Bleach: Three Paths

by Getsuga Goon

What if Rukia arrived too late at the start of Bleach? You'd be surprised. The fates of the Kurosakis would be forever changed by this one event. Takes inspiration from the Bleach Fanfiction named "White" by Melkor's Mercy. [Cross-posted on Ao3.] Cover image by Chris-Jin on DeviantArt.

58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58: King's Despair

Author's Note:

WARNING! The opening of this chapter will contain very sensitive and dark content, mainly involving attempted suicide. There is a reason this fic is rated with the most explicit maturity/age rating, so if you are not able to handle content like this, please skip to the second set of "?" below. It seems obvious and should go without saying, but I do not support such an act in any way, I have merely put it in this story because I think it would be realistic given this character's development thus far.

?

Ichigo finds himself at the bottom of a pit, standing in a pool of blood. Mounds of corpses are stacked all around the pool, allowing the orange-haired Hollow to fully take in the carnage around him. His face is one of shock and horror, speechless and unwilling to accept the sheer number of individual souls he has devoured—slaughtered, on his path to become a Vasto Lorde and in his attack on the Soul Society.

Suddenly a withered arm launches out of the blood, clasping his leg. Ichigo looks down at it in horror, trying to break free yet unable to as one after another more of these corpse-like arms launch from the pull of blood, restricting his movement. It's at this point that the Hollow notices the piled corpses beginning to move and approach him, all groaning in pain and despair as their withered, disembodied forms shift through the bloody pool.

"N-NO! STAY BACK!", Ichigo cries as he strikes them with his fists, batting a few of them back.

However, there are simply too many of them, overpowering him through sheer numbers. Ichigo screams as he is consumed by their groans of despair, the voices of the wraiths beginning to make him go mad.

He stares up to the top of the pit in hopes of finding salvation and indeed finds two figures standing there wearing black robes. The Hollow is about to call to them for help, however, widens his eyes as he takes in their appearances more closely: a bearded man with spiky black hair and a young, scarred girl with equally black long hair wearing a white headband—his father and sister. His despair increases as he notices that they both look at him with contempt, as one would look upon their worst enemies.

Withered hands suddenly grasp his face, clawing at his eyes and mouth, prompting him to flail in a vain attempt to shake them off. His screams are muted as the hand of a corpse covers his mouth and another holds his head still, forcing him to watch the forms of his father and sister turn their backs on him and walk away from the cave, damning him to his fate.

Ichigo continues to writhe before a distorted, distant voice of one of the corpses calls, "Why didn't you save us…?"

The Hollow's eyes widen as his head moves to look at two new, specific rotting corpses holding down his form. One of them loosely resembles a woman with long, wavy blonde hair smeared with blood, the only discernable attribute to the otherwise skeletal corpse—his mother. The second is a girl, smaller but still with blonde hair. Her skin has been scorched black, which actively flakes off as ash—his other sister, who he failed to save. One of the corpses holding his face forces his eyes open, making him continue to take in the forms of his dead family members as his muted screams intensify. Only one conclusion is drawn by the Hollow—his damnation and despair will only end with one life: his own.

King's Room, Las Noches

The Hollow King opens his eyes, finding himself within a dark room in Las Noches, returning from his dream, or rather, nightmare. He is seated on a white, bloodstained bed, and begins using a white cloth to polish the black katana in his hands, dripping with blood. His long, disheveled orange hair hangs freely, also bloodstained. His white clothes are equally bloodstained and torn, leaving his chest, as well as his arms and legs, exposed for the most part. On his exposed, pale chest next to his Hollow hole in the middle and where his heart should be is a prominent black '0' tattoo, signifying his rank among the Espada. His heterochromatic eyes, the left brown and the right gold with black sclera, are focused on his blade, a distant look held within them as continues to robotically polish the blade.

The walls of the room are also splattered with blood and pale white limbs lie strewn across the floor, appearing identical to the Hollow's own. There are a few cabinets across the room against the wall, adjacent to a desk with a sealed envelope on the top of it. The envelope is labeled with the word 'successor' and a pen lies next to it, suggesting that its contents were written very recently.

Ichigo pays it no mind as he continues to wipe the blade, an expression of clarity written on his face. After a while of wiping his blade in the quiet, dark room, he pauses and closes his eyes slowly before exhaling calmly. He seriously considers this for a moment before ultimately steeling himself with a nod.

Ichigo's eyes open slowly, his gaze somewhat strained but equally resolute. Overall, he looks tired of everything. He has yearned for this moment for a while now but cannot bring himself to feel satisfaction from it.

As such, Ichigo's eyes become deeply dejected as he lets out a slow depressing sigh, "Well, I've tried every body part except this one…"

The Hollow King slowly rests the black, ridged blade on the red fur next to his shoulder, leaving the sharp edge to point at his bare neck. He closes his eyes, his overall expression now somewhat content, truly believing that things are at a sufficient point where he is no longer needed.

The blade is then brought against his neck, beginning to draw crimson red blood.

Ichigo exhales slowly, "Here' goes…"

In the next moment, the blade is brought all the way through his neck.

?

Ichigo suddenly opens his eyes in surprise and shock, fully expecting to have been consumed by the void, if not Hell itself. Instead, he finds himself completely submerged in an ocean, finding various skyscrapers submerged with him. He scrunches his brows as he descends onto the side of one of the skyscrapers, treading water as he balances on the glass window.

He wears a frown as he looks around in confusion, "What is this place…? Am I dead for good this time…?"

"I'm afraid not, King…", a distorted version of his voice replies.

Ichigo's frown deepens, "You again? I thought you went mute—wait…"

His eyes widen as he looks to the side, finding a being similar to himself floating in the water in front of a nearby skyscraper.

This doppelganger wears an identical Gi to his own, but the fur around his neck and wrists is black and his hair is white. Further, he wears a full black Hollow helmet with forward-facing horns and white tribal markings that run through his eyes, as opposed to the white mask fragment on Ichigo's right eye and the single forward-facing horn that protrudes from the right side of his head. The being's eyes are gold with black sclera, just like Ichigo's right eye.

Ichigo growls as he starts to realize what is going on, finally opening his mouth to speak, his voice coming out perfectly despite being submerged, "So I'm not dead… you interfered!"

The figure grabs the mask to reveal his smirking bare face, which is identical to Ichigo's excluding both of his eyes being gold with black sclera, "When will you learn? It was stupid of you to believe your Zanpakutō would allow you to do that!"

The Hollow King's eye twitches as he hisses, leveling a death glare on his alter ego, "You DARE to defy me, Zangetsu?! You should know damn well why I deserve to die!"

Ichigo's words cause Zangetsu to frown, taking the situation more seriously, "Sorry, King… but as long as we're accomplices, I can't go letting you off yourself like this…"

The orange-haired Hollow widens his eyes before slowly looking down distantly and states in dejection while wearing a slight, self-deprecating smile, "So I'm not only too weak to save anyone… but I'm also too weak to even end myself…?"

Zangetsu narrows his eyes as he elaborates, "You're weak, but that's because you choose to be…"

Ichigo grits his teeth as he tilts his head up slightly and sends his alter ego a death glare, "What did you say…?"

The Zanpakutō discards the black helmet, causing it to dissolve in the water as he shrugs carelessly, once more wearing a toothy grin on his face, "You heard me. You've lost your ambition for power!"

The Hollow King trembles as he snaps at his doppelganger, "SHUT THE HELL UP! I DID EVERYTHING I COULD!"

Zangetsu laughs as he places his hand on his forehead, greatly amused, "So, you're weak and stupid?!"

Ichigo flinches as his eyes widen, now visibly confused.

The alter ego's laughs die down as he stares directly at Ichigo, "After Yuzu was killed, you nearly destroyed Yamamoto in your wrath… why didn't you fight like that from the start…?"

The Hollow King's heterochromatic eyes contract, slightly trembling as the words set in. He hadn't thought about it like that, there was no time to. He was too focused on his failures and getting Hueco Mundo to a decent spot to contemplate such a thing. As such, the King is well and truly shaken to his core, unable to answer his Zanpakutō.

Zangetsu scrunches his brows and frowns as he explains to the baffled form of his wielder, "I'll tell you exactly why. You lacked confidence in your abilities after fighting Yamamoto the first time because you started thinking… You were thinking about that spear, his Reiatsu, and even began to do that self-loathing, which I absolutely despise by the way! Do you think I enjoy being submerged 24/7 in your depressing thoughts?!"

Ichigo blinks, still processing his alter ego's words, leaving the Zanpakutō to become somewhat embarrassed due to the lack of reaction.

The white-haired being coughs into his hand before concluding, "Ahem… anyway, you went into that fight expecting to lose. That's exactly why you failed to save her! You're losing your killer instinct!"

The Hollow King widens his eyes in shock, becoming full of despair at this realization. Perhaps he truly hadn't given that fight his all. Perhaps he could have defeated Yamamoto right away—slaughtered him wordlessly and without mercy as he had to the thousands of Hollows that he brutally devoured to become a Vasto Lorde.

It is such notions that prompt Ichigo to look down in a newfound shame, "If anything, that only proves I'm even more of a failure… how do you possibly expect me to live with this…?"

Zangetsu scowls, further irritated at the pathetic sight, "What do I look like, a therapist?! Talk to one of those friends of yours who actually cares, fool!"

The orange-haired Hollow flinches at the jab at his stubborn refusal to seek help from those closest to him.

The Zanpakutō snorts as he approaches his wielder, "All I came to say was if you pull a stunt like this again, then this little partnership of ours is over… and I'll be King… 'Ichigo' won't exist anymore."

The white-haired spirit then touches Ichigo's forehead with his finger, causing him to promptly lose consciousness.

Infirmary, Las Noches

Ichigo wakes up on a stone table within the main infirmary of Las Noches, immediately finding the tearful forms of Roka and Orihime, both looking completely and utterly exhausted. Despite this, the two perk up and wear relieved expressions as they notice he is still alive.

"I-Ichigo's alive!", Orihime cries, alerting everyone else in the room to the fact.

Those within the room include Tatsuki, Nelliel, Sora, Loly, Menoly, Ggio, Ulquiorra, and surprisingly even Szayel. Everyone in that group hurriedly approaches the table, wanting to know about Ichigo's condition, except Ggio and Szayel, who hang back near the exit out of respect or disinterest.

As the others swarm the table, Ichigo begins to sit up, holding his head in a daze as he experiences a bit of sensory overload due to the others rushing him. He manages to reign in his focus on just Roka and Orihime directly in front of him, his expression somewhat strained as he looks at them in confusion.

The auburn-haired girl, still very much crying, gives a light smile, "T-thank goodness you're alright! I a-almost thought w-we couldn't heal you!"

The Hollow King widens his eyes slightly as he questions distantly, "What…?"

Roka nods and explains directly after wiping the tears from her own eyes, "I deduced what you were planning, so Ms. Inoue and I were able to get to you before it was too late. We healed you, milord."

Ichigo's head tilts down as his expression becomes dark, his Hollow instincts and rage completely taking over. However, no one seems to catch this due to the immense sense of relief in the moment of knowing he still lives.

Orihime wipes some of the tears out of her eyes as she looks at Roka with an exhausted smile, "That's a bit formal, don't you think? You can just call me—!"

Everyone widens their eyes in shock and alarm, excluding Ulquiorra, in the next moment.

The auburn-haired teen's eyes widen in terror as she begins to choke and gag, her throat held in a vice grip by the white, clawed hand of the man she just saved a second time. She stares down to see Ichigo's haunting golden right eye with black sclera looking back at her with nothing but hatred and contempt. The King begins to lift the girl off the ground, causing her legs to kick as she clutches his arm in desperation, continuing to gag for air.

Roka, Loly, and Menoly instinctually back away, truly wanting nothing to do with the current wrathful and blood-lusted version of their King.

As everyone else continues to stare in shock, too stunned to even move, Ulquiorra merely grunts, unamused, "Moron. He warned her this would happen…"

True to the bat's thoughts, Ichigo hisses in a tone laced with contempt, "I warned you, Inoue! I told you there would be consequences if you didn't stay the hell away from me—!"

Cutting Ichigo off this time is a fist imbued with blazing green Reishi, which promptly strikes the King in the face, causing him to release Orihime as he is sent off the table and crashing against the wall.

The Hollow King hisses as he immediately rises from the ground and glares at the person who threw the punch—Tatsuki. The girl returns the glare, her expression overall rightly pissed off as she stands protectively in front of the trembling and traumatized form of Orihime.

The black-haired teen furrows her brows and snaps, "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! SHE JUST SAVED YOUR LIFE A SECOND TIME AND YOUR FIRST INSTINCT IS TO KILL HER?!"

The orange-haired Hollow flinches, his bloodlust receding as he begins to regain his reason. He takes in the scene of the trembling Orihime, collapsed on the ground behind Tatsuki. He sees Sora send him a look that is a mixture of anger and concern before kneeling down and comforting his trembling sister, physically embracing her. Nelliel soon shifts to wearing a frown as well, disapproval clear on her face. As for everyone else, they continue to stare at him with either widened, shocked eyes or complete apathy, both of which are equally uncomfortable to the teen Hollow at the moment. The Hollow's eyes are full of despair as, to his horror, this scene forces him to recall the visions of the corpses and contempt from his family, still fresh in his mind.

Ichigo looks to the ground in shame as he hisses at himself more than anyone, "See…? I only bring pain and suffering to those around me… you'd all be better off if I were dead…"

The Arrancars look away from Ichigo, unable to bear seeing their King like this as the karate girl marches across the room toward him, growling as she does, "No… you don't get to say that…"

Ichigo looks up slightly as Tatsuki violently grabs him by his red fur collar, forcing eye contact as her tears begin to fall, "NOT AFTER ALL WE WENT THROUGH AFTER YOU DIED THE FIRST TIME!"

The Hollow King widens his eyes as his friend continues to rant, "You think we'll be better off without you—but I KNOW that the opposite is true!"

Ichigo looks away, his expression beginning to relay a deep sense of guilt. Sora helps the still-shaken Orihime to her feet and holds her close with one of his arms before he looks at the King with much more concern in his gaze this time, something he shares with most of the others in the room.

Tatsuki grits her teeth as her gaze and tone become far more downcast, "I know you blame yourself for the deaths of Yuzu and your mom, but do you really think they would be ok with you ending your life because you failed to save theirs? I know for a FACT that Yuzu wouldn't be!"

The King's expression becomes angry, although it is clear that the anger is directed at himself.

The teenage girl releases her hold on Ichigo's collar before she continues, expressing genuinely, "Your sisters, Chad, Orihime, and I… we all became powerful to fill the void left after you died. We did it to protect each other so something like your death wouldn't happen again… A lot of people might see you as a bad guy, a delinquent… but your friends and family always saw the guy who fought to protect others…"

The orange-haired Hollow gnashes his teeth as his eyes close, beginning to water up involuntarily.

Tatsuki suddenly motions toward the Hollows in the room as she argues, "These Hollows can see how good a person you are, whether they want to admit it or not. They made you their King so you can lead them and you're just going to act like that doesn't mean anything…?"

Ichigo perks up as his eyes widen as if suddenly being struck by another profound realization.

Sora takes this as his opportunity to chime in, starting as he uses his free arm, not wrapped around his sister, to reach inside of his white Gi, "We found this too…"

The serpent Arrancar suddenly raises an envelope, specifically the one labeled with 'successor', which causes the King to stare at it in shock, almost forgetting he even wrote it.

Sora scowls as he looks at the envelope with disdain, "None of us dared open it… we don't need this anyway…"

He promptly charges a brief red Cero blast in his hand, causing the envelope and its contents to ignite and burn to ash before he hisses at the King, "It's way too early for you to die! There are still so many Hollows out there continuing to devour each other while we are here with the means to grant them salvation from that! We still need you… Brother, you are our light in the darkness. Everything you've worked to achieve thus far will fall to nothing if you are not here to lead us!"

Ichigo stares at the other Hollows as well—Nelliel, Loly, Menoly, Ggio, Ulquiorra, and Roka. All of them give some form of reassuring look or nod of confirmation to assert that they want him to stay around. His eyes briefly seem to fill with some purpose as they widen slightly. He begins to consider Sora's words, recognizing that the job of unifying Hueco Mundo is, in fact, far from over.

The Hollow King then sighs, conceding, "Fine… I won't plan on dying soon… not while you all place such important meaning behind the mantle of Hollow King…"

Most of the occupants within the room give an audible sigh of relief, satisfied that Ichigo feels that way.

Ulquiorra, meanwhile, widens his eyes and raises a brow, baffled at what he just saw, "They convinced him with words… he no longer wishes for death because he has found meaning behind being the Hollow King…? How…?"

The bat Hollow scrunches his brows as he looks down slightly, confused, "Does that mean my purpose as an Espada and serving him means something…?"

Ulquiorra then looks up again, making eye contact with Ichigo, relaying the message through his eyes before speaking, "If you'll excuse me…"

Sora and Nelliel look somewhat surprised as they watch Ulquiorra suddenly turn to leave the room with an unusual, somewhat determined look on his usually neutral face. Ichigo, meanwhile, softens his expression slightly, understanding the actions of his green-eyed comrade through their brief eye contact.

The bat Hollow's next actions are clear as he leaves the room, "I apologize, Ichigo… I must go to that place again… I want to find meaning, should such a thing even exist for me…"

After Ulquiorra leaves, Szayel sighs before waving at Ichigo, "I shall be taking my leave as well, Your Majesty. There are still many tasks I have yet to complete…"

The Hollow King watches the scientist leave before turning his attention back to Tatsuki, who scowls at him and demands sternly, "Apologize to Orihime!"

Ichigo looks over at the still-shaken form of Orihime being comforted by her brother. Her current fear of the King causes her to avert her gaze from him. The orange-haired Hollow softens his gaze as the look of shame occupies his face once more.

"I'm sorry…", the dragon Hollow starts.

The auburn-haired girl perks up, managing to shift her head so that she can make eye contact. Sora breaks the embrace, allowing his sister to regard the young Hollow by herself. It is clear through her eyes alone that she is doing all she can to overcome her momentary fear of this version of Ichigo.

The Hollow King wears a strained expression as he sees the look on the girl's face, hating himself for attempting to kill her in his blind rage. He then begins to bend down, making the Arrancars in the room raise their brows at him, wondering what he is doing.

The King is now on his hands and knees, his head planted on the floor as he bows in the most apologetic manner he can muster, "I am sorry that I made you save me again… I'm even more sorry that I attacked you for it. I-It was shameful…"

Orihime furrows her brows as she hears Ichigo's voice waver, the depth of his shame and disdain for himself coming through in his voice. The girl looks like she wants to move to the Hollow's side, perhaps to comfort him in some way; however, the conflict is evident on her face, a sure sign that she is naturally still shaken up by being choked.

Meanwhile, Loly and Menoly both frown, a slight twinge of envy striking them as they take in the scene of their King prostrating himself before a human girl, as though her opinion of him is the most important thing in the world.

Ichigo continues to prostrate himself as he reveals, "I also know about your feelings for me…"

The auburn-haired girl widens her eyes and her breath hitches at this, stunned as the last thing she expects from Ichigo is to talk about potential romance in any capacity. Sora and Tatsuki both raise a brow, not liking where this is going in the current context.

Ichigo lifts his head to make eye contact with the auburn-haired girl before him, the look in his eyes distant as a frown is worn on his face. The look on his face causes the girl to recoil somewhat, clutching her chest as she braces herself.

The King's tone remains laced with contempt for himself as he explains, "I hurt you… I don't deserve your feelings. I don't even deserve your friendship…"

Orihime flinches as Ichigo places his head on the floor again, resuming a prostrating position as his tone is now desperate and pleading, "I don't want to hurt you again… so please, stay away from me."

The auburn-haired girl's lips quiver as she doesn't like what she hears but is still too shaken up from everything to form a proper response. Likewise, the room goes quiet as Ichigo slowly begins to rise to his feet, the look in his eyes distant and empty. Now that everyone here knows, he doesn't even bother trying to hide his depression and feelings of low self-worth from the individuals in front of him.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going on a walk in my palace…", the orange-haired Hollow remarks distantly before walking out of the room.

After sharing a brief glance with Orihime, Tatsuki promptly clicks her tongue and growls as she leaves the room in pursuit, "Not alone, you aren't…!"

After everyone watches them leave the room, Nelliel shifts her gaze onto Orihime and Sora. The auburn-haired girl's eyes are widened, and her mouth is open in shock as her eyes begin to water up. The female Espada decides to approach the siblings, prompting the teenage girl to wipe her face as if on instinct before forcing herself to maintain a weak smile in a futile effort to save face.

Nelliel regards the siblings with a soft, supporting smile, "He still needs some time, but progress is progress."

Orihime and Sora both seem to slightly lighten up at this as the girl responds distantly, her tone overall grim, "Yeah…"

Sora suddenly pats his sister's head, making her look up at him again, "Let's give him some space for now… we still have a lot of catching up to do, anyway!"

Orihime widens her eyes slightly before smiling, although she remains visibly exhausted and shaken from her experience with Ichigo.

Nelliel smiles enthusiastically as she shares a knowing glance with Roka, "That reminds me, Roka and I have been meaning to introduce you guys to my Fraccions! I know you'll get along for sure!"

The siblings smile slightly and nod before they follow the Espada and spider Arrancar out of the room. This leaves Ggio, Loly, and Menoly—the Escudo: White's Shield.

Menoly looks downcast as she states distantly, "To think His Majesty would think so lowly of himself as to attempt suicide…"

Loly frowns, clear irritation in her tone, "Damn it… I want to comfort that idiot somehow, but next to those human girls it's like we're strangers!"

Ggio closes his eyes as the trio remains silent for a while, deeply considering the recently surfaced desire to support each other on an emotional level—not just a physical one like when they were normal Hollows in a pack.

The tiger Arrancar hums before opening his eyes once more and earning the girls' gazes as he speaks, "We are His Majesty's Shield, his Fraccions. Our purpose is to guard him from those who would seek to harm him… but we are unfit to protect him from himself. We are not his friends… not like those two human girls. The best course of action is to protect those girls so that they can protect His Majesty from himself."

Loly smirks, somewhat amused despite the circumstances, "And here I thought you'd be the first to be up and arms about helping him get through his depression…~"

Ggio deeply scowls at this, an overall look of disgust on his face, "I am a predator, not a comfort animal. Trials of the mind are not something a Hollow like me is fit to assist with."

The twin-tailed Arrancar frowns slightly as she looks down, feeling similarly deep down.

After a moment, Menoly nods before stating resolutely, "I agree with you about the girls, Ggio. But even so, if His Majesty asks for our assistance, we shouldn't deny him. He deserves the best and most reliable Fraccions. Anything less would be an insult to everything he's done."

The Escudo all exchange determined and resolute looks as the blonde Arrancar finishes, their loyalty and convictions now stronger than ever.

Halls of Las Noches

Ichigo breathes slow, leveled breaths as he aimlessly walks through the halls of Las Noches. His thoughts, as ever, are still focused on his faults. Suddenly pausing, he turns as he hears footsteps approaching. He regards Tatsuki with a blank look, not daring to say a word as he turns his head away, his expression once more downcast before resuming his stride. The black-haired karate girl frowns but doesn't say anything as she matches Ichigo's pace, joining him as the two now walk through the halls in silence.

During their long, quiet walk, they pass a multitude of Arrancars—Tesla, Charlotte, Cirucci, and many others among the Numeros who Ichigo doesn't recognize. Each and every one of them never failed to bow quietly in respect for their King as they passed, yet none of them stopped to make small talk given the uninterested expression on his face. That is, until the duo runs into an olive green-haired woman with lavender eyes—Sung-Sun.

The woman bows before asking politely, "Your Majesty, have you seen Lord Sora about? He left the throne room in a hurry…"

Ichigo looks off distantly, blinking as the female serpent's words don't seem to register. A few moments pass and he remains unresponsive, prompting the female Arrancar to begin shifting nervously as worry becomes evident on her face.

After another moment, Tatsuki frowns as she nudges the orange-haired Arrancar, gaining his attention, "Ichigo, she asked you a question."

The Hollow King blinks again before looking directly at the other Arrancar, "Oh! Uh, I'm sorry… what did you want to know?"

Sung-Sun tilts her head as she now wears a more troubled expression, "Milord, are you feeling alright?"

Ichigo scowls slightly in response, almost shouting at the woman, "Yes, I'm fine! Not that it's any of your business!"

The olive green-haired woman flinches, her eyes widening in slight terror, instinctually knowing that pissing the Hollow King off is the quickest way to an early grave within this palace.

As soon as the orange-haired Arrancar sees this look of terror on his subordinate's face, he backs away slightly as his own eyes widen, "U-uh… s-sorry, I don't know what came over me…"

Sung-Sun's terror begins to fade as confusion replaces it on her face, although she doesn't dare press the King further.

Tatsuki then promptly steps between the Arrancars as she answers the snake woman's question, "Sora was in the infirmary near the throne room the last we checked."

The olive green-haired woman nods in appreciation before walking down the hallway, continuing to look for the male serpent. Meanwhile, Halibel stands at the end of the hallway, narrowing her green eyes as she makes eye brief contact with Ichigo, who seems to look right through her as if she isn't even there.

The blonde shark Arrancar turns and walks away, wondering, "Could that emergency Sora mentioned have to do with the King…? My instincts are telling me it can't have been anything good…"

After Halibel and Sung-Sun walk off, Tatsuki and Ichigo continue to aimlessly explore the halls of Las Noches for some time.

Roughly 1 Hour Later, Aizen's Chamber, Las Noches

After a while longer of walking, the pair eventually walk through a set of doors revealing an empty room that oversees the northeastern section of Hueco Mundo's vast desert. A single, vacant white chair sits at the edge of the room, right next to the balcony. This room was Aizen's quarters, although the former captain has yet to officially reclaim it as such.

Tatsuki frowns as she wonders aloud, "Why'd we stop here…?"

Ichigo's head tilts downward slightly as he begins to walk toward the balcony across the room, clarifying with a distant tone, "Because no one is here…"

He walks to the edge of the balcony overseeing the vast desert, prompting the girl to quietly walk up next to him. They look out at the sight for a while in silence, finding nothing out there other than leafless trees and some ruins in the distance.

After about a minute of silence, Ichigo sighs as his defeated eyes shift to his companion, "I want to be alone…"

Tatsuki perks up, taking a moment to consider what he said before she quickly shifts to an angry expression, "Huh?! Do you think I'm stupid? There is no way in Hell that I am leaving you alone after that stunt you just pulled!"

The Hollow King's head tilts down slightly as he weakly asserts, "I am far quicker and more powerful than you are. If I wanted to, I could outrun you and you wouldn't be able to find or catch me… no one in this palace could."

The karate girl's expression softens somewhat as she bluntly retorts, "And yet, you haven't."

Ichigo shifts his head away from the girl, unable to give her a response. After a moment, he sits down on the floor and begins to hug his knees as he looks out at the desert once more. Tatsuki sits down on the floor next to him, again joining him in silence.

Unlike her companion, whose eyes are only full of defeat, the black-haired teen looks up at the sky of Hueco Mundo, finding it oddly beautiful as she explains, "About Orihime… you shouldn't cut her off completely. Shit happens. People move on. I know that she'll still want to be your friend if not more than that… I mean, you are the reason she is even able to see her brother again at all… no matter what you do, that's not something Orihime is ever likely to forget…"

Ichigo doesn't respond, remaining quiet as he knows full well that the auburn-haired girl has a forgiving nature, much like her brother.

Tatsuki smiles slightly as she continues to look up at the sky, the moon now in her sights, "It might seem a bit overbearing to you how she has protected your life without your consent, but if you switched positions with her, I know you would do the same."

The Hollow King growls lowly, "Of course I would… are you just going to lecture me on shit I already know?"

The girl narrows her eyes, which are still looking at the sky, "No. And I don't expect any of what I say to help you, Ichigo, but I'll still say what needs to be said. What happened wasn't your fault. If you are to blame for being too weak, then everyone else who was there is at fault too. It isn't only your burden to bear—it's ours."

Ichigo flinches as he looks down with an expression of utter anguish on his face.

Tatsuki sighs as her head shifts down to look at the desert instead, "Anyway, if you don't want to talk, I'll shut up. Whenever you do want to talk, I'll be right here. And not just me, but Orihime, her brother, and everyone else too…"

The orange-haired Hollow doesn't respond, although his thoughts do linger on his Zanpakutō's recommendation to talk it out with one of his friends. Despite these thoughts, he ultimately remains quiet, leaving the two friends to once again sit in silence.

Outside Aizen's Chamber, Las Noches

In the dimly lit hallway next to the chamber doors, a man with brown slicked-back hair wearing white robes smirks, "Good… his friends have convinced him to continue living. It would have been less than ideal if I had to get involved…"

The man, Sosuke Aizen, begins to walk down the hallway, maintaining his pleased expression, "Now I need only wait until Ichigo Kurosaki truly begins to make himself vulnerable to his friends… when he's willing to talk. I'll plant the seeds to make him see things as I do…"

Aizen narrows his eyes as a final, ominous thought lingers in his head, "That the world needs to be changed by force…"

Infirmary, Silbern

Yuzu jerks up suddenly on a medical bed, her hands balled into fists as she finally regains consciousness after her spar with Gerard. Before her are a multitude of vacant white medical beds lining the room. She looks to the side to find a woman wearing an all-white uniform and a military cap, a nurse.

The blonde girl scrunches her brows, pouting angrily, "That big guy cheated!"

The nurse wears a baffled expression as she slowly questions, "Ma'am, are you perhaps referring to Sir Gerard?"

Yuzu widens her eyes slightly before questioning the nurse in turn, "Ma'am…? Why are you calling me that?"

The nurse sweat drops as she forces a friendly smile, "Y-yes, His Majesty appointed you as one of the Sternritters. You outrank all of the Soldats, including lowly nurses like me."

The girl frowns slightly, feeling like this is yet another thing she is going to have to start getting used to.

The nurse perks up as a group of footsteps can be heard entering the room, prompting her to regard the individuals, "I have tended to her wounds as requested."

Yuzu shifts her head as a familiar, feminine voice responds, "You can leave now."

As the nurse exits the infirmary, the blonde girl finds the source of the voice: Bambietta. Flanking the woman are the rest of the so-called 'Bambies' as well as Keigo wearing a standard white Soldat uniform and cap. The girl slightly raises a brow as she notes Giselle, who she has never met before.

Candice sends the girl a smile as the group approaches, "You impressed me again, kid! I didn't think you could get so strong in such a short time!"

Yuzu smiles lightly as she rubs the back of her head, somewhat embarrassed, "Well you know what they say, a little experience goes a long way!"

The lime blonde woman nods, affirming, "Damn right!"

Before anyone else can say or do anything, Giselle steps forward, placing her directly in front of the blonde girl's line of sight as she introduces herself with a friendly smile, "Hi! Bambi and Candy might have told you about me, but I'm Giselle! You can call me Gigi, though~!"

Yuzu nods before flinching as she notes the cockroach-looking girl widen her eyes as she takes in her appearance, "O-oh! I couldn't tell before, but you're wearing Bambi's old uniform. That's adorable~!"

The blonde girl sweat drops at the woman's enthusiasm, "Is this really Giselle? She seems very friendly… Candy's stories about her made her out to be a massive jerk… also…"

The girl slightly narrows her eyes as she considers the woman before her, "Bambi, Candy, Meni, and Lil—they're all quirky in their own ways… but Giselle here… something else is off about her… I don't know what it is… she's just… different…"

Giselle suddenly reaches for the blonde girl's hair, beginning to compliment it, "And your hair is very pretty! Strawberry blonde is a good color—"

Before she can touch Yuzu's hair, her hand is quickly slapped away by another, white-gloved hand. The cockroach girl widens her eyes in shock before looking at an angry-looking Bambietta next to her, the one who slapped away her hand. Giselle takes an instinctual step back, allowing for Bambietta, and also Candice, to step between her and the blonde girl. Keigo and Yuzu both frown slightly at the display, unsure as to why the two women would be so protective of the younger girl from their 'friend'.

Bambietta then states, as if addressing a child, "Gigi no touch!"

Giselle immediately pouts at this, "No fair! You two are gatekeeping Yui! I want some time with her too!"

Candice growls at the cockroach, "She just woke up, she doesn't need you harassing her!"

The bomb woman huffs triumphantly, placing her hands on her hips as she does so, "Also, she's our student! We have special Yui privileges!"

The cockroach woman rubs the hand that was smacked away as she concedes, "Fine…"

Yuzu's frown deepens after watching the scene play out, "Why was Bambi fine with Lil and Meni but not her? She even let Meni comb my hair after she gave me her old uniform…"

Another thought suddenly strikes the girl as she makes eye contact with Keigo, prompting her to ask with a look of confusion and worry, "Um… Keigo, why are you here?"

The boy perks up, gives a short snort, and then immediately starts crying comically, "Well, you see… I was kind of kidnapped… now I'm one of the Soldats!"

Yuzu scrunches her brows as she is greatly alarmed by this information, "That's horrible! You shouldn't be a Soldat—you're useless in a fight! You'd be killed faster than I can shoot an arrow!"

Keigo's body recoils, as if punched directly in the stomach as his comical tears continue to fall, "T-that doesn't help me feel any better…!"

The blonde girl widens her eyes as she purses her lips, lifting her hands to her mouth, "Oh, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to say that out loud."

The boy's comical tears continue to flow, "That doesn't help either!"

After a moment, the boy exhales before he stops his comical crying, shifting to a more serious expression, "Anyway, is now a good time to ask about the others?"

Yuzu's brow twitches as Candice and Bambietta perk up, also interested in learning of the fates of their allies in Xcution.

The blonde girl looks down slightly before starting, "Yes… Here's what I know…"

A Few Minutes Later

Keigo sighs in relief, "So they're all alive… if your dad is as strong as you say he is, then they should be fine. If I know Ichigo, he'll be fine too!"

Yuzu flinches as the boy mentions her brother, a deeply troubled expression on her face as she has the opposite opinion, "He definitely isn't fine… neither are Dad and Karin…"

Liltotto decides to chime in, reminding the boy as she devours a sandwich, "But they all think Yui here is dead. It also sounds like they'll be on the opposing side when we attack. Shouldn't that worry you?"

The brown-haired boy shifts nervously, "Well, yeah… of course It does. But that's not for a while, and I'd rather take whatever bit of good news I can right now."

The short blonde girl shrugs, "Fair enough."

Meanwhile, Bambietta wears a deep scowl as her mood is far from ideal, beginning to feel regret, "Should have grabbed Kugo too? If he really is joining the Shinigami, this could be a problem…"

The woman shakes her head as she recalls something, "No! The Grandmaster said that the bracelet's charm is absolute! I made certain that the conditions were met. When the time comes, Kugo will be an ally."

Candice looks over the troubled expressions worn by about half of the group before glancing at Liltotto chewing on her sandwich and getting an idea.

The lime blonde addresses the group, making a suggestion, "Why don't we show Yui where she can go to eat?"

Main Dining Hall, Silbern

The group of Quincy girls, accompanied by Keigo, enter a massive dining hall with at least 100 tables to accommodate most of Yhwach's army. Lining the walls are kitchens, where various Soldats and servants cook for the remainder of the army. The group gets in line, grabbing food trays and water cups in preparation to be served. When it gets to be her turn, Yuzu widens her eyes and visibly cringes as something is plopped on her tray, which appears as a grotesque, mushy substance.

As they leave the line, Liltotto notes the girl's cringed expression, "The standard food here sucks, but it is rich in nutrients and spirit energy, so it's a good idea to eat it sometimes anyway. I usually go to Candy or Gremmy for actual food, though. Speaking of which, Candy mentioned you can cook tasty food too. You wouldn't mind cooking for us sometimes, would you?"

Yuzu raises a brow, "Sure, I can do that, but… Who's Gremmy? Are they a member of the group too?"

The short-haired blonde answers casually as she spots an open table, "No, but he is another Sternritter. His Majesty doesn't let him out often, though, so you'll have to go to him if you want food."

The girl scrunches her brows, greatly troubled by the implications of the other girl's statement. However, she doesn't question it as she can no longer ignore something that has been bothering her since the group entered the dining hall.

Everyone is looking at her.

She looks around and finds that Soldats, servants, and even other Sternritters glare at her with scrutiny as they eat their food, not helping to soothe her fears of being ostracized after Bazz B's outburst when Yhwach introduced her to the army.

As the group places their trays on the table, Meninas looks around, noticing the looks before bluntly pointing out, "Hey, everyone is looking at Yui…"

Bambietta grits her teeth before quickly barking at the spectators, "Keep your eyes to yourselves! This isn't a show!"

Most of the people look away, excluding the spectating Sternritters, unthreatened by the woman. One such Sternritter is Cang Du, who approaches the group while holding a tray of the mushy 'food' in his hands.

Bambietta raises a brow as the man questions with a straight face, "Do you mind if I dine with you?"

The woman looks unamused as she looks behind him to find other onlooking Sternritters seated at other tables, specifically Berenice, Mask, and an older, bespectacled blonde man with a mustache.

Bambietta huffs as she looks away, not giving the man an answer, much to his disappointment.

Cang's posture slouches somewhat, prompting Giselle to teasingly ask, "Oh Cangy~! Are you hitting on us~?"

The man blinks as he maintains his cold emotionless gaze before answering bluntly, "No."

Giselle frowns slightly, about to say something before another, suave voice cuts in, "Good call. Getting too intimate with their group could prove fatal… Trust me, I speak from experience."

The group now turns to look at the approaching form of a tall man wearing a unique white baggy uniform. He has black slicked-back hair and a rather chiseled face. The man, of course, is also holding a tray of 'food'.

Giselle widens her eyes, surprised to see the man, "Askin…?"

The man avoids looking at the cockroach directly, addressing her, "Giselle."

There seems to be an awkward silence between the two before Liltotto cuts in, "You rarely approach us… what do you want?"

Askin smirks and holds up his tray as the Bambies look at him suspiciously, "Isn't it obvious? I wish to get in on this as well."

The short-haired blonde frowns before calling him out, "More like you want to size up the new recruit."

The suave man widens his eyes briefly before shifting to a smile, his expression guilty, "You got me…"

Bambietta and Liltotto both roll their eyes at the man's shameless admission.

Askin glances at Keigo before he continues, "It's no secret that your group has become quite popular since the boy arrived. Now that you have the newbie too, you all are the talk among the Sternritters. You can't really blame me for being interested."

Liltotto, Bambietta, and Meninas all shrug and look away, indifferent to the presence of the two male Sternritters.

Giselle, on the other hand, glares at Askin and Cang Du darkly, "Those two want to slide in and get all chummy with His Majesty's new favorite… there's only room for one person to play that game…"

Candice finally comments with a frown, "Well I think you two can piss off!"

Askin and Cang frown, about to respond before Keigo suddenly cuts in, "Um…"

The lime blonde widens her eyes before she and the others turn to look at the boy as he continues, "I think we should let Yuzu decide if she's comfortable eating with them…"

The group needs no further convincing as they then look upon the young blonde girl who flinches upon suddenly at being the center of attention.

Yuzu quickly regains her mental bearings as she narrows her eyes and looks upon Askin and Cang with scrutiny, "I have no idea if these two are decent people or not… but there's a way to check…"

After a moment, she approaches the two men with her eyes hidden under her hat and her arms shuffling under her cape. Askin and Cang Du tense up, each slightly shifting to defensive stances as they don't know what to expect.

The taller, suave man narrows his eyes slightly, "Better be cautious… she completely blindsided even Gerard with that destructive attack…"

Suddenly Yuzu's hands shift out from under her cape, held outstretched before the two Sternritters. The two men look somewhat confused as the girl looks up at them, a wide and friendly smile on her face with her eyes closed. An overall welcoming and trusting expression.

She addresses them while maintaining her smile, "Of course you can! We're all Quincies after all! I'm Yuzu, by the way. It's good to meet you!"

Askin and Cang widen their eyes in shock at the display of the girl, who Yhwach had presented to them as a bloodthirsty warrior who demands nothing but respect, radiating such a warm, welcoming, and friendly aura, the complete opposite of what they witnessed from when she fought Gerard.

The pair blink at this, which causes Yuzu to frown slightly as she wears a concerned look, "Are you two alright?"

Both Cang and Askin break out of their shocked trance before nodding and each shaking one of Yuzu's hands.

"Sternritter I: Cang Du.", Cang answers directly.

Askin sweats slightly as even Yuzu's handshake feels gentle despite her obvious strength, suggesting that she truly is being nothing but courteous with them, "As you heard, I'm Askin Nakk Le Vaar, Sternritter D. We'll be seeing each other quite often in meetings since I'm between you and Bambietta."

Yuzu nods as she retracts her hands before the group seats themselves. In terms of seating, Yuzu is seated in the middle of the group on one side, with Keigo to her immediate left and Meninas to her immediate right, both noticeably taller than her even while seated. Liltotto sits next to Meninas and Candice next to Keigo. There is a vacant seat across from Candice while Giselle is seated across from Keigo, Bambietta across from Yuzu, Askin across from Meninas, and Cang Du across from Liltotto.

Yuzu samples the food before frowning, "It's not disgusting, but there's no taste…"

Candice suggests in a light-hearted tone, "Maybe you ought to teach our Soldats how to cook? You're bound to be more patient with them than I was when I tried to teach them, anyway."

The blonde girl nods as she lets out a short, stifled laugh as she can imagine the hot-headed woman losing her temper with the poor cooks just trying to do their job.

Yuzu then blinks before shifting to a curious expression as she watches Candice's next actions. The woman picks up a spoon and scoops some of the previously untouched off of Keigo's tray, causing him to flinch before maintaining a deadpan.

The lime blonde wears a slight frown as she scolds, "How many times do I have to tell you that you've gotta eat? Especially this food—it will make you stronger!"

Keigo looks away defiantly, "I'd rather wait for your cooking!"

Candice scrunches her brows, "None of the kitchens are open today, so this is all you've got… or are you too much of a baby to eat something that even the little girl next to you can eat all on her own?"

The brown-haired boy frowns as he turns to snap at the woman, "There's nothing wrong with being a picky eater—!"

The boy is cut off as a spoonful of food is placed in his mouth, prompting him to involuntarily eat it.

The lime-blonde woman wears a triumphant smile and blushes slightly as she rests her head on her palm, "See? Was that so bad?"

Keigo averts his gaze as a prominent blush of his own forms on his face while he chews his food, "No…"

The brown-haired boy then picks up his cup, beginning to take a drink of water to help wash down the food.

Yuzu narrows her eyes as she continues to take in the scene before a figurative lightbulb goes off in her head, causing her to frown as she blurts out, "Candy, are you sleeping with him?"

As soon as the girl asks this, Keigo involuntarily widens his eyes before spitting out the water in his mouth as a stream, which is sent directly at Giselle's face, soaking her.

Askin can't help but smirk at this, even going so far as to comment, "I've gotta say, Giselle, that look suits you well!"

The cockroach girl sends the man a death glare, causing him to flinch before she begins to wipe her face with a napkin and sends a similar look to the boy across from her. He completely misses it; however, as he gags slightly as a result of not drinking the water properly.

This leaves a wide-eyed, shocked Candice staring back at the blonde girl, who wears a pouting expression and begins to scold, "I know how you are with guys, Candy, but if you really love each other, then you should wait until marriage! No exceptions!"

The lime blonde opens her mouth to respond, but Keigo, having regained his bearings, beats her to it as he waves his hands defensively, his face as red as a tomato, "W-we aren't even d-dating yet! That kind of stuff isn't even a consideration yet, either!"

The boy's comments cause Candice to start blushing as well as she asks, "'Yet'…?"

The woman's question in turn makes Keigo's blush intensify as he glances back at her briefly, the two sharing an intimate look if just for a moment.

He then turns back to face Yuzu fully as he coughs into his hand and asks with a frown, "Anyway, how do you even know about that kind of stuff? You're too young for them to have taught you in school."

The blonde girl rubs the back of her head sheepishly as she reveals, "Well, I lived around Bambi and Candy for a while, so I couldn't help but overhear a lot of their conversations…"

Keigo glares angrily at the two women, prompting Candice to look away while Bambietta casually whistles and looks at the ceiling, both evading taking responsibility for indirectly letting the younger girl in on what goes on in the bedroom.

Liltotto mutters under her breath so the others can't hear, "At least they didn't rub off on her too much since she's saying to wait until marriage…"

Askin, Giselle, and Cang send Yuzu occasional glances while she continues to speak with Candice, still trying to size her up.

Askin suddenly cocks his head as he addresses the group casually, "By the way, did you girls read the Daten His Majesty just sent out?"

Liltotto and Bambietta raise their brows as Giselle and Meninas blink in mild confusion.

Candice, having finished her discussion with Yuzu, frowns, "He released more Daten?"

The suave man sighs as he slumps slightly, "I suppose not, then…"

Giselle smiles as she looks at the man, "How about you tell us about it? Don't keep us in suspense, Asky~."

Askin visibly cringes, "Don't call me that…"

The woman continues to tease the man, "Why not~? Don't you miss the old days, Asky~?"

Yuzu and Keigo both raise a brow, unaware there was a connection between these two as Askin coughs into his hand, glossing over Giselle as he focuses on the Daten, "Grandmaster Haschwalth will not be around for some time. His Majesty has an important task for him, apparently, so he can't complete his duties as Grandmaster."

The Bambies, including their newest member in Yuzu, widen their eyes in slight surprise at this. Keigo and Cang appear indifferent to this information, although likely for different reasons.

Bambietta looks to her left to regard the man with a troubled look, "But who will lead the Sternritters in his absence? Who will oversee Yui's further training if not him?"

Yuzu perks up at this, unaware that the blonde man himself would now be in command of her further development.

Askin answers nonchalantly, "Lille naturally has been appointed as acting Grandmaster. As for the training, it seems you've started something of a trend…"

The black-haired woman scrunches her brows in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Cang answers this time, "His Majesty has assigned Quilge Opie to the training of every Sternritter, not just Kurosaki. In light of what occurred in the Soul Society with her, he wants everyone to undergo further training to ensure we are as strong as possible when we face the Shinigami."

Bambietta's mouth opens slightly, although she doesn't respond, unsure of what to make of this information.

Giselle, on the other hand, pouts at this, "Aww! Not his hellish training again! I barely made it through the first time when I was a Soldat!"

Candice smirks as she finds the cockroach's discomfort amusing, "What's wrong, Gigi? You didn't think we'd just be relaxing while Yui works her tail off, did you?"

Giselle frowns, "I did, actually!"

As the two women continue to talk, Meninas frowns slightly as well, "His training is such a pain…"

Liltotto nods in agreement, "Yeah, but since it's what His Majesty wants, we don't have a choice."

Cang Du stares at Yuzu intently, which the girl currently doesn't notice as she continues to eat her food. Keigo suddenly pokes the girl's shoulder, prompting her to look up at him as she chews.

He looks across the table at the scarred Sternritter, "Uh… I think he wants to talk to you…"

While everyone else is still talking about the pains of training under Quilge, Yuzu and Keigo look at Cang Du, prompting him to ask seriously, "Where did you learn how to fight? I've never seen martial arts like that…"

The blonde girl widens her eyes, not expecting that in particular to have earned her attention from her peers. At this point, the others at the table look at the girl as well, also at least mildly interested to hear her answer, particularly Askin and Giselle.

Yuzu looks between the people at the table before looking at the scarred man again and sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck, "Well, I guess it's a combination of playing video games and watching some movies and wrestling…"

Bambietta and Candice gawk at this, knowing what this means, while Cang Du widens his eyes, "You mean to say you have achieved such martial prowess merely through mimicking what others have done? You didn't have a mentor for it?"

The young Sternritter shakes her head, causing the martial artist to gawk slightly as well, realizing the raw talent for battle that this girl possesses.

After a moment, Cang snaps out of it and responds with a serious expression, "In that case, may I request that you observe my techniques as well? It may be useful to see another Quincy who practices the martial arts."

Yuzu blinks before sending the man a friendly smile, genuinely happy at the chance to make another potential ally and friend among the Sternritters, "Of course!"

As Cang Du and Yuzu continue to speak with each other and work out the details, Askin looks intently at the girl, his gaze somewhat scrutinous as he muses, "What a kind, yet deadly girl… it looks like I'll have some serious competition if I want to be the next member of the Schutzstaffel…"

Meanwhile, Karakura Cemetery

A thunderstorm passes through the town of Karakura, leaving heavy rain to fall on the town, drenching anyone not currently taking shelter.

Lightning crackles through the sky, briefly illuminating a pair of gravestones respectively labeled 'Masaki Kurosaki' and 'Ichigo Kurosaki'. Standing before the first grave is a teen with long dark hair and blue eyes wearing glasses, a white hoodie, and matching white pants and shoes—Uryu Ishida.

As expected, the teen is completely drenched due to the rain, which works to hide the tears falling behind his fogged-up glasses. His face relays a deep sense of simultaneous despair, guilt, and frustration as he stares at the grave of his aunt before him.

"I'm sorry… I couldn't save her…", the boy hisses guiltily between gritted teeth, ashamed of his complete and utter helplessness during the final battle in the Soul Society.

Uryu's gaze is downcast as his thoughts shift to consider Mayuri's words, the captain's sadistic voice occupying his mind, "The last one I planned to study was a woman… the last one I did study was a nasty old man. He kept calling out the name of a student, or maybe a grandchild. It was disgraceful… There's not much left of his original form…"

The Quincy's hand balls into a fist, clenching it to the point where it begins to draw blood due to his rage as he recalls the ashes left of Yuzu from the Head Captain's merciless assault.

The boy's teeth begin to creak as his rage forces him to grit them with more strength than is healthy while his thoughts turn dark, "They can't keep getting away with this…!"

Lightning flashes again as the thunder in the clouds above booms as if underscoring the wrath that the powerless teenage Quincy feels. Watching the scene from within the trees on the hill behind the gravestones is the form of a man with green eyes and long blonde hair wearing a black business suit—Jugram Haschwalth.

The Sternritter narrows his eyes as he stares down at the boy, who is oblivious to his presence, with scrutiny, "So this is Uryu Ishida…?"

The blonde man looks ready to descend down the hill to approach, however, suddenly widens his eyes at the scene below, for once in his life baffled and confused beyond all measure, "W-what are those things?!"

Uryu similarly perks up as he hears sudden footsteps, prompting him to turn around with equal confusion on his face. On the concrete path in front of the Quincy, four large beings covered completely in white fur and possessing blank pink pinhead-shaped heads, aimlessly walk by. Both Quincies are visibly stunned as they have never seen wraiths such as these before.

Uryu wears a troubled expression as he watches the group of wraiths pass him as though he isn't even there, "Those creatures… they aren't Hollows and they certainly aren't Wholes… so what—"

The boy widens his eyes as he realizes that the wraiths are heading toward the exit of the cemetery, into town. This prompts him to hurriedly follow after them down the hill for some distance before screeching to a halt as the beings suddenly and inexplicably disappear from thin air.

Uryu gawks, his confusion and anxiety increasing, "W-what…? Where did they go?!"

Meanwhile, hidden within the trees on the hill above, Haschwalth glares at the scene with an irritated expression, "Of all times for there to be an inexplicable spiritual occurrence…"

The blonde Quincy looks behind him as he summons his broadsword from the shadows, looking ready to defend himself if need be. Shifting between the trees are over a dozen more of the furry wraiths, seemingly lacking any and all sense of direction.

Haschwalth levels his blade at one of the approaching ghosts, however, the being completely ignores it, going so far as to walk past the blade and bump into the man. The wraith staggers slightly as the Grandmaster stands his ground and narrows his eyes, carefully observing its next moves. To the blonde man's further confusion, the creature seems to casually regain its bearings before walking down the hill and disappearing within the trees.

Haschwalth slowly discards his blade into the shadows as he concludes, "It would seem these creatures are not hostile… even so…"

The man narrows his eyes as he watches Uryu run off in the rain below, thunder booming in the clouds above once more, "I will need to bide my time until he thinks the town isn't in danger…"

Old Shiba Residence

Kukaku and Karin sit on a mat next to Ganju, still in a wheelchair, as the whole family listens to Isshin update them on the situation. Karin's eyes are still quite puffy, given how much she has cried throughout the past day. That, combined with her new facial scars, causes Isshin to stare at his daughter, clear worry in his eyes, as he gives his explanation. This is something that Kukaku does not fail to miss.

As Isshin finishes speaking, Ganju can't help but give a slight smile despite everything else that's happened, "So the Shinigami are backing off and releasing Urahara's group? About damn time we got some good news!"

Isshin nods as a frown begins to form on his face upon looking at his daughter. Ganju then finally notices the worried look his uncle is giving the girl, causing him to awkwardly quiet down. Kukaku sighs before rising to her feet and walking behind her brother.

The Shiba woman regards her uncle with an understanding glance, "We'll be waiting outside until you two are ready to head back to the Rukongai."

Karin and Isshin both give the woman nods, which she takes as her cue to leave. The father and daughter lock gazes again as Kukaku rolls her brother out of the room.

A few moments after the siblings leave the room, Isshin glances at the girl's Zanpakutōs and starts, "It looks like you've been through a lot, kiddo…"

Karin looks down, hiding her defeated face as her bitter words are almost forced from her throat, "Not as much as Yuzu…"

The man had been holding back his grief for the entire day to sort out the details with the Shinigami. But here, in front of his only child left alive, it's like a dam bursts. Isshin's gaze immediately softens as he suddenly drops to his knees and embraces his daughter, his tears starting to stream freely. The girl's brows furrow and her mouth twitches as her tears begin to resurface as well at the gesture.

Isshin laments, "I am so sorry, Karin. What happened was my fault. You and your sister suffered so much because I blindly chased after the Hollow White…"

Karin hisses bitterly as she grabs her father's Gi, "We both know he's Ichigo now, Dad… you don't need to pretend like he's not…"

The man's breath seems to pause for a moment as his eyes open wide. He turns his head down slightly to look at his daughter almost buried in his Gi.

His words seem to fail him for a moment before he states, "Yeah… sorry, I just found out…"

Karin's brows furrow, making a brief nasty face that Isshin can't quite see, "So did I…"

The girl then tilts her head up as she backs off slightly from the embrace too, "So, what now? We're still going to try purifying him… right?"

Isshin feels like he is looking at another person as he stares at his daughter, causing him to frown slightly.

The man's response is delayed as he wipes the tears from his eyes and shifts to a more serious expression, "Yeah… especially with Aizen no doubt pulling his strings. The next time we see Ichigo, I think he will be completely different, and not in a good way…"

Isshin's expression sours as he trails off ominously, causing Karin's expression to likewise plummet. There is a depressing silence between the two that seems to go on for hours for them, finally able to let the ugly truths sit in as a family.

The man lets out a long, dejected sigh before standing up, "Anyway, we will be heading to the Rukongai, as Kukaku mentioned. Regardless, I think we both can agree that we don't want to spend any more time in the Seireitei."

Karin nods almost immediately, quickly rising to her feet and fastening her blades to her person.

Isshin raises a brow at the girl who looks at him with tear stains still on her face, demanding, "Alright, then let's get out of here."

The man smiles slightly before nodding and leaving the Old Shiba Residence, where he grew up, behind.

Outside, Noble District

As Karin is greeted by the sun outside, she hears a couple of familiar voices talking to each other, making her raise a brow. Before she can register any words, however, she widens her eyes as a soccer ball is right before her face, causing her to duck to avoid it. The ball continues flying, causing it to strike Isshin directly in the face and knock him back slightly.

Karin turns and glares at the source of the ball before widening her eyes in surprise at who she finds, "You guys?"

In the middle of the street are Ryunosuke, Shino, and a boy with black hair that Karin doesn't recognize. Ryunosuke and the other boy look at Shino with looks of horror as she guiltily rubs the back of her neck.

The red hat-wearing girl apologizes casually, "Sorry, I lost control of the ball…"

Karin is about to respond but stops as Shino is suddenly struck from behind by a fist, causing her eyes to comically pop out of her head.

The girl squats, holding her head which has a trail of smoke comically coming off it as Kukaku stands behind her with a feral look on her face, "You little shit! I oughta—"

"Let it go, Kukaku. She didn't mean any harm…", Isshin says as he walks out of the estate while rubbing his face with one hand and holding the soccer ball in the other.

Kukaku glances at her uncle before sighing and dropping it, "Fine…"

The black-haired boy, Hanataro, begins to heal Shino's head with a light Kido spell while Ryunosuke scolds, "I told you we should've waited for Karin to play…"

Shino glares at the boy, looking ready to give a retort before a shadow covers her.

She looks up to meet the gaze of Karin, still with a brow raised, "Still no good at controlling the ball, huh?"

Shino huffs, somewhat flustered, "Well, they don't teach it at the academy, do they?"

Karin gives an unimpressed look, "Well, they teach Kido and I'm no good at that."

The two girls both smirk at this, finding humor in the back and forth.

Karin then offers her a hand, pulling her up to her feet before stating, "Either way, next time you practice should be with me. You learn faster when you get your ass kicked."

Shino rolls her eyes, "Haha, very funny."

Ryunosuke smiles softly at the sight, happy to see his friend no longer in a state of complete despair.

Karin gives the boy a nod before raising an unamused brow at Hanataro, "Who are you supposed to be? Ryu's clone?"

The healer laughs in a weak, self-deprecating manner as he rubs the back of his head, "I'm Hanataro Yamada from Squad 4. Your brother kidnapped me, and I sort of just ended up here."

Both Karin and the spectating Isshin gawk at this, unaware that Ichigo had done such a thing.

The bearded man instantly bows apologetically to the boy, "Sorry! Did he threaten to kill you? Or did he want to use you as leverage against the Shinigami?"

The boy widens his eyes before waving his hands defensively, "N-no! Nothing like that! If anything, it was Ginjo and Ganju who threatened me!"

Kukaku glares at Ganju, who flinches and wears a nervous expression in his wheelchair, knowing he will be chewed out for this later.

Karin and Isshin scrunch their brows, troubled by this as the girl questions, "He really didn't threaten you at all?"

Hanataro shakes his head, asserting, "No... I'll admit he was quite scary, but I don't think he's as bad as he looks. We all saw how he reacted to… well, you know…"

The boy shifts uncomfortably as Isshin and Karin look down sadly at the reminder of Yuzu's fate. Ryunosuke suddenly coughs into his hand, prompting the others on the street to look at him.

The boy states with resolve before bowing, "I would like to swear fealty to you, Lord Shiba."

The father and daughter both slowly widen their eyes at this display. Shino and Hanataro stare at Ryunosuke for a moment before both copying him and likewise bowing, clearly showing that they feel likewise after everything that happened.

Isshin then gawks at the sight, now embarrassed and confused as he waves his hands, "N-no! None of that crap! I can't have you all feeling like my servants! Why are you calling me 'Lord', anyway?!"

The trio remains bowing, resolute in their desire, as Shino responds, "Captain Hitsugaya instructed us to refer to you like that, sir!"

This causes the Shiba man to scowl as he mutters, "Damn brat…"

Isshin then lets out a groan, relenting somewhat, "Fine… You can follow me if you want, but please don't think of me as your master or something, got it?!"

"Yes!", the trio replies nearly in perfect unison.

Karin, meanwhile, wears a confused look on her face as she contemplates, "Captain Hitsugaya… what kind of man would refer to my dad by 'Lord'…? He's probably old and by the book from the sounds of it… or maybe…?"

The girl imagines a middle-aged burly man laughing obnoxiously with a masculine voice similar to her father, "Haha! Send Lord Shiba my regards!"

She then shakes her head, firmly rejecting the idea, "No! That's way too similar!"

Isshin turns to address Karin, Kukaku, and Ganju, "Anyway, some of my former allies will be joining us. I know you guys probably aren't the most trusting of Shinigami right now, but I swear they are good people."

Karin, Kukaku, and Ganju nod, not having any issue with this.

The scarred girl looks to her right, finding a green-haired Shinigami there, before looking ahead again. After a few moments, she widens her eyes and looks at the Shinigami again, alarmed.

"W-WHAT THE HELL?!", the girl yells as she takes a step back in shock at the Shinigami seemingly just appearing out of thin air.

Everyone else also looks surprised at the sudden appearance, excluding Isshin who noticed them a while ago. The Shinigami is a girl with short green hair and a shortened, modified Shihakushō, who bows respectfully before the scarred girl.

"Greetings, Lady Shiba. My name is Nozomi Kujo, a servant of the Tsunayashiro Clan. I have been assigned to protect you by Lady Tsunayashiro herself.", Nozomi introduces.

Karin calms down somewhat as Nozomi's posture shifts back to normal, causing her to raise a brow, "Princess sent you?"

The green-haired Shinigami nods, "Consider me as your shadow. Wherever you go, I will follow, milady."

The Shiba girl becomes somewhat flustered and uncomfortable with the honorifics, much in the same fashion her father did, although doesn't say anything as she merely returns the nod.

Isshin exhales as he regards the group as a whole, "With that out of the way, let's get out of here. There should be people waiting for us in the Rukongai…"

Undisclosed Location, Seireitei

Three out of the four Great Noble Clans are seated around a pentagon-shaped table, currently discussing the recent events. A white-haired girl wearing a purple scarf, tan robes, and a golden headpiece sits on one side of the table with a green-haired man wearing similar robes standing next to her. These are the only two prominent members of the Tsunayashiro Clan still alive.

Across from them is a black-haired, scarfed Shinigami wearing hair ornaments and a white captain's coat. Standing next to him is a female Shinigami with short black hair and purple eyes. They are both heavily wrapped in bandages under their robes, signaling their involvement in the recent battles.

Lastly, there is a dark purple-haired, dark-skinned boy with golden eyes wearing orange and yellow robes. The boy appears to be the same age as the white-haired girl sitting next to him, although notably appears a degree more nervous. A woman with the same color eyes, skin, and hair stands next to him, wearing a skin-tight black suit with her arms crossed, looking overall annoyed.

The white-haired girl, Katsumi Tsunayashiro, smiles slightly as she regards the other nobles, "I thank you all for coming. I would have understood if you didn't in light of everything that has happened."

The purple-haired woman, Yoruichi Shihoin, is quick to respond to the much younger girl, "It is because of everything that happened that we are here. Now let's get on with this, I have somewhere to be."

The purple-haired boy, Yushiro Shihoin, shifts in his seat, a look of horror on his face as he scolds the woman, "We're meeting with the other nobility! You can't talk like that, sister!"

Yoruichi's frown deepens as she aggressively snaps, "You mean the same nobility that put a little girl to death?"

The woman's comment makes everyone in the room, excluding the green-haired man, look extremely guilty and uncomfortable. The Tsunayashiro man, of course, smirks widely as the ninja woman states this, finding the deep sense of guilt felt by everyone else immensely amusing. Yushiro himself is unable to make eye contact with his sister after this, feeling the most guilt out of anyone as he, albeit due to being manipulated, was the deciding factor.

After a moment, Byakuya exhales slowly before looking across the table at Katsumi, currently wearing a downcast, distant look on her face. The captain's eyes narrow as he deduces that the girl possesses a sense of honor, unlike most of her family who came before her.

The Kuchiki man wears a stern look, "Lady Tsunayashiro, the longer we sit here in silence, the fewer potential survivors we will find out there. Please tell us why we are meeting."

Katsumi perks up as her eyes widen, scrambling to find a response as this is the first time she has ever attended, let alone led a meeting involving such important people, "Y-yes! We s-shall begin the discussion now!"

Everyone in the room raises a brow at the girl's anxious behavior as she exhales, reigning herself back in.

Still standing behind her brother, Rukia's purple eyes soften with sympathy, recognizing the girl's circumstances, "It's clear she's never been to a meeting like this before… the poor girl has just lost all of her family beside her uncle there… she's been thrust into this position…"

Katsumi takes another moment to regain her mental bearings before her green eyes become serious and look up to regard the nobles around her, causing them to perk up and pay attention.

The Tsunayashiro girl begins, "I shall not mince words… White's assault on the Soul Society has resulted in a splintering of the Gotei 13. A multitude of captains have either deserted or outright betrayed us, the most concerning of which is Sosuke Aizen."

Yoruichi and Rukia narrow their eyes as they hear the girl's words, not liking them but unable to retort them.

The white-haired girl sighs before she continues, "With that said, I take it that none of you have any issues with the Tsunayashiro Clan protecting the Shiba Clan and their allies from Squad 0 and the Gotei 13?"

Both Byakuya and Yushiro nod, prompting Katsumi to smile, "Very good. Now I—"

The green-haired man, Tokinada Tsunayashiro, steps forward and cuts the girl off, wearing his signature smirk, "I believe that given the circumstances, it may be best if we allow the Gotei 13 to return to its roots. It is clear that Head Captain Yamamoto is unable to reign in everyone anymore, so I think they should act as independent factions, or gangs as they were before their founding."

Byakuya frowns deeply as he narrows his eyes, noting the way Katsumi shifts uncomfortably at being cut off as he objects, "I disagree with that completely. We should not further divide ourselves just because the current order has been threatened. Further, I should remind you that Lady Tsunayashiro alone speaks for your clan at this summit."

Tokinada narrows his eyes as he now glares at the other nobleman, amused but also somewhat angered by his words. Either way, the man and everyone else present shift their gazes back on Katsumi.

The girl perks up, now speaking a bit sheepishly at the slight blow to her confidence due to her uncle cutting her off, "W-well, I think the concept isn't completely objectionable. I would be more inclined to simply define the Gotei 13 and the Shiba Clan as two separate entities at this point."

Byakuya nods, giving his approval to the idea.

Katsumi continues, more confidence in her tone, "It was frankly moronic of my grandfather to suggest Yuzu Kurosaki's execution. All that accomplished was driving a wedge into our military, ultimately, through the tragic death of a member of the Shiba Clan. I think we should allow the Shiba Clan and its allies to formally act as their own entity for the time being in the interest of not losing multiple captain class Shinigami. With Sosuke Aizen and White united as allies, we as nobles are duty-bound to ensure that an alliance and rebuild of trust can be made while not pushing anyone to act rashly. That is the only way we will have any hope of defeating them when the time comes once again."

The Kuchiki man nods, "I agree. The Shiba Clan is owed space and time to heal their wounds."

Yushiro glances at Yoruichi, who seemingly refuses to look at him, before nodding as well, "The Shihoin Clan agrees too."

Katsumi smiles as she concludes, "Unless anyone objects, this meeting is hereby concluded."

As soon as the girl says this, the Shihoin boy shifts in his seat, a guilty and pleading look on his face as he reaches toward his sister, "Sister, I can explain—"

Before he can finish his sentence, Yoruichi disappears with a flash, completely ignoring him and cutting him off. This causes the boy to lower his head as he wears a sad expression on his face, earning him looks of pity from everyone else, except Tokinada, obviously.

Byakuya suddenly rises to his feet before making direct eye contact with the Tsunayashiro girl, earning her full attention, "You did well, considering this was the first time you attended such an important meeting. I look forward to seeing how your clan develops under your leadership, milady."

Katsumi widens her eyes as a fierce blush occupies her face upon being complimented in such a way by a man she considers her idol of sorts. Rukia takes note of this, which prompts her to smile slightly, happy for the girl.

The Kuchiki man gives a polite bow, "Well then, until next time…"

Both Kuchikis exit the room, leaving a contrast between the visibly defeated form of Yushiro and the blushing form of Katsumi, swelling with pride.

This results in no one noticing Tokinada smirking sinisterly as he looks to the side, "They think the chaos is over… the fools don't realize that it has only just begun…"

Ruins of the Squad 5 Barracks

Two Shinigami currently stand in the rubble of what once was the Squad 5 Barracks, reduced to what it is now during the battles with White. The first is a female Shinigami with short black hair tied in a bun who wears a look of complete devastation on her face, staring distantly into space. Of note, she has a badge tied around the left sleeve of her Shihakushō, signifying her rank as a vice-captain.

Next to her is the shorter form of a male Shinigami with spiky white hair, a green scarf, and a golden chain that holds his Zanpakutō to his back. Different from his usual appearance is the addition of a white headband, which is tied in a knot at the right side of his forehead. His appearance is otherwise fairly standard of a Shinigami as he had long discarded his captain's coat by now.

Indeed, the forms of Momo Hinamori and Toshiro Hitsugaya—childhood friends who might as well be siblings, stand in the ruins of the squad where their former friend and ally turned traitor, Sosuke Aizen, had resided.

There are tears in Momo's eyes as she states slowly, "I refuse to believe it… there is no way Captain Aizen would betray the Soul Society… He wouldn't…"

The vice-captain turns around to face the boy, a somewhat deranged look on her face as she latches onto the most appealing explanation for her, "I-it was probably Gin Ichimaru! He's put Captain Aizen up to this—"

"ENOUGH!", the white-haired boy roars, causing the older girl to flinch.

Momo stares at the boy with widened eyes, completely in shock.

After a moment, Toshiro sighs before he looks upon his friend, his sister, with a softened gaze, reminding her, "You have to face the facts, Momo… Aizen is far from the only captain who turned on the Gotei 13. If you'll recall, I am on that list of traitors, too."

The girl's face turns desperate, "N-no! You didn't betray anyone, Shiro!"

Toshiro furrows his brows, clearly disagreeing with her, "I did though. I betrayed the Soul Society for my desire to free Lord Shiba. I didn't want his daughter to die, and I refused to watch him be punished in such a blatantly unfair way for his crimes. Even now, I—"

The boy widens his eyes as Momo begins to sob intensely, "That's just it, Shiro! You were loyal to the people you love and respect! That's why you're here now… but they're saying that Captain Aizen left the Soul Society! That he left us! HE LEFT ME! And he won't be coming back except to kill us! It's that that I refuse to believe!"

Toshiro is speechless as the girl is now sobbing uncontrollably, wiping her eyes as the cause of her despair is her slow realization that Aizen never truly cared about her or anyone else besides himself. She continues to cry for a few moments as the boy looks like he is going to attempt to comfort her.

However, the footsteps of a third person can be heard, causing Toshiro to jerk his head at the approaching individual and take a defensive step in front of Momo to shield her from them. He sees a man with blonde hair wearing a black button-up shirt with a tie, tan pants tied with a belt, and a tan mail boy's hat.

Toshiro narrows his eyes, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword in warning, prompting the man to pause. At this point, Momo gets her crying under control and looks over at the individual in slight confusion.

The man waves at the pair as he smiles, "I don't want to fight, I just wanted to see how Squad 5 was doing. Definitely not the way I left it. I shouldn't be surprised though, Sosuke never leaves things better off when he's done with them—and I'm living proof."

Momo and Toshiro look at the man in confusion, the latter questioning, "You talk like you know him… who are you?"

The blonde man's smirk widens as he introduces himself, "My name is Shinji Hirako, the previous captain of Squad 5."

The pair of Shinigami widen their eyes as the vice-captain questions, "S-so Captain Aizen was your vice-captain?"

Shinji nods, although his smile fades, "Unfortunately."

Momo frowns as tears are still in her eyes, the notion of even Aizen's former captain not thinking well of him doing no favors for the gut-wrenching realization of his complete apathy toward other people.

Shinji sighs as he sees the negative impact this has on the girl, rubbing his neck as he explains, "But that's all in the past. In the present, I am just an ally of Kisuke Urahara and the Shiba family."

It is as he says this that Toshiro allows his hand to fall from the hilt of his blade, asserting, "In that case, we are allies as well."

The black-haired girl widens her eyes again as she looks at the boy in shock, "S-Shiro?!"

Toshiro looks at his sister again, his gaze softening, "I told you… I betrayed the Soul Society to help Lord Shiba. That still stands even now. Once you turn traitor, you can't turn back, and I wouldn't even if I could."

The girl is speechless as the white-haired boy continues, "Matsumoto and I are leaving the Seireitei soon. Our allegiance is to Lord Shiba now. If the Soul Society wants to hunt us down for that choice, then let so be it."

Momo purses her lips as Toshiro asserts, "But you're different, Momo. You can stay here since the Gotei 13 doesn't see you as a—"

The boy wears a baffled expression as he is suddenly slapped across the face by his sister, something that he never expected from her. Shinji looks somewhat surprised as well as he looks upon the scene in interest.

The black-haired Shinigami glares at the boy as hot tears stream down her face, "NO! Shiro, you can't do this to me too! You can't leave!"

Toshiro blinks as he shifts his head, still looking at the girl with a baffled expression. She suddenly clutches her vice-captain's badge, gritting her teeth as what she is about to do hurts to her core.

The white-haired boy raises a brow, questioning, "What are you—?"

In the next moment, Momo tears her vice captain's badge from her Shihakushō and tosses it into the rubble, clearly showing where she stands as well.

Toshiro looks into his sister's hurt, tear-filled eyes as she states with all of the resolve she can muster, "I don't know if I'll even see Captain Aizen again… but I do know that I am your ally, Shiro. I won't let you leave my side, even if that makes me a traitor too."

The boy's mouth hangs open, speechless as he looks upon Momo's crying form, who seems to have grown a backbone out of the sibling bond they share.

Shinji, meanwhile, smirks, "Seems like this group of ours isn't going to be quite as small as I thought…"

Past, Rukongai

A small, ragged blonde girl lies on the dirt in the Rukongai, staring off into space through her empty blue eyes. The girl wears torn rags, and her face is smeared with dirt, a sure sign of her low status within the Soul Society.

Suddenly, a hand holds a fruit in front of her face, causing her to look at it as a young voice states, "Eat this."

The girl finds a boy with silver hair wearing black robes.

The boy smiles at her as he explains, "The fact that you passed out from hunger means you must have it too… Spirit energy."

The girl's gaze is still distant as she replies, "You… too?"

The boy maintains his smile as he continues to hold the food out, "Yeah. Me too. I'm Gin Ichimaru. Nice to meet you."

The girl rolls on her back, now looking directly at the boy above her, "Gin… that's a strange name…"

Present, Squad 3 Barracks

A much older Rangiku now stands within a doorway in the Squad 3 Barracks. She slightly narrows her eyes as she stares into the dark room before her. Within this room is Izuru Kira, sitting on the floor in a hunched-over manner, his gaze distant and dejected. The betrayal of his captain has shaken the vice-captain to his core.

The blonde man perks up slightly as he notes the woman's presence, "Rangiku…"

The woman softens her gaze slightly as she sees the man's distraught expression.

She sighs before speaking, "I suppose he didn't tell you anything before he left, either…"

Izuru recognizes that the woman is referring to Gin as he looks to the ground in further dejection, clarifying her assumption to be true.

Rangiku closes her eyes, exhaling slowly as she ruffles through her Gi, "Sorry for bothering you for nothing, then… here."

The man perks up as he catches something that the blonde woman threw to him from within her Gi. He wears a confused expression as he inspects the object, immediately recognizing it as a bottle of sake.

Rangiku elaborates as she turns to leave, "It should help take the edge off… if you want someone to drink with, you'll find me in the Rukongai."

Izuru raises a brow at the woman before widening his eyes as he just notices something, "W-where is your vice-captain's badge?!"

The woman looks back at her former co-worker with a neutral expression, "Haven't you heard? I'm a traitor too…"

The vice-captain is speechless as he watches Rangiku leave from his sight before listening to the fading sound of her footsteps as she walks down the hall. When he can no longer hear her footsteps, he looks down at the bottle of sake in his hand before clutching it tightly, now more conflicted and confused than he was previously.

Squad 12 Barracks

Captain Kurotsuchi's personal lab is usually the quietest and most dimly lit room in the Soul Society, excluding Muken, of course. However, today the captain, sitting at his desk and reviewing monitors, wears an irritated expression as a small blonde, pigtailed girl in a red jumpsuit pesters him loudly.

"What is this, a freakshow?! I think I just saw one of them move!", Hiyori barks as she motions to the shelves behind them, a variety of grotesque, semi-alive spacemen stuffed in jars lining them.

Mayuri growls lowly, "I have returned those children to you. I do not owe you a conversation. I am also now the captain of Squad 12 now, meaning I have surpassed your rank anyway, former vice-captain. As such, I have no issues making you my next experiment if you don't GET OUT!"

The blonde girl huffs, "You actually think I still give a shit about where you rank in the Gotei 13?! And you're not helping the freakshow allegations, clown! Seriously, this place was way less creepy even when Kisuke was running the show!"

An angry tick mark forms on the scientist's face as he finally snaps, "YOU DARE SUGGEST MY WORKSPACE IS INFERIOR TO HIS?!"

As the two former squad mates continue to bicker, Nemu, Ururu, and Jinta stand idly to the side, quietly observing. The artificial Shinigami eyes the two smaller forms of Ururu and Jinta next to her, both glaring at Mayuri like he is trash, with a slight curious gleam in her eye, feeling a sort of odd kinship with them. It isn't long before the woman shifts her blank stare back on her captain and the Visored girl.

After a few moments longer, Nemu turns to regard a suddenly appearing newcomer, "Welcome, Lady Shihoin."

The vice-captain's words prompt everyone else in the lab to become silent as they turn to look at the form of Yoruichi, wearing an instance, angry look on her face.

Ururu and Jinta immediately run toward the woman, the latter crying out, "Ms. Yoruichi!"

The ninja woman's gaze softens somewhat as she realizes the children are fine, patting their heads as they stand behind her, taking shelter.

Hiyori snorts before walking across the room as well to join the noblewoman, "He didn't do anything to those two. I got him to talk more, but… I don't know how much more of him I can stomach…"

Yoruichi gives the girl an apologetic nod before glaring once more at the face-paint-wearing captain, "Where's the body?"

Mayuri frowns as he raises a brow, "Pardon?"

The purple-haired ninja disappears with a flash before suddenly appearing right before the seated captain and slamming her fist on the desk behind him, hissing, "KARIN SHIBA'S BODY: WHERE IS IT?!"

Nemu's eyes widen and contract, homing in on Yoruichi as she begins to register the woman as a threat. Just as the vice-captain is about to move, Mayuri raises his hand from across the room, prompting her to pause.

After calling off Nemu, the scientist speaks calmly as he looks up from his chair into the angry, golden eyes of the noblewoman, "Unfortunately, I was not allowed access to the girl's physical body, so it is still in the world of the living. Rest assured; it is now under the watch of that white-haired Quincy in Isshin Shiba's stead."

Yoruichi's expression mellows out upon hearing the man's explanation. After a moment the woman sighs and takes a step back as she now stands up straight.

"I'll have to confirm that with Ryuken, then…", she mutters under her breath.

Mayuri's brow twitches as a sudden, unrelated thought passes through his head, "Speaking of unfortunate circumstances, I was unable to observe any of the battles from these so-called Arrancars!"

The man suddenly tilts forward in his chair, reaching out toward the noblewoman, "But I did hear that you fought one. May I examine—"

"Absolutely not.", the woman snaps as she slaps the scientist's hand away.

The captain sulks slightly as he muses, "Ah, well… at least I was able to collect some samples of White's leftover Reiryoku…"

Yoruichi raises a brow before looking ready to puke as Mayuri retrieves a burnt and dismembered white hand with red tufts of fur from his robes, "We have the Head Captain to thank for this sample!"

Much like Yoruichi, Jinta and Hiyori widen their eyes and look ready to puke, while Ururu and Nemu both merely tilt their heads in slight interest of the dismembered hand.

The ninja woman hisses as she turns to leave, "We're done here! You three follow me, we're going to meet Isshin."

Hiyori, Ururu, and Jinta follow the dark-skinned woman out of the lab, leaving Mayuri to smirk as his thoughts are quite exciting to him, "Now, do I examine this hand first or do I attempt to gather a sample from one of those humans…? Oh, the options…"

Suddenly, one of the scientist's monitors starts going crazy, flashing red and urgently grabbing his attention. The captain furrows his brows as he scrutinizes the screen, the previous thoughts of his research leaving him.

After a moment, Mayuri widens his eyes in shock, "What in the world is happening in the world of the living?!"

Meanwhile, Squad 1 Barracks

Within the Squad 1 Barracks is a dimly lit room where various, robed figures chant and make unique hand signs, performing some kind of ritual. The floor begins to darken before a portal seemingly opens up, revealing the depths of the great prison beneath the first division. Standing before the portal are three Shinigami wearing white coats over their usual black Shihakushō robes.

The first is a bearded man with long brown hair, tied in a ponytail with a pinwheel hairclip—Shunsui Kyoraku. He wears an additional pink coat with a floral pattern over his usual white captain's Haori. Two blades are strapped to his hip, humming as the man is prepared for battle.

The two other figures flank Kyoraku, to his right is a plump woman with squinted eyes and pink hair bound into a unique-looking bun of sorts—Kirio Hikifune of the Zero Division. She holds her Zanpakutō, a massive spoon, at the ready as her usual smiling expression is replaced by a serious frown.

The other is a man with black hair worn as an exaggerated pompadour with a thin stick held between his teeth—Tenjiro Kirinji, also of the Zero Division. He rests a long wooden sign, his Zanpakutō, over his shoulder and carries a second, sheathed blade strapped to his waist. His hand clutches the hilt of the second blade intently, narrowing his eyes as he does.

The royal guard grunts, considering what he told everyone shortly after he arrived in the Seireitei, "If it was just about Karin Shiba, then Squad 0 would've already left the Seireitei. She poses no threat to us as she is now… The girl is a convenient excuse to hide the real reason we're here, though… only further chaos and fear would come if the Soul Society knew why the Zero Squad has decided to leave the palace…"

While the Kirinji is left to his thoughts, Kyoraku clutches his chest over his heart as he also narrows his remaining, left eye, which peers into the depths before him. He shifts his head to regard the members of Squad 0, who both give him a nod before all three approach the portal wordlessly. Although they are here for Urahara, they all realize that a far more dangerous being is waiting for them within the depths—one who has recently been freed of his shackles.

Squad 4 Barracks

The Squad 4 Barracks are swarming with Shinigami, hurriedly acting to treat as many of their injured comrades as they can. One such wounded Shinigami is the Head Captain himself, lying on a medical bed and wearing a particularly stern expression on his face. The ancient man's breaths are haggard, and his beard is smeared with dried blood and mud, White's assault proving to have left a mark on the living legend.

Unohana, still heavily bandaged herself, works tirelessly on the Head Captain. The woman sows his chest together as her hands are imbued with the healing green glow of her Kaido spells. She suddenly pauses in her work, lifting her head and narrowing her eyes as she looks in the direction of the Squad 1 Barracks.

Yamamoto notices this and comments as if reading her mind, "Trust in Manako Oshō… he was sealed once. He shall be again."

Unohana remains staring distantly for a moment before nodding and resuming with the healing, her thoughts grim as she reflects on the ghost from her and Yamamoto's past, "The strongest Hollow in history… who single-handedly slaughtered over half of the original Gotei 13: our brothers and sisters who helped up quell the Quincies 1000 years ago… Arturo Plateado…"

Author's Note:

Ichigo's thoughts about wanting to die have been around for a while… this was the unfortunate conclusion I came to given the fact that Ichigo never had anyone around like Isshin in this scenario to help him reconcile and forgive himself for his mother's death. Yuzu's apparent death added to his already yearning for punishment would realistically lead Ichigo to a conclusion such as this… The good news is that now that Ichigo's friends know about his self-hatred, they will slowly help him forgive himself as this story goes on.

Now that I've talked about the serious stuff, I'M BACK! Hopefully my next update won't be a few months again, but I make NO promises. Anyway, all remaining loose ends will be addressed in the next chapter as the narrative properly pivots into this arc—Winds of Chaos!

Yuzu's scenes from here on out should be fairly brief and infrequent. They will focus on her meeting and getting to know other Sternritters mainly, SO IF THERE ARE ANY STERNRITTERS YOU ALL WOULD LIKE TO SEE YUZU INTERACT WITH, LEAVE A COMMENT OR SEND ME A MESSAGE AND I'LL CONSIDER IT.

Arturo is about to be glazed like crazy! I'll discuss him more after he fights but know that this adaptation of Arturo will not strictly follow the games. I will be taking many creative liberties with him and changing things as I see fit.

Final Note: Kirinji didn't mention their goal in addressing Arturo to everyone because he would have been stupid to. The amount of further fear and discourse such an announcement would cause would have been off the charts.