The Lengths One Will Go

by Kuroi Atropos

When Ishida goes missing, Ichigo, Orihime and Chad begin a search that leads them to Mayuri, where they uncover far more than their missing friend. Ironic that a Quincy would lead to the breaking of the Seireitei.

8. Chapter 8

The Lengths One Will Go

By: Kuroi Atropos

Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach, the characters would mutiny.

Warnings: Umm, well you've gotten through most of the worst, so I guess just, well… Yeah.

Summary: As you can guess, I suck at these. Soooo, I'M DOING A CONTEST!!! Leave me a review or send me an e-mail with a new summary for this fic since I suck at creating them and I haven't liked all the ones I've come up with so far. The winner gets the next chapter a day early and a one shot of their choice!

Also: XBows humblyX All of you rock! (I am so sorry that I do not do individual review responses via PMs and such, I have limited Internet availability so I kind of just open pages and go, I'll try to work on that.) I can't tell you how much I appreciate your candid reviews and the fact that you take the time to leave me such detailed responses. You RULE! Be all, end all. Finite. I'm especially grateful to those of you who've stuck through from the beginning and reviewed each chapter, letting me know that I'm managing to keep you interested, thanks again!

Individual RR to specific points:

Morghann: Thanks for the critique. I wasn't really sure what to call them, and picked something really generic for most of the characters since from what I understood aside from generalities not a lot of the Squads know each other and those two are confusing at best. I'll try to watch it in future chapters and see what I can do about past ones, I like your suggestion of just '3rd Seats' for some of the other Shinigami though. Thanks again for the help!

Saigo no Hajime: Thanks! One of the things I really want to do with this fic is see if I can play with reactions to trauma, so hopefully I'll be able to make the other responses we see just as believable. As for our beloved Shiro, well... I plotted this entire thing out before recent chapters, so you'll just have to read and see!

Volcanic: I'm glad I could introduce you to the bount in a positive light! In my personal, and often challenged opinion, I think they were an amazing concept to bring in as filler, even if they were so poorly thought out and executed that it ruined the effect. There are 1 or 2 strictly non-filler canon mentions of humans with strong spiritual powers/abilities/presences besides the Quincies and I hope to explore that a little more.

And finally, away we go!

XXXXX

Chapter Eight

XXXXX

Soi Fong glared at Omeada even as she tried to decide how many places she was going to hit him with Suzumebachi before she finished him off. She hadn't really cared when he'd disappeared a while ago, more concerned with making sure Yoruichi-sama's orders were followed out correctly. Now he had the gall to stand there smirking with the members of her own Squad at his back.

The man was an idiot if he thought he would stand a chance against either her or Yoruichi-sama. Her Squad seemed awfully sure of themselves as well. Then again, they were designed to take down traitors against the Gotei 13 and Central 46. Which, as she thought about it, she could probably now be classified as.

She, Yoruichi-sama and a few of the other Squads fighters were aligned against the Soutaichou's minions, and Soi Fong waited rather impatiently for one of them to make a particularly stupid move she could use as an excuse to start in on them. Then Omeada's arm shifted too obviously to the hilt of his Zanpaktou and she decided to slice the limb off rather than paint him in butterflies. Just as she was deciding on moving from above or beneath, one of the seals they'd been using so frequently they never bothered to take down flared and she heard Ukitake's slightly panicked voice call out for assistance.

"We need back up now! Kurotsuchi's loose and his poison is spreading! Kyoraku and I are the only ones standing but if we move too far from the Soutaichou's flames we're going down too! Send medi – DAMN IT!"

As Ukitake's message tapered off with a clang of metal and a curse, Omeada's pig face became so smug that Soi Fong felt an almost Kenpachi-like joy in planting her foot in his face.

Wordlessly perched on his head as his hands twitched futilely around her, she reached behind his Fukutaichou badge and pulled out the antidote to Kurotsuchi's paralytic that all the Fukutaichou's were required to carry. She felt particularly glad that Omeada had started wearing the badge almost full time since the thought of having to search his robes for the brown glass bottle made her stomach roll.

Soi Fong heard the rest of her Squad finally realize the change in pace and couldn't help the smirk that crossed her own face as she took a quick drink then tossed the antidote over to Yoruichi-sama. Her Sensei looked at her questioningly for a moment before she shrugged slightly and downed the second half.

"Madarame, take care of things here, we've got the battlefield," Soi Fong called to the 11th Squad Member. As much as she wanted to remind her Squad that there was a reason she was Taichou, she and Yoruichi were the only ones quick enough to get to the battle before serious damage could be dealt to their side.

"Sure, Taichou." Soi Fong didn't even have to look at him to know that a grin just as mad as his Captain's had crossed his face. She dug her foot into Omeada's face just a little bit more than was strictly needed to launch herself with Shunpo, but she doubted that even Yoruichi-sama noticed. The others were more than enough to keep these idiots away from the Black Hole and all the victims in it, and she heard the noise of her Squad's reeducation even from the distance of her Shunpo step. If she was still Taichou when this was over she'd have to drill her Squad and Corps to death. They really shouldn't be brought down that easily.

Soi Fong narrowed in on the Fukutaichous first, they'd need the antidote they were carrying to release their top fighters from the paralytic.

She and Yoruichi-sama arrived just in time to see Kurotsuchi gloating in the direction of the 6th and 9th's Fukutaichous while preparing to impale the 8th Squad's Fukutaichou with his trident. Abarai and Hisagi were both screaming at him from the ground to stop, but the man just laughed madly and started his down swing. Soi Fong could gauge Yoruichi-sama's anger by how far the man flew from the foot she planted in his gut.

Soi Fong slid to her knees near Ise-Fukutaichou and pulled the antidote from her armband and carefully gave her half. Soi Fong nodded to Yoruichi-sama who was taking care of Abarai and Hisagi, before she darted to kneel beside Kurosaki to give him the rest of the dose. She debated heading for Kuchiki next but knew Yuroichi would take care of him after she finished with the two Fukutaichous, so she swallowed her pride and glanced around for Zaraki and his pink haired Fukutaichou. By then the other side's medics had reached their main fighters too and it was a race to get powerful people on their feet. She couldn't help but curse quietly at how badly they were outnumbered. They had better fighters that could shake off the poison more quickly, but the other side had more antidote doses to get a greater number of people moving.

She spun as she heard Kurotsuchi's shriek and launched herself back towards him from where he was staggering towards Yoruichi-sama and the two Fukutaichous the other woman was trying to help. Spinning in midair to increase her momentum and bring her greater leg power to bear, Soi Fong added her own footprint next to Yoruichi-sama's. A plume of now useless smoke belched from the man's trident as Soi Fong landed from the recoil. She glanced around, debating whether to head for Zaraki and Kusajishi or keep guard over the staggering Fukutaichous. Her decision finalized when Kurotsuchi reared up yet again and held his trident high, beginning to call out the name of his Bankai as he advanced on the still recovering Ise. The painted freak always had had a twisted obsession with going after women.

Soi Fong darted forward, summoning Suzumebachi and slashing at the mad scientist's face. He jumped backwards, dodging the blow, but she succeeded in distracting him from summoning his final form. He managed to parry several of her blows and actually managed a fairly decent counter strike that she barely escaped. It wouldn't do to get tagged by that damn trident and have to deal with its contact poison on top of the paralytic still floating in the air. She skidded to a stop several feet away from him, and raised her wrist, Suzumebachi flashing in the fading sunlight.

Then Hisagi and Abarai shot past her with quick nods, and she bowed the fight into their very ticked off looking hands. She vaguely recalled the 12th's frankly insane Taichou gloating over Ise when she and Yoruichi-sama arrived about neither of the young men being able to save anyone. Their pride had to be stinging and she felt no doubt that they would give Kurotsuchi the bashing he deserved in return for the blow to their honor.

Yeah, the bastard was going to be in pieces the next time she saw him.

She released Suzumebachi as she raced back through the other side's rising fighters and used her momentum to clothes-line two of the five people hovering over Zaraki and Kusajishi with needles. Luckily it seemed like all the needles were still full and she doubted they'd been able to dose the two 11th Squad members before she'd arrived. A quick spin kick flattened two more and a solid right floored the still blinking last one before she quickly dropped to her knees by the little girl and pulled her antidote out. She popped the seal and quickly sniffed the liquid. Luckily it was the antidote, not that she'd really admit it out loud but she'd been half afraid the ball of psychotic fluff had replaced it with juice or something.

She quickly administered the antidote to Zaraki and his pink haired Fukutaichou and waited a moment or two for the giant 11th Squad Taichou to get back on his feet before darting out to take down as many of the enemy medics as she could without using any lethal force. She glanced over at where Yoruichi-sama had moved to hover beside a fuming Kurosaki who was still staggering just a little. Soi Fong used her few moments against weaker and weakened opponents to plot out her next move.

With so many of their side still paralyzed on the ground and nearly all the other side's forces back on their feet if not back at full strength, she wasn't the only one taking advantage but at the same time that advantage was dwindling. Fast.

Then a rather familiar voice rang out over the battlefield, calling out a wind based Kido spell. The resulting gust swept over the field, clearing the remaining poison away.

Soi Fong glanced up to see a dark figure haloed rather dramatically by the mostly set sun. 4th Squad Relief Units along with more of their sides fighters darted over the roof the figure was standing on to begin treating their fighters for the paralytic and to take apart anyone threatening them.

Then the figure itself leapt down into the battlefield.

Urahara Kisuke. That stupid fool! Everyone who ran across the man in the real world and truly realized who he was made amazingly complex works of fiction out of their field reports to keep the idiot hidden from the Sotaichou and the Central 46 and what does he do but show up right in front of the old bastard. The dirty blonde in his strange hat landed next to where Juushiro and Kyoraku were facing off against the Sotaichou much to the two other Taichou's rather obvious surprise. Soi Fong pondered it for a moment before deciding that what the heck, this was just plan amusing. She smirked a little. When they'd needed a connection point in the real world to establish a Gate so quickly, who the heck did they think Yoruichi-sama was going to call, the Ghostbusters?

"I knew, ever since you were willing to kill them, that you weren't always right, but I didn't think you would stoop so low!" The man said, pulling his hat from his messy hair so that the full force of his glare reached the Sotaichou.

The Sotaichou actually looked stunned for about thirty seconds. "You traitor! You have been exiled from Seireitei! How are you here?!"

Urahara was smirking way more than he should be considering he was facing off against the Sotaichou, and that Ukitake and Kyoraku were both gaping at him too much to be any real help. "Inside help. You've fallen so far, old man. I can't believe what you made me complicit to."

"I am not the one who has fallen from the grace of the Seireitei, it is you." Before anyone could move Yamamoto's arm twisted, turning a blast from Ryuujin Jakka on Urahara. Soi Fong heard Yoruichi-sama scream and she could see Juushiro and Kyoraku react, trying to reach the man since he wasn't bothering to dodge himself, but they weren't able to reach him in time. The entire field was silent as the flames died down.

Soi Fong's eyes widened in shock as she saw Urahara still standing there, completely untouched by the raging flames that had surrounded him.

Standing in front of him with their Zanpaktous drawn, were a short haired young blonde man and a man with a pointed afro. Soi Fong gaped as she realized who they were, and she saw her shock mirrored on Ukitake, Kyoraku and the Sotaichou's faces, while Zaraki laughed gleefully in the background.

Urahara just continued to smile as he placed that annoying hat of his back on his head. "What, Yamamoto, you don't really think I'd be stupid enough to face you without back-up do you?"

XXXXX

Kensei growled in annoyance as he skirted the battlefield with Rose. He should be in the middle of the fight with Shinji and Love, not on a babysitting job for the 4th's Taichou. Retsu Unohana hadn't even blinked when she'd seen the six of them, simply asked Hachi to help Orihime and Hiyori to take over directing rescue efforts on her behalf so she could get to work. Then she'd told the rest of them to make sure at least some of them didn't get derailed by fight and made it to the 4th Squad barracks to help guard the evacuation of everyone who wished to leave the Seireitei. She'd told him that those on the 'potential' list she'd printed out and handed to him didn't have a choice, and were to be taken through bound if need be. The four Vizard had played rock paper scissors to see who would go with Urahara and who would manage the evac, and Kensei was sure that Shinji had cheated… the bastard.

At least Risa and Mashiro had stayed on the other side of the gate to help out Tessai. They'd have really cheated to get their way. Nell was with them, safely being distracted by trying to cheer up several of the victims that had woken up. The green ball of fluff and big eyes they'd taken in for Ichigo on his return from Hueco Mundo was adorable, but could more than match the entire Shinigami Academy combined aptitude for bumbling ineptitude when she got it in her mind to help in situations well beyond her control.

Unohana had also unnecessarily warned them to be careful as they raced from the room. This was the freaking Sotaichou. The man who'd been a Taichou since before they'd even been born. His personal Squad might be only twenty people but they were all nightmare inducing fighters. They weren't always the strongest, but they had talents that broke a person and were infallibly loyal to the old man. Kensei didn't doubt that the Vizard would be able to win against them, but how hurt they were going to get in the mean time was up for debate.

Halfway to the Fourth Squad's hospital he almost tripped over his feet as he spotted a woman with long strawberry blonde hair and a killer rack glaring while trying to fend off a group of furious 4th Squad members that seemed intent on a kid in a Captain's haori trying to drag a protesting black haired girl down the walkway. Kensei waved a smirking Rose on and diverted his path, trying to remember if he'd eaten anything foul smelling after he brushed his teeth that morning.

As he landed next to the bombshell, Kensei noted that the woman had two Zanpaktous, the one strapped to her obi and the one clutched in her hands she was using to smack the five 4th Squad members when they got too close to the kids. Since the boy had his balanced on his back, he figured the spare one was the girl's.

He didn't even try to smile since he knew more often than not it made him look ridiculous. "What's up?" he asked the woman in the body of his dreams.

Instead of hearing her sure-to-be amazing voice he heard the whining of one of healers. "They're absconding with a level one patient!"

"Hitsugaya-Taichou would never let Hinamori-chan be hurt!" Ooohhh… just as nice as he'd imagined, and that glare of hers was fiery. That synched it, Kensei was in love.

"She's the one who might hurt herself or others!"

"You're insane if you think we're leaving Hinamori-chan here when that monster and the Sotaichou are going to string her up in that hell hole! I think as her doctors you'd be on our side!" His new love was certainly a spitfire; she'd nearly knocked the lead healer out with that blow.

This of course only made them madder. "She can't leave the hospital!"

"Everyone is leaving or did you miss the hell butterfly?!"

Kenji had had enough of the arguing now that he'd grasped the basics, the girl was in the care of the 4th Squad, and from the dark circles under her eyes, the paleness of her skin and how thin she was, he could guess why. Apparently the Sotaichou and the people in charge of that little horror house were tired of how long it was taking her to recover and were going to use her in the nightmare house. These guys had issues with her getting away for whatever reason. He thought for a second before deciding on how to best intervene in a way that made him look particularly good to the-- quick glance at the badge-- 10th Squad Fukutaichou, which meant the white haired boy calling the girl 'bed-wetter Momo' was her Taichou.

He spun around, caught two with his foot at the same time he banged another two heads together and on his return caught the last one with a blow to the back of the head, in five seconds he flattened five people. That had to impress her at least a little.

The woman blinked beautiful silver blue eyes at him. "I'd say thank you but now we have to worry about getting them out too."

"Taken care of." The woman just looked at him for a moment before she waved a hand and sashayed over to try and help her young Taichou convince the girl that she really did need to leave. He shook himself from the daze created by her swaying hips and pulled out his cell phone, calling Rose to tell him about the unconscious people. He got yelled at for a few seconds before Rose hung up on him, but he knew the long haired man would divert a team to take care of them no matter how much he complained.

When Kensei reached his walking dream's side the kid had finally gotten tired of the time it was taking to convince the girl. Using a sleep Kido on her she collapsed in his arms. Blue green eyes that reminded him of glaciers appraised him for a moment before the boy nodded. "Thank you for helping my Fukutai--" the boy grit his teeth, "thank you for helping." He then turned on his heel with a quick, "Matsumoto," and the three were starting off in the direction of the Black Hole and the Gate.

He quickly Shunpoed in front of them. "Hey kid, the Old Man's-"

Blue eyes snapped at him, and his new love glared at him over her Taichou's head. "It's Hitsugaya-tai… It's Hitsugaya. And I can feel the Sotaichou fighting the others. Thank you for your concern, we can handle ourselves."

"I think I'll be tagging along just in case." Kensei wasn't about to let Matsumoto get even a bruise on that body of hers and he wasn't the type to leave two kids alone in a battle zone.

"Whatever. Let's go Matsumoto."

The three of them leaped into the air, heading for the portal to the human world. They hadn't gotten very far when a monstrous looking baby headed Zanpaktou construct crossed their path being chased by a wild looking spinal snake with a red mane. A black haired figure leaped from the top of the snake's head to clash in mid air against a twisted, odd figure holding strange scythe that was attached to a cord coming out of his ear. Kensei blinked.

"Matsumoto, back them up!" The kid called out.

Kensei grabbed her arm, stopping her. "I've got it! Keep heading for the Gate with the kids!" He leaped towards the fighting (the white haired kid shouted something about not being a kid) just as the snake thing hit its maximum length and twisted back towards its owner, a wild looking red head. The snake head snapped at the painted figure on its way back, but the momentary opening its leaving created allowed the huge creature to peal around on its centipede like body and fly towards the black haired figure where he stood poised on a roof top. The young man recoiled back and prepared to jump.

"Blow it away, Tachikaze!" His Zanpaktou whirled in its Shikai release, and as he swung it around he released a strike of energy right at the thing's head throwing the giant creature back head over tail.

He landed facing the young man with a scowl. The young man stared at him with wide eyes, his mouth opening and closing insensibly, before the shock quickly got replaced by flat out disbelief. Kensei's eyes narrowed in on the 69 on his face. He'd seen quite a few of the 6 Wheels of the 9th Squad proud of their position, getting their tattoos in all sorts of places but this one took the cake. Especially since he wasn't a very good one if all he did at an ally's arrival was gape like an idiot and then not believe that someone, no matter how strange they were, would help him out in a fight against a monster.

Still, he'd been able to become a 6th Wheel in the first place… Kensei couldn't help but think as the brat finally came out of shock and an even weirder look took over his face. Kensei tried to force out a smile, wanting to snap this teen out of looking at him so strangely, like he was some type of second coming or something, "Buck it up kid! You're a 6th Wheel!"

"What?" The black haired fighter blinked and Kensei sighed, they really weren't making Shinigami like they used to.

"DOWN!" Came a shout from over the teen's shoulder. The huge snake thing swung over their heads, and Kensei dropped to his knees as it slammed into the giant monster Zanpaktou that had nearly reached them. The creature let out a squeal and a billow of smoke as it flew back again. The smoke washed over Kensei and he started to choke. His limbs suddenly felt heavy and he collapsed to his knees as his legs refused to support him, and he barely registered his Zanpaktou's released form still clutched in his paralyzed fingers. What was that stuff?

The weird, vaguely familiar freak that the two kids had been fighting landed right in front of him. "Oh… if it isn't an old subject coming back to pay me a visit! Let's finish this fight so I can see what's changed in you in all these years!"

He raised that scythe thing again and Kensei's eyes widened as he still couldn't make himself move, and then images crashed into him, this guy, he'd been the one who, oh Kami…

"REAP KAZESHINI!" the boy leaped over him, landing with one Kama on the scythe bearing it into the ground, the other swinging in an arc and slicing the strand from the hilt to the guy's ear.

The freak of a man drew back with a shrieked curse. "Pathetic little Fukutaichous like you should really know your place. A shame Tousen couldn't beat proper respect into you before he left, now I'll have to do it for him, brat."

"It isn't brat. It's Shuuhei Hisagi." Another image slammed into his head from that night, a shivering mess of a kid with a strong name that he'd pulled from in front of a hollow. It couldn't be… The kid glanced over his shoulder. "Your smile sucks as much as it did a hundred years ago!" It was him. "Renji! Get him to an antidote! Kurotsuchi's mine."

"'Bout time ya really started ta fight ya moron. Make sure ya leave enough of him for the others."

"I'll try to control myself." The boy--the young man said as he deftly twirled his Kamas and advanced on the painted figure.

An arm wrapped around Kensei's shoulders, and he felt himself lifted into the air by the red head. As they leaped from the scene, three things flashed in front of his mind: Mashiro would never let him live this down if she heard of it, the bastard that had helped Aizen turn him into a Vizard was still a member of Soul Society and knew his traitorous squad mate, and he really hated contamination weapons.

A rush of wind blew against his back and he heard the monster scream.

Oh, yeah… And the kid had turned into a decent Shinigami after all, and might even be worthy enough of being a 6th Wheel if Kensei could get him over holding back in battle.

XXXXX

Matsumoto breathed a sigh of relief as she felt Shuuhei finally release Kazeshini. She'd convinced her Captain to hang back long enough to make sure her friends would be alright. They'd both been shocked as the guy pulled his Zanpaktou and in Shikai form blew away Kurotsuchi's Bankai.

Her Captain had called her name sharply, stopping her from leaping forward as the guy was hit with smoke. Sure enough, they handled it themselves. Shuuhei released Kazeshini, and with a deadly precision saved the strange guy. Matsumoto blinked when Renji grabbed the man and shot back, dropping Zabimaru to his Shikai. Then she understood why when Shuuhei let loose, and Rangiku had to brace herself against the tornado that enveloped the area.

Oohh… Looks like something really upset their friend. Normally he was so disappointed with himself for creating a Zanpaktou with such an obviously lethal design he refused to wield Kazeshini to the full extent he could. Heck, even though she knew for a fact he'd achieved it one day while sparring with Renji, she'd never even seen his Bankai. His reluctance to wield his full power in battle was one of the few things keeping Shuuhei from just being appointed Taichou in Tousen's stead.

"Renji!" She called out and her friend swerved his path, and Matsumoto and Hitsugaya leaped over to meet him, Hinamori still clutched tightly in Hitsugaya's arms.

Right as they landed next to him Renji tried for a grope and she decked him, both of the men falling to the ground.

"Damn it Matsumoto, I just need your antidote!" Renji half growled half yelled out. She blinked, it had been pure reflex, she knew that Renji wouldn't actually try to grope her. For all the fact that he'd grown up in the Rukongai like she had, he had more class then most of the nobles. She felt a little chagrined she'd just pelted one of her best friends for no reason.

"Oh. Sorry. Right." Rangiku pulled the brown bottle from her badge, sending out a small thank you to whatever it was that had kept her from switching the antidote with sake liked she'd thought of doing so often, and knelt down to pour it into the guy's mouth as Renji held him up so he wouldn't choke.

"Thanks." The silver haired man said as he shook his limbs out, "I really hate weapons like that; they have no place on a battlefield."

"People like Kurotsuchi have no place on a battlefield," Hitsugaya countered.

"I won't argue with that. We should move on, I think that Hisagi's got that fight handled," the man said as he glanced at the maelstrom in front of them, hair and piercings glinting in the light as he shifted and the field knife looking blade in his hand became a regular sized sword. Whoever this guy was he had a Zanpaktou and was proficient in its use.

Renji scoffed at him. "Of course he does. Shuuhei's a freaking genius, so hold on just one more second."

The man turned to Renji questioningly. "What?"

Then Matsumoto felt it. Kurotsuchi's Reiatsu collapsed in on itself, the freak was unconscious!

Renji just smirked at all of their gapping faces. "Guy might have been healed from the bang up from earlier, but we worked him over pretty good and he took a brutal hit from both Soi Fong and Yoruichi. With Shuuhei as pissed as he is, the monster didn't stand a chance."

A figure started leaping over walls, and Rangiku smiled when she saw Shuuhei carrying Kurotsuchi over his shoulders, both their Zanpaktous hanging from his obi. He landed in front of them with a scowl crinkling his dark blue bar tattoo adorably. "You know you could have helped me carry him instead of just standing there."

Rangiku had to laugh, "And possibly broken a nail when you had things in hand?"

"Matsumoto…" Hitsugaya sighed. She grinned even more at the familiar sound; it was nice to have her Captain back.

"Sir, I-" Shuuhei stammered out. She turned her attention back to Shuuhei who stared at the gray haired guy with a look of admiration and awe.

"Stop it, Hisagi. There's nothing to say besides I'm glad you turned out to be just as strong as your name." Oohhh… Rangiku smiled, was this the guy that had saved Shuuhei's life when he was a kid? But he had died… One night ages ago, before they'd all been Fukutaichous even, when they'd been too drunk to care about the consequences they'd snuck into the records office and pulled the reports from that night to make Shuuhei stop whining. None of the Shinigami in that area had been listed by name, but they had all been declared Killed in Action. "And that my name's not sir, it's Kensei Muruguma, and I'm a Vizard."

Rangiku stared in shock. He was a half Hollow! Someone who betrayed Soul Society to gain more power! Her fist clenched on Haineko's hilt before relaxing, Shuuhei was taking the shock pretty well and Renji just looked a little bored at the declaration. This guy, for all the rumors about the Vizard, had helped them, and he didn't seem to be completely evil. She'd give him a bit more of a chance before actually drawing on him.

She snapped out of her daze as the man met her eyes and started talking. It was nice to meet another guy who didn't stare at her chest. "We're here with Urahara, the guy wanted back up as he checked out what Yoruichi told him and confronted the Sotaichou and we owe him. Soon as we landed Unohana drafted us into helping out."

Before anyone could ask any questions, a siren sounded over the Seireitei. "What is it this time damn it!? Can't we finish solving one problem before another pops up!?" Renji yelled.

"It's the intruder alarm!" Shuuhei cried out.

"Is it because of us?" Kensei snapped, shifting his grip on his Zanpaktou, other hand hovering over the side of his face, as his eyes quickly scanned the area for attackers.

"No, can't you feel them, they're all around us!" Hitsugaya snapped even as Kensei cursed and Matsumoto threw open the senses she'd had shuttered to avoid feeling too much of the crushing power of the Sotaichou and Ukitake-Taichou and Kyoraku-Taichou and the others.

With a cold heart Matsumoto knew what had happened: Aizen. Someone had betrayed their weakness to Aizen and he was taking full advantage of it.

Hollows. Hundreds, upon hundreds of hollows surrounded the Seireitei. Then Matsumoto's heart stopped as ever so slowly the binding on the shield surrounding the Seireitei began to open in three distinct spots. Three of the Gates had started to open and the Hollows poured into the Seireitei around the Reiatsus of the Gate Guardians. "They'll pay for this!" Rangiku spun and saw an unfamiliar, almost deadly look on Shuuhei's face as he looked pointedly at each of the three Gates over and over again. Each of the Gate Guardians was in his Squad, so the poor Fukutaichou must be taking this particularly personally, especially after Tousen's betrayal, although that explained how they'd been turned. She saw a lot of nights out drinking if they survived this, Shuuhei would never forgive himself for not noticing their treachery before it was too late.

"Kill them later Hisagi! Head for the others! We need to regroup!" Kensei shouted and they all leaped forward.

She glanced to her Taichou, his face was cold, and his fingers white where they clutched Hinamori even as he kept pace with them back to the battle site. She wondered what he would do if she beat him over the head and chucked the both him and Hinamori through the gate to the Human World.

Probably come right back through and pour all of her surviving saki down the drain.

XXXXX

End Chapter Eight

XXXXX

Okay, I know I dropped a hint a while ago, but who saw the Vizard coming? (Aside from EnyoAzul, mad props to you!) I was much happier with this chapter than the last one! XsmilesX Flow wasn't the greatest in spots but I had a blast writing it! XGrinsX As always, give thanks to my ever awesome Beta Obi! Any remaining mistakes are mine and not hers, please point any out that you see! For bigger cannon nuts than me, I do realize that Soi Fong wouldn't know about the Ghostbusters, but it was too perfect an opportunity.

As for the Gate Guardians, I'm going with they were traitors like in the Manga, but like in the Anime we haven't seen it yet. XshrugsX What can I say, I like combining universes.

I've been going over the old chapters as I worked on the new ones and found a few mistakes or things I wanted to change, so with my next update I'm also going to post semi-revised versions of the older chapters. You might want to glance through them, I don't think I changed anything too much but I'm adding a few things here and there.

Please let me know what you thought of the chapter and take part in the contest! I'll tell Yachiru you have a frankly obscene amount of candy if you don't. Xsmiles innocentlyX