Hi. Aren't I early?

Remember the 'Bount Case'? Well, here is a chapter dedicated to Team IURR's most difficult, challenging, and emotionally devastating mission EVER...Of All Time. Better get the tissue boxes ready for this (me included).

Disclaimer: RWBY and Bleach belongs to their respective creators.

Scatter*BRAIN Presents

A Team IURR Short

The Bount Case

Also Known As

The Sakuya Massacre

[One Year Ago.]

Machine guns flared.

[Team IURR's Second Year.]

People are being cut down.

This wasn't supposed to happen...

Ichigo runs through the village in the night.

How could this have happened?

He gritted his teeth.

This shouldn't have happened...

The battle rages some ways away as Ichigo runs through the blood-soaked pavement, leaping over dead carcasses of the village resistance group and the Bount Group. He stops at the village square, where more carnage laid. His face twisted in horror and disgust at the sight. He faintly hears muffled crying in one of the crumbling buildings. Ichigo looks inside one as she searches for the origin. There he sees a young boy huddled in the corner. Ichigo knelt to the boy's level as he walked slowly to him. "Excuse me?" The boy stiffened at the sound of his voice. "Hey, it's okay. You're safe now." Ichigo said in a soft, kind tone. A tone he typically reserved for children. "Don't worry. I'm a student from Beacon Academy. I'm here to help—"

*BANG* Ichigo flinched at the warning shot. The boy was holding a rifle in his shaky hands. Ichigo then noticed a sickening smell. The smell of blood. He looks down to see that the boy is missing a leg, a trail of blood coated the child's way into the building.

"Stay away from me!" the child shouted.

Shaking out of the shock of seeing a young boy carrying such a dangerous weapon, Ichigo spoke to him again as he walked a little more slowly, as to not scare the boy. "It's okay. I'm not here to hurt you. I'll take you to—" the boy shot another warning shot.

"Don't lie to me!" the child shouted. "That Huntress lady said the same thing. She said she could help, but she betrayed us! Turns out that she was an executive member! She—" the boy's eyes turned glassy before he collapsed, dropping the rifle in the process. Ichigo hurried over to the child's side.

He wasn't breathing.

He was turning ghost white.

His heart stopped beating.

He's…dead.

Ichigo's grip tightened on the young body. How could this have happened? They had everything under control. And on top of all that, Uryū is missing. Ichigo hopes that Renji finds him before anything bad happen to him. Ichigo gently laid the dead child down and placed his hand over the child opened eyes, closing them. Disheartened, Ichigo walked out of the building.

On instinct, Ichigo grabs his Zangetsu to block an attack from behind. The attacker was a dark-skinned woman with long, dark green hair, and matching eyes. Her weapon is a pair of big, sharp-edged red hand fans. Ichigo knew who she was. She was the Huntress that went 'missing', Lu Songshi. The woman smirked before leaping off Zangestu, backflipping, and landing gracefully. "Aren't I lucky. I get to fight you." Ichigo gritted his teeth.

"I don't time for this!"

"Well, too bad!" Lu strikes at him, Ichigo blocks it with Zangestu. "'Cause you're gonna have to get through me!" Ichigo struggled to keep himself grounded. He pushes the woman away. The woman laughed. "Is that all you—?"

"I said I don't have time for this!" Ichigo shouted, swinging his sword and sending a powerful shockwave at the Huntress. It hit and sends the woman into a building, knocking her out. While a victory, it was hollow, due to the damage that had already been done. "Damn it… Goddamnit all…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rukia, by way of her Freeze Semblance, trapped some Bount subordinates with ice. She sheathes back her Ice Dust Crystal Sword. "Now, you boys stay here and think about what you have done while the authorities come to pick you up." She said to them and sprints into a run. That was the fifth team of goons she has come across all night. Just how many more are there?

Suddenly, Kon appeared over her shoulder. "As expected of Big Sis! Say, since I was able to scout these guys out, can I have the privilege to caress you—" He was silenced by Rukia offhand-backhanding.

Rukia felt a presence from a building nearby. Her hand was hovering over Sode no Shirayuki's hilt when she realized that she recognized the Aura Pressure. Not a moment later, Renji Abarai breaks through a window and to the outside. He lands on the bricked ground in front of Rukia.

"Renji?" Rukia identified. The crimson-haired man stood tall, in his tanned arms is the unconscious form of Uryū Ishida. Rukia immediately ran over to her teammates as Renji placed Uryū on the ground, propped up against a wall. He took off the jacket he was wearing and put it over his friend. "How is he?" Rukia asked as she knelt next to Uryū. She notices that he doesn't have his glasses on.

"Dunno. I found him this way and he's been like it ever since." Renji said. "I've already called for assistance from the Atlesian squad, but it may be a while due to the Grimm. This is way beyond our control…"

"Where did you find him?" Rukia asked.

"In some bunker not too far from here."

"What happened to your face?"

"Huh?" Renji questioned before noticing the small bruise on his cheek. "…O-oh, it's nothing. Just some mook tried to cold-cock me."

Rukia places a hand on Uryū's face, cupping his cheek. His skin is pallid, more so than usual, and cold and clammy, and his breathing is slightly erratic. What did those…monsters did to him? "Renji, you go meet up with Ichigo. I'll stay here with Uryū and wait for reinforcement. Somebody needs to watch over him."

"Right, you be careful." Renji said.

"You too." Rukia said. After Renji left, Rukia does a once over on Uryū. She checked his pulse, noting the rapid heart rate, and then she lifts his eyelid. His pupil is dilated, but due to it being dark out, Rukia takes out her Scroll and turns on the flashlight to shine it in the eye. The pupil didn't constrict. Is Uryū drugged?

Kon appeared over her shoulder again. "Big Sis, your brother is here."

Rukia turns to see her brother, an elite member of the Atlesian military, Colonel Byakuya Kuchiki. He wears a custom made Atlesian uniform: a white samurai jinbaori surcoat with a periwinkle underside and dark periwinkle lapels and a high collar with light gold edges and small, light gold tassels attached to the corners. He also wears a long, light periwinkle kimono with white stripes running down the center and sleeves, which is tied at his waist with a long piece of white fabric that hangs down in two long loops in the front. He wears white, elbow-length gauntlets over his fingerless white tekkō and white greaves over black boots. He wears the Kuchiki family kenseikan in his shoulder-length black hair, white silk scarf, and the Kuchiki Bracers. Attached to the fabric around his waist is his sword, Sendonzakura, a kyu-ginto with a lavender hilt and white scabbard.

"Brother." Rukia acknowledged. Byakuya nods in greeting.

"I see the search for Uryū Ishida was a success." The man said stoically.

"Yes, thanks to Renji."

Byakuya comes over and carefully lifts the young Quincy in his arms, allowing his head to rest on Byakuya's shoulder. "How is he?"

"His skin is clammy and cold to the touch, his breathing is uneven, his heart rate is fast, and his pupils remained dilated even after shining a light. I think he might be drugged." Rukia told him. "As for anything else, we are unsure."

"I'll take him the camp then. He'll receive medical treatment there. What will you do, Rukia?"

"Huh?"

"There is no shame in accompanying me and Ishida back to the camp, as you are worried for him. There is also no shame in rendezvousing with Kurosaki and Renji, as you have a mission. Which do you choose?" Byakuya asked.

Rukia thought for a moment. She does want to keep an eye on Uryū and stay with him so that way he'd wake up to a familiar face. However, Byakuya is a familiar enough face and Ichigo and Renji may need some backup.

"I'll meet up with Ichigo and Renji." She said. "Please take care of Uryū."

"…Of course."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ichigo finds himself at the village square, where more casualties are laid in bloody heaps. He tightened his fists in bottled frustration that threatens to spill over. When will this end?

"Ichigo." He turns to see Renji.

"Renji, did you find Ishida?"

"Yeah, he's with Rukia right now, waiting extraction."

Ichigo let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "…That's good."

They heard someone click their tongue. "I knew I should have installed actual surveillance instead of using Ugaki's creations." A man with a light accent said. The look to see two men walking to the square. One man was well dressed and had neatly combed brown hair. Coiled around his shoulders are a pair of live, venomous snakes. With him is an imposing man with piercing red eyes and starch white hair. He is Jin Kariya, the leader of the Bount Group.

"Don't fret, Utagawa." Kariya smirked. "Once we get rid of the pests, you can retrieve our little…white mouse."

Utagawa smirk menacingly, his snakes hissing. It made Ichigo's blood boil. "What did you do to him?"

"…Wouldn't you like to know?" Kariya gibed.

Anger took over as Ichigo activated his Semblance and charges at Kariya, his Zangetsu ready. "KARIYAAAAA!"

Slithering out of various hiding spots, such as bushes, debris, and even corpses, were snakes that leaped out and grouped together to create a shield for Kariya, protecting him from Ichigo's attack. Ichigo gasped in shock before leaping back to avoid getting bitten. More snakes emerged from the shadows, surrounding the pair.

"Well, this is great." Renji said sardonically.

"Out of the frying pan and into a snake pit." Ichigo remarked.

Utagawa smirked arrogantly. No one can win against his snakes. He chuckled in triumph and a white puff of air went passed his lips. "…?" He then noticed the cold atmosphere and his snakes were becoming sluggish. Kariya noticed it too and was perplexed, as was Renji and Ichigo.

"Huh?" Renji said.

They heard the sound of heels clicking on the pavement. "Looks like you boys could use some help." Rukia said. "Ichigo!" Ichigo flinched. He knew where this is going. "You let your emotions get the best of you and activated your Semblance. You know you are on a time limit." Rukia's scowl changed to a soft smile. "Let me take care of this. You two fight the real threat."

Ichigo nodded. "Right." He turns to face Kariya. Digging his feet into the ground, he makes a grand leap at the man. Renji does the same at Utagawa.

This ends now!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Uryū's head was hazy and he felt unusually weak. The only other times he had felt like this is when he is recovering from Grimm contamination. It took a while for him to become more aware of his surroundings. He is on something soft and white. Getting feeling back into his fingers, the digits curled around a thin fabric. A blanket? Is he in a bed? When did he fall asleep?

The last thing he remembered was…

Dark blue irises shrink in shock as tidbits of images in his mind and emotions return in full force. Bright lights, needles, injections, a man's smirk, hissing snakes, more syringes, and pain… so much pain. Uryū started to twist and turn in the cot, the blanket contorts around his legs. Very much like the straps used to keep him in place. Uryū thrashes around, panicked eyes looking everywhere.

Where is he? Where is he? Where is he?

WhereisheWhereisheWhereisheWhereishe!?

"Uryū Ishida!" The Quincy gasped in a gulp of air, his chest hurting.

"…Colonel Kuchiki?" Uryū muttered.

"Yes, it's me." Byakuya confirmed, standing beside the bed. He places a gentle hand on Uryū's chilled yet sweaty forehead. "You are safe. You can calm down now. Just focus on my Aura Pressure." Uryū almost couldn't understand what the man was saying, his head felt like it was cotton. He soon did what he was told, focusing his attention on Byakuya's Aura Pressure. Right now, it was a calm flow, a soothing energy that quieted his own. Feeling himself becoming relaxed, Uryū attempts to get up. As he careful pulled himself to sit up, Byakuya slips in behind his back to help. "How are you feeling?"

"…I had better days…" Uryū said. Byakuya hands him his spare pair of glasses. "How long was I out?"

"What is the last thing you remember?" The question made Uryū freeze for a moment, the unwanted images threatened to return. Byakuya decides to change his question. "Do you remember what happened before you were abducted?"

Uryū shook his head and took a moment to think. "…I found where Lu Songshi was being kept, but before I could free her, someone put an odd smelling cloth over my mouth and nose…"

"Is that all?" Byakuya questioned.

"Yes." Uryū answered. He puts a hand to his forehead. "I…don't recall anything else."

"If that's how far you remember, then you have been unconscious for the last 36 hours."

36 hours? A day and a half? He's been gone for that long?

"…What happened to me?" Uryū asked.

"You've been in custody of Kariya and his group the whole time."

Uryū's widened quickly. "Kariya? What…what did he do to me?" He has a fleeting memory of the man reaching for him. The Quincy started to inspect his whole body frantically, to find anything new and/or missing. He even checked his pointed ears. What did the man do to him?

Byakuya gently removed Uryū's hands and placed them back into the young man's lap. "Dr. Unohana hasn't found anything in your system. Though there was a drug that seemed to have kept you unresponsive until now."

At that, Uryū seemed to have calm down a little. "…I see." He leans back on the bar behind the cot. "That's good, I guess."

Byakuya noticed that the teenager still looked exhausted. "Do you need more rest?" Uryū shook his head.

"I need to go find my teammates." Uryū moves to get up from the cot. Just as he did, Rukia appeared in the tent.

"Brother, has Uryū—" Rukia was about to ask before seeing her teammate, awake. The petite woman almost ran towards the slender male and threw her arms around him.

"M-Ms. Kuchiki?" Uryū wondered, surprised at the action. He felt something wet seeping into his shirt. "…Ms. Kuchiki?"

Byakuya noticed his sister's shaking form. "Rukia, what's wrong?" He asked, his tone less stoic and more of concern.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Morning had arrived, but the sky was darkened by gathering rain clouds, a light rain coming down. Ichigo and Renji make their way to the Mistralian Police Force with Kariya, who is cuffed with cuffs with special Aura reduction capabilities. The red-eyed man didn't walk like a defeated man. Instead, his gait remained confident.

The two Huntsmen-in-training hand Kariya over to the officials, where the rest of the Bount Group is taken as well, one of them being the traitorous Huntress, Lu Songshi. Unfortunately, Utagawa and Ugaki escaped capture. But, at least they got the leader.

… At least, huh?

Ichigo looks back at the once beautiful Sakura Village. Just a few days ago, the cherry blossom trees surrounding the village were in full bloom and a flurry of pink petals scattered around. Despite the terror of the Bount Group, the children had fun in the petals, gathering them into piles and jumping into them and rolling around like you would with maple leaves in the autumn. Ichigo remembered fondly of how the children somehow coaxed him and his team into playing along. The young ones made a crown of flowers for Rukia and a couple floral necklaces for Ichigo and Uryū. They even sprinkled some of the petals into Renji's crimson locks. It was a funny sight.

And, now…

Now, the village has become tainted with blood and corpses. Many of them being innocent blood of adults and children alike. Ichigo felt his heart hurting and his eyes begun to sting as tears threatened to form. He gripped at the fabric of his shirt over his aching chest. Renji's eyes softened at the sight of his distraught leader, feeling his own chest panged with guilt. He remembers back on his search for Uryū, how he had found him laying on a mattress with his hands tied behind his back and his legs tied together, unconscious. Next to the mattress was various syringes. Renji's fists tightened to point of drawing blood and he gritted his dog-like teeth. He was supposed to the shield. He was supposed to protect…

Out of frustration, he punches a nearby wooden pole. "…Damn it." Uryū and Rukia arrived at the scene, an umbrella over them courtesy of Byakuya to keep them dry. Uryū wore Renji's jacket as requested by Rukia, who wore her brother's surcoat as requested by Byakuya. The clouds have darkened more as thunder boomed and the rain slowly increased.

Uryū's tired eyes looked in shock at the sight of blood and carnage, his last memory of this village being a beautiful one. Rukia tightly grasped the cuff of the jacket Uryū is wearing in her fingers as she tried her best not to cry out in anguish. Byakuya closed his eyes and bowed his head in respect. Despite being in the Atlesian Military for six years, he still wavers at these haunting sights. Even Kon was quiet.

A cruel laugh garnered Team IURR's attention. They both look at Kariya, who looks back with blood red eyes. "Huntsmen are paragons of virtue and glory? What a childish way of thinking. And it was that childish thinking that made all of this happen." He laughed as he was being escorted away.

After that, Ichigo turns back to the carnage. The rain grew heavier.

We failed.

At this revelation, Ichigo collapsed to his hands and knees, not caring that the heavily watered mud is dirtying him. He felt dirtier.

He screams.

He kept screaming.

He kept screaming even when his throat started to hurt and is close to bleeding. The pain of seeing his efforts were all for naught was greater.

His teammates watched helplessly as they watched him crumble. Rukia hid her face into Uryū's arm, trying hard not to cry. She is a Kuchiki for pity sake but that doesn't stop the tears from falling. Uryū stood numbly, feeling as though he may fall apart himself. With the combinations of soreness, fatigue, and now the shock of a ghastly sight, it took a lot to stay upright. He barely noticed the Atlesian colonel holding him by his shoulders to keep him from falling. Renji stood silently, his long ponytail and clothes saturated by the rainwater, as he internally beat himself up.

Is this all we can do?

Maybe, just maybe I'll make a full story on the Sakuya Massacre… I don't know.

Does anyone remember that episode in the Fullbring Arc where Ichigo painstakingly got powers again, only to have everyone he cares about (sans Uryū) being under the mindscrew of Tsukishima and have his powers taken away by someone who he thought he was his ally, betrayed and all of that made him cry in the rain?

It was painful to watch and listen. Both Masakazu Morita and Johnny Yong Bosch did amazing voice work in that scene, but… damn, I thought I was going to cry. That ties with the… sound Szayelaporro made when he releases his resurreccion being agonizing, both English and Japanese.

The main difference is that Ichigo's was heartbreaking, while Szayel's was… uncomfortable.

On a lighter note, I became an aunt last month and my niece is the most adorable baby in the world! Fight me!

Next Chapters: The Opening (October 18)