Author's Notes:
Like, seriously. Just about every language sounds more cool if you don't understand it. German is no exception.

Urahara silently stared at the data on the screen in front of him smiling, a very satisfied smile. He was in a room of his shop that was below even the training grounds that Ichigo and the others had been just recently using: His sanctuary, a place where he allowed absolutely no one besides himself – and of course whatever he dragged down to experiment on, which often enough did involve living beings.

Unlike the training grounds above the room, which were designed to look like a barren wasteland (which actually made surprisingly bad battlegrounds), this room looked as if it was taken straight out of a research facility. White walls, white ceiling, white floor, white furniture (consisting mostly of cupboards and tables) – things which were not white in this room seemed to be a rarity. One of these rarities was the computer which Urahara was currently using, which was, as a matter of fact, gray. Right now though, the color of his surroundings was of no concern to Urahara... the only thing that mattered was the data on the computer.

Just as he had expected, the information that could be gathered from the hollow Grand Fisher was nothing short of fascinating. There was little doubt that in the creation of this hollow, somebody – namely, Aizen –had done more than just a little manipulating. The beast's powers were specifically designed to make it an efficient fighter which could make any opponent it faced hesitate at a crucial time by taking on the form of a loved person. In theory, a legitimately threatening ability... but of course, it did have its share of flaws. It could simply be counteracted by facing the hollow with more than one person, or simple rational thinking – Urahara could easily see why Aizen would discard the creature, and drop it off in the world of the living.

But even with these glaring flaws, Grand Fisher still might have some use to him, Urahara thought. Averting his gaze from the computer screen, he instead looked at the hollow, which was currently tied down on a big table in the middle of the room – injured and unconscious, but still very much alive. It really was a shame that Urahara had not gotten around to conduct his experiments on the creature sooner... taking care of Ichigo and his friends had simply been too time-consuming. Experimenting on the creature had been quite entertaining, and of course informative.

Getting up from his chair, Urahara walked up to the table that Grand Fisher was lying on, and put his hand on the hollow's mask. It would be such a simple thing to do, he pondered... remove the mask and turn the monster into an Arrancar, a hollow that had gained the powers of a shinigami – that is to say, a human form and a zanpakutou. By doing that, Grand Fisher's ability would certainly become more powerful. Of course, there would be no point in doing this, unless he could somehow make Grand Fisher loyal to him, and make sure that he would fight for his cause... but then again, there were always methods to accomplish that. He could-

"Urahara-san! Urahara-san!"

Urahara whirled around. A loud knocking was coming from the door – now, of all times...

Determined to punish any unimportant interruption with great fury, Urahara hurried to the door and flung it open, only to find Jinta standing on the other side of it. "What? What is it?!"

"S-Sorry, Urahara-san, but you have a call from Shiba Kukaku! She says that she has urgent news!" Jinta said, taken aback by Urahara's angry reaction.

"This better be worth it..." Urahara grumbled. "Tell her I'll be there in a minute."

Nodding quickly, the young, red-headed boy hurried off without another word. Looking after him, Urahara sighed. He still was not quite sure why exactly he had chosen mod souls which acted like small children and put them into fitting gigai bodies so that they could work for him... sure, on the one hand, they were both efficient and provided him with some interesting research data at the same time, but often enough they still got on his nerves.

But there was no use in thinking about that now. Quietly, Urahara went back into his research room, shut down the computer and made sure that Grand Fisher would remain unconscious, before leaving the room and sealing the door behind him. Walking purposefully slow, Urahara went upstairs. If Kukaku said that she had important news for him, she meant it... though she really could have picked a better timing. In any case though, no matter what was going on, it was most likely nothing too unexpected, or something that would require him to change his plans in any way. No need for hurry.

Two staircases later and a few minutes later, Urahara finally entered the room where he kept his own video screen for communication with Soul Society, which currently showed a rather annoyed Kukaku. "'bout time you showed up, Kisuke. What's been taking you so long?"

The shopkeeper gave her an innocent smile as he sat down in front of the screen. "Your timing. I was in the middle of evaluating some data from one of my experiments, and I don't really like being interrupted when I do that."

"Bah, your little nerd stuff can wait. This news is way more important than that could ever be!"

Urahara chuckled. "Well, well, is that so? Before you just had my attention, but now you have my curiosity as well! Let me hear it."

Kukaku grinned triumphantly. "Alright, so here goes: One of the captains, Aizen Sosuke is dead – killed, they say."

"Old news, what of it?" Urahara sighed, waving his hands dismissively.

Kukaku gave him a blank stare. "...Is there something wrong with my ear, or did you honestly just say that the death of a captain is old news?!"

"No, your hearing is quite right. I have already long since expected that something like this would happen – in fact, I have already been wondering when it would finally happen. So, if you don't have anything of some actual importance to tell me, I would like to resume what I have been doing before you interrupted me to waste my time with something so unimportant."

"Oh, I'm so sorry that the death of a friggin' captain isn't interesting enough for the great Urahara Kisuke." Kukaku grunted. "How about this piece of information then? Those kids have been found out. The entire Seireitei has been locked down, all Squads are chasing for two groups of ryoka."

Urahara shook his head. "Unfortunate, but not unexpected – and unless they have already been captured, unimportant as well. If that is really all that you have to tell me, I will be taking my leave now."

Kukaku frowned. "No, that was all... but tell me, why the hell is the death of a captain unimportant to you?"

"You are wrong in assuming that the death of a captain in general is unimportant to me... it is simply the death of this particular captain that is not unexpected to me. In less than two weeks time, you will know what I mean."

oOo

Sitting in her lonely cell, staring out the one lone window, far up on the wall of this massive prison, Rukia sat, all melancholy. She had said nothing to Renji, even when she had sensed his disappointment- he had tried to hide it, but there was nothing to hide between childhood friends- because she hadn't had the heart to tell him that she wanted him to fail, to stop before he threw his life away, to end that determination.

In any other circumstance, any other day and any other time besides these miserable prison days, she would have smiled, and inwardly cheered- Renji had such amazing potential, greater than her own by far; he had a bright future ahead of him.

And he was about to throw it away for her sake.

And so, apparently, was Ichigo. And Tatsuki. And Orihime. And even that antagonistic Quincy. Why? She couldn't possibly fathom. She had gone willingly! She had accepted her punishment, accepted her fate- why couldn't they? She had had a good run. A hundred and fifty years was a good, long time to live, and she had filled it with bright memories. There were plenty of regrets, but there could be many more- she had, in the weeks she had been incarcerated, come to terms with the fact that she would die. That her existence and entire being would end, her consciousness wiped from reality, leaving only fading impressions of herself in the memories of others. It was a final end ahead of her, and though it had frightened her at first, though she had quietly bemoaned her fate, cursed in frustration, she had accepted it. She was a criminal, and whether she thought her punishment was fair or not was unimportant- no, it was fair; karma for the lives she had touched and twisted. Ichigo's, and Shiba Kaien's both, and now Renji- she had accepted oblivion. Why couldn't they accept that choice?

They were taking on forces beyond their reckoning. Well, Renji didn't, and it made him all the more foolish- but Ichigo had no idea what he was doing, and it would get him killed. If they allowed any last requests, she would plead for their lives- that arrogant, stupid boy!

He had been such a strange acquaintance to make- at first cynical and dismissive, but so quickly revealing that to be a façade. And now he was charging in like a hero, like a white knight out to rescue a damsel in distress.

But this was no fairy tale. This was real, and the enemies he faced were older, stronger and so much better than he was, skill or no skill. He might get killed for her sake, when she didn't even want to live- and that was probably her biggest regret right now. Ichigo's sisters would weep for him, and his mother would be crushed- and it would be all her fault.

…of course, there was no way he had come here on his own. Somebody had to have helped- Urahara, of course. What were they up to?

Perceived acceptance of her fate or no, Rukia's mind was filled with doubts and fears, no matter how much she tried to be at peace with death- Death, who wasn't an enemy to fight, but a kindly caretaker to embrace in due time, against whose cold and bony hand all struggle was ultimately futile.
But for some reason, Ichigo and his friends had decided to fight Death, like mice charging into a den of pythons, believing they could make a difference.

They could not, impossibly help her- it was obvious. She wished she had believed the Soul King listened to prayers; if she did she might have done so, as a desperate last resort.
As it stood, she simply brooded silently, hoping for a miracle not for herself, but for her foolish friends.

It was only after she had quietly stared out of her cell's window like that for another few minutes, hanging after her own thoughts, that she realized that was something off in her view. From where she was, she had a fairly good view of the Squad Four barracks – not that it mattered to her right now, that is. Staring out of the window had for her merely been a distraction from her cold and featureless cell, so the view had meant nothing to her.

Now however, things seemed quite different. One of the towers that belonged to the barracks of Squad Two had been destroyed – and not in a way that it reduced to rubble, or made it collapse. No, instead, the tower seemed like it had been cut clearly in half by an enormous sword. If she squinted her eyes, she could even make out people hurrying about the place, probably doing repairs or something along those lines.

Cold shivers ran down Rukia's spine. There were few forces within the Seireitei that could cause such a level of destruction – and even these forces knew better than to unleash their full strength here. Only a captain could cause something like that... and a captain would only such power if they wanted to make sure that their enemy would die.

Which meant that somebody had died. Threw their life away to rescue hers.

All because of her.

Unable to avert her gaze from the destruction outside, Rukia began to shiver. She didn't even notice it when tears started to quietly roll down her face.

oOo

Through a wall of pain, Tatsuki opened her eyes, only to realize that she was blind- or rather, she was being blinded. Light shone down on her, into her face. She blinked, looking to her left, then her right, her eyes slowly adjusting to her surroundings. She appeared to be in a cave, which would explain why her body ached- aside from the burning ache already coming from her wounds, of course- with light from the cave's mouth just about reaching her face. She looked around- how had she gotten here? Where was Ichigo? Feeling a sudden sense of alarm, she tried sitting up. The experience was a little like being hit by a sledgehammer; pain shot out like fire burning at her body, emanating from a long stretch going from her hip to her shoulder. She let out a cry of pain.

"Don't try to move." It was Yoruichi's voice, and the tone of it made it apparent that she was not in cat form. She sounded so uncharacteristically sullen; she would usually sound almost teasing, as if everything was a big joke. Not so right now.

"What… happened?" Tatsuki managed. "That… that freak took his eye patch off, and then… then…"

"You lost instantaneously." Yoruichi confirmed. "Don't worry- Ichigo is safe too." Tatsuki turned her head just a little, as much as she dared, and saw Yoruichi pointing a little further down the cave to what looked like a bloody pile of rags and bandages. "You are both very lucky to be alive."

"What the fuck even was he?" Tatsuki mumbled. The shock of their defeat, it all felt… unreal, somehow. It had been like trying to turn the tides or run water uphill. It was like taking on a titan- which was probably the best analogy so far.

"He is Zaraki Kenpachi." Yoruichi said flatly.

"Yeah, he said." It was Ichigo, who had somehow managed to prop himself up in a sitting position. "That was just… he was a monster."

"Kenpachi isn't a name." Yoruichi said. "It's a title, given to the best swordsman in the Gotei Thirteen. The best fighter. And he is more than worthy of the name."

"So we just happened to run into their strongest card? No wonder we lost." Tatsuki groaned.

"Strongest?" Yoruichi said, shaking her head. "No. Their leader, Yamamoto, is the strongest. I can think of at least three other captains who could beat Kenpachi. Kenpachi is strong, but not the strongest- in fact, in a way it was lucky you met him."

"That was lucky?" Ichigo blurted out, his voice all disbelief.

"Think of it as a silver lining. He is incredibly powerful, but he's never trained with a sword- he doesn't know any schools of swordplay, only how to kill people efficiently."

"For a guy with no training, he sure was out of my league." Ichigo mumbled. "He was so strong, and so fast…"

"Experience." Yoruichi said. "That, and he is the only captain I know of who intentionally limits himself to become weaker." Seeing the quizzical look of her two protégés, Yoruichi explained, "he thinks of combat as 'fun'. If he always went all out, there would be almost nobody who could keep up with him. So he makes sure people have a chance. He offered you to let him hit you, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did." Ichigo nodded. "Shit, that's… weird."

"That's the lucky part. A better captain would have taken you down in less than a minute. Luckily, he gave me time to find you before it was too late."

"So… we're lucky, I guess." Tatsuki mumbled.

"The two of you almost died." Yoruichi said, once again emphasizing that unpleasant fact. "Especially you, Tatsuki- that cut was so bad, I had to first hide Ichigo, then carry you off on my own, because I was afraid your body would literally split in half."

"Exactly." She said, frowning- she looked concerned, a little worried. "I managed to fix the worst of the damage, but you're still weak. Once the two of you have recovered enough, I know of a place that can heal you up fairly quick."

"Holy shit…" Ichigo mumbled, his face in his palms. "So that's the power of a captain?"

"Kenpachi is exceptional." Yoruichi said. "He has no control, no training, and he is the Gotei's most fearsome swordsman. More importantly, he doesn't know the name of his sword, as far as I know."

"Are you kidding me?" Tatsuki groaned. "This guy sounds like a total rookie on paper."

Yoruichi nodded. "And yet he's one of the strongest. And that brings me to the second part of this conversation: it's time we took your training a step further."

"We're barely alive, and you're talking training?" Ichigo grumbled.

"One day for you to recover." Yoruichi said firmly. "Then another three to train."

"I don't see what training could do at this point." Tatsuki said.

"Not any old training- bankai training."

"Whatnow?" Ichigo said, sounding confused.

"The final stage of a zanpakutou. A release beyond that of Shikai. Its truest power realized fully."

"Please tell me you're just pulling that out of your ass right now." Tatsuki said bemusedly. "I mean, how come nobody ever said anything about that before?"

"One thing at a time. We didn't want to worry you too much." Yoruichi shot back.

"So… we can get this in three days?" Ichigo said.

"Normally, it takes about ten years to achieve, and only then if the zanpakutou has synchronized completely with its user. Then, another ten years to master it."

"…so this is three days. Compared to twenty years. I don't think there's any amount of spirited eghties rock montages that could pull that off."

"We have a shortcut." Yoruichi said, sounding tired. "It's not without risks, but it's doable."

"And with it, we could fight a captain?" Tatsuki chimed in.

"Not exactly, no. But your survivability would get better. You'd be able to do just enough, hopefully."

"So what's that bankai thing like?"

"In short, it increases the user's ability greatly- something like releasing Shikai again if you already have it activated. It usually manifests as a new ability of sorts. Kisuke devised a way to achieve it very quickly- but he was already an experienced shinigami when he did it."

"Well, let's do it, then." Ichigo said resolutely. "We're still saving Rukia, and if this is what it takes to move forward, then so be it. Right, Tatsuki?"

"Damn right." Tatsuki said, trying her best not to move too much. Almost getting split in half was plenty of cause to take the medic's advice- if Yoruichi could be called a medic; she wasn't sure exactly how she had done it.

"...But why exactly do we need this now? I mean, it's not like it's guaranteed that we'll be fighting another captain or anything." Ichigo asked, after both of their feeling of resolution had died down a bit.

Yoruichi sighed, shaking her head. "It's not that easy anymore. While you were almost being killed by Kenpachi, his fukutaichou Yachiru has taken Hamtaro and the fukutaichou of Squad Two to the barracks of Squad Eleven. Hamtaro knows your name, Ichigo, and he will report it to his captain. And once his captain knows, it won't be long before Kuchiki Byakuya knows, too – and he will be able to put two and two together. I am pretty sure that by the time that you have recovered, the Senzaikyu will already be heavily guarded."

"And I suppose our only chance of getting through that is this Bankai." Tatsuki stated more than she asked.

"You got it."

oOo

Hanataro moved around on his chair uncomfortably. He couldn't help but to think that he should be happy right now: After all, he was no longer in the custody of the ryoka, and therefore no longer in danger of being attacked by other shinigami, because they believed him to somehow be on the side of the intruders. In fact, everything was pretty much alright now – he was back at the barracks of Squad Four, no longer in mortal danger, and had even received permission to take some time off to recover from the shock of being kidnapped by terroristic intruders. In theory, it was all hunky-dory.

Except that in reality, it was not hunky-dory.

When Hanataro had first woken up after passing out from the immense pressure of Zaraki Kenpachi's reiatsu, he had found himself in a particularly unpleasant scenario: Namely, in a sleeping room of Squad Eleven's barracks, buried under the still unconscious body of Squad Two's Omaeda Marechiyo. Had Hanataro at first thought that after waking up under these circumstances, things could hardly get more unfavourable for him, life quickly proved him wrong. After unsuccessfully trying to move the unconscious vice-captain off him for several minutes, he got a visitor. Of course, in itself, given the circumstances, that wasn't too bad – but if the visitor was Kusajishi Yachiru, it was bad.

Instead of actually helping him out, the little girl wasted little time jumping on top of Omaeda, only to proceed to use his belly as a trampoline. It took Hanataro several minutes before he actually caught her attention, and a rather awkward, but nicely formed request for help to get her to move Omaeda down from him. By the time that Hanataro was freed of the vice-captain of Squad Two, he felt like he had been run over by a rhinoceros multiple times.

After this, he had mostly stumbled about the Squad Eleven barracks, not entirely sure if he should report everything that had happened to him to a member of this Squad, or if he should simply head back to Squad Four to report it there. The decision was ultimately taken out of his hands, though, when he came across Squad Eleven's fifth-seat, Ayasegawa Yumichika, who had received orders to bring him back to the Squad Four barracks.

But of course, the unpleasant parts didn't just stop there.

Had Hanataro expected that he would simply have to report to his Squad's vice-captain once back at the barracks, he was instead taken straight to the captain of Squad Four Unohana Retsu – which was, all things considered, very easily a more fearsome experience than anything that he had seen while he was with the ryoka, including the approach of a bloodthirsty Zaraki Kenpachi.

And this was where Hanataro was right now: Face to face with Unohana Retsu, who was giving him the most gentle of smiles, while he was waiting for her to start the conversation – mostly out of fear of what could happen if he were to speak up first.

"So, Hanataro-kun..." Unohana finally broke the silence, causing Hanataro to cringe "since you were in their custody for a while now, what can you tell me about the ryoka?"

"Err..." Hanataro began "they are just like the reports said that they were. Tall ginger-haired guy, and a black-haired tomboy. And, uh, both kinda violent. But, err, can't you see that for yourself? I mean, Zaraki-taichou has probably captured them by now..."

Unohana frowned at him, which, in a way, was even more unsettling than her standard smile. "Unfortunately, Zaraki-taichou was content with simply defeating the two in battle, and left them lying around once he was done – and before the members of our Squad who were observing the battle could move in to capture them, they were knocked out by a woman who had somehow infiltrated them. Since Madarame Ikkaku of Squad Eleven and Omaeda Marechiyo of Squad Two are both still in a state where neither of them can tell us anything, and Ayasegawa Yumichika didn't really learn to much about them, you are the only one who knows anything about the ryoka. So, what do you know about them, Hanataro-kun?" She asked, her expression slipping back into that disturbing smile of hers.

Hanataro could feel cold sweat starting to run down his body. This was the exact kind of attention that he had not wanted to get. "W-Well, they... for ryoka, they actually were actually rather friendly to me. They didn't really hurt or threaten me or anything... they actually just wanted me to heal them. Only reason they didn't want to let me go was because I knew where they were. And, uhh... their names are Ichigo and Tatsuki."

Unohana raised her eyebrow, causing Hanataro even more cold sweat. "I see... very well. Did you learn anything about their motivation? Or the identity of this woman that is aiding the two?"

Trying his best to swallow his fears, Hanataro thought about the question for a moment, and ultimately shook his head. "...No. They made sure that I wouldn't learn anything about what they wanted to do. Err... the only thing I know is that whatever they wanted to do, they need to do it within a week and a half. I-I don't really know much about the woman either... I know that she has dark skin, purple hair, and that she can transform into a cat. And, uh... I think her name was Yoruichi, or something like that."

Unohana stared at Hanataro quietly, an unreadable expression on her face – and one that made him wonder if he would survive this, at that. Only after continuing to stare at him for what seemed like ages, Unohana finally spoke up again. "Alright. If this is all that you know Hanataro-kun... then you're dismissed. You may leave now."

Blinking a few times, Hanataro just sat there, not entirely sure if he had heard correctly. Then, once he was certain that he had in fact heard correctly, he quickly stood up and left the room, still unable to fathom his unexpected luck.

oOo

It all just felt wrong.

While Orihime had never been very good at sensing reiatsu and the like, right now, even she could easily tell that whatever Uryu had just been using, it was not meant to be. Had his reiatsu previously felt – well, normal, or at least as normal as she could tell, it now was entirely different. If she didn't know any better, Orihime would have thought that she was standing next to a wild beast... a wild, sentient beast, which had just awoken from a long, long slumber, and was now looking around to see if there was any prey nearby.

But that was only how it felt... in reality, all that could actually be seen was Uryu just standing there. Both his bow and eyes had changed color, yes, and he only seemed to be staring at this captain standing in front of them, but he looked like he was still himself.

"How very peculiar..." The captain – Mayuri? – said in a curious tone, as if this all just was only a mild surprise to him. "Change in the color of the iris as well as the composition of reiatsu seems to suggest that the subject has somehow harnessed the power of a hollow, without a doubt through the use of the red stone artifact... but how? How can such a small thing cause such noteworthy change in strength and type of reiatsu?"

Uryu said nothing in response. Instead, he slowly raised his bow, and got ready to fire, aiming right at the captain's chest.

"Leuchte." He said, in this weird, echoing voice – and then he shot.

It was as if he had, for the lack of a better term, shot a beam. A bright red beam of light, bigger than any of his arrows had ever been, radiating with a strength that Orihime had never felt before. The beam shot forward, right towards Mayuri-

And then he was gone, having moved himself out of the way of the attack, the woman still standing beside him.

"Ah, of course you are not going to make it as easy as telling me what this is... but of course, where would be the fun in that?" Mayuri let out a mad cackle. "I do have to admit, though, that this kind of strength might become dangerous if I am not careful... oh well, there is no helping it, I suppose. Nemu, observe everything from now on, and take notes. Interfere under no circumstances." He said, adressing the woman next to him, as he unsheathed his Zanpakutou, licking his lips as he did so. "Rip, Ashisogi Jizō."

The blade morphed, and the end result looked bizarre, more like some strange ornament than a weapon. A brass yellow trident-shaped sword it was, each blade crooked, so unlike the straight weapons they had seen so far. At the base of the blade were the metal, stylized image of a child's weeping face, and the sword did seem to glow menacingly.

"Orihime. " Uryu said calmly. "Will you be able to help?"

"Y-yes." Orihime said shakily.

"Good. Then shape up, and stop trembling. This is a fight for our lives."

What creeped her out wasn't the passion in his voice, that it was hateful and so unlike him, but that it was so… calm, almost apathetic. It sounded just like Uryu, an unreasonably calm and confident Uryu, and she found herself wishing he had spoken with the voice of the legion instead.

"I got it." She nodded, pulling herself together.

And Mayuri charged forward, stabbing at Uryu, who oh so quickly flashed away, reappearing twenty feet away. Gleefully changing targets, Mayuri brought his blade down on Orihime. She flinched, but didn't freeze:

"Santen kesshun!" She cried, and the sword impacted solidly with her shield- and to her surprise, it did not crack it.

"Fascinating." Mayuri said. "Shield comprised of spiritual matter as of yet uknown-"

And then he gave a cough, and blood poured out his mouth. Uryu was standing behind him- how had he moved so fast- bow strung with a second arrow ready, the first already having run the bizarre captain through the chest.

"This is not the time to be conducting analysis. " He said gleefully, and suddenly Orihime found herself wanting that monotone voice back. He let the arrow fly; Mayuri dodged narrowly, flashing away- and behind him, a small building was leveled. Holy smokes.

"You pestering little rats!" Mayuri sneered, seemingly unperturbed by his chest injury. "You are both damn lucky I need you as test subjects- you will regret ever having been born when I am done!"

"Only a true fool gives away a tactical advantage like that." Uryu shot back, sounding at once smug, cool, in control, gleeful. "You are not much of a fighter, are you? You have the bloodlust and the desire to kill, but if you lack the strength... in a serious fight, you get eaten."

"I think I'll take out your tongue, boy." He snarled, swinging his sword up.

"Tsubaki!" Orihime cried, sending the sprite out; she had to do something. Once again, Mayuri caught it.

"Strange." He said. "The spirit is now encased in an orange box- perhaps for extra protection-"

"I reject!" Orihime cried, and there was a soundless explosion, and Mayuri let go of Tsubaki with a yelp, his fingers bleeding. Orihime wasn't quite sure what she was doing, but she knew she had the power to reject- so she had rejected this monster of a man, and it had hurt him.

"You best not underestimate us." Uryu said, sounding as if his blood was pumping, full and hot. He sent out a swarm of arrows, each one demolishing whatever it hit. Mayuri dodged each one neatly, jumping back- until suddenly he slammed into one of Orihime's shields, throwing him off for just the blink of an eye – which was all the time Uryu needed.

"Zerreiße!" Charging a long, strong, dark red arrow, he shot and hit, right into Mayuri's abdomen. Blood poured out, soiling his robes.

"The two of you are really being annoying." Mayuri spat- and blood and wound aside, he seemed unaffected, as if though the concept of pain was alien to him. Furiously, he charged forward, flashing at Uryu, hacking wildly. Uryu kept up, moving just fast enough to dodge, evade. Orihime tried to find an angle, to set up another trap, but they moved too fast- she was being left behind; the two of them taking to the rooftops. Hurrying after, she began to climb. As she tried her best to get up, the sunglasses that she had taken from Hasegawa fell off her face and onto the ground – but they hardly mattered now.

Once she was at a rooftop level at last, the chase was still going- it had been minutes, and Uryu was still moving too fast, shooting as he moved- but Mayuri too was fast, and what few hits landed he seemed to ignore. It was unlike any fight she had ever seen, either player unable to touch the other.

Finally, the two of them were coming closer, Uryu moving towards her. He shot her a look- was he herding the captain towards her. Encasing her hand in a glowing orange box of rejection, Orihime steeled herself as the captain finally landed on the same rooftop as her.

"I have to say," he said as calmly as he could, his voice in a slight huff, "you are more than a little troublesome, the two of you."

"I will take that as a compliment." Uryu said.

Letting out a frustrated cry, Mayuri sped forward, charging at him. Uryu sidestepped, and now Mayuri was coming almost right at her-
And it was as if time slowed down; she remembered what Tatsuki had taught her, how to move and how to read an opponent…

Her fist connected with his left arm. It was meant to hit his shoulder, but she had missed- either he was too fast, or she wasn't good enough.
But it didn't matter. Like a knife going through butter, her hand went through his arm, ripping it clean off, dissolving it before it hit the ground.

She gaped. Equally dumbstruck was Mayuri, who seemed amazed.

"You impudent little nothings!" The man screamed. "How dare you? How DARE you?! I am a captain of the Gotei Thirteen! I was already alive when even your grandparents were little more than runts who knew nothing of life and death! I am one of the strongest men that you will find within all of Soul Society, and I have killed more humans, shinigami, hollows and Quincy than you could possibly hope to imagine! I will not be defeated by mere pretentious test subjects such as you... no, I will instead beat the two of you to a bloody pulp! All that matters to me is that you live, and that is not hard to accomplish!"

His reiatsu began to grow enormously, and he raised his sword. Startled, Orihime lost her footing, tumbling towards the edge of the roof. Uryu just barely caught her, pulling her to her feet.

"BAN KAI!" He cried, and it was as if his already massive reiatsu warped, convulsed, expanded enormously. "Konjiki Ashizogi Jizo!"

Behind him, something like a true nightmare formed. It looked like a caterpillar, a caterpillar the size of several houses, its chest lined with blades and most grotesquely of all, carrying the face of a child, letting out a twisted version of a weeping baby's cry. It was enormous, like a vision from some cruel, drug-induced vision of terror.

And though it seemed not to have any eyes, it stared at them. Orihime had once read a story about a monster called the Great Old One, which appeared only when the stars were right, and had tentacles for a face, and had wondered if she would ever see something at all like it. Now she had, and it was terrifying.

The creature raised its upper body, and let out a breath, and a massive cloud of purple gas let loose, enveloping the buildings around them, coming right for them. Uryu grabbed her, and moved back quickly, several blocks down.

"Interesting." He said. "That- so that's the power of a shinigami. I wonder how we'll beat it."

"Beat it?!" Orihime blurted out, turning around to give Uryu an incredulous look. "We can't beat that! It's enormous- there's gas everywhere, people are dying- he's too strong! He isn't even slowing down, and now he has… that."

"We can do it." Uryu said confidently, holding up the stone. Only now, she actually noticed his expression... it was confident, yes, but there was also something else. Somehow... Uryu seemed strained. It was as if this fight had exhausted him way more than it should have... and how did it come that Mayuri was barely injured from the minutes of the fight that she hadn't seen?

"...Is that you talking?" Orihime asked cautiously.

"What? Of course it is." Uryu said irritably, raising an eyebrow- was the white in his eye starting to turn black?

"Then give me the stone and say that again." She said determinedly.

"What are you talking about?"

"I think that… thing is doing horrible things to you, Ishida-kun." She said, not flinching. "Give it to me and say it again if you want to prove you really mean it."

"No!" He shot back, almost shouting. "It's mine- I can handle it!"

As if to prove his words, he raised his bow once more, got ready to fire, his hand trembling... and then let lose. "Pfeilhagel!"

He unleashed what seemed to be a hail of laser beams – red, fast, bright and deadly. From their initial starting point, the arrows spread out, covering an area that grew wider the further they traveled. Anything that got hit by this would end up riddled with holes… and yet, Uryu missed both Mayuri and the creature that he had summoned entirely. "What the-?!"

Acting quickly, Orihime took Uryu by the wrist, forming an orange box around his hand. With a bit of force, Orihime picked the stone from it. It felt hot to touch the thing, like a strong spice against her skin. "Do you still want to fight this?"

Uryu blinked, his eyes slowly turning normal again. By now, he looked visibly exhausted, with his breath going heavy, and sweat running down in his face.

"Look at it again. Feel it, Ishida-kun. You're not strong enough right now- you used a lot of your reiatsu. This is all the stone, isn't it?"

"…yes." He mumbled. Mayuri was approaching them now, the bankai moving slowly behind him, a hellish and smug smile on his face. "You… you're right. Even if we win, everyone everywhere will know where we are. That big thing is slow-looking... maybe we can escape now."

"Good." Orihime nodded encouragingly. "Then let's run."

"Oh, test subjects!" Mayuri cackled gleefully. "Not so high and mighty now, are you- come quietly, this is your last chance-"

And then he saw the quincy grab the girl, and take off at breackneck speed. It was incredible, it really was- that quincy hirenkyaku was a thing to behold-
And then it occurred to him.

"They are getting away!" He shouted angrily. "Go get them, you useless beast!" He swore at his bankai, which lumbered down the street, trampling buildings… at a snail's pace. Mayuri swore.

After twenty minutes of intense running, dodging into alleyways and finally hiding, with no direction or purpose other than to be where that maniac was not, Uryu and Orihime finally stopped in an abandoned backyard.

"Do you think we lost him?" Orihime said anxiously.

"I can't sense him- I think he must have dismissed that bankai a couple of minutes ago, because I stopped feeling its reiatsu very suddenly." Uryu replied, still breathing heavily. That stone… it had been like a thousand voices crying out for only him to hear, screaming in anguish, despair... and in bloodlust. They had been asleep for so long, and now that they had awoken, they wanted to let others feel their suffering, let blood be spilled by their power... and after a while, Uryu had started to feel as a part of them. When Orihime had severed the connection, it had been like waking up from a dream.

"What do we do now?" Orihime said, snapping him out of his racing thoughts.

"I…" Well, the idea was to find Rukia still, but now the hornet's nest had been kicked, and people would be positively everywhere- the only advantage they had was that the chaos caused by the rampaging captain might work in their favour; chaos was indiscriminate in its application.

"Let's hide out for a while, then try to find-"

And that was as far as he got before a dart hit him in the back. Instantly he spun round to face his attacker, a dark shape in the shadows, fleeing- but then he felt a weight descend onto his shoulders, nearly knocking him off his feet- somebody was grappling his arm. He twisted around, trying to get an angle- but yet another attacker had come in from the side, punching him in the kidneys, then in the solar plexus- the last thing Uryu saw before keeling over was Orihime, wrestled to the ground by black-clad men wearing masks.

To himself, Uryu swore. After what they had been through, this just felt unfair.

oOo

Soifon, commander of the executive militia, the onmitsukidou, chief of intelligence, policing and assassination, surveyed the scene. Several blocks leveled; barracks buildings and storage areas destroyed. Gas released from the Bankai still dissipating. And most of all, the corpses. Strewn every which way, there were dozens of bodies, some partially dissolved, all twisted in unnatural death cramps. All of them were shinigami, fellow soldiers whose only mistake had been to be out at the same time as the mad captain of division twelve.

And there he was, an arm short but seemingly unperturbed.

"Ah yes, Soifon." He said dismissively. It was infuriating- not only did he treat her presence like a formality, he seemed to have forgotten her title as well. "I suppose you will need me to make a statement for one of your precious reports."

"Did you do this?" Soifon said. She prided herself on her self control (most of the time), but she found it hard to sound entirely disinterested.

"What, this?" Mayuri said, gesturing to the havoc around him. "Yes, I suppose I did- I ended up using my Bankai, and things can end up a mess when I do that. Can I return to my lab now? I have data to analyze-"

"Millions and millions worth of property damage." Soifon said coldly. "Reckless usage of Bankai as well as chemical agents. A body count of thirty-one and counting- and those are allies. You have managed to wreak a lot of chaos and accomplish absolutely nothing. Your incompetence is astonishing."

"I don't expect you to understand the merits of science, woman." Mayuri said dismissively, "but I expect you not to waste my time. If you'll excuse me-" He made to move past her.

Instantly, Soifon's hand shot out, grabbing the mad scientist by the collar and slamming him into a wall. "You are going to make a statement." She said coldly, in a tone that brooked no disagreement.

"Oh, fine-" Mayuri grumbled.

"In a prison cell." Soifon added. "Kurotsuchi Mayuri, you are under arrest for massed destruction of Gotei property, irresponsible use of force and thirty-one cases of manslaughter and counting." Really, all she wanted was to tear the psychotic little freak's head off, but the law had its course to run, especially for captains.

"You cannot be serious!" He exclaimed angrily, apparently incredulous that he might be held accountable for his actions. "I am a captain-"

"And I am commander of the onmitsukidou." Soifon said harshly. "If you don't remember what that position allows for, I'll remind you: I may at any time arrest any officer below the rank of soutaicho who I have cause to suspect has abused their seat of power, and to detain them indefinitely. You will spend time behind bars, you incompetent little monster."

"Get your hand off me, you insolent little woman!" Mayuri barked, his one hand clawing at Soifon's arm.

"Make that resisting arrest as well." Soifon said, with some satisfaction.

The scientist gave her a mad glare, his face distorted into a mask of rage, and his eyes twitching. "The soutaichou will hear about this!" He hissed.

"Oh, of course he will." Soifon responded, almost smiling. "I will tell him myself."

oOo

With the chaos that had been caused by the captain of Squad Twelve fighting the pair of ryoka, a chaos arose among the Squads of the Gotei, bigger than anything else that what had happened since the first sighting of the ryoka, including even the death of Sosuke Aizen. But in all this, the fact that one of the captains had been driven to a point where he deemed it necessary to make use of his Bankai unsettled the shinigami of the various Squads almost as much as the deaths of their allies that came along with them. After all, if a captain was forced to make use of the true extent of his powers, what chances would a regular officer stand?

In the light of this, the fact that one of the two ryoka groups had been caught was received all the more warmly. Only two more ryoka remained – it shouldn't take too long before the omnitsukido had gotten a hold of them, too. But once the news had spread far enough, people began to wonder: What was it that the ryoka wanted to accomplish, anyway? Of course, the captains knew more than what was known among their squads, but obviously, they were not going to share their information.

All that the Squads knew was that in the night of the same day where the first ryoka had been caught, members of the Squads Six and Ten were being ordered to the senzaikyu to increase the security, causing many of them who had already been sleeping to rush towards the prison, as to not upset their captains by being too late.

One of these shinigami was the third-seat of Squad Ten, Hitsugaya Toshiro.

Currently, however, Hitsugaya was not out on business- he should be, but some things took priority. Like finding your childhood friend who had broken out of prison to make sure she didn't do something she- and by extension, he himself- would regret. She would be in a terrible state, no doubt- she had worshipped her captain; he was her hero- she had barely been able to shut up about how perfect he was. It had made him concerned- at first he had thought it was jealousy, but there was something mildly obsessive about her behaviour, there was no denying it.

And now he was dead. Who knew what Momo might do? It wasn't as if he didn't think he'd have trouble subduing her; in fighting ability alone he was better than most vice captains quite easily, but… it was Momo, after all.

Then he sensed it, just faintly, something like a couple hundred yards away. It was Momo's signature, alone and inactive. Quickly, he slipped into a shunpo, hurrying to greet her.

He found her sitting in a garden belonging to division two, on a finely crafted bridge over a pond- say what you would about the backstabbers from second, they did have nice recreational areas.
Momo was slumped over, her head hanging low. It looked as if all energy had gone out of her, like a sadly deflated balloon. Quickly, he approached her.

"Momo." He said urgently. "Momo, are you okay?"

"Shiro-chan." She mumbled. "I…" she trailed off.

"You can't stay here." He said, walking up to her. "You are supposed to be in the arrest- go back now, and I'm sure they'll understand." He put a hand on her shoulder- but she recoiled at his touch as if though he were a poisonous reptile, slapping his hand away. Surprised, almost hurt, he looked at her. "Momo…"

"Shiro-chan," she said, glaring at him from under her hair- normally so neat, now it was messy and untangled- "tell me the truth."

"What?" He said, bewildered.

"Tell me the truth." She insisted, getting to her feet. She looked at him, and she would have looked menacing if not for the fact that she was five feet tall and, well, Momo.

"What do you mean?"

"Just admit it already!" She burst out, tears coming out her eyes. "I read the letter- captain Aizen knew everything! He told me, because he knew he was going to die-"

"Calm down." He said, positively befuddled. What on earth was going on?

"I'll not calm down!" She almost shouted. "Here- see for yourself!" From out her shihakusho, she picked a letter, throwing it at his feet. Carefully, Hitsugaya reached down, picking it up, reading it while keeping an eye on Momo. Then, as he read the letter, his eyes widened.

"...but to you and you alone I can reveal all I know about this conspiracy, at the center of which not only the ryoka stand, but also the third seat of Squad Ten, Hitsugaya Toshiro. They are involved in a plot to overthrow the Gotei, and establish a new order in its place. I fear that the murder of one of the captains is only going to be the first step to this plan. Without a doubt, Hitsugaya Toshiro hopes that the death of a captain will allow him to join their ranks. I will confront him about his plans this very night. Should I not survive the night, I will need you to follow in my footsteps..."

Hitsugaya stopped reading and looked up. "Momo, this is crazy- I'd never do this!"

"But Aizen-taichou said it was! He'd never lie to me!" her voice was a shrill cry now, tears streaming down her face. Poor Momo- she loved him like a little brother, and now she thought she had to choose between him and her dead hero. This was madness.

"Snap, Tobiume!" She cried, drawing her sword. The blade changed shape, and she attacked – but of course Hitsugaya had moved out of the way before she even got close.

"Please Momo, don't do this..." Hitsugaya pleaded desperately. "This just isn't true – I wouldn't do this, you know I wouldn't do this!"

Momo however remained silent, instead letting a flame run down her blade, which quickly grew in size.

Only now, Hitsugaya drew his zanpakutou. "Momo, please... don't make me fight you..."

The only response he got was Momo beginning to charge another fireball. Hitsugaya swallowed, and raised his sword. It seemed like there really was no other way to do this. "Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens, Hyorinmaru!"

His sword morphed, changed shape, becoming longer, and growing a long chain with a small crescent blade attached to it. As the blade transformed, the air around got colder and colder, until the temperature reached a point that it usually only reached during winter in the seireitei. By the time that the blade finished its transformation, Momo had already let another fireball lose – but this time, Hitsugaya was prepared. Gathering reiatsu on his blade, he slashed, firing off a large flow of ice, shaped like a dragon.

The two attacks collided in the air, and just as Hitsugaya had expected, they cancelled each other out, creating a large amount of steam as they did.

"Please stop this, Momo..." He began to plead once more. "If you continue to attack me, I'll have no choice but to take you out... don't make me do this!"

Through the slowly clearing steam, Hitsugaya could see that at the very least, she was not preparing to launch another attack. He let out a relieved sigh. It was something... maybe now, he had a chance of getting through to her and-

"Geez, can't a captain go out fer a walk at night without findin' some trouble?"

Involuntarily, Hitsugaya jerked. Ichimaru Gin- of all people! "Captain, I-"

"I think I just 'bout got the gist of the situation here, third seat." Ichimaru said, smiling as ever. "Poor lil' Momo-chan's gone mad with grief, the dear lil' thing- losin' your hero can do that to you. Losin' her wits fer just a second, she blamed ya, and attacked." He scratched his head. "Poor, poor Momo." He added, sounding about as genuine as a crocodile's tears.

"Ichimaru-taicho!" Momo cried, and if possible, her distress seemed to worsen. "You- you!"

"Ichimaru-taicho, she…" Hitsugaya began.

"Now, don't ya all get yer titties in a twist- I'll handle this." Gin said, and for some reason Hitsugaya felt like he might as well have said 'let me just rape the two of you'.

"Taicho, I was just about to take her back to her cell." Hitsugaya said, regaining his composure.

"What a coincidence- me too, third seat. Well, ter be strict- back ter a cell in third."

"She belongs in fifth!" Hitsugaya blurted out, ignoring rank. There was nothing to trust about this man, not even as far as he could throw him (which, incidentally, was probably quite far).

"But third's closer, and it don't matter where she's bein' incarcerated." Gin said smoothly. He was enjoying this, the smug fucker.

"Second's even closer." Hitsugaya objected.

"Naw, surely I didn't just hear you suggestin' we leave poor Momo-chan with the mean ol' second division? We don't want ter trouble Soifon-taichou- the lil' girl works so hard, and you know how she feels about criminals, even if there're… mitigatin' circumstances, like temporary insanity."

That was probably the first and only valid objection- Soifon was notoriously strict, to the point where people were afraid of even littering anywhere close to second division. "But-" he objected, trying to think of an excuse. Anything to let Momo go with him and not… this man.

"Naw, naw, Shiro-chan-" Hitsugaya flinched at the name; only Momo called him that- "I hate ter remind you, but a captain is two ranks higher'n a third seat- an' as captain, I'm takin' charge of this poor criminal. She'll be back an' rehabilitated in no time, don'tcha worry- we'll take good care of ya. I'm sure she'n Izuru'll have lots ter talk about."

"…" Hitsugaya stood dumbstruck. This… man was surely a monster. Everything about him, here and now, projected not the usual Ichimaru, the trickster who you never knew where you had him, who was mildly creepy- here and now, he felt like a snake, toying with caught mice.

"Don'tcher worry." Ichimaru said, putting a hand on Momo's shoulder- Momo now looking docile, almot paralyzed. "Everythin' will be fine."

Hitsugaya wanted to cut his head off, take him down, end him- but he had neither the strength nor the rank. He would have to check up on Momo, make sure nothing happened…

"Naw, I think yer got business, runnin' around searchin' fer the last of the ryoka, don'tcha?" Ichimaru said smugly.

"…yes, captain."

"Hop to it, then- and don' forget to deactivate yer Shikai. I'm freezin' my ass off here." He said, turning around, walking away with a hand on Momo's shoulder. Deep inside, Hitsugaya felt equal parts loathing, a sense of violation, and hate.

oOo

If there was just one thing that Tatsuki had to give to that Zaraki-brute, it was this: He had been very efficient at beating them to near-death. By now, it had already been about eight hours since the man had cut her and Ichigo up, and even now, she was still in so much pain that it felt like that berserker was busy murdering them. Ever since she had first woken up in this cave, Tatsuki had directed most of her efforts to falling asleep again – in her current situation, sleeping was the only real alternative that she had to lying around on her back with nothing to do other than trying to endure the pain. Actually, falling asleep did however turn out to be a bit less possible than it sounded in theory, with Yoruichi constantly hurrying around them, and checking their situations.

By now, Tatsuki was seriously starting to doubt that she and Ichigo would be back into a state where they'd be able to actually train by tomorrow. Sure, if she was to try hard enough, she could probably stand up right now – but even that wouldn't really last long. While she could only guess, Tatsuki supposed that it was the same for Ichigo, who, just like her, was still lying around on his back, having been mostly silent in the past few hours. The sheer thought of going through another training session tomorrow already made the pain more noticeable.

In fact, silence had dominated the vast majority of the past few hours: Even Yoruichi, who hadn't left their side even once, had barely said anything, except for maybe quick orders to turn around, or raise a specific body part, so that she could check their condition. Due to this, it came all the more surprising to Tatsuki when in the late evening hours, Ichigo broke the silence and spoke up. "...Where exactly are we, anyway?"

Yoruichi, who for the past few minutes had been sitting on a nearby rock, hanging after her own thoughts, raised her head and gave Ichigo a blank look. "This cave is a place that me and Kisuke dug up many years ago... back when we both were still young, and had only recently joined the Gotei."

Tatsuki got up a bit to get a better look at Yoruichi, to see if she had been joking or not- which however did not seem to be the case. "The two of you once were in the Gotei? Are you serious?"

"There's no reason to act so surprised, you know. I mean, what else should we have been?" Yoruichi asked, smiling weakly at Tatsuki. "But yes- both Kisuke and I were members of the Gotei, many years ago. Captains, even."

Tatsuki slowly sat up. "If you were both captains, then why did you leave? I mean, isn't being a captain, about the best job you could get around here?"

"Be careful! I don't want your wounds to open up again!" Yoruichi said, giving Tatsuki a concerned look. "But to answer your question... we didn't exactly choose to leave. There simply was an event that forced us both to go into exile. That's all that you need to know about that."

Tatsuki didn't say anything in response, remaining silent instead. Yoruichi was right – there really was nothing to be surprised about. Tatsuki had always known that both Yoruichi and Urahara were rather strong shinigami... but that both of them had once been captains, she hadn't really expected, regardless of how logical it seemed now. Hell, the more she thought about, the more Tatsuki thought about it, the more she couldn't help but to think that she knew just about nothing about the two – a thought which Ichigo seemed to share.

"So wait." Ichigo grunted. "If you were a captain... why exactly didn't you help us in any of our fights? With your kinda strength, we would've reached this prison in no time!"

"True- your fights would've been easy." Yoruichi admitted. "But with me fighting, the Gotei would have quickly realized with what level of strength they're dealing with here, and would've send out the captains... and out of those, more than half would be too much for even me to handle. Just because I am strong, it doesn't mean that I'm invincible."

Ichigo sighed. "Point taken... I suppose I'm just looking for excuses to complain about at this point."

"As if you needed excuses to complain about everything..." Tatsuki mumbled under her breath – which did however not get lost on Ichigo, who glared at her.

"Well, you being able to complain again is a good sign, I suppose." Yoruichi noted, grinning. "If your conditions continue to improve at this rate, I think I'll be leaving to check on Uryu and Orihime in another hour or so... I haven't looked after them since yesterday evening."

Tatsuki gasped- over the entire almost-dying thing, she had almost forgotten about those two. "Do you think that they are alright?"

"I hope so. The last time I left them, they had just defeated a vice-captain, and had to help them escape a patrol that had noticed their battle. They were safe when I left them, but there is no telling what has happened to them since then... especially since they are already rather close to the senzaikyu."

"You know, now that you mention it..." Ichigo raised his voice once more, in the exact kind of unpleasant tone in which one would say "Oh, and another thing", after the end of an argument. "Where exactly is this cave? From what I remember of the seireitei, I can't really imagine a place where a cave as big as this one could be hidden away."

Tatsuki turned around to look at Ichigo, who was still lying on his back, and raised her eyebrow. That was a surprisingly good question.

For a moment, Yoruichi didn't say anything. When then she finally did talk, she only did so reluctantly. "...This cave is on the side of Sokyoku Hill, concealed by some vegetation on the outside. Only Kisuke and I know of this place."

Tatsuki didn't even need to look at Ichigo to know that he basically catapulted up from his lying position. "We're this close?!" It burst out of him. "But- if we're this close, why sit around here, and wait? Let's get out there right now and get Rukia before-!"

"No." Yoruichi said strictly, instantly shutting Ichigo up. "Did you already forget the bit about your name and increased security that I told you about? Going in there now, without Bankai, is nothing short of suicide."

For a moment, Tatsuki felt like pointing out that this entire mission was pretty much suicide, but ultimately decided against it. Fueling Ichigo's desire to go out there right now was probably not the best of ideas. "So, uh, Yoruichi-san, how did you get us here, anyway?" Tatsuki asked, in the hopes of successfully changing the subject.

Yoruichi gave Tatsuki a thankful look, and pulled something which looked a bit like a bright white claw attached to a long, dark red rope from behind the rock she was sitting on. "I have used this thing here – not sure if it even has a name. It's an old artifact of the Soul Society, which allows its user to fly by putting their reiatsu into it... it's easier to actually do than to explain it."

Ichigo eyed the artifact warily. "So if I used to this, I could-"

"No, Ichigo!" Yoruichi shouted. "Are you even paying attention to what you're saying anymore? You have just been beaten to near-death, and you already want to go out, and put yourself into danger again?! Use your brain for just this once! We still have time. There is still over a week left before Rukia's execution takes place – more than enough time for you both to heal, and do your Bankai training. I know that you don't like trusting me, but just this once, please do it."

Ichigo stared at Yoruichi defiantly. For a moment, it seemed like he wanted to say something, to continue the argument... but in the end he remained silent, and just lay down, muttering something along the lines of "Fine" as he did.

Tatsuki turned to Yoruichi. "You sure we'll heal in time? We're really busted up."

"You'll heal." Yoruichi said. "I know enough kido- and soon, I'll move you to the healing spring."

Tatsuki nodded. "Could I have some water?"

"Sure." Yoruichi said, walking further into the cave.

And then, as if he had waited to spring into action, Ichigo bolted- or rather, awkwardly tumbled- out of his rock bed, struggling to get himself up to his feet, grabbing the artifact.

"Ichigo, no!" Tatsuki blurted out. But it was too late- the artifact had wrapped around Ichigo's wrist, a massive wing springing out of it, pulling him out of the cave's mouth, into the air. He was taking flight, so quickly…

"Shit!" It was Yoruichi, just back. "Tatsuki, you're the sensible one- I need you to promise me you'll stay put. Okay?"

"…yeah, sure." Tatsuki said. What an idiot. Quickly, Yoruichi flashed away, following the young hothead as quickly as she could.

He was flying, soaring like a bird. His wounds ached, but he was sure he could move. He was so close to Rukia now- just grab her, and they'd be out of there. A part of him cynically pointed out that this was completely idiotic, but he was set. He couldn't quite tell why he'd made the decision- something inside him had just snapped, knowing his goal was so close.

It was either now or never: Ichigo doubted that even with Bankai, they'd be able to defeat any of the captains, who had their owns probably for way longer than he even lived – and knowing their luck, if they waited too much, they'd inevitably run into a captain after their training. No, now simply was the best time to go in... even if there was no time to convince Yoruichi and Tatsuki of it.
He could see the tower now, so close. Best not to land on the actual bridge, that would be too conspicuous- no, he had to set down a small ways off, then move quickly. There'd be guards, but that was nothing he couldn't handle.
Just wait, Rukia. I'll save you, and then… it'll all be over.

oOo

Standing on top of the bridge that connected the senzaikyu with Sokyoku Hill, Kuchiki Byakuya quietly overlooked the nightly seireitei. As per the head captain's commands, he had sent a vast majority of the stronger shinigami of his squad to guard the senzaikyu... to guard Rukia.

Byakuya still found it hard to believe that all the commotion of the past few days, all the fights, injuries and chaos, yes, even the death of his fellow captain Aizen Sosuke – that it all could have been nothing more than the result of this substitute shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo changing his mind. It was simply too unlikely... after all, when he had left him, Kurosaki Ichigo had willingly given up his powers, and had been content with letting Rukia go. Not to mention that the Quincy that had been with Kurosaki had hardly been a threat to a vice-captain at the time...

And yet, they both seemed to be here, in the seireitei. The description, yes, even the name that the young Squad Four shinigami that had been in the custody of the ryoka had given, they all fitted Kurosaki, as impossible as it seemed. Even the Quincy, who Byakuya had taken a look at, after he had learned that the shinigami ryoka was most likely Kurosaki, did turn out to be the exact same boy that he had seen in the world of the living... except that now, he seemed to be strong enough to defeat Renji in a fight without taking any remaining injuries, (supposedly) kill Aizen Sosuke, and almost overpower Kurotsuchi Mayuri.

There were more things at work than just these ryoka, Byakuya thought. There was no way that Kurosaki could have regained his shinigami powers, no- even gain genuine shinigami powers all on his own, just as there was no way that this Quincy could have hidden or gained such an amount of power. Not to mention their respective companions... another shinigami, probably a living human as well, and a normal human being with powers not unlike that of a shinigami- it was an absurd oddity.

Though this oddity did not come without a name that could possibly explain at least some of this: Yoruichi. Byakuya still remembered the exiled head of the Shihoin clan vividly... as much as he would like to forget her. Together with the former captain of Squad Twelve, this woman had been exiled about one hundred years ago. Could it be that they were behind this all, somehow? But if so... why act now, after one hundred years, and why, of all things, try to rescue-

Rescue Rukia.

Byakuya sighed as his thoughts trailed back to his adopted sister once more. There technically was no more reason for him to be staying around here... the actual assigning of the guards had already been finished hours ago, for both the members of his squad, and the shinigami of Squad Ten. And yet, Byakuya was still here, unable to decide whether he should actually visit her or not.

In theory, there was absolutely nothing wrong with paying Rukia a visit. It did not go against any laws or regulations of the Gotei, and even if it did, most of them would not affect a captain. In theory, nothing would have been easier than to actually enter the prison, and go to Rukia's cell. But of course, it was another matter entirely whether Byakuya could actually get himself to do it.

The date of Rukia's execution drew closer and closer – and with the current situation, it being pushed forward was not too unlikely. While Byakuya himself had not even once visited Rukia since retrieving her from the world of the living, he clearly recalled Renji asking for permission to visit her rather recently. It had taken Byakuya nothing more than just a quick look at Renji's face (who was never good at concealing his emotions) after he returned from the visit to figure out in what mood his vice-captain had found Rukia. Beyond any doubt, she had resigned to her imminent death, believed in her own fault, and thought she deserved this punishment... it had all been easy to see in Renji's angry expression.

The knowledge that Rukia was sitting in this prison, willing to let her life end, pained Byakuya. He wanted nothing more than just see her once more, one last time before it all ended... but at the same time, he knew that it would be better if he did not visit her. He would only see her sister – his wife – Hisana in her, and his resolve would falter.

Byakuya shook his head lightly, a gesture of reassurance to himself. He could not let this happen. He would not let this happen. Letting his resolve falter would only be the first step to turn against the decision of the Gotei, and breaking the law – something that he could never allow, because the law was the law and the law was everything.

No... he simply had to stay strong, and endure it all. It would all be over soon enough-

Suddenly, Byakuya interrupted his musings. He had sensed an approaching reiatsu, but had been distracted enough that it had only been at the corner of his mind- and truth be told, he had never expected that any of the ryoka would make it this far in; he had seen no reason to be on alert. Sure, there were claims that they had killed Aizen- but he hadn't believed it for a second; somebody like a captain would never be felled by lowly ryoka.
So now, when an unconscious guard tumbled out from around a corner, followed by a shifty-looking young man, who looked every which way before moving on, heading towards the bridge, Kuchiki Byakuya found himself surprised for the first time in years. The filthy little ryoka had apparently not seen him- well, time to change that.

Swiftly he slipped into a shunpo, appearing in the middle of the bridge, right before the dumbstruck ryoka.

"You have some nerve." He said, keeping his emotions perfectly controlled. Though he felt conflicted- as much as he hated to admit it, even to himself- there was no doubt when it came to the practical aspect of carrying out his duty. In a way, it was soothing- the mild loathing he allowed himself for these audacious intruders was distracting, like balm on a burn.

"…who are you?" The ryoka said. Apparently noticing his coat, he said, "Oh- you."

Byakuya raised his eyebrows. The ryoka had spoken as if he had recognized him... with fear in voice, but still in a manner unbecoming of such a lowly criminal such as him. Only now, Byakuya's eyes wandered off to the ryoka's hair, the color of which he had previously not been able to recognize in the dark... which turned out to be red. "Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"You're just figuring that out now?" He said, and wouldn't you know it- the ryoka even had the nerve to speak to him with disdain, as if though the wronged one was he. "Well, I do know who you are, too. You're Rukia's good-for-nothing older brother. The one who won't save his little sister from getting killed."

Inwardly, Byakuya felt the heat of fury rising. He wanted to cut out Kurosaki's tongue and make him eat it, show him his proper place as an ignorant commoner- to indulge in rightful revenge. How dared he?
But Kuchiki Byakuya was nothing if not in control of himself, and simply replied,

"You know nothing, Kurosaki Ichigo... though I do not expect a petty ryoka such as you to understand the affairs of nobles. But know that you are breaking the law of the Gotei Thirteen, which I am sworn to uphold." Slowly, he pulled out his sword, and let his reiatsu begin to rise and flare. He sensed a slight change in the ryoka's reiatsu signature, but he didn't need to sense it to know- it was fear, greater than before; the dawning realization that he was outmatched and about to die. He seemed injured, too- what was he even thinking?
Well, no matter.

Smoothly, he slipped into a perfectly controlled shunpo, reappearing almost instantly behind the ryoka's back. He would come in, hit the exact right spot just below his clavicles, and let him bleed out from that one fatal hit. He deserved no less.
To his immense surprise, however, his blade did not smoothly slide through flesh and bone, severing arteries and muscles. It was greeted with steel, just barely deflecting his blow. This… was extraordinary.

"I guess I forgot to tell ya," The audacious little boy said, grinning like a lowly thug, "I ain't going to go down just like that."

Byakuya didn't reply, only holding his sword up straight. He was going to allow himself just one gratuity, one indulgence, one excess that nobody would question.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura-" And he could feel the blade happily leaping to obey his will, moving out to kill the ryoka-

And then, a strong arm grabbed him by the wrist, interrupting him.

"What?!" He exclaimed, letting just an iota of his self control slip. Who dared?

"That's a mighty dangerous power to use on a pitiful little ryoka. Good thing I was here to stop ya- there's been a ban on using shikai around the tower for now, due to recent developments."

"Of course." Byakuya said, not attempting to mask his contempt. "Shiba-taicho." That happy-go-lucky disgrace of a nobleman, most prominent member of a household considered the butt end of all jokes among noble families…

Ichigo stared, dumbfounded. Byakuya's reiatsu had risen, his sword had glowed and he had felt like he was about to die- and now, some weird guy was sitting on the fence of the bridge, holding Byakuya at the wrist- letting go now- with a weird beard that looked like it couldn't decide if it was a heavy stubble or an actual beard, a dumb grin on his face, and more importantly… a captain's haori. Two taicho. Great.

"…so just you leave this ryoka to me, Kuchiki-taicho." The man said, acting like he was at a tea party, as opposed to a swordfight in the making.

Kuchiki Byakuya scoffed, turned around, and flashed away in an instant, leaving Ichigo with the strange man.

"Well hallo there, son!" The man said cheerfully. "Wow, you look just like Kukaku described you!"

Wait- Byakuya had called him Shiba. The Shiba were allies. Right? Deciding not to lower his guard just yet, Ichigo held out his sword at him.

"Who the hell are you?" He growled. "How do you know Kukaku?"

"Cousin." The man said cheerfully. "Wow…" he said, looking Ichigo up and down. "That's just amazing." He looked like he had just seen something unique, and Ichigo's distrust was deepening.

"I said who are you, weirdo?"

"My name is Shiba Isshin." He said happily. "But come on- we can't just stand around. You're a wanted criminal, you know. Come with me, and I'll explain."

Ichigo's eyes grew wide. "I-"

"Or you could take it up with the onmitsukidou. They already have two of your friends."

"What?"

The man ignored him, walking away from the tower. Hesitantly, Ichigo followed him. He seemed friendly, at least…

Author's Notes:
So, I think there is a few things here that need to clarified in regards to Uryu and Orihime's fight against Mayuri, since the actual in-story explanation for them will only be given later. Now, in order:
Uryu's techniques while he is using the stone are all improvised, to a certain extent. Exact reasoning for why he is able to pull them off will follow.
Orihime tearing Mayuri's arm off is a subconscious extension of her powers- the entire deal with that will be more adressed in-detail as soon as possible.
If Uryu had continued to fight Mayuri instead of running away, then yes, he would have lost.

The translations for Uryu's improvised techniques are as follows:
Leuchte - Shine.
Zerreiße - Tear (as in, tearing apart).
Pfeilhagel - Hail of Arrows.