Here I am, FINALLY with the next chapter. I sincerely hope that this is the only chapter I write for any story that takes longer than 4 weeks to release. How many times now have I said that 'this chapter was supposed to come out a week ago?' Ugh... Oh well. Real life once again rears its ugly head.

Anyways, thanks as always to everyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited this story!

The sun had risen on another picturesque day over the ruins of the unnamed mid-western American town they'd taken shelter in. Ichigo yawned and stretched, trying to work some of the kinks out of his back. As far as sleeping on hard ground went, the previous night had at least been more comfortable than the other nights. At least this time he'd had a thicker blanket and the warmth of the fire next to him to provide some comfort.

The three Pioneers were already up; their bedrolls deserted. Snow White and Rapunzel were nowhere in sight, while Scarlet was sitting cross-legged, wiping down the blade of her katana with a cloth, her conical hat resting on the pack next to her.

Looking at the other side of the fire, just across from him, Ichigo had to keep from snorting at the sight of Nel sprawled out on her back, still snoring softly.

The sound of footsteps behind him alerted him; Ichigo standing from his blanket and turning to see Snow White approaching; a smile on her face and several fish in her arms, while behind was Rapunzel…

Who still clearly had not recovered from the bombshell that had been dropped on her the previous night. The curvaceous nun's movements were painfully stiff and stilted, and she marched past him without a word, her face so rigid it might as well have been carved from stone. The blonde took her seat on the other side of the embers of the fire, pointedly keeping her back turned and facing the opposite direction.

"Is she… Is she going to be okay? Should I tell her that it's not a big deal?" As funny as he found the situation, he was actually starting to feel kind of bad for Rapunzel.

The towering nun might've had a perverted streak that could've competed with Chizuru's libido, but the nun paradoxically held herself to a strict moral code, one that she'd unknowingly violated repeatedly throughout the last several days.

"I do not know if that will be necessary. My companion merely needs some time to recover from the shock she received."

Ichigo snorted at the delicately chosen words.

"Oi, Rapunzel! You don't have to turn the other direction every time I come near you! Seriously, it's not a big deal."

"T-that's easy for you to say!"

"Rapunzel, whatever unholy imagery you were dreaming of doesn't bother me. Besides, it's going to be a hell of a lot harder for you to show us to the Ark if you can't even look at me."

"W-well… if you say so…"

"Great, now can we please get going- damn it, that's not what I meant!" Ichigo sighed, rolling his eyes as the mortified nun turned around to face him, allowing Ichigo to see that she'd pulled her veil down so that the front fell over her eyes.

…This was going to be a long trip, wasn't it?

Might as well try and change the topic and get the conversation going again.

"So, what's the deal with all of you, anyways?"

"Whatever dost thou mean?"

"I mean… if you three are the remnants of what was the first ever squad of Nikke, what did you do before you were Nikke? Rapunzel already explained to us that Nikke are cyborgs rather than androids."

The awkward pause that arose from his question had Ichigo hoping that he hadn't just put his foot in his mouth.

"If that wasn't appropriate to ask-"

"No, it's fine." Snow White cut in, interrupting the response on Scarlet's lips.

"We were just… surprised by the question. It's been a very long time since any of use gave any thought to that part of our lives. We've all spent far, FAR longer as Nikke than as humans."

"Please, if you're willing to share, I'd appreciate hearing more about all of you," Nelliel chimed in, having woken at the sound of the voices around her, the smell of the fish sizzling over the fire, or both.

"There's not much to say about myself. I volunteered to become a Nikke back when the first invasion started. I'm sure my family would've objected to me signing up, seeing as I was only thirteen years old at the time, but…" Snow White trailed off, her eyes staring into the distance as she recalled memories that had long been buried.

"My father and brothers all served in humanity's allied armed forces during the earliest days of the war… They were amongst the first wave of casualties we faced. Mother had always been a sickly person, and… the shock was too much for her to take. With no one left but myself, I wanted to do everything I could to strike back at the Raptures."

"Damn, that's… I'm sorry I brought it up." Ichigo winced, feeling like a jackass for making one of his benefactors relive her darkest moment.

He couldn't even imagine what he'd do in a situation like that. If he had to go back to a home where Goat-Chin and his sisters weren't waiting for him… He couldn't even imagine what he'd do. Probably throw himself completely into fighting hollows or something.

"…It's in the past. And as much as it might be insensitive to say; my story was hardly unique. Women who lost brothers, sons, or fathers fighting the Raptures signed on to become Nikke by the thousands, and that number only increased as the fighting went on. I was one of the lucky few; after all the Goddess Squad was only six people. There were plans to add more members at one point, but… mmh. That's a story for another time." Snow White sighed, grunting as Scarlet batted one of her hands away from the fish grilling over the fire. Ichigo and Nelliel turned their attention to Scarlet, the samurai woman pausing in maintaining her weapon.

"Rapunzel said a little bit about you when it was just the three of us traveling together. You were from Japan, right?"

"Indeed, I was. My older sister was the heiress to one of Japan's finest kenjutsu dojos, though not for my lack of trying to claim that title from her. …The Raptures besieged our homeland in such numbers that few of us survived. It was only logical that we would seek to become Nikke so as to enact our revenge on those who robbed us of our homes and families. As a countrywoman of thee, it does my heart good to see another soul willing to take the fight to our hated enemy!"

It didn't feel any better, hearing once again that in this twisted, cruel world Japan had been more or less wiped off the map by the Raptures, but now wasn't the time or the place to let stress and shock claim him. Focusing on what Scarlet had said…

'Strange… I get the feeling that there's more to her story, but the gist of it is straightforward enough. Like Snow White, she lost people important to her and wanted to fight back."

"Wait, what about Rapunzel? She hasn't said anything yet."

"Oh! Ah… Well, her story is a little different than ours. She should be the one to tell you."

Rapunzel fidgeted with the hem of her veil, eyes darting left and right.

"Cat got your tongue, Rapunzel? If it's something you'd rather not share-"

"O-oh, not at all! Actually, compared to Scarlet and Snow White, my time before becoming a Nikke was rather uninspired."

"Uninspired, she says!" Scarlet chuckled. Even Snow White snorted in amusement. Ichigo and Nel looked at each other.

They were obviously missing the joke here.

"Your outfit isn't just for show, I know that much. You were a nun or something before becoming a Nikke, right?"

"Something like that. I was a member of the VTC when it was still around-"

"VTC?"

"Oh, my apologies. That's right, you wouldn't be familiar with the VTC. It was the single largest organized religion in the world."

"And you were a… sister is the term, right?"

"Er… not exactly…" Why did Rapunzel look so nervous? Had she left the clergy on bad terms of something?

With a roll of her eyes, Snow White decided it was better to just rip that particular Band-Aid off.

"She was going to be the pope."

Rapunzel froze.

Nelliel's eyebrows rose sigh high they were nearly lost underneath the cracked skull resting on top of her head.

Ichigo was glad he hadn't been drinking anything in that particular moment, otherwise the water would've been sprayed all over himself.

He had to have heard that wrong.

"Uh… sorry. I don't think I heard you right, Snow White. You said-"

"I said she was going to be the pope. Yes, that Pope. You know, the absolute highest authority and guiding leader of the largest unified religion in the world?"

"Okay, I DID hear you correctly. But… really?! Her?!"

"Oh my, it does seem as if thou are quite caught off guard by such a revelation!"

"I mean, who wouldn't be! Isn't the pope supposed to be, you know, all holy and pure and all that stuff?"

"Are you implying that I'm none of those things?!" Rapunzel inquired indignantly.

The palpable silence she received in response was its own answer.

"I was never a religious person, so all I can offer is my own opinion, but the head of the VTC is human just like everyone else. In Rapunzel's case, there would've been no better candidate. I heard from my commander that prior to joining the Goddess Squad, she was quite possibly the most pious, generous, and caring soul around. Even though I wasn't a follower of her religion, I would've considered myself lucky to have been a member of the flock she shepherded."

"Snow White… I…" Rapunzel's cheeks warmed at the praise.

"Of course, that was before our teammate corrupted her. It'd be better not to take anything she says too seriously these days."

Rapunzel's cheeks returned to their usual color as her smile soured, and the clearly miffed woman turned away from her teammates, marching past them with a harrumph.

"Sounds like there's one hell of a story there," Ichigo remarked, unable to disguise the amusement in his voice.

"…It's not much of a story. It just involves one stupid, oversized bumpkin and a whole stack of filthy, perverted magazines. …Our poor Rapunzel never stood a chance. Red Hood's influence was like a bad stain; once it's there it's impossible to get out." Had he not been staring right at her, he would've missed the split second where her exasperation transformed into regretful remembrance.

"I miss her so much…" Snow White sighed, staring down into the crackling fire. The sorrow on her face was gone as quickly as it had appeared; the woman's face brightening as the smell of sizzling fish below her drifted up towards her nose.

It looked like only he had caught the out-of-place expression that had briefly flashed across the woman's face.

Snow White, Rapunzel, and Scarlet were the last of the Goddess Squad. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened to the teammate Snow White had mentioned, nor was he insensitive enough to pry.

"I'm assuming we're hitting the road after we hit?" He spoke up, hoping to steer the conversation in a less uncomfortable direction.

"That's the plan. Rapunzel promised both you and Nelliel that we'd get you to the Ark, and that hasn't changed. Actually, now that we all know that you aren't a human… or at least, not an ordinary one, the going should be much faster by now. How quickly can you travel?"

"I can run fast enough that you don't have to worry about me falling behind." It wasn't something he'd ever bothered to measure, but he was confident that the three Nikke wouldn't have to worry about him lagging behind.

If anything, he'd probably have to pace himself to not put them in the dust.

"Oh, but before we depart… I do hope thou could indulge me," Scarlet spoke, a gleam in her eyes.

"What do you mean-" Ichigo's words trailed off as Scarlet unsheathed her katana.

"Long has it been since I last had the opportunity of locking blades with another!"

"…I'm guessing Raptures don't count?"

"Hardly! They are but beasts, barbarous and mindless! No, I speak of crossing blades with a fellow student of the blade!"

By the downright hungry look in Scarlet's eyes, she clearly had no intentions of backing down. Well, it wasn't like it was a problem with him; a friendly spar was incomparably different than a fight to the death.

"Do you want to eat first, or-"

"If it pleases you; I would prefer to lock blades with you before anything else. It has been so long…"

"Ichigo eyed Scarlet's weapon for a moment. The katana was massive; nearly as tall as the woman herself; but beyond the shape of the blade it didn't resemble any sword he'd ever seen. It looked modern, compared to the traditional katana that Soul Reapers and Arrancar carried; with a hilt that looked to be some kind of plastic composite.

As for the blade itself…

Ichigo had seen the woman slicing apart the metal bodies of the Raptures like they'd been made of paper, so the sharpness of the blade couldn't be denied. There was no spiritual power enhancing the woman's blade or body, so the sword itself couldn't have been made from ordinary metal.

"Oh! So concerned with my weapon, Ichigo? Have no fear, noble one, Fleetly Fading will not cut you, not unless I wish it to."

"Huh? No, that's not it. I've just never seen a katana like it. I guess you could say I'm more used to traditional katana." He'd let it go unsaid that it was her he was worried about hurting.

"Ichigo, are you sure you want to do this?" He turned from Scarlet to look at Nel, a worried expression on her face.

"It's fine, Nel. She wants to spar, and I'd never turn anyone down. Not without good reason, I mean."

Nelliel frowned at his words, the green-haired woman's brow furrowing, but she decided not to press the point with him. He didn't see what the issue was; Scarlet was a friend, not a foe, and if the white-clad drunkard wanted to let loose, he was happy to oblige.

"So… should we find a clear spot to fight? With the state this town is in, I'd rather not knock down any more buildings, accidentally or otherwise."

"That sounds most agreeable to me."

Nothing more needed to be said; Rapunzel was maintaining the campfire making sure everyone's breakfast was cooked properly while making sure Snow White didn't get carried away and steal everyone else's breakfast; and Nel was sitting patiently on a stump next to the campfire, waiting for her own portion to be ready.

"Come along, then. Let us find a battleground most suitable!" Scarlet exclaimed, her ashen hair fluttering in the gentle breeze as she trotted off.

Ichigo followed along after her, and less than a minute later the two were standing in an abandoned parking lot; the collapsed supermarket it serviced home to no one but dust and vermin.

"This must all be very disconcerting for thee, I imagine." Scarlet commented, noticing his wandering eyes.

"...You can say that again. It still doesn't seem real, almost like I'm caught in a dream. It just makes it really sink in; how far from home I am."

Scarlet regarded him with an unreadable look on her face for a moment, before plucking the conical hat off her head and setting it on a crumbling, concrete block next to her, before drawing her sword.

"The world is not a fair place. Sometimes, the only thing one can do is simply stand firm, sword in hand, and cut all that oppresses you."

"Yeah, accept mine and Nel's problem isn't exactly something that can be solved by cutting it with a sword."

"That was not the meaning I intended to convey. You are a warrior, are you not? Despite your youth, you are clearly one who is no stranger to battle. I do not know what trials you have faced in your life up till now, nor do I know what circumstances brought you here, but now that you are here, there is only one course of action available to you!"

"Heh, you got that right!" Adapt or die, and he was nothing if not adaptive. No way in Hell he was kicking the bucket without getting back home to his family and friends!

And no way he was leaving Nel stuck on her own here. He owed her that much.

Zangetsu slipped free of the bindings that kept the great cleaver secured to his back. Settling into a comfortable stance, Zangetsu held before him, Scarlet slipped into what he recognized at a glance as an Iaido stance; her body tensed and sword sheathed.

If this had been a Western; he would've expected a tumbleweed to blow across the cracked pavement next to them. As it was, the two remained still, sizing each other up as the seconds ticked by, the eerie silence around them broken only by the faint sound of the breeze rustling across the fractured buildings around them.

He was looking forward to this; he wouldn't lie. He wasn't the kind of guy to shy away from a fight; and good clean action like this was a rarity these days. No stakes: just crossing blades and butting heads with someone else who loved a good scrap!

And it would be nice to finally get a feel for how good Nikke were in a one-on-one fight. The scales were definitely weighted in his favor; Rapunzel had remarked the other day about how flight apparently wasn't something that Nikke were capable of outside of a few exceptions; and unless Scarlet had been seriously holding back in the battle the previous day against the Rapture horde, the picture he was seeing before him was the complete one.

In other words; no alternate forms to her sword, no energy attacks, nothing.

If anything, he was probably going to have to hold back so that he didn't end their match too quickly.

Scarlet twitched all of a sudden; and in a burst of motion the ashen-haired woman propelled herself forwards, hair streaming behind her as her blade freed itself from its sheath.

Sparks ground out along Zangetsu's edge as he stepped back, blocking the strike to his torso with Zangetsu's side. Scarlet backpedaled quickly, probing his defenses with rapid, measured strikes, each one increasing in intensity.

Ichigo lashed out with one leg, catching Scarlet in the gut and knocking the air out of her with a wheeze.

For a moment, he was worried that he'd used too much force, but Scarlet's regained her posture in moments, nimbly leaping back several paces, her sword returning to its sheath as she dropped into a crouch.

Once again, she lunged forwards like a missile, Fleetly Fading springing from its sheath. Rather than taking the hit again, Ichigo opted to sidestep by way of Shunpo before rocketing forwards, bringing Zangetsu in for an overhead slash.

Either wary of the power he'd displayed yesterday, or more logically simply not wanting to test her long, slender blade against Zangetsu's much broader bulk, Scarlet twisted like a leaf in the wind, darting away with a smile and a scoff.

"Heh, you're a slippery one, I'll give you that!"

"I have to be, I lack the armor and durability that my teammates possess, leaving evasion as my only means of surviving my enemies." Scarlet called back leading Fleetly Fading into lethally graceful assault as Ichigo parried strike after strike from her.

"I must admit, thine blade is quite sturdy! To receive Fleetly Fading's kiss and remain unscathed is no small feat!"

Ichigo performed another Shunpo, the high-speed movement technique carrying him to the opposite end of the parking lot.

After the hell-or-highwater stakes of the Soul Society invasion, followed by the desperate struggles in Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime, this had been a great way to blow off steam.

The smile on Scarlet's face mirrored the one on Ichigo's face. From someone who had come from a sportswoman's background; how long had it been since she'd last used her sword for anything remotely resembling a friendly contest of skill?

That being said…

As much as he had enjoyed the 'spar,' Ichigo couldn't truly call it that. Scarlet had hardly gone all out, but for all that she had been holding back, he had limited himself vastly more. Her strength, agility, and durability eclipsed that of any human swordswoman's by several orders of magnitude.

In fact, he was pretty sure that in physical prowess and sword skill alone she would've outmatched any average Soul Reaper.

The only problem here was that he was as far from an average Soul Reaper as one could get.

Shikai, Bankai, Kido, and every other tool in a Soul Reaper's arsenal. That was something that, for all Scarlet's prowess and decades of experience he just couldn't see her standing up against. When it came down to it all, she was just a woman with a sword and a will.

That wasn't to say he thought she was weak.

If anything, the fact that all she had was a sword made him respect her even more.

It took Scarlet less than three seconds to cross the hundred-foot distance, the ashen-haired samurai's blade locking with his once more.

"You're fast too, I'll give you that!" Ichigo grunted; opting to break the lock by utilizing his larger mass- both Zangetsu's and his own body's, to ram Scarlet, knocking her off balance. Scarlet skidded back several feet, her katana cutting into the ground as she slowed herself to a stop.

"And thou are quite strong, Ichigo! I daresay the last time I was swept off my feet by a man was before I became a Nikke! You certainly know how to show a girl a good time!"

"I'll take the compliment! …Do you want to keep going?"

"Mmm… Nay, I am fine concluding our duel, brief as it was, here. Even a duel of but a minute or two is more than I have been blessed to receive in nearly a hundred years. And… I am no fool. I may have pride in my own abilities, but after seeing what thou were capable of yesterday… I will not rush headlong towards my own doom. Though a pitched battle would be a different matter entirely, I do not believe anything in my own arsenal capable of matching those energy blasts of yours. Perhaps another day, we will spar longer, but without proper medical services available, it would be unwise to get carried away."

"Hey, hey. This was a friendly spar; I wasn't going to use anything like the Getsuga Tenshō here." And that should've been obvious; Scarlet wasn't a Soul Reaper, Quincy, or spiritually sensitive human like his friends were. He'd used it plenty of times in spars previously, but that had been against people whose capabilities he knew.

'She's definitely a master of the blade… she moves like someone from one of those old Samurai movies Goat-Chin is a huge fan of… Makes me feel almost like a toddler waving around a butterknife.' He wasn't being fair to himself, he knew, but Scarlet's graceful sword dance truly made it seem like she'd stepped right out of some Jidaigeki period piece.

"Oh ho… My thanks to thee, Ichigo, for humoring wayward swordswoman's whims."

"Any time, Scarlet, any time."

It was just a damn shame she wasn't a soul reaper. He would've loved seeing what shape the sword of Scarlet's soul would've taken on.

"Shall we return to our companions? I fear if we tarry any longer, Snow White and your companion will eat the remainder of our supplies."

"…We've only been gone a few minutes, Scarlet," Ichigo deadpanned, the bandages binding Zangetsu to his back while Scarlet sheathed her sword. His response was the raising of a slender, ashen eyebrow.

"Do you truly think that will stop them?"

"…Point taken. Let's move."

"Looks like we got back just in time," Ichigo remarked, upon seeing the significant decrease in the camp's foraged food supplies.

"Well, you were taking too long, and I was hungry…" Snow White grumbled, as Ichigo grabbed one of the last two remaining fish for himself. Nelliel said nothing, but the smudges on her lips indicated she too had not bothered waiting for him or Scarlet to return before enjoying her meal.

"We were gone not even ten minutes, Snow."

"Hey, I didn't eat everything! There's still a bit left for you and Ichigo."

"How kind of you," Scarlet sighed, claiming the fish Ichigo hadn't touched for herself.

"Did you enjoy sparring with him?" Snow White spoke after a moment.

"I did! To have not one but two fellow students of the blade to test my steel against after so long… truly, today has been a blessed day! Ah, but I would not want to leave thou out, if thee wishes to practice as well," Scarlet breathed, a relaxed smile on her face as she turned her attention to Nelliel; whose Zanpakuto remained sheathed by her side as always.

"If you wish to cross blades with me as well-"

"I'll have to turn down your offer. While I don't mind training for the purpose of getting stronger, or practicing in a controlled environment, I'd prefer to focus on more important matters," Nelliel replied, straightening up and brushing off her borrowed poncho.

"It wouldn't be for long, Ichigo and I were not gone more than ten minutes-"

Nelliel shook her head, the waves of free-flowing verdant green rippling behind her.

"I'm quite certain. Thank you for the offer, but I will respectfully decline."

The smile on Scarlet's face faded slightly, with Snow White and Rapunzel levying questioning glances at Nelliel.

Ichigo grimaced. Nel hadn't meant to come across as insensitive, and she certainly had valid reasons for using as little energy as possible, but at the same time it wasn't like she was in imminent danger of reverting to her tiny, helpless form. He had barely expended any spiritual power in his brief contest of skill with Scarlet.

"Nel, a quick warm-up with Scarlet won't hurt either of you. She's just trying to be friendly."

"I… you're right. I'm sorry, Scarlet, I must have come across as rather rude just now. I do wish to reach the Ark as soon as possible, but I suppose there's no harm in spending a few more minutes to bond before we depart."

"Excellent! Your sword is quite different compared to Ichigo's great blade; I will be looking forward to seeing how you handle your sword!"

Well, even though Nel still held an apprehensive look on her face, Ichigo wouldn't deny that he was interested in seeing how a spar between the lithe swordswoman and the buxom Arrancar would go.

The food was gone by now, and Rapunzel was almost done packing away the camping supplies they'd been using. Snow White kicked some dirt over the embers of their campfire to smother any lingering flames, and that was that.

Once Scarlet had her fill of controlled violence, they'd hit the road.

The swordswoman's conical hat bobbed up and down as she strode down the cracked street, paying no heed to the moldering ruins around her. Rapunzel and Scarlet followed ambled along behind their squad mate, leaving Ichigo and Nel to bring up the rear of their little procession.

"You know, Nel, you don't need to do this if you don't want to," Ichigo spoke, seeing that his friend-from-home was still frowning.

"Hmm? Oh, it's fine Ichigo. I don't mind sparring with anyone so long as it doesn't get out of hand."

"…I'm guessing that friendly spars weren't too common back in Hueco Mundo?"

"Sadly, no. I trained with my fracción whenever I was able to, but beyond them there were few at Hueco Mundo interested in any contest of strength that did not end with their foe dead on the sands before them."

"Well, you won't have to worry about that here. Just have some fun with Scarlet; she's not expecting any flashy moves or anything so you don't have to worry about using up too much power at once."

Nel hummed thoughtfully at the words, her frown fading into a more placid expression, before she too left the remains of their campsite to follow the Pioneers farther down the road.

Ichigo cast one last look behind him at the riverside camp. It was strange, the things that stuck in one's memory, but he doubted he'd forget the previous night even long after he returned home. It had been his first truly positive experience in what had otherwise been an unmitigated disaster.

Ichigo didn't play the role of the observer too much, but this was one instance where he didn't mind standing on the sidelines. He felt like he'd gotten a good feel for what Scarlet was capable of, but he had yet to see Nel in action, even if it was only for a brief, controlled bout.

The two swordswomen stood across from each other, a dozen paces apart in the same ruined parking lot that he and Scarlet had sparred in.

"I still can't imagine how someone who isn't a Nikke can move like he can-"

"Quiet, Snow!" Ichigo paid the two women standing near him no mind as Rapunzel shushed her smaller teammate. His attention was entirely focused upon the two warriors ahead of him; one short and slender, the other tall and full-figured. Nel was the third ranked Espada, or at least she had been at one point. Did that make her a Privaron Espada like Dordoni, who by his number might've been the third-ranked Espada earlier in his life? The mustachioed Arrancar hadn't held a candle to Grimmjow, but he'd been far from the pushover Ichigo was expecting.

He hadn't seen much of what Nel could do up till now, other than brief reminders of her latent supernatural strength, and the speed at which she could move.

Watching her fight was an entirely different matter, and Scarlet was no mindless rabble like the few weak Raptures he'd seen Nel destroy here and there over the last week.

'Not like I'm expecting either of them to put in much effort here; neither one wants to hurt each other, but at least it should give me an idea of how Nel would fight in a series battle.'

Or it would, if either combatant would start moving. They sure were taking a long time to size each other up. Scarlet had slipped into the same Iaido pose he'd seen earlier, while Nel by comparison looked disarmingly relaxed; her unsheathed sword held loosely at her side.

After what felt like ages, but was really only a few more seconds, Scarlet burst into action, leading with her sword just like when she'd dueled him.

Unlike Ichigo, Nelliel didn't bother blocking with her sword. In fact, she didn't bother blocking at all- there was a burst of static as she disappeared from Scarlet's view, before Scarlet yelped in surprise as Nel lashed out with a leg, using the close-range Sonído to trip her opponent up!

To Scarlet's credit, she didn't go tumbling to the ground and regained her footing after managing to curl into an awkward roll to save herself from a spill on the cracked pavement.

"…Clever, using my momentum against me. But do not think that thou will embarrass me like that again!" Scarlet frowned, regarding Nel warily. The horned Arrancar said nothing in response, her slender blade coming free of its scabbard as she paced around her humbled foe.

Scarlet began her assault once again. Whereas Ichigo had opted to parry or block the samurai Nikke's blows, Nel opted to evade them entirely, her graceful footwork allowing her to slip around and between each slash and strike as if they were coming for her in slow motion!

"T-Thou are far nimbler than I had expected!" Scarlet grunted, voicing everyone's opinion out loud. Then, in an instant as she overextended, Nel lashed out, not with her blade but with the sheath held firmly in her other hand.

The breath left Scarlet in a gasp as she staggered backwards, momentarily stunned, before with a startled cry she was sent skidding backwards as Nel slammed one long, pale leg into her torso!

Ichigo, Snow White, and Rapunzel all winced as Scarlet took the full force of the roundhouse kick square to the chest, the slender woman hitting the ground with a loud thud, a small cloud of dust kicking up from the impact.

He'd been worried that Nel had used too much force and that she'd accidentally hurt their new friend, but a quick glance showed him that the downed swordswoman was already picking herself up off the ground. Nel, far from an unsporting opponent was there, hand outstretched to help Scarlet up.

"I… I believe that were it not for my own astonishment, I would feel rather frustrated about being so thoroughly humbled. I failed to lay even a single blow upon thee, while failing to even coax thee into drawing thine blade."

"You give yourself too many openings. It's easy to see where you will attack from." Nel's words weren't insulting but instead simply factual; almost coaching.

Scarlet stiffened, eyes widening, before nodding her head.

"I… That is fair criticism, I suppose. I have no one but myself to blame for letting my skills slip so greatly. Time is a harsh teacher; one hundred years of fighting Raptures, those mindless beasts that know not of swordplay or dignity, have done little for helping me hone my skills as a swordswoman. As a warrior, I can slay Raptures all day long, but such repetitive monotony does not facilitate any proper challenge."

"Please, don't be upset! If you want to practice more-"

"I will decline, thank you. It occurs to me that I have caused enough delay in our mission of helping you and Ichigo reach the Ark." Scarlet spoke curtly, returning Fleetly Fading to its sheathe.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, Nelliel. Thank you for your time. And you as well, Ichigo," Scarlet spoke, addressing him this time.

"In truth, I would very much like to keep going, to test my skills that I fear have long grown rusty, but continuing would be unwise. I would very much like to test my strength against the power thou displayed yesterday, Ichigo. And thou as well, Nelliel. It is plain as day that the two of you are holding much back for my own sake. Alas, I shall have to put up with the indignity of such a poor showing of my own skills for now."

"If it helps, Scarlet, you're plenty strong. Your technique is way better than mine." Not a lie in the slightest, considering she'd learned from her family dojo while he'd just adapted to using Zangetsu after years of his fists being his main weapons.

"If you've really only been fighting Raptures for the last century, then it's not your fault you haven't been able to properly practice." What he left unsaid was that it was also not fair for the swordswoman to try to measure herself against him or Nelliel. If she wanted to keep up with him, then she needed to be at least as fast as Grimmjow, and if she wanted to keep up with Nel…

Well, he just couldn't see that happening, unless Scarlet had been holding back to the point that she could match the agile Arrancar's Sonído through pure physical speed alone. He didn't know how much Nel's broken mask was weakening her, but if she could move like that even while weakened, then there probably wasn't much of a chance of Scarlet beating her in a straight fight. The Nikke had been holding back as well, but Nel's upper limits likely eclipsed Scarlet's by several orders of magnitude.

With the brief 'fight' over, Scarlet and Nel walked over to them. Nel's face held a hint of worry to it, while the calm mask on Scarlet's face looked peaceful… if not for the downturn of her lips hinting at the frustration boiling beneath the surface.

"Scarlet…"

"You okay?"

"I will be fine. Let us be off. We have a duty to carry out to our new friends, no?" Scarlet replied to her concerned teammates, giving no outward indication that she was anything other than calm.

The group began their march onwards once again, Nel and Ichigo trailing behind the three Pioneers.

"…Do you think that was wrong of me, Ichigo?"

"I mean, that was a little harsh. She was only looking to have some fun; probably wouldn't have hurt to have gone easier on her." Nelliel wilted at the words, her brown eyes downcast. The Arrancar waited for their guides to continue just far enough down the street that they were in sight but out of earshot before replying to him.

"…I was trying to go easy on her."

Ichigo's eyebrows rose. That had been Nel going easy?

"If I'd wanted to, I could've stopped her from drawing her sword in the first place. If this experience was disheartening for her, I don't want to imagine how she would've reacted if I'd been fighting normally."

"You're exaggerating-"

"It isn't. For all the enhancements these Nikke have undergone; they lack many of the abilities that Soul Reapers and Arrancar take for granted. Without a highspeed movement ability like Sonído or Shunpo, she just can't keep up with either of us. I'm not at all familiar with what this world considers modern technology, but I suppose in the end it's not substitute for the natural abilities of an Arrancar or the learned techniques of a Soul Reaper."

Ichigo frowned at the words. Nel was right, he knew, but it felt like they were being unfair to Scarlet and her friends.

'It almost feels like we're making light of everything she's worked for. Using a sword clearly isn't the norm here, and that was her thing right up until Nel and I showed up.'

In other words, he and Nel had shown up out of the blue and slapped Scarlet across the face with the realization that two complete strangers she'd just met were better than her at everything that gave her meaning.

It wasn't like he couldn't empathize with her; he knew what it was like, having the rug yanked out from under you and finding out the hard way that you were just a small fish in a very large pond.

It made him think about just how much he'd taken for granted up till now. What would he have done if he'd ended up in this strange world without Zangetsu? If he'd been thrown into a cruel, hostile world with nothing but his wits and his will, would he have faired any better? Scarlet at least had decades of experience under her belt, and Ichigo knew he'd only barely scratched the surface of the horrors of this world.

Scarlet had lost comrades, people she'd cared about and trusted to watch her back. Ichigo didn't want to- couldn't imagine how awful that must have been.

'Which is why I need to find a way home regardless of whatever this place throws at me! Not just for my own sake, but for everyone counting on me back home, I can't let them think I just up and ditched them right when everything was going down!'

Ichigo had never bothered to measure just how fast he could run or how long he could maintain a jog for when out of his human body, and if he'd ever wondered what those answers would've been, he was fairly close to finding out.

He'd worked up a decent sweat, running side by side with Nel as the empty countryside passed by in a blur beside them.

Without any Raptures around to interrupt them, the cross-country trek was passing in uneventful silence.

It wasn't until new shapes began forming on the horizon that the group finally began slowing down.

After spending several days in the flat farmlands of North America, seeing such a vast mountain range on the horizon was more than a little jarring. He couldn't even see where it ended or began! It was just there, great crags of rock and towering snow-capped peaks reaching into the heavens, stretching from one end of the horizon to the other! Even the terrain this far out was already beginning to change; the empty grasslands beginning to transition to the low foothills preceding the looming mountains ahead.

Ichigo didn't know how many miles they'd come; with the knowledge that he wasn't bound by human limitations; their five-person group had traveled at top speed across the wastes, their average speed being something that would've taken an ordinary human a fast car to match.

The quintet brought their advance across the old world to a halt at an abandoned diner nearby. Like every other building he'd seen so far, the place was half-ruined only serviceable by the standards of this post-apocalyptic world. Half of the blocky, neon-lit letters that had once spelled out the establishment's name were missing, and the other half were unlit anyway. Snow White and Scarlet trotted inside, without hesitation, leaving Ichigo and Rapunzel alone with Rapunzel.

"It pains my heart to say so, but we'll likely be parting ways soon." The announcement from Rapunzel came like a bomb dropping on him and Nel, the Soul Reaper and Arrancar coming to a screeching halt.

"You three aren't kicking us out, are you?"

"Oh, heavens no! It's just… well, all journeys must come to and end. It's been a true pleasure meeting both of you and spending these last few days together, but there's not much distance left before you've reached territory where forces from the Ark can pick you up."

"We're finally entering friendly territory, Rapunzel?" Ichigo replied, earning a shake of the shapely blonde's head.

"I wouldn't exactly call any territory on the surface friendly territory, but we are drawing close the territory surrounding the Ark's location, where the Ark's forces regularly patrol. All you have to do is keep heading inwards. I imagine it won't take long for a scanner or camera within one of the Ark's reconnaissance stations to spot both of you."

"...You sound like you aren't coming with us."

"We aren't. Or rather… we can't." Rapunzel sighed, shifting her staff from one shoulder to the other.

"Us Pioneer… we have our reasons for remaining separated from the Ark. Our duty is here, scouring the surface for Raptures wherever we find them and purging them before they can threaten the Ark."

"Wait, you mean you're just going to go back to wandering? Aimlessly fighting Raptures?"

"That's not what I meant! And it's certainly not aimless! Just… we have our reasons for not going to the Ark, Ichigo."

He didn't like the sound of that, but at the same time… it wasn't his place to question his benefactor.

"Oh… I was hoping you could come with us to the Ark. Does this mean we'll be parting ways so soon after meeting?" If Ichigo had been bummed out by that revelation, then Nelliel sounded despondent.

"Oh dear, I didn't mean it like that at all! You're making it sound like we'll never see each other again! Sorry, I should've phrased my words better," Rapunzel sighed, flushing in shame.

"You two won't be leaving until tomorrow morning. This is a good place to make camp for the night, and with the Ark's territory in range, there's no need to continue the pace we've been going at today. It is true that we'll be separating for the time being, but something tells me that we'll be fighting together side by side in the future!"

"You're damn right! After everything you did for both of us, Rapunzel, I'm not going to let you just keep fighting alone! Nel and I… we just need to get situated first." Ichigo admitted. Once he and Nel had made it to the Ark, that would solve their biggest problem; the lack of a 'home base' to ride out this unplanned detour in his life. And hey, it was a snowball's chance in Hell, but maybe he'd find some hints about how to get back home in the Ark.

If nothing else, he'd find a way to help Nel get her power back while they were here, away from Aizen and the Arrancar loyal to him.

He'd get Nel back to full strength before both of them went back home, not after. Ulquiorra, Aizen, Nnoitra, and all his other enemies were waiting for him back home, and first things first, he needed to make sure he was strong enough to stand an actual chance against all of them. Nnoitra had kicked his ass, but that had been because the coward had taken advantage of his exhaustion following his fight with Grimmjow. Ulquiorra, on the other hand, had more or less taken everything Ichigo had thrown at him without blinking, before impaling with a hand- seriously, who did that- and left him lying on the floor like trash to be disposed of.

And he didn't know exactly how strong Aizen was, or how many tricks the traitor had up his sleeve, but it went without saying that if he couldn't stand up to Ulquiorra, he wouldn't stand a chance against Aizen.

He needed to get stronger. He needed to get better. That was the only blessing about being dumped in this ruined world. There was no Aizen, no Arrancar invading, no hollows to hunt. It was just him and Nel, and until they had a clear way home, there was no time limit on fixing Nel's form and honing his own skills.

The sound of something heavy and metallic crashing to the floor inside the old diner had all three of them jolting in surprise.

"Oh dear, I hope they aren't getting into trouble in there." Rapunzel sighed, sounding more exasperated than concerned.

"Might as well see what they're getting up to in there," Ichigo stated, pushing open the rusted door.

Once inside, it was quickly established to Ichigo that the noise he'd just heard had been Snow White ripping a door entirely off its hinges; which was now lying at her feet.

The riflewoman had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Um… Sorry for startling you three. …I got excited."

"What she means," Scarlet began with a drawn-out sigh, "Is that she saw a picture of a pie through the window, mistook it for actual food, and ripped the door clean of its hinges before realizing that what she saw was nothing more than an illustration."

"It's been so long since I've eaten anything that was baked…" The white-haired warrior grumbled.

A false alarm, then. Good to know that there weren't enemies lurking inside. Not that that he expected anything to be capable of threatening the five of them, but still.

"So, what's next? Is there anything Nel and I should know before we split up?"

"It's a good thing you asked, this probably should've been brought up sooner, but watch your backs once you reach the Ark." Snow White replied, clearly eager to move the conversation along.

"What do you mean?"

"…The two of you are new to all of this. New and different. Everything we know from personal experience as well as outside observation, is that the Central Government that oversees the Ark doesn't take well to anything new. Anything and everything in the Ark is controlled by them, and if someone who isn't under their control comes along…"

Ah.

Yeah, he knew right away what Snow White meant. For as many good people as there were back at the Soul Society, it still didn't change the fact that it was a twisted, backwards place.

The fact that the damn afterlife was rife with poverty and inequality was just… Ichigo still had trouble putting into words how fucked up that was.

And his personal opinion aside; the fact that nobody had bothered to question and order from who they thought was the central 46, about executing Rukia for saving him and his family…

Yeah, it wasn't inaccurate to say that as far as things went, he and big government really didn't get along.

If the people who ran the Ark were anything like the old bastards in charge of the Soul Society, Ichigo could already envision the tensions that his and Nel's presence would cause.

'At least here, we're the strongest people around. If push comes to shove… I don't want to think about what would happen, but I guess Nel and I would just find Rapunzel and her friends again. Making enemies out of the only bit of civilization left would suck, but it beats letting them walk all over us.'

"So, in other words, play by the Ark's rules, don't flaunt our powers unless it's absolutely necessary, and don't try and step on anyone in charge's toes."

"That's more or less the best advice I can give you."

"You shouldn't have any issues passing for an ordinary human, Ichigo, and as far as noticeable physical attributes go, the, um, skull on Nelliel's head isn't too far-fetched. When you make first contact with the Ark tomorrow- likely a Nikke patrol sent to investigate the surface- so long as the two of you hide your powers you shouldn't attract any unwanted attention. It won't be hard to pass yourselves off as a lone human and a lost Nikke returning to the Ark."

"We don't need any kind of identification, do we? Like a driver's license, birth certificate, or anything like that?"

"Just stick to a simple story. Both of you lost any Ark-issued IDs on the surface and you need new ones. …It's not much, admittedly, but its better than the truth."

"Fair enough." It wasn't like there was going to be a customs office or anything to go through; traveling to the Ark was going to be quite a bit different than, say, traveling abroad back in his home world.

"So… I guess that's it, then. We'll be out of your hair tomorrow."

"Oh, please! Thou make it sound like bringing the two of thee to the Ark was some great chore!"

Scarlet's firm statement put a smile on his face; it was glad to see that the sparring from earlier hadn't soured the relationship between them.

"I know I must sound like a broken record by now, but making new friends… Oh, I almost wish we didn't have to part ways! But if the two of you are trying to find your way home, you'll have much better luck inside the Ark than just wandering the surface!" The towering blonde smiled sadly.

"Thank you all, especially you, Rapunzel. Without you, Nel and I might still be stuck wandering aimlessly. Once the two of us get settled in the Ark… we'll come find you all again. Scarlet, we both owe you another spar!"

"Hmph! Indeed thou do! Thou and Nelliel both! I represented myself quite poorly earlier, so count on receiving much more stern opposition when next we cross blades!"

"Heh, I'm counting on it!" Ichigo grinned, finally looking forward to the future. It had been a long, slow ride to get this far, but with the Ark finally in sight, he and Nel's long march through the nothingness of this world was ending. With the stability of the Ark, they wouldn't have to worry about the basic necessities of life. Urahara was kind of a jackass, and he detested the idea of owing anything to Captain Kurotsuchi, but between the two of them, he was sure it was only a matter of time before they created some kind of way to find him and Nel and get them back home.

It was just a matter of waiting now.

(((Hueco Mundo, AWOL Substitute)))

"Is that true?!"

"Yes... The last I saw of him, he was vanishing into the darkness. But he wasn't dead."

Rukia's eyes closed, the short woman letting out a drawn-out sigh of relief.

"I... When his spiritual pressure suddenly disappeared... I thought the worst... Hah! I should've known that jerk would be too stubborn to just roll over and die to one of these Espada!"

"While Ichigo Kurosaki's continued survival is without a doubt a good thing, the fact of the matter remains that our primary mission here in Hueco Mundo is a failure. The Captain Commander will not be pleased."

"Oi, Kuchiki. I think we've got bigger problems now. There's what, eight Espada on the loose? The way I see it, Kurosaki's on his own, wherever he is. We can either go and look for him, or we can get back to taking down these Espada."

The captain of the Sixth Division was silent for a moment, frowning at his fellow captain's words.

"Loathe as I am to agree with Captain Zaraki on anything, he has a point. Whatever trouble Ichigo Kurosaki has gotten himself into, it will have to wait until after we've dealt with the Espada here."

"Then may I suggest this? Captain Zaraki, Captain Kuchiki, I suggest the two of you continue onward to deal with any Espada you encounter. I will ensure Rukia and Orihime leave Hueco Mundo safely. The rest of their friends as well. Isane should be long finished healing their large friend by now, and judging by Captain Kurotsuchi's spiritual pressure, his own battle must be close to finishing. Lieutenant Abarai and Uryu Ishida are with him."

Rukia and Orihime exchange relieved smiles. Despite the tense situation, all of their friends were in one piece.

"Hmph, good enough for me! Oi, Kuchiki? You comin'?"

"Don't speak to me so carelessly. But our objective is clear. Until Kurosaki's friends have safely evacuated Hueco Mundo, I shall ensure that there are no foes capable of raising a blade against them."

Orihime felt a strange numbness within her as she followed Rukia and Captain Unohana through Laz Noches's grim halls. There was no denying that she was glad that she'd soon be reunited with her friends and to leave this awful place behind, but the thought that Ichigo wouldn't be there to return home with her was nauseating. Even if he wasn't dead- and he wasn't, knowing that something terrible had happened to him because of her was going to eat away at her.

What was she going to tell Tatsuki, Keigo, and the rest of their friends? What was she going to tell Ichigo's sisters?

Hopefully Mr. Urahara could figure out how to bring Ichigo back quickly...

Author's Notes:

There's a lot that I could say right now, but mostly I'm sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out. The last quarter of it was completely dragged down by IRL stuff (I had the chapter about 70% a week and a half ago, and the IRL stuff combined with writer's block seriously hampered this chapter. But hey, I got to celebrate my grandmother's 100th birthday with the extended family, so that was nice.

I can also definitively say that I feel like the first 2/3 of this chapter are just much better written than the last third, but damn it after numerous revisions this is the best I could do, and I'm running late enough as it is.

I know I said I wouldn't touch Bleach powerscaling with a ten foot pole, but that doesn't apply to Nikke powerscaling, mostly because there's very little actually known about Nikke power levels. I just want to address some stuff in this chapter real quick...

First off, Scarlet is NOT weak, and in fact is definitely in the upper half of the Nikke cast's strong characters. These just weren't circumstances that allowed her to go anywhere close to serious. That being said, I'm not going to falsely make Nikke characters suddenly a match for Bleach characters. Scarlet's a lot stronger/better than this chapter showed, but that doesn't mean she's beating Ichigo or Nel in a straight fight. Not even close. Unrelated, but its still annoying as hell writing her.

This chapter, also saw MANY revisions/rewrites to get even close to a state I liked. The original idea didn't even have a full chapter dedicated to Ichigo and Nel spending time with Pioneer, but after some thinking I decided it'd be a waste of great characters to only have Pioneer in the story (at this point) for not even 1 full chapter.

The ending scene was also glossed over, because my original plan when I was outlining this chapter a month ago I was going to have a big sort of 'going away' party for the five, until I realized that was literally how the previous chapter ended, and being repetitive like that is just bad writing.

Anyways, that's all for now. I sincerely hope you all have more fun reading this chapter than I did writing it. I'm going to do my best to ensure the next chapter doesn't get away from me, so that it's A) more fun to write, and B) doesn't take 4.5 weeks to write.