Moon Princess

by romeoraiden

Ichigo Kurosaki was born destined for greatness but has had to suffer as he grows to embrace his destiny. Naturally, he will not endure this burden alone as he will have many allies to help him along the way. But only one of them can help him go beyond as his ever-faithful sword of the moon. (M for Violence and bad language)

10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Shinigami All-Out Brawl

The Sōkyoku Hill.

The iconic, large, and rocky mesa is located at the very center of the Seireitei. Its radiance is visible from most of the Capital, possessing sheer cliffs on all sides and two access points; a long bridge connecting to the Senzaikyū, and a long, zigzagging stairway carved into one side of the hill.

One end of the hill is heavily undercut, where the Sōkyoku and the bridge are located. The opposite end is covered by a white forest.

This is where Rukia Kuchiki is to be executed upon her recapture, and the tool meant to do the deed is the legendary Sōkyoku, a great halberd meant to be used by the Gotei 13 to execute criminals that have been given the death sentence, specifically, those who are too dangerous to be kept alive, let alone given a life sentence, which has made so many people question why on earth would they use such a weapon against a small girl who does not even count as a Seated Officer.

When not in use, the Sōkyoku lies beside a great Arbor and sealed by a number of thick ropes wrapped around its pole, which, piercing the ground, hold the halberd in place.

Normally, none are allowed in the Sōkyoku Hill without the permission of the Head Captain, the place isn't as heavily guarded or at all but is still a sacred place that not just anyone can waltz in casually, the only thing of value is the great halberd and if anyone is so daring as to attempt to steal it, they're in for a harsh surprise that will burn their foolish souls.

This is the place Byakuya Kuchiki has been secretly dreading setting foot on ever since he was given the order to arrest his own sister after it was discovered that she committed the vile crime of creating a Shinigami Agent.

She did it to save a family from a powerful Hollow she could not defeat by herself. Her justification has been taken into consideration and it is the duty of a Shinigami to protect Humanity from the Hollow threat, all of the Captains acknowledge it, and letting a human family die, let alone failing to save them would've been just as disgraceful upon herself, her Division and the Kuchiki Clan.

All the same, the tragedy of the previous Agent must not be repeated, and thus it was decided that an example must be made to all Shinigami assigned with guarding the human cities to never do what Rukia has done. It is for the greater good.

Sparing the Sōkyoku a quick glance, Captain Kuchiki walks forward to begin investigating the area he believes, nay, that he knows is where the Ryoka are hiding.

If he recalls correctly, the woman he so despises, the former Captain of the 2nd Division was said to have a secret place known only to her and the former 12th Division Captain, Kisuke Urahara.

The rumors concerning the place were so little that few paid it little mind due to it being something that was spewed out of the blue one day and did not leave an impact among the gossips, something unheard of since if there's one thing the petty commoners love to do is stick their noses where it doesn't belong and any possible scandal between one or two Captains would've never escaped their ears.

Byakuya certainly knows that such a place exists and that it is here in Soul Society's most sacred of landmarks and if it was built by such a genius it's no surprise that it was never found, however, he is certain that he will find it, and if not he will still expose the Ryoka.

"This is an unexpected present if I ever saw one," The moment the Captain hears the voice of Ichigo Kurosaki, he immediately gets into his fighting stance, his hand already on Senbonzakura, and it seems to be coming right in front of him but he cannot see him.

In an instant, Ichigo arrives before Byakuya with Shunpo, Getsuhime in hand and in her Shikai form.

"Not exactly looking good without being wrapped up but I've never been a beggar and this is too good to pass out regardless,"

"You are as predictable as you are loud," Byakuya said.

"Oh. You not only knew I was hiding around this place but also that I would come alone?" Ichigo said somewhat condescendingly.

"You are brutish and ill-tempered like those barbarians of the 11th Division who succeed only in pretending to be Shinigami. Rescuing Rukia would've never been enough for you. Proving your strength to be superior to my own will always be on the back of your mind until it is done," Byakuya surmised the bloodlust Ichigo struggles to keep suppressed, increasing his ire.

"You're in no position to be insulting me when you yourself have made your own blunder in coming alone as well. My use of Reikaku isn't all that great but the power of you Captains hasn't been that hard to track down. You were felt very shortly after I woke up from my sleep," Ichigo countered.

"I merely did not want to bother my colleagues in case I was mistaken in coming here. You on the other hand have just jeopardized every single one of your conspirators. As expected," If the Captain was capable of a smug since Ichigo is almost convinced the man never once smiled in his life, he is certainly doing a fantastic job hiding it from the young agent.

"So this is your endgame? Fight me here and now while raising your Reiatsu to it's very limit and alert the others of my location and then all thirteen Captains can restrain me at once," Ichigo concluded. "Not a bad plan, though I must say that this is really very pitiable since all you're really proving is that you Gotei Captains aren't the demigods you like to believe you are. Plus, I'm going to fuck your face here and now. I know Rukia will disapprove because I can tell that she still cares about you for some reason but I digress."

"Your vulgar tongue is as insufferable as Renji's but at least he knows it's better to talk with your sword," Byakuya retorted while unsheathing Senbonzakura. "And don't even pretend that you don't know that one of the Captains of the Gotei 13 has been assassinated. With your surreal prowess, either you, your father, or Yoruichi Shihōin are the prime suspects."

"We had nothing to do with what's his name, and no I don't care if you believe me or not. And it matters not to me that you don't believe that we came here without any intent to kill anyone. You've long since proven that you are impossible to reason with. Instead, I want to make three things clear to you, Byakuya," Ichigo sneered as he points Getsuhime at him. "My Getsuhime will cut!/Rukia will stay safe now!/You make flowers look stupid!"

Rukia once vaguely mentioned that her brother loves haikus so he decided to try one to see if it'll rile him up a bit, or at least express real emotion.

"You insult the honor of the Shinigami by wearing our Shihakushō, disgrace the Kuchiki name by coming into Rukia's life, humiliated the great army of Reiō, and now you haiku'd me," Byakuya growled lowly. "Are there no limits to your evil?"

"From my point of view, the Shinigami are evil!" Ichigo hissed as he recklessly raises his Reiatsu.

"Then you are lost!" Byakuya replied, doing the same and their rematch begins.

---

"Things are so not going all that well, wouldn't you agree? Mmmm~" Gin said whiles he and Tōsen stand above a roof overseeing the Seireitei, the moon, which even while not full shines brighter than it does in the Human World.

"Indeed, we underestimated them so severely. There's no way we could have predicted that the child would be capable of this much destruction," Kaname said as stoic as usual.

"Yeah, I doubt even he saw this coming. This is a first where we won't hear him say ''Just as planned'' like always. I call that a blessing in disguise. Mmmm~" Gin cheered.

"You're speaking too soon. The next battle will decide everything so you have better prepare because the Seireitei will crumble apart," Kaname warned.

"You don't really think the old man will go berserk, do you?" Gin asked.

"No, he's much more subtle than he lets on. I am certain that whatever power that Hybrid has yet to reveal won't be enough to pose a challenge to the Head Captain. At best, he will amuse him," Kaname said.

"That is if Ichigo does end up fighting the Head Captain, I'm pretty sure our dear Ex-Captain will be the one to fight the old man. Can't have the new generation have all the glory after all. Would look bad on all of us," Gin mused. "You have to admit that would be an interesting show to watch. Not that you can actually see though."

"Hmph," Kaname chose to ignore that. The blind Captain then shifts his attention toward Sōkyoku Hill.

"Something caught your tongue?" Gin asked.

"For a second I thought I felt Captain Kuchiki's presence over there, right with the Sōkyoku," Kaname said. "But it's gone now, as though he was never there."

"Really, that's the last place I expected him to be on, and at this oppressing hour? Literally, anything could happen, even to a Captain," Gin mused.

"Not surprising that he is on a manhunt for those children after his failure, and at this point, we might as well search a dumpster for them," Kaname said.

"Should we go check if he's really there?" Gin suggested.

"No, whatever he's doing, Kuchiki is on his own. Not like he'd accept our help anyway. He may not be a despicable demon like Kenpachi Zaraki, but his sense of justice and devotion to the law, while admirable, are flawed. We will never see eye to eye, so I will only help him if I am commanded to, not because I want to," He decreed.

"So cold, so cold. Even for you, Kaname. But… that's how it is, I guess. I'm feeling particularly lazy anyway so I appreciate the chance to slack off," Gin sighed in relief. "Before I forget, know anything that he might be planning with the Kudō Twins."

"He rarely talks about them these days, which is a little puzzling," Kaname frowned. "The mere possibility of who their father might be had him overthink things too much but now he's more focus on Isshin's son."

"Seriously, it's difficult not to feel bothered by his interests. They are just kids after all," Gin bemused.

"You know it's not like that, and besides, when considering the hybrid he's just looking after his project," Kaname reminded.

"Sure, he cares about White now but before he dismissed your praise for the little guy like he was nothing," Gin shrugged.

"I admit I was a bit too enthusiastic about that particular experiment but if he survives the next day I'll probably stand in triumph being right all along," The Blind Captain stated.

"Always so jumpy with your toys," Gin joked.

---

Ichigo charges at Byakuya with his still clumsy use of Shunpo that the Captain can parry flawlessly, easily able to predict how the younger Shinigami would charge at him. Ichigo quickly goes for another swing at the Captain's right abdomen but Byakuya also parries this and proceeds to thrust Senbonzakura toward Ichigo's neck.

The Shinigami Agent succeeds in backing away to give himself time to block the thrust with Getsuhime, though the force from Byakuya pushes him a few feet away.

The 6th Captain gives chase with his own relentless slash that Ichigo struggles to block and parry, and out of frustration, he halts Byakuya's assault by shining light from his blade, forcing the Captain to avert his eyes, though the light isn't as blindingly bright as before so he can still maintain his view of Ichigo.

"Jingetsu!" Ichigo howled with the metal blade of Getsuhime once again turning into one of hard light and uses it to strike. Byakuya becomes startled to see that Getsuhime multiplied with more blades of hard light that form at the wake of Ichigo's swings, forcing him to move faster in an attempt to avoid them, backing away from the Agent in time to narrowly avoid a horizontal swing on his neck by these blades.

The Captain uses Shunpo to escape but now Ichigo gives chase, slamming Getsuhime on the ground he was previously standing on so hard that a large fissure was left in his wake.

"You're not fast enough to escape from me, Byakuya!" Ichigo yelled as he is again on his tail and sends more of his blades of light at the Captain who still manages to evade them, though Ichigo can tell that they are all narrow misses and he is close to really hitting him.

After a while, Getsuhime's blades of light return to just one, and Byakuya takes advantage of this, getting on the offensive and the two clash repeatedly while using Shunpo, warping from one spot to another across the majority of the Sōkyoku Hill in a matter of seconds longer than Ichigo can keep up with before one thrust from the Captain knocks him to the ground.

"A bold claim you could never live up to," Byakuya insulted before charging forward for another attack but Ichigo stops him by firing a light beam that the Captain protects against by using Senbonzakura's flower petals to make a shield.

'I didn't even hear him shout a release command,' Ichigo noted before using Shunpo again to avoid being swarmed by Senbonzakura.

"As someone who has achieved Bankai, a Shinigami is no longer required to use their command to access Shikai but doing so is risky because this makes the first release less powerful. Such is the importance of Kotodama for Shinigami," Getsuhime informed as they see Byakuya reseal his Zanpakutō, likely to release it again at full power next time.

"Then I'll just have to hit him with more fury than his full release can handle," Ichigo sneered, charging up more power and firing multiple blades of light at his opponent.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura!" Byakuya resummons his Shikai and sends his thousand flower petals to meet the coming threat. The clashing force of Getsuhime and Senbonzakura is fierce with each attack launched by the other, they are able to counter each other with neither having an advantage.

"Getsuga…" Ichigo howled, running towards Byakuya while he charges power for another attack and dodging tendrils formed from the petals of the enemy Zanpakutō coming at him before appearing right behind the Captain. "Tenshō!" He releases his signature move that creates a massive explosion right where Byakuya is standing that should've finished him off.

But instead, Ichigo receives a blow from the back by one of Byakuya's tendrils that protrudes through his chest while the Captain is standing a few steps behind him.

"It's over," Byakuya declared, confident that he aimed for Ichigo's heart, killing him.

But he was wrong as Ichigo quickly fires another Getsuga Tenshō at the caught-off-guard Captain who barely had time to defend himself and is sent crashing a distance away from the Shinigami Agent.

"Fuck you, flower boy!" Ichigo sneered with the severe wound he should've received gone as though it was never there.

"Damn you," Byakuya growled back on his feet. "So you do possess the power to make yourself intangible. Rare, even for a Captain to possess."

"Gengetsu. Hands down the hardest technique in my arsenal to use as much as I want since it comes in, let's say three ''flavors'', but it gets the job done all the same. You won't be able to hit me at my vital spots all that much," Ichigo boasted.

"Another bold claim you won't be able to live up to," The Captain declared. "You truly are Isshin Shiba's son. Only his family has ever been this insufferable. Even those among the Shiba Clan who are true nobles were seen as pathetic and unwelcome among the upper echelon of Soul Society."

"So I've been told, not that any of that matters to me," Ichigo shrugged.

"It should matter to you. The blood that courses through your veins is that of the five great ancestors who founded the Soul Society. All born of a noble lineage possess not only great power but must also bear a great responsibility to uphold the protection of both this world and the one of Humanity, and yet once and a while fools like you spit on all we stand for like dirt and instead invite chaos and anarchy," Byakuya scowled.

"You can deny it for as much as you like but the cold truth is the only real difference between humans and spirits is that we get to share our souls with our swords, therefore you're asinine if you expect me to believe that the majority of you nobles aren't pompous, self-absorbed cowards with stick up your assess, because the only ones who actually take what you've just said to heart are the ones who are willing to give up all that they own for a cause greater than themselves," Ichigo hissed.

"And besides, if it is my destiny to save the world, I'm doing it on my own terms and I'm not going to let some old degenerates who traded their wisdom for gold and wine tell me otherwise. Now come on! I'm not done cutting you down yet."

After saying that, Ichigo starts reusing Jingetsu.

"Ignoramus Aberration!" Byakuya cursed as he calls forth the flower petals into one energy blade again. "Ōkosentō!"

Ichigo and Byakuya clash again with their swords releasing powerful shockwaves that should spread for miles because of the immense Reiatsu both of them are letting run loose but suspiciously nothing they unleash so much as passes through the hill.

The Noble Captain makes an upward slash that Ichigo tries to parry but the impact proved too great and he gets sent flying, though it proved painful for the younger Shinigami, he shrugs it off in time to counter against another strike from Byakuya whom Shunpos behind him and they exchange blows as they fall back down and once they land they back away from each other with Ichigo firing a Getsuga Tenshō and Byakuya using Ōkosentō to counter, making another explosion that blocks one another's view, though Byakuya seems more prepared for this scenario.

"Bakudō #9. Hōrin (Disintegrating Circle)!" From his left hand's index and middle finger, Byakuya generates an orange-hued tendril with spiraling yellow patterns that he sends through the flames brought from the aftermath of the explosion that rapidly ensnares and immobilizes Ichigo, with only his head, left arm, and leg remaining free.

"Seriously!" Ichigo sneered as he begins to free himself from Hōrin with Gengetsu but to his confusion, he can't make himself intangible.

"Hadō #11. Tsuzuri Raiden (Bound Lightning)!" Byakuya immediately uses another Kidō that generates an electric current from his Zanpakutō and upon touching Hōrin with it, it runs through the tendril and begins to electrocute Ichigo who screams in agony from the shock.

Kuchiki then proceeds to pull the tendril with enough strength to lift Ichigo through the air and slams him right into the Arbor of the Sōkyoku from his back, exactly where a convicted criminal would be placed in to be executed by the great halberd.

'It ends here,' Byakuya declared as he Shunpos towards Ichigo who should be down for the count, especially while still trapped with his Kidō but once he reaches the arbor, Ichigo is nowhere in sight.

'What?' He uttered in disbelief as he lands on the arbor. 'How could he have broken free? Bakudō #9 is a special Kidō specifically designed to capture targets who can make themselves intangible.'

Byakuya gets his bloodied answer from a stabbed wound on his right abdomen that protrudes through his back, coming from where Ichigo should be lying.

"Ah darn, I was aiming for your chest. Thought it'd be ironic," Ichigo said as he suddenly becomes visible to Byakuya, managing to trick him by making himself invisible using Gengetsu at the last second to give himself an advantage.

"You can also refract visible light to this extent as well," Byakuya growled.

"Yep, and now I got you," Ichigo smirked as he intends to fire a Getsuga Tenshō while Getsuhime remains within the Captain, however, Kuchiki succeeds in freeing himself in time to escape the blast, though doing so freed Ichigo from his Kidō.

Furthermore, the Getsuga was so intense that it completely destroyed the top of the arbor, and it also cause the Sōkyoku to collapse and crash land down, right in the very fissure that Ichigo previously made. Luckily the halberd is an extremely powerful blade so a fall like that, let alone Ichigo's power shouldn't really damage it.

"HA! Good luck executing anyone without this hunk of junk!" Ichigo mocked while on the ground again with the fissure standing between him and Byakuya.

"There are easier ways to die, boy, and with each breath you take you are earning yourself a fate worse than death," Byakuya cursed.

"If you are referring to when you left me to die when you took Rukia then you really are the bad guy because dying like that was never going to be easier knowing what awaits her if I failed again. And I won't fail again, Byakuya! You're through!" Ichigo declared as he attacks with Jingetsu, though the moment the two swords clash again, the blade of Getsuhime vanishes as Ichigo only made her invisible this time.

'What is he up to now?' Byakuya thought, still able to fight while aware of Getsuhime's length to make an accurate counterattack despite the invisibility, though once he avoids a thrust from Ichigo by moving back while intending to go right, the Captain is suddenly struct from his left abdomen that left him with a nasty gash, shocking him while Ichigo smirks about to land another blow.

"Ōran!" Byakuya sends a swarm of Senbonzakura with triple the amount of deadly flower petals at Ichigo, forcing the Shinigami Agent to back away and try to have more ground to fight back, all while Byakuya examines his recent wound.

'Again he continues to be a nuisance with his Zanpakutō. By my estimates, the length of his Getsuhime should be exactly the same as Captain Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru while in its sealed state, and by the distance I was from him in that instant, his blade had to have actually been over three meters long to reach me. Does he also possess the same ability as Gin Ichimaru's Shinsō?' Byakuya muttered, now realizing Ichigo's true strategy.

"GETSUGA TENSHŌ!" Ichigo howled, blowing a pathway for him to finally escape from the pinkish swarm.

'This boy truly is the bane of my existence,'

"We're not done, Byakuya!" Ichigo yelled as he makes a downward vertical swing and judging by his position, his blade should strike right into his head, thus Senbonzakura forms a shield above his master to prevent him from being cleaved in two with Getsuhime only 85 cm from reaching him.

---

"Hey, I thought I'd find you here," Captain Kyōraku said softly as he visits his friend Jūshirō who is sitting alone on a rooftop among the barracks of his Division.

"Shunsui? How rare it is to see you up this late at night," Jūshirō said surprised.

"Couldn't sleep. I'd be surprised if anyone can in the middle of all this carnage," Shunsui sighed as he sits down beside his fellow Captain.

"That's true, my illness is kicking up again, and yet for the first time ever, it doesn't bother me at all. I'm so high on adrenaline I feel like a Kenpachi," Jūshirō mused, staring at his trembling arms. Shunsui laughs at his response.

"Don't ever let Unohana hear you say that or she'll have a field day with you," He grinned.

"Please don't ever say that again," Ukitake now sobbed, dreading such a thing.

After a few moments of silence between the two Captains, Kyōraku speaks to ask an important question to his best friend.

"In all seriousness, tell me the truth, how are you really feeling?"

"As torn as I was when Ginjō betrayed us," Jūshirō frowned. "Even before Isshin returned, the signs were all there right at our faces. Something is wrong with the world and for reasons I cannot fathom the others refuse to see it."

"I know, it kills me inside to admit this, even to you but the old man might've actually turned senile. As loyal as he was back in the day, he never would've listened to a single word Central 46 told him to do without throwing his opinion on the matter," Kyōraku frowned as well. "Even if he was somehow, inexplicably wrong on the subject, it's not like him to be so silent. No one can question his devotion to the Soul Society and Reiō but he's way too content with the recent orders."

"I don't believe he's doing this out of blind obedience or because he's gone senile, no. I'm sure he was the first to notice the issues, for Central 46 to give Rukia the death penalty for committing a crime that is not even worthy of a life sentence. I can understand Soifon being so callous, or Komamura and Kuchiki being dutybound but for him to do practically nothing? I have to believe that he has good reasons for his inactions," Jūshirō shook his head.

"On the subject of the young Rukia and these Ryoka, you can't deny the relief you have for learning that she's managed to escape," Kyōraku stated.

"No, I cannot. I can accept harshly punishing one of my own for their misdeeds but when something afoul is clearly afoot I will not lie down and do nothing," Jūshirō declared. "I just wish I could go to Central 46 and actually make my statement on the matter but that bothersome compound is so securely tight that I doubt even the Shihōin members would be able to sneak in."

"I'd bet against that," Shunsui mused. "How can anyone hope to live in that place anyhow? It's dark, ugly, and hugely unappealing."

"Speaking of Kuchiki, what are we to do with that boy? The intimidating-respect relationship he has with his Division has always been enough to give me headaches but now he is something truly hard to look at," Jūshirō said sadly concerning Byakuya.

"You can't be mad at the poor boy. You know how difficult the life of the Kuchiki Clan has always been. Reiō forbid old Ginrei was the ideal parental figure. At the very least Byakuya didn't turn out like Kōga," Shunsui frowned.

"I'm not condemning him, I know he's in a cruel position so it's not about doing the right thing for him. It never was," Jūshirō sighed.

"Kids these days. The main point of there being new generations is to have hope that they could have it easier than us old folks but instead there's no mercy for anyone," Shunsui bemused. "You already know this but I still feel like getting this out. Whatever you decide, I've got your back."

"I know you do, my friend," Jūshirō smiled. "The question is if your Lieutenant will choose to keep her distance if the worse happens."

"You know me, I can't always convince her to do anything, or at all. Some Captain I am. She's just like her predecessor. No respect for dear old me," Shunsui smirked. "At least her tongue isn't as foul as dear Lisa."

"You make it difficult to respect you," Jūshirō joked.

"Hey, I'm a party man at heart, I can't fight what I am," The great drunk of the Gotei 13 laughed with pleasure. "Speaking of subordinates who won't leave you alone, what about your two 3rd Seats? I don't sense them around anywhere for a change."

"I got them to do some errands for me, I really wanted to be alone tonight. Though I can never say no to your company," Jūshirō sighed tiredly.

Jūshirō adores the members of his Division but sometimes he feels that it isn't his failed lungs that make him ill but everyone being so overbearing.

"Kiyone and Sentarō aren't here. That makes things much easier," The two Captains turn their heads behind them to see Matsuri standing before them, though neither is startled by her abrupt presence.

"Lieutenant Kudō," Ukitake uttered surprised.

"The Pretty one," Kyōraku added.

"Shunsui!" Jūshirō reprimanded.

"What? C'mon, her twin brother has the same rank so we can't tell them apart by their last names," He pouted.

"Well, I am the prettier of the two so it is accurate," Matsuri joked.

"See, she understands," Shunsui smirked in triumph.

"And you wonder why Nanao treats you like a child," Jūshirō sighed.

"A thousand apologies for the sudden interruption, you know I'm never one to show disrespect, much less bow but I'm in a bit of a rush and it's important I talk to you Captains," Matsuri explained.

"You found out where the Ryoka are hiding?" Jūshirō asked more surprised, though he really shouldn't since the Kudō Twins are widely known for being the most competent and reliable Lieutenants so it's not far-fetched to believe that they wouldn't discover them before anyone else.

"I discovered something just as important, if not even more so that truly threatens the fate of the Soul Society," She informed them more seriously.

"Like what, and does your Captain already know about this?" Kyōraku frowned.

"I wish I could go to Captain Komamura about this but without first getting the Head Captain's approval he won't make a move, that's why I came to you two instead," Matsuri said sadly. "You have always been known to act more independently without ever being lawless, so I trust you both more to help save us from what is really happening to the Seireitei."

Both men are now troubled by her words but are quick to process it and feel that this might be what they've been waiting for. All they can hope for is that they're not too late.

(Moon Prince)

"With the rate things are going, that Captain will be forced to use his Bankai," Getsuhime bemused to herself while she's in Ichigo's Inner World sitting on her throne, contemplating the battle that's unfolding.

Ichigo is holding his own spectacularly against the Captain that he has been hunting since coming to Soul Society but Byakuya Kuchiki has yet to use his full power whiles Ichigo remains unable to use his own so the outcome is still not in their favor, or so it would seem at first.

The Princess of this world stares up above, noting that there is not a single cloud in the sky unlike the other times Ichigo was here where the clouds were several but very small, incapable of dropping a single drop of rain. This is good because this means that her master's will and conviction have become stronger than ever.

'Ichigo is truly a powerful existence whose strength shall soon surpass all within the known worlds. However, that time can't come soon enough, his body simply isn't ready for the changes that have been done to him and his impatience is not making it easy for me to prepare him, not like I can stop him all that much anyway,' Getsuhime thought while she stares at a black colored rose that she picked up from her garden moments before Ichigo awoke from his sleep. 'If the worse comes to pass I will have to—'

Her thoughts are ruined when the City starts to inexplicably tremble by a mighty force and it continues a couple of times until the cause of it gets closer and closer and before she knew it, one of the skyscrapers starts to collapse, falling to the ground into a million pieces and the collision also crashes into the bottom of another skyscraper, damaging it enough for that one to also fall, crashing into another building that again crumbles to the ground.

"Speak of the Devil," Getsuhime sighed with annoyance while her gaze never leaves the black rose, unconcern by the danger heading towards her and within milliseconds the one responsible burst through the damage and debris it caused and now stands before Getsuhime. "I'd expect nothing less from the likes of you."

The one before her is a Hollow taller than Chad, with a roughly humanoid black body. The white mask it has can best be described as a menacing white skull with a jaw joint and a rounded forehead. The mask also has two thick vertical black stripes, each on one half of the mask, which are interrupted by the widened eye holes and the jaw. Possessing yellow eyes, long white hair, and two black horns coming out of each side of its head and pointing at the front. It has broad, armored shoulders, thin, insect-like legs, and its arms are in the shape of black, serrated swords rather than hands. Uniquely, this Hollow lacks a hole anywhere around its body, which further adds to its strange appearance.

The Hollow stares at Getsuhime with merciless fury and vengeful hate, breathing heavily as it was clearly put through a lot to get here, his legs are so shaky it's a wonder if it can walk at all, he's also breathing heavily, it's clearly tired.

"You know it's a hassle to clean this place up while also hiding evidence that it was ever damaged from Ichigo, right?" Getsuhime said resisting the urge to groan, not threatened by the presence of a Hollow in an Inner World, even as the Hollow lunges at her she does not flinch, and the black creature is stopped by mere inches from reaching her with multiple black chains that sprout out of the ground that ensnares the Hollow and pulls it away from her, pinning him on the ground as it starts to cry out in anger.

"The old man knew better than to put up a fight against what I offered but you… The fact that you're not even smart enough to accept this fate is truly pathetic, Zangetsu (Slaying Moon)," She taunted the Black Hollow who refuses to go down without a fight, staring down at her and between the tips of his horns, it generates a crimson sphere of spiritual energy that is released as a massive beam at Getsuhime.

Again unfazed by this, Getsuhime merely extends her left hand at the incoming attack with her open palm.

"Kyōgetsu (Mirror Moon)," She whispered and in an instant, the Hollow's blast bounced back at itself, receiving the full front that creates a red explosion that spreads far and wide, though none of the skyscrapers suffer further damage.

And at the center of the destruction, lies the Black Hollow, now on its knees while staring aimlessly at the cloudless sky and groaning weakly, its body heavily damaged with cracks everywhere that show that the creature's body is purely white while all the black is actually armor.

"You succeed only in further torment on yourself," Getsuhime said coldly. "I would feel sorry for you if I hadn't figured you out from the moment I gazed upon your piece of Ichigo's soul. You and your other half are beyond pitiful and are only good for playing putrid mind games and deception that would have brought him nothing but pain and anguish. That won't happen under my watch. Ichigo will stand above this world with only me at his side. And you? I doubt you'd make for a good extra."

The Black Hollow continues to stare at her with defiance, making it clear that it will not relent.

"Usurper… I will kill… Usurper…" Zangetsu growled hatefully at her.

"You know, the saddest part to me is that no one will ever know how ironic it is for you to be dragged in chains before the center of this world," She retorted with malcontent.

Getsuhime then walks forward to the Hollow to confront him but as she does, Zangetsu's rage dwindles, as though her lingering presence is sucking away his strength, lowering his head, refusing to look at her any longer, and flinches when she places her hand on his head as if she is treating him as a pet in need of harsh discipline.

"Despair is unacceptable here, this is a City of Hope. You should be thanking me instead of lamenting your inevitable failures," She scorned him further. "Now sleep, and fade away into the Darkness of this world where you belong, and maybe—perhaps in the near future I will call you if Ichigo really does needs you."

---

"Ōkajin (Blade of Sakura Flowers)!" Byakuya converts several of his flower petals to form at least twenty pink glowing swords that each resemble the sealed form of Senbonzakura and sends them flying after Ichigo, and the speed at which they've been fired makes it challenging for him to parry or block so he pushes himself to flexibly dodge them all, sometimes two or three at a time, two of which narrowly pierce his neck from left to right, and twice he had to avoid his balls from being stabbed.

"Those last two were on purpose!" Ichigo accused.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Byakuya said nonchalantly as he makes another Ōkajin in his left hand and throws it at Ichigo, again aiming for his balls that this time he parries.

"There is nothing intimate going on between me and Rukia!" Ichigo shouted, surprised himself why he even brought that up.

"I know about her being forced to live in your closet," Byakuya countered as he sends a bigger swarm after his nemesis.

"SHE STOLE MY CLOSET! And what do you care anyway?!" Ichigo cried indignantly, sending Getsuhime's invisible blade towards Byakuya who fights keeping his distance now that he knows his sword can also extend long distances when he turns his Zanpakutō's blade into one of hard light, all the while relying on Senbonzakura's storming flower petals to affect Ichigo but also using his Kidō.

Ichigo manages to swing on Byakuya faster than he can dodge, but he is still having difficulty really hitting the Captain since Byakuya's defenses have gotten denser.

"Hadō #63. Raikōhō (Thunder Roar Sear)!" Byakuya generates an orb of yellow lightning above the palm of his hand that he fires at Ichigo with a massive concentration of energy that resembles a lightning strike, and instead of dodging, Ichigo will repel it.

'I still don't feel confident in using Kōgetsu so this will have to do,' Ichigo deemed as he reuses Jingetsu to create dozens of hard light blades but instead of sending them to attack the incoming Hadō, he mixes them all together to create a large shield made of moonlight that takes the blast head-on and blocks the lightning successfully without fail.

'Nice!' He smirked in triumph.

"Wrong time to be celebrating," Getsuhime warned him and this gave Ichigo the urge to turn around and see Byakuya at a far distance behind him.

"Hadō #73!" The Lightning was just a distraction for Byakuya to launch a more powerful attack and is about to fire, and with Shunpo he moves forward right beside Ichigo to unleash this attack at point blank. "Sōren Sōkatsui (Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down)!"

"SON OF A—" Ichigo gets bombarded by a massive burst of blue fire that sets the air ablaze and also gets mixed in with Raikōhō, creating a more devastating explosion.

Amidst this chaos, Byakuya evaded the blast as quickly as he unleashed it with no harm to him.

'That won't kill a stubborn rock like him but it may slow him down a nudge,' He thought while finally taking the chance to catch his breath.

They've been fighting for almost an hour now and it kills him to admit to even himself that he's never exerted his power to this extent before and is not sure if he can keep this up with just his Shikai but that's not what has him bothered as much.

'This isn't right, with all the commotion and Reiatsu we've both been unleashing for this long, the Sōkyoku Hill should be swarming with the Onmitsukidō the moment our fight began but instead, everything remains quiet, no matter how much noise we make, the air feels completely dead. Did someone put off a barrier to block all Reiatsu from being felt from the outside? No. No such spell exists to keep the amount of power between us sealed shot. But then, what other reason could there be?'

Ichigo comes out of the smoke above and crash-lands on his feet on the burning ground.

"DAMN! It's bad enough I can barely hit this guy as much as I want but now I can't stop him from pulling off these attacks left and right," He groaned.

"It can't be helped. Your opponent is a warrior with decades of combat experience, and unlike Zaraki, he has real skill," Getsuhime explained. "There is also his Senbonzakura who is a true Zanpakutō with too much freedom to kill all in his way. Not very talkative, though."

"Now that you mention it, the lethality of those flower petals is so intense I can't believe he can simultaneously use them to defend himself without getting cut by them," Ichigo stated.

"Yes, we can't seem to pierce his flesh without exerting enough force to smash through a wall of steel. We're normally kept 85 cm away from him," Getsuhime deduced. "This leads me to hypothesize that Senbonzakura is as much a danger to his master as he is to his opponents so to compensate, Kuchiki must've invented a ''Safe Zone'' around himself to keep those tiny blades from shredding him."

"Any chance we can do something to disrupt this defense?" Ichigo asked.

"I have an idea," She replied. "Though that is not the only thing troubling you, is it?"

"Yeah. Byakuya, he's not the same as before, when we last fought he needed that kid to help him hold me off while I was banged up fighting Kenpachi but now, even back to peak condition, it seems that he's now stronger than that eyepatch bastard," Ichigo said awestruck by how Byakuya's power fluctuated. "I know I'm not one to talk but seriously, what's happened to him? Am I even fighting the same person?"

"The only explanation is that he was holding back before, which contradicts his cruel words and conviction to see Rukia dead but perhaps this fluctuation is the result of an internal conflict," Getsuhime surmised.

"Internal conflict? Is that what I've been…" Ichigo uttered with eyes widening, realizing something important. Just then, Byakuya gets closer to Ichigo with his Zanpakutō's Shikai deactivated and held upside down.

"This battle has drawn out long enough," He said with a scowl. "It's time for your final curtain call. I'll be sure to send your remains back to your father."

Byakuya drops his sword straight down that phases into the ground as though it were a pool of water.

"What the…" Ichigo uttered, not sure of what is happening. Energy ripples expand out, turning the surrounding area dark, and within seconds, two rows of a thousand giant blades rise up from the ground.

"Bankai," Byakuya said calmly, making Ichigo gasp in shock. "Senbonzakura Kageyoshi (Vibrant Display of a Thousand Cherry Blossoms)." Those thousand swords scatter and countless flying blades form like with the Shikai.

"Oh great!" Ichigo cursed, needing to move fast to evade the real storm coming for him, managed to dodge the first wave thrown at him, and goes for Byakuya. Like before, the flower petals gather to protect their master but things are different this time because Senbonzakura doesn't just block Ichigo, it pours enough force to blow the Shinigami Agent far away from the Captain. Ichigo gasps for air as that impact was fierce on him. Sadly he barely has time for that as Senbonzakura gathers above him and rains down tiny blades upon him.

"You bastard!" Ichigo cursed, again manifesting multiple blades of light to not only shield against the incoming attack but to also use it as a platform to place his feet on in order to make a high jump down to escape the assault.

Once he lands, he charges at Byakuya again.

"Your creativity with your techniques deserves some praise. Too bad the little talent you have is twisted by your inner Kenpachi," Byakuya stated as another wall of blades blocks his way, and like before, Ichigo is sent flying and this time further up high.

"Was that a joke!" Ichigo gasped in shock.

He brushes off his stupor, making a backflip to compose himself just as a stream of flowers aims for him, though just as he is about to slice it with Getsuhime, the flowers split up, going sideways behind Ichigo in order to hit him from the back with full force. Ichigo manages to block in time regardless though not by making another shield.

After struggling to keep himself from being pushed back, he releases a minor sword beam to push Senbonzakura off him, unfortunately, his Getsuga isn't as effective as before, this Bankai is far too sturdy.

"So let me get this straight!" Ichigo shouted while he struggles to keep the flowers away from him. "Your Bankai—Crap! Just makes MORE flower petals! That's not—Dammit! Very—JESUS! Creative."

He eventually becomes overwhelmed and brought down low to the ground, the impact makes a crater near Byakuya.

"Seems to be working pretty well," Byakuya said nonchalantly.

His Bankai leaves the crater while Ichigo lies on the dirt, struggling to stand on his knees.

"Damn… I must have allergies if this phases me," He uttered in pain.

"And he seems to be enjoying himself more than he is capable of admitting," Getsuhime mused.

"Allergies? That's a poor way to describe the millions of blades rushing through your body at high speed from every angle," Byakuya said.

"Millions? So what, your Bankai increases the thousand flower petals by a thousandfold then?" Ichigo questioned.

"Yes, that's how it works,"

"Okay… I didn't give you enough credit. Your powers are terrifying and spectacular at the same time," Ichigo breathed heavily while getting on his feet. "But don't think this means you've won. Because I have yet to show you what I'm really capable of," He declared whiles his body again courses with Reiatsu.

"Took the words right out of my mouth, boy. Your time is over," Byakuya declared as he sends his swarm after him with Ichigo attempting to evade everything thrown at him while reaching him.

To the Captain's surprise, Ichigo seems to have gotten faster, now struggling less to reach him but again he is able to defend himself when Ichigo attempts to swing his sword at his face and push him again into the air, though unlike before Ichigo vanished from his sights before he could see him try to flee from his swarm.

The Agent reappears on his left, which he notices in time to launch another attack but again Ichigo effortlessly avoids and makes a high jump above him and is now behind Byakuya.

'This drastic increase in speed is surreal,' He widens his eyes in shock.

"Having difficulty keeping up, Byakuya?! Well, that's too bad because the show has only just begun!" Ichigo taunted as he not only runs circles around his opponent but is now moving so fast that he is leaving behind afterimages of himself everywhere, his voice echoes when he talks this way. "Thousand petals fly!/Thousand Slaying Moons dance!/Which one will cut the Sakura down!"

'How…' Getsuhime almost cringed at the haiku, and Ichigo was never the wiser of what he was actually saying.

"Enough of your haikus!" Byakuya demanded as he stretches his arm at him, not only sending Senbonzakura to attack again but almost catching Ichigo off guard by having to move even faster to evade them.

Even as he takes to the air, the flowers are once again on his tale but still managed to evade them.

"You've also gotten faster?" Ichigo questioned.

"It seems that his hands can be used to force Senbonzakura to exert himself even more, tripling his speed," Getsuhime surmised while Ichigo continues to avoid the flowers, again taking to the sky but try as he might, he only succeeds in finding himself caught in a giant net made by Byakuya.

"Let's see you escape this!" Byakuya shouted while he closes his hand into a fist and Senbonzakura crashes onto Ichigo to finish him off at last.

But again, Ichigo evades death by swinging Getsuhime at greater speed from all directions that he slices through every single blade of Senbonzakura.

"I'm not sure why I'm surprised anymore," He groaned.

"I know, being stared at by so many people with wide eyes can get so creepy," Ichigo joked whiles he is now behind the Captain and decides for some irony again, running Getsuhime through Byakuya's back.

"I win," He smirked before widening his eyes in shock as in the blink of an eye, he realizes that the only thing he stabbed was Byakuya's Captain haori whiles the man himself is gone.

"Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō (Six Rods Prison of Light)," Byakuya, who is again behind Ichigo, uses another Kidō that summons six thin, wide beams of yellow light that slam into Ichigo's midsection and holds him in place.

"What the hell!" Ichigo cried as his whole body is now paralyzed.

"This Kidō is made of light. We can break free by absorbing it!" Getsuhime quickly advised. Ichigo tries to absorb the light of Rikujōkōrō but has little time as Byakuya comes in, now without his haori, aiming for his head with a sword made from his Ōkajin technique.

Getsuhime comes to the rescue, levitating her sword self to block the attack, and this further surprises Byakuya more than anything else the rebellious teen has done. Getsuhime releases a shockwave that pushes the Captain, buying Ichigo more time to free himself from the Bakudō.

In retaliation, the Captain summons more blades to impale him from above, so Getsuhime moves fast to rapidly parry and destroy each sword, and with Jingetsu, she creates more blades of her own to form a defensive perimeter to keep her master protected until he finally broke free.

"Of course, the blade would be just as much an aberration as the master," He again said nonchalantly.

"Enough with this Kidō bullshit you people keep throwing at me! I got enough from Rukia's atrocious lessons," Ichigo snapped.

"Both of our Zanpakutō's powers are based on Kidō," Byakuya pointed out.

"I DON'T NEED ANY MORE KUCHIKI LECTURES!" The boy then screamed. "And you can bet your afterimage tricks won't work on me a second time, not unless you want to lose any more of your clothes."

"Utsusemi (Cast-Off Cicada Shell). Way of Onmitsu, 3rd of the Shihō," Byakuya spoke. "Way more effective than yours since it was taught to me by the very demon cat you've aligned yourself with." Byakuya taunted.

"Yoruichi?" Ichigo questioned. "That explains the loss of clothing."

"Yeah…" Byakuya sighed at the drawback of using Utsusemi. 'The Head Captain will not be happy about losing another haori.'

'Now that I think about it. That sword keeps becoming more of an anomaly,' Byakuya pondered on a familiar feeling he's been neglecting since Senbonzakura first clashed with Getsuhime. 'This electric feeling. It's as though I am actually clashing with Yoruichi's sword.'

"Whatever, not like your latest stunt accomplished anything anyway," Ichigo shrugged.

"A mere distraction is all," Byakuya replied and before Ichigo could make another move, the number of his tiny blades increases immensely, creating a spherical formation of innumerable blade fragments, which swirl around Ichigo like a cloud before flying into him from every possible angle, leaving no blind spots and no possibility of escape.

"Seriously!" Ichigo hissed as he tries to escape by swinging his sword but the millions of blades push him and he hits his back into the other blades that he was luckily able to flee from on time so the gash they left on him isn't too deep.

"Dammit. What is this?"

"Gōkei (Mawscape): Senbonzakura Kageyoshi," Byakuya tells him the name of this technique. "Now you shall have a taste of the true power of my Bankai, and even if you survive this, you won't be able to fight anymore."

"Don't toy with me, Byakuya!" Ichigo threatened.

"I'm not, I am merely giving you my farewells." He boasted as Gōkei begins to collapse in on itself to obliterate its caged victim and the resulting shockwave is dangerous enough that Byakuya has to flee the scene.

The destruction was greater than the one he made by mixing Raikōhō and Sōren Sōkatsui together.

"Your stubbornness is sickening," Byakuya hissed as he sees that Ichigo did survive the blast by wrapping himself in a spherical barrier of light, though as he predicted, the force from the blast may have been too much for Ichigo as he again falls to his knees once his barrier dispels.

"This won't be enough to stop me… Byakuya." He hissed weakly.

"Without a Bankai of your own, it's hopeless to believe you can defeat a true Captain of the Gotei 13," Byakuya countered. "However, I can no longer deny the fact that you have gone farther than I ever dared believe was possible. Forcing me to use this much Reiryoku and rely on my Bankai, it really is a travesty that we turned out as enemies. To see such potential go to waste is always so devastating."

"Buddy, we are way past friendly banters," Ichigo scoffed, though it looks like he really has reached his limits and can no longer handle Byakuya's punishment.

"Yes, in the end, we could never see eye to eye. Frankly, you remind me of someone else who I also found to be just as insufferable, in both appearance and attitude that it seems that this battle between us was Fate's work. Law vs Anarchy," Byakuya said almost poetically.

"You look upon me as though I am some creature worse than a Hollow who is unforgivable when in reality it is I who cannot forgive you. Because you gave Rukia hope. For her to die after you risked everything to preserve her life only for it to be for naught will make her death that much more crushing. She would have died peacefully if no one had tried to save her and knowing you'd survived our first encounter only to return to your human life."

"Are you saying… that's why you didn't try?" Ichigo whispered all while Senbonzakura Kageyoshi gathers above him to make more katanas, all pointing at Ichigo.

"This is the end, Ichigo Kurosaki," Byakuya declared about to finally end this.

"Yeah… this is the end…" Ichigo admitted. "… I'm finished with you."

As he said those words, Byakuya sends his blades down to penetrate his flesh and finish him.

Or so he believed because in the blink of an eye, the reverse ends up happening, Byakuya had no way of seeing it coming, nor how to evade such a thing from happening because somehow he and Ichigo switched positions with the Ryoka now standing on his feet looking down on him while the Noble Captain is the one lying on the ground and who's flesh has just been penetrated by his own Bankai.

The swords protrude from his back to the front of his shoulders, chest, and stomach. He could've sworn that he aimed one of Senbonzakura's blades at the back of Ichigo's head to be the killing blow but luckily for him, Ichigo caught that one at the last second to prevent such a fatality that not even the strongest Shinigami could shrug off.

"What… what just…" Byakuya's mind and body hadn't yet processed what just occurred until now as blood coughs out of his mouth while also bleeding profusely everywhere else he was just stabbed. "How did you do this…?"

'He's still able to talk almost casually despite being nearly killed by his own Zanpakutō?' Ichigo thought in disbelief. 'Okay, I can't deny anymore that he is kind of a badass. I guess I'll give him a quick summary at least.'

"I told you, Gengetsu comes in three flavors. Invisibility, Intangibility, and the most difficult and pain in the ass to pull off Teleportation," Ichigo explained. "In this case, the ability to switch places with someone at rapid speed. Admittedly me and Getsuhime are unable to move as fast as we should be capable of but that's my fault for still being inexperienced, not that it means I ain't fast enough to cheat death a couple of times to have a winning chance, though I never dared imagine I'd end up using this cheap trick to make someone be taken down by their own sword. That's low even for Ishida." He snorted, disappointed at himself.

"Cheap trick?" Getsuhime questioned, feeling offended.

"C'mon, don't get offended. You know I prefer a frontal assault and using your light shows isn't my style," He reasoned. "I only use them because you're my partner and I favor winning."

"How was a brutish assault going to save our lives from the predicament we just evaded because of me seconds ago?" Getsuhime questioned haughtily.

"Getsuhime, you know me. I always find a way," Ichigo smirked.

"Hardening your skin with Reiatsu was never going to work against a true Zanpakutō,"

"True Zanpakutō my ass. It's just a bunch of tiny blades masquerading as flower petals," Ichigo hissed.

"You simply have yet to fully grasp the concept of true beauty found within real power,"

"Beauty? You already looking for a boyfriend?!"

"Ten… kei… (Heavenscape). Tenkei: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi," Byakuya managed to whisper while Ichigo continues to argue with his Zanpakutō and the swords stabbing him disintegrate, something Ichigo would consider foolish because doing so will only make him bleed out more but luckily, Byakuya is far more beneficiary with his swarm of tiny blades gathering around him, forcing Ichigo to flee the scene and to his surprise, the flowers are actually gathering around Byakuya to entrap him in a sphere.

"What's he doing?" Ichigo wondered out loud.

"Clearly not bringing more harm on himself. This is something else I would've never anticipated that Senbonzakura would be capable of," Getsuhime said, realizing what is going on.

Thirty seconds later, Byakuya emerges from the bladed sphere with his more severe wounds now healed. He still looks to be in a bad shape but is definitely capable of continuing this fight.

"His sword healed him?" Ichigo uttered in amazement.

"A technique with the same properties as Kaidō, or perhaps something that amplifies the healing Kidō he's already capable of using to an unfathomable degree," Getsuhime concluded. "Still think Senbonzakura is not a true Zanpakutō?"

"Why don't you two get a room and fuck off already," Ichigo hissed.

'Still imperfect. I should've fully healed but it seems I still have a long ways to go before Tenkei can be used more efficiently,' Byakuya thought, evaluating the worth of his brand-new technique that he hasn't perfected and had a lot more bugs than he is comfortable with. Senbonzakura is simply too much of a killer to be capable of healing but the fact that they could use such an ability at all proves that his Zanpakutō is so much more than even he believed was possible.

"Taking the time to talk to your sword while your opponent is not dead yet is quite the rookie mistake," Byakuya lectured.

"She started it," Ichigo whined and obviously lying. "Forget it. This night was bullshit anyway."

The rebellious teen then does another unexpected thing, turning around and walking away from Kuchiki.

"Wait, where are you going?" Byakuya demanded confusedly.

"This fight is over," Ichigo declared.

"What nonsense are you spewing now! This fight ends when one of us is dead," Byakuya came close to shouting this time and with Shunpo he blocks Ichigo's path.

"I already told you, I didn't come here to kill anyone, just stop you idiots from making fools of yourselves and save my friend since her useless excuse of a big brother is the definition of a headless chicken," Ichigo insulted. "I'm satisfied now, I don't have to crush you any longer to know I've won. The truth is from the moment we met I was always better than you. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got bigger fish to fry, like the true ringleader of this ridiculous execution."

"You mean to also harm the Central 46 next? Asinine. The only way you'll make it out of this alive with Rukia is if you crush all the Captains and Lieutenants of the Gotei 13. But if you do that along with destroying our council, you'll doom your world because without us Humanity will drown from the madness of the Hollows," Byakuya countered.

"Geez, you're just like every homeroom teacher I've ever had. It's only Option A or B with you people, yet for all your years of experience you completely miss the fact that there is always an Option C, and I do love a good old C because I can always "Crash" my way through whatever gets in my way," Ichigo smirked, angering Byakuya even more.

"Not this time," Byakuya growled, having enough of this boy's bravado and his Bankai erupted with more power. "Senkei (Slaughterscape): Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"

The scattered petals unite into complete glowing swords, numbering in the thousands, which form four rows. These rows float just above each other and circle around Byakuya and Ichigo in a continuously moving, column-like array.

"Hey! Shirou Emiya called. He wants his Unlimited Blade Works back," Ichigo cried as he stares at the amazing sight before him.

"You sound jealous," Getsuhime replied.

"I am, you were right. Senbonzakura is awesome! Wait, I thought you didn't know what that meant,"

"I re-educated myself in my spare time,"

"Behold, Ichigo Kurosaki. The true form of my Bankai. Though it abandons my defense I gain a concentrated offense that will pierce even your Light," Byakuya declared and telepathically summons two of the floating swords into his hands, which then lose their glow, and both take the form of his sealed Zanpakutō.

"And instead of sending them all at once to strike me down, you choose to use only two while the rest make sure I have nowhere to run," Ichigo mused. "It's cute that you think I can't get out of here but I already told you, this fight is over."

Before anything else between them can occur, cracks form above them like the sky has been damaged, which then breaks like glass, and from above Captain Soifon emerges, aiming her Zanpakutō straight at Ichigo who manages to parry on time, though once he did, Soifon vanished from sight and reappeared behind him. At this point, Ichigo has become extra worry about his neck and saw this coming but again Soifon vanished.

'More afterimages!' Ichigo thought, deciding to flee the immediate area before Soifon could even make any real attack on him and she ends up standing beside the injured Byakuya.

"You look surprisingly pathetic tonight, Kuchiki," Soifon commented while not sparing him a glance.

"And you took longer than I thought was possible for one such as yourself, Captain Soifon," He replied, also not sparing her a glance.

"I did as you requested and mobilized the Executive Militia to surround the Sōkyoku Hill and remain on standby until you were certain you'd found something of value. Almost an hour later my Lieutenant notices something wrong with the Alber of the Sōkyoku and as it turns out the damn thing only looked fine from a distance," Soifon stated.

"Next time don't waste a whole night on a grudge match and actually do your job," She lectured while pointing her sword at him, which resembles a wakizashi with a yellow hilt reminiscent of a Chinese Dao. Her sheathe is horizontally kept behind Soifon's lower back hanging by a rope.

"Finally saw through the super elaborate barrier that kept you from hearing, seeing, and sensing anything in this hill, eh?" Ichigo muttered, wanting to kick himself for not anticipating that Byakuya hadn't actually come alone.

"Soul Society is done playing around with you lowly humans. It ends here and this time we mean it!" Soifon declared while she proceeds to plunge her Zanpakutō on the ground and in an instant Ichigo finds himself surrounded by literal ninjas, men and women so clad in black that they fit in perfectly with the shadows with only their eyes visible. Their weapons aren't Zanpakutōs but small double-edge swords that lack tsubas. Also joining the fight are Soifon's Lieutenant and 3rd Seat.

"Soul Society has its very own ninjas. I feel embarrassed for never seeing this coming," Ichigo mused while sparing a glance at Fujimaru and Ōmaeda. 'The blondie that almost looks like Kisuke must be Matsuri's brother.'

"Almost? I think you mean disgustingly similar," Getsuhime countered sounding disgusted.

'Come on, he's not that ugly. I mean, Matsuri clearly got all the looks but I wouldn't compare anyone to that freak,' Ichigo thought.

"And yet my skin crawls the same way when I look at him," Getsuhime said, clearly not fond of the Kudō Twins for some reason.

'Okay… you have something going on, and I want no part of it,' Ichigo bemused, deciding to ignore her for the time being.

"Well, my Zanpakutō has just made me feel uncomfortable, so I would like to go back to sleep," Ichigo sighed.

"You'll have plenty of time sleeping in Hell!" Soifon shouted with her forces about to attack.

"Meep-Meep!" In an instant, no, even less time than that, every single one of the Executive Militia is struck with enough force to incapacitate every last one of them, they were all out cold before they even felt being attacked, leaving the 2nd Division Officers stunt with Byakuya being the only one among the enemy who noticed who'd done it.

"Her," He groaned in discomfort, right on the money that she's involved in this.

"Hey there, boys and girls," Yoruichi smirked as she now stands beside Ichigo.

"Yo-ru… yoru… Yoruichi!" Soifon came close to being left speechless at the sight of the woman before them.

"The former 2nd Division Captain and previous Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō," Marechiyo gasped while his mouth was about to fall to the ground.

"No way…" Fujimaru seemed the most tamed out of everyone from seeing her, though deep down he is the most torn, especially once she stares at him and gives him the same warm smile she showed to Matsuri.

"And there he is, our very own Prince Charming," She mused. "You're way more handsome than your father to boot."

"His father?" Ichigo questioned before realization finally clicked in his head. He can't believe he didn't connect the dots sooner. "YOU AND HIM! Who would ever hook up with an asshole like him!"

"Jealous much?" She smirked seductively at him.

"I—ARGH!" Ichigo cringed in agony as someone grabbed his right butt cheek and squished it so tight but no one could see who'd done it, nor him but he knows it was Getsuhime. "I'm not going to dignify that with an answer," He replied with anguish.

"If you're done gawking, you better get moving. These kids are in need of some spanking, and that's my specialty," Yoruichi declared.

"Fine, just don't die on us," Ichigo said worried for her and reluctant to leave.

"As you said, you've got bigger fish to fry," Yoruichi reminded him, who complies by taking off.

"STOP HIM!" Soifon snapped out of her stupor, commanding his subordinates to assault Ichigo knowing she and Byakuya will have to focus all attention on the other traitor. Fujimaru and Marechiyo quickly comply and go in after him.

"Flash, Ryūjōmaru (Dragon Brander)!" Fujimaru activates his Shikai, turning his Zanpakutō from a normal katana with a dark blue hilt and sheath, as well as a rectangular bronze guard to a blue Gauntlet that rises to his elbow with exquisite gold markings, and two curved blades parallel to each other. From the knuckle forward it resembles a regular katana blade.

The weapon empowers its master, granting him immense speed so that he can keep up with Ichigo, getting in front of him to block his path. The two clash with their blades to keep one another at a brief standstill.

"Impressive speed," Ichigo complimented the Lieutenant.

"He's just a distraction!" Getsuhime warned, noticing Marechiyo behind them.

"Crush, Gegetsuburi (Five-Formed Head)!" Marechiyo yelled as his katana with a bright yellow handle and a brass octagonal-shaped guard with two square notches on opposite sides transforms into an over-sized spiked ball attached to a long chain, similar to a flail, allowing for it to be thrown at a distant target. The chain is attached to the hilt of his sword.

'Someone's overcompensating,' Ichigo thought as Gegetsuburi is swung at his back.

The attack is stopped however by another ally of Ichigo who easily shatters the spiked ball with a single swing of his sword, shocking the 3rd Seat who then gets punched in the stomach so hard he painfully gasps for air before getting knocked out cold like the rest of the Executive Militia.

"Renji…" Byakuya uttered shocked to see his own Lieutenant now standing beside the Ryoka.

"What is he…" Fujimaru turns his back on Ichigo to notice what was done to Marechiyo, doing wonders for Ichigo who breaks the stalemate to quickly flash behind the Lieutenant to hit him in the back to knock him several feet away from him, narrowly landing right beside his Captain.

"He's all yours, though you know it'll be just the two of you from here," Ichigo reminded him.

"I know the plan, you dumbass, now scram and make sure none get close to Rukia or I'll kill you," Renji threatened, never turning his eyes away from Byakuya.

"Good luck you two," Ichigo frowned before vanishing from sight.

"Alright then," Yoruichi smirked while staring down at Soifon and Fujimaru. "I believe I owe you two a heartfelt reunion."

"What do you think you're doing, Renji?" Byakuya demanded, now with fire in his eyes.

"What the both of us should've done from the beginning, Captain Kuchiki," Renji replied sternly. "The only reason I went along with capturing Rukia in the first place. The only reason why I behaved so unhinged when attempting to kill two young humans in over their dumb heads was that I believed… I counted on you doing everything in your power to protect Rukia! But I was wrong. You have no idea what I felt when you came to her cell to inform her and me that she was to be executed, without you so much as flinching your miserable face! We've both broken her heart too many times for me to bear."

"And you think aligning yourself with the boy we both left for dead on that rainy night will what? Ease your bleeding heart. It's far too late for regrets, Renji," Byakuya reprimanded.

"Regrets? Yeah. But it's never too late to take action! Which is what I'm going to do when I crush you with my fangs!" Renji shouted, readying to attack his Captain.

"I have no time for your tantrums," Byakuya narrowed his eyes, mentally commanding nine swords from the rows of his Senkei to fly to aim and fire at his treacherous Lieutenant with blinding speed, even a Captain would have difficulty seeing them coming.

Without screaming his Release Command, Zabimaru takes on its Shikai Form, and just as quickly, Renji swings his snake blade around himself and parries every blade of Senbonzakura aimed at him, destroying them on contact.

'This night cannot get much worse,' Byakuya groaned.

"And I'm sick and tired of being looked down upon by bastards like you! This time I'm going to roar to the moon and you're going to listen!" Renji yelled while he retracts Zabimaru.

"I never thought much of you, but even I never dared believe you'd be capable of something so asinine, Renji," Byakuya scowled.

"Quite the contrary, my Captain. Joining up with Ichigo's cause was the best decision I've made in a long time," Renji countered with complete certainty.

"Not just for Rukia's sake but for the sake of this god-forsaken world, not that you'd ever believe us. But here's the thing most of you Captains always seem to forget. As your Lieutenant, it is my duty to give you what you need, not what you want. And what you NEED is to get that stick you have up your ass off already and realize how much of an idiot you're being. And as usual, you aristocrats have to learn the hard way. BANKAI!"

Zabimaru explodes with a burst of massive red spirit energy that later turns into a twister of white wind, which catches Byakuya off guard and disrupts the gentle movement of the sword rows. Once the twister ends, a mighty beast emerges, Renji's Bankai, a massive version of its Shikai form, resembling a skeleton of a snake. Zabimaru gains many more, much larger segments, resembling a mix between a snake's vertebral column and the pick-like protrusions of his Shikai segments. It also gains a snake-like head about the size of a small car. Renji is also slightly transformed, gaining a fur cowl around his neck. The cowl appears to be the fur of an ape, and the ape's skull can be seen over Renji's left shoulder, while the rest of the fur extends to cover his right arm.

"Hihiō Zabimaru (Baboon King Snake Tail)," Renji declared.

"Well, well. When did you achieve Bankai?" Byakuya asked, a little intrigued.

"Of course, you'd lack the capacity to notice. You, who never makes any time for his subordinates," Renji scowled. "The time has come for a reckoning, Byakuya Kuchiki!"

---

"Satisfied, Ichigo?" Isshin asked as his son makes his way to him who was waiting in the white forest of lifeless trees that reside near the Sōkyoku Hill.

"Yeah. I know my upper limits now and that guy's not worth it after all," Ichigo sighed, relieved to be over with that battle.

"And not a moment too soon. The Kidō Barrier we used to conceal the both of you fighting can't be remade because of Soifon," He said as they were prepared for a fight against the Captains without alerting the Seireitei. "Still, I'm puzzled about why only Byakuya showed up, and how he knew we were hiding here. The fact that he brought along just the Executive Militia isn't like his style either."

"Well, he mentioned something about a demon cat teaching him how to make excellent afterimages, so I assume he was referring to Yoruichi," Ichigo replied.

"Oh. Now that rings a bell," Isshin mused. "Still, we can't afford to stay here in case more come for us."

"Where to then, and did Matsuri already get those two Captains you mentioned to investigate the Compound?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, Kyōraku and Ukitake should be there by now, though if they're bringing anyone along we don't know. Right now we have to look after ourselves," Isshin stated.

"And are you sure leaving those two to be surrounded by more Shinigami is okay? " Ichigo said with concern.

"I can't speak for Renji but you need to believe in Yoruichi. She's a survivor above all else and those three, while deadly individually and even more so together won't even strain her," Isshin assured him, with Ichigo choosing to leave it at that.

---

"Rukia! Wake up, quickly!" Orihime cried, running frantically to the petite girl's bed.

"What! What's going on?" She said alarmed and startled by the spontaneous wake-up.

"We have to leave. We've been compromised," Uryū said besides the two girls while wearing a spare Quincy garment.

"No…" The small Shinigami said before getting up on her feet and fully dressing up.

"Where do we go from here?" Hanatarō asked nervously.

"The Central 46 Compound. Most of the cards are in place, now we just have to get there and convince the Captains who made it there first to trust us," Isshin said while he and Ichigo just arrived.

"That's your big plan?! We'd have better luck doing the Gotei the favor of putting ourselves in a cell," Ganju scoffed at the plan.

"Chin up, Ganju. We'll make it," Ichigo assured him.

"Ichigo! What happened to you?" Orihime gasped, horrified by the wounds he received from Byakuya.

"Never mind me, let's just go," Ichigo dismissed her concerns.

"Wait, what about Yoruichi, Renji, and Nemu?" Rukia asked.

"The demon cat and redhead are doing us a solid and there's no harm in leaving that girl here until this all blows over," Ichigo said.

"What kind of solid is that?" Rukia demanded.

"Later Hobbit. Now let's go!" Ichigo said, pretty much dragging her out while she further demands what was going on with Renji.

---

In the 10th Division, Tōshirō and Rangiku remain awake patrolling their Barracks.

They know the Ryoka wouldn't risk hiding out near any of the Divisions but one can never be too careful, and it helps to get their minds off of sleeping and also issuing any new orders to their subordinates.

This safe routine does not last once they begin to sense a great amount of Reiatsu coming from Sōkyoku Hill.

"Kuchiki," Tōshirō said narrowing his eyes. "Again he fights the Ryoka, and right where his sister is to be executed."

"No, this isn't Isshin's or that Ichigo kid. It's… Renji!" Rangiku gasped.

"That is both disturbing and unsurprising at the same time," Tōshirō frowned, having noticed for a while Lieutenant Abarai's reluctance to the situation.

"How can things get any worse?" Rangiku muttered.

"Let's not tempt Fate and find out ourselves," Tōshirō declared.

---

"Oh, dear. I did not plan for this at all," A man covered entirely in a black cloak obscuring his visage except for his glasses that are noticeable but not his eyes.

He stands on a roof in the 10th Division Barracks and watches Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto leave for the Sōkyoku Hill.

"And after all the trouble I went through with that stunt in the 4th Division, here I am still forced to waltz around the Seireitei. That's the Shiba Luck at work, all right,"

"Are you going to whine all night again or are we going to get this show on the road," Reprimanded a malevolent voice.

"Yes, yes, I know what needs to be done," He sighed while he reveals his weapon. A normal katana with a green hilt and a hexagon tsuba. Said tsuba's two sides parallel to the blade are long, whereas the four sides above and below the blade are shortened, making it into almost a diamond or prism-like shape.

"After all, our subject of interest has declared war on the Soul Society, it would be wrong if things ended peacefully. Let's point our tiny friend in the right direction,"

---

"What the fuck happened to this place?" Ichigo asked as he takes a look around the area that they took to reach their destination.

The familiar structure they found across the Seireitei is in complete ruins here, the whole place looks like it was the main setting of an epic battle and that it all happened years ago but there was no attempt at making repairs.

"Looks like there was a war zone here," Uryū said.

"There was. This area is where the final battle against the Arrancar, Arturo Plateado took place, and where everyone thought Isshin met his end," Hanatarō said recalling the final moments of that terrible nightmare.

"We thought we could contain the Hollow Horde in Rukongai but Arturo somehow learned about the underground passageways that lead here without the wall being a bother and swarmed us all. The final battle lasted for five days, none of us could so much as sleep when it all went down and worst of all, Arturo managed to capture and imprisoned nearly all of the Captains there, leaving only Isshin, Byakuya Kuchiki, Sajin Komamura, and Captain Unohana as the last line of defense. Needless to say, things were looking bad until Isshin managed to pull a win."

"And what, this place was left beaten down to serve as some sort of memorial?" Ganju asked.

"Among other things I'm sure," Isshin sighed while he looks around, memories he rarely recalls reaching the surface of his thoughts without mercy.

"Are you all right, Mr. Kurosaki?" Orihime asked concerned about the somber mood he has on his face. She's not sure she'll ever get used to seeing him as anything other than the loving goofball doctor.

"Don't work yourself over me, my dear. My son needs you more than I do," He shrugged, not noticing but predicting the quick fluster the girl got by his words.

"How much farther to the Central 46 Compound?" Uryū asked.

"Not far now, at our current speed, we'll make it there in less than a minute," Rukia explained.

"We don't have less than a minute," Getsuhime warned.

"Why?" Ichigo asked and he receives his violent answer when they all feel a massive surge of Reiatsu that could be easily mistaken for an earthquake, if he had to guess, one strong enough to demolish a small town. "Oy vey…"

"Ah, shit…" Isshin muttered as now standing before them is the last man alive they want to put up with, the big cheese of the Shinigami, the Gotei 13's Head Captain Yamamoto and he looks pissed. A flaming aura surged through him.

"What…" Was all Uryū managed to say as he, Chad, Orihime, Ganju, Rukia, and Hanatarō fell victim to the old man's terrifying pressure, unable to stand on their feet, in contrast to Ichigo and Isshin who manage to stand their ground against the grave danger before them.

"Damn!" Isshin cursed as he too exerts his Reiatsu to use oppositely to what Yamamoto is doing to their comrades by making a barrier to protect them from the strain thrust upon them that is not only terrifying but also physically paralyzing and even choking them.

"That monster…" Ganju gasped for air, being the first to recover, and along with Ichigo check to see if the others are alright, and so far only Hanatarō seems to have received the worst of it but is only unconscious.

"Dammit!" Ichigo cursed, seeing the poor state his uncle has been reduced to before glaring furiously at the Captain. "You old bag of bones!"

"ICHIGO!" Isshin warned while raising his left hand to block his son's path from attacking the Demon of Soul Society. "Head Captain," He said next more calmly and respectfully.

"Former 10th Division Captain, Head of the Seireitei's Shiba Clan Branch, and Hero of the Ōin War; Isshin Shiba! Your sudden return should've been a moment of celebration and joy for all of Soul Society. Instead, you have wrought carnage and disarray the likes I have not seen since the Progenitor of the Quincy Tribe took his first breath of life," Yamamoto said with his anger making the ground shake harder with each word.

"That stung, old man. More than you could ever realize," Isshin frowned. "If things were any different, I would've come back without raising a fuzz and we could've settled this peacefully but your inaction left us no choice."

"Your words bring further insult to everything you once stood for, shifting the blame like a child trying to evade punishment," Yamamoto dismissed his words as lies and excuses. "This immaturity ends tonight. You will not evade justice any further."

"Justice?!" Ichigo scuffed. "Right. How could we forget the great crimes that Rukia has committed. Which are not dying and saving a family from dying by the monsters your pathetic army is tasked with fighting against! Her sentence: Burned alive by a giant flaming chicken stick!"

"Oh my King, Ichigo…" Rukia muttered in distress at the Head Captain's presence despite Isshin protecting them.

"Which is SOMEHOW not an overreaction," Ichigo continued.

"The Sōkyoku actually summons a Phoenix," Isshin corrected.

"SAME THING!"

His insults must've been the last straw as Yamamoto's flaming aura expands even larger than before.

"This may seem ironic but burning criminals to ashes is my least favorite thing in the world. Disciplining rebellious children incapable of showing even an ounce of proper respect or shame? That's an entirely different story!" He howled as his flames become hotter, he also removes his Captain's haori and the upper part of his shihakushō, revealing his very muscular and well-defined built body that is a major contrast to his old and frail demeanor who often stands in a hunch, also possessing multiple battle scars across his upper torso.

"What the fuck am I watching!" Ichigo snapped, now feeling intimidated.

"Always showing everyone off, old timer," Isshin scuffed.

"I… I can't look away," Ganju uttered, surprised that he hasn't shit himself right about now.

"No old man should look like that," Uryū muttered in disbelief.

"I can't see myself looking like that when I'm that old-looking," Chad dropped a sweat.

"I'm too scared to look," Orihime sobbed.

"You're not going to look at him!" Rukia cursed while keeping her head down with her hand.

"Now draw your swords, Isshin Shiba! Ichigo Kurosaki! If you are so hellbent on protecting the criminal Rukia Kuchiki from her penance then I shall allow you to at least fight for your lives and whatever honor you have left in your rotten hearts," Yamamoto declared as he raises his staff that is actually his Zanpakutō in disguise, the wood peeling itself off, revealing its true form of a standard katana, with a dark purple handle and a circular hand guard.

"Reduce All Creation to Ash, Ryūjin Jakka (Flowing Blade-like Flames)!" By his command, once he unsheathes his sword, the Zanpakutō is engulfed in fire that spreads all around them, threatening to incinerate everything and anything which Yamamoto waves the sword at, changing it into nothing more than ash, and engulfing the surrounding landscape in a blazing firestorm, the heat of which is intense enough to scorch the sky and consume the clouds.

"You always have to make things complicated," Isshin whined.

"You talk as though this asshole was going to be reasonable," Ichigo hissed.

"The flames of Ryūjin Jakka. The oldest and most powerful Zanpakutō in the entire history of Soul Society is said to be able to harness the power of the sun itself and that not even the strength of the twelve other Captains of the Gotei 13, all using their Bankai can hope to ever match it's Shikai alone," Rukia uttered in more awe than fear at the sight of the giant flames that are quite the spectacle to watch despite the circumstances. "I never dared hope I'd ever get the chance to see it personally."

"Get ready to run and take them all with you Ichigo. I will handle him myself," Isshin advised his son.

"You sure you can beat him?" Ichigo asked his father with concern he's never shown before.

"No. To be a Shinigami is to walk with Death beside you everywhere you go so avoiding it forever is impossible," He said stepping forward. "You just focus on your battles because he didn't come alone."

"Right," Ichigo narrowed his eyes.

"Burn, Engetsu!" Isshin unleashes the flames of his Zanpakutō, which while not as large will stand his ground against the largest star, and again he pours blood from a black tube into his blade.

"Purge, Getsuhime!" Ichigo again summons the light of his princess just as Yamamoto sends his flames forward to strike the Ryoka down.

"Chigetsujū (Blood Moon Beast)!" The flames of Engetsu expand, taking on the shape and form of a giant sentient demon made of smoke and red fire and horns similar to a buffalo on top of its head.

"Kōgetsu (Brilliant Moon)!" Ichigo generates the light of Getsuhime to form a dome-shaped barrier around himself and his friends to defend against the unbelievable heat.

Isshin and his beast move forward in an attempt to direct Yamamoto's might on him, and once Engetsu clashes with Ryūjin Jakka, a flaming explosion the likes they've never seen while the Hybrid struggles extensively to keep his barrier from falling apart and are sent flying half a mile away from the old battlefield.

"DAMN! That old man is quite the douchebag!" Ichigo growled in outrage.

"Ichigo, I know you're incapable of giving a damn for higher authorities but try to remember that our mission changed from saving a friend to saving the world from a conspiracy that could potentially kill not just friend and foe alike but everyone," Uryū mumbled as they all survived the fall.

Good thing Getsuhime's defensive power softens the blow for those inside as well.

"Yeah… guess I'm still high on adrenaline from fighting Byakuya again," Ichigo sighed, accepting his folly.

"You fought my brother again! When?" Rukia demanded.

"Speaking of Captains, more in coming," Chad warned as the Highschoolers in over their heads found themselves surrounded by the rest of the mighty Shinigami, such as Captains Komamura, Tōsen, Ichimaru, and Zaraki once again, accompanied by Lieutenants Kudō (the pretty one), Hisagi, Kira, Hinamori, and Kusajishi, there is also Zaraki's 3rd and 5th Seats, Ikkaku and Yumichika.

Lastly, there is also Yamamoto's Lieutenant, Sasakibe.

"Guess this is what you humans call the Endgame," Ganju muttered.

"Big time," Ichigo frowned.

"I'm a little surprise that they didn't think to bring all available Captains at this point," Uryū stated.

"Not our fault if they keep underestimating us," Ichigo shrugged.

"Mat-"

"Don't say anything that will give her away," Rukia gently warned Orihime from even whispering Matsuri's name who looks ready to fight them but they know better.

"We did it, we found Icchi!" Yachiru cheered while on top of Kenpachi like always.

"HA! Who needs sensing skills when your prey makes so much noise like you, Ichigo!" Kenpachi smirked, excited to fight Ichigo again.

"Kenpachi? I was told you were down for the count, and that is certainly what I was aiming for when I left you with a broken excuse of a body," Ichigo groaned, so hoping he wouldn't get to see him again.

"As if you and I are over, kid! A second clash is inevitable. You and I will fight again and again until one of us is dead and buried!" Kenpachi roared. "So please, do try to survive this so that we can have more battles."

"Oh dear, and here I was hoping for a peaceful night and yet here I am dealing with you brats again. Mmmm~" Gin bemused despite the frightening grin on his face. "Oh well, guess this is as good a time as any to undo my missteps."

"Indeed. This nonsense has gone on long enough," Kaname declared. "You Ryoka will disrupt the peace of the Soul Society no more, now it's time to pay the price for your crimes."

Every one of the invaders prepares themselves for battle, Uryū summons his bow, Chad transforms his right arm, Orihime reaches for her hairpins, Ganju raises his sword, and Rukia readies to use her Zanpakutō once again.

As for Hanatarō, he only now wakes up from the shock they all went through.

Momo takes a deep breath while holding her Zanpakutō, her hands trembling from anticipation, though Izuru knows that her trembling is due to her suppressed anger. She's been given time to mourn a bit and evaluate her options but he just knew that encountering the Ryoka would drive her to rage.

"Stay calm, Momo. Whatever happens, don't give them an opening. " Izuru advised her. Even though she nods in response, he still decides to remain close to her so she doesn't get herself killed.

"How curious. It would seem that the young Kuchiki's powers have been completely restored somehow," Kaname said, sensing Rukia's Reiatsu that is no longer afflicted by Sekkiseki.

"You Ryoka are full of surprises, I will admit but it is as Kaname said. This crime spree of yours shall end tonight," Sajin avowed, gazing upon Ichigo from his helmet. "You especially boy. You most of all will pay the price for your arrogance and daring to insult our Head Captain!"

The growl he makes is reminiscent of a wolf and Ichigo feels like he is being looked down upon by a predator.

"Bring it!" Ichigo dared, ready to take them all on.

"Oh, think you can ignore me to pick a fight with every other loser here, Ichigo," Kenpachi sneered. "You're as dumb as you look, you know that."

"I beat you once already, Kenpachi, and I will do it again. But this time I won't waste precious time indulging you with a battle of brute force alone. I'll put you back in the dirt bloodied with all the tricks I have off my sleeves if I have to,"

"Well, that simply won't do!" Kenpachi growled irritated while his Reiatsu imploded, intimidating friend and foe alike, except for his direct subordinates. Kenpachi's anger soon turns into a smirk when a plan pops into his head.

"So then, how about we make a deal,"

"Deal?" Ichigo repeated confused, as is everyone else.

"Here it comes," Ikkaku smirked, knowing what is coming, same with Yumichika and Yachiru.

"Yeah. And it's one you can't refuse," Kenpachi said as he unsheathes his repaired Zanpakutō as it courses with his power, though strangely, he doesn't seem to be directing it at the Ryoka, and Gin is the first one to notice this misplaced killing intent as evidenced by the widening of his right eye, revealing it's bright sky-blue iris, who then attempts to flee the spot he is standing on while dragging his Lieutenant with him but they don't get very far as Kenpachi swings his nameless sword at them, firing a blast of spirit energy that creates a huge explosion that caught everyone off guard.

"What the fuck!" Ichigo yelled with him and the gang fell to the ground.

"Ichimaru!" Kaname yelled at what just happened to his comrade.

"IZURU!" Shūhei and Momo cried in horror while Matsuri only looks at the scene with mixed signals.

"How about I help you out of this mess, and in return, we clash mano a mano when this all blows over. Eh, kid," Kenpachi offered.

"Is this maniac for real?" Uryū gasped abhorred by what just happened.

The Quincy always knew that the Shinigami have poor relations with each other but this goes beyond any negative comment he's ever made up in his life.

"So this is what the pretty blonde said about getting some extra help once we reach the climax," Ichigo uttered as he actually saw this coming, unknowingly making Matsuri blush, having heard that while Orihime pouts.

"KENPACHI!" Sajin roared, enraged at the betrayal, and charged at the 11th Captain with immeasurable fury.

Kenpachi grins as he clashes swords with Komamura, the force from both Captains releases a violent shockwave.

"I always wanted to fight you as well, Sajin. And now you'd got no excuse to look the other way!" Kenpachi laughed.

"What a douchebag…" Gin mumbled as he survived Kenpachi's surprise attack but received a lot of damage. His haori and shihakushō were damaged with the right portion of his upper torso bleeding a lot.

"NO, my Captain!" Izuru cried in horror. He survived the blast with no injuries due to Gin shielding him. He holds on to his Captain as he lies on the ground somewhat down for the count. "Just hang on! I'll heal your wounds."

"Eh… forget about me. I wanted to laze about tonight and nearly dying due to ''friendly fire'' seems like a good excuse to do nothing, wouldn't you agree?" Gin joked, making light of his wounds.

"Spare me the jokes for another day, please," Izuru begged as he begins to use his Kaidō.

"What the hell is going on?!" Izuru turns to see the arrival of newcomers that are Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto.

"How did we get from going to the Sōkyoku Hill to instead coming to our old barracks?" Rangiku asked, immensely confused as it feels like they'd completely forgotten the layout of the Seireitei and took a wrong turn despite never losing sight of their destination.

Her confusion turns to shock once she sees the sorry state of the 3rd Division's Captain.

"GIN! What happened?!" She cried rushing to them.

"Oh, just karma being a bitch. Nothing you haven't seen before," Gin shrugged.

"It was Captain Zaraki! He's gone mad with the bloodlust this time and has sided with the Ryoka," Izuru explained frantically.

"He what?" Tōshirō growled as he sees the display of battle happening before them. Ichigo clashes swords against Chōjirō, while Rukia and Matsuri fight and Ikkaku and Yumichika are attacking Shūhei and Momo. Ichigo's friends are about to confront Kaname while the aforementioned Captain traitor is fighting Sajin.

"Unbelievable!"

"Don't you think this has gone too far?!" Rukia whispered while locking herself in a stalemate with Matsuri.

"Trust me when I say I have to stay in my pose for a bit longer. So don't hold back because I can't," Matsuri warned as she pushes the escapee a few feet back, nearly making her lose her balance but Rukia maintains her footing and resumes fighting with Matsuri.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" Ichigo roared and attacks the 1st Division Lieutenant with his full fury.

"Pierce, Gonryōmaru (Stern Spirit)!" Chōjirō howled, transforming his Zanpakutō from an average katana with an ornate double-fanned hand guard and a yellowish-green handle into a rapier that generates purple electricity.

And as his Release Command implies, Chōjirō pierces through the Getsuga Tenshō while his blade and body are wrapped in lightning and charge towards Ichigo who narrowly evades the incoming lightning strike.

"Okay, that was certainly shocking," Ichigo sighed with an admittedly weak pun. 'This guy packs some real power that puts him above the other Lieutenants.'

"You have performed admirably to have come this far, young man. But all hope of defeating us is futile," Chōjirō declared while he points his weapon at Ichigo.

"You people keep saying things like that over and over again as if it'll magically make it a reality when it won't," Ichigo mocked.

"Your arrogance knows no bounds. Then allow me to—" Chōjirō is unable to say anymore as Yachiru charges forward and sucker punches the fellow Lieutenant so hard and spontaneously that Sasakibe could do nothing but get sent flying far away from the battlefield.

"Chōjirō, YOU IDIOT!" His Zanpakutō cried in outrage.

"It was nice knowing him," Getsuhime blurted out.

"Sorry, Whisker. You're really strong but you're also super boring so I rather not let Icchi waste his time with you," Yachiru said while waving Chōjirō goodnight since he is out cold.

"Poor bastard," Ichigo lamented.

"Yachiru, why?!" Momo cried with both rage and anguish. What is happening to the world? Everything is falling apart.

"One mustn't take their eyes off their opponent, Lieutenant," Yumichika whispered while standing behind her, prompting Momo to turn around and clash with Yumichika's ''Fuji Kujaku''.

"Snap, Tobiume!" Momo shouted with her Zanpakutō exploding in flames that Yumichika narrowly avoids.

"I must say, there is a certain beauty to fire that even my Captain can appreciate, and your Tobiume has an aesthetic to her that this annoying birdbrain and I can agree is most appealing so do try to amuse us," Yumichika mused.

"Damn!" Shūhei yelled as he intercepts an attack from Ikkaku who already has his Hōzukimaru's Shikai active.

"I believe you owe me a rematch after you ran away the last time, Shūhei," He smirked.

"Ikkaku, you…" Hisagi uttered with suppressed rage.

"That is it!" Tōshirō shouted as he explodes with his Reiatsu, sending cooling air everywhere. "I am putting an end to this now!"

"Him again," Ichigo whined, now noticing the icicle pipsqueak from before.

"Oh, goody! Frosty is way more exciting than Whisker. Have fun Icchi!" Yachiru cheered as she runs away from the blast radius.

"YOU! This is all your fault!" Tōshirō growled, unsheathing Hyōrinmaru and attacks Ichigo with a massive icicle.

"Ichigo!" Orihime cried.

"You five stay together!" Ichigo warned as he destroys the massive icicle with Getsuhime, followed by parrying a sword swing from Tōshirō that pushed the young Captain a few feet back.

"First an inferno and now an ice age. Can't decide who is unlucky, me or dad,"

"BANKAI!" Tōshirō goes all out with ice flowing from Hyōrinmaru onto himself, starting at his right arm, which ice forms in the shape of a dragon's head around his sword hand, encasing the sword up to the hilt, which also changes from the shape of a four-pointed star to that of an eight-pointed star. The ice continues forming up over his shoulders, with two large wings sprouting from his back and a long tail. The ice forms down his left arm and encases his hand, which ends in a claw. Hitsugaya's feet are similarly encased in ice to his left hand, as they also end in claws.

"Daiguren Hyōrinmaru (Grand Crimson Lotus Ice Ring)!"

"Wow…" Ichigo said in awe at the spectacle before him.

"Get ready, Ichigo Kurosaki. Because this is your end!"

---

I've been waiting to make this last clash between the Ryoka and Shinigami for months, and trust me when I say that the best is yet to come.