The bald man found the other two standing among the ruins of the old town in the human world. They were both Shinigami; captain and lieutenant of the 5th Division. The captain was a tall man with long purple hair that went down his back and hung over his shoulders in the front. He had long bangs that curled over his left eye, and he had a large white rose pinned in his hair. He had a very effeminate face, and his bright red lips and rosy cheeks against his snow-white skin gave him a porcelain-doll appearance. He wore a variation of the standard captain's garb: instead of the standard black kosode, he wore an elegant, cream-colored silk cloak, with the captain haori over that, and he wore a soft-pink shawl over his shoulders. His ruby-red eyes sparkled when he saw the bald man approaching. "Ah, yes, DiAnglez Spenzir," he said in a soft voice, gliding over to the bald man and flashing a dazzling smile. "My most favorite arrancar has arrived!"

"That can't say much, coming from a Shinigami," the bald man replied.

"You wound me, you devil," the captain said with a gasp. He slapped the arrancar coyly on the chest. "Tell me you have come for more than just to insult."

DiAnglez sighed. This Shinigami's strange mannerisms always irritated and confused him. "I am here to update you both on the plan. If you had just met us all at Hueco Mundo-"

The effeminate man gave a posh laugh, covering his mouth with one hand. "Oh, heavens no! What all that sand would do to my skin, my oh my…" He waved a hand in the air dismissively. "No, no, it's much easier for you to just meet us here. On top of that, I think that shark lass has it out for me."

"Very well then…" the bald arrancar muttered. And yet you're fine meeting in this wasteland instead?

The captain turned to his lieutenant, who was pocking around in the rubble of an old building. "Benjiro, dear," he called. "Come now. DiAnglez has news for us."

The lieutenant snapped out of his world and jumped up with a start. "Oh! Yes, Captain," he said, moving over to join the two. He was a short boy with square red-rimmed spectacles that sat at the tip of his nose no matter how many times he tried to push them back. His cheeks were dotted with freckles, and his hazel eyes looked at everything with a constant curiosity, although when his gaze fell on the arrancar it changed to a look of contempt. He had short dirty blonde hair that was longer in the back and spiked up in the front, and the tips were dyed orange. He wore the standard Shinigami garb, but he also had a long orange scarf wrapped around his neck, and red earmuffs hooked on one shoulder. "What's the word from Mu?"

"Lord Mu, boy." The arrancar slanted his gaze. "Do not forget your place."

"I know my place. He's not our Lord," the lieutenant snapped back.

"Boys, boys, please," the captain moved between the two. "We are comrades; we should not be fighting amongst ourselves!" He turned to his subordinate. "Bejiro, please grant our guest the courtesies he desires."

"Yes, Captain," the young lieutenant said as he looked to his feet.

"Now then," the arrancar cleared his throat. He unzipped his collar, revealing the Hollow hole in the middle of his neck. "We are going to make our move soon. Captain Masato Kenrokuen, Lord Mu wishes for you and Lieutenant Benjiro Natsumi to assist him back at the base."

The captain looked mortified. "DiAnglez, did I not just explain to you the deleterious effects that course sand will have on my soft, delicate skin?" He looked close to fainting as he dramatically covered his eyes with the back of a hand. "I am not a beach-faring individual!"

"Captain, actually I think sand is good for skin," Benjiro cut in. "It helps to exfoliate. The only negative effects to your skin come from the salt water, which dries out your pores."

"And there is no ocean in Hueco Mundo, I can promise you that," DiAnglez said with a gruff sigh.

This caused the captain's expression to change. "…Really? Exfoliate, you say?" he said. His face instantly lit up. "Oh my, yes! Yes, that is positively splendid!" He took DiAnglez's hands in his own. He had purple-painted nails, and his hands were soft and warm to the tough. It made DiAnglez want to vomit. "Alright, we'll do it! When do we leave?"

The arrancar slowly removed his hands from the unwanted grasp. "Immediately. Make up whatever excuse you need to tell the Gotei 13 and head out."

Masato giggled. "What's left of the Gotei 13, anyway… But yes, let Lord Mu know we will be there within the day."

"See that you are," the arrancar turned to leave.

"Wait," Benjiro stepped forward. "What will you arrancar be doing? Why aren't you assisting Lord Mu in Hueco Mundo?" The "Lord" came out incredibly sarcastic.

The tone did not faze the arrancar. "We have been tasked with seeking out targets in the world of the living and await further instruction."

"How do you plan on going there without anyone sensing your presence while not with Lord Mu?"

"Kisuke Urahara has been kind enough to create special gigai for us that will allow us to go undercover."

"Do we have Kisuke Urahara in our possession, currently?" Captain Kenrokuen chimed in, suddenly interested.

"He is held captive at the base." The arrancar replied.

"Good." A dark smile crept across the captain's face. "We will be there soon."

As the arrancar departed, Benjiro turned to his captain. "Captain Kenrokuen, should we really be siding with them?" he said worriedly, chewing on this thumb. "I don't trust them."

"Neither do I, my dear," the captain replied, placing a hand on his lieutenant's shoulder. "But this is the wisest decision. In this world, the way things are now, power is everything. Aizen showed us that fact the hard way." He gestured around them to the wreckage of the town. "The only way to get ahead is to be strong. And if we side with this Mu character we can each become stronger than all the Gotei 13 put together. Which isn't saying much these days… But you get my meaning. "

"Yes, Captain," Benjiro did not seem convinced.

"You'll see, Benjiro. But for now, let's go along with their plan. It will be nice to leave this dreadful place." He began to daintily glide along the rubble of the city over to a clearing. "Benjiro, be a good child and open the Senkaimon."

"Right away, Captain," the lieutenant dutifully began to follow his captain over to the clearing. His foot caught on something in the wreckage, and he tripped.

His captain gasped. "Oh my!" he cried out, covering his mouth with his hands.

"I'm alright…" Benjiro grumbled, climbing to his feet and looking at what he tripped over. It was an old worn sign. He could barely make out the writing because it was covered by building debris. He lifted some of the rubble away. "Ku…ro…sa…ki," the lieutenant read. "Kurosaki Clinic. So this was a doctor's office?"

"Yes," Captain Kenrokuen was suddenly behind his subordinate. "But it was destroyed along with everything else when Aizen and his forces invaded Karakura Town. Two of the Kurosakis were Shinigami, didn't you know?"

"I had heard, yes," Benjiro replied. "Former Captain of the 10th Division Isshin Kurosaki and Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki, right?"

"Correct, my dear. But they both died in the battle. I had heard they were both very strong, especially Ichigo Kurosaki. They say he was the only one who could go toe-to-toe with Aizen on the battlefield, and yet even he fell."

"…I see," Benjiro's expression changed. "I think I understand now what you mean now."

Masato smiled. "I'm glad. Now, please, let us depart."

Benjiro unsheathed his Zanpakutō, a standard katana with a diamond-shaped guard and a sun charm tied to the end of the hilt. He stabbed the air, and the shōji formed in front of them. They both stepped inside, and the doors closed and vanished.

Hi! BlackShenlong here! I updated again before the week was over! I've just been REALLY inspired lately. All my ideas are falling into place, which is a great feeling. So this is another build-up chapter. But the action will really start to come within the next 2 chapters. I hope you all enjoy this!

I'm also thinking about doing a biography on all my OCs once the story is over, so just let me know if you would be interested in that or not. I will let you all know that DiAnglez Spenzir is pronounced D-On-Glaze Spin-zir (like sir, with a z). Thanks for reading!