Chapter 6: Are You Ready For Freddy? (Side 1)

(Just to confirm to anyone wondering, I did in fact change the names of the second and fifth chapters. I apologize for the inconvenience this might have caused but rest assured it won't happen again as far as this arc's concerned. Now on to the story...)

The Gotei 13 watched in shock and awe as the burned man sitting before them peeled the last strip of skin from the apple in his hand. He let the skin fall onto a pile at his feet and bit a sizable chunk out of the apple, letting the juices run down his chin as he savored the taste. Once he had chewed and swallowed his mouthful, he stood up and tossed the half-eaten fruit aside. "Now, I'm all sure you're all wonde-

"Bastard!" Soifon screeched as she activated her Shunko, the Kido emitting from her arms and back tearing her Captain's Haori to shreds. She quickly unsheathed her Zanpakuto and cried out, "Sting All Enemies to Death, Suzumebachi!"

"Wait Soifon!" Genryusai shouted but the Captain of the Stealth Force had already sprinted toward Freddy, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him against the wall before he could even finish speaking. She thrust Suzumebachi into Freddy's chest and wrenched it back out, his oily black and green blood splattering on her face and chest as he howled in pain.

"Gaaagh!" Freddy coughed up a little blood and met Soifon's hateful gaze with his own. He felt a strange sensation on her chest and looked down in time to see a butterfly-like mark form on it. He stared at this new marking for a few moments before turning back to Soifon and chuckling to himself. "Thanks babe. I've been thinking about getting a new tat."

Memories of her beloved mentor filled her head as Soifon tearfully rose up Suzumebachi for the second strike. "You killed Lady Yoruichi!" Even a hardened monster like Freddy couldn't help but wince as Soifon's face changed from a sorrowful expression to one filled with murderous rage in the span of a single second. "Now die!" She plunged Suzumbachi into the newly formed Homonka and ripped it out again. She let go of Freddy and jumped back, watching along with the other Captains as the Springwood Slasher cried out in pain, was consumed by the Homonka, and vanished without a trace.

"Is he...dead?" Ukitake asked fearfully after what seemed like an eternity of silence.

"I sure hope so," Shunsui replied as he slightly adjusted his hat.

"How the hell did he get in here anyway!?" Kensei barked. "That's what I want to know!"

"You ignorant fool!" Mayuri suddenly screamed at Soifon. "Do you realize what you just did? We had Freddy Krueger right where we wanted him! We could have captured him for questioning and experimentation right then and there but you just had to lose control of your pathetic emotions and ruin everything didn't you!?"

Soifon paid no heed to Mayuri's tantrum. She was breathing heavily and the sweat flowing over her exposed skin was only now beginning to cool. "I did it." She thought. "I avenged Lady Yoruic-

"I did it. I avenged Lady Yoruichi! Is that what you're thinking bitch?"

The Captains quickly looked around the room for the source of Freddy's voice but could find none. It wasn't until Soifon felt an immense heat in front of her that she and the other Shinigami noticed the black swirling mass growing bigger and bigger by the second. Soifon backed away with Flash-step and landed beside Genryusai and Kisuke, both of whom were too focused on the ever-growing swirl to notice her presence. Splashes of red and green began to appear from inside the shape and once it had reached the size of a man, the shape took the form of one as well, the same man who had been sitting there not but two minutes ago.

"What!?" Toshiro exclaimed. "He's alive!?"

"No.." Soifon growled. "That's not possible!"

"Anything is possible when you're the King of Dreams!" Freddy taunted. "But if it's any consolation, that hurt like Hell!" Before any of the Shinigami could respond or react, Freddy pulled down the sleeve of his left arm as if he were checking an invisible watch. "What a pity! I would love to stay and chat but you're all about to be blown to Kingdom Come! Toodles!" Freddy laughed manically as he vanished in a ball of fire.

"Blown to Kingdom Come?" Zaraki repeated. "The fuck does that me-

It was at that exact moment that something crashed through the ceiling of the Meeting hall and landed in the middle of the group. The force of the impact was enough to send every Captain aside from Genryusai flying several yards from each other. The walls crumbled from the force and the entire building collapsed. A great cloud of dust formed all around the Shinigami as they struggled back to their feet. Yamamoto and Kisuke were the sole exceptions to this, the former still on his feet to begin with and the latter buried headfirst in the rubble with his legs comically moving around.

Genryusai paid no heed to this nor the other Captains. Instead, he simply and calmly surveyed the damage around him. "What could have caused this?" He asked himself before suddenly feeling a strange spiritual pressure emanating from the ground in front of him. An odd but familiar shape crawled out of the hole, its aqua-green eyes glaring at the Head Captain.

"I wasn't sure what was causing all the Arrancar to gather in the desert like that." A female voice sounded from the being as it stood up and faced Genryusai. "Nor do I know why a huge Garganta suddenly opened up beneath us." As the dust cleared, the Gotei 13 were able to take in the appearance of the person before them.

"Well I'll be damned!" Shunsui cooed.

"No way." Toshiro trembled. "It can't be!"

"But as I find myself surrounded by familiar enemies, I believe I have found the answers I've been looking for." Tier Harribel stated as she unsheathed her Zanpakuto. "Tell me Head Captain, is this some new tactic to exterminate us Hollows once and for all?"

Genryusai scoffed. "Quite an accusation from an intruder such as yourself. You destroy our Meeting hall and yet have the audacity to suggest that we brought you here? Such insolence must be punished!" As Genryusai spoke, the wood on his cane began to peel away, revealing a dark purple katana. The other Captains began to unsheathe their weapons as well but Yamamoto refused. "No! I can handle one measly Arrancar myself! You must all do everything in your power to find Freddy Krueger and destroy him at all costs! Do whatever you deem necessary to end this!"

Although there was some hesitation among the Captains, they all complied with Genryusai's demand and flash-stepped out of the scene, leaving him alone with Harribel. "One measly Arrancar?" A voice from behind the former Espada called out. "How dare you!" Three more figures suddenly appeared beside Harribel, figures that Genryusai instantly recognized as her Fraccion.

"You'd better take that back!" Apacci demanded.

"After all, you're talking to the new ruler of Hueco Mundo!" Mila Rose added.

"We're sorry for being late Queen Harribel." Sun-Sung apologized. "We landed quite a bit away from here."

"It's alright girls," Harribel reassured them. "I'm just glad you're safe."

Genryusai scoffed again, earning a glare from the Tres Bestias. "So you are the new ruler of Hueco Mundo?" He asked Harribel with the tiniest hint of humor in his voice. "Such a title invokes an image of great strength." He lifted up his Zanpakuto. "Let's see if you live up to that image! Burn All Things in the Universe to Ash, Ryujin Jakka!

Harribel responded in kind.

"Destroy, Tiburon!"

"It's been too fucking long Kurosaki!" Grimmjow sneered.

"G..Grimmjow?" Ichigo could not believe what he was seeing. Part of him even wanted him to pinch himself again and again until he woke up because surely such an escalating situation could only ever happen in a dream right? But he suppressed it as he knew better. This was no dream. Two of his close friends were dead and now the Seireitei was being invaded by Arrancar. And, because the universe apparently hated Ichigo, the Arrancar standing before him happened to be Grimmjow.

Suffice to say, the rest of his friends were just as surprised.

"Grimmjow?" Rukia asked. "This can't be possible!"

"Well clearly it is," Ikkaku muttered. "Because he's standing right there."

"The question is, how the hell did he get here?" Uryu asked no one in particular.

"Who cares!?" Renji shouted as he unsheathed his Zanpakuto. "We should take care of this before it gets any more out of hand than it already has!"

Before Renji could activate his Shikai, however, Grimmjow fired a Cero in his direction, forcing him and those near him to dodge. The brilliant blue orb crashed into the group and exploded, sending Renji and Rukia flying.

"Rukia! Renji!" Ichigo cried out. Relief washed over him when he saw his fallen friends scramble to their feet, shaken up by the blast but otherwise unharmed.

"This is my fight!" Grimmjow growled. "So butt out!" With that, the blue-haired Arrancar unsheathed his Zanpakuto and lunged at Ichigo. "Let's finish this!"

Ichigo blocked Grimmjow's attack with his Zanpakuto and forced him backward. "This isn't the time for that kind of crap!" He snapped. "If you want to fight me later then we'll arrange something but right now we have other things to worry about!"

Grimmjow scoffed. "Really? Like what?"

It was then that another speck of light, another Arrancar, crashed into the meeting hall, destroying it and surrounding the remains in a vast cloud of dust. The force of the impact knocked everyone down. Ichigo sat back up and turned to Grimmjow who had done the same. "Things like that for one."

"Tsk! What do I care?" Grimmjow got back to his feet. "I don't know what the hell's going on myself and frankly I don't give a shit! All I know is that now I have a golden opportunity to kick your ass once and for all and I'm not gonna waste it!"

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo grunted as he took a battle stance, knowing that his adversary was not going to let this go without a fight. As Grimmjow took his own battle stance, a flash of black and white flew above the group and into the Seireitei. Then another and another. One of these flashes landed beside Renji and Ikkaku, revealing itself to be Captain of the 6th Divison, Byakuya Kuchiki.

"Nii-Sama!" Rukia cried. "What's going on!?"

"Freddy Krueger," Byakuya responded flatly. "Somehow he has infiltrated the Seireitei and opened a Garganta over it." He turned to the dissipating cloud of dust that rose over from where the meeting hall once stood. "He was just in the Meeting hall before the collision occurred."

Everyone, aside from Grimmjow, was chilled to the core. "T-That can't be possible!" Orihime whimpered. "It just can't be!"

"Look around you." Ikkaku groaned. "Whatever the hell is happening, it clearly is possible now, and that Freddy Krueger bastard is responsible."

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. "Freddy Krueger? Do you mean that asshole that was getting all those Arrancar worked up in the desert before the Garganta opened up?

"What did you just say?" Ichigo asked anxiously. "You've seen Freddy? Do you know where he is?"

Grimmjow shook his head. "No and frankly, I don't give a shit. All I'm worried about is our little rematch. To Hell with everything else!" Grimmjow lunged at Ichigo again and again, Ichigo blocked his attack with Zangetsu. As the two continued their fight, a Jigokucho landed on Byakuya's shoulder, and the message it brought broadcasted to the others around him as well.

"Freddy's been spotted near the center of the Seireitei," Byakuya stated. "And war seems to have broken out between the invading Arrancar and our own forces."

"Dear God." Ikkaku muttered as he looked toward the Seireitei where the sounds of war and death could be heard. "I think I can feel his spiritual pressure from here! How did he get so strong?"

"By gorging himself on souls," Byakuya answered. "We must destroy him at once!" With this, Byakuya flash-stepped away and, after's moment's hesitation, Renji and even Ikkaku followed. The others hesitated, looking back at Ichigo as they contemplated whether to help out with Freddy or aid in Ichigo's fight. Ichigo seemed to guess as much and gave them their answer.

"Don't worry about me!" He shouted. "Go and fight Krueger! I'll catch up as soon as I can!"

There was one more moment's hesitation before Rukia nodded and turned to Orihime, Sado, and Uryu. "Come on! Let's go!" She flash-stepped away and the others ran off toward the Seireitei. Orihime stopped and gave Ichigo one last look of worry. He smiled warmly at her and the sorry look on her face turned into a hopeful smile as she ran after her friends.

"Ain't that sweet?" Grimmjow commented sarcastically. "So sweet that I think I'm gonna fucking vomit." As if to drive his point home, Grimmjow made a purging motion with his finger between his jaws and made retching noises for good measure.

Ichigo was not amused. "So are we gonna do this or what?"

Grimmjow wiped the resulting slobber from his mouth, his predatory gaze locking with Ichigo's intense stare. "Let's!"

Soifon was deaf to the sounds of an all-out war between the Shinigami and the Arrancar as she sped toward the place where Freddy had been spotted. She was blind to the sight of blood being spilled and bodies being cut apart as she neared the spot where Freddy's sinister spiritual pressure oozed from. She didn't care about the lives being lost below her as she dashed among the rooftops. For once in her life, she didn't even care about her orders. She had let herself become consumed by hatred and a thirst for vengeance.

"I will kill Freddy Krueger!" She thought. "I will be the one who ends him once and for all! I need to! For what he did to Lady Yoruichi!"

It was only when Soifon spotted Freddy near the center of the Seireitei, sitting on a throne comprised of Shinigami remains, and appeared before him via flash-step that she tried to push her anger back for the time being. It wouldn't last long.

"Well well well!" Freddy grinned. "Look who showed up! Yoruichi's little pet bitch."

Soifon anger flared up so powerfully that she had to grit her teeth to fight it back down. "Don't you dare speak Lady Yoruichi's name again you monster! A cretin like you has no right to have it pass through your lips!"

"Touchy, touchy." Freddy rearranged his legs to make himself more comfortable. "And here I was thinking we could have a nice little chat."

Before Soifon could reply, Toshiro appeared by her side as did Sajin. One by one, with the exception of Kenpachi Zaraki, every Captain surrounded Freddy with Byakuya being the last to appear. Instead of being intimidated, however, Freddy simply laughed. "All right! Now it's a party!"

"You're sure are quite rambunctious for someone about the take on the Gotei 13," Shinji commented. "You must have a lot of confidence in yourself."

"How can I not?" Freddy replied. "I have the souls of Hollows and Shinigami flowing through me as we speak. I'm the strongest living thing in Soul Society right now!" Freddy's face screwed itself up as if he had noticed an error in his dialogue, only for him to resume laughing. "Scratch that! Make that the strongest dead thing in Soul Society! Hahahahaha!"

The thunderous sounds of many footsteps caught Soifon's attention and she turned around to see a group of Lieutenants and other seated Shinigami rushing toward the Captains. Leading the charge was Zaraki with his Lieutenant Yachiru on his shoulder. Ichigo's friends were also among the group.

"See Kenny!" She chirped. "I told you Freddy was right there!"

"Yeah right!" Zaraki replied with a huge grin on his face. "We only found the bastard because we bumped into the Lieutenants."

As the group neared, Soifon could make out the face and voice of her own Lieutenant Omaeda. "Don't worry Captain!" He called out. "We're coming to help you!"

"I don't need your help!" She snapped before turning to her fellow Captains. "And the same goes for all of you! I can and will handle this bastard myself!"

"Soifon please!" Ukitake pleaded "I understand your grief over Yoruichi but you shouldn't let it cloud your judgment."

"He's right." Retsu agreed. "If you start losing control now, you'll only guarantee Krueger's victory. You must get ahold of your emotions."

"Screw your emotions!" Zaraki, who was close enough to the Captains to hear Soifon, barked angrily. "I've been itching to fight this bastard for a while and I'm not stepping aside just because you lost your mentor! He's mine!"

Mayuri scoffed. "Frankly both of you disgust me. I want revenge! I want a fierce battle! Both of your reasons are childish if you ask me!" The Squad 12 Captain turned to Freddy and slowly approached him. "I, on the other hand, have a much better offer for you Krueger."

"Ohh?" Freddy said in mock interest. "And what might that be?"

"Would you by chance like to submit yourself for study at my lab?" Mayuri asked. "There's so much we could learn from a unique specimen such as yourself and if you agree, I promise you'll be treated with the utmost humanity. You'll be fed three times a month and experimentation will only last 22 hours a day. How does that sound?"

Freddy tapped the tip of his blades to his chin for a bit, pondering Mayuri's offer. "Very tempting." Before any of the Captains could respond, Freddy lifted up his hand with one finger pointed toward the sky. "Counter offer! I kill each and every one of you miserable bastards and eat your souls. Then I take over this Soul Society place and become the new God of Death!" Freddy chuckled to himself. "You know something, I think I like my offer a little more."

Mayuri's eyes narrowed. "Tsk, such impudence!"

"And as for your backup," Freddy clicked the blades of his fingers and another, smaller Garganta opened up behind him. From the Garganta jumped his three Fraccion. Atama, Tsuyoi, and Harekuin landed right in front of Zaraki and the approaching lieutenants, stopping them in their tracks.

"Arrancar?" Isane questioned fretfully.

"These must be Freddy's fraccion!" Rukia deduced, "They were mentioned in Squad 2's report."

"Great," Renji grunted. "Just what we need!"

"None of you will be allowed within ten feet of Master Freddy," Atama explained. "He only wants the Captain's souls at the moment."

"If he doesn't fill up after that," Harekuin teased. "You might just get the pleasure of being Mistah K's dessert!"

Rukia as well as a few others among the group blinked. "Mistah K?"

"Too bad you'll probably taste like crap by then!" Tsuyoi bellowed. "Because I'm gonna crush you all like mice!"

"Bugs, Tsyyoi." Atama pinched the bridge of his nose. "You meant to say bugs."

"Bugs, mice, what does it matter? The point is I'm gonna kill you all!"

Freddy snickered as he raised his arm again. "And just to make sure I'm not interrupted during my meal..." Freddy clicked his finger blades again and the ground underneath him and the Captains began to shake. A circular shape formed on the ground around them which then shot up several feet into the air. The Captains struggled to keep their balance, with Sajin and Ukitake failing, and Freddy laughing all the way to the sky.

"Hey!" Zaraki shouted as he watched the top of the newly formed pillar vanish into the clouds. "Didn't you hear me! I said you're mine!" Zaraki tried to jump after Freddy but his leap was intercepted by Tsuyoi who launched him back to the ground with a punch to the stomach. Yachiru leaped off of her Captain and onto the roof of a nearby building right before he hit the ground.

"Captain!" Ikkaku shouted.

"This is bad," Izuru commented. "They may be Arrancar but according to the reports, both Captain Soifon and Former Captain Yoruichi had a pretty tough time with them."

"We should at least thank Yoruichi for taking one of them out of the picture for us." Shuhei added as he unsheathed his Zanpakuto, "This fight will be hard enough with just the three of them."

Zaraki sat back up just as Tsuyoi landed back on the ground. "What's wrong? Your stupid Captain's coat too heavy or something?"

Zaraki grunted as he got back to his feet. "Bastard! I wanted to fight your boss, not you!"

"Well too bad!" Tsuyoi shouted back. "If you wanna get to the boss, you gotta go through us first!" The Arrancar unsheathed their Zanpakuto and called out their names.

"Fuck 'em up, Uchikudaku!"

"Cut them down, Sairentosodo!"

"Disillusion 'em, Majo!"

"If that's how it's gonna be." Zaraki groaned as the Arrancar transformed. "Then so be it!" He unsheathed his own weapon and charged. "Let's fight!"

By the time the pillar had stopped growing into the sky, it was two mere miles away from hitting the Sekkisekki shield around Soul Society. Freddy had already willed the giant Garganta to begin closing as all the Captains reclaimed their bearings.

"Well, this is unfortunate," Shunsui muttered as he looked over the place. "This will take forever to clean up!"

"Oh don't you worry about that!" Freddy assured him as he got up from his throne. "Me and my posse will be taking care of the cleanup after you're all dead."

Thanks to the confusion and chaos, it was only now that Sajin was able to recognize the bodies of some of his subordinates comprising Freddy's throne. Horror engulfed his entire being for but a brief fleeting moment before being consumed by burning hatred and rage. "That...throne of yours..."

Freddy looked at his throne and back to the Squad 7 Captain with a grotesque smile. He wasn't the least bit concerned about his appearance, figuring strange beings such as Sajin were just a fact of life in Soul Society. "Like it? As I said, I'm going to be taking over this place after I slaughter the lot of ya and I figured that I might as well start redecorating now. I mean, don't get me wrong. Your place has some nice Feng Shui going but I prefer a more modern look for my new home. Some blood here. A little gore there and sitting pretty in the center is my throne, made from 100% authentic Shinigami!"

There was a grunt of disgust from almost every Captain in response. The only ones who didn't make noise were Mayuri who simply thought of Freddy's throne as plebeian at best and Sajin who simply unsheathed his Zanpakuto. "Roar, Tenken!" At once, Sajin's body was enveloped in a great red glow, and a giant disembodied arm materialized above him. He swung his sword down and the giant arm copied the motion, slashing down on Freddy and his throne.

"Those men were my precious subordinates!" Sajin snarled. "Not material for your throne!" There was a deafening silence as the dust cleared and Sajin rose the giant arm upwards once more, not daring to sheathe his blade should Freddy have survived his attack. This precaution proved to be the right choice as Freddy suddenly poked his head out from the newly formed gash in the ground. He seemed bewildered more than anything else and if Ichigo or any of his friends had been there, they would have even called the whole spectacle cartoonish.

"I swear these Shikai's just keep getting weirder and weirder." He muttered as his eyes landed on the pieces of his ruined throne. "Oh and would you look at that!" He ripped himself out of the hole and returned Sajin's glare. "You've gone and broke my throne you bad dog!" Freddy clanked his blades again and the Captains looked around nervously for something to happen. That something took the form of an itching sensation all over Sajin's body. It was so intense that it forced the Squad 7 Captain to drop his Zanpakuto, which in turn caused the giant arm above him to do the same. The other Captains watched as the giant sword fell back to the Seireitei and stabbed into the ground below.

"What the Hell's wrong with you Captain Komamura!?" Kensei barked. "You could've killed the Lieutenants!"

"This itching...it's...it's unbearable!" Sajin was basically ripping away at his own clothing and fur at this point, prompting Retsu and Ukitake to try and restrain him. As he struggled in their grip, Retsu noticed small bugs jumping in and out of Sajin's fur. They were like fleas but twice the size and she could hear tiny laughter emanating from their bodies.

"Fleas?" She questioned.

"That's right!" Freddy croaked. "Looks like the poor mutt has a bad case of fleas. We'll have to put Fido to sleep." Freddy raised his blades again. "For goo-Gahhh!" Before Freddy could clink his fingers again, A golden blade stabbed through his chest from his back. Freddy only had time to turn his head and see the grimacing face of Mayuri before his Shikai took effect.

"You talk too much!" Mayuri scolded as he ripped the blade from Freddy's torso and allowed the Dream Demon to fall forward. Freddy tried to get up and found he couldn't.

"My body...it...won't move..." He groaned.

"Of course it won't move you imbecile!" Mayuri taunted. "Ashisogi Jizo paralyzes my victims by severing the nerve signals to their limbs. However," Mayuri stabbed Ashisogi Jizo into Freddy's flank, causing the Dream Demon to scream out in pain. "You'll find that your pain receptors work as well as ever!"

Freddy couldn't help but chuckle a little. "You know, you're a pretty fucked up guy. Gotta admit, even I'm starting to get scared of you."

Mayuri scoffed. "As I've already said before, you talk too much." Freddy let out another howl of pain as Mayuri wrenched his weapon from his flank and held it over his face. "Perhaps I should sever that wagging tongue of yours."

"Very well, but before that," Freddy suddenly whistled at Sajin who was still suffering from a sudden infestation of fleas. "Come here!"

At once, a few fleas jumped from Sajin's body and bounced toward Freddy, changing shape and color as they neared him. By the time they had hopped into his open mouth, they had already become pills.

"Oh?" Mayuri cooed with interest. "What are you playing at now?"

"Aw! Just what the doctor ordered!" Freddy suddenly grabbed Ashigogi Jizo and pulled it away from him as he got up. Mayuri gasped in shock and pulled his Zanpakuto out of Freddy's grasp.

"I-Impossible!" Mayuri stammered. "Only I have the antidote for Ashigogi Jizo's poison! How were you able to treat it yourself!?"

Freddy chuckled as he stretched his newly-healed limbs one by one. "Do I really have to spell it out for you fuckers? And here I thought you were the smart one!"

Mayuri growled and was about to respond to Freddy's taunt with a rant about how his mind was the most superior in Soul Society when Byakuya suddenly appeared between them. "I have grown tired of this foolishness." He explained calmly while unsheathing his own Zanpakuto. "It is time to end this. Scatter, Senbonzakura!"

At once, Senbonzakura's blade split into almost countless tiny pieces that flew away from the hilt and into the sky above Freddy. The Springwood Slasher watched as the sword fragments surrounded him, reflecting light so as to look like cherry blossoms. An amused smirk crept on his face and the Dream Demon let out another howl of laughter. "Does every pretty boy around here fight with flower power? No offense but I fail to see how a bunch of cherry blossoms are supposed to kill me."

If Freddy's insult got to Byakuya on any level, the Squad 6 Captain hid it well for his face remained stoic as he spoke. "You seem to be mistaken, Dream Demon. What is swirling above your head and about to rain down on you is not a storm of cherry blossoms but a storm of swords."

Freddy laughed even harder at Byakuya's words. "Swords!? Swords!?" He noticed a single "cherry blossom" descending towards his right side and, with the intention to mock Byakuya further, pretended to be scared and shielded himself with his right arm. "Oh no! Someone save me! The flower petal of death is going to-

The "cherry blossom" sliced through Freddy's wrist, severing the hand with the bladed glove.

"-cut...me.." Freddy screamed in pain once again as he gripped his wrist and fell to his knees. "Gahhh! Not my hand! H-How?"

"I thought I already explained." Byakuya continued as he moved his hilt downward towards Freddy. "It's a storm of swords that's about to rain down on you, not cherry blossoms."

"Rain...down.." Freddy looked up just in time to see the pink cloud overhead suddenly descend on him and cried out. "Oh no. Oh no!" Freddy held his remaining hand over himself but it proved futile against the cloud of blades as it engulfed him completely. His screams could be heard from inside the pink sphere as his blood spread out from the floor underneath. At last, Byakuya called back his Zanpakuto and the "cherry blossoms" rematerialized back into his blade, leaving Freddy's tattered corpse in a pool of his own blood.

"Dammit!" Soifon gritted her teeth again. "I wanted to be the one to kill him!"

"Byakuya, you fool!" Mayuri snapped. "Look at how you left his body! How the hell am I supposed to gather any useable data from that!?"

"I fail to see how any component of Krueger's being is useful," Byakuya replied calmly, earning another scoff from Mayuri. Before the argument could escalate any further, groans sounded from Freddy's "corpse" as it slowly picked itself back up.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Toshiro cursed.

"Ok. This is starting to get old." Shinji commented

Soifon just grunted.

"If I had a nickel for every time I got killed by flowers on Soul Society, well actually I'd only have two nickels so far but it's weird that it happened twice right?" As Freddy said this, the bits and pieces of his body that were severed by Senbonzakura merged back together. Even his right hand rejoined him at the wrist.

"You survived Senbonzakura," Byakuya stated. "How?"

"As I was saying, do I really have to spell it out for you fuckers?" Freddy grinned. "This Soul Society place runs on the same rules as my Dream Realm and that means that as long as I remain in this world," His grin grew even wider. "I am forever!"

"Dammit!" Ichigo cursed as he blocked Grimmjow's attack. The force of the Arrancar's strike was enough to send him backward but not enough to knock him down. "This is getting ridiculous." He thought. "I gotta go help my friends against Freddy but Grimmjow won't let me leave."

Suddenly a huge pillar of steam erupted from behind Ichigo, the intense heat emanating from it forcing him forward. "Then there's Captain Yamamoto and whoever he's fighting. I can't get a good look because of the steam and smoke but I can tell by the spiritual pressure that it's an intense battle."

Grimmjow seemed to notice Ichigo's dazed look and launched himself at him. "Pay attention dumbass! You'll have plenty of time to daydream when you're dead!"

Ichigo snapped out of his stupor just in time to block Grimmjow's attack again. The two struggled against each other's swords as another pillar of steam erupted from where the meeting hall once stood. "Goddammit, Grimmjow!" Ichigo grunted. "Can't you realize this situation we're in!? This is not the time for a petty rematch!"

"Trying to weasel out of the fight just because you're losing?" Grimmjow growled. "How pathetic! I expected more from you Kurosaki!" At last, the two pushed each other away with their blades with Grimmjow immediately taking another battle stance. "You haven't even used your Bankai yet!"

"Listen to me Grimmjow!" Ichigo pleaded. "My friends are in trouble! If you don't care about what's going on then I can't force you to but I have to go help them against Freddy!"

"Tsk! Freddy this! Freddy that!" Grimmjow mocked. "That's all you ever talk about! What's so special about this Freddy character? Seems like nothing more than an old ugly bastard to me!"

"He's been killing our friends! Ichigo snapped. "And now he's trying to destroy Soul Society!"

"Well I don't give a crap!" Grimmjow roared. "And until either one of us is dead and rotting, this fight isn't over!" As Grimmjow declared this, he stretched his hand out and sliced it with his Zanpakuto. Ichigo's eyes grew wide as he remembered the last time Grimmjow performed such an action.

"Wait! What are you doing!?"

"If you won't unleash your Bankai, I'll just have to force it out of you!" A blue orb of light formed in the palm of his outstretched hand and before Ichigo could react, Grimmjow launched it at him. "Gran Rey Cero!"

"Shit! No time to dodge!" Ichigo held his Zanpakuto forward, hoping to cut the cero in half. Before he could see whether or not that was possible, however, a strange figure suddenly jumped in front of him and blocked the Cero with her hand.

"What!?" Grimmjow shouted in annoyance.

"Who is that?" Ichigo thought, his eyes growing even wider as he recognized the shape from behind. "Wait...is that..."

"Cero Doble!" Nelliel cried out as she swallowed Grimmjow's Cero. Once she had taken it all in, she spat it back out, its brilliant blue color now a vibrant pink. Grimmjow only had time to utter a "Dammit!" before the blast hit him and exploded, blinding Ichigo with its light. Once it dissipated, Ichigo was able to see ahead of him and fully confirm to himself that it was indeed Nelliel standing before him. She was an adult once again and her tattered remnants of green cloth had been replaced by a white leotard with tan fur lining the hips and red pauldrons on her shoulders.

Nelliel turned to Ichigo with a stern look on her face, the same expression she wore after having defended him from Nnoitra, and as with that time, the expression quickly gave way to a cheerful bubbly face as she rushed toward Ichigo.

"Ichigo!" She cried out in joy

It was at that moment that Ichigo also recalled the sound and sensation of his bones breaking from Nelliel's well-meaning bear hug, his face turning gray as a result. "Wait, Nel! Wai-Gaaagh!" But the former 3rd Espada had already scooped him up in her arms and was crushing him against her body. The cracking of Ichigo's bones could be heard from several feet away and while he tried to cry for help, all that came out was a low hoarse croak. Nelliel only ceased her deadly affections when she felt Ichigo go limp in her arms and even then, only for a brief moment before she hugged him even harder. "No! Don't die Ichigo!"

"You!" Grimmjow's voice caught the attention of both Ichigo and Nelliel who turned around just in time to see the bloodied and very enraged Arrancar emerge from the cloud of dust brought upon by the latter's attack. "Who do you think you are trying to steal my prey!?"

'Ichigo is nobody's prey!" Nelliel argued. "And we have more important things to worry about than pointless fighting. Have you forgotten about Freddy?"

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Freddy? Nel, you know about Freddy?"

Nelliel turned back to Ichigo. "Not too much. Queen Harribel had received reports of a strange man gathering a following of Arrancar so we went to investigate. As soon as we got there, however.." Nellliel trailed off and looked up at the sky. The giant Garganta overhead was beginning to close.

"So this Freddy bastard's really responsible for all this. But why? What's he hoping to accomplish?" Ichigo pushed those thoughts aside for the moment and spoke to Nelliel. "Listen to me Nel. That Freddy person is a really bad guy and right now, he's fighting my friends in the middle of the Seireitei. I need to go help them but as you can see, I'm a little preoccupied at the moment." He motioned to Grimmjow as he said this, causing the blue-haired Arrancar to snarl in anger.

"Screw Freddy!" He shouted. "I don't care if that pizza-faced dipshit destroys both Soul Society and Hueco Mundo! You're not leaving until this fight's through!" Grimmjow charged with his sword, leaped into the air, and swing down on Ichigo. Before the blade could make its mark, however, Nelliel unsheathed her own Zanpakuto and blocked it, forcing Grimmjow back.

"I understand." She smiled at Ichigo. "Go protect your friends. I'll try to reason with Grimmjow. We are on the same team after all."

Part of Ichigo wanted to pry more into the information that Nelliel had given him, to know exactly how and why she and Grimmjow of all people ended up working together but he decided he would ask her all that after this was done. "Thank you Nel." He said before flash-stepping away.

"Hey!" Grimmjow shouted. "Get back here you coward!" He prepared to Sonido after Ichigo but Nelliel jumped in his way, blade pointed at his forehead.

"Get a grip Grimmjow!" She demanded. "Ichigo needs to save his friends and we need to find Queen Harribel!"

"Tsk. Trying to play the hero for your little friend huh?" Grimmjow growled. "Guess I gotta beat some sense into you. Grind, Pant-

Before Grimmjow could release his sword, a huge explosion from the Squad 1 barracks knocked them both to the ground.

"What the hell was that?" Grimmjow groaned as he quickly scrambled to his feet. As he watched, a giant hairy monster suddenly lunged out of the pillar of steam, dissipating it. Both Grimmjow and Nelliel recognized the beast as Ayon.

"Looks like we found Harribel," Nelliel said as Ayon let out an ear-piercing roar.

Renji heaved heavily as he clenched his wounded arm, watching as Atama continued his swordplay with Izuru. "I just don't get it." He thought as he looked down at Zabimaru, still in its sealed state despite Renji having called out for it several times. "Why won't our Zanpakuto answer our call? Does it have something to do with that Arrancar's Resurreccion?"

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Izuru crying out as Atama slashed him across the chest. "Izuru!" Renji cried, earning the attention of the Arrancar who started marching toward him. The strange decoration on his nose had grown considerably, extending forward and on his back was a pair of white wings. His hair was now tied up in a ponytail and there was armor over his kimono. The most interesting change to come out of Atama's Resurreccion, at least to Renji, was the form his Zanpakuto took. The hilt formed a spiral shape where the blade began and dangling from the end of it by a long gold chain was a bell. The bell was silver in color and chimed with every movement that Atama made with his sword.

"Roar, Zabimaru!" Renji called out again in desperation but once again, nothing happened. Zabimaru remained in its base form, leaving Renji with no other choice but to block Atama's strike. "Dammit!" He shouted. "Why can't I release my Zanpakuto? You did something to it didn't you?" Is this your Resurreccion?"

Atama seemed mildly surprised at Renji's comment, gasping softly and then smiling at his adversary. "Well look at that. You're much smarter than you look." Atama kicked Renji in the chest, sending the Lieutenant of Squad 6 stumbling backward. "You are correct. It is indeed my power that's keeping you from activating your Shikai. Would you care to know how?"

Renji said nothing as he glared at Atama who went on with his explanation regardless, showing off the bell at the end of his sword to him. "See this lovely little bell at the end of my sword? It's called Mimio Tsunzaku Beru and true to its name, its chimes automatically deafen any Zanpakuto who hear it. No matter how much you cry or scream or beg, your Zanpakuto will not hear your voice and you will not be able to use Shikai or even your coveted Bankai! The effect does go away after ten minutes but as long as Mimio Tsunzaku Beru keeps chiming, the affected Zanpakuto will never be released from my spell!" Atama flashed Renji a vicious grin and pointed the sword at his throat. "I'm terribly sorry but I don't think you'll live to see your Shikai in action again.

"Damn you!" Renji used his sword to knock Atama's back and returned to his feet. "Don't think just because we can't use Shikai or Bankai that we can't defeat you!" Renji charged at Atama but wasn't able to get within five feet of him before he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Warm blood flowed from the newly-made wound and as Atama continued speaking, Renji realized he was now behind him.

"Are you sure about that because from what I've seen so far," Atama paused as he glanced at the still bodies of Izuru, Iba, and Shuhei, all of who fell victim to his Zanpakuto's bell. Another maniacal smile spread across his lips as he watched Renji join them on the ground. "You Shinigami rely on your Zanpakuto's powers way too much."

From the other side of the alleyway, Rukia cried out for her childhood friend. "Renji!"

"Focus!" Harekuin demanded as she swung her scythe at Rukia. The female Arrancar was also in her released state, the hem of her tutu lined with razor-sharp blades. Her crown had grown twice in size and even her twin tails both ended in blades. The biggest altercation to her appearance, of course, was her Zanpakuto which had abandoned its sword form for that of a gigantic purple scythe with a red jewel embedded in it. "Don't think just because Atama sealed your Zanpakuto that you get a free pass from battle!"

Rukia jumped up to dodge the scythe and as she flew through the air, she aimed her palm at her opponent. "Hado #33, Sokatsui!" A blue flame shot out of Rukia's hand and toward Harekuin only to stop right before hitting the Arrancar and dissipate as Rukia landed on the ground.

"This is bad." Rukia thought. "Not only are our Zanpakuto sealed but our Kido spells keep getting undone." She turned toward Atama. "That male Arrancar explained that his Resurreccion was responsible for sealing our Zanpakuto so it stands to reason that hers is undoing our Kido spells. But how?"

Harekuin noticed Rukia looking at Atama and smirked. "Wondering about my Resurreccion?" She asked coyly.

Rukia looked back at her but said nothing.

"I'll tell you but only because I don't want Atama to upstage me." Harekuin held up her scythe. "My Majo is a pretty powerful gal. You see, she has the ability to control Reiryoku!"

Rukia's eyes widened. "That's impossible!"

Harekuin snickered. "Go ahead. deny it all you want. But it's still the truth either way. The trouble is," she pouted, "That Majo is also kind of a cheapskate. She feels like I need to earn her full power so for now, I can only use her ability against Kido spells." Her pout reverted back into a malicious grin. "But that's not such a bad deal either. After all, thanks to her not only can I nullify all your Hado spells.." She began approaching Rukia in, in her panic, launched another Kido.

"Bakudo #81: Danku!"

At once a transparent wall rose up between Rukia and Harekuin. The Arrancar girl simply scoffed and swung her scythe at the wall, slicing it in two. She laughed manically as the two halves vanished completely and Rukia trembled with fear. "I can also cut through your Bakudo!"

"This is insane!" Rukia thought as she dodged Harekuin's scythe. "The Danku is supposed to be able to block Kido spells up to level 89 and yet she sliced through it like it was butter!" A man's scream caught Rukia's attention and she turned toward the alleyway behind her. All the remaining Lieutenants as well as her friends were busy fighting off the invading Arrancar that were drawn to the area by the sound of battle.

"Rukia!" Orihime cried. "We're coming! Just wait a little longer!" An Arrancar attempted to behead Orihime from behind only to take one of Uryu's arrows to the head.

"This is getting worse by the second." Rukia thought. "We're stretched so thin, we can't even help each other fight."

"How many times must I tell you to pay attention!?" Harekuin screamed as she lunged at Rukia again. This time, instead of dodging, Rukia used her sealed Zanpakuto to block Harequin's attack. As the two struggled against each other's blades, a massive explosion took out one of the buildings lining the alleyway. From the explosion, a huge object smashed into the wall of the opposite building and slumped down. As the dust cleared, Rukia and the others were horrified to see that it was Kenpachi Zaraki struggling to pick himself up from the rubble. As he did so, his foe Tsuyoi stomped toward him. Green spike adored his body and quite of few of them were dripping with Zaraki's blood.

"Meh Ha ha ha ha!" The muscular Arrancar mocked. "What's wrong Shinigami? Feeling tired yet? Is the strength to fight leaving your body by the second?"

Zaraki didn't respond with anything more than a glare as he stood back up and spit out some blood.

"Heh heh! It is, isn't it? Don't bother trying to hide it because I can see it on your face! You're getting weaker by the moment and I'm getting stronger!" Tsuyoi pounded on Zaraki's shoulder, dislocating it and smacking the Squad 11 Captain to the ground hard enough to create cracks in the cement. The Arrancar's mocking laughter continued as Zaraki tried to get up only to fall back down.

"This is the awesome power of my Uchikudaku! Whenever my opponent so much as nicks themselves against my spikes, my body automatically begins siphoning off their physical strength. The longer the battle continues, the weaker they get and the stronger I become! Sorry pal, but you had some bad luck getting me for an opponent." As Tsuyoi resumed his onslaught of laughter, he heard another voice joining in on the chuckling. He looked down to see, much to his surprise, that Zaraki was laughing even harder than he was. "H-Hey! What the hell's so funny?"

"You say I have bad luck in getting someone like you for an opponent," Zaraki began as he picked himself back up. "But I feel differently. In fact, I would say I hit the jackpot!"

"What?" Tsuyoi shouted, taken completely aback by the Shinigami's renewed bravado. "What do you mean you hit the jackpot?"

"There's nothing I love more than a good hard fight! The more handicaps, the better! You say those damn spikes of yours are sapping my strength and giving it to your ugly mug right?" Zaraki chuckled, grabbed his broken arm, and snapped it back into place, sending a chill down Tsuyoi's spine. "A power that steals your opponent's strength and adds it to your own? I can't think of a better handicap than that! Except.."

Zaraki reached for the eyepatch adorning his right eye and ripped it clean off. Tsuyoi only got to see the other side of it for a brief moment before it was carried away by the wind but he could have sworn he saw a little mouth with razor-sharp teeth hissing at him. He wasn't given too much time to ponder it, however, as he was suddenly engulfed by a ginormous spiritual pressure. It was so strong that the Arrancar was forced down on one knee. "W...What...is...this..." He barely managed to choke out.

"There," Zaraki chirped as he lifted up his sword, now I can fight at full strength! Do me a favor and try to make this last as long as possible alright?" With a ferocious howl that chased out any lingering desire to fight from Tsuyoi's mind, Zaraki slammed his sword down on the Arrancar's head.

"Wait! Time out! Tim-" But Tsuyoi's words would forever go unfinished as the blade ran through his entire body and into the ground below him. After a few seconds more of standing on his feet, the now dead Arrancar split into two halves and fell to the ground. It took Zaraki a couple of moments more to comprehend that his opponent was already dead and when he did, he couldn't help but throw a fit.

"What!? You've gotta be kidding me! I finally find an opponent I can use my full strength against and he goes and dies on me! This sucks! First that fullbringer and now this pile of crap! Why do I keep getting stuck fighting all the weaklings!? Dammit all!"

Atama and Harekuin watched in confusion and just a little fear as the man who killed their comrade continued to complain about it. "Bloody hell," Harekuin muttered. "That bastard cut Tsuyoi in half."

"Just as well," Atama responded. "He was weighing this whole operation down with his beastly looks and demeanor. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise."

Harekuin rolled her eyes. "Whatever, should we fight him next?"

"I suppose." Atama sighed. "We should take him on together just to be safe."

"You disable his Zanpakuto and I'll shut down any Kido spells he uses." Harekuin chirped. Both Arrancar turned toward where Zaraki was only to find the brute right in front of them smiling. They both let out sharp yelps of fear and backed away while holding each other.

"Disable my Zanpakuto? Shut down my Kido?" Zaraki scoffed. "Don't make me laugh."

"What are you talking about?" Atama asked.

"I'm the only Captain among the Gotei 13 who doesn't wield a Bankai or even a Shikai for that matter. All I ever use is my Zanpakuto's base form." Zaraki held out the chipped sword for the Arrancar to see, earning a gulp from Atama. "Furthermore, I'm the Captain of Squad 11 and we never use Kido." He glared at Harekuin as he said this, causing her to hide behind Atama. "In any case, it's your boss Freddy who I really wanted to fight. But since the other Captains are hogging him, I guess I'll have to settle for you two."

Atama and Harekuin hugged each other again as Zaraki lifted up his sword. Before he could swing it down, however, a familiar voice rang out throughout the alleyway.

"Getsuga Tensho!"

A crescent-shaped wave descended upon the Arrancar behind Zaraki and the resulting blast knocked most of them back. A dark shape followed it, slashing the Arrancar that dared to get back up. As the dust settled and most of the Arrancar lay defeated, Everyone was able to lay eyes on the orange-haired substitute Shinigami before them.

"Ichigo!" Orihime cried happily.

"It's about time you showed up." Uryu fixed his glasses.

Sado said nothing but simply smiled.

"Sorry I'm late everyone." Ichigo apologized. "Had to get some help with Grimmjow."

Rukia and Renji struggled to get back on their feet to greet their friend. "Ichigo." Rukia said dreamily.

"Who the hell is that?" Harekuin asked.

"As if I would know," Atama rushed past Zaraki and toward Ichigo. "But he's bound to be easier prey than this monster!"

"You're right!" Harekuin followed suit and both Arrancar leaped at Ichigo.

"Prepare to die!"

"Say goodbye to your Zanpakuto!"

"Not a chance!" Ichigo swung another Getshuga Tensho at the Arrancar, sending them both flying toward one of the buildings nearby. Once the resulting dust cloud vanished, Ichigo turned to his non-Shinigami friends. "You guys okay?"

"We're fine!" Uryu answered. "As if you have to ask."

Ichigo smiled, completely unaware of the looming shape behind him. "That's good. I'm rea-Gahhhhh!" Dodging Zaraki's blade by a mere hair length, Ichigo found himself tumbling toward the wall until his back smashed against it. Despite the pain in his lower back, he forced himself to his feet and shouted at Zaraki. "What the Hell Kenpachi!? What you do that fo-Eeeh!"

Zaraki had his blade pointed mere inches from Ichigo's face, while his own wore a heavy scowl. "You bastard! You stole my fight!"

"Huh?"

"I was just about to take on those two Arrancar before you showed up! Don't you know it's rude as hell to interrupt another person's fight?" Ichigo gulped as Zaraki rose his blade to strike. "Someone outta teach you some manners!"

"Wait Zaraki! Hold on a moment!" Before Zaraki could swing his sword down, however, a huge explosion from the top of the nearby pillar caught everyone's attention. They watched as half of the strange monument that Freddy had created with his power was engulfed in a bright light of destruction.

"What the hell's going on?" Ichigo whispered to himself as the blast consumed the sky.

(To Be Continued)