Chapter 7
Senzaikyu
The Senzaikyu, or the "Palace of Penitence", is a prison at the center of the Seireitei. Nearby is a hill where criminals are executed with the Sokyoku. Within a certain period of time, Rukia will be taken to that hill where she will be put to death.
However, there was another person in the prison who was there. She wasn't a prisoner or a guard or even some helper like Hanataro. No, this was a human like Ichigo who just enjoyed watching the show taking place within the Seireitei. At the very center of the Seireitei, this mystery woman watched Ichigo and his group tear through two shinigami lieutenants and a wave of shinigami supporting them.
Several of them are quite strong and know intermediate levels of kido. While Ichigo solely focused on fighting Renji, he kept his senses up and looked out for his teammates. With that, the woman was impressed as she saw Mordred destroy a few kilometers worth of road with her noble phantasm.
"The Last Master of Chaldea is more than a survivor, he's a true fighter. His desire to save a friend as a form of gratitude is honorable but boring." The woman said. She let out a yawn and walked towards the ledge of the prison, "There's no point in standing around much longer. I don't need Esdeath trying to poach Kurosaki-kun from me." She said.
With that, the woman jumped down from the prison. Leaving behind many critically injured and unconscious bodies behind her. All of them were a lot stronger than the waves of shinigami that were being led by Kira. Now the young woman who defeated them was marching around the Seireitei freely without anyone being aware.
It was already enough that the Gotei 13 wasted the day trying to capture Ichigo's group. Now they were left unaware of the other dangers hidden within their walls.
However, the dangerous mystery woman also had a concern of her own.
'Damn, now I have to play the waiting game until Kurosaki-kun recovers. I suppose I will have to be patient.' The woman thought.
With Ichigo, a while later
Ichigo's wounds looked a lot worse than they were. The main problem was that he felt exhausted from using so much energy in a few hours. From controlling multiple servants to making them use a noble phantasm that wasn't even fully powered. Overall, Ichigo felt like his circuits were hurting like a bunch of cramped muscles.
'Damn, I thought I got better.' Ichigo mentally cursed.
At least he had Hanataro who was still with them. The young man was more than happy to help treat Ichigo and help him heal. Otherwise Ichigo would have needed to summon Florence Nightingale, but it would be more of a pain to summon her. Then again, she would also be pretty intense with how she would treat him despite being an effective medic.
"You should rest up, Kurosaki-san. You did good so far, but I think you maybe have strained yourself too badly." Hanataro said once he was finished with bandaging Ichigo up.
Ichigo sighed, "It doesn't matter, the patrols are probably going to change up now that they know why we are here. Getting to the tower will be more of a pain." He said.
"I know that, but it's better to wait than to drag yourself and further injure yourself." Hanataro said.
"The kid is right, we already beat up a chunk of those losers anyways. How do we know they won't think we're just tearing the place apart aimlessly?" Ganju asked.
Mordred scoffed, "Probably because of the mess we caused. If that wasn't enough, they are probably going to heal that red haired guy and question him." He said.
"Mordred's right, Renji knew we were coming." Ichigo said.
Mash looked worried, "Then they probably will heighten security. Will we have to change our plan?" She asked.
"We could hope that Asterios and Ana return fast with those friends of Kurosaki's. Then maybe we can rush them all at once." Mordred suggested.
Ichigo sighed, "I'm open for less direct plans." He said, making Mordred rolled her eyes.
"How long until you think they will try to execute Rukia?" Mash asked.
Hanataro answered this one, "A couple more weeks I think. Maybe two or two and a half. I can't remember the exact dates." He said.
"They gave you a general idea?" Ichigo asked.
"I don't need to know everything going on, but it's not like I'm being restricted from doing or saying much in the Senzaikyu. Otherwise they would have kicked me out for speaking with Rukia and listening to her stories." Hanataro explained.
"I guess that is helpful. Is there anything else worth mentioning? Any random details that stood out?" Ichigo asked.
As Ichigo rested, Hanataro tried to think of something useful. Mash set up a makeshift bed for herself and Mordred to rest. Not that it felt too comfortable given where they were sleeping.
"I wonder how things are doing in Karakura town." Mash said.
"The place where Ichigo is from?" Mordred asked.
"Yes, it was tricky to fit in at first given how much attention they gave me but it was nice to leave Chaldea." Mash explained.
Mordred snickered, "That sounds nice. You get to experience the overcomplicated world of socializing." She said.
"The people are nice, there isn't anything for me to worry about. At least I hope nothing is going on in town." Mash said.
Meanwhile in Karakura Town
Don Kanonji stood on top of a large rock while pointing at the sky and making a stupid pose.
"We have done a good job and cleaned the town of evil spirits. I am proud to call you Karakura Superheroes! BWAHAHAHA!" Don Kanonji laughed.
For some reason, the strange man with weak spiritual abilities decided to hire Ichigo's sisters and the kids from Urahara's store. All with the idea of trying to form a sentai superhero group like the Power Rangers. Only because he was hoping to hire Ichigo as an apprentice, but learned he was gone. So now he had these four kids as his sidekicks.
However, Karin and Jinta were fighting.
"I'm Karakura red!"
"No, I am!"
Yuzu just sweat dropped while Ururu looked a bit fearful of their argument.
"I hope we can decide on Karakura Red later." Yuzu said.
Then Don Kanonji spoke up again, "That's right, we are all different, but all one. You all still have a lot to learn from me, Karakura red! BWAHAHAHA!" He laughed before Karin and Jinta hit him.
"How come you get to be Karakura Gold?!" Jinta angrily asked.
"Oh no, it got worse." Yuzu said.
"I'm going to go home now." Ururu said quietly.
Back in the Seireitei
Mordred just shrugged, "I'm sure nothing exciting is going on." She said.
"Oh well." Mash said before yawning.
The group took the time to rest for the next few hours. With the hope of being prepared for the potential war that will be broken out tomorrow.
The next morning
With the attack at the stairway of the Senzaikyu which involved many shinigami being gravely injured which included Renji Abarai. The remaining lieutenants including a somewhat injured Kira were making their way to the lieutenants meeting.
"Hey Kira, are you sure you should be moving so much?" Iba asked.
Kira was slightly injured but it didn't look anything critical. Just a few visible bandages on one arm and a small one on his cheek. Iba didn't think Kira was too hurt, but he did know that many shinigami were "tough' and liked to hide the pain or just straight up ignore it.
"I'm fine, I'm afraid the armored woman was quite strong and resistant against low level kido." Kira said as he stretched his arm.
"Aren't you skilled in kido? I thought your group would have been able to bring down a single woman plus more." Iba said.
"I didn't want to risk hurting the hostage they have." Kira said.
Just as they were meeting up with the other lieutenants. They stopped and heard a loud terrified scream.
"Momo!" Kira yelled as he followed the direction of the voice.
The shinigami lieutenants ran behind Kira as they found Hinamori frozen in place and appearing terrified. The lieutenants and other shinigami in the area saw several shards of ice all over the area. However, the damage wasn't their concern because they saw what traumatized Hinamori.
"Captain Aizen!" Hinamori screamed.
Everyone looked up and saw Sosuke Aizen impaled into the East Holy Wall with several large shards of ice. On the side, the shinigami Aizen's zanpakuto stabbed into the ground right under Aizen's body where several drops of blood were hitting the hilt.
By this point, Hinamori collapsed to her knees and kept repeating the name of her now deceased captain. The man was so kind hearted and the young lieutenant could not handle witnessing someone so important die in front of her.
As she grieved, the shinigami tried to investigate the area. Gin Ichimaru arrived and spotted the body of his colleague without looking concerned.
"How unfortunate. How could such a tragedy occur?" Ichimaru asked.
It didn't sound like concern or even curiosity. Hinamori took offense to this, thinking that the third division captain had no concern for Aizen's death. Without even thinking of the repercussions despite the warnings of not trusting Ichimaru. Hinamori drew her zanpakuto and tried to attack the shinigami captain.
Ichimaru just stood there and allowed the attack to happen. He had no concern because Kira jumped in and blocked Hinamori's attack and struggled as he could sense the fury in Hinamori's attack.
"Why are you stopping me?" Hinamori asked.
"You are attacking a captain! What are you thinking!?" Kira asked.
Ichimaru just smiled at the fact that Kira defended him. As if he only felt apathy, Ichimaru walked away, prompting Hinamori to chase after him. Only for Kira to pull her back and keep her from attacking Ichimaru again.
"Momo, this is treachery! What are you trying to gain from this!?" Kira asked, but Hinamori only felt rage boiling within her.
"Just move Izuru!" Hinamori commanded.
Kira continued to block her attacks, "You know I can't allow that!" He shouted before pushing her back.
Hinamori's grief clouded her judgment and she found herself creating a mistake that would make everyone turn on her. Even if Gin Ichimaru was not to be trusted and had some hand in Aizen's death, Hinamori is only making things worse on herself.
"Snap. Tobiume." Hinamori whispered.
Everyone stepped back as they witnessed Hinamori releasing her shikai as it transformed into a double edged blade with multiple smaller blades. She then swung in Ichimaru's direction, creating a large fireball to fly towards him.
"Raise Your Head! Wabiuske!" Kira shouted as only his zanpakuto hilt changed. "Momo, are you insane!? Releasing your shikai when out in a public space like this!?" He angrily asked.
Kira quickly blocked the fireball and watched as Hinamori tried to attack Ichimaru again. Only before Kira could block her attack, Fou suddenly landed on top of Hinamori's head. In a brief instant, the pair flashed away and Hinamaroi found herself in between Rangiku and Iba where they held her down.
"NO! Let me go! He had something to do with Captain Aizen's murder!" Hinamori yelled as she struggled to get loose.
That was when Toshiro Hitsugaya had arrived and stood between the two lieutenants.
"That is enough Hinamori." Hitsugaya said. "I'm afraid you leave me no choice but to have you placed under arrest for attacking your superiors." He said.
Hinamori still cried as she stopped resisting. As she calmed down, the young shinigami captain looked at Fou with suspicious eyes. Not only was Fou an exotic animal, but he teleported Hinamori away, revealing its power and intelligence. Before Hitsugaya could demand an explanation from Rangiku as she was pampering Fou all this time.
Ichimaru reminded everyone of his presence.
"I apologize that you wasted your time, Captain Hitsugaya." Ichimaru said, still not sounding concerned.
The younger shinigami narrowed his eyes, "You would have killed her had she come close enough." He said.
Ichimaru chose to sound ignorant, "I don't know what you could be talking about." He said. "However, while we are on the subject. It's interesting to see lieutenant Hinamori accuse me when there is so much ice around here." He said.
The ice was obviously evidence and while Aizen didn't look tough. He was a captain and all this ice likely meant that he fought a strong opponent in everyone's eyes.
"Captain Hitsugaya, are you not an ice user yourself? Sure you could help get a good understanding of this incident." Ichimaru said before leaving.
Not without feeling Hitsugaya's glare and likely a mental vow to hurt him if anything happened to Hinamori. Not that Ichimaru remotely cares for any threats. There was still a dead body to take care of and it belonged to a high ranking member of the Gotei 13.
"I want someone to lower Captain Aizen's body. I want a medical team to examine him and another team to investigate the crime scene." Hitsugaya said.
This was just another morning and it became very messy very quickly. It was also far from over.
"Rangiku, where did you find that animal?" Hitsugaya asked.
As Rangiku explained how she found Fou without getting too deep into anything. Hitsugaya noticed Fou glaring at the back of Ichimaru's head. Confirming that even strange animals can sense some evil.
Back with Ichigo's group
Ichigo slowly stirred awake and felt less aches around his body. As he tried to stand up, he heard some shouting that gave him a headache.
"Hey! It's one thing to sleep on me but its another to drool on me!" Ganju yelled a she pushed Hanataro away from him.
"I'm sorry! My body must have moved on its own!" Hanataro said apologetically.
"Shut up! I'm trying to sleep!" Mordred yelled before throwing her helmet at Ganju's head.
Ganju cried out in pain as he felt like a small bowling ball hit him. He glared at Mordred before recoiling in fear as he saw her raise Clarent with one hand. Luckily Mash tried to defuse the situation.
"Let us not get violent. We need our strength to save Rukia and regroup with the others." Mash pleaded.
Ichigo groaned as he sat up, "Speaking of regrouping, is Fou back?" He asked.
"I don't see that stupid albino squirrel anywhere." Mordred said.
"I wonder how Ana and Asterios are doing." Ichigo said.
"Are they still alive?" Mordred asked.
"My pact with Ana isn't broken and I can only assume Chad is still with Asterios. Chad also has a copy of the map so he should be good for coming back." Ichigo said.
Ganju groaned, "Well you better think of something. You already know that the shinigami are gonna make this a lot more difficult for us." He said.
"Let's just hope we can handle things." Ichigo said as he stood up.
As everyone prepared to head out again. Hanataro suddenly had an idea and pulled out a small pouch. He then revealed a pill with a skull design on it.
"If anyone is still feeling exhausted. I have these stamina pills that they give to everyone in the fourth division." Hanataro said.
Ichigo didn't trust the pills, "Those things have skulls on them. That is a red flag for me." He said.
Mash nodded, "That doesn't ensure safety." She said in agreement.
It left everyone feeling concerned for their safety. If Hanataro is telling the truth, it would be difficult to tell the difference between danger and safety in the lab where they make medicine. Hanataro decided to prove this by devouring the shady pill without second thought.
"See? I feel perfectly fine." Hanataro said.
"Are you sure you are not trained to resist toxins?" Mash asked.
Hanataro shook his head, "Of course not, but if you want. I can bring this up with the design committee." He suggested.
Ichigo then had a realization, "Shinigami are terrible designers and artists." He said.
"What?" Hanataro asked.
"Rukia always makes these stupid drawings to illustrate lessons. I'm starting to think everyone here is just bad at designing." Ichigo said, making Hanataro sweat drop.
He still held out the bag, "You can still have them." He said.
"It might be worth considering." Mash said as she took one. Already feeling a bit of mana return, "It works… somewhat." She said.
"Fine, let's leave. Hopefully security hasn't drastically increased." Ichigo said.
At the same time
After waking up early in the morning inside of a warehouse. Chad and Asterios continued to look around the Seireitei for Orihime and Uryu as well as the location of the Senzaikyu. Which resulted in the two tearing through a small group fo shinigami with Asterios holding one by the back of his collar.
"Do you know where the White Tower is?" Chad asked.
The shinigami raised up his zanpakuto, "I'm not going to tell you, ryoka!" He said.
Asterios violently shook the shinigami like a thug trying to get money out of a bystander. Eventually, Chad just asked the minotaur to drop the shinigami.
The shinigami quickly stood up and tried to stab Chad while he was just standing there. It didn't work as Chad used his power, Brazo Derecha del Gigante, where he caught the zanpakuto. Without much effort, Chad twisted the blade without any resistance. The shinigami looked up at Chad with fearful eyes as he could sense the amount of reiatsu Chad released.
"Don't do this again." Chad said as he dropped the weapon.
The shinigami backed away and fell to his knees where he begged for his life.
"Please spare me!" The shinigami pleaded.
Asterios snarled at him.
"I promise never to do something like that again!" The shinigami said.
Asterios huffed before following Chad who led the way. As the pair then continued to fight their way through the hordes of shinigami in their way. Not realizing that a much more powerful foe is nearby.
Elsewhere
The lieutenant of the 8th division was watching as she saw several of her subordinates fall before the combined might of Chad and Asterios. She knew it was time to go down and defeat the ryoka before more damage can spread.
"They have broken through the guard house." Ise said before hearing a sigh.
"Time for me to earn my keep." Said Captain Shunsui Kyoraku.
"Captain Shunsui, I am not trying to sound proud, but I believe I am best equipped to handle the ryoka. You don't have to worry about this rabble." Ise said.
Kyoraku scoffed, "Nanao-chan, Captain Yamamoto declared war on the ryoka and wants every captain to engage them once we find them. You know the old geezer is going to get mad if the Gotei 13 ends up looking like fools." He explained.
Ise sighed, even if her uncle was a bit of a fool, he wasn't chosen as a captain on a whim. Especially when it was Captain Yamamoto himself who gave him the order to engage.
Kyoraku then gently lifted Nanao's head by the chin, "Besides, don't know how sad I will be if you get hurt?" He asked.
Ise suddenly slapped her captain's wrist away with a folding fan. Kyoraku yipped as he held his wrist in pain as Ise glared at him.
"I am not a pet or a personal belonging of yours!" Ise exclaimed.
Kyoraku hissed in pain, "Nanao-chan, you are becoming more heartless everyday… but that makes me love you even more." He said.
"If you are motivated to fight, just leave already!" Ise said, not enjoying. her captain's teasing.
"So mean." Kyoraku said as he stumbled out of the room.
With Chad, a few minutes later
After smashing through a wall, the pair found Kyoraku sitting with his legs crossed as he drank sake from a cup. He didn't so much as look at the pair as if he either didn't notice them or didn't care enough to acknowledge their presence. They looked up and saw Ise dropping a handful of sakura petals from a basket.
"Hmm?" Asterios grunted.
"I have no idea what this is either." Chad replied.
Then Nanao dropped the basket on top of Kyoraku's head. The shinigami captain sighed and removed the basket and dusted off the sakura petals. Once composed, Kyoraku produced two more glasses of sake.
"I have been waiting for you gentlemen. Please, take a seat and enjoy some sake." Kyoraku said, sounding hospitable.
This friendly manner surprised and confused Chad but Asterios thought this was a trick. He approached one of the cups and crushed it in the air.
"Now that was rude. You see, this behavior is why all of my fellow captains are looking for you." Kyoraku said.
"Other captains?" Chad asked.
"I probably should not have said that." Kyoraku said, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "Anyways, I would recommend that you retreat and maybe I won't charge you for the nice sake glass." He said.
"We need to get through. I would prefer to avoid fighting." Chad said as he walked closer to the shinigami captain.
Kyoraku shook his head, "I agree, I don't want to fight either but I cannot let you through. If you won't run or surrender, then we are at an impasse." He said.
Asterios lost his patience and started swinging his axes at Kyoraku. The shinigami captain quickly leaped away as a small crater was left where he sat. He effortlessly avoided Asterios' heavy strikes. Then he dodged an energy attack that was aimed for him and saw it came from Chad.
Kyoraku showed no concern as he avoided several more blasts from Chad. As well as another slash from Asterios who let out an annoyed growl.
"You should give up now. If you can't hit me now, you won't be able to beat me." Kyoraku told both of them.
Just as Asterios prepared to hit Kyoraku again. The shinigami captain sidestepped and thrusted his fingers onto Asterios' side.
"Tsukiyubi." He whispered.
Asterios suddenly crashed into a nearby wall. Only to quickly recover and let out a loud roar. He quickly charged at Kyoraky who dodged him again.
"You are quite tough, my oddly dressed acquaintance." Kyoraku said, earning another snarl in response.
The shinigami captain avoided several more blows that destroyed the ground all around them as well as a few walls. Kyoraku sighed as he knew this was going to be messy. That was when Asterios jumped backwards the moment Kyoraku raised his hand again. Kyoraku ducked down and watched as his straw hat was destroyed by one of Chad's blasts.
"Hey, what did my hat ever do to you?" Kyoraku said with a light glare. "I think I've been far too generous with letting you walk away." He said.
Chad raised his hand and revealed his command seal. He tried to channel his reiatsu into the seal and managed to make the seal disappear. Despite losing some power within him, Chad saw Asterios glowing a bit before tackling Kyoraku who looked slightly surprised.
'I better move before I really get hurt. This thing has a grip that reminds me of Zaraki.' Kyoraku thought.
He sighed before managing to squeeze out of Asterios' grip with minor difficulty. Although not without feeling a bit of an ache on his back.
'These guys are heavy hitters, its a good thing they have the grace of bulls in a china shop.' Kyoraku thought before sensing Chad again.
He quickly moved out of the way as he saw Chad thrusting his fist right past him. In that instance, Kyoraku slashed at Chad's side and left a trail of blood that led through several walls. Once the attack stopped, Kyoraku whistled as he saw Chad leave a massive trail of damage.
"If I knew it would come to this. I should have let Nanao-chan deal with this." Kyoraku thought before raising his zanpakuto over his head.
He gripped his blade tightly as Asterios tried to slash at him with the axes again. Kyoraku winced as he felt the pressure Asterios put down on him but didn't care. He also noticed Chad was still moving despite the heavy slash. The shinigami captain sighed as he raised his free hand at Chad.
"I better end this. There's no use in wasting time and energy." He said as his hand started to glow. 'Ye Lord. Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man…"
Asterios wasn't the sharpest tool and being a Berserker, it wasn't something that was common. However, the Greek monster recognized a spell being active and saw it was aimed for Chad. Asterios tried to pull back his weapons and tried to attack again. Only for his attacks to be parried by Kyoraku before being slashed in the knees.
Asterios let out a pain filled scream as he saw Kyoraku finishing his spell. Leaving him with no other choice when it came to saving Chad.
"…the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!"
"Wander… Lost… Die!" Asterios angrily screamed as he triggered his noble phantasm.
"Hado #31: Shakkaho!" Kyoraku shouted as he launched a powerful red beam at Chad.
Only for it to be blocked by a massive wall that quickly repaired itself. Kyoraku and Ise both suddenly found themselves in a dark labyrinth with many walls surrounding them. Kyoraku slashed at the wall behind him but didn't see Asterios there anymore.
"What is this place? Did these ryoka transport me somewhere?" Kyoraku curiously asked.
"Captain Shunsui! Do you hear me!?" Ise asked somewhere.
"I'm here Nanao-chan. Stay put, I'll find you and the ryoka." he said.
"Captain Shunsui, I am standing on top of the walls. We are trapped inside of some massive maze. The corners are too narrow to see through." Ise said.
Kyoraku said, "Of course, why did I have to put off our fight?" He asked. "Stay put, I'll find you. Hopefully no scary monsters will try to kidnap you for being so pretty." He said.
"My last concern is being abducted by fiends! I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself!" Ise replied, making Kyoraku chuckle.
At the same time, Asterios was catching his breath as his wound was leaking. He wasn't sure if he had enough mana to hold this place for long. Even if he was a lot stronger while in his domain. Kyoraku was holding back a lot and all Asterios could do was slow them down.
With some chance of at least hurting them while Chad got away. He hoped Chad at least got the idea to run away when his labyrinth was set up.
Back with Ichigo's group
Ichigo was surprised to see the lack of extra security despite last evening's battle with Renji and Kira's squadron. There should at least be some guards around or some new security system in play. Did they not expect the group to return to the scene of the crime?
"Heads up Junior, they could be watching us from a distance." Mordred said as a warning to Mash.
Mash nodded, "Understood, Sir Mordred." She said.
"Don't be so formal with the titles by the way." Mordred said.
As the group made their way to the senzaikyu, they saw how big the stairway was. It was annoying and it was going to be tiresome to get to the top. When they did reach the top, Ichigo had difficulty breathing and even Mordred felt uncomfortable while Mash just held her head.
"Are we so high up that the air is too thick to breathe?" Mash asked.
"No, this… I'm so tired." Hanataro said as he collapsed.
Ganju immediately looked annoyed, "Are you kidding me? You must be the wimpiest shinigami of all time!" He yelled.
As Ganju was forced to carry Hanataro. Ichigo could not help but feel like he had a rope tugging on his neck. He wasn't sure if it was the atmosphere or if his anxiety was suddenly rising. Ichigo's only suspicion is that someone is watching him.
"Hey Ichigo, call me paranoid but I definitely feel like someone is watching us." Mordred said.
Ichigo nodded, "Maybe that's it. I remember Ikkaku said he had a tough captain. Even though I beat him, Ikkaku was too confident and I had Ana and Asterios to help me." He said.
Ichigo still had no doubt that the shinigami captains are powerful. Even if Byakuya Kuchiki dealt a cheap shot at him while his guard was down. No one is allowed to argue about what's fair as every shinigami seems to have their own style and abilities.
"Yeah, I mean I felt like that guy we fought with the stupid hair was a bit too cocky for my taste." Mordred said as she remembered Yumichika.
As they reminisce and considered the idea of a powerful shinigami possibly waiting for them like Renji did. The anxiety and physical stress surrounding them wasn't doing them any favors. They never knew how right they were to assume that they were being watched.
When Ichigo felt someone, this sense of death surrounded him. Then he heard Mash gasp as she collapsed into his chest.
"Mash!" Ichigo yelled.
"Hey, this wimp has passed out!" Mordred said.
As the group stopped, the thick air calmed down only slightly. As a man with a wild spiky hairstyle and an eyepatch stood on top of a nearby roof. Ichigo felt like an alarm was going off in front of him. It didn't help that the man in front of him looked like a bloodthirsty psychopath from a horror movie.
"Are you going to keep staring?" The man asked.
Ichigo immediately drew his zanpakuto and turned it into a bow. The man just grinned, waiting for Ichigo to do something while the boy felt like every muscle was going stiff. Even Mordred felt like her next move would determine life or death.
"Tell me, are you Ichigo Kurosaki? The kid with the multiple tricks with a zanpakuto that works like a swiss army knife?" The man asked.
Ichigo grimaced at his appearance, "I am, are you a shinigami captain?" He asked.
"Yeah, you can call me Kenpachi Zaraki, captain of the 11th division." Zaraki said.
"And I'm Yachiru!" Yachiru said as she came from behind Zaraki's back.
"Those idiots you fought and they were my subordinates, but don't worry. I'm not here to avenge them." Zaraki said as he jumped down.
Mordred aimed her sword at him, "Then what? Are you here to scare us?" He asked.
Zaraki scoffed, "No, I want you to fight me next. One at a time, two on one or all together at once. I'm okay with whatever." He said, sounding eager to fight.
Ichigo immediately remembered Yoruichi making a warning earlier during their arrival into the Soul Society. She mentioned that they needed to avoid a shinigami captain and while Ichigo had this warning in mind. He didn't fully comprehend the danger but he couldn't just run.
It wasn't pride or some belief that told him to stay put and fight. It was a mix of sacrifice and his will of a warrior.
'Damn you Leonidas, why did you give me the will of a warrior!?' Ichigo thought.
There were probably a few others to blame for giving Ichigo the lessons in being strong and various ways to stand up to an impossible challenge. However, Leonidas just felt the convenient person to blame because the Spartan general made him go through rigorous physical training in Uruk.
"As much as it would disappoint me, you can run. Do it if you want to, I won't mock you for it but I won't be merciful afterwards and neither will the other captains." Zaraki said.
"What's the point in running if we're bound to fight right?" Ichigo asked.
Zaraki laughed, "That's what I was thinking. I just didn't want to hear any complaints." He said. "From what I can sense, your reiatsu is pretty high. I shouldn't be surprised that you beat Madarame, but not without some problems." He said.
He then looked at Mordred and studied her for a minute despite the fact that her armor obscured her appearance.
"You seem tough too. I bet you gave Yumichika a run for his money. Not that an ordinary lieutenant would be enough for you two combined." Zaraki said.
"You think Ken-chan? Carrot and tin lady are shaking." Yachiru said
"Don't worry about it. Besides, I'll give them both the first shot." Zaraki said as he exposed his chest.
Ichigo felt suspicious as he saw Zaraki's damaged chest. It wasn't anything disturbing but it did show that the shinigami captain had experience. So he wasn't a pushover like most of the mobs Ichigo has faced recently.
"There's no way you would let us kill you." Mordred said.
"I'm not letting you kill me. I'm letting you hit me as a handicap. In your state, even with that power, you're too green to be a real challenge." Zaraki said.
"I'll show you who's green you old man!" Mordred yelled.
"Don't let him provoke you!" Ichigo yelled.
Zaraki rolled his eyes, "Kid, drop the bravado and paranoia. These life and death fights are meant to be enjoyed. It's possible you could kill me, but it's possible you could be too weak to pierce my flesh." He said.
"Aw, Ken-chan is such a good sport." Yachiru said, liking the idea of giving Ichigo a handicap.
"I'm going for it!" Mordred yelled before Ichigo could stop her.
Mordred didn't go for some massive strike. Just a good one that would kill any fool that would expose his flesh. When she cut through him, a few drips of blood hit the ground. Mordred looked up at Zaraki who just blinked and looked at the big slash.
"That was… something." Zaraki said.
"What the hell!?" Mordred asked.
Mordred expected a big mess and a large wound on Zaraki's chest, even if he was tough enough to handle a direct attack. Mordred saw her cut was long, but it wasn't anything life threatening. It was a straight thin vertical line that ran down most of his torso.
"Ken-chan, she gave you a big paper cut." Yachiru said.
"Paper cut!? Screw you, you pink midget!" Mordred yelled.
Yachiru glared at her, "Not a midget!" She yelled.
"Next." Zaraki said.
"Next? What are you, some kind of carnival ride now?" Mordred asked.
"Ken-chan said next!" Yachiru exclaimed.
By this point, Hanataro finally woke up and tried to understand where he was.
"Hey I think we're near the Shishinro." Hanataro said before feeling scared. "Captain Zaraki!" He yelled.
"Mash, take Ganju and Hanataro and look for Rukia! Mordred and I will hold this guy off!" Ichigo ordered.
"You can't let him fight Captain Zaraki alone!" Hanataro yelled.
"Just go! Save Rukia and I'll stop this guy!" Ichigo ordered.
Mash wanted to stop and help, but she had her orders. She had to respect her senpai and save Rukia. Even if she knew there was a good chance that Ichigo wouldn't win, her instincts told her to follow her master's orders and keep going.
Even though Hanataro had good points.
"We have to go back for him!" Hanataro yelled as Ganju carried him over his shoulder.
"He gave us an order and for once, it's something I'm gonna respect!" Ganju told him.
"No, you two don't get it! Captain Kenpachi Zaraki's first name is a title for the strongest shinigami!" Hanataro exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" Mash asked.
"Kenpachi is the name given to the shinigami who loves to fight and has obtained the most kills under their name. Even when a new kenpachi arrives, the name alone makes them immortal." Hanataro explained.
Ganju and Mash can see why Hanataro is scared and understand that Ichigo is in trouble. However, they couldn't go back for Ichigo despite knowing the danger he is in even with Mordred to support him. Not just because Zaraki or another more serious captain would go after them later. But because of the matter of principle.
"The captain is more dangerous than we realized, but we can't go back for senpai." Mash said.
Hanataro looked shocked, "Why not!?" He asked.
"First, we won't be able to run away from that guy. He's a psychopath and Kurosaki already told us to save Rukia." Ganju explained.
Mash nodded, "Senpai knew the dangers of saving Rukia and he took on the challenge. No matter how threatening a man of any reputation is, my senpai isn't going to quit."
"That's right, now walk on your own!" Ganju said as he dropped Hanataro. "We can't stand around and wait. I don't know if that guy will win, but we won't do him any favors by failing the mission." He said.
Ganju still had some things to say to Ichigo when this was over and Mash refused to believe her master would die.
Back with Ichigo
Zaraki really expected more, but could see his subordinate was not defeated by a pushover that got lucky. Even with help, he can see Ichigo needed more experience and a battle was the best method. Zaraki watched as Ichigo transformed his zanpakuto into a katana and allowed the boy to slash at him.
The impact took a few seconds to register before a wider yet smaller slash appeared on Zaraki's chest. Yachiro looked at the mark as some blood came out.
"Ken-chan, if you let him hit you again. You will look like you have boobies." Yachiru said.
Zaraki snorted, "I see you got some power kid, but that's not enough." He said.
"What the hell are you? We hit you with all our strength!" Ichigo shouted as Zaraki shoved him back.
"Kid, you're out of tune with your zanpakuto. When two spiritual forces collide, the weaker one will absorb the impact." Zaraki explained as he drew his own zanpakuto.
Then Yachiru jumped on top of Ichigo's shoulder, "Your zanpakuto is all out of whack. It's like it's going dull." She said before jumping towards Mordred. "And your sword is getting rusty." She said before jumping away again.
"Get back here, midget!" Mordred yelled as Yachiru stuck her tongue out at the Saber.
"The problem is that your reiatsu is all over the place. It's like your zanpakuto is chosen when it wants to work with you and when it doesn't." Zaraki explained. "I don't know for sure about the other one, but it feels like she is a part of you or something." He said.
Ichigo was unsure of what to make of it. He was able to gain his own shinigami powers but he knew he was still far from being on the level of a truly experienced shinigami. However, what made him concerned is the idea that Zaraki could somehow sense a part of him in Mordred. She was bound to him due to his mana, but was his Reiatsu affecting her as well?
'Maybe it's because I'm still not as strong as all those months ago in Chaldea or my body is still processing things differently.' Ichigo thought.
As for Zaraki, he wasn't going to waste any more time on teaching Ichigo on how to be a shinigami and the intermediate lessons on using a zanpakuto. Now it was time for him to fight and that's all he cared about.
"At least you have some level of strength. I just hope you don't pass out from exhaustion or something pathetic like that." Zaraki said.
Ichigo raised his zanpakuto at Zaraki, "It doesn't matter, whether I can prick you or bisect you, I'm not running." He said.
"Good, because you can at least take off the rust." Zaraki said before rushing at his two opponents.
Ichigo quickly raised his guard as Zaraki suddenly appeared in front of him and started attacking him rapidly. Ichigo struggled at first before pushing him away and into Mordred's position. Mordred took this chance and slashed at Zaraki from behind only for the man to block the attack.
"Thanks for reminding me that I have two opponents!" Zaraki said.
"You can send me a thank you card when I send you to the hospital!" Mordred yelled before her guard broke.
"Like I wanna see Unohana's stupid face." Zaraki said before stabbing his sword into Mordred's armor.
Mordred snarled as she felt the zanpakuto begin to pierce through her armor. She managed to hold Zaraki in place before stabbing him in the shoulder. Giving Ichigo the chance to attack while Zaraki was exposed but the shinigami captain ignored the blow.
"You need more than cheap shots, kid." Zaraki said before tossing Mordred aside.
Ichigo swung at Zaraki who blocked each attack before delivering a heavy blow of his own. Zaraki forced Ichigo to struggle before losing his stance once the zanpakuto changed form. Ichigo traded his sword form for a pair of sickles with chains before causing Zaraki to lose his step.
"Ken-chan! He changed his weapons!" Yachiru yelled.
"I can see that!" Zaraki yelled back.
"Ok!" Yachiru said as she continued to watch.
Ichigo then jumped back before Zaraki could grab him. Ichigo then threw a sickle at Zaraki who avoided it. Ichigo swung his sickles rapidly at Zaraki who kept blocking or dodging the fast attacks. That is until he swa one of the chains wrap around his arm and began pulling him closer.
"If you wanted to get up close, you just had to ask!" Zaraki said before pulling Ichigo closer to him.
Zaraki then saw Ichigo flying towards him while wildly swinging the weapons. Zaraki side stepped and thrusted his sword into Ichigo. Only to watch his opponent suddenly disappear.
"What the? Was that one of those… what are they called?" Zaraki asked, having heard of the trick Ichigo performed.
"After images!" Ichigo said as he swung a sickle at Zaraki's back.
Zaraki quickly grabbed the sick man by the handle and tried pulling Ichigo closer again. He then heard Mordred jumping at him from the air. Zaraki prepared to block her attack only to feel another chain wrap around his good arm. With enough force, Ichigo forced Zaraki to lower his guard.
"Mordred with a command spell! I order you to hit this psycho with all the fury within you!" Ichigo shouted as Mordred began to glow.
Zaraki was about to let go of the chain he held. When Mordred slashed at his chest, leaving another thin cut on his body. Only this time, a lot more blood came out as the wound felt deeper.
"You still think I have a bad connection with my master!?" Mordred asked as Zaraki stumbled for a second. "Ichigo and I are partners, he got so strong that he stands with us at the front lines!" She said proudly.
Zaraki snickered, "Is that so? That's the type of leadership I respect." He said before reaching for his eyepatch. "I guess that means you want the full treatment now." He said as he removed his accessory.
Ichigo suddenly felt a massive spike of reiatsu coming from Kenpachi that felt like he was standing next to a tornado. He looked at the battle-hungry shinigami captain who tossed aside the eyepatch as Kenpachi thrusted his sword at Mordred who barely blocked the attack. She continued to parry the blows before Zaraki found a chain wrapped around his neck.
"If you're going to stop holding back. Why don't you release your zanpakuto's power and call out its name?" Ichigo asked.
He remembered Renji was a lot more powerful because of its shikai being released. He thought Zaraki was holding back because he had nor heard him call out the name and release its true power.
"If you're referring to my shikai, it's already released and it has no name." Zaraki said before pulling Ichigo closer to him.
Ichigo changed his sickles into a lance and blocked Zaraki's attack. Ichigo pulled away and twirled his lance to parry the next blow and allowed Mordred to try to get in the next attack. Only for Zaraki to block it as well as grab Ichigo's lance once the boy tried to thrust the sharp tip at him.
"I wear the eyepatch to make things more exciting. To give my opponents a chance and see if they are worth fighting. You should be taking advantage of them and my bells." Zaraki said as Ichigo heard the bells attached to Zaraki's hair spikes.
However, that was the last moment Ichigo was allowed to have any form of an advantage. Because Zaraki launched himself towards Ichigo and thrusted his zanpakuto towards Ichigo's chest. Ichigo twirled his lance quickly and just barely stopped Zaraki's attack.
The collision of weapons made his hands shake and made it hard to keep his grip. Zaraki lost his stance for a second, but quickly fixed himself. He pulled back his sword and tried to stab Ichigo while he was still struggling with his hands. It didn't help that the shinigami captain released his full power and made it hard to focus.
"It's over, kid." Zaraki said as his sword pierced flesh.
But not Ichigo's flesh.
"That was threw yourself like an idiot." Zaraki said.
"Screw you… dumb ass…" Mordred said as blood leaked out of her mouth.
Ichigo watched as he saw a sword pierce through Mordred. The amount of power Reiatsu released by Zaraki must have been enough to pierce through her armor. The armor of the Knight of Rebellion was strong enough to stop B Rank damage.
"Ichigo, listen up." Mordred said as her helmet lowered. Mordred turned her head to the side, "Kick this guy's ass. Don't you dare lose." she said before spitting blood.
"Mordred…" Ichigo whispered.
"Can we move it with this friendship crap? It gives me a headache." Zaraki said as he tugged on his zanpakuto.
Mordred grabbed the arm holding onto the hilt. With the last bit of mana, Mordred raised Clarent with her free arm and thrusted it into Zaraki's side. Using all of her strength, she managed to dig the blade into Zaraki's flesh just a bit.
"Ichigo… you have one minute… one minute… to pick yourself up!" Mordred yelled as she tried digging her sword in deeper.
With the last of her energy, Mordred released a torrent of crimson magic that sent Zaraki crashing several meters and hitting a wall harshly. Giving Ichigo a moment to recover his strength and get a good grip on his weapon again.
"And tell Junior… to not let any of us down… we have a reputation… to uphold…" Mordred said, giving him a smirk before she started to glow and disappeared.
Ichigo gripped his sword tightly, 'You didn't have to do it Mordred. Even if it was your job.' He thought angrily. 'You were proud that I fought with you instead of fighting from the back. Now you're gone and I'm alone but I'll do it. I'll beat this captain.' He thought.
"Do you want to win because of your pride or because of your promises?" Asked a voice.
'What was that?' Ichigo thought.
"Or is it because you want to live?" The voice asked.
Ichigo suddenly felt like his body was heavy and his skin was dry and thick. That's when he felt like a pair of arms were also holding his zanpakuto.
"I want to fight." Ichigo whispered.
"I can't hear you." The voice said.
"I want to win."
"…"
"I want to fight and win!" Ichigo said.
"Call out my name." The voice said.
Ichigo suddenly felt the extra arms had become one with his own. Making his grip on his weapon become tighter as it transformed into a sword again. Then his body felt like it was going through more changes but he didn't notice them. Nor did he notice the increase of power leaking from him as Zaraki recovered from Mordred's final attack.
"What's that? You stopped shaking already? Are you finally ready to fight?" Zaraki asked.
Ichigo responded with silence as he raised his guard and felt a greater amount of Reiatsu surrounding him. As if he finally felt in touch with his zanpakuto, Ichigo was able to release a lot more power that Zaraki could feel from where he stood. It wasn't the monstrous amount of reiatsu that Zaraki approved, but it was enough for him to actually feel slightly threatened.
"What's this? That power of friendship crap real? Your friend dies and you suddenly become powerful out of nowhere?" Zaraki asked, sounding confused.
Ichigo closed his eyes and focused his reiatsu as best as he could. Not realizing that blue lizard-like scales surrounded his arms and other parts of his body. Zaraki noticed but assumed it was some kind of secondary power.
"Oh I see, you decided to team up with your zanpakuto. That's pathetic, relying on a weapon just means that you can't fight on your own. No wonder you got all emotional when your friend turned into pixie dust." Zaraki said.
Ichigo then opened his eyes, 'Lend me your strength, Zangetsu.' He thought.
As Ichigo focused his energy, his zanpakuto attempted to change again. Only not as another weapon, the sword form it already took was changing slightly from the hilt to the shape of the blade. It didn't know what form to take as Ichigo rushed at Zaraki again.
Zaraki may have thought Ichigo's method was weak, but he still accepted whatever came. When the blades of the two weapons clashed, a massive eruption took place upon impact. When the dust of the attack settled down, Ichigo saw that he was impaled in the abdomen.
'I'm sorry, everyone.' Ichigo thought as he lost his balance.
However, his legs and back refused to move. Ichigo stood there, unconsciously ignoring the gravity that pulled him down. Zaraki saw this and looked at the injury he took in the shoulder from Zangetsu.
"You won kid." Zaraki said as his legs didn't have the strength Ichigo had.
He collapsed and fell onto his face in a pool of blood. Seconds later, Yachiru came down and lifted Zaraki over her shoulder as if he weighed like nothing. She then smiled at Ichigo who was still trying to stand still despite slowly losing consciousness.
"You win this time, Ichi-chan. You even made Ken-chan hit the ground first. Oh well, we'll see you next time, if you survive that is." Yachiru said before escaping with Zaraki.
Ichigo stood there, trying to process what happened. His mind is unable to understand what happened from Mordred dying in front of him to synchronizing with his zanpakuto and learning its name. Then there's the fact that his body refused to fall, being as stubborn as Cu Chulain was during the end of his own life.
As Ichigo began to lose consciousness, his legs became weaker and wobbly. Before he could fall, he saw a familiar pale woman with a red military uniform rushing towards him. When his body was about to hit the ground, the woman caught him in her arms.
"Kurosaki, I would have prefered it if our reunion did not begin with you needing heavy medical assistance." The woman said.
Ichigo could barely keep his eyes open as he looked at the woman.
"Nightingale…" he murmured as his eyes closed and darkness surrounded him.
A while later
Ichigo woke up in a room and saw an injured Mash next to him. Ichigo raised his head but immediately hissed in pain as every part of his body felt like it was cramping up.
"Kurosaki, do not move." Said a familiar voice.
Ichigo looked up and saw the serious face of the Angel of the Crimean war. Florence Nightingale, an important figure in medicine from the early 20th century. Ichigo was able to look at his body and saw that he was covered in bandages as well as Mash.
"Where are we? What happened to Mash?" Ichigo asked.
Nightingale ignored the questions and presented him with slices of peeled oranges.
"Eat this, you need the vitamins and not "stamina" pills." Nightingale said.
"I'll eat the fruit when you answer my questions. How did you even get here?" Ichigo asked.
Nightingale took her gloved hand and gently started opening Ichigo's mouth. As she started trying to force Ichigo to eat his fruit. Yoruichi appeared by his side.
"You took a few nasty hits, Ichigo. Although your friend here said it was mostly exhaustion and minor internal damage." Yoruichi said.
"All injuries are important enough to treat, regardless of size." Nightingale said.
"Anyhow, Mash and the others were fortunately able to find Rukia. Unfortunately, Byakuya Kuchiki was there and prevented any escape. That is until I saved her in my true form." Yoruichi explained.
"True form? You are not a cat?" Ichigo asked.
Yoruichi snickered, "No, but I will present you with my true form shortly if you are so curious." She said. "Back to the topic, I was only able to save Mash who barely summoned your friend here before she lost consciousness." She said.
"So not even Mash was tough enough to handle Rukia's brother. That Zaraki guy wasn't weak either and he said he was fighting to give me a handicap." Ichigo said.
Yoruichi nodded, "That sounds like him. However, Byakuya will not hold back or play with his enemies. We will have to continue your training once you can move." She said.
"I recommend several days of rest." Nightingale said.
"And your advice is respected, understood but will not be followed. I apologize." Yoruichi said.
"Is Mash going to be alright?" Ichigo asked.
Nightingale nodded, "Her injuries were swift, but several vital areas were hit. She did not appear fast enough to defend against all of them." She explained.
Ichigo turned to his friend and saw Mash steadily breathing.
"Your other friend is fine as well." Nightingale said.
Ichigo looked around before seeing Chad sleeping against a wall with a large bandage around his waist.
"Chad? But where is…" Ichigo trailed off as he realized he could no longer sense Asterios.
In fact, even if he did, Ichigo could see how close Chad was. The gentle giant's command seals were gone and it likely meant that Asterios was killed in battle. Ichigo would soon learn the details of the sacrifice.
"Now then, I better prepare Ichigo's training and hopefully have him ready in another day or two." Yoruichi said before being surrounded in smoke.
"Must you do that this close?" Nightingale asked, sounding a bit irate.
Yoruichi snickered, "Sorry, forgot how close I was." She said, sounding more female.
Ichigo suddenly went wide-eyed as he saw Yoruichi transform into a beautiful tanned female with golden eyes and purple hair.
"You're a woman!?" Ichigo asked.
"Oh, did I disappoint you?" Yoruichi asked, teasing him in response.
Ichigo looked back at Nightingale, "Shouldn't you tell her to put on clothes? She might catch a hookworm or something?" He asked.
Nightingale could tell what Ichigo was trying to do but still obliged. There was no sense in running around naked unless they were at the baths. This is the heroic spirit of the woman who came up with the idea of cleaning medical tools to prevent the spread of bacteria.
"Yoruichi-san, please put on some garments. Not only are you going to make Kurosaki bleed from the nose but your nudity is not going to help you." Nightingale said.
Yoruichi snickered, "Fine, I was getting dressed anyway. You can't blame me though, sometimes clothes aren't always comfortable." She said.
"Then seek out a fabric that is comfortable and covers all the necessary parts of your body." Nightingale said as she peeled more oranges.
Ichigo sighed as he rested his body. He then looked over at Chad and wondered what the large man was thinking. He seemed quiet and wasn't even acknowledging him.
'Maybe he fell asleep or something.' Ichigo thought.
Ichigo then looked at the back of his palm and saw his command seals were gone. He used them all up when he strengthened Ana when she left to find his other friends. He then used his other seals twice on Mordred and now he could barely feel his remaining servant.
'The contract must still be in play at least. But what about Nightingale? Is she relying on her own mana when Mash summoned her?' Ichigo wondered.
Ichigo looked around the corner and saw the container that gave Ichigo his servants. As Ichigo tried to think, he felt some heat on the back of his hand. When he saw a fragment of the command seal return.
'I guess Chaldea's complicated technology still works. It must have been a full day since I used my first seal.' Ichigo thought.
As Nightingale prepared more fruit to feed Ichigo with. She felt the young man gently grab her hand.
"Does it hurt somewhere?" Nightingale asked.
"Florence, if that container didn't already do it. I want you to establish a contract with me so you don't disappear." Ichigo said.
Nightingale closed her eyes before answering, "Very well, it would be a detriment to your health to leave you now." She said.
Ichigo then connected himself with the Berserker and started feeding her some of his mana. He had to love the clumps of mana that Chaldea puts together to make these. At the same time, he hoped nothing went wrong with Ana.
Ichigo knew command seals are just part of contracts with heroic spirits, but he felt worried that his body would just mess things up should he lose them all. It was probably just a random fear, but it didn't matter since she felt somewhat fine.
With Ana
Ana watched as Uryu and Orihime put on some shinigami shihakusho that actually fit. Once done, they were ready to move out into the night without attracting unwanted attention.
"Ana-chan, you should change as well." Orihime said.
Ana shook her head, "No, I can just cloak myself. You two lead the way." She said before disappearing.
"That's a good cloak, I can barely tell she's here." Uryu said as Ana's presence felt a lot more silent.
The Quincy just hoped that higher ranking shinigami would not be able to notice her either.
The trio then left the hiding spot and made their way down an alleyway with the intent to avoid as many shinigami as possible. Orihime made it perfectly clear earlier that she hates fighting and doesn't want to hurt anyone. Not that Uryu could completely blame her since Orihime is a support type and isn't made for direct combat.
What annoyed him was the fact that Orihime didn't want to see anyone get hurt in general. Which felt like an inconvenience because fighting would be a possible risk in the near future. The Quincy just hoped that not too many shinigami would notice them or possibly sense Ana.
That is until a random shinigami was patrolling around with a bottle of sake on hand. The stench of alcohol made him only more visible.
"Hey you!" The patrolling shinigami called out.
"Yes? Can we help you?" Orihime asked, trying to hide her anxiety.
The shinigami had a flushed face, so it was safe to assume he was drunk. He did look like he was going to pass out after another drink as his steps were not too straight. Too bad he didn't have a poor enough perception when he approached the pair.
"Ishida, if necessary, I can disable him." Ana whispered with Uryu nodding.
Knocking out a shinigami would be okay, but hopefully Ana could hide the body quickly. Especially with how gruff he appeared as he approached Orihime.
"Hey, what squad are you from?" the man asked.
"We are from the…" Orihime tried to answer but couldn't think of anything.
"Probably a really stupid one if you don't have your zanpakuto with you. Where are they? Why would you wander around without them?" The man asked.
"We're from the 11th division." Uryu suddenly said.
The shinigami looked confused, "The 11th division? I'm from the 11th division! What are you talking about?" He asked. He then revealed an insignia on Orihime's collar, "You're from the 12th division, are you messing with me?" He asked.
Uryu cursed his luck by saying the wrong number. He tried to give Ana subtle hints to prepare to attack the drunk. With Ana understanding the gist of his gestures.
"Tell me who you two really are." the shinigami demanded.
Ana prepared to swing her scythe when someone beat him. Literally.
Ana quietly backed off as a shinigami from the 12th division smacked the drunk shinigami with a baton. The drunk collapsed onto the ground and lost consciousness.
"I really hate Aramaki. It was easier to find him than the ryoka." The shinigami said.
Orihime smiled at the shinigami, "Thank you kind sir." She said sweetly.
The new shinigami smiled back and appeared to be a lot more friendly. There were two others as well who gave Orihime a friendly gesture.
"No problem, we gotta watch each other's backs right? We are on the same squad after all." He said.
"Yeah, these 11th division jerks always want to pick fights. Just a bunch of macho men." Another shinigami said.
Uryu couldn't help but feel suspicious about the overly friendly behavior. Initially, it just felt like he was being cautious but that's when something felt very off. It was good for comrades to stand up for each other, especially as Uryu doubted that Aramaki could just run around being drunk.
"Inoue! Run!" Uryu exclaimed as he grabbed Orihime.
Just as he lifted her and leaped out of the way. Ana revealed herself and threw her scythe at the wall. Only to be a second late as the 12th division members were hit by an explosion. Even then, Ana still missed her target who revealed himself after dodging.
"A clown attacked us." Ana said.
"A clown? You dare call me a jester of all things?" A man with a painted face said.
"Captain Kurotsuchi… you said we just needed to lure them." Said the kind shinigami from the 12th division.
"Change of plan." Kurotsuchi said without any care for hurting his subordinates.
Orihime covered her mouth as tears fell down her cheeks. She was horrified to see those shinigami die from their burns. Even if they were trying to lure her and Uryu into a trap, Orihime's empathy was so great that she tried to help them. She even wept when she saw some burn marks on Aramaki.
As Kurotsuchi was being distracted by Ana who prepared to attack. He noticed Orihime using her powers to heal Aramaki and the burned victims.
"Soten Kisshun! I Reject!" Orihime cries out.
The shinigami captain watched the magic unfold. It didn't do much for the three victims as they perished before Orihime's magic could help them. At least Aramaki started to regain consciousness as the small burns around his body started to heal.
"What the? Why are you crying?" Aramaki asked as he saw Orihime.
"I could not save the others, but I will save you." Orihime said.
"Save me? What the hell?" Aramaki asked.
Kurotsuchi tapped his chin while avoiding a chain from hitting his head. He also moved quickly as Ana tried to slash at his head. He then made his way to Orihime and scared her with his appearance.
"That is a peculiar ability. Did you create it or have you been taught?" Kurotsuchi asked, genuinely interested.
"I… I learned…" Orhime could barely make out any words.
"Come with me and I will give you only a small amount of doses of a specialized drug in my lab." Kurotsuchi said.
Kurotsuchi suddenly found Ana wrapping his chains around his upper torso. Where she used the surprise attack to drag him backwards.
"She is not your guinea pig." Ana said.
As Kurotsuchi tried to squeeze out of the chains. He found himself in front of Uryu who generated his bow and prepared to fire.
"A Quincy? How odd, I have not seen your kind in years." Kurotsuchi said as Uryu fired his arrow.
The shinigami captain barely moved enough to where the chain would break from Uryu's Heilig Pfeil. Kurotsuchi then removed the chains and moved away from the line of fire.
"Not that it matters, I have completed my research on your kind." He said.
"Research? What are you talking about?" Uryu asked.
Kurotsuchi decided to ignore that and flared his Reiatsu. Uryu struggled under the power he felt while Ana started to lose her footing.
"I am Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of the 12th division, I am also the President of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute." Kurotsuchi said as he continued flaring his power. "Don't worry, do not bother to retain this information. You will be gone real soon." He said.
Uryu gritted his teeth, "Ana! Take Inoue and run!" He yelled.
Ana looked between Orihime and Uryu before rushing towards Orihime. When Aramaki suddenly grabbed Orihime to try and hold her in place. The drunkard didn't know what was going on but assumed Orihime to be the ryoka they were looking for. Only for the girl to bite him.
"OW! What's the matter with you!?" Aramaki asked.
The shinigami was about to knock out Orihime when Ana jumped and kicked him in the face. Once he was knocked out again, Ana grabbed Orihime and prepared to run. When she saw a large mechanical arm trying to reach out to her.
"You will not escape here with her. She is the one worth researching." Kurotuschi said only for Ana to grab Orihime and jump onto a rooftop.
The outstretched arm reached out for the Lancer and Ana prepared to slice it off. Only for Uryu to destroy it with his Heilig Pfeil. Which destroyed Kurotsuchi's arm causing the captain to back up against the wall.
"Just go! Get out of here!" Uryu commanded.
"I will ask Kurosaki to bring reinforcements if possible." Ana said.
Kurotsuchi glared, "Don't you dare leave!" He yelled as he stabbed his arm stump with a tablet.
The tablet then helped the captain regenerate a brand new arm but it was too late. Ana held onto Orihime and entered Astral form to escape his line of sight. Kurotsuchi tried to sense them, but Uryu fired more arrows at him which he dodged.
"It's too late, you are going to have to settle with the last Quincy." Uryu said as Kurotsuchi narrowed his eyes.
"Fine, let it be." he said as he drew his zanpakuto.
Uryu just hoped he would have enough strength to hold off a shinigami captain while Ana took Orihime back to Ichigo.
In a secret yet heavily guarded area under the Seireitei
The Seireitei and the Gotei 13 were far from perfect, no government or law enforcement entity ever was. However, they did have great care when it came to defending themselves from great threats as well as keeping powerful threats from being let loose onto the world of the living and the Soul Society.
Right now, the defenses of one of the most sensitive areas hidden away from the surface had been breached. Esdeath and another girl had slaughtered the guards who were guarding a great danger that could destroy the seireitei if released.
"Amou, you are late. I didn't think your punctuality was this late." Esdeath told her dark haired partner.
Kirukiru Amou, another mystery woman who had no fear or concern with marching into the seireitei and causing so much damage. She just gave Esdeath a lazy smile as she held up her key.
"And I never took you for such a stickler for the rules." Amou replied. "Besides, I was watching Kurosaki-kun, it's been too long since I've seen him." She said.
Esdeath looked confused, "You know the last master of Chaldea?" She asked.
"We hardly spoke in elementary school, but everyone knew him. He was just an ordinary child. So small, so frail and quick to cry but then one day, he stopped crying." Amou explained.
She was surprised to see Ichigo a while back but to see what he's become only got her thrilled.
"How unfortunate for you, I don't respect "dibs" or whatever it is called. Find a new opponent." Esdeath said as she pulled out her key.
Amou rolled her eyes and sighed, "You think I'm that petty enough to use dibs. When I say I want something, I will get it. Don't think I value some form of friendship, Esdeath." She said.
The two put a hold on their banter as they placed their keys into the locks on a massive gate. The gate then started to open up a series of locks that contained something dangerous that would literally shake the foundation of the Soul Society. Within moments, the two females quickly made their way out of the underground area to see what came out.
As they expected from prior research, a large dragonic beast with scales as black as night and eyes as red blood started to crawl out. The beast was clearly weakened as it appeared to be exhausted, almost as if Amou and Esdeath's actions woke it up.
"Remind me, what was the point of this again? It wasn't your desire to destroy private property, now was it?" Amou asked.
"Ask our leader when we see them. They have all the details but this is mostly a distraction from what I can remember." Esdeath said as the beast's roars echoed every corner of every hall.
Before causing the seireitei's foundation to shake as it started to break free from it's restraints.
Back in the Urahara shop
Jinta groaned as he felt his back starting to break.
"Why do I have to lug this massive piece of junk? It's breaking my back." Jinta said.
"That's because it's a battery and I need all the help I can get. Our new partner is a valued asset." Urahara said.
Jinta scoffed, "You're a perv that likes Italian women from five hundred years ago." He said.
It's unknown if anyone knows that Da Vinci is actually a man in the body of the Mona Lisa. It's not the same mistake as with Artoria and Nero who just have titles that are meant for men but in the end, turn out to be gender neutral. Then again, it's too complicated for them to grasp the existence of a heroic spirit.
"I bet you want perverted favors." Jinta said with a snicker.
Then Tessai slapped him, "Jinta, stop with the jeering. You have a duty and I expect you to do it right." He said.
"Fine, you don't have to hit me. Seriously, it's bad enough that I work here. You don't have to get abusive." Jinta said.
"It's not abuse, it's motivation." Tessai said as he cracked his knuckles.
Meanwhile Ururu was unpacking some boxes and organizing some parts. When Jinta dropped a battery near her.
"Take care of that." Jinta said.
Ururu nodded and kept working when she heard some rumblings. She looked at the battery and saw it shaking. It made her worry as she thought the power source was having issues. The girl decided to take a small peek at the light within the battery to see if she could make anything out.
Instead, she saw a webbed hand and it startled her. Ururu backed away for a moment before looking again. This time she squeaked when she saw an eyeball looking right at her.
"Is something wrong?" Tessai asked.
Ururu pointed at the battery, "Something is inside of the machine." She said.
Tessai adjusted his glasses and inspected the battery. He heard some rumbling inside but assumed it was the weird liquid that gave the battery its power. He scratched his head before looking at the glass and studying it.
"Do we have an instruction manual for this? It might be defective." Tessai said.
"Tessai-kun, don't tell me Jinta-kun broke it." Urahara said.
Then Jinta appeared and started rubbing his knuckles on Ururu's temples like a bully.
"It was probably this idiot's fault!" Jinta said as Ururu whimpered.
"Jinta, stop that right now! Help me fix what you broke! You probably dropped it too hard!" Tessai yelled.
Urahara sighed, "Ururu-chan, do you mind dialing the number for our friend in Antarctica? We might have a problem." He said.
Ururu nodded and ran up to the main floor of the store. As she left to contact Chaldea, Tessai opened the container and opened inside.
"I wonder what this liquid is. These mages are interesting people with exotic methods." Tessai said.
"That was a whole can of worms I never expected to learn about. I always assumed mages were a myth." Urahara said.
"You mean wizards in general or their society?" Jinta asked.
"I'll tell you later. Right now…"
Urahara was cut off by something shaking in the container. Tessai tried to keep it in place before feeling some shaking within it. Tessai quickly tried to close the lid but saw a large claw trying to come out.
"That crazy lady stuffed a monster in here!" Jinta yelled.
"Tessai, throw it! Something is inside!" Urahara ordered.
Tessai was about to throw the battery when a small but odd creature cmae out and started crawling all over his body and clawing at him.
"It's alive! Capture it!" Tessai yelled.
Urahara drew his zanpakuto but the creature would not hold still. Meanwhile Jinta grabbed his bat and tried to bash it. Only to hit Tessai several times in the process.
"Jinta!" Tessai angrily yelled before being hit in the face.
"Hold still!" Jinta yelled.
The creature hissed before climbing onto Urahara who struggled to get it off as it climbed all over his body. The store owner dropped his weapon and tried to pry it off manually only to be hit by Jinta multiple times.
"Don't worry, I almost got it!" Jinta yellled.
"Jinta-kun, you are not helping!" Urahara yelled before the creature jumped out and hissed.
Then it began to sprout tiny wings and started running around the basement.
"Ururu-chan! Call Shinji! We need backup as well!" Urahara yelled as they all chased the small creature around the basement.
TO BE CONTINUED…