Bleach: Jigoku Files

by Bloody Simpson Chibi

The Shinigami of Soul Society are tasked with keeping the balance of souls in check. But what happens when outside forces work against this balance? Forces that are evil and violent by nature? Forces that push the Shinigami to question everything they've been taught? Forces that feed off horror and fear? Rated M. Alternate continuity from after the Lost Agent Arc

34. Hunter's Moon (Side 1)

Chapter 34: Hunter's Moon (Side 1)

(Okay so if you follow me on this site, you'll know that I'm supposed to upload a chapter of Roses are Red and So are the Violets first. But I've been working on some short stories for Halloween and decided that fuck it, even if I can't finish the arc before Halloween is over, I should at the very least add a chapter of this story, given what franchise the arc is based on. So I decided to mess up my schedule and jump to this story first. I'll work on Roses are Red afterwards, circle right back to the second part of this chapter and then continue with Lisa Simpson: Animal Avenger. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the schedule back on track after that with maybe a new addition to the rotation.

One more thing: STOP WITH THE FUCKING PMS ASKING FOR A COMMISSION! I KNOW YOU'RE A SCAM! I DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY! AND YOUR MOM'S A HOE! SERIOUSLY, YOU'RE NOT FOOLING ANYONE SO JUST FUCK OFF!

Sorry about that folks. I'm sure at least some of you have gotten those PMs claiming to be artist wanting to make artwork on your stories. I recommend just blocking them as I will start doing.

Anyway, I've babbled on for far too long. Let's get right into the story shall we?)

All eyes were on Rukia as she laid beneath the blankets, her chest gently rising and falling with each hushed breath. Orihime had reversed the worst of the damage, including restoring her fingers and ear but something kept her powers from fixing Rukia completely. Wisps of black miasma still hung around Rukia like the stench of a corpse, keeping the wounds they floated above from being healed. This same dark mist also swirled around Rukia's Zanpakuto, keeping Orihime from restoring it as well. Kisuke theorized that it was spiritual residue left behind by Michael's Reiatsu, a by-product of mishandling this power as a result of using it for the first time. By now, Yukio, Riruka and Jackie had already been called back to the shop and waited along with everyone else as Rukia laid on the futon.

At last, after a eternity of laying at Death's doorstep, Rukia grimaced as if waking up from a terrible nightmare and slowly, her eyes fluttered open. "Em...What...What happened?"

"Rukia!" Ichigo as his friends leaned closer to her. "Rukia, can you hear me?"

"I...Ichigo..." Rukia smiled softly, only to groan in pain. "Ugh...I...The last thing I remember was hunting for Michael Myers. I...what happened?"

"What happened was that you found him." Kisuke answered in a somewhat disappointed tone. "And if Ichigo hadn't found you when he did, there's a good chance you would have died."

"Kisuke!" Ichigo growled only for Rukia to shake her head.

"No. He's right, Ichigo. I shouldn't gone it alone. I was foolish. I had Zennosuke with me but..."

"Zennosuke?" Ichigo asked. "The Shinigami with the afro?"

Rukia nodded. "He was trapped in the World of the Living like I was. He..." Her eyes widened. "Oh no...Zennosuke."

"Dead I'm afraid." Kisuke confirmed. "While you were getting some shut-eye, I had Tessai check over the park Ichigo found you in to see if Michael or any of those Hollows remained. We found this." Kisuke held up the broken remains of Tsuchinamazu. There was black mist flowing around it as well. "We found his body not too long afterward."

"I'm afraid that's all we found." Tessai spoke.

"That's...I see..." Rukia moaned. "I...remember now...all coming back to me..." She let her head fall to the side. "I...remember..."

"Rukia," Ichigo gently cupped her cheek which in turn, caused her to get up.

"Where's Sode No Shirayuki?" She looked around frantically, wincing through the aches and pain she was putting herself through in the process. She spotted her Zanpakuto's hilt to her right and grabbed it, her eyes widening as they fell upon the black Reiryoku swirling around it.

"Rukia, maybe you shouldn'-

"San no mai, Shirafune!" Rukia called out with as much strength as she could muster. A few wisps of icy water droplets swirled around the hilt but they did little else then that, the black mist barring them from reaching the blade and reforming Sode No Shirayuki. With a whine, Rukia tried to bat the black Reiryoku with her hand and cried out as it reopened the wound on her wrist. Blood trickled from beneath the reddened bandages and down Rukia's arm.

"Rukia!" Ichigo knelt down and grabbed her below the wrist, pulling her hand away from the hilt.

"Ichigo, I can't...I can't reform Sode No Shirayuki." Rukia's voice was breaking a little. She seemed to realize as such as she shook her head to keep the tears from coming. "Why can't I reform her?"

"Don't worry about that right now," Ichigo requested. "Right now, what you need is rest."

"Ichigo's right, Rukia." Kisuke added. "Right now, the best thing you can do is recover your strength."

Rukia stared at Kisuke for a moment, looking as if she wanted to argue. But after a few seconds, she sighed and laid back down. "I'm sorry. I...meant to call you. To wait for you but..."

"It's all right, Rukia." Kisuke said. "We get it. Michael's caught us all off guard with how fast his powers have manifested. And from what Ichigo was telling me, it would seem he had a little help."

Ichigo nodded. "Those Hollows that attacked the captains. They were with Michael. Me and the others managed to fight them off but they're still out there." Ichigo looked down toward Rukia again his blood boiling as he remembered the state he found her in. "And then there's that leader of theirs."

"Samhain," Rukia whispered.

"That's right." Ichigo looked up to Kisuke. "Don't suppose you would know anything about this guy, would you?"

"Who me?" Kisuke took out his fan. "Sorry but I don't have data on any Hollows going by the name of Samhain. If I had to guess, however, I'd say he's got to be a strong fellow to be as close to Michael as he is, probably up to Adjuchas class as least." Kisuke closed his fan. "Definitely not a positive development in this situation, that's for sure."

"Well...what do we do now?" Jamie asked. "It's not like we can stand here and wait for them to come back."

"Unfortunately, I don't think we have any other choice," Kisuke said. "This Samhain fellow and his cronies most likely took Michael back to Hueco Mundo after Ichigo rescued Rukia from their clutches. They know we're here and they know we're looking for them so i don't think they'll take any unnecessary risk."

"Dammit," Ichigo cursed. "Kisuke, is there any chance we can go to Hueco Mundo? Take the fight to them?"

Kisuke shook his head. "While we can certainly access my artificial Garganta, we have no idea where Samhain might be hiding Michael nor do we have a lot of time to search. Plus, while our communications haven't exactly been cut off, I haven't been able to reach Queen Harribel lately."

"Do you think she could be in trouble?" Sado asked. "Could Samhain be keeping her busy somehow?"

"I don't know. It certainly is possible." Kisuke responded. "In any case, it's not looking like we'll be having outside help anytime soon. We'll have to deal with this problem to the best of our abilities."

Jamie sighed as she sat back down. "This is getting worse and worse by the minute. What are we going to do, Doctor Loomis?" Jamie turned to Michael's former psychiatrist, only to find he was gone. "Doctor Loomis?" Jamie looked around in confusion for the good doctor, unable to find him in the room. On a whim, she decided to get up and leave the room as the others were discussing what little of a battle plan they had left. "Doctor Loomis?" As Jamie poked her head out of the doorway, she heard a low moan in the unmistakable voice of the doctor. She made her way down the hall toward the moaning, her heart beginning to quicken its pace. "Doctor Loomis, are you there?"

As she turned the corner, she found him sitting against the wall, curled into a ball and groaning to himself. From behind, it seemed like he was cradling a wound on his chest, yet there was no blood on the floor nor any scent of it in the air. Even more disturbing, as Jamie crept closer to the old man's ghost, she thought she could hear a sound akin to chewing.

A horrible, quiet chewing.

"Doctor Loomis, are you alright?" She asked in a hushed voice.

Loomis slowly picked his head up upon hearing Jamie's voice. "Jamie, please...help me..."

"What's wrong?" Jamie asked with fear in her voice. "What's the matter?"

"They won't stop," Loomis whispered. "No matter what I do, I can't get them to stop."

"Get who to stop?...you mean...Michael and the Hollows?"

"I...I can't..." Loomis began to throb as he entered another one of his hysterical fits and turned around. "I can't get them to stop!"

As he turned around, Jamie could finally see what was wrong with Loomis...and she screamed.

Kisuke was just about to go over the group's options concerning Hueco Mundo when they all heard Jamie scream. Ichigo and Orihime were the first ones to dash out of the room to aid with Uryu and Sado following close behind. Rukia tried to get up but Riruka stopped her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She asked.

"Jamie...she's in trouble."

"And you're gonna help her?" Riruka scoffed. "No offense but right now, you can barely help yourself so let the others take care of it, okay?"

Rukia groaned as she locked eyes with Riruka but in the end, she sighed and laid back down. "You're right," She said. She hated it with every fiber of her being but she knew Riruka was right.

Riruka turned to Yukio. "What do you think's going on?"

"I don't know," Yukio replied. "And to be honest, I'm surprised the old man isn't trying to...say, where is the old guy?"

Riruka stiffened as she realized Loomis was no longer in the room. He had slipped out from under the noses the same way Jamie did. Before she could ask Kisuke if they were under attack, Ichigo and Orihime brought Loomis back into the room, his arms draped over their shoulders. "Kisuke!" Ichigo shouted. "You might want to take a look at this!"

"Someone stop them! Dear God!" Loomis cried out. All eyes in the room fell to the end of Loomis's Chain of Fate...

...and the many mouths devouring it.

"Eww!" Riruka cried. "What are those!?"

"Stop them! Stop them for Christ's sake!" Loomis continued to bawl uncontrollably as Ichigo and Orihime brought him further into the room, Jamie, Uryu and Sado coming behind him.

"What's happening!?" Jamie cried as hot tears of fear rolled down her cheeks. "What's happening to him!?"

"You've got to be kidding me." Kisuke motioned for Ichigo and Orihime to bring the screaming and kicking Loomis before him. He looked down at the little mouths gnawing on the chain forming their own body, a morbid display of hyper auto cannibalism at work. "Tessai, get the gas."

"Right sir!" Tessai thundered out of the room, his footsteps shaking the whole shop. Loomis continued to scream and fight as Ichigo and Orihime struggled to keep him in place.

"Dammit old man! Calm down!" Ichigo demanded.

"What's happening to him!?" Jamie repeated as she rushed up to the squirming Loomis, only to be held back by Sado. "Let me go!"

"What the hell's going on?" Yukio asked as Riruka and Jackie remained dumbfounded at the self-devouring Chain of Fate.

"Everyone just stay back and don't agitate Dr. Loomis any further!" Kisuke instructed as he sat down for a better look. "Shit. I was afraid this would happen sooner or later."

"Make them stop!" Loomis cried through gnashed teeth. "For the love of God, make them stop!"

Just then, Tessai trampled back into the room with what seemed to be a spray-can of sorts. There was a little bobble-head of Kisuke connected to the switch. The real Kisuke stepped asides as Tessai keeled in front of Loomis and sprayed his Chain of Fate. After a few seconds, the mouths on the chain began to slow down considerably but did not come to a complete halt. Loomis calmed down a little as the sound of their ravenous chewing quieted down to gentle munching but his eyes were still wild with fear as he looked down at his diminishing Chain of Fate.

"There." Tessai declared. "All done."

"Excellent work, Tessai," Kisuke said. "This should buy us plenty of time."

"Time?" Jamie asked as she pulled herself from Sado's relaxed grip. "Time for what? What's happening to him? What...What are those mouths?"

"Encroachment," Kisuke explained. "To give it to you straight, it means Dr. Loomis is getting ready to turn into a Hollow."

Jamie and Orihime gasped. The Fullbringers and Ichigo just stiffened, the latter remembering when he underwent encroachment as part of his training.

"A Hollow...that...that can't be..." Jamie stared at the mouths devouring Loomis's Chain of Fate.

"Afraid so," Kisuke confirmed. "When a person dies, their Chain of Fate is severed from their bodies and encroachment begins. The chain comes to life and basically devours itself little by little until it falls apart completely, after which, if they haven't been given Konso before then, the soul will become a Hollow. Usually, the process takes months or even years to complete itself but with his soul being undone from the seal around Michael's Fullbring and all the stress we've been enduring as of late, it would seem Dr. Loomis's Chain of Fate was trying to make up for lost time."

"They're...they're still eating..." Loomis muttered miserably. "Still chewing."

"Yes, Dr. Loomis. I know and I'm sorry." Kisuke continued. "But there's no known way to halt the process completely once it starts. The most I've managed to do is reverse-engineer the gas I had to quicken it and use it to slow it down. You should be fine for a few days or so."

"And then what?" Jamie snapped. "He becomes one of those monsters!? We can't let that happen!"

"Jamie's right," Ichigo added. "We have to do something!"

"There's nothing to do." Kisuke replied bluntly. "The fact is, nothing can stop an encroachment once it starts and normally, I would already be arranging for Loomis to get a one-way ticket to the Soul Society courtesy of either you or Rukia but as we are currently cut off from there, I don't think it would be the safest option. There's no telling what would happen to Loomis's soul if you attempted it now."

Ichigo opened his mouth to argue but nothing came out except a grunt of frustration.

"We'll be keeping a close on you, Doctor." Kisuke continued. "You gotta try to relax and not let yourself panic or you'll end up speeding up the encroachment again. Got it?"

"I...I got it.." Loomis croaked as he watched the mouths slowly chew upon themselves. He began to tremble, fighting with every scrap of willpower he had against his urge to fall into another fit of mania. Jamie started to cry as she watched the old man sit broken on the ground.

"Alright," Kisuke announced with a clap of his hands. "We're in a really tight spot people! Like rats on a sinking ship, we've got a world of problems and no solutions in sight."

Riruka's eye twitched. "Did he just compare us to a bunch of rats?"

"But that doesn't mean we give up. There's too much at stake to give us that option. Here's what we're gonna do." He clapped his hands together again and pointed with both fingers toward Ichigo and his friends. "Ichigo, you, Orihime, Uyru and Chad all take turns on patrol. You're all much better at covering ground than the rest of us and you can all fight if need be. That being said, I'll fix you up with some Walkie-Talkies so you can call in instead of jumping right into battle."

"Right." Ichigo and the others nodded.

Next, Kisuke pointed toward Jamie and the Fullbringers. "As for your three, I want you to start getting Jamie combat ready. Take whatever steps you deem necessary to do so. If nothing else, I want her to at least be able to fight back in the final battle."

Jamie grabbed her own arm and looked down to the floor. She didn't care for how Kisuke wasn't talking to her despite her standing right in front of him. The Fullbringer all begrudgingly agreed, their hope and patience running at a all-time low.

"As for me, I'm going to try and fix up my artificial Garganta and see if we can't enlist the help of Queen Harribel after all. With any luck, we might just find some much needed allies for this fight and if we fail, well, let's just say I have a few more tricks up my sleeve. Is everyone clear?"

Many people responded with yes.

"But...What...what about me and...and Loomis?" Rukia breathed.

"Sorry Rukia but you're out of commission for the time being," Kisuke answered. "And as for the Doctor, as I mentioned before, he'll be kept under close watch."

From outside the room Ururu and Jinta watched everything unfold.

"Oh great!" Jinta hissed. "Old man is probably gonna make us babysit the other old man!"

Ururu didn't say anything. She simply continued to watch everything unfold with her usually sad eyes.

"Alright everyone! I think we've had enough excitement for one night." Kisuke said. "So let's all head home and start fresh tomorrow."

"But...Rukia.." Ichigo looked down at his injured girlfriend. She was quick to notice his gaze and grew angry as a result.

"Ichigo...don't look at me with that pathetic expression on your face." She demanded. "I'll be fine on my own. You just get to your sisters. Make sure they're safe." She smiled after this, as if to help further reassure Ichigo.

And it seemed to work.

"Alright, Rukia. I will."

Reluctantly, everyone started to get up and walk out of the room, Ichigo and the others to their homes and Jamie and the Fullbringers to their quarters. Orihime followed Ichigo as he walked out the front door, her mind racing for the right thing to say. She wanted to comfort him, to let him know that he could lean on her if need be. But her reasons for doing so, not even she could decide if they were pure or not. This uncertainty kept her from talking until Ichigo was well in front of the shop, getting ready to flash-step home.

"Ichigo wait!" She shouted upon realizing this.

Ichigo didn't move. He didn't even turn back to face Orihime. He simply stayed in place, black robes flowing in the breeze. "What is it?" He asked gently.

"I...well...I...I just...I just want you to know that I'm here for you!" Orihime finally cried out. "I know you've been through a lot, you and Rukia both, so...I just wanted you to know that if you need me, I'm...I'm here!" Only once she finally got the words out did Orihime realize how loud she must have shouted them for she found herself panting in front of the shop as if she had been shouting over a cliffside for hours. Aside from her attempts to catch her breath, all was silent between Orihime and Ichigo. No cars passed by. No winds howled. It was just the two of them in front of Urahara Shop. Finally, when the silence was broken, it was by Ichigo.

"Thanks."

Orihime gasped quietly, ceasing her panting at once as Ichigo slowly turned to her, a grateful smile on his face. "Thank you, Orihime." With that, he flash-stepped away from the shop, vanishing in a blur and leaving a blushing, teary-eyed and stunned Orihime by herself.

"Ichigo."

---

Ichigo made it home in 30 minutes after reclaiming his body. However, with his thoughts heavy with what Michael had nearly done to Rukia and with how strong the Hollows supporting him were, it felt like he had been walking through town for hours. He opened the door as quietly as he could and stepped inside, his eyes scanning the dark interior for any sign of his sisters. He noticed Karin's head behind the couch, tilted slightly. Slowly, he made his way to the couch to ensure she was alright. Once he got close enough to the couch, he realized she and Yuzu were both sound asleep. Karin was resting her head on Yuzu's and Yuzu's head was resting on her sister's shoulder, a single line of drool coming from her mouth. There was a old red blanket around their legs and as Ichigo turned to the TV and noticed an old Godzilla movie playing, he pieced together his sister's evening rather easily. With a amused smirk, he pulled the blanket it up to their shoulders and made his way back to his room.

Sitting in his bed, a nudie magazine between his plush claws, was Kon. He noticed Ichigo step in at once and threw down the magazine with a huff. "There you are, you lazy bum! What's the big idea leaving me and your sisters alone all day like that, huh? The least you could do was check in on us every once and a while or are you too cool for even that!?"

"Sorry," Ichigo muttered as he grabbed Kon by the head and tossed him over his shoulder. The plush lion crashed into the wall next to Ichigo's door and slid down in a comical fashion. Once he was finally on the floor again, however, he kicked up into the air and landed back on his feet. "Hey! What's the big idea here, bub!?"

"Sorry," Ichigo replied as he climbed into bed, his clothes unchanged, and curled up above the covers. The entire display took all the fight out of Kon and replaced it with quiet confusion.

"Hey...what the hell's gotten into you?" He asked.

"Sorry Kon." Ichigo answered. "I really need to sleep. Tell you what, let me rest for now and I'll fill you in first thing in the morning. Deal?"

Kon was taken aback as this was the first time Ichigo ever tried to make a deal of any kind instead of just telling him what to do. Even more bizarre, it was actually for something Kon wanted as he hated being left out of the loop. "Well, okay...but first thing tomorrow, you fill me in!" He crossed his arms. "And I may even wake you up myself to boot."

"Deal." Ichigo smirked. Before long, sleep would come for the exhausted substitute Shinigami.

---

The next few days were hectic for the group as a whole. The shadow of Michael and Samhain hung over Karakura Town like a eclipse. Every day that passed by without progress felt like a punch in the gut. Ichigo and his friends spent virtually every hour of daylight searching for any sign of Michael or Hollow activity but could find neither. Ask them and they might have told you they combed the town at least five or six times for an enemy they knew in the back of their minds was not here yet. And with each day that passed, hope dwindled.

After Ichigo had told Kon everything, the little plushie demanded to be allowed to lend a hand and thus found himself as Rukia and Loomis's caretaker. Suffice it to say, he rather enjoyed playing nurse for Rukia and was able to tolerate the old man enough if only because his encroachment invoked sympathy from the Mod Soul. When Kon wasn't tending to either, he was aiding Kisuke by fetching supplies and tools. Throughout this time, Kon kept his usual comments and complaints to a minimum. He too could feel the dread lingering in the air like smoke from a burning building and it weighed down on him as with everyone else.

As instructed, Riruka and Yukio continued Jamie's training. After a day or so, it was decided that Jamie would not be able to learn either her Zanpakuto's name or her Fullbring in time and thus effort went solely to her combat training. On that, Jamie was able to excel. She still found herself plagued by nightmares and in the deepest, darkest corners of her heart, she doubted that she and the others could ever fully stop her uncle. He was the Boogeyman after all and you couldn't kill the Boogeyman. Nonetheless, she persisted with her training, wanting to remain useful to the group regardless of the situation.

At some point within those short few days, there seemed to be a breakthrough when Kisuke finally fixed his artificial Garganta. With Ichigo and Orihime in tow, he traveled to Hueco Mundo and the trio found themselves standing before the ruins Los Noches.

It wasn't long at all before they were discovered.

"Hey! Who goes there!?" All eyes turned to the female Arrancar rapidly approaching them from the left. She was a burly woman with wild orange hair and green eyes, her Estigma covering the bridge of her nose. Strangely enough, she was riding a horse-like lesser Hollow which snorted as it came to a halt before the group. "You don't look like Arrancar! State your business here!"

"I am Kisuke Urahara." Kisuke introduced himself before gesturing to Ichigo and Orihime. "This is Ichigo Kurosaki and Orihime Inoue. We have come from the World of the Living to seek council with Queen Harribel."

The Arrancar glared at Kisuke for a few moments. "The Queen is out at the moment. You'll have to speak your council with the Tres Bestias."

"Out?" Ichigo asked. "What do you mean out? How does someone of royalty just go out like that?"

"Ichigo," Orihime spoke up. "Even royalty needs to take a vacation every now and then. Otherwise, they'll get too tense to run the kingdom."

"I don't really think that's the issue here." Ichigo deadpanned.

Kisuke chuckled nervously, hoping that Orihime's wild musings wouldn't cost them a word with the Tres Bestias. He seemed to get his wish as the Arrancar sighed and turned her steed around. "Just follow me and I'll lead you to the entrance. You'll wait there until I can secure permission from the Tres Bestias. I make no promises of such." With that, she kicked her foot into the horse hollow's flank, causing it to whinny as it began to move. The trio exchanged uneasy glances and followed the Hollow.

It took a few hours before they finally reached the entrance, after which they were instructed to wait outside. By then, all three of the visitors were ready to drop dead from exhaustion anyway, Ichigo practically falling back as the Arrancar entered the walls. It was another forty minutes before the Arrancar returned sans her steed.

"The Tres Bestias have agreed to see you but do not waste their time. Get to whatever points you need to get and make it as short of a trip as possible. They are very busy."

"We humbly thank you." Kisuke said as he motioned for Ichigo and Orihime to get up. Orihime happened to be sitting by Ichigo and offered him some of the snacks she brought along. Considering they consisted of fish crackers with wasabi in between, he politely declined.

Once inside the ruined palace, it was a long but straight walk down the hallway that led to the Queen's throne room. Only Harribel wasn't seated at the throne. Instead, her Tres Bestias all stood before it, impatient looks on their faces and and arms crossed for all but Sun-Sung. As they turned to see the newcomers, their eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, it's you guys." Apacchi stated.

"Never thought you'd drop in for a visit." Mila Rose added.

"And at quite an inconvenient time to boot," Sun-Sung added.

"What do you mean inconvenient?" Ichigo asked. "Where's Queen Harribel?"

"Patience, Ichigo. Patience." Kisuke reminded him before clearing his throat. "Ladies, I humbly apologize for my friend's rudeness and our unannounced visit. I truly do wish we could have visited under better circumstances but-

"Just get on with it, already!" Mila Rose snarled. "What do you want?"

Kisuke chuckled nervously again as he scratched the back of his head. "Heh. Right. Straight to the point." He cleared his throat and as he looked to the Tres Bestias again, his eyes took a serious shine to them. "Simply put, we're facing quite a problem back in the human world, one that could go on to affect Soul Society and Hueco Mundo if left unchecked."

Kisuke went on to explain the Michael situation. He left virtually nothing out from the crimes that Michael had committed in the past to how his Heart of Darkness threatened to evolve in the near future. The expressions of the Tres Bestias hardly changed as they listened to Kisuke's story, save for the occasional shared glance. Ichigo and Orihime found themselves sharing a glance as well, uncertain looks on both of their faces.

"So you see, we really need to nip this Myers problem in the bud before it gets out of hand." Kisuke finished. "And since we can't reach anyone in Soul Society for the time being, we were hoping, given how well she fought alongside us against Freddy Krueger, that perhaps Queen Harribel would be able to lend her strength to us again."

Apacchi scoffed. "So that's how it is then, huh? You guys can't handle this Myers creep so you come crawling to us?"

"Quite pathetic." Sun-Sung agreed.

"Will you two shut up." Mila Rose broke in. "I swear you guys just love hearing yourselves talk."

"What was that?" Apacchi shouted.

"Look, I understand why you came here but unfortunately, we're not at the capacity to help you right now." Mila Rose spoke.

"Not at the capacity? What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked.

"Earlier, you asked about the whereabouts of Queen Harribel did you not?" Sung-Sun inquired. "The reason she is out is because she's currently investigating the malcontents."

"Malcontents?" Orihime asked.

"Ever since the battle with the Fredheads, a good amount of the population remained steadfast in their beliefs against Queen Harribel's system." Mila Rose said. "They've formed groups of their own, all with the ultimate goal of dethroning Queen Harribel once they grow strong enough."

"It's a pain in the ass that's only come to our attention as of late." Apacchi said. "So we've been having to sniff them out and either force them to submit peacefully or destroy them on the spot. As of right now, Queen Harribel is probably trying to make another one of those morons come to an understanding. She doesn't want to get her hands dirty so if they refuse her offer of peace and insist on fighting, words will reach Los Noches and one of us will go out and take care of it. That's how it's been for last few months."

"I see. And what of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck?"

"Both dealing with malcontents in different areas." Mile Rose answered.

"I see." Kisuke fixed his hat. "That is quite worrisome."

"Are you sure at least one of you can't join us back in the World of the Living?" Orihime asked. "We could really use your strength."

"Sorry but our strength is for Queen Harribel's use first and foremost." Mila Rose said. "If this Michael guy really does end up posing a threat to Hueco Mundo then we'll need to be here to take care of it."

"I think there might have been a lapse of miscommunication here." Kisuke said. "If Michael becomes powerful enough to actually make it to Hueco Mundo on his own, he'll be too powerful for anyone to stop."

Sun-Sung scoffed. "Clearly, you lack faith in our ability to defend our own world. I find that quite insulting."

"Why you!" Ichigo was starting to lose his patience. "Won't you listen to us!? We-

Before he could continue, Kisuke held a arm in front of Ichigo, silencing him. "Ichigo, keep it cool." He whispered. "The last thing we want is to add another enemy to this situation."

Ichigo felt like shouting from how frustrating the situation had gotten but knew that Kisuke was right. Thus, he swallowed his anger and backed off.

"I can completely understand your reasoning, as unfortunate as it is for us," Kisuke said. "But if I may be so bold, can I ask for at least one request?"

"Depends." Apacchi replied. "What is it?"

"Can we send parties here in search of Samhain's group? We have reason to believe they might be here somewhere and with you so busy with the other malcontents, it might make more sense to take care of the situation ourselves. We promise to stay out of the way, of course."

The Tres Bestias conversed with each other in hushed whispers. Mention of Queen Harribel's name was made but nothing else could be heard. Finally, the huddle dispersed and it was Mila Rose who spoke up. "Alright, we've come to an agreement." She said. "Your group can search around for Samhain's congregation under supervision."

"We'll also let you know if we find them by ourselves." Sun-Sung said. "Although that will most likely be after we annihilate them." Both Apacchi and Mila Rose smirked at those words.

"They're really confident in themselves," Ichigo thought. "I suppose that's gonna have to count for something."

"We humbly thank you," Kisuke said. "Good day to you, ladies." With this, Kisuke led Ichigo and Orihime out of the throne room. It was only once they were outside the walls of Los Noches again that they began to speak.

"Is that it?" Ichigo asked. "Is that all we've managed to accomplish?"

"We should be grateful we accomplished even that much, Ichigo." Kisuke said. "At least now we can search for Samhain's forces where they're most likely to be."

"That's right, Ichigo." Orihime agreed. "It's a small victory but a victory nonetheless."

"I guess you're right." Ichigo relented. "Only thing is, we hardly have any time left to make use of it."

"Then we'll have to devote every waking hour to searching on both sides. "Kisuke explained. "In the meantime, we really should get back to the shop. There's something I need to finish working on."

"You're working on something?" Ichigo asked. "What is it?"

Kisuke hesitated at first, looking back on the palace once ruled by his scientific foil. "A contingency plan for Halloween." He answered. "You could always use a good contingency plan."

---

For the last three days before Halloween, Ichigo led a search party into Hueco Mundo. Each time, they were supervised by a different Tres Bestia, all of whom were far too delighted to remind the visitors that they were in Queen Harribel's territory and to show the proper respect. Ichigo found this annoying but never said a word. He was too busy looking for Samhain's congregation, hoping with each passing day that they could find it and cut Michael down before Halloween.

At one point, Ichigo's group did come across a group of malcontent Adjuchas hiding out within the Menos Forest. The battle was brief and with the combined might of his Zangetsu and Apacchi's Cierva, the enemy never stood a chance. Once it was down to the last remaining Adjuchas, the leader of this group, Ichigo barred Apacchi from finishing him off and tried to interrogate him on Samhain's whereabouts.

"Samhain?" The Hollow coughed out blood as it spoke. "As in the one with the little pet human running around? Why would you think I would know or care about what that old fart is up to?" The Hollow chuckled to himself. "Looks like you fought for nothing."

Ichigo sighed and stepped aside to let Apacchi finish him off. She did so with a point-blank Cero to his head.

As Ichigo and the group returned to the World of the Living on the evening of October 30th, there was a heavy weight in each and every one of their chest. It was painfully clear now that, despite their best efforts, the final battle with Michael and Samhain would take place in their favor and with neither Harribel nor Soul Society in sight, they were completely on their own.

As they approached the shop, they noticed Urahara standing at the doorway, fanning himself even as he wore the same defeated expression on his face as they did. "Let me guess, no Michael?" He asked.

"Yeah." Ichigo answered softly.

"Guess that means the fight will be in their favor." Kisuke closed his fan. "As if things weren't already that way."

"Kisuke, back when we went to see Queen Harribel, you mentioned something about a contingency plan." Ichigo continued. "Is it ready?"

"Sure is," Kisuke replied. "Although it's going to be quite a laborious task to set it into motion."

"What do you mean?" Uryu asked.

"Why don't we finish discussing this in my shop?" Kisuke gestured inside. "We can go over the battle plan while we're at it."

The group exchanged glances before entering the shop. Before Kisuke closed the door and followed them into the waiting room, he happened to look up at the sky. The moon had entered its full phase, casting a ghostly orange light over Karakura Town.

"Huh. A Hunter's moon." Kisuke mused before stepping back inside. "How morbidly appropriate."

---

The moon was full again on the following night of Halloween.

Below her was Karakura Town Park, bustling with life. The fake ghost and cobwebs had all been fixed or replaced rather quickly, the damage done by Michael and Rukia's fight blamed on strong winds. Throughout the park were stands offering treats made of pumpkin and apples imported over from America. All over the place, little children danced and played, dressed in all manner of costumes ranging from scary to adorable. This clash was best represented by Karin and Yuzu Kurosaki's costumes. Karin had painted herself up as a gory zombie, complete with a torn dress and a fake gash on the left side of her face that looked to reveal her teeth beneath. Yuzu, on the other hand, was dressed in a flowing pink kimono, the kind a princess in a old folktale might wear. The sash holding it together was gold-colored and in her hair, a silver comb.

Both girls looked radically different but they had one thing in common on this night. And that was disappointment in their brother.

"Seriously?" Karin said. "This is why I told you to go before we left for the park!"

"Oh shut up," Ichigo said. Instead of a proper costume, he was wearing black pants and a orange and black shirt with a Jack-o-Lantern on it. "I can't help it if I need to go to the restroom. Just give me five minutes."

"Alright but after this, you're taking us to bob apples." Yuzu requested.

"Deal." Ichigo raced down the sidewalk as fast as he could. "I'll be back in a flash!"

"What a weirdo," Karin sighed. "You know, sometimes I'm really worried that Ichigo is starting to inherit Dad's stupidity."

"Yeah..." Yuzu watched on sadly as her brother vanished from her line of sight. "I'm worried about him too."

Once Ichigo had reached a secluded spot, he reached into his bag that was meant to carry the snacks and prizes obtained in the festival tonight and pulled out Kon who coughed and gagged once he reached open air.

"Cough! Cough! What the hell, Ichigo!?" He protested. "A stuffed toy could really suffocate under all those-

"No time!" Ichigo shouted as he punched Kon hard in the stomach, forcing the small toy to hack out his pill form. Ichigo popped it in his mouth and at once, his soul was separated from his body, leaving Kon to take over. Once he had gathered his bearings enough to realize what had just happened, Kon zipped around to face Ichigo. "Are you crazy!?" He shouted. "You can at least give me some warning before you-

"Sorry." Ichigo interrupted again, catching Kon off guard. "I know you'd rather fight by our side but I need someone looking after Karin and Yuzu while I'm gone. We don't know how many Hollows Samhain's bringing with him or what he'll have them do. I just want Yuzu and Karin to be safe and have a happy Halloween away from all this."

Kon grew silent. It wasn't lost on him that most of the people in his life had lost their gusto. Even Rukia would only reply with his perverted musing with a tired "you idiot." This disturbed him to no end. And Ichigo was right, part of Kon wanted to run off and join the battle or at least look after Rukia along with Jinta and Ururu but he knew the best place for him was right here, looking out for Ichigo's sisters.

"And if something happens, you need to-

"Cut that out!" Now it was Kon's turn to interrupt Ichigo.

"Kon?"

"I know what you're going to say. You're gonna say if something happens and you guys lose, to take your sisters somewhere safe, right? Well, don't bother!" Kon snapped. "Ichigo, you've faced down guys ten times scarier than that Myers freak could ever hope to be! When Rukia and Orihime got kidnapped, you rushed in to enemy territory without so much as a flinch! But now you're gonna let some creep in blue coveralls scare you into doubting yourself? Stop being so stupid! You guys are going to win, you hear me? You're going to beat the bad guy and save the day like you always do!"

Ichigo was shocked by Kon's outburst. But he let each word sink in regardless and smiled as he felt his resolve renew. "Thanks Kon. I needed that."

"Hmm. Worry wort." Kon crossed his arms. "Listen, I'll keep those two sisters of yours safe, ok? So you just focus on destroying this jerk and his Hollow goons as fast as possible, alright?"

"Right," Ichigo nodded before flash-stepping out of the park, leaving Kon to sigh with his body.

"You better win, Ichigo." Kon said to himself before making his way Karin and Yuzu.

Ichigo landed a few miles away from where the festival was being held in the middle of an empty street. Waiting for him there were his friends as well as Riruka, cald in a stiched-together rabbit hoodie and Yukio who like everyone else wore his usual outfit.

"Sorry I'm late guys." He said as the dust cleared. "Had to take care of something first."

"Hmph!" Riruka scoffed. "Well it sure as hell took you long enough."

"Says the girl who spent the past three hours in the bathroom curling her eyebrows." Yukio mentioned.

"What was that!?" Riruka growled at her fellow Fullbringer, only for Orihime to slide in between the two of them.

"Now now!" She chuckled nervously. "Let's not start in-fighting right before the big battle."

"Orihime's right." Uryu agreed. "We need to save our strength for Michael and Samhain as well as their army."

Sado nodded in response.

Just then, Orihime's phone rang and she was quick to answer it. "Hello...oh! Of course!" She put her phone on speaker and held it up so everyone could hear. "Bonjour!" Kisuke's voice greeted from the phone. "I trust everyone is present and accounted for."

"Yeah," Ichigo confirmed. "What about you guys?"

"Oh everything coming along fine on our end." Kisuke turned behind himself just as Tessai and Jamie were placing a new device into the ground. "The trap will be ready in a few minutes." He turned back. "Although to be honest, I'm still a little iffy about testing it out so early."

"Well, if we manage to finish off Michael and Samhain quickly, maybe we won't have to." Ichigo answered. "Do you have any idea on when exactly the Heart of Darkness will awaken?"

"No clue." Kisuke replied sadly. "For all we know, Michael could have already awakened it by the time he gets here. All I can tell you is if we get lucky enough for that not to be the case, then you all need to give it everything you've got to make sure he doesn't reach that level of power."

"And if he does?" Riruka asked.

Kisuke went silent. "Then I guess we just pray for a miracle from whoever might be listening." He finally answered.

The group wasn't given much time to dwell on that, however, for almost as soon as Kisuke stopped speaking, a slight tremor shook the street. "H-Hey! What's going on?"

A loud beeping noise rang from Orihime's phone. "That was my Soul Pager!" Kisuke called out. "It's picking up a hell of a lot of Hollows appearing in the same spot near you. Can you feel it?"

Ichigo focused and pinpointed them at once. "Yeah we can!" He said. "It's coming from the old lot behind Udon street."

"Perfect." Uryu said. "That place and the surrounding buildings have been abandoned for years. Now we don't have to worry about anyone else getting dragged into the fight."

"Nope. Only our lives are on the line." Yukio mentioned.

"Can you be more negative!?" Riruka shouted.

"We better get finished with this little back-up plan of ours." Kisuke said. "I wish you all the best of luck."

"Wait!" Ichigo shouted. "Before you go, I need to know. How is Rukia?"

"Rukia?" Kisuke asked. "Last I checked, she was sharing a pleasant conversation with Jackie. She'll be fine, Ichigo. She far enough away from the fight. All you need to worry about is finishing it before it gets out of hand. We're counting on you." And with that, Kisuke hung up.

"Right," Ichigo nodded before facing the direction of the oppressive Reaitsu. "Let's go!"

Everyone muttered words of agreement as they charged toward the lot, all their minds focused on the same goal: The complete and utter destruction of Michael Myers and his Heart of Darkness.

---

"And...done." Jackie said as she wrapped the last of the bandages around Rukia's wrist. "There. Those bandages were just bought from the store earlier today so they're as new as you can get. How are you feeling?"

"Quite well, thank you." Rukia replied. She grazed her hand over the new bandages, noting the few red spots already forming on the white cloth. Despite it having been more than a week since she was attacked by Michael Myers, Rukia's remaining wounds still would not stop bleeding completely. Her smile faded. "I...I'm sorry for the trouble I'm causing. If I hadn't gotten myself hurt, you'd probably be able to fight alongside your friends."

"I doubt it." Jackie said as she took up the used bandages she removed from Rukia and walked toward the trashcan. "Even if I had been allowed to go, I wouldn't be much help on account of losing my powers. The most we can do is hope with all our might that the others succeed where Xcution failed."

"Yeah," Rukia nodded. "I suppose you're right."

Jackie walked back to Rukia, kneeled on her bedside and spoke in a hushed voice. "Personally, I'm more worried about the old man."

"Dr. Loomis?" Rukia turned to the next room over where Dr. Loomis was being kept. His encroachment was still going on, five links left before the mouths would reach the end. Of course, Rukia couldn't actually see the chains as the doctor had his back to her, mumbling to himself and occasionally trembling.

"He's been mumbling to himself since this evening." Jackie brought up. "I'm almost sure it's just him being off his rocker but sometimes...I don't know. I feel like words are getting repeated. As if he's going over something in his head."

"What words?" Rukia asked.

"I don't know. He speaks too quietly for me to make them out and he clams up whenever I get near. Again, I could just be paranoid but I think he might be up to something."

"He's probably just worried about Jamie." Rukia suggested. "Don't forget she had to fight tooth and nail to allow Kisuke to bring her along and even then it was only to help him with the trap."

"Do you think it'll work?"

"I'm certain it will," Rukia answered. "Kisuke is a lot of things, a lot of them annoying, but there's no denying he's a genius."

"If you say so," Jackie said as she got up. "I'm going to go warm up some soup. Be right back." Jackie left the room at once, leaving Rukia alone with Loomis in the next room.

"Dr. Loomis! Are you alright?" She asked.

Loomis only turned very briefly to Rukia with something of a half-smile and went back to his mumbling.

"Poor man," Rukia thought. "He must be losing what remains of his sanity over this whole situation. If only we weren't cut off from Soul Society, then we could Konso him." She sighed as she laid her head back down. "Just a little longer, Dr. Loomis. This will all be over soon."

Rukia's eyes felt heavy and, knowing there wasn't much for her to do personally, she let herself fall asleep, leaving Loomis alone to continue his personal ramblings.

"Dakara watashi wa so shimasu...Totemo motemasu...Watashitachi no tamashi o sasagete byoki o fuin shite kudasai...We give our souls to seal the evil..."

---

Ichigo and the others made it to the lot in no time at all. It was a hard to miss place, not because of any landmarks or strange buildings but because of the giant hole in the sky over it, swimming with the clawed hands of hungry and confused Gillians.

"What...What the heck are those things?" Riruka asked.

"Gillians, they're the first level of Menos Hollows." Ichigo answered. "That's what Samhain looked like before he became an Adjuchas."

"They're all the same," Yukio mentioned. "They must be the elite mooks Samhain whipped up."

Riruka turned to Yukio with a surprised and frustrated look on her face. "Elite mooks!? This isn't some crappy video game, Yukio! This is real life!"

"I am literally the last person you should be saying that to." Yukio replied.

"Everyone get ready!" Ichigo barked. "Here they come!"

As if on cue, the Gillians finally ripped themselves free from the hole in the sky, moaning and roaring as they fell down to the earth below. Ichigo and his allies were forced to jump back as the Gillians landed, kicking up a cloud of dust tall enough to rival a skyscraper. As soon as they landed on their feet, Ichigo and the others were forced to shield their eyes from the resulting dust as well as brace themselves against the fierce wind. One by one, the Gillians poked their heads out from the dust cloud with their mournful roars and from the Garganta still hanging in the sky fell the Adjuchas. They all landed on the heads of the Gillians, laughing to themselves and preparing for battle. Upon the last of the Adjuchas to descend was none other than Samhain himself, his robe flowing above him to reveal his almost skeletal torso. He landed on the last remaining Gillian head, between his comrades Pillar and Hopper. With a dark chuckle, his rose his arms up to the sky as if acknowledging an audience of adoring fans. "Greetings! Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the End of the World as You Know It!"

"Samhain!" Ichigo shouted. "Where's Michael!?"

"Now now," Samhain wagged his finger. "Good things to those who wait!" He chuckled again. "And we've been waiting a long time for this night, for a return to the bitter cold and the blood sacrifices! A return to the natural order of things!" As Samhain made his declaration, his congregation of Hollows cheered madly.

"You're sick!" Ichigo growled. "I don't know just what the hell you're talking about but you can forget it!" He pointed Zangetsu toward the beak-faced Hollow. "This ends tonight! You! Michael! Everything! It's done! You hear me?"

"Oh! Such confidence," Samhain laughed. "I can hardly wait to see it drain from your face they way it did from that sweet little tart of yours. How is she by the way? Still screaming? Still breathing?"

Ichigo could take it no longer. He flash-stepped toward Samhain with an angry roar.

"Ichigo!" Orihime cried.

"Too late!" With a single snap of his fingers, Samhain ordered the Gillian he was standing on to open its mouth and fire a Cero directly at Ichigo. He burst into a bout of triumphant laughter as he watched the red glow of death engulf Ichigo's entire being. "Poor boy. The first rule of battle is to never let yourself get rattled. Now that-

Had Samhain hesitated for even a microsecond, the head would have been taken clean off his shoulders. He grunted in pain as Zangestu dug into the bone of his arm as he moved it to shield himself. Ichigo grunted with effort as brought the sword down.

"What!?"

"Now who's the one that's rattled?" Ichigo glared. "Practice what you preach!" With a shout, Ichigo kicked Samhain off the Gillian's and jumped back. "Getsuga Tensho!" With this cry, Ichigo sent down a wave of his signature attack on the Gillian, slicing it cleanly in half. The force of the strike was enough to knock Pillar and Hopper off their Gillians which in turn were knocked into their fellow Menos. The Adjuchas were either forced to jump off their ledges or be crushed by the falling Gillians, a fate that befell almost half their group.

"You...bastard..." Samhain croaked as he ripped himself from the building he had been kicked into, his mask cracked. "You'll pay for this!"

"What the hell!?" Hopper squeaked as she jumped landed on one of the nearby buildings. "I knew this Ichigo guy was strong but not that strong!"

"I concur." Pillar said as he landed nearby. "We cannot win in a all out battle." Pillar looked down to the humans standing before the pile of Gillians. "Hmm...this human...Ichigo Kurosaki...he places great worth onto his friends...perhaps if we were to slaughter them, it would destroy his morale enough to win the fight."

Hopper cackled madly at this suggestion. "Great idea, Pillar! I can eat the girls and you can crush the boys!" She licked her lips in anticipation of the thought.

"Very well," Pillar agreed as he looked back to the humans. "Now let's...wait...where did they go!?"

Just then, Sado appeared above the confused Hollow, his right arm coated in the black and red skin of his Brazo Derecha de Gigante. "El Directo!" He shouted as he released a blast of white-hot energy at Pillar. Before he could react, Pillar was directly hit with the full force of the blast, pushing him against the roof of the building and causing it to cave in beneath him. Pillar screamed in fear and agony as he fell through the hole, silenced only by the resulting explosion.

"Pillar!" Hopper leapt away from the radius of the blast and landed on another nearby building. "How did that human do that?" Hopper asked herself. "There's no way he should have been able to get up there that fast."

"It's called Bringer Light." A voice from behind answered. Hopper nearly jumped out of her skin and turned around to see the orange-haired girl from the group standing behind her. "Chad's been practicing with his Fullbringer powers all month. We've all been been preparing for this battle."

"Ahhh...the healer." Hopper chuckled. "I'm sure you've picked up quite a few tricks to keep your friends from croaking. Too bad you won't be able to use them after I swallow you whole!" Hopper enlarged her mouth and leapt toward Orihime who squeaked in surprised as she was eaten. Hopper swallowed her prize whole and chuckled to herself. "Well, well...looks like I killed the healer. Master Samhain's gonna get me such a yummy reward for this, I'm sure."

"Koten Zanshun!..." spoke the muffled voice of Orihime from inside Hopper.

"Huh? You still alive in there?" Hopper asked. "How can that...wha...ahhh!" Hopper cried in pain as a circular disk of light suddenly erupted from her front and back. She only had time to cough up a trickle of blood from the left corner of her lip before her body disengaged, leaving a bewildered Orihime to fall back down to the ground in a comical fashion. Tsubaki slowly drifted back to his place in Orihime's hair and she groaned and rubbed her lower back. Once she realized she had won the fight, she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Damn you...Damn you all!" Samhain screamed as he peeled himself off the building. It was then that he noticed one of the Gillians beginning to rise. "Hurry up, you fools! Hurry up and destroy them all!"

The Gillian that first got up seemed to take notice of Samhain, stared at him for a moment, and then fired a large Cero at him. Samhain barely managed to dodge the attack as it laid waste to the building he had been kicked into. Once it was finished attacking Samhain, the rouge Gillian waited for its brethren to rise up as well, only to mow them down with a prolonged Cero, destroying them for good. Once it was finished, it slumped down as its puppeteer slipped out of its onyx body.

"Using your Human Container ability on a Menos." Yukio commented as he approached the undignified Riruka with hands behind his back. "Never expected someone like you to use your ability so creatively."

"Shut up, will ya!" Riruka cried, almost on the verge of tears. "I can't believe I had to enter something so uncute! Just finish him off already!"

"Would it kill for once to say please?" Yukio sighed as he messed with the controls on his glove, the mobile extension of his Invaders Must Die. With a single swipe of his glove, he unleashed several balls of black pixels toward the wounded Gillian. The giant Hollow, what little remaining of its mind still dazed from Riruka's control, could only watch helplessly as the pixels surrounded it. With a single snap of his fingers, Yukio willed each of the pixels to rapidly take the form of blades which stabbed into the Gillian as they formed. The great behemoth roared in pain and tried to move, only to further slice itself apart through the stationary blades. With a final wounded cry, the Gillian fell apart.

"There. Are you happy now?" Yukio asked.

"No!" Riruka turned around with a huff. "And don't you dare tell anyone about this."

"Whatever."

As the dust settled from the last of the Gillians falling, the rest of Samhain's congregation began to emerge from the shadows, some wounded but all enraged.

"Those damn humans!"

"I'll kill them! I'll kill them all!"

"Where are they!?"

Just then, a presence suddenly appeared in the middle of the raging masses. All eyes turned to this presence, most assuming off the bat that it was Ichigo and thus they now had a chance for revenge. But as the dust settled and they spotted the snow-white cloak flowing in the wind, they realized at once that they were staring at Ichigo's Quincy ally...

...who's bow was already glowing a brilliant blue in his hands.

"The Quincy!" One of them shouted.

"You know, there was once a time when Kurosaki referred to my powers as bug spray for Hollows. If I may be so bold as to ask a favor, I request you not see my power that way as you die," He lifted up his bow to the sky and prepared to fire as Reshi gathered before his grip. "But rather as a rain of judgement you've brought down on yourselves for threatening our world!"

Before the Hollows could pounce, Uryu fired an uncountable amount of arrows into the sky. Once they reached a certain point, the began to descend back to the Earth embedding themselves into the backs and wings of the Hollows. A few realized what was going on at once and tried to flee but to no avail as Uryu's arrows rained throughout the entire lot. Not even the fastest of the Hollows could escape the deadly rain. The only Hollow who managed to preserve their life was Samhain for when one of his minions ran up to him, begging to be taken back home, he grabbed them by the neck and held them up so they would take the brunt of the arrows. Once the rain stopped, the Hollow's body crumbled to dust in Samhain's hands and he was left alone in the middle of the lot with Uryu.

From the edge of the lot, Sado, Orihime and the former Xcution members watched from beneath a black shield Yukio had created. "Grrr...Couldn't that jerk with the glasses give us a heads-up that he was going to do that?" She hissed. "We almost got turned into human kebabs!"

"I prefer to think of it as Uryu having the strongest of confidence in us to get out safely." Orihime beamed, earning her a look from the two Fullbringer.

"I think you give people too much credit," Sado commented with a bead of sweat running down the side of his face.

Before long, Ichigo descended next to Uryu as Samhain approached.

"Quite ironic, isn't it?" Samhain said. "I made sure my numbers were great enough that we outnumbered you and yet, within the first few minutes of battle, it is I who is outnumbered." He chuckled. "Your reputation as well as the reputation of your friends is not undeserved, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Cut out the false flattery and just tell us where Michael is!" Ichigo demanded. "We want to end this as soon as possible!"

Samhain burst into laughter, confusing and enraging both the Substitute Shinigami and Quincy.

"What the hell is so funny?" Uryu interrogated

"I...It's just...oh my youthful friends...I'm afraid your request simply can't be granted." Samhain suddenly ceased his laughing and glared at the duo. "Because tonight is just getting started."

At that moment, Ichigo and Uryu felt a harsh wind blow from behind them. At least, it felt like wind. Slowly, and with an ironclad grip on their weapons, Ichigo and Uryu turned around and faced the darkness engulfing the edge of the lot. All fell silent save for the rustling of leaves and the rhythm of their own ragged breath. Even from the other side of the lot beneath the digitalized shield, Orihime and the others could feel the chill of the oppressive force that was slowly but surely making its way toward them.

From the blackness of the lot came a face, pale as death and just as empty. The face stepped out into the lot, his blue mechanic's suit helping him to melt in the darkness behind. Clasped within his right hand was a large knife, the blade glistening in the orange light of the moon.

"Michael," Ichigo whispered as he readied his own blade.

Michael stopped for a moment, as if to fully assess the situation, understand that it was really the boy that escaped him last time that was standing before him now. He even tilted his head in fascination as he observed Ichigo's sword. What damage that could do. What flesh it could rend. Michael decided he would take the sword after he killed Ichigo. Perhaps he would track down the girl that escaped his clutches and slice her open with it, cut her open with the very sword that prolonged her life.

Yes. That would be the perfect first kill of his new world.

A world mere moments from being born.

---

Rukia's eyes fluttered open. All was quiet, save for the occasional squeals of excited children. The room was still lit and as she became more aware of her surroundings, she noticed a strange yet wonderful aroma. She turned to see a bowl of soup with a plastic wrapping on it next to her. There was a small piece of paper that read "Careful. It's still hot." on it. Rukia briefly recalled Jackie saying she was going to warm up soup and felt a pang of guilt for falling asleep on her. She surely didn't feel hungry before she had fallen asleep but just the smell of the soup was enough to whet her appetite and so, with a small grunt of effort through the pain, she sat up and took the soup in her hands. She removed the cover and took a moment to enjoy the smell of the boiled carrots and potatoes inside the broth. She brought the bowl to her lips and took a sip.

By now the soup was warm, not hot and she was able to enjoy the taste without any burning. As she sipped the soup, Rukia happened the glance over to the next room where Dr. Loomis was being kept, expecting to see him either sleeping or still muttering to himself.

He was not in the room at all. The Kido spell that was keeping him in place had somehow been undone.

The bowl fell from Rukia's hands and shattered onto the floor, the broth staining the edges of the blanket covering her.

Jackie rushed not but a few seconds later, pulling the door open with almost enough force to break it. "Rukia! Are you alright? What happened?"

"L...Loomis.." Rukia uttered as she pointed to the room.

"Loomis? What about Loomis?" Jackie stepped further into the room and saw at once what Rukia was pointing to. "Oh shit!"

"I'm sorry...I...I fell asleep and..."

"Don't worry about it," Jackie replied. "You just try to rest. I'll call Kisuke."

...

"Almost...you almost got it...there you are! Drop it right there!" Kisuke requested.

With gasp of effort, Jinta and Ururu let down the final device in the field.

"Good work, you two!" Kisuke gave a thumbs up with a dorky smile on his face.

"Bite me, old man!" Jinta hissed as he rubbed his back. "Why the heck you'd have to make these things so damn heavy?"

"I do apologize my young friend but there was hardly any time to compact them into a more convenient size them before tonight. Such are the miseries of a time crunch."

"Whatever," Jinta continued to mumble to himself as he walked away with Ururu close behind.

It was then that Tessai and Jamie walked up to Kisuke, the latter panting and drenched with sweat. "We...planted...our...last...device...Mr...Urahara..."

"Great job, the both of you." Kisuke complimented. He noticed Jamie's sweaty skin and took out his fan. "Want to borrow my fan? It's great for sweaty skin!"

Jamie wordlessly took the fan and waved it over herself feverishly. It was around that time that Kisuke's Soul Pager began to ring. He fished it out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Hello!" He greeted in a sing-songy voice. However, as the muffled voice of Jackie continued to speak, the smile faded from Kisuke's lips. "Oh...Oh I see. Well, thanks for letting me know. We'll be sure to keep an eye out for him." With this, Kisuke closed the pager.

"Keep an eye out for whom?" Jamie asked. "What's wrong?"

"Well, you're not gonna like this but apparently, Dr. Loomis somehow managed to escape his room and wander off." Kisuke answered.

Jamie stopped fanning herself at once and let it drop to the floor. "W-What!?"

"But I reinforced the Kido barrier this morning." Tessai spoke. "The only way it could have been broken is if either something strong enough broke it from the outside..."

"...or someone was listening enough to your incantations to undo it from the inside." Kisuke finished as he picked his dirty fan up from the floor. "That Loomis may be off his rocker but he's a clever one, I'll give him that."

"W-What are you guys waiting for?" Jamie cried. "Dr. Loomis is in danger being out there tonight of all nights. We need to go find him now!" Jamie turned to run back into town.

"Slow your horses," Kisuke said as he grabbed the scruff of Jamie's outfit and pulled her back. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"What do you mean?" Jamie argued. "Dr. Loomis is somewhere out there with Michael and the Hollows! We can't just leave him out there! He's defenseless by himself!"

"And you?" Kisuke retorted. "Are you much more capable of fighting off an entire army than he is?"

Jamie was taken aback. "Well...I uh...n...no..."

"Exactly," Kisuke said. "The fact is, with Ichigo and the others confronting the Hollows and us handling the backup plan, we're simply stretched too thin to focus on finding Loomis. I'm sorry. I know he's important to you and I hope with all my heart that he makes it through this in one piece. But for right now, all we can do is put all our energy into completing the objective we've set out to complete and for you, that means staying put."

Jamie opened and closed her mouth again and again, trying to string up some sort of argument. When she couldn't, she whined and stormed off, visibly upset. Kisuke and Tessai watched her head for the nearest device before the latter spoke.

"Where do you think Loomis will go? To Ichigo's group or to us?"

"Hard to say," Kisuke replied. "After all, I can't even fathom the reason he would even leave in the first place." He looked at his fan and sighed. "As I said, all we can do is hope Ichigo ends this as fast as possible, before the old man causes us anymore trouble."

...

"The...Evil..." Loomis wheezed as he steadied himself on the lamppost. A group of excited children dressed as mummies ran right through him, completely unaware of the tired spirit in their midst. Loomis looked weakly toward the stretching road, toward the faint trace of Reaitsu he learned to feel for in his time among the Shinigami and Fullbringers. He couldn't tell if Ichigo was among them or not, only that whoever they were, they were closest out of all of them to him. He winced as another spasm of pain shook his body and looked down toward his Chain of Fate. The stress of undoing the Kido barrier and escaping aggravated his encroachment and the tiny hellish mouths were ravenously chomping down on the fourth to last link of the chain.

One way or another, he was almost out of time.

"The Evil...must seal...the Evil." Loomis breathed as he forced himself forward, fighting through the pain of the encroachment and the drain it had on his strength.

This time, he was determined to do things right.

---

Michael stopped for a moment once he entered the lot, studying Ichigo and Uryu carefully. What could possibly be going through his mind, neither of them knew nor cared. All that mattered was that now he was here, the real battle could begin.

"What do you think, Uryu?" Ichigo whispered. "You think his Heart of Darkness has evolved yet?"

"No," Uryu shook his head. "Call me fretful but I'm almost certain we wouldn't even be able to stand this close to him if his power had already awakened. That being said, it is stronger as of this moment than its ever been so keep your guard up."

"Right." Ichigo lifted his sword and brought it down. "Getsuga Tensho!"

The slash from Ichigo's blade was launched at Michael faster than a bullet launched from a pistol. Yet it presented no challenge for Michael who simply moved out of the way with Bringer Light and appeared before Ichigo, his knife poised to stab. Ichigo pulled Zangetsu to his face and blocked the stab before shoving Michael away. With an angry shout, he rushed at the Shape and swiped at him madly with Zangetsu. Michael dodged slash after slash while trying to get a stab at Ichigo. This went on for a minute or so until Ichigo flash-stepped behind Michael and tried to slash him on the back. Far too close to dodge this time, Michael turned and grabbed the blade with his free hand, a line of red running down from his palm. Ichigo tried to pull Zangetsu free but against Michael's grip, it was impossible. Using the opportunity created in this moment, Michael plunged his knife into Ichigo's stomach.

"Ichigo!" Uryu shouted as he prepared to fire an arrow at Michael.

"Gah!" Ichigo spit out some blood as Michael lifted him up on the knife, relishing in the boy's pain as he writhed on his blade. His elation was short-lived as one of Uryu's light-blue energy arrows shot him point-blank in the temple. Michael wavered and fell to the ground, throwing Ichigo off his knife in the process. He also let go of Zangetsu, allowing Ichigo to fully get away. The Substitute Shinigami staggered for a moment before getting back to his feet and flash-stepped back to Uryu's side.

"Ichigo, are you alright?" The Quincy asked.

"I'm alright," Ichigo assured his friend, even as he held his free hand over the fresh wound in his stomach. "That bastard just caught me by surprise is all."

"I told you to be careful," Uryu scolded. "Who knows what tricks are up that monster's sleeve." He and Ichigo both looked to Michael again. His right temple was now blackened and smoking with a trickle of blood running from it. Michael staggered himself for a moment and once he got his bearings back, he glared at Ichigo and Uryu. It seemed the incident widened his eyes enough that the two of them could make them out beneath his mask.

Them and the sheer hatred they radiated.

"I'm almost glad this guy can't talk," Ichigo muttered. "Don't wanna even know what he'd say in this situation."

"It's getting too dangerous to fight him up close." Uryu prepared to fire another arrow. "I say we finish this from a distance!" He fired the arrow which traveled even faster than Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho attack, leaving Michael no room to dodge again.

Unfortunately, that was not Michael's current strategy.

A huge blast of jet-black Reaitsu erupted from Michael's body just as the arrow was about to make its mark. The darkness engulfed the blue light of the arrow, dispersing it into nothingness.

Both Ichigo and Uryu gasped as did Orihime from the behind Yukio's shield. Everyone else just froze up.

"My my, Michael." Samhain snickered. "It's about time you decided to stop playing with your food."

"What happened to your arrow, Uryu?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know. It's like he just absorbed it somehow." With a sharp breath, Uryu fired another arrow at Michael. As with the last one, however, the black Reiryoku engulfed it completely before it could even make its mark on Michael. After it vanished, The Shape raised his bloodied knife and stomped toward Uryu.

"Shit!" Uryu fired a third arrow. Than a fourth. Then a fifth. But they all ended up disintegrating within the dark Reiatsu emitting from Michael as he grew ever closer. Uryu began to panic as the Shape approached. "Dammit! He's getting closer!"

"Uryu!" Ichigo growled as he gripped Zangetsu with both hands. "Stay away from him!" With a furious cry, Ichigo launched himself at the Surassha, intending to cut him down with one strike. "Michael!" He roared as he swung Zangetsu back and made his strike...

...a strike that was immediately blocked by Samhain's bony arm.

"What!?" Ichigo cried.

"I do apologize, my dear boy but I can't let you go cutting up Michael as you please. After all, I need to pay you back for earlier." Samhain pointed a finger at Ichigo. "Cero."

A dark-orange blast of energy launched Ichigo into the air with a surprised cry. Dazed by the direct attack, Ichigo could do nothing as Samhain appeared before him and grabbed him by the ankle.

"Let's see how you like getting launched into a building!" Samhain made good on his threat, throwing Ichigo right into the building next to the one he peeled out of.

"Ichigo!" Orihime cried out.

"Ichigo!" Uryu followed only to jump back as Michael took a swipe at him with his knife. Uryu jumped back a few times until he was directly in front of his allies. He took a moment to catch his breath, only to wince as a cut suddenly appeared on his shoulder, red spreading over the white fabric surrounding it. "What!? He...He got me?"

"Uryu! Be careful!" Orihime warned as Michael grew closer, his knife dripping with the new blood he drew from the young Quincy.

"Dammit! There was no way that attack could have reached me. I know I hadn't been cut!" Uryu thought. "Could the Heart of Darkness have something to do with this?" He studied the knife in Michael's hand. "Perhaps...he's somehow weaponizing the very strikes of his knife like Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho, allowing him to make long-range attacks." Uryu shook his head. "That doesn't matter! All that matters now is that he's stopped before this power can awaken." He prepped his bow. "And I'll be the one to end it right here and now!"

Uryu!" Riruka screamed.

"Heiliges Pfeilfeuer!" Uryu shouted as he formed a barrage of arrows from his bow. "There's no way you'll be able to stop them all at once, Michael! Now die!"

Michael flared his Reiatsu as the barrage tore through him. Uryu was proven correct as despite the untold amount of the arrows becoming consumed by the blackness, a few of the last ones shot managed to stab into Michael's neck, right shoulder and left knee. Michael stepped back as blood gushed from his neck, writhing in soundless agony. This would only last for a few moments, however, as the shadows acting as Michael's power devoured these arrows as well. Michael then allowed his Reiatsu to engulf him, melting in the shadows like a shark descending back to the cold dark deep.

"What?" Uryu looked around. "Where did he g-GGAH!"

Uryu felt a sharp pain in his lower back. It seemed to increase in intensity as soon as he noticed it and he dropped his bow, allowing it to disperse. He felt himself lifted off of the ground and a warm trickle of blood run down his lips.

"Uryu!" Orihime cried once again as Michael brought Uryu above his head, lifting him over himself like a morbid umbrella. Some of Uryu's blood fell onto his hand and trailed down into his sleeve.

It was around this time that Ichigo had managed to pull himself out of the building behind the lot. He coughed a few times before hearing Orihime's cries and seeing what had caused them. "Oh no! Uryu!" He tried to rush to the Quincy's aid, only for Samhain to suddenly appear and grab him by the neck.

"No, no, no." He wagged his finger. "I'm not finished with you yet.

"Bastard!" Ichigo rose Zangetsu. "Let me go!"

He tried to bring it down but Samhain grabbed his wrist and held it in place with strength he never demonstrated before. "Impudent brat," Samhain growled as two tattered wings suddenly erupted from his back, ripping apart the cloak-like covering on his body. They seemed to drip with a inky substance whose blackness matched Michael's Reiatsu. "I said we're not done yet!" Three bony spears suddenly jutted out of Samhain's wings, impaling Ichigo's left shoulder, upper right thigh, and the wound in his stomach. Ichigo gasped then screamed in agony as Samhain laughed.

"No! Ichigo!" Riruka cried out.

"That's it!" Sado punched through Yukio's barrier with a single punch and a defiant roar. "We can't let this go on!"

"Chad wait!" Orihime cried. But she was too late as her friend dashed toward Michael, his right arm already firing its spiritual exhaust. "El Directo!" Sado sent Michael flying with a single punch. Uryu was launched from the knife and fell into Sado's arms. "Uryu," He asked. "Are you alright?"

"I'll...I'll live." Uryu coughed a little bit. "But Chad, don't underestimate him. He's even stronger than we gave him credit for."

Sado nodded. "I know. That's why I'm going to put a stop to it before it gets out of hand." He set Uryu down before Orihime and the other Fullbringer. "Please heal him, Orihime. I'll be right back."

"B-Be careful, Chad!" Orihime begged as Sado took off to where Michael landed. By now, the Shape had already picked himself off the ground with great difficulty on account of half his ribs being cracked. He still gripped his knife and the wounds he received from Uryu had already stopped bleeding. He looked up just as Sado was getting ready to fire the long range version of his attack.

"El Directo!" Sado sent a blast of spiritual energy toward Michael. The Shape barely had time to dodge with his Bringer Light and his leg got singed in the process. As a result, he floundered a bit as he came to a stop, the soles of his shoes scraping against the asphalt. Now in front of one of the few remaining buildings surrounding the lot, Michael got back to his feet and looked around for the strong-armed Fullbringer, his knife pointed in whatever direction he happened to be swaying his head toward. Thus, he failed to notice Sado use Bringer Light to sneak up behind him and clock him behind the head.

Michael was knocked to his knees and dropped his knife. Before he could try to get back up, Sado delivered another punch to his ribs, cracking three more of them. Sado wailed on Michael each blow breaking more and more bones. The Shape's body became heavier and heavier by the second and behind his mask, he coughed up blood which seeped through the openings in the nose and mouth. Sado finally came to a stop, taking a moment to catch his breath only when he was sure Michael wasn't going to get back up in time. Once he had caught that breath, he grabbed Michael by the neck, yanked him to his feet, and threw him against the building behind him. There he held him in place, their faces mere inches from each other.

"Why?" Sado asked with genuine sadness in his voice. "You have the power to bend time and space itself. You could have used this power to help others, to defend those who can't defend themselves." Sado looked at his armored left arm and recalled the day his Abuelo imparted his wisdom on him to only fight in defense of others. He looked back on Michael, the famous serial killer that had taken an untold number of lives, the Surassha that was actively trying to destroy Karakura Town, now broken and hanging from the grip of Sado's right hand like a dead kitten, red blood staining his ghostly white mask.

He almost looked pitiful. But Sado knew every well this is how Michael would see him and his friends, how he had seen countless people who couldn't fight back as hard. For the first time in a long time, he felt genuine anger well in his heart. "I know, I should relish this, the fact that you're on the receiving end of it this time," He told Michael. "But I'm not gonna gloat. There's simply no point in it. Whether or not this is cosmic justice for all that you've done, whether you truly deserve this or not doesn't matter. All that matters is that the killing stops here and now!" Five disc of energy formed on the fingertips of Sado's left hand. "I remember Dr. Loomis saying something about you, about how you have the eyes of the Devil himself." Sado's knuckles cracked as he closed his left hand into a fist. "If that's true then maybe he can take them back from you after this next attack!" Sado reeled his fist back. "La Muerte!"

Sado smashed his fist into Michael's stomach, breaking apart every rib that survived the previous blows. Michael coughed out another mouthful of blood, some of which seeped from his eye holes as he was flattened against the wall of the building. A few seconds after the punch, the wall behind Michael partly caved in, forming the shape of a skull, one far more demonic looking than Sado had ever seen before. "Maybe...you really were the Devil," He whispered. "Does that mean I've offered you up to yourself in sacrifice?"

All went silent as the dust cleared and Michael remained stuck to the skull formation on the building. The tattered carcass stuck to the wall was a far cry from the unstoppable killer that had managed to surprise Ichigo and Uryu. Confident that Michael would not be moving from that spot, Sado slowly turned and started walking toward his friends. "Now to help Ichigo out with that Samhain guy. Without Michael to back him up, it hopefully won't be too difficult to...

Sado trailed off as he noticed a strange sound. At first, he thought it was the sound of someone using a speed technique to get to him or the cry of a startled nocturnal animal. But as the sound grew louder, Sado recognized it for what it was.

The sound of a wall cracking.

Looking behind him, Sado gasped quietly as he witnessed the skull formation behind Michael continue to change in form. The two upper corners of what appeared to be its jawline curved upward with cracks that continued all the way to the rooftop of the building which in of itself was starting to rumble. The rumbling, in turn, aggravated the cracks even more, causing the curves to open wider and wider.

It was as if Sado was staring into the face of a sneering demon.

With one final tremor, the building started to collapse, falling in Sado's direction. He wasted no time trying to outrun the falling building toward his friends but the debris that barely missed his foot and the shadow looming over him told Sado that he didn't have a lot of time. He was just about to use Bringer Light again when a piece of debris sliced through the right side of his neck. It was a metal piece of the framework, rusted enough to be sharp. Sado fell to his knees and clutched the wound on his neck closed as the building came down on him.

"Chad!" Ichigo screamed as he tried to pull one of the bony spears out of his body.

Samhain just chuckled again. "Don't you see? That is the true power of the Heart of Darkness! It doesn't matter what powers to possess because the tide will always turn towards Michael's favor!"

"You just love hearing yourself talk!" Ichigo groaned as he continued to struggle with the spear.

"I really would advise against that," Samhain said. "Especially considering that spear is right in your stinking guts! Pull too hard and you might just end up doing Michael's work for him."

"Shut up!" Ichigo snapped.

The dust kicked up from the fallen building spread throughout the entire lot. Yukio had no time to erect another barrier and so simply stood over the girls and Uryu in a vain effort to keep them together. Once it was finished, Yukio felt a sharp pain in his lower back and reached around, feeling something wooden and jagged in his skin. He wrenched it out and groaned as he saw it was a piece of rotten wood from the building. "Amazing. Michael gets punched into a building and somehow turns it into a bomb full of shrapnel." He tossed the wood away. "Is everyone okay?"

Riruka coughed as she waved the last of the dust away, Uryu's head resting on her lap. "We...We're fine." She coughed a few more times. "I think we're past the worst of it." She looked down at Uryu who had fallen unconscious as Orihime healed him. Now he sported brand new cuts and scrapes on his face and his glasses were cracked. "Shit! Uryu got hurt again! Hey Orihime you need to-

Riruka stopped as she realized Orihime was no longer with her. "Orihime?"

"No!" Yukio shouted as he saw Orihime running toward the vanishing dust cloud. "Orihime stop!"

"Chad!" Orihime cried as he rushed through the dust and rubble. "Chad! Where are you!?"

"Or...Orihime..."

"Chad?" Orihime stopped in her tracks as she recognized Sado's voice. She looked around for him but in the ocean of debris, she could hardly make any one object out. "Chad! Answer me! Where are you?"

"Over...here..." Sado croaked behind Orihime.

She gasped and turned with a smile. "Chad are you..." She fell silent and cried out as she saw her friend still kneeled over on the floor as if in deep prayer, a piece of the iron framework of the building impaled through his stomach and one hand still clutching his open neck. "Chad!" She rushed over to her friend, her hands hovering over the pipe. "Chad, are you alright!?"

"I'll be fine..." Sado assured his friend. "I just can't move."

"Hang on, Chad!" Orihime held her hands in front of her wounded friend. "I'll get you out in a flash."

"Orihime, look out!"

"Huh?" Orihime gasped in surprise and pain as she felt something cold slice her right shoulder open. She jumped back and turned to see Michael Myers, bloodied and bruised but still standing. The Reiryoku swarming around him was going high-wire, seeping through the openings in his mask. From beneath his clothes, Orihime could hear the sound of Michael's bones crackling.

"What...What is he doing?" Orihime asked. "How is he still standing after your La Muerte?"

"I don't know," Sado grunted in pain." I think he's using his power to either mend his bones or hold the pieces together so he can still fight."

"What!?" Orihime exclaimed. "Are you serious? Would he really go that far?" Orihime gulped as she watched Michael take an uneven step toward her. "Are you really that determined to kill us all?"

As if to answer her, Michael swiped at her with his knife, earning a surprised squeak from the orange-haired girl.

"Orihime!" Sado shouted. "You have to get out of here now! Save yourself!"

Orihime regained her composure and shook her head in defiance as she moved herself between Sado and Michael. "No! You're my friend, Chad and I'm not going to let a friend die if I can stop it!" She held her hands before her and shouted, "Shiten Koshun! I reject!"

At once, three of her hair pins flew from her hair and formed a shield between Michael and herself. Michael paid no heed to this and stabbed at the shield. Almost immediately, a blast of light shot from the middle of the shield, blasting through the top half of Michael's arm. Even with the top half of his arm skin burned off, Michael still gripped his knife, staggering back and moving his bloody head back and forth. Even as no sound escaped his mouth, Orihime could tell Michael was in a world of pain and if not for the knowledge of what he had done and what he was trying to do, she just might have felt pity for him.

"I'm sorry but you brought this on yourself," Orihime said as she moved her hand. "Tsubaki! Koten Zanshun, I reject!" At once, Tsubaki left his spot in the middle of the Orihime's shield and flew toward Michael, aiming for his already injured arm with every intention of taking it off of him. "It's finished!" Orihime shouted.

Michael was gripping his arm with his free hand now, blood trickling down from right hand and onto the floor. He looked up as Tusbaki headed toward him and once again, the Reiryoku around him began to fluctuate violently. It spread over Michael's body and than throughout the spot he was standing, engulfing Tsubaki in its inky embrace.

"Orihime!" Sado cried. "Tsubaki!"

"It's alright, Chad!" Orihime assured her friend. "I think his Reiatsu was able to eat Uryu's arrows because they were pure Reishi like it is but Tsubaki's different. He's got a soul of his own and a strong one at that. He won't be overcome that easily!"

As if to prove her point, Tsubaki simply flew through Michael's Reiatsu and continued his assault. Right as he got close enough to take the arm from his shoulders, however, Tsubaki suddenly changed trajectory at the last minute, scraping Michael's cheek instead.

"Huh?" Orihime was confused.

Tsubaki turned around and headed for Michael's head, only to suddenly change course at the last minute and dart to the left.

"Tsubaki? What's going on with you?" Orihime asked.

Tsubaki made a U-Turn and was once again heading right for Michael, once more cutting through the black miasma that constituted his Reiatsu. Michael stared directly at the approaching fairy and brought his free hand up. Right as Tsubaki was about to make contact with Michael's chest, he once again changed direction, attempting to fly over Michael's shoulder. The Shape was quicker, however, and grabbed Tsubaki in his hand within the space of a single second.

Orihime gasped. "Tsubaki!"

Michael held the captured fairy toward Orihime as if mocking her for stopping her attack and then tightened the grip of his fist, crushing Tsubaki into dust.

"No!" Orihime raised her hands and reformed her shield. "Hinagiku! Lily! Baigon! Santen Kesshun! I reject!"

Michael slowly opened his hands to let the remains of Tsubaki fall out and stomped toward Sado and Orihime, each step seeming to shake the entire lot. As the Shape grew closer, the Reiatsu around him began to grow denser and denser, surrounding the two friends like a thick fog. That's when they felt it. That's when they felt the overwhelming sensation of fear in their hearts. This wasn't exactly a new feeling for either of them, they both had felt afraid many times in their past battles especially the fight with Aizen.

But this was different. It was as if the fear was a literal sickness spread through their bloodstreams by the rapid beatings of their hearts. It physically ached to feel this fear, their senses heightened as if to fully intake the source of this wretched emotion as he grew closer with each thunderous step. Time seemed to slow down as Michael made his way to the shield.

"This is why," Orihime thought dreadfully. "This is why Tsubaki couldn't land a hit on him. Michael's imbuing the desire to see his victims afraid into his Reiatsu. He's literally using fear as a weapon!, making us unable to fight back!"

As if to prove her point, the shield before Orihime began to waver as the three fairies generating it started to tremble in the surrounding miasma.

"No!" Orihime begged. "Stay strong! We can't let him win! We can't-

Michael destroyed the weakened shield with a single swipe of his arm, slicing Orihime on the forehead in the process.

"I don't believe it...he broke through.." Orihime's eyes became devoid of light as her hope began to fade away. "Dr. Loomis was right. He's not a normal human. Not anymore. He's Death itself."

"Orihime!" With all his remaining strength, Sado wretched himself from the ground, the iron pipe still in his body. He caught Orihime before she could fall to the ground and looked up to see Michael getting ready for another stab. Sado used his right arm to shield Orihime from the blade, grunting in pain as the knife cut through his armor.

"Chad! Orihime!" Ichigo screamed as he summoned all his strength and once again pulled at the bony spear stuck in his gut. At long last, he managed to wretch it out with only blood and strips of skin being pulled out along with it.

"Huh?" Samhain cried right before Ichigo knocked him over the head with the spear. Ichigo then stabbed it into Samhain's stomach and shoved it away, sending the bird-like Hollow flying back. "Dammit!" He screamed in anger and desperation as he pulled on the spear wedged in his shoulder next.

Luckily, as Samhain was now away from Ichigo, Riruka saw her chance to help. She rushed over to the building he was pinned to carrying an empty donut box in her hands. "Ichigo!" She cried. "I permit you!"

At once, Ichigo was sucked into the box, leaving the bloody spears still wedged in the wall. Once he was safely in the box, Riruka stopped running and opened it up. "Ichigo, are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Ichigo answered despite the heavy bleeding from his shoulders, stomach and thigh. "Thanks for the save now let me out."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Riruka said. "You're bleeding pretty bad."

"If I don't stop Michael, Chad and Orihime are going to die!" Ichigo snapped. "Besides, it's clear that we have to switch to Plan B like Kisuke predicted and I'm the only one that can lead Michael there."

"But what about Samhain!?" Riruka argued. "There's no way that bird-brain is going to let you lead Michael away."

"Call Kisuke and tell him about what's going on. Then do everything you can to keep Samhain busy." Ichigo raised his sword over his shoulders. "I'll take care of the rest."

Riruka tried to argued, tried to think of anything she could say to keep Ichigo in the box but she already knew she wouldn't find anything. Ichigo was stubborn like that and one day, that would get him killed. She could only hope that tonight wasn't the night. "Alright Ichigo, you win. But if you die on us, I swear I'm tracking you down to whatever afterlife you go to and kicking your ass!"

"Thanks, Riruka." Was all that Ichigo replied with.

Riruka tried to fight off a blush as Ichigo met her eyes with that reassuring gaze of his, failed, and took out a feather she carried in her pocket. She tickled her nostrils and sneezed into the box. At once, Ichigo rematerialized outside of it. Snot dripped from his skin, hair and clothes, some of it even agitating his wounds but he said nothing. He simply sped toward his friends as Riruka turned to Yukio and nodded.

Yukio returned the favor and pulled out his own phone.

By now, Michael had virtually destroyed Sado's left arm, several wounds leaking blood and draining the Fullbringer of life slowly. He was sweating and panting but held Orihime tightly regardless, refusing to let even one of Michael's strikes harm her again until while he still clung to life. He could taste blood in his mouth and wondered just how much time he had left before then.

Michael raised his knife for another strike, only for Ichigo to suddenly grab him by the face the same way Ulquiorra Cifer had done to him so long ago. With a powerful and enraged scream, Ichigo pulled Michael toward the edge of the lot. He stopped just short of the woods beyond and let go of Michael, watching as he flew off into the trees. He waited for the sound of Michael's body slamming against a trunk and prepared to follow him when his ear was grazed by yet another bony spear. He winced as he gripped his ear and turned to see Samhain flying toward him, wings spread and the tips of more spears swimming within the inky feathers.

"Going somewhere, boy?" He asked as he shot more spears at Ichigo. Before they could hit him, however, black balls of pixels suddenly flew in front of them and reformed into a giant shield which blocked the spears.

"What!?" Samhain felt something heading toward him and barely dodged a heart-shaped blast of energy. He looked down to see Riruka and Yukio running up to Sado and Orihime. Yukio glared at him as Riruka comforted Orihime and pointed his glove at him.

"Little pest!" Samhain growled. He turned back to where Ichigo was standing, only to find he was gone. "No!" He tried to launch himself toward the forest but was stopped by more black pixels blocking his path. He looked around to see they surrounded him from all sides. At once, they all formed into copies of the blonde Fullbringer.

"Sorry," One of Yukio's clones said as he changed the dial on his glove with a dark smile. "But you're not going anywhere."

The clones all pointed their hands toward the confused Samhain as black pixels dispersed from their fingertips. Samhain tried to fly away but the pixels blocked his escape at every turn as they continued to merge and form into a giant enclosure. Samhain noticed a small amount of starlight left near the bottom of the darkening prison and rushed over to it, determined to squeeze through. But it was for naught as the pixels closed off that last amount of space, trapping Samhain in total darkness.

To Yukio and the others, the final pieces of his trap room prison fell into place.

...

Ichigo landed in front of a dented tree. The poor thing looked like it was going to fall over due to the dent in its trunk, the crack in the middle growing ever wider. There was plenty of blood staining the ruined bark and a few scrapes of blue cloth yet no Myers. With both hands gripping Zangetsu's handle tightly, Ichigo took a sharp inhale and looked around for any sign of the Shape. The woods seemed dead silent as if every living thing had been scared off save for the tree themselves. Considering the heavy battle that was taking place close by, Ichigo could understand why. This did not make the deathly silence dominating the forest nor the darkness that seemed to seep through the trees any more pleasant to experience.

Especially when Ichigo couldn't tell how much of it was natural darkness and how much was Michael's still present Reiatsu.

"Alright, Michael! Show yourself!" Ichigo demanded. "There's no use in trying to hide anymore. I'll find you!" Ichigo looked back and forth, ready to slash at any movement he saw. He wasn't sure how many minutes he remained in that forest, his eyes darting back and forth and his palms sweating. His wounds ached with the hole in his stomach causing a spasm of pain every now and then. Ichigo could taste blood in his mouth and knew he couldn't fight at full strength. Yet, he also knew that even if Michael let him leave these woods alive, he would just slip away until his Fullbring evolved.

Ichigo needed to end this fight.

"Michael!" He roared into the surrounding darkness. All that answered him was a chill howl of wind that made him jump. Groaning in annoyance and stress, Ichigo felt himself back up to a tree and slump. He would only rest for a moment, could only rest for a moment to give his wounds time to close. He needed to stay vigilant. Even one moment of weakness could spell death for him with Michael around.

"Whare are you...Michael?" Ichigo rasped through his painful breaths, completely unaware of The Shape emerging from the shadows of the forest, pale face first as he always did. Now that he had learned how to intensify his Reiatsu, keeping it low to the point of undetectable was a walk in the park. Michael could hear Ichigo's ragged breathing from behind the tree and smiled beneath his mask. One slice through the throat and it would finally be over. The worst obstacle in his way would be gone and his total victory would be all but assured. Slowly, Michael made his way toward the tree, his knife glistening in the dark.

Too bad he didn't count on Ichigo lifting Zangetsu up to his face. "Give me strength, Zangetsu." He whispered. "Please give m-

He noticed Michael in the reflection of his blade, his knife in hand.

"Michael!" Ichigo ducked down and swung his sword at Michael. The sword sliced into Michael's leg as it tripped him and he fell to the ground with the thud. Ichigo took this opportunity to jump out from behind the tree and adopt a battle stance, his sword pointed at Michael as he lay motionless on the forest floor. "You bastard! Trying to sneak up on me?"

Michael didn't move a muscle. Even his chest refused to rise and fall. Yet Ichigo could feel the intense Reiatsu swirling around him and knew that Michael was alive. He might have been able to fool a ordinary human with his possum routine but it wouldn't work on Ichigo.

"Get up!" Ichigo demanded. "Get up, you bastard! There's no point in trying to play dead!"

Michael remained still and Ichigo forced himself to calm down.

"You're really determined to stay down huh?" Slowly, Ichigo approached Michael and held Zangetsu over his stomach. "If you don't get up soon, I'm going to impale you with Zangetsu." He dug a little into Michael's stomach, drawing a trickle of blood. "This is your final warning," Ichigo said as he lifted up the sword. "Get up while you still have the option to die on your feet with some level of honor."

Michael remained still.

"Fine, then have it your way." Ichigo raised the sword and was just about to bring it down on Michael when the shadows around him began to swirl. It was as if Ichigo was caught in the middle of a great and powerful whirlwind. He screamed as he shielded his face with his arms. The "wind" tore at his robes and hair, growing in intensity by the second.

That's when Michael stabbed Ichigo in the ankle.

"Gah!" Ichigo jumped back and landed on his uninjured foot, kneeling with the other leg. As the evil "wind" continued to pick up, Michael slowly rose once more, looming over Ichigo like a fairy tale giant over his hapless victim. Ichigo looked up as Michael approached and for a brief moment, he was able to see beyond his black eyes, into the utter malice and hatred that powered the Heart of Darkness.

Ichigo's heart began to race, his hair stood on end and he couldn't keep from shaking. Fear itself was seeping from the blackness surrounding Michael and into Ichigo's soul, leaving him with no other choice but to try to escape with Flash-Step.

Now the chase could begin.

Michael followed Ichigo and plunged his knife into his back. Ichigo screamed in pain and knocked Michael back with his elbow. Turning around, he raised his sword toward the falling Michael. "Getsuga Tensho!" His swipe felled all the trees directly beneath him, the sounds of their cracking trunks and snapping branches revibrating throughout the forest. A huge cloud of dust was kicked up and Ichigo wasted no time heading into town, fighting through the pain of his new wound in the process. He wasn't sure how damaged his back was but knew that the wound was deep. He could feel the blood trickling down the back of his legs.

Once he had made it to town, Ichigo stopped to rest next to a street sign. He leaned into the metal pole and drew short but sharp breaths. His heart was still pounding and his shaking was even worse now, it was a struggle just to hold Zangetsu. Ichigo noticed he was in front of a shop with a glass display and saw his own reflection on the surface. "Wow, I look like shit." Ichigo commented. "That monster did a number on me." He looked down and continued to pant as drops of blood and sweat fell from his forehead and onto the pavement. After a few seconds, he looked back up toward the window...

...and noticed Michael standing right behind him.

"Shit!" Ichigo cried out as he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder. He jumped back and once again used Zangetsu as a shield from Michael's attack before pushing him onto the street and flash-stepped away. Michael was knocked down but got back to his feet right as a car was coming down the road. The driver inside panicked as the man in the emotionless white mask suddenly popped up in the road and swerved to avoid hitting him, crashing right into the store's window. Michael paid no attention to the carnage as he followed Ichigo via Bringer Light.

This began a violent and intense game of tag between the Substitute Shinigami and the Fullbringer Surassha. Ichigo would stop as he could only go so far with his grievous wounds without catching his breath, only for Michael to show up and attempt to add even more. Sometimes Ichigo would dodge. Sometimes he would get stabbed or slashed. Once or twice, he managed to pay Michael back with a quick slash of Zangetsu and almost every time he resumed his flight, Ichigo would perform a Getsuga Tensho to disordinate Michael. This wouldn't last long and The Shape would be right back to following Ichigo. This continued for several minutes until at last Michael sliced Ichigo's other ankle in midair. With a cry, Ichigo fell into a open field on the outskirts of town, skipping along the ground a few times like a stone thrown across a pond. Once he came to a stop, he grunted as the dust kicked up by his landing fell back into his wounds. He forced his eyes open and looked around to see where he was.

He was alone.

This would not last for long as Michael appeared before him, breathing heavily himself. His breath was deep and ragged and after never hearing so much as a cry of agony for all the punishment he took before, it almost scared Ichigo to think Michael could make such noises. Even more so in the fact that the breathing sounded angry, as if Michael was enraged for all the trouble he had to go through to finally kill Ichigo. Considering none of his other victims had supernatural powers to fight back with, perhaps that really was the case.

"Michael," Ichigo whispered. He tried to crawl backward but only agitated his back wounds. Michael stepped closer, his breaths slowing down as he grew closer and closer to Ichigo. "Michael...please don't..." Ichigo tried to back away again and once again only gained agony for his troubles. Michael loomed over him once more, his knife glistening in the moonlight as he rose it over Ichigo's head.

"Michael...you...you..." Ichigo's expression changed from frightened to amused in a fraction of a second. "You sucker!"

Suddenly, the field was flood with pale yellow lights from all around. Michael was blinded by the sudden arrival of these lights and stepped back as he attempted to shield his eyes from them.

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat! Bakudo #9: Horin!"

A orange and yellow tendril of Reshi suddenly appeared from in front of Ichigo and wrapped around his arm. He cried in surprise as he was suddenly yanked further into the field, eventually making it past the devices producing the lights and into the waiting arms of Jamie Lloyd. "Ichigo!" She cried as she hugged him. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Define okay," Ichigo gasped as Jamie reopened some of his wounds. The Shin'o Academy student realized this at once and jumped back with a cry.

"S-Sorry!"

"That was some very nice Kido usage, Jamie." Kisuke complimented as he walked up to Ichigo. "Glad to see the Shin'o Academy is still effective at teaching its students well."

Jamie giggled sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head. "Actually, I'm the only person in my Kido class who still needs to say the full incantation." She stopped as she stared at her uncle out on the field, in the middle of the pale light. "Although if I'm going to be perfectly honest, I'd rather have said those things to him."

"I understand," Kisuke agreed as he stepped between the lights and Ichigo and Jamie. "But right now, I think it's in your best interest to take Ichigo away from these lights. We don't want his inner Hollow affected by them."

"Got it." Jamie helped Ichigo off the ground and draped his arm over her shoulders before leading him to safety. As they walked, Tessai, Jinta and Ururu joined Kisuke at the edge of the circle of light.

"So bright." Ururu whined as she shielded her eyes. Tessai reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of glasses which he then slipped over her eyes, protecting them from the worse of the light.

"A bunch of lights?" Jinta asked. "That's what we were setting up? What the heck's a bunch of lights supposed to do to that guy?" Tessai offered him a pair as well and he took it with a growl.

"Not just any light, young Jinta." Kisuke wagged his finger. "These lights have been treated with particularly volatile spiritual components, most notably the raw Reiryoku from a full-blooded Arrancar."

"An Arrancar!?" Jinta asked "How the hell did you get that?"

"On the last excursion we made to Hueco Mundo, I had a little meeting with the lovely Sun-Sung. Apparently, they've been keeping some of Szayelporro's labs under close guard and, considering the situation at hand, they had been given special permission from Queen Harribel to let me have a look through. There was quite a few interesting trinkets and do-dads in there, including the raw essence of Szayelaporro himself. I suppose he intended to clone himself at some point but I think I put it to better use in treating these lights."

"Ok...but that still doesn't explain what the hell these lights actually do," Jinta intended to complain more but was silenced with a sharp roar coming from behind. He turned around to see Michael, directly in the middle of the lights and gripping his head tightly, as if he was caught in the throes of the world's worst cluster headache. After a few seconds of cradling his head, he brought it back up and shocked Jinta and Ururu with the Hollow mask forming over his face.

"A...A Hollow! You're turning him into a Hollow? Are you crazy!?" Jinta barked.

Ururu grabbed Jinta by the sleeve of his shirt. "Wait Jinta! Look!" She pointed to Michael right as he fell down, his roars becoming more pained and weakened by the second.

"You see, Jinta. You're actually half-right. For all intents and purposes, I am jumpstarting Michael's inner Hollow powers to evolve to a point similar to Hollowfication," Kisuke paused for a moment to study Michael's pained cries. "But before I treated the lights with Szayelporro's essence, I combined it with something else I found in the lab. A soul cancer specifically targeted at the Reiatsu of Hollows and Arrancar."

"S-Soul cancer?" Jinta asked.

"Simply put, the lights are designed to mutate the Hollow properties of Michael's Fullbring, reducing his Fullbring to its rawest form and spreading it throughout the soul. The idea is that Michael will lose his reality warping abilities in the process as well as his human intellect. He'll still be a danger, of course, but he'll be little more than a mindless Hollow that can be slayed with ease. It's cruel but we're not exactly drowning in options. Besides, given what he's done over the years, one might say this is nothing more than Karma at work."

"Karma?" Jinta looked back at Michael and shook his head. "No. This isn't Karma. There's no such thing. This is just survival."

From behind the group, a little further away from the lights, Jamie and Ichigo watched The Shape continue to mutate. Jamie winced as her uncle's cries of pain became more and more distorted. There was a small part of her that felt pity for what was happening and yet, every other part of her overrode that pity with anger and excitement. "You brought this on yourself, Uncle." She thought. "You've haunted the darkness for far too long. Now get dragged into the light and burn!"

Michael rolled onto his back and his stomach arched upward, producing a sickening crack. He released another roar of agony as the Hollow mask began digging into his head. So entranced by the display were Ichigo and Jamie that they almost failed to hear the sickly voice calling out to them from behind.

"Wait...K-Kisuke Urahara!"

They turned to see Dr. Loomis staggering toward them, out of breath and his Chain of Fate noticeably shorter. "Dr. Loomis!?" Jamie and Ichigo rushed up to the doctor right as he lost his balance. He fell on Ichigo with a gasp as Jamie helped him to his feet. "Dr. Loomis! What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

"There's no time for that!" Loomis screamed. "We must find Michael and seal him away again! I've given it a lot of thought and I'd rather be a Soul Seal again than a Hollow! I'll seal the Heart of Darkness away long enough for you to destroy Michael for good! Just...let...me..." Loomis trailed off as he noticed Michael further in the field, writhing in pain as a paste-like substance devoured his face. "What...What is this?"

"It's victory, Dr. Loomis." Jamie smiled. "We actually led Michael into the trap without a hitch! The light is corrupting the Heart of Darkness and causing it to metastasize like a cancer for Michael's soul! It's over! It's finally over!"

"Soul cancer?" Loomis whispered. "Can such a thing really exist? I-I mean I suppose if Shinigami and Hollows exist then...then..." He fell to his knees as he watched Michael struggle with the renegade Hollow energy. "After so long, after so many lives taken...not even you could escape death forever, could you Michael?"

Ichigo smiled as he and Jamie returned their attention to the dying Shape. By now, the milky substance constituting his Hollow mask had spread over his shoulders. The eye holes were almost perfectly circular and the mouth was wide with a single square tooth. It looked almost like a Jack-o-Lantern. Michael's body continued to contort with cracks and snaps, moving in unnatural angles. His roars of pain had been reduced to quiet whines of discomfort.

"It's ironic, isn't it?" Jamie whispered. "Uncle's dying a death far worse than anything he put his victims through and yet, there's not a single soul here that mourns him."

"Such is the fate of pure evil." Loomis agreed.

"It's strange," Ichigo spoke up. "I faced two Surassha before Michael and, in a weird way, he kind of reminds me of both of them at the same time."

"Really?" Jamie asked. "How so?"

"There was Freddy Krueger who was pure evil, constantly cracking jokes on how he was destroying us. He was utterly despicable. Then there was Jason Voorhees who was molded into a monster by the tragedy of losing his mother. He never spoke a word, he just destroyed and part of me felt sorry for him when we crossed blades. It hurt, you know, knowing that maybe he wouldn't have turned out that way if that tragedy never happened. Michael never speaks so I guess I'm reminded of Jason in that regard, but Michael's not shaped by tragedy. He destroyed his family by himself. He's a monster of his own choosing, like Freddy."

"The Devil himself." Loomis agreed. "Evil made flesh."

"Do you want me to contact the rest of the group?" Tessai whispered to Kisuke. "Let them know what's going on?"

"Might as well," Kisuke agreed. "Seeing is how we'll need the back up for when Michael finishes transforming. He shouldn't be too strong as a run-of-the-mill Hollow but better safe then sorry, you know?"

Tessai agreed and had just pulled out his phone when the screeching started.

As Michael's cries of agony began to die down, everyone had subconsciously let their guards down and thus were taken back when Michael's produced an ungodly screech from the jagged edges of his Hollow's mask mouth. The eyes had slanted and blood trickled from all three openings. Michael's body continued to trash about as a purple light began to glow from within.

"K-Kisuke!? What's going on?" Tessai asked as the wind around them began to pick up.

"I don't know," Kisuke groaned as he held his hat in place. "Michael wasn't supposed to recover any strength lost through this process!"

Jamie screamed as she shielded herself from the wind. "What's happening?"

Ichigo growled as he followed suit, the wind tearing his wounds open once more. Loomis began to shake violently as he sat on the ground. "No..." He whimpered. "No...God..."

As the wind continued to grow in strength, it began to shake the lights surrounding Michael. One by one, the devices were knocked down, the lights flickering out as the bulbs containing them shattered. As the fourth light fell, Michael ceased his spastic movement and became still. When the sixth device fell, he slowly got to his feet and as the seventh device fell, his body began to emit jet-black Reiatsu which consumed his form entirely.

"Shit!" Kisuke shouted as the last device fell and the bulb shattered. "Tessai! Bring up the emergency barrier!"

"Yes sir!" Tessai clapped his hands together and slammed the palms down on the ground before him. Just then, four bright blue squares formed in either direction of the group. The squares rose from the ground, pushing Ichigo, Jamie, and Loomis toward the rest of the group and once they all stood erect, a fifth square formed over them.

"Burokku!" Tessai screamed as he clapped his hands together again, causing characters to appear on all five squares. It was at that very moment that the dark wind grew to its peak and the black Reiatsu emitting from Michael blasted against the seal. Jamie and Ururu screamed as the entire barrier shook against the blast.

"Kisuke, what the hell is going on?" Ichigo asked. "Did you mutate Michael or something?"

"Of course not!" Kisuke retorted. "The cancer was treated with toxic Reiryoku! Even if he didn't mutate, Michael would at least have been weakened by it. There's no way he could break out of this trap on his own unless..." Kisuke went silent.

"Unless what, Kisuke!?" Ichigo shouted.

Kisuke looked toward the dark tornado swirling where Michael once stood. "Unless we were too late..."

"Too late? What are you talking ab..." Ichigo stopped himself as the horrible truth dawned on him. His expression, in turn, informed Jamie and Loomis, both of who began to cry. "Kisuke...you can't mean..."

"The Heart of Darkness..." Loomis whimpered. "It's awakening!"

"No!" Jamie cried. "No! No!"

"Calm down!" Ichigo demanded of Jamie's deaf ears.

"The evil!" Loomis cried. "The evil has awakened!"

"What should we do now, Kisuke?" Tessai asked as he hugged Jinta and Ururu close, the both of them beginning to tremble as fear took control.

Kisuke looked up darkly as Michael's Reiatsu blocked out the moon itself, drowning the field in shadows until only starlight remained. "We fight," He said as a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face. "Fight harder than we ever have before. We do that and maybe, just maybe, we'll survive."

As he said this, the darkness that swallowed the moon spread out over the stars and everything went black.

(I was gonna go a little further and let Michael reemerge from the Reiatsu but I've decided it can wait till the next chapter. I hope to finish that and the last chapter before the year is out but no promises.

One more thing before I go. Due to the insane amount of accounts favoriting my stories and trying to PM me about "art collabs" I will be disabling PMs on my account for a undisclosed amount of time. It won't be forever, just until this stupid scamming trend dies down because frankly, I'm getting just a little fucking sick of it.

Anyway, please leave a review if you liked the story and only bother favoriting it if you're an actual account. Good-bye and Blessed Be.)