Armored Core 6 has been consuming me whole. thankfully I still have four more complete chapters in the backlog so I won't need to stop for at least another month.

So have some Peche and Dondachakka shaboingery.

"Alright you two, I'm going to need to take any weapons you have on you?" Ginjo looked at the two arrancar before him. One was lanky with blond hair with a mask fragment that reminded him of a beetle. The other one was more portly with slightly darker skin, and had a fragment that was too vague for him to recognize, though if he had to guess, it seemed oni-adjacent.

"I refuse to relinquish my ability to protect master Nelliel," the blond one took a fighting stance. Yet seemingly didn't draw their zanpakuto.

Then there was a loud thud as something hid the floor boards enough to crater them.

"There ya go," in front of the larger arrancar was a comically huge kanabo about as large as the one who was supposed to hold it.

Ginjo ignored the blond one admonishing his partner for complying as he processed exactly how they were able to bring that with them without him even seeing it.

"What?" Ginjo still flatly stared at the kanabo. It seemed reality had left him at the bus stop as it ran for the hills.

"Oh, that's my katana," Ginjo once again stared. That's a damned kanabo!

Ginjo shook his head. Screw it, what it is doesn't matter.

"Where were you keeping it?"

"In my stomach," the larger arrancar pointed to his belly. Ginjo groaned as he palmed his face.

"Is there anything else in there I should know about?"

"Oh! There's this," he proceeded to pull out a large object that looked like a piece of industrial equipment. "I use that to fire ceros, and then," he then opened his mouth, and the inside of it started to glow.

"WAIT DONDACHAKA DON'T!" The blond arrancar's warning came too late as suddenly a large worm-like hollow spawned forth from his mouth.

Kukaku was reading over some correspondences from some of the now subordinate clans and independent clans that were considering fealty, but were otherwise on the fence over a few issues. Typical nobility bullshit.

While this would be a problem normally, it was particularly acute due to Ichigo's status as a political wild card, even for a Shiba.

Normally nobles are raised to be nobles. Hell, even though she didn't exactly like being a noble, there was a sort of unwelcome comfort she felt in the role. Ichigo was raised not only as a commoner but as a human. This means human perspectives, human values, and human opinions. If Yoruichi's assessments were right, and she was inclined to believe they were, the living world had long since abandoned the idea of feudalism, and the ideas of nobility and aristocracy had mutated greatly.

The traditions of many clans would be appalling to many in the living world, hell, even Ichigo had said a few things when reading through some primers. Ichigo was going to stir some shit up, and frankly, she was with Yoruichi and Kisuke, the Seiretei needed that right about now.

What it didn't need was whatever caused that loud crash by the front of the central courtyard!

"What the hell is it this time?" Kukaku took a deep toke of her pipe before getting up and looking out the window to see what happened. She swore if Ganju blew himself up again…

Kukaku's train of thought suffered a catastrophic derailment after she laid eyes upon what could at best be described as a very very happy sandworm.

"What in the hell… Ginjo!"

Rukia was minding her own business and working on the division paperwork as well as trying to move past the unclean thoughts she was having for the one she was supposed to train, that was until a hell butterfly came in through the window and informed her of a hollow presence in the noble district!

She swore, whoever the hell decided to pick today to make her life just that much more complicated was going to find that her anger was very very cold.

Or would have had said creature not have been one she had met before, and had the temperament of an overly enthusiastic golden retriever.

"Oi, Rukia, everything's fine," she could hear Ichigo's voice from below the room she was standing on.

Fine? Fine?

"How is this fine? Better question, how did Bawa-Bawa even get here?" Rukia glared in accusation at the creature.

The creature was now a little too close for comfort. Before she could react Bawa-Bawa had moved to lick her with its massive tongue.

Bawa-Bawa in all his enthusiasm, was overzealous in his greeting of Rukia and sent her tumbling down the angled roof of the building she was on. Before she could hit the ground however she found herself enveloped by a very familiar presence.

"Hey," and there it was again. Ichigo's cocky smirk. The same smirk he wore on the day he saved her, and the same smirk so many of his foes had seen right when he figured them out. It was almost enough to distract her from the slimy dampness that covered her.

"Uh, thanks," Rukia awkwardly choked out her gratitude as Ichigo gently put her down as though she were a porcelain doll.

"Good, you're both okay," the voice of one Tsukishima spoke up behind them.

"Yes, great, could you do me a favor and send a hell butterfly to the head captain and let him know that this was a false alarm?" Rukia didn't pay attention to see if he had said yes or no. Frankly, she had more distracting problems to deal with.

"You need a shower? Change of clothes?" one of whom was the doting not-boyfriend who was trying his best to be of assistance. He did have a point though. She did need a shower.

"That would be nice."

"Alright, what the hell is going on here?" Kukaku was unamused. Sure, the manor was still being renovated, but dammit it was the place she grew up, and having a giant sandworm tear the place up was not something she liked.

"He asked if I had anything else in my stomach," Dondachakka pointed at the former Xcution leader. Entirely oblivious as to how he could have simply not done that.

"He really should have known better than to ask that question," Pesche crossed his arms accordingly. As if Ginjo should have known that would happen

"How the hell was I supposed to know that," He motioned with his arms to Bawa-Bawa "was in there!" He then pointed at Dondachakka's stomach.

"You know what? I don't care anymore. Just put it back," Kukaku just had enough of this. At this point, she just wanted to forget this.

"Alrighty, Bawa-Bawa, come here boy!" Dondachakka opened his mouth wide, allowing the large sandworm to leap into the hammer-space of his stomach.

Now Kukaku only needed to secure the funds to rebuild the foyer. Oh she was billing Shunsui for this.

Rukia had just come out of the shower. Her shihakusho was being washed, and so she was wearing a white yukata she had borrowed to wear until her uniform had been cleaned.

Rukia had sent a hell butterfly to her division to inform her subordinates that she may be late returning due to complications around resolving the situation. Kiyone had gotten back to her almost immediately that she could take the rest of the day off if needed. She was going to miss her when she had her transferred. Rukia was then drawn out of her thoughts when she almost ran into Ichigo.

"Oh… Hey," Ichigo didn't quite expect to run into her, and what she was wearing… didn't feel right to him.

"Hey…" Rukia however, was still hung up on the last time they had liaised. Her face shows the uncertainty of her thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Ichigo's face flashed concern as he looked at her. His hands hovering almost as if touching her would break some sacred rule.

"Yes, I…" The words hung in Rukia's throat as she considered what to say next, "I'm sorry for what happened…" she trailed off. Her embarrassment stopped her from finishing the sentence.

"Are you sure you want this?" Ichigo spoke quietly. He knows she said that then, but things can change, and if she didn't want to…

"Are you?" the question stopped him. Rukia was a captain by any other measure, only lacking the pay and haori. She couldn't leave Soul Society anymore, not like she could back when he had saved her. Was he sure about staying? Was he okay with leaving the living world behind entirely for her? Ichigo closed his eyes in thought.

"Yes," he smiled as he looked at her. The one who brought color back into his world. Rukia grabbed his hand and pulled him closer, resting her head on his chest as they stood.

"Thank you."

Aura looked upon the floating form of Hikone Ubuginu as he was unconscious in a healing tank. Apparently, two vasto lorde class arrancar had caused many major injuries, and had Yamada not found them when he did, they might have died.

Aura felt distressed by that. She had grown attached to the child over the course of her cooperation with Tokkinada. The young artificial soul had even taken to calling her mother. It was not something she had expected nor welcomed at first, but they had insisted, and soon, she found herself caring about them in a way she couldn't recognize. She still didn't know what this feeling was, but she had simply stopped caring. Whatever it was, she liked it. Even if Hikone only existed as a vehicle for their plans, she found herself appreciating the retainer's presence in her life.

"Hikone should be mobile again within the week, and fully recovered not too long after," Yamada spoke from behind one of his terminals. Probably monitoring his patient's health through the many sensors and monitors he had hooked up to them prior.

"How bad was it?" Aura found herself uncharacteristically dreading the answer.

"Three broken ribs, a punctured lung, a dislocated shoulder, several herniated discs, impacted vertebrae, and a burst kidney," she she clentched her fists as he spoke. Pain wasn't something that bothered her, but almost killing Hikone? The only thing stopping her from running off to Hueco Mundo to kill the one who did this was the knowledge that if they could do this to them in the first place, her chances weren't the best. "I was able to replace the kidney and the lung, as well as repair the discs through kaido. Fortunately, the vertebrae didn't have any major damage."

Yamada's prognosis was a testament to his ability as a healer, as to be expected from a student of the late Kenpachi Yachiru.

"Thank you," Aura didn't know what she cared so much about Hikone, but to know they would live, it brought her relief.

"I am simply doing as I was instructed. Nothing more, nothing less," Yamada was simply providing his services as agreed upon with Tokkinada. After all, he had promised him the perfect retainer, and the maintenance and care that they would need to continue to be of use. Why would she expect anything else from him?

Hikone's mission to Hueco Mundo was nominally a failure. If he had been able to defeat Hallibel and establish dominion over Hueco Mundo it would have made things a whole lot easier for his plan. He did however come out of this with a proper appraisal of Hikone and Ikkomikidomoe's power. Hikone, as he feared, was unable to face Ichigo and win. He felt this was the case, but the inability to kill Hallibel proved it.

That meant he had to stick with the isolation plan. He knew the risks associated with it, but due to Kukaku's social proximity to both Shinsui and Yoruichi, he had to assume that if he did nothing Ichigo would get involved on their behalf. Doing nothing about that was simply not an option. He would need to talk with the boy. He simply hoped that he would acquiesce once he played his cards.

As Tokkinada thought about it, however, there was a third option. While it may not necessarily be critical to the plan, there was one man who could shift the entire thing.

Kisuke Urahara.

Yes. If he could be convinced to help, even as unlikely as it was, his knowledge could shift everything. Not to mention how it may even shift Yoruichi to neutrality. Then there was the true game changer. Tokkinada laughed, if he could get that, it might just make Hikone strong enough to match the young Shiba.

It was a long shot by all means, but it could potentially avoid the other idea's disastrous potential to backfire horribly.

Yes, he'll talk it over with Aura. She had pointed out how his plans with Ichigo would backfire, and so perhaps some conversation could help sand out the finer detail of this one.

I hope you enjoyed, and as always, feel free to comment.