Ginrei Kuchiki was kneeling in the inner garden of his personal quarters. Motionless, he watched the moonlight in the blossom tree, the branches jet against the lighter sky, the clustered blooms now barely tinted. A petal spiraled, and he thought,

Beauty

Is not less

For falling

In the Breeze.

Another petal settled. The wind sighed and took another. The tree was scarcely as tall as a man, kneaded between moss rocks that seemed to have grown from the earth, so cleverly had they been placed.

It took all of Ginrei's will to concentrate on the tree and blossoms and sky and night, to feel the gentle touch of the wind, to smell its sea-sweetness, to think of poems, and yet to keep his ears reaching for the agony. His spine felt limp, even as he envisioned all the burdens of his extremely long life weighing upon his shoulders. Only his incredible will made him as graven as the rocks. This awareness gave him a level of sensuality beyond articulation. And tonight it was stronger and more violent than it had ever been.

All the servants were watching the old leader of the clan with a sense of disguised awe and fear, for today, after a hundred years worth of silence, the old clan head had finally clashed with his grandson, Byakuya; and the younger man had, for the first time in his life, dared to do the unthinkable and walked out of his house, in a grave sign of disrespect to his grandfather and clan elder.

As he recalled the argument he had had with his grandson, Ginrei could not help but shake his head in sorrow. In retrospect, the argument with Byakuya had been a long time in the brewing, and today finally, it had simmered beyond control.

And all because I failed his father, had I been more lenient towards Kouga, this day would never have come, the old shinigami sighed, even as his eyes closed as his mind brought the picture of his deceased son-in-law to the forefront of his mind.

Kuchiki Kouga, born as Kurosaki Kouga, son of Unohana Retsu, and Kurosaki Baishin, once captain of the tenth squad; he and his younger brother, Isshin, had been deemed as prodigies seen once a generation. So much so, that it was rumored and even believed by many, that they were the next generation's versions of Shunsui Kyoraku & Ukitake Jushiro, and it was believed by many that the day was not far off when they would become captains, just like their father and mother.

However, their father, Kurosaki Baishin, who was at that time, the premier scientist of the Soul Society, was undertaking some dangerous experiments, and in a stroke of misfortune, an accident occurred that destroyed him and his family, so completely, that the very nature of Soul Society was shaken to its foundations.

His mind painfully recalled the events that had occurred nearly eight hundred years ago.

Baishin, had always been fascinated with Zanpakuto, and had proposed a theory that the powers of a zanpakuto were not limited to mere Shikai, and Bankai, but much more. So much so, that he attempted to fuse his own soul physically to his soul blade to prove his theory. An attempt that misfired horribly, when Baishin's zanpakuto became too powerful for even him to control. Under its influence, Baishin had gone on a murderous rampage, and had very nearly destroyed the balance of the Gotei 13 in the process. Finally, Baishin had been stopped, but at a murderous cost, where in no less than four of the thirteen captains of the Gotei 13 had perished in the assault.

Though a good man, his actions had the unintended but not unexpected results of casting his family into infamy. The sons, who both had been seen as shining examples of what the future generations of shinigami were meant to be, were now maligned as the sons of a traitor. Hated, scorned, and isolated by their peers, the boys would very well have lost themselves if it were not for the presence of their mother. Isshin of course, was still too young to comprehend the enormity of the matter, but Kouga on the other hand, bore the full brunt of the hatred of his peers single-handedly.

It engendered in him a fierce need to prove himself, to display his capabilities, to show everyone that he was not just the son of an insane murderer.

From his young manhood, he had always had private means but what marked him out in those early days were his abilities.

Abilities, which were so profound, that none who came near him, escaped its effects. To the young man who had swept through everything his tutors could throw at him, and one who mastered all skills, including forbidden and dangerous kido arts on a yearly basis, it was no longer a surprise when he was invited by the Gotei 13 to join its ranks, just like his parents.

Inside the Gotei 13, he rose fast because he was unstoppable and if his detached loneliness did not make him the Seiretei's most popular, he cared not a fig. Moreover, his true nature was hidden, behind the spurious façade of a nervous, and flustered young man. As an introvert, he kept almost an extremely close-knit group of associates, limited only to the likes of his mother and his younger brother.

However, his abilities, finally, and stubbornly … brought him into the limelight, and finally the higher echelons of the Soul Society could no longer afford to ignore him, and eventually, the young man finally joined the sixth division, the fief of the Kuchiki Clan. Despite his reluctance, Ginrei could not help but notice the abilities of the young man, which he realized would surpass his own, very soon.

Finally, over the course of time, Ginrei became the father figure the young man had desperately needed, but had been denied, and soon Kurosaki Kouga, became Kuchiki Kouga, the son-in-law of Ginrei Kuchiki. However, Ginrei had seen in him, the lust for approval, the desire to come out of his father's name, a lust which would easily overshadow his reasoning, and therefore, even though he acknowledged Kouga's abilities in private, he never acknowledged it in public, the one thing that Kouga desired above all from his new father figure.

At the same time, the Soul Society, which was still trying to get out of the aftershocks of Baishin's rampage, faced a new threat, when certain rogue elements decided that the time was ripe to stage a rebellion and impose a new order in the spiritual world, and began a civil war.

A war which they would most likely have won, if not militarily, then politically, by forcing the central 46 to enter into negotiations with them, by displaying that they had the upper hand in the war due to the sheer size of their numbers.

But they had not counted on one thing. Kouga, and his zanpakuto, Muramasa.

When Kouga displayed the abilities of his zanpakuto in the middle of the first battle between the two sides, it sent a thunderflash down the very Soul Society itself. A zanpakuto, which gave its wielder the ability to control every other zanpakuto in existence, and that was just one its abilities in mere Shikai. What then, could it be capable of in Bankai? Could it perhaps control even Ryuujin Jakka, the most powerful of all? What would happen if he were to turn on them all?

Unaware of the furor he had caused, Kouga had continued his fierce onslaught on the rebels, intent on crushing the rebellion single-handedly, and in the process, wishing to redeem his family name. Unable to bear the onslaught, the rebels began to retreat, and finally it was evident that the war would end on favorable terms, towards the Seiretei, and finally Kouga gained the recognition he deserved, when the Sotaicho himself appointed him as the interim captain of the new proposed fourteenth division, with him as its founder.

Only Ginrei knew the truth, that even Yamamoto was worried about the possibility of such a powerful zanpakuto wielding undue influence on its wielder, and he feared the consequences of what should happen, should the young man succumb to the same fate as his unfortunate father. The new division and this new authority, were all just a ruse to keep the young man under observation, something which only Ginrei realized, unlike everybody else.

But the rebels, desperate to avoid a complete rout, took an incredible gamble. Some of the rebels infiltrated Kouga's division as its new members, and after some time, during a vicious battle with the enemies, they suddenly turned upon Kouga, their leader. Angered, Kouga utilized Muramasa to devastating effect to take them all down, but in reality, it was a scripted play, as the rebels had ensured that this battle was observed by multiple members of the soul society's ruling elite.

The observers of course, knew nothing of the truth behind the events, but blindly assumed that Kouga had been consumed by the spirit of his sword, and believed completely that he had turned upon his own men, and in their extreme paranoia, declared him a traitor just like his father, and had him arrested, thereby destroying the fragile psyche of the young man forever.

Ironically, this short victory earned by the rebels proved to be their own undoing, as this act, finally pushed Kouga beyond the brink, and forced him to become the traitor that everybody had assumed him to be. Single-handedly, he broke out of prison, and killed the ringleaders of the rebellion, and in the process, the once five great noble clans were now reduced to four, wherein the fifth clan, the Ryudoji, the fifth clan and the leaders of the rebellion, were subjected to what could only be termed as genocide under the young man's hands.

No matter who was sent to stop him, it proved futile, as there was not a shinigami present, who had the capability to go toe-to-toe with Kouga & Muramasa. Even Ukitake & Kyoraku, could not. Finally, it fell upon Unohana, Ginrei, and Yamamoto Genryuusai themselves, to bring Kouga down, who had succumbed completely to his insanity.

After a prolonged battle, they had won, but at a heavy cost. The first and the sixth division were decimated almost beyond repair, and Ginrei himself suffered enormous injuries, so great that he was forced to go into early retirement.

Ginrei's daughter could not bear the sorrow of losing her husband to her own father, and she wilted down. Despite the best efforts of all the healers in the Kuchiki clan, and even of her mother-in-law, the captain of the fourth squad, she wilted away, and slipped into a coma from which she never recovered, and passed on. The weight of the knowledge that she was unable to help her husband, the fact that her own father was forced to kill his own son-in-law, and the shame of being known as a traitor's wife was too much to bear for the delicate woman, and she passed away, shattering the family forever.

Their son, Byakuya, now orphaned, grew up to resent his father bitterly, believing him to be the cause of his mother's death, & it was a cruel irony, because just as Byakuya loathed his father, so had his father loathed his own. Things would have gone very ill for the Kuchiki clan, if not for Kurosaki Isshin's presence. Single-handedly, Isshin Kurosaki, now Kuchiki Isshin, Ginrei's adopted grandson, who had now come to manhood, stepped up to fill in the vacant spot of his brother.

On his own, as the captain of the sixth squad, he brought the wreck of a division back to its former glory, and single-handedly, he revived the now damaged reputation of the Kuchiki Clan, by becoming the youngest Captain in Seiretei to receive an invitation to join the Royal Guard.

After many such accomplishments, Isshin surprised everyone by immediately announcing that he would retire the moment his nephew came into his own, and refused the invitation to join the Royal Guard. Only Ginrei knew the truth, after all, Isshin was not without his own demons as well.

His elder brother's death had hit him hard, too hard. The cruel manner in which their government had dealt with his family had engendered in him, a deep-rooted resentment towards the Soul Society. He made it clear to his mother and his grandfather of that fact as well. And then one day, the news came that Isshin had disappeared in the mortal world, after going there to repel a hollow assault.

Everybody including Unohana had assumed that he had been killed in action, however, Ginrei alone knew the truth. Before departing to the mortal world, Isshin had confided in him, and informed him of his intent to seal up his powers and live as a mortal in the mortal world. He had begged Ginrei to not tell Unohana the truth, as they both knew that the woman had suffered too much and could not be allowed to suffer any more. True, she would pine for a while, believing her only remaining son had perished, but then she would move on, and everything would be as it should.

Ginrei had given his reluctant approval, because he could ask no more of the broken young man, who had sacrificed so much for a clan, that was not even his by blood.

And so, Isshin had left, and Byakuya had finally come into his own.

Eager to not repeat the mistakes he had made with the boy's father, Ginrei showered the young man with his affection, and personal approval, unlike how he had done with Kouga. Nevertheless, in a twist of fate, it had the exact opposite of the intended effect. Where the desire to gain Ginrei's approval had spurred Kouga to take on extraordinary risks, and had led the man to doubting his own abilities, which caused Muramasa to overwhelm him and lead to his death; it had the opposite effect with Byakuya. Gaining his grandfather's acknowledgment and approval at so young an age, made him incredibly arrogant, and prideful beyond belief. It engendered in the young man a severe superiority complex. True, he was more powerful than even his father, something that had surprised even Ginrei, but while Byakuya became the most powerful head the Kuchiki had ever seen, and managed to become the captain of the sixth division, Ginrei, finally recognizing his mistake, deigned to appoint him as the head of the family, knowing that the young man was not capable of such a responsibility yet.

There had been a brief glimmer of hope, when unexpectedly out of the blue, Byakuya had married a girl from Rukongai. An event which had caused no little amount of shock to the other noble clans. Ginrei alone had perceived the truth. Byakuya had done it, just in order to prove to everyone else that he was different from his father. His father had married his mother, a noble, and just to spite his father's memory, he had married a commoner instead. But it turned out to be an unexpected blessing. The girl, Hisana, had managed to do the unthinkable and had cracked through Byakuya's shell, and finally, it appeared as if Byakuya had gained a semblance of normalcy in his life.

Then disaster had struck, and Hisana had passed away, due to illness. To honor his wife's last request, Byakuya had adopted his wife's young sister and brought her into the clan, and that, was his last act as a normal being or so it had seemed. He then completely shut himself off, and became a cold, ruthless, and strict person, who lived his life only for the sake of living.

But now, the knowledge that his uncle was still alive, and was moving back to the soul society, with his family no less, had cracked that implacable shell. Isshin and Byakuya, had had a very tempestuous relationship of their own. Byakuya, had loathed anything to do with his father on principle, and had clashed with Isshin on more than one occasion during his childhood, and Isshin who at that time was still reeling with the loss of his brother, had lashed out at the young boy. It was no secret that Byakuya despised his uncle, and his uncle did not think too highly of him, because of the disrespect that the boy showed towards his late father.

And now, after learning that his uncle would be returning, Byakuya had argued with Ginrei ferociously, that he would not allow it, and that Isshin could not be permitted to live in the Kuchiki compound. Ginrei had quietly reminded the young man, that although he and Isshin had ceded over command of the sixth division and the clan to the young man, it was still Ginrei and not Byakuya who was the head of the family. True, Byakuya was now acknowledged as the clan head, but in his own personal family, it was Ginrei who ruled supreme, as long as he was alive, and Byakuya, furious, had stormed out of the house.

However, none of that was the current cause of his concern. His new concern was the knowledge that he now had a great-grandson, and one who looked too much like the son that he had lost.

It was as though the boy was Kouga reborn, and Ginrei vowed to do everything in his power to help this boy, and make up for his failure with Kouga, Byakuya's feelings be damned, this he swore.

Karin Kurosaki, on the other hand, had her own problems to deal with. A few weeks earlier, her father and her grandparents, had come to their home with another elderly woman, who looked very similar to their father, and had then delivered the news, which had shattered the young girl's life.

Karin had always got on well with her grandmother, Yoruichi, while Yuzu was closer to their father. Her brother on the other hand was closer to their grandfather, Urahara, who was always more distant with the family than the others.

Regardless of the fact, the revelation that she and her siblings were not even normal human beings had not gone down well with the girl.

She had always known that there was a lot of tension between Yoru-baachan and Ura-Jii, but the revelations that had been made that day, and the fact that she had another grandmother, her father's mother no less, Retsu-Baachan, (and she still had difficulty getting used to the name) was too much to bear for the nine-year old girl.

The fact that they were now supposed to leave this entire world itself and move to the afterlife, (she still could not believe that there was something like that) did not go down well with her, and she had stormed out of her house in anger.

"You can't be serious? You expect me to believe this? I don't want to go to some weird afterlife! I have not even lived my life yet, and you are already asking me to die? Are you crazy?" she had ranted at her father, who had for the first time in memory looked at her with anger in his face.

"It is not that we are asking you, Karin-chan," her new grandmother, Unohana, as she had called herself, spoke out softly "You are not human, despite the fact that you look like one. You are the offspring of a spiritual being, one who has been forced to live inside a human body. Despite the fact that you are unaware of it, you possess enormous spiritual power of your own, and sooner or later, it will become too much for your human body to handle and it will break down. If you are intent on staying in the mortal world, then this process will only speed up, and your human body will perish before its twenty-fifth year. Whether you like it or not, you are an immortal spiritual being, and you cannot live here in the mortal world, where your uncontrolled powers will become a danger to yourself and everyone around you," the woman had spoken softly, but Karin had for the first time felt a twinge of fear in her heart.

"That is the reason why your mother is dead today, and your brother is a shell of his former self," Isshin spoke curtly, at which both Karin and Yuzu's jaws dropped wide open, while Yoru-baa just walked out of the room with a gaunt look on her face.

"No.. You … it's not … you're lying," she spoke desperately looking around for confirmation from the others, while Ura–Jii just shook his head.

"It is true, Karin" Urahara had spoken, "Just like your father, me and Yoruichi kept Masaki from knowing from the truth, like you, and because she was unaware of it, her spiritual power grew out of control, and before we could do something to rectify it, she was attacked and killed by a hollow, the only creatures in existence that can kill spirits, and it was in that attack, that your brother was almost killed, and is now barely a shell of his former self. We don't want to repeat the mistakes that happened with your mother, so, whether you like it or not, you and Yuzu will be moving to the Soul Society."

"And what about Ichi-nii?" Yuzu asked with tears in her eyes, even as the true reason for their brother's plight became clear to both the girl's who were heartbroken at the news. Had their brother suffered so much? And how could they have not noticed it?

"His soul is still too damaged to make the trip to Soul Society, but me and Unohana-san will take care of it," Urahara replied smoothly, deciding not to inform them of the fact that, they were still unsure on how to deal with Ichigo's case, because it was certain that the moment he and Byakuya met, things would degenerate into an all out war.

"No way, if we have to go, we will all go together," Karin insisted while Unohana shook her head.

"It is not that easy Karin-chan, both you and your sister are royalty in the Soul Society; you are both princesses of two of the highest ranked noble clans of the spiritual world, and as such, they will not allow you to live in the mortal world any longer," the old woman shook her head, while the twins looked at each other in horror.

"You … you mean, we are not staying together?" Yuzu asked with a horrified squeak, while Karin stared at the woman with wide disbelieving eyes.

"No, you will be able to see each other regularly, but you will be living in different locations, as you both will have different responsibilities. Karin has been claimed as the new princess of the Shihoin clan, from your mother's side, that is Yoruichi-san's family; while Yuzu has been claimed as the new princess of the Kuchiki clan, my family, your father's side that is," Unohana concluded, with a sad look on her face, while the girl's began to tear up.

"And what about Ichi-nii? Where will he go?" Karin asked, tearing up.

"He will not be going with you yet, since his soul is still not strong enough to survive the travel to soul society, once he is healed, he will join you there," Unohana replied softly, at which Karin had ran out of the house, unable to bear it any longer.

As she was running out blindly, Karin did not notice that she had stumbled into what seemed to be an encampment for a lot of people, near the river bank, who were dressed like Samurai, not samurai, she corrected herself, they wear the same kind of dress like Unohana-baachan, they must be … shinigami.

The encampment, in fact, was the place where the ninth and thirteenth divisions of the Gotei 13 had relocated themselves to, in order to find the elusive king of hollows. After the kidnap of Soifon, the second division had been recalled, and the ninth division under the command of Kaname Tosen, had been sent instead to back the thirteenth division led by Ukitake Jushiro.

As Karin accidentally walked in, few of the members of the ninth division who were present, stopped whatever they were doing and looked at the girl, who was emitting quite a bit of Reiatsu.

One of the shinigami turned to his companions quietly, "Oi… is that human girl actually looking at us?"

"Nah … not possible, but still, better get Hisagi Fukutaicho here, just to be certain, that's quite a bit of reiatsu that she is letting out..."

Meanwhile, Karin, unaware of the danger she was in, approached them, "Hey, who are you guys and what are you doing here?"

Instantly, the men became alert and withdrew their swords, and pointed them at the little girl, who became terrified.

"How do you know of us, girl? How can you even ... see us?" one of the men asked gruffly, while Karin, taken aback at the sudden turnaround, shuffled nervously.

"What do you … mean? Why shouldn't I not ... see ... you?" she asked with a bit of defiance as the men raised their eyebrows.

"Ho … you must have quite a bit of spiritual power within you … to actually see us, yare yare … this is so troublesome," one of the men sighed, as he looked at each of his colleagues, who nodded grimly.

"Wait … spiritual power, you are shinigami, aren't you? From the Soul Society …" Karin blurted out in surprise. Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say, as the men advanced on her menacingly.

"How do you know about the Soul Society? Who are you?" one of the men asked harshly, even as he violently twisted Karin's hand and yanked her forward.

Hot tears burst out of Karin's eyes even as she winced in pain, "Wait, my grandparents are shinigami … please …," Karin began, only when the man twisted her arm even more.

"Do not lie to us girl, now tell us the truth," he growled, when one of his colleagues stopped him.

"That's enough, Kasaki, this is obviously beyond us. However, humans cannot be allowed to know about the Soul Society. You know the law, let's just kill her, and take her soul to the Seiretei," the man advised, while Karin went pale.

In desperation, she kicked with all her strength at her captor's groin, and the man buckled due to the unexpected shock and moaned in pain, while Karin used the chance to run back to her home.

"You little bitch … after her, kill her," she could hear the man's screams, and ran with all possible speed to her home, even as the men began to pursue her.

She fled towards her home, knowing that her only hope was with her family, however, a thirteen-year-old girl was no match for the hardened shinigami, who soon caught up with her. The man, Kasaki, whom she had kicked, knocked her down with a vicious backhand, and she screamed in pain as she fell down, while he advanced upon her with his sword drawn.

She closed her eyes and waited for the deathblow as the man charged at her with a yell. She waited with baited breath, for the sword to pierce her, to take her life when suddenly something wet and warm splashed on her face, while the area became saturated with screams. When she opened her eyes, she found herself mesmerized at the sight in front of her.

Standing in front of her was the one person she had never expected to see, her brother, Kurosaki Ichigo. Ichigo was wearing a black colored outfit similar to the shinigami, only difference being that his coat was long sleeved, and was nearly ankle-length in size. In his hands, was a sword similar to that of the shinigami, a standard-sized katana with a purple hilt-wrapping and a guard consisting of a circle with a pentagon-like shape in the center and three points protruding from the edges evenly spaced apart, which was covered in a slick of blood. Nevertheless, what shook her to her core was the look of intense hatred in her brother's eyes. Never before had she seen such emotion in her brother's face. It was almost as if he was radiating heat, like a living battery.

However, she soon broke out of her stupor, and gazed around, only to stifle a gasp. The entire area was awash with corpses. All the men who had chased after her were dead, being impaled upon their own weapons. She looked in horrified fascination, as her brother sheathed his sword, and turned his attention on her.

"Karin, get behind me," he spoke in an uncharacteristically strong tone, while Karin just gaped at her brother. Her father and grandparents was one thing, but her brother?

"Now … Karin," Ichigo growled, only to blink unexpectedly, as she ran full tilt into him, and hugged him deeply, burying her face in his chest, even as she began to weep uncontrollably.

For a second, Ichigo hesitated, even as he softly ruffled her hair, as he whispered, "it's all right, I am here, as long as I am here, nothing will happen to you," he continued to console the child, even as she shuddered.

Suddenly, their reverie was broken as a multitude of voices could be heard.

"Over there…"

"We found them …,"

A group of ninth division shinigami appeared with a pronounced flash in the area, and after taking one look at the corpses of their comrades, they unsheathed their zanpakuto in unison.

Instantly, Karin moved behind her brother, and watched fearfully as the men began to advance towards them.

Suddenly, she felt it again, it appeared as if her brother was becoming hotter every second, and she could even see the faint outline of a blue colored glimmer, surrounding her brother.

She couldn't also help but notice, that whatever her brother had done, had frozen their attackers in their place, who were … were they looking at her brother with … fear?

"Leave…," Ichigo growled, even as the men flinched in shock at seeing such Reiatsu emerging from the strange boy.

"Leave now," Ichigo commanded again, as he glared at them, "leave now and I will spare your lives, if not …," he warned, and just as it seemed that they were about to obey him, they stopped as a new voice came out quietly, "It's not the place of a mere Ryoka to command us."

As one, the shinigami parted, to allow the newcomer to come forward, while one of the men whispered, "Hisagi-fukutaicho."

Shuuhei Hisagi, the lieutenant of squad 9, stiffened as he looked at the Ryoka, and the little girl behind him, and as his gaze fell upon the corpses of his squad members, they hardened, even as his blade slid effortlessly out of its sheath.

"Karin, get behind me, but stay within my line of sight," Ichigo ordered his sister, even as she hastened to obey her brother.

The very next second, Hisagi struck, and both he and Ichigo vanished in a blur. Attack, defend, counterattack, dodge, the two of them clashed and broke apart in a dance that anyone less powerful than a lieutenant couldn't even begin to follow.

However, after a few seconds, it all ended, at which Hisagi was left standing near his people, bleeding profusely from a multitude of injuries, and panting to stay upright, while Ichigo stood alone, unscathed, and apparently, not even winded.

"You … are strong, very strong," Hisagi gasped, even as he forced his blade into his hands, "but for the sake of the ninth division, I cannot lose, I will not lose …," the young lieutenant took a step forward, when a new voice interrupted, "Hisagi-kun, stay back."

"Tosen-taicho," Hisagi whispered, even as the captain of the ninth squad, Kaname Tosen walked in. Wearing his trademark visor, and his dreadlocked hair in a ponytail, the captain of the ninth squad, walked in, even as he assessed the situation.

Ichigo stiffened, as he had not expected to encounter one of Aizen's lieutenants so early. Tosen, of course, was no threat to him. Nevertheless, he needed to decide on his course of action now, because he did not wish to alert Aizen about his true capabilities yet, unnecessarily, but then again, he had valid cause, and such a chance to get rid of one of Aizen's lieutenants without any repercussions would not come again.

Fortunately for him, Tosen made that decision himself as he unsheathed his zanpakuto and walked forward, unaware of the true nature of the foe he was facing.

"I am very sensitive to the smell of blood you know," Tosen continued, as he gazed at his lieutenant, even as he moved forward, "besides, you are no match for this boy in your current condition," he muttered as he withdrew his zanpakuto and settled into an Iai stance, while Ichigo prepared himself.

"Let's go," he whispered as he stepped seamlessly into Shunpo, and charged at the boy.

What happened next, would be etched forever in Soul society's history as one of its greatest upsets.

As Tosen rapidly approached his enemy, for a second, he could not feel his opponent's Reiatsu at all. He had felt the boy, when he was fighting his lieutenant, and his Reiatsu was higher than Hisagi's no doubt, but it was not equal to that of a captain, and now it appeared that he had expended it all, while fighting his lieutenant.

As he flashed in front of the boy, he swung his blade in a horizontal strike, intending to decapitate the boy in one strike, only to freeze when the boy caught his zanpakuto, within his bare hand, eliciting a horrified gasp from all the shinigami who were present.

Impossible! He caught my blade, mine! Dodging it, I could understand, though he shouldn't even be able to see me move at that speed in the first place, but he actually stopped my blade! Even so, dodging it, I could understand … but this…

Tosen was so lost in his thoughts due to his shock, that he couldn't react to what happened next, and neither could his subordinates, who were in the same state of shock as him.

Before any of the shinigami could recover from their shock, Ichigo cleanly snapped Tosen's zanpakuto in half with his bare hand, and before the man could react, he forcibly plunged the broken foot-long blade in his hand into Tosen's forehead to the hilt.

Instantly, Kaname Tosen's eyes widened in shock, even as his broken blade fell from his hand, while his body shuddered for a second before going limp, as he crashed down.

He did not get up again.