Barragan opened his eyes and sat up on the mattress. Holding his still aching head, he stood and began walking towards the door, but he saw there was food and a note on the table in front of the television. He sat on the end of a bed and read the note.

Barragan

As you can see, we are not here with you, and the reason for that is as follows: Jushiro spoke with the man who let us stay here last night and they came to an agreement. If three of us work here, the fourth must find outside work. Since you had not woken up when we were given our jobs this morning, and as you would not be very keen on waiting on others, we decided that you would be the fourth. Jushiro says to avoid anything in customer service, and when he explained what that was, I agree. Try to find something of a more physical nature.

One thing I don't think you will be happy about is once you find work, you will have to pay for the room yourself until the rest of us can do the same. With that being said, Gin says to find something fun, that you will enjoy doing. It would be best to head back to the room by sunset, and try not to get lost.

Ulquiorra

P.S. It would be best to leave Arrogante for right now.

"Damn it," he grumbled. He looked to the corner of the room, and there stood his axe and their three swords. Sighing and running his hand through his hair, he picked up the plate of what appeared to be a multitude of disks covered in square divots stacked on top of each other. On one side of the plate, there was what appeared to be a miniature pitch-fork, while on the other sat a small container filled with a viscous, sweet-smelling liquid. "The school never had these. I wonder what they are." He smelled the liquid again. "But I'm not fond of that smell."

He set it aside and stabbed the disks with the pitch-fork before eating them. After he was done, he looked down at the plate, around the room and then back at the plate. "I'll just leave it be." He set it down in front of the Television and stood up before looking back at Arrogante.

"Perhaps they're right." He turned away and walked out the door.

The sun was setting when he returned to the hotel, and the others had also returned.

"How did it go?" Jushiro asked.

"I got a job as a Bouncer. I start tomorrow." He sat against the wall as he sighed. "Hopefully it will be at least fun."

"And what is a Bouncer?" Ulquiorra asked.

"I get to throw out customers." Barragan responded.

"You attack customers?" He tilted his head.

"Only if they're being problematic," Jushiro said. "Shunsui has been asked to leave more times then I can count. One time, he actually was thrown out," he laughed. "It's a good thing he's kind when he's drunk." He turned to face Barragan. "That's good though. Drunks don't care who's listening when they talk."

"Indeed," Gin said. "I guess I'll go out tomorrow then. I'm not sure what to look for though. It's been so long since I haven't known what to do, it'll take some time to adapt, but I'll get used to it." He flopped against the bed.

"How did it go for you guys?" Barragan asked.

"It went well," Ulquiorra replied. "A little rocky at first, but we managed. Jushiro was sent to the kitchen, Gin to the housekeepers, and I, to room service. It was tiring running up and down those stairs all day. It got difficult in the last few hours, though. Living flesh and blood is a pain to deal with." He yawned. "That's interesting. I've never felt that reflex before."

"It's your body telling you it needs rest," Jushiro stated. "It's a good idea to listen to it."

Ulquiorra thought on it for a few seconds. "I shall heed your advice then." He slumped against the wall, closed his eyes and rather quickly fell into a deep slumber.

Gin was shaken awake. "What is it?" He looked up and saw Barragan over him.

"You're coming with me."

"And why would I do that?"

"I found some places yesterday that said they needed some help. We can stop by them on my way to work this morning. After that, you're on your own."

"Ugh, fine." He got off the mattress and followed Barragan out the door. They entered the dining area and gathered some breakfast. The clock said it was 7:30 in the morning. After eating, they made their way outside and down the street, where they walked in silence for a while before, "I'm sorry I provoked you day before yesterday. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have attacked," Gin replied. They walked for a while longer.

"When I was looking yesterday, I had plenty of time to think."

"About what?"

"About what you guys have been saying these past two days. When I broke into the library, I was looking for an answer to that dream and didn't find anything. It was a waste of time, I never should have done it." There were a few seconds of silence.

"Is that all?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing important. We should speed things up a bit if you want to be on time."

Gin and Barragan arrived that night. Gin had not been able to find work, even the places that Barragan had said needed help. Everybody had turned him away. The next morning, Ulquiorra went out with Barragan and came back with a job that very night. He would start at a restaurant tomorrow. Ulquiorra and Barragan left early and Gin went out again. He returned that night without luck.

A week passed and Barragan got his first paycheck. Nearly all of it went into keeping the room. The next day, Ulquiorra got his, and once again, almost all of it went into the room. What was left was lost to food bills, as the Hotel food wasn't plentiful enough to live off of long term, and all of them were starting to feel the effects of not eating enough.

The next day, Gin went out again and came back with no luck. Finally, it was Jushiro's turn. The following day, Barragan gave him what little he had left for a bus ticket to the Industrial Area. He walked around all day, asking and asking and asking. He came back that night having found work at a shipyard, down by the docks. The next day, Gin went out again, and again, no luck.

Two more weeks passed and they decided to wait to open their checks until they were all there so they could create a budget. Half of every check went to the room, half of what was left went to food and finally, what was left of that was divided between the four of them for some new clothes. The next day, Gin went out for a final time, and no luck. More then three straight weeks of rejection everywhere he went and he was getting tired of it.

"Why don't I get a library card?" Gin asked one day.

"What's a 'library card?" Ulquiorra asked.

"It's a library pass that allows you to bring books home with you. The librarian at the school mentioned one when we were still there. Since I can't find work no matter where I go, I might as well do something useful."

"Might be a good idea," Jushiro said. "You never did finish your research on the culture here, did you?"

Gin shook his head. "And there are a few other things I've been wondering about, like that 'Salem' Ozpin mentioned when we first arrived."

"I almost forgot about that," Jushiro responded. "Do you know where a library is?"

"I saw one when I was wandering around the other day. I think I remember where it is."

"It's decided then?"

"It is." He laid down on the mattress and pulled the blanket over his shoulders. "I'll see about that tomorrow."

The next day, Gin got up before everybody else and left before 5:00. With each passing day over the past three weeks, he had been forced to go further and further out, and if he remembered correctly, the library was a good four hours away. He wanted to get there when the sign said it opened. Several hours later, he came back with a stack of books and a newly acquired library card. He swiped his hotel card through the little slot on the door and went in. He was going to set the books down on one of the beds when he saw Ulquiorra watching something on the Television.

"I forgot it was your day off today," Gin said. "What did you find?"

"It's a combat tournament. The 'Mistral Regional Championship' I think they called it."

"And why are you watching that?"

"If we're going to be fighting any human threats, as I suspect we will be, it will be good to know what we will be up against. This seemed the best way to do it." The television cheered as a new combatant walked into the arena.

"Citizens of Mistral, introducing the three time winner and the reigning champion, Pyrrha Nikos!" The crowd cheered again. "And her opponent, the mighty challenger who has risen through the ranks at unexpected speed and ease, June Lancaster!" More cheers.

"These are children."

"Technically speaking, so are we, I think."

"I think we're not actually teenagers at all, but that doesn't seem to matter all that much. We might as well play."

"Indeed. It would be rather troublesome if someone found out we are as old as we are, especially if we are to attend Beacon in this upcoming year." He leaned forward as the fight began to get more and more intense. "Four missed strikes."

"I counted five."

"Are you doubting my vision?"

"Not at all."

"You're just saying it so I don't use Solita Vista, aren't you?"

"I'm surprised you could tell. You usually don't understand sarcasm."

"I have been learning from customers: sayings, phrases, words, feigned ignorance."

"You've been learning that just from listening?"

"No, people are willing to teach me, and often do. Whether in a rude or kind manner, it's all useful."

"Well then, you seem to be adapting well."

"I am indeed."

With that, the conversation ended and Gin opened up the various books he had taken. The fight on the television ended in a narrow victory for Pyrrha Nikos, and they both counted at least thirty missed strikes. It was a few more hours before Barragan arrived with a bundle slung over one shoulder.

"What is that?" Gin asked.

"They call it a 'camping' chair. I'm tired of sleeping on the floor, so I'll try this tonight. If I don't like it, I can return it tomorrow." He set it down and pulled a strange looking ensemble of cloth and metal poles out of the bag before pulling them apart into the shape of a chair. When it was open, he practically threw it into the gap between the bed and the wall and sat down. "Not as comfortable as I'd like, but it's doable at least."

The door opened and Jushiro stepped in. "Oh, you're all back. It's strange not being able to sense others like I once could."

"Maybe we should look into that," Barragan said.

"I'll ask around tomorrow," Jushiro stated.

"As will I," Ulquiorra added.

The next day came, and Ulquiorra was rushing between tables like a chicken with it's head cut off, serving food, taking orders and refilling glasses. Several hours after opening, the bell on the door tinged and Ulquiorra sped over to seat them, but who he saw was a familiar little birdy.

"Qrow?" Ulquiorra asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, mostly. But I'm also hungry and don't have a lot of time."

"How long do you have?"

"Thirty five minutes? Round about there, I'd say."

"My lunch break starts in fifteen minutes. We can talk then." He led Qrow to a table and took his order before running off to the kitchen. Five minutes later, he got his food and by the time Ulquiorra showed up again, almost ten minutes had past and he had finished his food. Ulquiorra took the plate, ran off with it and came right back. "Why were you looking for me?"

"I figured you guys would need a place to train, since, I assume anyway, you're planning on attending Beacon next year. So I looked around for a while, and found a warehouse I could rent out for you guys. How does that sound?"

"Would we have to reimburse you later?"

"Possibly. It depends on how well you do?"

Ulquiorra tilted his head. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, if you take me up on the offer, I'm going to train you guys to work as a team. That battle against the Deathstalker a month and a half ago was shabby at best. You guys were all over the place until Barragan activated his aura, and we both know what happened from there." He took a drink from his glass of water. "I was able to find Barragan. I've told him about this already. I'm having a hard time locating Gin and Jushiro though. Do you know where they are?"

"Jushiro works at the shipyard. I don't know his precise location, but he should be somewhere in that area. As for Gin, we have him gathering information through other sources. If he's not in a library, I don't know. If you stop by here later today, I can take you to where we've been staying. We can talk about it there."

"Sounds reasonable. I get off work at three thirty this afternoon. What about you?"

"Seven." He blinked and tilted his head again. "I thought you were a Huntsman. Are you not?"

"I am, but some family needed help in school, so I hooked a teaching gig at the local combat school. I'm beginning to remember why I quit. Teaching children is not very conducive to preventing headaches."

"Well, if that's the main concern, I, at least, would like to take you up on your offer."

"Uh-uh. This offer is all or nothing. You all accept, or I'm not taking any of you."

"I see. I will have to discuss this with the others then." Something beeped and Ulquiorra pulled up his sleeve, revealing a cheap watch. "I must get back to work, now. I will wait until eight tonight. If you're not here by then, I'm going back without you."

"Fair enough." Qrow stood with Ulquiorra and left the restaurant.

Several hours passed and Ulquiorra was on his second break of the day. Sitting in the break room, head draping over the back of the chair and his arms hanging at his sides, he almost felt like he had died again. This has been a long day. His watch beeped and he checked the time. Six thirty. Closing time. He stood up and began preparations for closing and the next day. The final people of the day were ordering food and the chef also looked dead-tired.

"Almost done for the day," Ulquiorra said. The chef gave a half-hearted cheer and continued with what he was doing. Last few tables. He didn't know why, but that seemed to reinvigorate his strength. He felt as if he could move faster again, and it seemed to him that he was using Sonido, but he knew that to be untrue. It simply wasn't possible, not in their current state. They had all tried, Sonido and Shunpo, and failed numerous times. Whatever the case may be, he felt light on his feet, and there was this warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest that he didn't quite know how to describe.

The last half hour before closing went by in a flash, and by the time he realized what was going on again, it was just him and a few other employees, cleaning. Fifteen minutes later, he stood next to the front door in the cold night air. He looked at the stars, hovering in the sky. Constellations he still didn't recognize, but the moon he knew very well. Back in Hueco Mundo, it was a permanent crescent, but here, it's almost lifeless corpse was strewn across the sky. Why he thought it was nearly lifeless, he didn't know, but there was just something about it that caught his eyes.

Maybe it reminded him of the endless sands, of Las Noches before it fell. No, that was wrong. It didn't remind him of anything he had ever seen before, so what was it? It held his gaze whenever he stared at it in the night, and not out of wonder like the Tree. He didn't know why, but he felt, almost wary of it, like it was watching him, just waiting for it's opportunity to strike.

"Ulquiorra!" He jerked his attention away from the celestial body and found Qrow staring at him. That should have been impossible for Qrow to slip past his Pesquisa. He simply wasn't fast enough. How had Ulquiorra not sensed him coming? "I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes. Is there something wrong?"

Ulquiorra thought for a second. What was that? "I don't know," he responded. "Let's get going."

The five of them sat in various places around the room.

"You want to train us?" Jushiro asked. "What could you teach us?"

"For one thing," Qrow replied. "You and Gin still don't have your aura unlocked. If you're going to be attending Beacon next year, you're going to need it. Your semblances too. It seems that Ulquiorra and Barragan's semblances are almost exactly what their original powers were. If it holds true for you two, what would they be?"

Gin spoke first. "By issuing the release command, Shinso can extend up to one hundred sword lengths. It can extend and retract faster then any gunfire."

"It just extends? That's all it does?"

"Indeed." His smile stretched the tiniest bit.

"Okay, what about you, Jushiro?"

"Upon issuing the release command, Sogyo no Kotowari turns into two blades connected by a rope with five talismans. It allows me to redirect energy based attacks. Each of the talismans allows me to manipulate the attack in different ways.*Speed, pressure, volume, frequency and density.*"

"That's pretty in depth," Qrow said. "Anything else it can do?"

"No, that's it." Jushiro leaned against the headboard.

"Interesting. I don't think I've ever come across something like that before. Anyway, I want to train you guys. You obviously know how to fight, even with other people, but not with each other. I want to train you to fight as a team. If you're going to make it in this world, you'll need to."

"Especially if we're to attend Beacon next year," Ulquiorra stated.

"About that," Barragan said. "Why do we want to go back there?"

"Well," Gin responded. "We don't know how long we'll be here for, so we might as well do what we do best and fight. Along those lines, as far as I can tell, there are two ways of going about it. One is to become mercenaries, but they're generally looked down upon and often not sought after. The other way is to become a huntsman, and the only way I've found to do that is to go through the schools. We'll be able to do what we're good at, we can help others, gain respect and admiration as well as influence, and get rich while doing it."

Something about influence sparked Barragan's mind. His eyes narrowed as he thought about it. "Fine, but why do we have to be a team?"

"Would you like to be teamed up with somebody, inferior? I can guarantee you wouldn't. Just imagine having to lower yourself to the level of others to avoid suspicion, and the idea of having to consciously restrain yourself all the time just to keep from killing them on accident." Gin shivered. "I can't imagine how careful you would have to be."

"I can see why you can't get a job," Qrow said.

"You've been watching us?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Of course I have. I'm part of Barragan's surveillance team."

"And why won't anyone hire me?" Gin questioned.

"Because your face is so damn creepy. Why do you smile like that anyway? Freaks me out."

"I don't know. I have ever since I was a child." His expression stayed the same, but somehow his demeanor changed. Qrow couldn't tell quite what it was, but something was definitely different.

"Ooookay. Just to be clear, you all agree to this?" He looked between them. Gin, Ulquiorra and Jushiro nodded and they all turned to Barragan.

"Fine. No harm could come of it. I was getting sick of just tossing people anyway. I need a good workout."

"Good. Now that that's settled, what days do you have off?" Qrow asked the group.

"Saturdays and Mondays," Ulquiorra said.

"Mondays and Thursdays," Jushiro added.

"Tuesdays and Wednesdays," Barragan finished.

"Could you see about getting it changed to Monday?" Gin asked.

"Fine," Barragan responded. And with that, Qrow left and they went to bed.

Another couple weeks passed since their talk and Barragan finally managed to get his boss to change his work schedule, and it was now early Monday morning. They were geared up and following Qrow through the dark streets of Vale. The sun had not risen yet, but the faint sight of yellow could just barely be seen coming from the sea.

Ulquiorra recognized the street. It was the one they first caught the bus on. Just how far out were they going? They arrived at the bus station a few minutes later and, once again, waited.

"It should be here any minute now," Qrow said. A minute passed and still, nothing. Before long they heard a slight honking as the bus came round the corner. It stopped in front of them, opened the doors and passengers spilled out around them. Qrow then stepped onto the bus and the driver was about to stop him when he pulled something out of his pocket. "Licensed Huntsman on official business. These guys are with me."

The driver did not look happy about it but didn't give any more push back. They all loaded onto the bus and off they went. They sat and watched the city go by around them for what seemed like hours, stop after stop. Before long, they came to the end of the line and Qrow stood to get off.

The others followed suit and the driver all but kicked them through the door. Jushiro looked around and saw that this was the edge of the city, where the concrete streets turned to dirt and gravel.

"Where are we?" Jushiro asked.

"We're at the edge of town," Qrow responded. "In order to find out what you guys are truly capable of, I need to let my semblance run wild and I can't do that in the city."

"Why not?" Ulquiorra inquired.

"Because it would cause wide-spread destruction. Even Ozpin wouldn't be able to pay off the damages, and Huntsman Insurance isn't exactly a thing. So we need to be where nothing but trees can get destroyed. Let's go." He led them through the trees and they followed for two hours before Qrow finally stopped and turned to face them.

"First off, Gin and Jushiro, step forward." They did and Qrow stood in front of Gin. He placed one hand on his forehead and the other on his chest. His hands glowed a deep red and Gin's body, where Qrow's hands were, began to glow a faint sky-blue. Qrow released his hands and almost fell over, gasping. "Glynda wasn't kidding when she said you have a lot. That's more then I've ever felt before."

"Are you okay?" Jushiro asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Unlocking someone's aura requires* extending your own into their body and pulling it to the surface. Like pulling something out of the water, the more there is, the more stressful it is on the activator's aura." He continued gasping.

"Should I do it for Jushiro, then?" Gin asked.

"Not a good idea," Qrow asked. "You have to know what you're doing in order for it to work. I saw what happens when they don't, and it does not end well. Just give me a few minutes to catch my breath."

Gin looked to the sky above and saw the sun stretching into the first part of the day. They had left early that morning and based on where the sun was, he guessed it was around nine o'clock.

His tongue flicked out and he could taste the salt from the sea in the air. It seemed he really did smell the same way snakes did. Interesting. His left hip began to thrum and he looked down at Shinso, eyes widening slightly. He took Shinso and the scabbard from his belt, sat cross-legged against a tree, set his zanpakuto on his lap and focused.

His eyes opened and he looked at his surroundings. He stood in what appeared to be a dirt tunnel, covered in roots and twigs with the occasional blade of grass. It was dark, humid and cold. He wandered the tunnels surrounding him for a time, all the while calling out to who he knew would be there.

Eventually, he came to a large burrow-like structure, the floor covered in dried grass and straw. It was a nest, and in the middle laid a giant snake. At least thirty feet long with white and blue scales and an angular head. It looked up and stared at him, while he stared right back.

"Gin!" It lunged.

"Shinso!" He did too.

Shinso coiled around his master and Gin wrapped his arms around Shinso's neck. For once in over a century, Gin had a genuine smile on his face.

Qrow was getting up from the tree when a surge of power nearly knocked him off his feet. He turned to see where it came from and saw Gin was glowing a bright blue. He was smiling like he normally did, but this time it was different. He looked, joyous, almost. His eyes were closed as if he was sleeping, and not his normal creepy self.

Whatever the case, Qrow wasn't the best at aura sensory stuff, but the happiness that was coming off of Gin was heart-lifting. It surged through the entire clearing and he continued to glow brighter and brighter until they could barely see his form before dying down quickly.

Gin opened his eyes and stood up, sliding Shinso back through his belt.

"What the Hell was that?" Qrow questioned.

"Meeting an old friend," Gin responded. This was the first time Qrow had seen Gin's eyes; the same color as his aura was. "If everyone could step back."

Everyone moved to the other side of the path, away from where Gin was now facing, away from the city mind you. He moved his feet away from each other, drew his sword and held it in one hand under the opposite arm. Qrow had only ever seen such a stance in movies, the same stance gunslingers took.

"Shoot to Kill, Shinso!" There was a flash of light and a tree branch fell to the ground almost a hundred yards away. Several more flashes of light and trees began to fall. "TIMBER!"

Crash!

"That is Shinso. As fast as lightning and ten times as deadly." He held the blade in an outstretched arm to one side and in a flash of light, Qrow saw the true length of the sword. It stretched about two hundred and fifty feet, maybe more, to Gin's right. He brought it in front of him without retracting the blade and sliced clean through the entire area, except for behind him of course. He brought it back in front of him, retracted and sheathed it. "It seems our semblances really will be our powers from back then, eh? Ukitake?"

"It certainly does seem to be that way, doesn't it?" He turned to Qrow. "Are you ready? I'll try to help you, if I can."

"Yeah, let's hope I don't die from this." Qrow stretched his arms before placing a hand on Jushiro's chest and the other on his forehead. They both closed their eyes and within a few seconds, Qrow's hands were glowing his dark red and Jushiro was glowing a deep blue.

After a while, the air around them began to ripple like an intense heat was coming from them and it was getting more intense with every passing second. Qrow's face clenched and contorted from the strain and finally, a shockwave released and nearly blew everybody away, including Qrow.

He went flying through the air and was caught by Barragan. Gin came out from behind a tree and Ulquiorra popped his head out of the nearest bush he was able to find. Barragan laid a panting Qrow on the ground and walked toward Jushiro.

Jushiro's eyes were closed and he was still glowing. His breathing was slow and smooth. Barragan could feel his energy leveling out and the rippling in the air was receding.

"Jushiro, are you okay?" Barragan asked. When he got no response, he shook Jushiro's shoulder and called out again. No response. "Hey! What's wrong with you!?"

Jushiro stood in a garden with a massive koi pond in the middle. He walked down the path and sat in the circle cutting into the pond and began to wait. They should show up any minute now. He waited, and waited, and waited some more. For five minutes he waited and there was still no sign of them.

"Sogyo no Kotowari!" he called. "Where are you?" The pond splashed and he finally saw them, but they weren't coming out. Were they mad at him? "I'm sorry I haven't been able to play with you for a while, but could you come out please?"

The pond splashed again, as if they were fighting something. Concerned, Jushiro took a breath in and let it out before jumping into the water. The area opened up to a massive seascape filled with seaweed and other various things. He caught glimpses of his zanpakuto spirit darting in between the reeds and retreating.

"Come on out! I know you like Hide and Seek, but that can wait until later. I want to see you two. It's been too long." They got faster and he heard a faint screeching off in the distance. Moving towards it, he pushed his way through the plants surrounding him and came to a drop-off that stretched into the darkness below. "This was never here before."

Two fish bolted out of the sand at his feet, wrapped around him, drug him to the surface and threw him onto the shore, along with themselves. When they left the water, they turned into two small children, and they were crying.

"What's wrong?" Jushiro asked.

"Don't go down there," they said in harmony. "It'll get you!"

He sat up and they slid into his lap. "What will get me?"

"The Hand!"

Jushiro's eyes shot open and his hand went to his blade. Drawing it as quickly as he could, he recited his release command: "All Ye Waves, Become My Shield. All Ye Thunder, Become My Blade!"

In an instant, his aura surged and intensified on his zanpakuto, splitting it into two, growing prongs out of the back and connecting them with a rope covered in talismans. He crossed them and swung outwards before closing his eyes once again. His aura flared across his entire body and they all felt a pressure on their skins.

Qrow, who was now standing, was looking at him, jaw on the ground. Never before had he felt somebody of this caliber, not even Ozpin. Not even Ulquiorra, Gin, or Barragan could compare.

Jushiro opened his eyes and exhaled what appeared to be a puff of steam. His green eyes glowed an ominous shade and it was all Qrow could do to not have a heart attack. The malice coming off of Jushiro was being directed right at him.

"They say, something has hurt them. Would you know anything about that, Qrow?" Jushiro asked.

"I-I-I have no idea what you're talking about." The feeling intensified.

"I hope you're not lying. Gin, ask Shinso if there has been anything strange."

"I-I will." He had never seen Jushiro angry like this before. Sure, there had been the exasperated irritation when Ulquiorra had flown up to Ozpin's balcony, but this was worse then that. This was a steady, intentional rage. He sat down with Shinso across his lap and focused.

After a few seconds, he opened his eyes again and stood. "Qrow isn't the one who did this."

Jushiro let up and fell to one knee, almost hyperventilating. "What did Shinso say?"

"He said that Qrow isn't the one to blame, but the thing that brought us here is."

"What?" Qrow asked "What are you two talking about?"

"Didn't you ever wonder why," Ulquiorra answered, "my aura levels fluctuate drastically between the times I'm holding Murcielago and when I'm not? Between Gin and I, the difference is slight, but still comparable. Barragan is like I am and Jushiro is like Gin. With that said, our weapons are quite literally pieces of our souls. Barragan and I separated them from ourselves when we tore our masks off while Jushiro and Gin imbued a blank slate with theirs'.

"I don't know the details of Shinigami Zanpakuto, but I do know that their weapon is seen as a separate entity from themselves. It is a being they can speak to in their minds. Barragan and I can't do such a thing because of the difference in conception."

"I still don't understand. How can such a thing be possible? That would mean having a semblance between two completely unrelated people."

"Let's just say," Jushiro said, "that the semblance of the man who created the imprint for the Zanpakuto allowed others to bring out their own abilities by using his creations as a catalyst. By doing so, these abilities gain a consciousness and can take physical form, and not just upon activation, but as a personification within their soul. They are both a part of and separate from us."

"So you're saying that your sword told you that something damaged it?"

"That's exactly what they're saying. Somehow, during the transfer from our world to your's, something happened, hurting our swords and our souls. We're alive now, but that still wouldn't explain the drastic change in ability. Even when Ichigo fought as a Fullbringer, he still kept his Shinigami strength, so I don't know why we wouldn't, unless something else interfered."

"And who is Ichigo?" Qrow asked.

"He was the one with the horns that killed me," Ulquiorra replied. "You do remember that, right?"

Qrow shivered. "Boy do I ever. It's freaky how you're so casual about that."

"Anyway," Jushiro stated, "the only explanation is that something outside of or in between our worlds is to blame for this. They hurt Sogoy no Kotowari, and I will not stand for that." His green eyes began to glow green again.

"Whoa whoa whoa," Qrow waved his hands. "You said Sogyo no Kotowari was a part of yourself. What makes him different from, Shinso? Why aren't you angry about that?"

"Because I'm not angry about that," Gin responded. "With all that I've done, I probably deserve the Sokyoku. I'm surprised this isn't all that happened to me."

"And yes," Jushiro continued, "Sogyo no Kotowari are a part of me, but they're also children. There's one thing above all that I will not tolerate, and that's hurting children, for any reason. Whoever or whatever did this, will not live to regret it."

"Wait a second, there's two of them?"

"Sogyo no Kotowari means Truth of Pisces. Pisces is a constellation of Twin Fish, so yes, there's two of them. One of only three two-bladed Zanpakuto, in all of the Three Worlds."

"Three?" Gin asked. "I thought there were only two. You and Captain Kyoraku."

Jushiro shook his head. "Ichigo is the third. The true form of his zanpakuto, Zangetsu, is two blades. I was able to see them briefly before my demise. I think he may even surpass Master Yamamoto."

"The Captain-Commander?" Gin's eyes opened.

Ulquiorra put a hand on his chin. "I had a feeling he should have been stronger. That explains why."

"Hold on." Qrow was holding his head. "It feels like my brain is about to explode. It's almost noon, so I'll give you guys some money. Go get some lunch and come back here. I need to process this." He gave Jushiro his wallet and wandered into the trees before there was a swooping sound and he disappeared.

It had been about an hour after they returned by the time Qrow came back. When he got there, they were sitting in a circle talking about something. What it was he didn't ask because he didn't want to know.

"Alright, now that that's over," he said. "I think we can get started." The four of them stood up and turned to face him. "I need to figure out where each of you are individually before we can start with group stuff, so you guys decide who goes first."

They turned towards each other and held a brief discussion before turning back to him, Gin stepping forward.

"Do we use our semblances, or no?" Gin asked.

"Not to start with, no. Let's see how skilled you really are." He pulled his sword from his belt and gave it a twirl. Gin drew Shinso. "Ready?"

"More then you are," Gin responded.

"Good. Let's do this." In an instant, Gin was on top of him. Qrow turned his blade to the flat to block the incoming thrust and pushed Gin off of him. He immediately charged forward and brought Harbinger up between Gin's feet.

Gin threw his head back to avoid the cut, flipping backwards and ducking under Qrow's guard for another thrust. Harbinger came down on top of Shinso, slamming both weapons into the ground. Qrow swung upwards for a back-edge cut, slicing through Gin's sleeve, who jumped out of the way at the last second, spun around on his heel and knocked Harbinger aside before slashing up Qrow's arm.

His aura flared as Shinso slid across his cloak and he swung Harbinger right into Gin's side. Before contact could be made, however, Gin brought Shinso in between himself and the oncoming blade. Edges met and sparks flew. Gin ducked under the opposing blade, spun around and nailed Qrow in the gut with the hilt, knocking the wind out of him for a second.

In that second, Gin spun again and thrust into Qrow's side, the only thing stopping him completely being Qrow's aura cloak. As the second continued to unfold, Gin struck him at least five more times before Qrow's brain caught up with what was happening. As soon as it did, he lept back and flicked the blade of his sword down, making way for the shotgun.

He opened fire and ran into the field of fallen trees and stumps. He managed to hit Gin in the face numerous times, but he just stood there, watching and smiling. Before long, it seemed like Gin had gotten tired of it and jumped into the air, straight at Qrow. He took more bullets on his way down, but he landed right in front of his opponent.

Qrow pulled the secondary trigger on the handle of his weapon and the blade clicked out, the back edge sharpened, the blade curved and the handle extended into what he would call a scythe. He spun it so fast Gin could barely avoid it. The edges of his sleeves began to look like they had gone through a paper shredder.

Qrow hooked Gin with the inverted curve of his weapon and yanked him closer, jumping over him in the process and trying to throw him to the ground in victory. In reality, Qrow lept over Gin and immediately felt a sword tip in the chest. Gin had knocked him out of the air and onto the ground.

"Looks like I win," Gin said with an extended hand.

"Yeah, looks like it. Now," Qrow responded as he took Gin's hand, "Semblance round."

Shinso extended faster then Qrow could react, but his semblance was already working in overdrive. Shinso's incalculable speed glanced off his aura cloak with no harm done. Qrow pulled Gin off his feet with the help of all sorts of little branches and twigs becoming unstable, all culminating in Gin losing his footing.

Using the momentum, Qrow threw himself into the air and retracted Harbinger back into a sword. He turned just in time to dodge Shinso and he immediately brought his weapon down on it's spine, snapping the extension clean where it was. He switched back to his shotgun and began firing while circling Gin. All the while, Gin was trying to shoot him with Shinso. This had become a ranged battle.

Everytime Shinso would fire, the tip would either break on an incoming bullet or be deflected entirely. Either way, none of his attempts were reaching Qrow. On the other hand, all of Qrows shots were landing, even the ones that hit Shinso hit Gin. After a few more seconds of this back and forth, Gin's smile dropped and he held Shinso out to his side, extended it to the maximum length and swung, slicing through even more trees, but when it struck Qrow, the blade shattered like glass.

Qrow didn't even waver, he just charged. In the briefest window allowed by the shock, Qrow covered a hundred yards and struck Gin in the solar plexus with his pommel, bringing him to his knees. In that moment, Gin began to laugh.

"Incredible," Gin said. "You are a very dangerous man, Qrow. If you can defeat someone so much more skilled then you, merely by activating an ability, that is impressive. You know what my ability is, so tell me. What's yours?"

Qrow knelt down. "How about I say after I've fought you all?"

"Fair enough," Gin laughed. Qrow helped him to his feet and they walked back to the rest of the group.

"Alright, who's next?" Qrow asked.

Author's note: * I don't actually know what each of the individual talismans on Sogyo no Kotowari do, only that each one does something different and those are the only things I could think of, so that's what I'm using. Feel free to leave ideas and if they make more sense, I will replace them. * I don't think this is actually how activating Aura works, but considering the fact we only have one Aura unlocking onscreen and Pyrrha was clearly exhausted from it, for like a second, I extrapolated it out to the scale of Bleach. Also, the only reason Qrow was able to shatter Shinso on his aura cloak was because his semblance was at full capacity and, again, they're not nearly as strong or durable as they used to be. I feel like somebody would have missed that if I didn't say it, so there you have it. Anyway, this chapter was supposed to be longer, but 7,366 words, not including this note, felt too long. Next chapter will probably be what was supposed to be the end of this one, just split up a little finer. Goodbye, and I will see you in the next chapter. Goodbye. End author's note.