"Why should I believe you? Soul reapers are supposed to kill hollows, besides even if I did surrender Aizen will just kill me later anyways." Grimmjow responds, still staring down the loaded gun of a charging cero.
"I'm hollow too." Ichigo responds from behind the mask. "And I don't care for killing, Aizen betrayed soul society, what makes you think that even if you win the coming war he wont betray you too?"
"He told us to trust no one, and I don't even trust him. In fact I'm planning on killing that bastard." The espada says, and Ichigo in response starts dissipating the cero.
"Do you know the name of his sword?" Ichigo asks as the light from his cero continues to diminish.
"Kyoka Suigetsu." Grimmjow answers.
"Then you're already dead. You're already under his hypnosis, meaning you wont be able to betray him. I however haven't seen it's release so I'm not under his hypnosis, at least not yet." Grimmjow remains silent when he hears his opponent say this. "Who else came here with you?"
"Two more espada, espada number 10 and number 4." He answers, "Why the hell am I telling you this damnit!?"
"Because my girlfriend just killed one of them." The espada once again goes silent, he feels for the Reishi of both Ulquiorra and Yammy, but feels nothing
'Ulquiorra probably left already.' Grimmjow thinks, 'I can't feel my fracciones reishi either, those other bastards already killed them. Fuck theres no way out of this.'
"So, do you surrender?" Ichigo asks once again, and shortly after he asks this the Vizards flash step back to the original contact point. Each of them wears a hollow mask, leaving the panther cornered. "Once Aizen is dead, you'll be free to go, and I assure you that you won't be harmed. In exchange for information on Aizen's plans, the arrancar under his control and the other espada."
"Fine." Grimmjow growls, "I surrender, but don't think for a second I'll help fight him for you."
"Glad we could do this without anyone else needing to die." Ichigo says as he removes his mask, letting it dissipate into spirit particles. "Why did you come here anyways?"
"Aizen wanted to gauge how strong you and a woman named Kuchiki Rukia are. He said that she was strong enough to wound him, which multiple captains and you couldn't do." Grimmjow answers, the blue haired espada sheethes his blade seeing the half dozen vizards around him. "Let's get this over with."
The return back to the seireitei was completely silent, the vizards flanking Grimmjow on all sides. Getting back to the east entrance of the seireitei, Urahara, Mayuri and Soifon are already waiting for them to arrive. Ichigo spots Rukia standing by a large wooden cart with the covered body of an arrancar being carried on it. Soifon immediately clasps Grimmjow's hands in a pair of sekiseki manacles that limit his reishi output and manipulation while Kisuke removes his zanpakuto. "He will cooperate with us, so long as he isn't hurt in any way. Once Aizen is dead he'll be released. What he chooses to do from there is on him." Ichigo informs both Kisuke and Mayuri. The mad scientist was displeased with what the lieutenant had promised the arrancar without permission from his captain.
"How'd the fight go for you?" Rukia asks as Grimmjow is led away by Soifon and the other captains, giving the two lovers a chance to speak.
"He's extremely strong, even without releasing his sword I had to use my Bankai." He answers, relaxing his reishi output to restore his sword back to its shikai state. "From there it was more even, I had to resort to my mask. What about you?"
"The smaller one, Ulquiorra, was definitely a vasto lorde. The big one was named Yammy, he was espada number 10 according to the tattoo he has. Ulquiorra said that he wanted to see how strong I was, after releasing my swords and using my mask. He tried punching me but I just raised my sword and it cut through his hand, then I took his head off." She answers, the fatigue from the wee hours of the morning starting to wear on her. "I'm going to get something to eat then head back to the estate."
"Mind if I come along?" Ichigo asks, causing her to blush slightly.
"Sure." She answers, resting her head on his shoulder as the two make their way to the commissary for a late night snack.
The following morning, Ichigo returns to his training under both Tessai and now Yamamoto himself, and like usual Rukia is along for the spectacle of Ichigo learning Kido. Over the past month since gaining their hollow masks, they haven't had much of a chance to spend time with just the two of them. Though, watching Ichigo blow himself up repeatedly with Hado 33 Sokatsui is rather entertaining. However the exploding kido only lasted for half an hour before he finally got the hang of casting the kido spell. "Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws." He chants, blue reishi cascading from his hand and fingers as he aims at a disk target on the top of the sokyoku hill. The reishi ignites into white and blue flames as it condenses into a flaming ball. Flexing the muscles in his palm, the fireball expels from his hand encompassing the entire side of the mountain, incinerating everything in its path. The large painted disk that was to act as his target is swallowed by the massive blast from his fingers as if flies harmlessly into the air above the seireitei.
"Damn." Renji says seeing the massive blast begin to dissipate. "That was bigger than the one your brother shot at me." He says addressing Rukia, who is seated on a blanket drinking from a cup of tea.
"You made my brother shoot a hado at you?" She asks with an arched eyebrow.
"It was after I fought Ichigo, I tried to convince him to help rescue you but when he denied I fought him with my bankai." Renji explains. "Then he blew me up."
"You have a bankai?" Rukia asks, turning to face her childhood friend. "Think you could beat Ichigo with it?"
"Hell no, are you kidding?" Renji responds, "He's fast enough to create 14 after images of himself. Your brother told me what their fight was like, he literally blinked and Ichigo was at his throat with the point of his sword scraping the captain's adams apple."
"I only saw his Bankai yesterday." Rukia says, "I haven't seen him use it, just the blade he has when in Bankai. It was practically invisible in the moonlight. He's already fast on his own, Yoruichi was the one who taught him how to flash step."
"He probably finishes just as fast in the bedroom." Renji jokes, rubbing his finger under his nose, however this joke earns him Rukia's fist planted in his stomach. Her face is bright red from what Renji was insinuating.
"And he's down for the count." Ichigo chuckles seeing Renji fall over. "Good job, dumbass."
"F-fuck y-you… strawberry." he whines in pain as he falls over on the floor.
"That's what you get." Rukia shouts, her face still flush with embarrassment. "Ichigo and I haven't even done anything like that. Pervert." She scolds before crossing her arms and turning away from him indignantly.
"What did he say?" Ichigo asks, having not caught what set Rukia off.
"He said you finished quickly in the bedroom." Rukia answers, Ichigo himself slightly amused and annoyed at the insult.
"Want me to prove him wrong?" He asks, this time causing her face to go even redder than it was before. The petite woman can't handle the embarrassment, it turns to anger just as quickly. She takes a swing at Ichigo for this, but the orange haired shinigami is much too quick for her to hit him. "I'm just joking Rukia, besides your brother would kill me if we did anything like that before marriage. You have any idea how embarrassing it would be to die by a sword that makes pink flower petals?"
"A lot of things have died from that sword, Ichigo." Rukia responds, her anger towards him beginning to subside. "And from what my brother said, you almost did as well. You have Zangetsu to thank for that one."
"She's right about that King." The hollow voice of his zanpakuto chimes in.
"You shut it, Zangetsu, I don't want to hear lip from you. Last I checked horses don't talk!" Ichigo shouts, scolding the zanpakuto in his head. Now both Rukia and Renji give him an odd look when he says this. "It's a long story, he had an analogy of me being the king over my soul and him being the horse that brought me into battle."
"Hoakita said something similar, just her as a chariot and not a horse." Rukia responds though a voice in her head now chimes in. "I bet he's hung like a horse." her hollow says, once again causing her face to turn bright red. She closes her eyes for a couple moments trying to shut out her hollow's influence before relaxing and taking a deep breath. "Annoying hollow."
"What'd she say now?" Ichigo asks.
"I'd… rather not say." Rukia answers, "Changing subjects, it seems Ichigo doesn't suck at Kido as much as you do Renji." Rukia says, as the three soul reapers begin making their way down the mountain and back towards the seireitei.
"I don't buy that for a second, he spent half an hour this morning blowing himself up with that spell." Renji retorts.
"Difference is, you still blow yourself up with it, and he figured it out in thirty minutes, and almost shot you in the face with a Cero." Rukia responds.
"He's a freak of nature is what he is. His dad is a freaking captain for crying out loud." Renji tries to defend himself. "Not my fault you're comparing me to both your boyfriend and a prodigy. Of course I'll come up short."
"In more ways than one." Ichigo says, now returning the insult from earlier. This earns him a scowl from Renji as the red haired man flares his reishi in anger. Sensing this about to go nuclear, Rukia teleports away from her spot at Ichigo's side just in time for her to see Renji stick a hand up at Ichigo and fire a wordless hado 31 Shakkaho at point blank range. Ichigo on the other hand didn't have time to react and took the blast head on.
"Whose coming up short now, Jackass!" Renji shouts as he shunpos out of the dust cloud and appears floating in mid air a few dozen yards away and above. Suddenly something escapes from the smoke and Rukia catches sight of it first. It is the spinning blade of Zangetsu being launched by the long fabric that covers the handle of the weapon. Renji barely has enough time to draw his own sword to parry the attack.
"Here we go." Rukia says to herself as she floats down to a building to watch her boyfriend and best friend fight each other… again. "He's going to kick your ass Renji, I hope you know that." She warns, as the massive blade slams hard on Renji's katana. To her surprise, a trail of burning white reishi ignites along the white fabric attached to Zangetsu as it gets to the blade itself. The edge of the sword suddenly glows bright white before exploding, sending Renji through a building in a trail of smoke. "That's ten points Ichigo, he went through an open window!' Rukia cheers as the orange haired shinigami retracks his blade and sheethes it on his back.
"Now we're even." Ichigo shouts, flaring his reishi to dissipate the dust cloud he was inside of. "You want to go on a date today, Rukia?" He asks, flash stepping to her side on top of one of the houses.
"Yeah, it can be the ball tonight at the Kuchiki estate. Nii-sama is announcing our relationship to the noble houses and the rest of the Kuchiki family. I know you hate nobles, but for most of the night we'll be together, get to slow dance and enjoy some good food." She responds as he takes a seat beside her on the roof. "You don't have to fight over me Ichi, we're already a couple." She says.
"He shot me in the face with a fireball." he responds. "I think that was warranted."
"Yeah, but you're already on thin ice with captain Unohana and I don't think she appreciates the extra paperwork that comes when you decide to break someone, or yourself." Rukia responds, "Though, I want to see what your Bankai looks like, and what you look like with your mask on. I didn't get it when we were training."
"You suggesting we spar?" Ichigo asks but she shakes her head no.
"Just a private showing, and I think sparring might bring our inner hollows out. Who knows what those two will do when they meet again." Rukia responds, suggestively trailing her fingers up the side of his arm.
"We'll listen to our instincts." Zangetsu's voice comes from Ichigo's lips, even surprising him. "You may be the queen to Ichigo, but my queen is Hoakita."
"Hey, you shut it." Ichigo shouts, snapping back into control. "If you behave, we can see about arranging a place where you two can have a date but let us have ours first damnit. Go bother, gramps." Rukia arches an eyebrow at this. "He's the other guy that lives in my inner world, now where were we before we were so Rudely Interrupted." Ichigo asks, scolding his inner hollow in the process.
"Talking about you giving me a show of your power," She answers. "Plus, we can pick back up where your father interrupted us~." She coos, her slightly cold breath on his neck causes goosebumps to appear on his body. "Sounds like a date?"
"Yeah, I think I'll be able to put up with those stuffy nobles after." He answers, giving her a suggestive smile as he snakes an arm around her back. "Let's get started."
"After you." She says as Ichigo wraps his other hand under her legs, carrying her like a bride, before teleporting away.