The Plot Bunny winked and vanished in an instant.

End.