It had been three hours since Orihime's and Uzume's training started. He could tell that they were running on fumes, but having Yoruichi as an instructor made that fact obsolete. If she knew you had more in the tank she would keep pushing until you burned out and if you tried to hold back she would punish you severely for it. He was thankful that his dad and Geta-Boshi stopped him from interfering, he knew this is what they needed.

Watching his former pupil observe the training intensely, he could admit that he was proud of him. He knew it took enormous restraint from Ichigo to sit and watch. On several occasions he noted slight twitches from the young man, where he was actually going to jump down to protect his sekirei.

"I'm glad that you listened to reason and are letting them train uninterrupted." Urahara stated while taking a seat next to the orange haired warrior.

"Tch, it's not like you and Goat-Chin gave me much of a choice now did you?" he replied back casually. They may have had experience on him, but he still managed to kick their asses. It wasn't easy by any means, Isshin was built like a brick wall and a glutton for punishment, while Urahara's precision and elusiveness made him almost impossible to land a hit on. Together they were an incredibly efficient team. When you tried to fight Isshin with strength, the shop keep would pick you apart. Try and lay back to focus on Urahara and you had a bull hot on your heels.

"I guess we didn't." he chuckled back, "You didn't have to be so rough though, I think you may have broken your father's leg."

"He'll be fine." Ichigo shrugged before stiffening as Uzume cried out.

"Calm down, right now they need you to have confidence in them and be there to support them." The eccentric man stated putting a hand on his shoulder in comfort. "Just as you can feel their fear, I'm sure they can also feel yours. It won't help them to advance. If they know you have confidence in them they will push themselves harder and gain their own."

"Yeah you're right as usual asshole. Where is my old man anyway?"

"Not usually Ichigo, I am always right!" Kisuke replied back dodging a swipe from his companion. "Isshin left a little while ago to check up on your sisters and fix his leg."

Falling into a comfortable banter with Urahara always put him at ease. It was short lived though as the phone in the blonde haired man's pocket started to ring. Pulling it out the man gained a thoughtful expression, before turning back to his student.

"It seems MBI sent someone to keep an eye on you Ichigo. Don't worry though they will never be able to track you down here. Minaka does know about my shop though, so it's only logical that they would check here." He mused while rubbing his chin in thought. It was a risky move by the game master, to offer Ichigo space while trying to keep him on a leash at the same time. He could see the gears turning in his apprentices' eyes, he knew he was pissed.

"Oi Geta-Boshi, I'm going to need you to look into something for me."

"Would it happen to be the problem of the Sekirei dying if Minaka does?" He replied back knowingly. He had already looked into it of course, but was unable to find a definitive answer.

Seeing as Kisuke knew what he wanted he dropped down the rock face they were perched on. Walking up to his sekirei, who were collapsed on the ground taking a quick breather, he kneeled next to them.

"You two are doing great. I'm going to leave for a little bit, keep listening to Yoruichi and I will see ya when I get back." He reassured moving the sweat dampened bangs out of the brunette's eyes.

"Y-you're a damn sadist! What are you trying to teach us!? How to get our asses handed to us repeatedly!" she screeched out bating her ashikabi's hand away from her head.

Not taking offence to her reaction he just turned his sights on his other girl. Orihime didn't even seem to notice that he was there. She just seemed to be content laying completely still with her eyes closed. Laying his hand on her cheek, he offered her a smile when she opened her eyes. Just like with Uzume she seemed to rebuke his touch.

She admonished herself for jerking away from Ichigo, but three hours of being slammed around left her wary of others. Unlike Uzume she knew that this training was going to be intense, after the war she often watched her ashikabi train with Yoruichi. Pushing herself up in a seated position with a slight groan, she snagged his hand before he pulled it away. She was happy to see him smile at her actions.

"Where are you going?" she asked pulling him down next to her. She knew he was trying to be evasive and leave something out.

Looking her in the eye he knew that she already figured out that something important had come up. Readjusting himself into a more comfortable position, he decided to tell them.

"The idiot sent some people to Karakura, probably to spy on us. I'm just going to see what exactly it is that they want." Seeing the healer start to stand, he gently put a hand on her shoulder to keep her in place. "Not this time Orihime, I can handle this on my own. Plus from the looks of it, Yoruichi is not through with you guys yet."

Hearing both of them groan at his statement he inwardly laughed. He could definitely remember all the times he made the same sound training under Yoruichi's dictatorship. Stealing a glance at Uzume he was glad that she wasn't still being standoffish and crawled her way towards the other two.

She wasn't overly surprised to hear that Minaka sent someone to keep an eye on them. Unless she missed her guess it could only be the discipline squad. She might have been scared to death of them, but she could tell by her ashikabi's demeanor that he could give a fuck less. If anything he seemed more pissed at Minaka than the potential danger they presented.

"Just be careful Ichigo, I know you're strong, but they tend to gang up on others." She warned. She had witnessed first-hand the ruthlessness of the trio. Not long after she helped Matsu escape she had a run in with them. It was only sheer luck that she managed to get away from them alive. Receiving a nod in reply she watched him stand and start walking away. She was going to say more until she was interrupted by the tyrant that was her new sensei.

"Alright you two off your asses! You've rested long enough! I'm going to be generous and give you a hint you need to work on your team-work if you want to land a hit on me! Today's training doesn't end until you accomplish that!" With her challenge made the flash goddess disappeared grabbing Orihime and tossing her into Uzume.

Climbing up the stairs he felt his worry being slowly replaced by pride. 'If they can make it through her training not many will be able to challenge them.'

"Finally done comforting your girlfriends? Well I would say that it is about time that you got your ass out there and welcomed our guests. From what I can tell their down by the river not far from here." Kisuke instructed while staring at the screen on his cell phone. He was half tempted to go himself, but he wanted to be on guard to delay any others that may pop up, be it hollow or shinigami.

Seeing him fiddling with his phone gave Ichigo the idea to make his own call. Walking out of the shop he hit the send button. He really hated talking to this man, he just knew it would give him a headache. Just like before a live feed connected, prompting a face palm from the hybrid. This time instead of a fan Minaka was wearing a pure white bucket hat. He was unsure if it was the man's attempt at humor, to piss him off, or if he was just trying to get into a similar state of mind as Kisuke. Either way it made him look ridiculous (well even more so).

"What the hell are you wearing that for? You look like a complete ass."

"Really? I thought I was pulling it off quite nicely! I wonder if you insult your friend the same way, you're incredibly rude you know?" He replied pulling a fan from his inner pocket. He was right about the fan he found it incredibly entertaining to add into his usual antics. The fact that it bothered Takami and Kurosaki was just a bonus in his opinion.

"Trust me I tell him he looks like a dumbass all the time, he just chooses not to believe me. I'm sure you are aware of my reason for calling you. Can you explain to me why there are three other Sekirei in Karakura?" He asked with an angered edge to his voice.

"They're there for surveillance of course! When I agreed that you were free to leave as you pleased, I never said you would be without a chaperone or chaperones in this case." The game keeper replied in an even voice. He mentally scoffed at the idea of this child thinking he could do as he pleased. 'This is my game and even with this anomaly it will proceed as planned!' He knew taking Ichigo on in a physical sense was suicide and beating him mentally wouldn't be that hard if he could get Urahara out of the way. So he sent Karasuba and her lackeys to get some useful information from the town. He wanted to go himself, but the prospect of meeting the powerhouse face to face made it unappealing.

"I'm giving you the option to pull them out or have their heads on pikes placed in front of Teito Tower. As Kisuke already said Karakura is off-limits to you and MBI." This was no mere passing threat, he was dead serious. 'This town has been the host of enough battles. I refuse to let another one ensue.'

"Hmm I will think about it. Can I ask why that town is under such heavy protection and do you really think you can force MBI to do anything you see fit?" He answered back just as sharply. He came to terms with his physical might, but if he thought that MBI was going to bend to his every beck and call he had another thing coming.

"Politically probably not, but I will bring that tower down on top of you if you refuse to curb your curiosity." Ichigo returned with narrowed eyes. He knew it was a semi-bluff and there was no way for him to do that without drawing unwanted attention.

"I think your bluffing!" he sing songed at him. "I think whoever you work for would be upset if you were to cause that kind of damage!"

"You'd be surprised at the lengths they would go to stop a threat. Last chance before I go eradicate your dogs." He warned. He really didn't feel like killing a sekirei if they were like the ones he's met so far, but for the safety of Karakura he wouldn't think twice about it.

"It's going to be harder than you would think. They are extremely eager to meet you after your last visit to Teito Tower, Karasuba especially. I will make the call if you do me a favor and at least go meet them." He knew that he had Natsuo lined up to be their ashikabi, but if they reacted to Kurosaki things would get extremely interesting.

"Fine, no need to give me their location I know where they are." Hanging up on the so called genius he casually made his way towards the river.

"How the hell are we supposed to find them!? That asshole Minaka didn't give us jack shit for information!" The Red Sekirei complained. Honestly she didn't give a fuck about this Kurosaki guy or anything else that Minaka wanted. Beating on Minaka didn't exactly impress her, 'Like pounding on that pansy is hard!'

"Maybe if we started a commotion he would come find us?" Haihane considered out loud. It was a solid plan in her opinion. She kind of wanted to see what all the fuss was about this man, 'Hell he's even peeked Karasubas' interest.'

"I don't think that will be necessary. From the way Minaka makes him sound he probably already knows that we are here." Karasuba replied running a hand through her grey hair. 'This asshole better be worth the hassle!' she pondered while taking a seat on the embankment near the river. Watching her subordinates follow her lead, she sighed taking in Haihane's appearance. While she knew that she wasn't low key carrying a sword, she could somewhat blend in. The Blue Sekirei on the other hand stuck out like a sore thumb, people were always wary of a person wearing giant claws and a choker. 'At least Benitsubasa can pass as normal.' Seeing a mop of orange hair crossing the bridge she smiled to herself, there was no doubt who that unique head of hair belonged to. Standing up and brushing the grass from her haori, she caught the questioning glances from her two companions. Pointing her sword to the bridge she answered them.

"Told ya he already knew we were here. Not even in town an hour and he picked up our presence."

The other two were slightly intrigued by the note of happiness in their superior's statement. Getting a better look at the man as he made his way towards them, they both could admit that his presence was intimidating. The way he moved screamed confidence and indomitability.

"I already spoke with the idiot and he informed that you would be leaving here soon." He announced as he got close enough to the trio. Hearing a snicker at his comment he turned his attention to the source of the laughter. Taking in her appearance he couldn't help but comment.

"Well aren't you a grim looking sekirei? Definitely intimidating in appearance." Seeing her smile he continued, "You seem to have a pretty upbeat attitude though. That's quite the contradiction." He finished stuffing his hands in his pockets taking a casual stance.

"We never received an order like that and don't think we are going to take orders from some monkey!" Benitsubasa barked out. In her mind it was decided she was going to kick this guy's ass, his blasé attitude was infuriating. Seeing him tilt his head to the side questioningly she asked.

"WHAT! Why are you looking at me like you're mentally challenged?!"

"I was just confused am I the monkey or Minaka?" rubbing his chin in thought he continued, "Last time I seen him he was more like a scared puppy than a monkey, but whatever you want to call him is fine." He finished shrugging his shoulders. He laughed internally when rage started playing across her face. At times like this he didn't mind taking a few tricks from Kisuke, getting under peoples skin was always entertaining.

"YOU'RE BOTH FUCKING MONKEYS! EVERYONE IN YOUR DAMN SPECIES ARE MONKEYS COMPARED TO US!" she roared losing her patience she charged forward intending to crush the man's sternum for his cheeky banter. Feeling the impact she was confused by it. She knew she hit him hard enough to shatter bones, but he didn't even budge. Tilting her head up, she stared at the unimpressed look in his eyes.

"Don't do that again. This town is not a part of the game and I will not allow fighting here." He stated in a tone that left no room for argument. Feeling the pinkette's reiatsu rise in preparation for attack he scowled.

"Extreme Qua…" she started one of her signature attacks only to be cut off by a hand gripping her wrist before it connected with the ground. Slightly wincing as the bones in her wrist creaked in strain, nearing there breaking point. Looking up again she was met with a look that conveyed only death and a painful one at that. Looking to the others with her for help she scowled, Haihane looked ready to laugh at her and Karasuba looked on in intrigue.

"You don't listen for shit do you? I feel sorry for the poor bastard that wings you, sure you're pretty but your personality is complete shit." He stated letting go of her wrist making her stumble back slightly.

"Aww, you hear that he thinks you're pretty even with that wash board chest of yours!" the blue sekirei teased. Even though she was slightly disappointed she didn't react to him, she still found him very entertaining. Teasing Benitsubasa definitely gave him high marks in her book. Looking at their leader she noticed her putting her phone away.

Watching her subordinates interact with Kurosaki made her sigh. She missed what was said after taking the phone call, but judging by the pissed off look on Benitsubasa's face and Haihane's laughter she could piece it together. 'Seems those two are only serious when the mission pertains to tracking down and killing other sekirei.'

"Seems that Kurosaki-San was right. That was Minaka he wants us back in the capital by nightfall. You two are heading back right now though, I will meet you back at Teito Tower." She knew she was disobeying Minaka, but she honestly didn't give a shit. The object of her obsession was standing right in front of her and she wasn't leaving without a fight.

"That's bullshit we just got her…" their complaint died in their throats catching the deadly glare the older woman was shooting at them. Combined they might have a chance against her, but with the other person there they didn't want to chance drawing his wrath as well. Without another word they just turned and started walking back to the train station. Each had their own thoughts about their first meeting with the highly touted Kurosaki.

'He is an asshole, but he is incredibly strong. I can't believe he could stop my attacks so easily.'

'He lives up to the hype, the look on Benitsubasa's face was priceless when he stopped her attack.'

Watching her teammates disappear into the distance she turned back to Ichigo.

"Unlike those two I'm not leaving without a fight!" she exclaimed drawing her sword, pure bloodlust lite up her eyes. She was startled when he didn't react at all and even more startled by the question he asked.

"Are you the one that saved Orihime after her fight in the park?" receiving a nod he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He motioned for her to follow him while thinking, 'By the look in her eyes I have to fight her. She's not like Miya though, I don't think a spar will do the trick. I don't feel right about killing her after she helped Orihime.' "Well I guess I should thank you then."

"If you want to thank me quit running your mouth and fight!" she snapped back.

Closing his eyes he made his decision. She would get her fight, but not here. Snapping his fingers he opened a garganta under the bridge away from prying eyes.

"If that's what you want Alice, follow me down the rabbit hole."

-Shinto Teito-

His life had officially gone out of control. After failing the college entrance exam for the second time, he was left with only one option he had to find work or go back home. If that wasn't bad enough he had a beautiful girl crash into him from out of the sky. He actual didn't mind that the more he thought about it, what he did mind was being chased all over by some girls in bondage outfits trying to fry his ass with lightning. He didn't have a clue what was going on when he woke up with the busty brunette named Musubi half-naked in his apartment. After a second run in with the lightning twins is when his mind started to crash. Musubi seemed to be struggling to catch her breath before kissing him. He nearly fainted when light pink wings erupted from her back. After watching her fight off the two aggressive females he was at a loss for words at her strength.

'Ashikabi that's what she called me. I have no clue what's going on yet, but I really don't want to talk to Minaka again. Especially after he threatened me if I exposed the Sekirei Plan.' The very thought of that man sent a shiver shooting down his spine. Hearing a knock at the door he quickly answered it and almost shut it just as fast. The man looked like a stereotypical henchman from MBI with his dark glasses, cheap suit, and earpiece in his ear. He started to plead his innocence when the man just roughly shoved a box in his hands before leaving.

"I knew you had a girl living here Sahashi-San!" came the accusatory voice of the land lord. Not stopping to let him justify his actions he continued. "I expect you to move out immediately, this place is for singles only!"

He almost wanted to cry at his luck for being so shitty. Watching the short bald bastard walk back down the stairs is when he felt a soft comforting hand grip his shoulder. His mood started to brighten at the smile and optimistic look etched into Musubi's face. 'I can do this! I will find a place for us to stay together.' He thought trying to strengthen his resolve.

-Teito Tower-

Minaka couldn't help the amusement at intimidating his illegitimate son. In his opinion the boy was all potential with no follow through. 'Maybe being a part of this will give him that push he needs to realize his greatness.' Using this unexpected occurrence to distract himself from the anger he felt about being ignored by the leader of the punishment squad. 'Ever since that damn Kurosaki arrived they are becoming even more insubordinate with each passing day!' To further prompt his anger she was refusing to answer her phone. He was going to try Kurosaki but decided against it, 'I would seem weak if I couldn't even control my employee's.' So there he sat spying on Minato like a creepy bastard, he almost wanted to give the boy a helping hand. He justified that he wouldn't need one, after all Musubi had a MBI credit card with no limit. 'It seems that she has forgotten about it though. Her and number 90 could be two peas in a pod.' He contemplated after witnessing Orihime's rather eccentric behavior and Musubi's extreme naivety. Standing up from his desk he strolled onto the terrace. He felt like a king when he watched over the city from up here.

"Let me tell you a story from a long, long time ago. Gods and goddesses lived in a place called Takama-Ga-Hara. One day a ship with the Gods' treasures came down to earth, and the ship was called Ama-no-Iwafune. But it's an old story. A faded myth not even written in the ancient history books. But the new legend has already begun! One hundred and eight Sekirei have been let out. Sekireis must fight each other for the Ashikabi whom they choose for themselves! And the last remaining one leads their ashikabi to the higher sky above, and grasps the fate of the world! Now let's begin the new legend, a lovely war chronicle, and a miraculous love story!" He decreed for all to hear, overwhelmed with excitement.

Looking at the man before her she contemplated on kicking his crazy ass off the roof. To say that she was less than pleased that her son had gotten himself caught up in this mess would be an understatement. Of course in her foul mood she had to walk in on Minaka rambling insanely to himself.

"Will you shut the hell up!? I want you to pull Minato out of this game now!" she screamed clocking him over the head nearly knocking him off the building anyway.

"No can do Takami dear! Once he has been marked as an ashikabi he is bound to the game!" he replied while climbing back up the ledge.

"You offered Kurosaki a chance to leave, why can't you offer one to Minato as well?" she asked composing herself.

"What I offered him was nothing more than an empty promise. In all reality I never was going to let him walk away. I just wanted to gauge his reaction is all." He finished in a calculating voice.

"Why are you going out of your way to provoke reactions from him? What if he finds out who Minato's father is and tries to hurt him to get to you?" she asked with concern in her voice. She was also keeping a track of Minato through the satellite feed, when his crazy sekirei jumped in the air with him she panicked. Sekirei may be extremely agile, but they definitely can't fly. She was relieved when he landed safely, even though it was a little rough. Taking note of where he landed her panic started to rise, of all places he landed at Maison Izumo. She wouldn't have minded if Kurosaki also didn't reside there, earlier that morning she erased the footage of his and Miya's spar. Hoping to get Minato out of danger she called Kagari, before coming to negotiate with her estranged lover. Her mind was made up, if Minaka wouldn't help she would and first she needed to get close to Ichigo. 'Originally I erased the spar to keep his strength hidden away from Minaka. Now I need to find a way to convince him to protect Minato without revealing who his father is.' This whole sekirei business was a never ending source of migraines for her.

"He interests me is all, maybe more than the Sekirei themselves. I wouldn't worry about Minato, his weak disposition seems to put him in the same category as a person he's likely to protect." He replied waving a hand at her dismissively. He really didn't care for his son's safety all that much, to be truthful he viewed him as kind of a disappointment. 'He would be so much better if he had the determination of his sister Yukari.'

Clenching her hands in anger she stopped herself from lashing out at the infuriating man. She has had just about enough of his bashing on Minato. It wasn't the boy's fault that he never had a decent father figure to look up to. She did what she could, but she was sort of an absentee mother as well, constantly putting work above all else. Even with his flaws she could see that her son was going to be a great man someday, she just wanted him to live to see that day.

"Well it's a good thing that he just moved into Maison Izumo then. After all who knows what you have planned for this game, being around number 01 and Kurosaki might be quite helpful to him." Takami replied disguising her fear perfectly.

"Now that is going to be entertaining! I'm going to have to keep an eye on them for sure now!" He cheered.

-Karakura Urahara Shoten-

Pacing his shop much to Yoruichi's annoyance, the geta clad man was pissed. He figured Ichigo would be smarter than what he had done. After giving up on running interference he followed Ichigo to the river. He wasn't all that surprise when a fight almost broke out, he outright laughed when Ichigo taunted the pink haired girl. What surprised him and pissed him off was when he revealed his garganta to the silver haired woman. 'No way around he is going to have to kill her now to keep his secret.' That was nearly two hours ago, the girls were freaking out and wouldn't sit still long enough for Tessai to bind their wounds. He eventually had to resort to slipping them sleeping pills in their tea to keep them put. He knew there was no way he went to the Seireitei and he didn't pick up any trace of that sekirei in Shinto Teito last time he looked. That only left one place 'Hueco Mundo' he thought disappointedly. There was only one reason he went there and that was to cut loose. He had hoped after their spar he would have been satisfied for a while, 'but with all that power coursing through him he probably needs to vent some of it.' this could get very dangerous for everyone if Minaka were to find out about Soul Society and Shinigami. The man's curiosity was on par with Kisuke's when it came to thirst for knowledge. Deciding to stop pacing after several pointed glares from Yoruichi, he sat across from her at the table.

"What the fuck was he thinking? I thought he was getting less impulsive, it seems his natural instincts for battle are deeper than we thought." He stated looking at his longtime friend for conversation.

"You knew this was going to happen eventually when he joined this game. The first time you picked up strong reiatsu readings from them, you knew he would be drawn to battle. It's the way he's made after all." She replied back in a bored tone. Over the years she had come to be able to predict Ichigo with a frightening accuracy. She always figured it was from all the time they spent sparring together. She was at a point now where she could predict he's moves way in advance, 'still knowing what's coming and stopping it are two different things.' She thought with a chuckle, 'That boy is a pure monster in stamina and juggernaut when it comes to punishment.' Seeing Kisuke's computer light up with a message they both turned to it expectantly.

"Hello Urahara-San and Shihoin-San I…"

"No need to be so formal Jushiro, what can we do for you?" Yoruichi asked after interrupting him. She really wasn't big on being addressed formally.

"Right of course, I was just wondering why I'm getting reports of massive unidentifiable energy surges in Hueco Mundo from the Twelfth Division." He answered getting right to the point. If Ichigo was on a rampage he wanted to know so he could do some damage control.

"Officially Ichigo is practicing on some new techniques. Unofficially he was challenged to a fight by a rather strong Sekirei so he moved it to a safe place." Kisuke replied back absently fanning himself.

"Well that certainly is troubling. How strong would you say his opponent is?"

"Can't say for sure from what I felt she could be a Fuku-Taicho. From what I seen her and Zaraki would make a fine pair." Sipping his tea he studied the man on the screen. While he trusted Jushiro to keep his word, he knew if a threat revealed itself though he wouldn't keep a secret. He didn't look down on him for it, after all Jushiro took pride in keeping people safe.

"Is this going to be a future problem?" he inquired nonchalantly. He was hoping that it didn't turn into anything more, then what it already was.

"I wouldn't worry if I was you. Ichigo has the situation under control. Besides he has me helping him what could go wrong!?" he finished with a big smile.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Ukitake deadpanned. He liked Kisuke he truly did, but the man had the knack of causing chaos. 'And combined with Ichigo I can't imagine the hell the will raise.'

"So mean Jushiro, I will let Ichigo know you called bye-bye." He quickly shot out disconnecting the call.

"Well that didn't go so bad!"

"You're an idiot."

-Hueco Mundo-

Stepping out of the portal the Black Sekirei was wide eyed at the landscape around her. The empty desert cried despair, the moonlit dunes rolled on into eternal nothingness, and off in the distance she could see two creatures tearing each other to shreds. For some reason she felt right at home here and that made a small smile cross her face.

"So you ready to die? Don't think your little trick was enough to scare me." She provoked. Her blood was screaming for battle and this waste land was a dream atmosphere for a mêlée. Taking in his appearance she was a little disappointed that she didn't see a weapon on him.

"What no weapon, do you think you can take me bare handed Kurosaki-San?" she mocked.

"You know I'm getting sick off all the arrogance I keep encountering lately. Miya said something similar before she was looking up at me from the flat of her back." He replied while rolling his neck getting a satisfying pop. 'Still a little sore from earlier. Shouldn't be a problem though.' Summoning Tensa Zangetsu to add a little flash to his speech he drove it into the sand. "and to answer your question I have a weapon. The real question is are you strong enough to make me use it."

Enraged by the man before her, she wanted nothing more than to make him see his insides as she pulled them out. 'He's just bluffing there is no way this monkey beat Miya in any sort of combat.'

"You're lying there's no way you beat Miya, I bet you don't even know how to use that blade!" she responded in rage.

She went wide eyed as he pulled the ebony blade and with a mere practice swing made the landscape buckle under his might. She sighed a bit in relief when he placed it back in its resting position. Staring at him intently and seeing him charge a red ball on his fingertip had her curious, but also apprehensive. Everything turned into confusion when he pointed away from her and released the energy. Fear, primal and unforgiving fear raced through her body as she seen the trench his effortless attack carved through the sand. Making it even worse was when it wiped out ten masked monsters that were charging at them, leaving nothing but ash in its wake.

"You have to focus on more than me here. There are hundreds of beings that would love to take a bite out of you around. Enough talk though let's get started." He finished charging at her.

Dodging a quick slash from her, he delivered a bone jarring punch to her stomach sending her reeling backwards. He was a little disappointed in her at the moment, if she wasn't going to be a problem he would've stayed in Karakura. Watching her pick up the pace like Miya he smirked. 'Well at least she has some speed on her side.' Weaving in and out of her slashes he was impressed by her technique, she was far from an amateur. Once again spotting an opening he kicked her in the head sending her rolling through the gritty sand. Not letting her breathe he sent a Bala at her, slightly impressed when she managed to dodge it. Seeing a hollow sneak up behind her he shunpoed to her back, grabbing the hand she held her sword in he spun them both around slicing through its mask together.

She was in complete shock when they killed the hollow together. It was beyond her comprehension as to why he would do that. She could ask him later as he was choking out his last breaths under her blade. Feigning a frontal assault she changed directions with a burst of speed. She smiled when it worked and she landed a blow to his forearm. Much to her dismay it only left a small gash instead of severing the limb completely. Looking in his eyes as they were set ablaze by the sight of his own blood, one thought crossed her mind 'I'm fucked!'

Sure enough she was correct as he blitzed at her quicker than she could comprehend. She was getting battered around like a cat toying with a mouse. A swift uppercut sent her flying into the air. Staring at the moon as she was ascending she couldn't help but feel as if it was mocking her. Her one unswollen eye widened when he appeared above her gripping her by the face and starting an unholy pace towards the ground. She felt like everything in her body had broken when she impacted. Staring up at him she was certain that she seen his eyes flash black and yellow for an instance.

"S-Stop" she croaked out trying to clear the blood in her mouth as it started to choke her. She had felt this feeling only once in her life, and that was the time she went to mock Miya for her husband. Who in her opinion foolishly lost his life protecting sekirei when a Jinki went haywire. His eyes were just as cold as hers that faithful night.

Hearing her plea he closed his eyes and started taking deep breaths. Fighting in Hueco Mundo was always touchy for him, it beckoned to the darkness in his soul. When he wasn't careful or if he started enjoying himself his brutality increased tenfold. Looking at the broken mess at his feet he felt sympathy for the gray haired woman. 'I remember being in the same condition at Noritora's feet once.' Making sure he had his power under control he began healing kido. He knew he couldn't fix her completely, but he could make her stable enough to move. Her life wasn't his to take, Orihime still owed her a life debt and it was her call to make. 'If Orihime heals her and she refuses to keep my secret I can kill her then.' He reasoned after the debt was paid she was fair game.

-Urahara Shop-

Landing in the training ground he was surprised when no one was around. Opting to jump up the ladder instead of climbing, he found Kisuke, Yoruichi, and Tessai sitting in the back casually drinking sake. Carefully setting his passenger down, he took a saucer offered to him and filled it. Draining it in one gulp, he looked at the empty dish while asking.

"Where are the girls at?"

"Resting in the back, they need time to recover." The purple haired woman replied. Eyeing the battered new comer she kind of had a feeling of what he wanted. 'Looks like he cut loose on her. He should know better than to fight in Hueco Mundo.'

"Tessai would you mind keeping her stable until tomorrow morning for me?" He asked the only person besides Orihime qualified to treat her.

"No problem Ichigo-Dono." He replied standing up and retrieving Karasuba before exiting the room.

Holding up his hand to stop any incoming questions he just regarded his mentors with a tired look.

"I will answer questions in the morning, right now I'm beat and going to bed." Leaving no room for argument he stood up and moved to the direction he felt his girls in.

Standing at their door he let his eyes roam over them. 'They look absolutely exhausted' noticing the lack of bruising he chalked it up to Tessai or the healing spring in the training grounds. Carefully getting undressed so that he didn't wake them, he crawled between them and smiled when the instinctively moved closer to his body heat.

Cracking his eyes open the next morning he was surprised to be the only one still in the room. Hearing a conversation going on he decided it was time for him to get up as well. Walking into the dining room made the conversation stop. Karasuba looked a hundred percent and was smiling, Uzume had a look of amazement and fear in her eyes, surprisingly Orihime was giving him the stink eye and Urahara had an idiotic grin like usual.

"All right I give what the hell did I miss?"

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, favs, and follows. I was going to save the fight in Hueco Mundo for the next chapter, but I figured it would be a little bit dickish lol. Anyway hope you enjoyed the chapter.