Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and Fate Series or their characters they belong to their respective owners.

Beta Tester: ekaterina016

A.N- Well sorry to make you all wait so long for this chapter, as I said in the notice before I had exams last month and then I took a week's rest after that, you guys understand right when you want to do nothing more than laze in the bed after the exams.

Now on with the story.

Chapter 11: Captains vs Ryokas

Uryū Ishida scowled at the idea Ichigo had come up with. The Shinigami uniform had helped them tremendously in disguise, as they had passed countless Shinigamis and none of them even looked back at them twice. He reluctantly had to agree this idea was a good one, and as they were keeping a low profile, Uryū it was a good idea to keep Knight of Stork hidden inside Orihime's robes.

"Heeeyyy..." A voice came from behind.

Uryū and Orihime both looked behind them to see a heavily built, and very clearly drunk, Shinigami stumbling towards them.

"Hold it there!" The Shinigami said. "What're you doing here?"

"Er..." Orihime mumbled. "We're heading to the Shrine of Pertinence."

"Why? And what squad are ya' from?"

'He's getting suspicious. Not good,' Uryū thought before replying. "We're from the 12th Squad, and we're checking the seals on the prisoner."

"What seals?" The man snapped. "I thought that Kuchiki girl lost her powers?"

"W-Well… that's b-because…" Orihime stuttered. "We're ensuring she doesn't regain them."

"Oh." The Shinigami stopped his interrogation. "Well, then, you guys better go on your way."

Orihime sighed in relief, before beaming back. "We sure wi-"

"Hey!" Another voice came from behind.

'Oh, come on!' Uryū thought, as more Shinigamis hurried down the street.

"We've been looking all over for you two," one of the Shinigami said.

'Looking for us?' The two thought. Uryū, in particular, saw a big red flag waving in his face. 'Do they know?'

"We saw you got lost, but it's best not to be going alone with all the Ryokas running around," another said.

"We should get back to the quarters were it's safe," yet another added.

"Oh, no, we're on a night-time mission from the captain!" Orihime said, her face slightly panicky.

"I'm sure it can wait till morni-"

- Boom!

It was only Orihime's reflexes which stopped the both of them from getting blown to cinders, a shield forming to them from the kamikaze soldiers.

"How disappointing." A cold, slightly nasal voice was heard, putting Uryū on edge. "I had thought that would damage them enough for capture."

"H-He bl-blew them up..." Orihime said, shocked. "Wh-What kind of…They b-barely had a ch-chance t-to catch us..."

A man walked out the smoke with black-and-white face paint. Clearly, he's a captain because he's wearing the signature white uniform, but his extravagant gold ornaments over his chin and ears, and a strange hat which extended to two points over the Shinigami's right shoulder, were unique.

"Hello," the captain said with a dark smirk, strolling over to the terrified teens. "I am the Captain of the Twelfth Division, and the Second President of the Shinigami Research Institute of Technology. Mayuri Kurotsuchi." His smirk turned sadistic. "And I'd love to dissect you."

With Ichigo…

"So, you're one of them Ryoka we talked about in the captains' meeting, eh?"

Even though Ichigo hadn't seen the person the voice was connected to, he already knew he was going to hate the person. Turing behind him, he saw the most intimidating person in the Soul Realm standing behind his companions, his sword dangling threateningly close to Hanataro and Chad.

Dashing forward, he grabbed the captain by the face, and threw him instantly over his shoulder with all of his strength. A resounding crash and boom was the noise signalled the man's landing. Ichigo took a deep breath to calm himself – anger brings nothing but stupid mistakes and dangerous actions. "You okay, Hanataro?"

The boy in question nodded, his jaws practically touching the ground.

"HAHAHAHA! THAT WAS GREAT! I just know this fight will be a freaking BLAST!"

Ichigo slowly turned to the tallest man he had ever seen, and sighed when the little kid from before hopped onto the man's shoulder.

"Damn it, can't anyone in this place not have a stupid quirk for once?!" Restia asked.

"Wait, what was Baldie's and Pineapple's quirks?" Ichigo asked, confused.

"Ikkaku's head was so well waxed you could see your reflection in his head, and Renji's hair is even more red than Shirou's and is shaped like a pineapple! Need I go on?"

"There is Ganju and Kūkaku as well," Est added.

"Hmm, you have a point there…"

The small child on the giant's shoulder spoke, "AH-HA! Ken-chan's found a friend! What's your name, girly boy?"

Ichigo ignored the insult to his long hair – solely because she was just a kid – and answered, "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki."

The small girl exploded in happiness, hopping off from 'Ken-chan's' shoulder and landed on his, before hugging the side of his head viciously.

Ichigo heard his spirits giggling in his mind.

"Alright, Yachiru, that's enough, I wanna' fight him!"

"Awww…! Okay, Ken-chan!" Yachiru gave one last hug and then jumped back onto the big man's shoulder, and all Ichigo could do was stare in bewilderment.

"I am still in enemy territory right?" He asked, confused.

"Last time I checked, Ichigo, that's correct. Why?" Restia asked.

"Just wondering why she hugged me."

"That is indeed a mystery…"

"Hey, Ichigo! Fight me!"

Ichigo shook his head to clear it and levelled a glare at the man. "No," he bluntly refused.

The man frowned slightly, as Yachiru pouted cutely on his shoulder. "Well, then, what will it take you to fight me?"

Ichigo and Restia had to do a double take. Was this man offering him something just to fight him? "Are you serious?"

The man grinned sadistically and nodded.

"Well, let's start with your names, and why you want to fight me?"

The man shrugged. "Name's Kenpachi Zakari, Captain of the 11th Division. The little brat is Yachiru Kusajishi, my lieutenant. I wanna' fight you because you beat Ikkaku in three minutes; that means you must be strong, I wanna' see if that's true, so fight me!"

Yachiru swatted Kenpachi's head when he called her 'brat', but smiled happily at his declaration and waved her arms in excitement. "YAY! Ken-chan and Berry-chan are going to fight!"

"These people are out of their minds – no doubt about that," Restia said.

"I agree with you completely, but I think I have an idea," Ichigo thought. "Just watch."

"Okay, then, I'll fight you for one thing, okay?"

"Yes, yes, hurry up and say it, I'll do it after we fight!"

"When I win, I want you to join our side in saving Rukia Kuchiki."

Silence strikes everyone at Ichigo's bold request. "I-I don't think that will work, Ichigo…" Restia said, sweatdropping.

But she was soon proven wrong as Kenpachi began to howl with laughter. "Oh! I am just gonna' love this fight. Sure, kid, even if you just give me decent fight, I'll help ya'!"

"Seriously!? It worked!? Just like that!" Restia said, bewildered.

Ichigo nods. "Okay, then, let's fight!"

"Ichigo-san, don't! That's Captain Kenpachi, said to be the strongest captain outside of the Head Captain! You don't stand a chance!"

Ichigo stood on after Hanataro's due warning, simply standing there in silence, until finally he spoke calmly and clearly. "So… what you are saying is… if I beat this guy, I can beat any of the other captains?"

"What? No, I'm saying you can't win!"

Ichigo turns his head to look at his companions, noticing Chad had stabilised, and he smiled slightly at them. "Don't worry, I'll beat this guy, and then we get his help. What could go wrong?"

"Yachiru, leave us, I wanna' enjoy this fight to the fullest!"

"Oh, fine!" The little Lieutenant blows a raspberry kiss at Kenpachi, and then jumped over to Ichigo's companions, landing on Ganju's chest and poking his unconscious face.

Even as Ichigo was in a potentially lethal position, he couldn't stop the small chuckle escaping from his mouth at that sight.

"Please hold on for one second." A calm and quiet voice spoke.

Ichigo turned to the voice, and was surprised to see two new people in the area, both of them women. But his eyes stayed mostly on the woman with the captain's Haori.

"Taking two Captains on the same time will be a bit difficult if I hold back."

"Keep your guard on; she is dangerous," Est warned.

"She doesn't look like she wants to fight. Look, she hasn't drawn her sword; let's take the wait and see approach." Restia suggested, to which he agreed.

"Tch, what are you doing here?" Kenpachi asked, annoyed.

The woman looked at Kenpachi and smiled slightly, and Ichigo, along with Restia, for some reason felt dread from just seeing the smile, never mind having the smile placed on them.

"I am simply here to make sure no one dies," she said kindly as her eyes briefly looked at Ichigo.

"What was up with that smile! I never thought anyone other than her could smile so creepily like that!" Ichigo said, shocked.

"Yeah, it was on the same level as Rin's," Restia added, shivering.

"I am to assume you are the Ryoka named Kurosaki Ichigo aren't you?"

Ichigo was almost taken back by the politeness the enemy Captain held towards him, it was a welcome change from the usual hostility. "I am, and if you know my name, I hope I can know yours in return."

The woman smiles at Ichigo's polite request, as she nodded. "My name is Unohana Retsu, Captain of the Fourth Division. The young lady beside me is my lieutenant, Kotetsu Isane." Isane blushed as she nodded from her introduction.

Ichigo's face lighted up. "Fourth Squad? Then I request to you to check on my friend. Hanataro has stabilised him, but I'd like to make sure he was okay… if that's alright with you."

Unohana continues to smile, but with a puzzled look crossing her face. "I am your enemy. Why would I heal an enemy member?"

"Because your squad is the medical squad, and as a medic, it is your sworn duty to treat any injured person, be it friend or foe."

Unohana's look ceased, as she smiled brighter. "Ah, it seems you have some knowledge of the art of healing, am I correct?"

Ichigo blushed at the guess but nodded all the same. "Yes, back in the World of the Living. I help out at a medical clinic in my spare time."

Unohana nodded pleasantly as she walked over to his companions. Ganju, who had awakened recently, took a nervous step forward, but was stopped by Ichigo's look. Hanataro blushed at his Captain's praise at his job well done. Unohana beckoned Isane over and they both begin to check over the giant for any lasting wounds or any wounds Hanataro could've missed.

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, CAN WE FIGHT NOW!?"

Ichigo turned back to Kenpachi and nodded, and was suddenly in front of the huge man in a second. Kenpachi grinned happily as he brought down his jagged blade with one hand, and Ichigo waited for the last moment before using his arm to push away the blade-wielding arm. He then followed up with a vicious palm strike, which caused Kenpachi to fly back into the stair leading to the spire. Once again, everyone present was shocked at the skill displayed to push back a captain.

However, the laughter from said captain was unsurprising, as he charged from the hole he created in the stairs unscathed. He was on Ichigo within a matter of seconds, once again swinging his blade downwards.

Ichigo frowned, if it was him who had made the same mistake twice, his teachers would have punished him severely for it. He pushed away the captain's bladed arm once again, but instead of attacking him with his hand, Ichigo quickly unsheathed Terminus Est from his waist in a devastating upwards slash, which connected with Kenpachi's body and sliced the man from the foot into his shoulder.

Meanwhile, the onlookers were shocked into disbelief, as this strange Ryoka had manage to cut the so-called invincible captain. Unohana's eyes opened slightly from their near-closed state after deeming Chad fully healed. 'This Ichigo person is… curious… He risks his life just to save one person… Kurosaki Ichigo, what is it you fight for?' She thought as her eyes were glued to him.

Once again, laughter was what brings everyone back from their thoughts, as Kenpachi stumbled back slightly from the devastating slash and laughed like a maniac.

Ichigo stared, shocked as the man seemingly laughed at an attack which almost killed his third seat. 'What is this guy?' He thought, shocked.

"Calm down, Ichigo! Just keep calm and keep use his obvious uncaring of his well-being against him!" Restia said.

Ichigo nodded, as he pulled Vorpal Sword and refocused his mind on the battle.

"This is awesome! It's been so long since I've been cut!" Kenpachi looked at Ichigo with an insane grin, as he reached up to his eye patch.

Unohana gasped in surprise. 'He's going for that so soon? Just how strong is this Ryoka? Is it possible he is related to him… this Ryoka who is like a mirror image of him?' She thought, her mind was running through all possibilities.

"This is great! So soon into the battle and I have to do this! Ichigo Kurosaki, you're one strong guy!" The crazy captain laughed as he gripped the eye patch, and in one swift tug, teared it straight off.

As soon as he did that, Ichigo and Restia realised that eye patch was far from a normal one, and was a type of limiter. Yellow, unstable Reiatsu broke forth and created a huge pillar, which broke off into the air, seemingly unending.

Everyone, except for Ichigo and Unohana, were crushed to the ground.

Ichigo took a second to see his friends being crushed by the guy's Reiatsu alone. 'I need to take this someplace else! With Chad just being healed, he won't survive the pressure.'

"I have to agree with that, we need to take this guy away from here… NOW!" Restia said.

Ichigo nodded as he readied himself, but Kenpachi's sudden appearance in front of him stopped that thought, and he was forced to jump back the completely wrong direction he wanted the battle to go.

"He has gotten a lot faster!"

"But he doesn't have a style. He is just swinging wildly," Est pointed out.

"Simply wait and strike. That's the best option," Restia suggested.

Before Ichigo could do anything, Kenpachi was on him in moments, bringing his sword across, Ichigo hopped upwards and twisted his body to avoid the blade, whist also bringing Vorpal Sword downwards on Kenpachi's spiky head. He expected Kenpachi to jump back; surely, he understood the need for a head right?

But no, Kenpachi simply titled his head to the side and allowed the blade to strike his neck, but what surprised Ichigo the most was his blade simply bounced off of it. It was by then he realized his Reiatsu mostly acts like a protective armor. Ichigo changed tactics and kicked the man in the face, and took the opportunity when he staggered the man long enough to jump over him and headed up the stairs, knowing the crazy captain would be following. He needed to lead the man away from his friends – Hanataro had already gone unconscious from such vicious Reiatsu being near him, while Ganju and Chad were barely conscious.

Back with the others, Unohana frowned. She knew how hard it could be to be under the Captain of Squad 11's fully-released Reiatsu – it caused most captains to falter in their steps, but for some reason, Unohana didn't see any kind of scared expression when Kenpachi had ripped the eye patch on Ichigo's face. He was startled, but that was it.

'Kurosaki Ichigo… I'm sure if you had met any other captain, you might've had a chance, but against Kenpachi…' Unohana took a moment to check over those with her, glad no one had been killed from the pressure, and she was even proud of her lieutenant who managed to at least raise her head upwards when the Reiatsu struck. 'Ichigo Kurosaki… I hope you know just what you got yourself into.'

With Uryū…

Uryū summoned his spirit bow at once, shooting an arrow at the mad scientist's head.

The man, without missing a beat, craned his neck at a horrific angle to avoid the arrow, still walking towards them and observing Orihime's shield. "A defensive shield, not unlike a Bakudō #81. Interesting." The man grinned. "I'll make you an offer, girl. Why don't you come work for me as a research subject?"

This shook Orihime out of her shock, and looked over at the melted corpses strewn about, before giving Mayuri the fiercest glare one could give with tears in her eyes. "No."

"Is that so?" Mayuri said, drawing his Zanpakutō. "Well, I'm afraid your compliance isn't a factor."

"Orihime, get-" Uryū started to say, only to be cut off by Mayuri suddenly advancing.

Uryū grabbed Orihime and used the Hirenkyaku to retreat backwards and upwards with her, quickly notching more arrows and launching a barrage at the face-painted captain. Orihime put her hands to her earrings, letting Tsubaki fly in case Mayuri survived that.

Her fears were not unfounded, as a figure rushed from the side, grabbing Uryū's arrow.

"What the-" Uryū balked at the female Shinigami who came from nowhere and jumped them. Unfortunately, he wasn't given any time to think, as Mayuri rushed out of the smoke and slashed at them with his released sword.

"Santen Kesshun!"

A shield popped up out of thin air and blocked the blade, to Mayuri's shock and excitement. "You can materialize this shield so quickly!" He grinned.

Orihime proceeded to swing a karate kick into Nemu's stomach to make the woman let go of Uryū. However, this had significantly less effect, as the Shinigami took the blow without so much as a flinch. Mayuri, taking advantage of Orihime's unstable balance from the kick, Shunpo'd behind to slash at her. Fortunately, Uryū was able to use Ransōtengai to yank Orihime out of the way like a puppet.

"Ransōtengai." Mayuri's eyes suddenly glittered with fascination. "No Quincy I happened upon could use that technique. You may have potential yet, boy."

"Thanks," Uryū shot back, his tone full of spite as he looked at the changed blade. It had transformed into a crooked trident with a baby head at the base.

Uryū tried to dodge the next attack, but the girl grabbing him stopped him from moving.

"Uryū-kun!" Orihime cried in panic.

Mayuri brought the blade in order to cut him, but just at that time, Knight of Stork flew outside of Orihime's robe and fired Zelle at the blade, deflecting it. Uryū, taking advantage of the opportunity when their attention was directed towards it, back-elbowed Nemu and got away from them.

"What is that?" Mayuri asked, looking at the string bird, not paying attention to the Quincy. "It looks like Ransōtengai, but it is clearly not that." His face then turned to another maniac grin. "Tonight just seems to be getting more and more interesting – two subjects like I have never seen! Oh, the experiments I can perform!"

While Mayuri was lost in his thoughts, Uryū was analysing the situation, thinking about fighting the two of them, about what might be his Zanpakutō's ability might be, and about Nemu's Zanpakutō's abilities or where her Zanpakutō is, as he didn't see it on her person. "What can be his Zanpakutō's ability?" The Quincy asked to himself, but Mayuri overheard him.

"Since your feeble mind can't tell even that much, I will do the honour of telling you. This is my Zanpakutō, Ashisogi Jizō," Mayuri gloated. "Ashisogi Jizō severs the nerves which carry signals to and from the brain, paralyzing whatever it cuts. However…" He Shunop'd behind the Quincy and brought down the yellow blade. "The pain receptors are unaffected."

"Koten Zanshun! Santen Kesshun!"

A black orb rushed at the 12th Squad's Captain, causing him to jump back. Orihime quickly ran over to Ishida with her fairies at her side, making a shield to block any attack Mayuri might make. "Stay back!" She snapped, sending Tsubaki zooming around him.

"Tch!" Mayuri batted the fairy away with his sword, only for it to come flying back. He tried to cut it, but the white bird fired a bullet at him, making him dodge.

"Mayu-" Nemu started, only to get decked in the face, dropping to the ground.

"Wha-" Orihime, and Uryū blinked, shocked and confused by the action.

"Nemu, you dolt." Mayuri snapped, pulling her up by her hair. "How could you ignore the girl like that?"

"My apologies, Mayuri-sa-"

The apology cut off abruptly with a crunch, as Nemu was slammed into a wall.

"Stop that!" Orihime cried, visibly appalled. "What are you doing?"

"Disciplining my subordinate." Mayuri said with a raised eyebrow, as if he had been asked if water was wet. "What does it look like?"

"You can't do that!" Orihime snapped.

As if to directly taunt Orihime, Mayuri slammed Nemu's head into the wall with even greater force than before. "Hmph. What a father does to his child is no business to you, girl."

Orihime felt a huge lump in her throat. This man was treating his own daughter like dirt! She had no personal experience with parents she could remember, but she knew from the times she saw Tatsuki's mom, this was far from what should be.

Something darker than rage started to bubble in her throat as she glared at the bastard, something she had never felt in her life, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

All she knew was this guy was going down. Hard.

"Koten Zanshun!"

Tsubaki rushed toward Mayuri, faster than ever, and started to actually cut him.

Mayuri, having enough of the girl, the Quincy and the bird firing at him, Shunpo'd closer and striked. Orihime moved her shield to block the attack, but he had sharpened his Reaitsu and was able to cut through the shield, albeit just part of it. But before he could cut her, Uryū grabbed her and vanished using Hirenkyaku.

"To think you could get up so fast," Mayuri said in visible irritation. "You're starting to really annoy me now."

"Nothing you do can stop us; I swear on my Quincy pride!" Uryū said.

Mayuri's face fell into an annoyed grimace. "Oh, don't even start with that!"

"What?" Uryū managed, thrown off by the statement.

"That 'Quincy pride'… it's all your kind talk about!" Mayuri snapped. "Do you know why I know about the Ransotengai?"

The question struck Orihime and Uryū mute, prompting Mayuri to continue his rant. "I've studied every aspect of the Quincy! Every technique! Their pain tolerance! Their reaction to mental and physical stimuli!" He raged, his tirade getting truly massive. "I've cut open their very souls to see how they concentrate Reishi and mix it with their Reaitsu! I've used Ashisogi Jizō to disable the limbs of hundreds, if not thousands of Quincies, to get them to use that very Ransotengai technique you use! I've even ripped their organs, one by one, and cut open their brains to see if there was any connection to their evolutionary path in wielding Reishi!"

Orihime resisted the urge to vomit.

"I've made discoveries which would go down in history! But did any of them care? NO! They merely kept spouting that 'Quincy pride' bullshit!" Mayuri snarled, before mimicking the various Quincies he's tortured. "Upon the pride of the Quincy, I will never do such a thing! I swear on the pride of the Quincy, I will not let that happen!"

Uryū's hands started to shake.

"Pathetic! Nothing but lies and empty promises!" Mayuri roared. "Even the last Quincy I experimented on was ranting about his pride. An old fool who's named I've forgotten."

Uryū froze. 'What?!'

Mayuri produced a piece of paper, dropping it carelessly. It fluttered to the ground, landing blank side down. Printed on it was a photograph; it... it couldn't be considered a body at that point, more like a limbless carcass and several chunks of meat and organs, bleeding over an operating table.

This time, Orihime did throw up.

Uryū didn't hurl, but with the look of utter horror on his face, he might as well have. There was no way to tell, but he knew for a fact he saw his grandfather on that picture. Uryū gritted his teeth so hard, they could've broke.

He glared at the man who murdered his grandfather with vengeance in his mind. "You..." Uryū snarled, standing up, and flowing with energy.

'What is this?' Mayuri thought. 'Is he using another technique?'

"I swear on my Quincy Pride..." Uryū snarled. "That I'm going to kill you, YOU FILTHY VERMIN!"

While this was happening, Orihime was laying sideways on the ground, feeling something bubble in her, as she wiped bile off her chin and shirt. It was something she still couldn't put her finger on at first, having never really felt this emotion before, at least not at this level.

It wasn't her fault, really – rage didn't even come close to describing what she was experiencing, and she rarely even felt that. Orihime barely even registered what her body was doing anymore. She didn't notice her legs standing up on their own. She didn't hear Mayuri charge up a Kido spell, or Uryū notch an arrow on his bow.

All she felt was a feeling, a feeling she had never felt, a feeling she never wanted to feel, and she just figured out what it was.

Hatred.

With Ichigo…

Ichigo, having ran for a minute now, stopped at his track, thinking this much distance will be enough.

"Oh? Done running are we? I can't let you escape when you made me feel so alive so soon!"

Ichigo turned to the source of the voice to see the crazy captain from before, looking as dangerous as ever standing not so far behind him, but like last time… he didn't feel any fear at all.

He brought Vorpal Sword and Terminus Est up in his stance and stared his opponent down, his eyes piercing right into Kenpachi's. "Don't judge me, I wasn't running. My friends couldn't handle your large amount of Reiatsu, so I simply decided this place would be better for a battle."

Kenpachi levelled his jagged sword on his shoulder and smirked. "Whatever you say, Ryoka…"

Kenpachi dashed forward and swung his blade across like before, and just like before, Ichigo hopped upwards and made the same attack. He tilted his neck again, expecting the blade to repeat its last performance, but was genuinely surprised when Vorpal Sword cut deeper into the side of his neck, before being viciously yanked out, causing as much damage as possible. Blood spurts everywhere, covering it entirely.

Ichigo smirked, his body lit in white and black light. "Like I said before, my friends back there couldn't take your huge amount of Reiatsu, so even I had to hold back a lot. Since we are now alone, I can let loose a little."

Kenpachi's grin could not get even more wider. "That is what I was talking about!"

"You fight alone, don't you? Your blade doesn't respond to you doesn't it?" Ichigo suddenly asked.

Kenpachi's eyes widened slightly.

"Allow me to show you what working with you partner can do!"

"Will you two help me?" Ichigo asked.

"Always! No matter what happens, we will be there to lend you our strength!" Est answered resolutely.

"As we have told you before, you will never fight alone as long as we are with you! Go ahead and show him the strength of the bond between us!" Restia said.

"I will."

Kenpachi's eyes widened as he prepares his next attack, before charging his body with the raging Reiatsu surrounding him, and it exploded around him in a yellowish vortex. His power was incredible, and only a few people would be able to stand up against this kind of power.

Ichigo wasn't afraid, though – he wasn't even intimidated because he knew he wasn't fighting alone. Holding his empty hand out, he closes his eyes. He set the two blades against each other in a cross, before taking a deep breath and opening his eyes. "Destroyers of gods and demons, form blades of steel, and lend me your power! Terminus Est! Vorpal Sword!"

His Zanpakutōs was enveloped by black-and-white light, strong enough to force Kenpachi to cover his eyes from it. When the light died down, he saw the Shikais., and couldn't help but think how beautiful the swords were, both of them radiating powerful auras.

Ichigo needed to show this loner that fighting by himself was only a way to lose in the end.

"HA, HA, HA! ICHIGO! You make me feel alive, I haven't used this much power since her. You might even be better than her, here's hoping!"

Ichigo frowned. "Shut up, you idiot! If you're fighting alone, you'll never beat me!"

"What? You're using your Zanpakutō's power? Are you so weak you rely on someone else?"

"It's not weakness; it's power gained from my partner, and I intend to prove that to you!"

"Heh, whatever, as long as you give me a worthwhile last attack, I don't care what that is!"

Ichigo grinned. "Remember, after I beat you, you're on my side!"

"WHATEVER, JUST ATTACK ME!"

Ichigo charged… Kenpachi charged… They charged each other…

As soon as they reached a middle point, Ichigo shouted, "Vorpal Terminus Blast!"

Radiating black and white light, Vorpal Sword and Terminus Est connected with Kenpachi's Zanpakutō first and then against his Reiatsu only for two seconds, before pushing it apart and hitting Kenpachi full-force, and then was followed up by Ichigo himself bringing his blades downwards across where he would assume Kenpachi was, but the smoke was clouding his vision. Fortunately, the sound of his blades meeting flesh confirmed his suspicions.

The smoke cleared, and Ichigo looked perfectly fine… whilst his opponent looked way less than that. His whole body was covered in foot-deep scars, and blood was practically pouring out of him at the rate of fountains. But the man was still smiling.

'Yep, definitely better than her!' Kenpachi thought, falling onto Ichigo's shoulders. "I guess you beat me, kid… but I don't think I am much help like this, to be honest. I can't actually move my body at all."

Ichigo chuckled. "That's okay, Unohana-san should be able to heal you right up!"

"Heh, let's hope so, I want to fight again soon!"

"Maybe after we save Rukia, okay?"

"Awww… Okay…"

"Thank you for your help, Restia, Est." Ichigo thanked them, sealing the blades.

"It was nothing," Est replied.

"No need for thanks," Restia replied.

"So, you can't move at all?" Ichigo asked the Captain.

"Not even an inch…" He replied.

"Then how will you go back?" Ichigo asked.

"By carrying me," Kenpachi answered.

"Are you kidding me?" Ichigo asked.

"No. Now, hurry… I feel like I will die soon."

Ichigo groaned, as Restia and Est were giggling at all this.

With Uryū…

Mayuri's attention was focused on the girl currently glaring at her with hateful eyes. Even while dodging the Quincy's arrows and bird's bullets, the mad scientist never took his eyes off her.

"Koten Zasshun!" Orihime roared, Tsubaki speeding to him at insane speeds.

Mayuri tried to block with Ashisogi Jizō, only for the black orb to cut through the sword and the arm holding on to it in one blow. A hiss of pain left his mouth as blood poured from the wound.

In most cases, Uryū would've been quite shocked at Orihime straight up amputating someone; however, he was feeling even more hatred for the bastard, his deeds against him and his grandfather very fresh in his mind.

A scattershot of arrows burst from his bow at Mayuri, who raised his hand in a stopping motion. "Bakudō #81: Dankū!"

A white barrier formed between Mayuri and the arrows, blocking them as he picked up his Zanpakutō and jabbed a needle into the remaining stump of his other arm, causing the flesh to bubble and regrow itself into a new appendage. Orihime growled, guiding the fairy to strike Mayuri again, only to miss as the captain vanished via Shunpo, reappearing on top of a wall.

"Bakudō #62…" Mayuri stated, a blue-white glowing rod of energy generated in his hand. "Hyapporankan!" The scientist chucked it at Orihime and Uryū, before it multiplied into a hundred more, all falling down on them.

Unimpressed, Orihime raises a hand, before snarled. "Santen Kesshun!" The orange shield covered both of them, blocking all of the rods coming down on them.

A combination of frustration and excitement was rushing through Mayuri at the amount – this girl would be one of the greatest specimen he would ever experiment on, he could tell that! If only he could properly pin her… Her attacking weapon was moving too fast to properly hit, and the girl herself could make that shield just as quickly.

Mayuri Shunpo'd to the side as he narrowly dodged another volley of arrows from the Quincy, only to get shot on the back by the bird, mentally noting it mostly attacks when he goes after them. He also noticed the barrier only works one way.

Right. The Quincy and the bird assisting her was a problem as well. He couldn't get close and strike with Ashisogi Jizō with that annoyance flying around, and any long range attacks would simply be blocked.

He decided to wait for the two to tire before getting a cheap shot in. He could always use his Bankai if things got really bad, though he'd rather not kill such promising specimens.

Orihime was doing substantially less thinking than Mayuri, focusing only on hacking the man up as much as possible. Unfortunately, she was paying much less attention to her surroundings, and more importantly, what was behind her.

An expert chop to the back of the neck knocked Orihime out cold, dispelling the fairies immediately and turning them back to earrings.

Uryū's head whipped around to see the unconscious girl in Nemu's arms, who appears to have somehow recovered from her massive head trauma.

"Shit! Orihime!" The Quincy cried, using Hirenkyaku to get to his teammate, only to be warded off by Nemu's blade.

Uryū only had a second to see Nemu swung her sword at him, making a narrow turn and narrowly avoiding being cut by the sword. He had heard Mayuri's Zanpakutō's ability, so he didn't want to know what her Zanpakutō can do.

His ire was stoked even higher when Mayuri Shunpo'd between them and him. "About time you got up, Nemu." He scoffed. "Hurry up and carry the girl to the lab, I'll take care of this nuisance."

But just in time, Lady Luck decided to favour the Quincy.

Nemu prepared to leave with the girl, and now, Mayuri could kill the Quincy and capture the bird. Then, he could experiment with the girl's powers and on the bird to his heart's content.

But then… Zaraki just had to explode his irritatingly potent Reaitsu over the whole Seireitei, along with another unknown high captain-level Reiatsu. While he was able to shrug off getting hit by Zaraki's and the unknown's smouldering power, along with the Quincy's suddenly exploding Reiatsu level, Nemu needed a few instants for her senses to properly register what happened. And that was more than enough for the damn Quincy Ryoka to rush over, grab the girl, and knock Nemu to the ground, knocking her out. The bird then went to her and undid itself, tying her just in case if she awoke.

He was going to punish Nemu most grievously after this mess was done.

He looked over the fool, putting the girl down on the wall before turning to him. "If there is any consolation," Mayuri spoke. "This will be one of the greatest research sessions I will have when I win."

"Prepare to die," Uryū growled, ignoring him. Reishi condensing in an arrow in his hand.

Mayuri smirked. "Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!"

Uryū growled as 6 rods of light froze him in place, arresting his movement.

Mayuri laughed mockingly. "Your power pales in comparison to my intellect!"

Uryū's eyes merely narrowed, and Mayuri almost choked on his laugh when he easily shattered 2 rods with a flare of his Reaitsu. "Did you really thought something like this will stop me?"

He had learned about the Kidō spells, while he couldn't perform then he learned about their abilities and weakness just in case like current situation.

Mayuri resisted the urge to curse, jumping back and firing another kido. "Hadō #4: Byakurai!" A blast of lightning burst from his hand, striking toward Uryū

Uryū merely shattered the rest of the Bakudō before shooting an arrow, blowing clean through the lightning bolt. It flew through the air, and Mayuri laughed. "It's fast, but still just a nuisance! I can easily dodge your strikes!" He cackled, easily evading with Shunpo.

Then he saw Uryū floating right above him, aiming another arrow.

"What?" Mayuri gaped. "How did he-?"

"Die."

"Oh, fu-!"

Then, a second arrow, launched from the air, rained down upon him and ran him through with a great explosion of blue Reiatsu.

"Apologize to your victims, and never appear before me again, and I just may spare your life," Uryū said coldly.

"FUCK IT!" Mayuri roared, now missing an arm and most of his left shoulder. "Forget live specimen! I'll kill you both and study your corpses, you cocky brat! BANKAI: KONJIKI ASHISOGI JIZŌ!"

His disgusting Shikai slowly bubbled upward and outward, taking the form of a hideous and massive caterpillar with the upper body of an infant. A halo hovered over the baby's head, breathing a purple, and almost certainly poisonous, mist.

"Behold!" Mayuri gestured at the grotesque Bankai, which was breathing out a purple mist. "The mist you see is a rather potent poison, made of my blood. It works through skin contact, so don't think holding your breath will save you!"

Uryū flared his Reiatsu, driving away the poisonous cloud for a moment. This was bad. He was rather sure his high Reaitsu reserves could shrug off the effects of the poison for a while, but the same couldn't be said about Orihime.

"This might be a long shot, but it's the only chance I have, but if it fails, then…" Uryū grimaced, and then looked at his glove. "Knight of Stork, come to me!" The sting holding Nemu stayed still for a second, before undoing itself and turning back to a bird, going to him. "Change into your Degen form," he ordered.

Normally, Knight of Stork wouldn't obey anyone else other than their master, but since it was sent to protect him and Orihime, it did what was told it to do.

Uryū materialized his bow and grabbed Degen, loading it on the bow, channelling it with all the Reiatsu he had and aimed for the monster's head.

"ATTACK!" Mayuri roared, prompting the caterpillar to sprout more swords from its body and charge the Quincy down.

Uryū loosed the string, as Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō made a bullrush towards the Quincy. They collided with a colossal burst of Reiatsu, rocking the Seireitei with another epic explosion. When the dust cleared, the Bankai was split clean down the middle and Mayuri was missing almost his entire chest area. The two pieces of the Bankai crashed down to the floor before disappearing into the sealed sword. The same could be said for the Knight of Stork, as it was completely destroyed, not leaving even a strand of hair, which was a good thing as now no one can now get a hold it, like the creepy Captain.

"Goodbye, Mayuri Kurotsuchi," Uryū stated calmly.

"Damn you...You…think this… is over… you Quincy brat? I'll fix myself up… and… come after you again!" Mayuri lifted his sealed Zanpakuto and stabbed his throat with the blade.

"What?" Uryū gaped as the captain dissolved. "Damn it!"

"One's last ace in the hole should only be used at the last moment. In this form, I can't attack you, but I remain invulnerable!" Mayuri, in his ooze like body, slowly inched away. "And even though I may not have beaten you outright, I still live, and with the poison in the air, you will die!"

Uryū cursed as he almost fell over, a painful rasping building up in his throat and lungs, and he hocked up a splatter of blood. "No! I can't die here!" He stumbled to Orihime, hoping he could wake her up before the poison took his life. "Orihime!"

Orihime gasped as she regained consciousness, looking up at Uryū's face. "U- Uryū…"

"Good, you're… u-guagh!" Uryū suddenly puked out a glob of blood.

"Uryū!" Orihime yelped, already preparing to use her Souten Kisshun, before coughing up blood herself. "What's... happening?"

"Poison," Uryū rasped, barely able to talk at this point. "Heal… quickly."

Two quick Souten Kisshuns later, and Uryū was getting back on his feet.

"You good?" Orihime asked.

"Good enough," Uryū stated. "Let's get to the Shrine before anyone else shows up…"

"But what about her?" Orihime looked at the unconscious lieutenant.

"She is just unconscious, she will be fine, now let's go."

Orihime nodded, as the two of them headed off to find Rukia. However, it wasn't long before they had to stop upon seeing a black man with dark brown braids… and more terrifyingly, a captain's Haori.

"Forgive me, Ryokas," the captain stated, drawing his Zanpakutō. "But I must stop you both, in the name of justice."

'Damn it!' Uryū thought, preparing an arrow and aiming at the captain, while Orihime made a Santen Kesshun shield to block whatever crazy power the sword would unleash on them.

"Cry, Suzumushi."

An ear-splittingly high-pitched tone made the two of them hold their ears in pain for a few seconds before falling unconscious. The Captain sheathed his sword before walking away. After a minute, some Shinigamis came and took the unconscious Ryokas away.

Hinamori Momo was a truly devoted Lieutenant. This loyalty stemmed from her great admiration for the kind man she was lucky enough to follow, Aizen Sōsuke. She remembered to this day what it had been like when she first saw him, when he had been promoted several years earlier to the position of Captain, and was at the Academy to spy on new talent. Out of the hundreds of students who had gathered, he had made direct eye-contact with her and smiled.

Then, in her first exercise in the World of the Living, disaster had struck. A large group of Hollows had attacked them, killing a large number of students. When she was losing hope, afraid to never see her home or friends again, Aizen had shown himself once more. All of the Hollows were decimated in an instant, and he moved to the surviving group and immediately checked for injuries. It was possible she had developed a slight crush on him since then, though she would never admit that.

She had been close friends with several others in the Academy, like Kira Izuru, Abarai Renji… and, before she had been adopted into her clan, Kuchiki Rukia. Which lead to her current situation. Renji had disappeared during the lieutenant's meeting, her captain had been acting suspicious of Izuru's, and Rukia was unfairly scheduled to be executed.

Sleep was not going to come easily tonight.

"Captain Aizen? Do you mind if I come in?"

The kind man turned away from whatever he was writing and smiled at Momo, nodding to her.

"Thank you, Captain. I'm sorry to bother you like this, but I've been really stressed with everything going on recently, I… couldn't sleep." Momo clasped her hands in front of her waist, embarrassed about coming to her Captain for such a minor thing.

"It's alright, Momo, you can stay as long as you like. You're never a bother to me." He smiled once more, then turned back to his writing. Momo idly glanced at the paper – it was too far away to read, but she knew Aizen had beautiful handwriting. He had even taught calligraphy classes at the Academy. "No peeking, Momo. This is an important letter, one I'm afraid you aren't ready to see."

She looked back down, extra nervous knowing Aizen could apparently observe her actions even when she was behind him. That feeling quickly passed though, as it always did. A few minutes later, and she had fallen asleep.

Aizen walked over to Momo, his kind smile still on his face. "Can't let you sleep like that; you might catch a cold." He draped a blanket over her figure, his face turning serious when he stood up. He grabbed his Zanpakutō from next to his desk, and strode out of the office. He turned back for a quick glance at his sleeping Lieutenant, as an evil smirk formed on his face. "Sorry, Momo, but this is necessary."

With Ichigo…

"Ugh! You do know you weigh at least a ton right?" Ichigo taunted.

"Heh! Shut up, Ichigo, it's your fault I can't even move my body in the first place!" Kenpachi retorted.

"Yay! Ken-chan had lots of fun fighting Ichi-chan!" Yachiru exclaimed, suddenly appearing.

Ichigo grunted as he hefted Kenpachi upon his shoulder better so the man wouldn't fall off. "Yes, but I think 'Ken-chan' needs to lay off the food a bit!" He protested.

Yachiru's laugher broke out at Ichigo's slight jab at the most feared man in the Seireitei. Restia and Est were also chuckling in his mind.

"Is that right? Well, I think 'Ichi-chan' needs to shut-up before I shove my sword up his ass!" The Captain retorted.

"Is that so? Then how would 'Ken-chan' go about doing this if he can't move?" The Ryoka asked back.

"Oh, 'Ken-chan' would simply wait for his body to recover enough to move and then he would go 'bout on his threat from before!" Kenpachi roared.

"Really? Maybe 'Ken-chan' should realise 'Ichi-chan' was the one carrying him; otherwise, 'Ken-chan' might be dropped… dead!" Ichigo pointed out.

"Yay! Ichi-chan and Ken-chan are acting like brothers; can I be the little sister?"

At this point Restia and Est couldn't hold their laughter any longer, and were rolling inside his inner world, laughing.

Ichigo managed to turn his head to look at Kenpachi, as did Kenpachi himself did.

""As if!""

Their eyes widened, largely for the fact that they both spoke at the same time. Ichigo turned away and once again focused on dragging Kenpachi's broken body back to where Unohana and his friends were.

"Oh, god, please don't tell me I'm going to become like him when I die!"

"Don't worry, you won't. Scáthach, Jeanne, Est and I will be there to set you straight," Restia spoke up.

"Well… I'm glad to have you all?"

"No problem, Darling!"

With that conversation over, Ichigo continued onwards to where he hoped help was, at least thankful Kenpachi was alive, even with him holding back considerably. However, he soon groaned as he turned another corner, and was once again disappointed to see just another corridor.

"How far did I run? I don't remember it being this far!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Well, I did chase you for a while. You were just going so fast I could barely keep up."

Ichigo sighed. Just how long was he going to be lugging this huge oaf around for? "Well, at the very least, it's good knowing I have your help in saving Rukia, so I want to run through what you're going to be doing while I get her."

"What I'll be doing? I better be fighting! Otherwise, I'm not going to be happy."

"Well, I want you to find the rest of the Ryoka and protect them, and if that leads you to fighting some of the Shinigami around the place, you can indulge yourself can't you?"

"Tch… well, if that's the only option, I suppose It isn't bad, but I expect another fight soon after you save this Rukia chick!"

"Yeah, yeah… I suppose that is fair, just don't expect the fight as soon as we save her. You might have to wait for a while for the chance to have a rematch." Kenpachi was going to reply, but he was cut off by the little pink-haired child on his back who jumped from him back onto his spiky head, increasing the weight Ichigo had to carry near his head, causing said orange carrot-top to almost topple over.

"Hey, you little twerp! What was that for!?" Ichigo exclaimed.

Yachiru leapt from Kenpachi's head onto the floor in-front of Ichigo and smiled cutely. "We're almost there now! Their all just around the corner here! C'mon, Ichi-chan! Almost there!"

Ichigo sighed in relief. Thank goodness they were almost there now, otherwise; he didn't know if he'd manage to carry Kenpachi much longer. The guy was a 7-foot muscle tank! It was like going through one of Scáthach's training programs all over again!

His mental celebration was cut short when he saw the stairs he remembered specifically running up to escape from Kenpachi.

"HA! It seems you have to carry me down the huge amount of stairs, Ichigo!" Kenpachi laughed, even in pain.

"You can do it! It's just 1000 stair steps!" Restia said, giggling.

"Fight on, Ichigo…" Est cheered quietly.

Ichigo paused as he stared down the massive amount of stairs he now had to stumble down with baggage which weighed around 600 pounds, then looked at the man on his shoulder… and smiled just like a certain twin-tailed girl.

Now, Kenpachi has always been known as one of the bravest Captain's, and could readily admit nothing has ever scared or worried him outright. But when he saw the smile on Ichigo's face, he figured he had just felt the first fear in his time as a captain.

Just like all those years ago when he was young, battling the woman who'd managed to captivate him the most.

"Ichigo… what are you doing?" Kenpachi asked, a tiny bit scared.

Ichigo said nothing and kept smiling as he lowered Kenpachi from his shoulder and adjusted him so his head was facing the stairs first.

The man's eyes widened in surprise.

"Don't you da-" Kenpachi warning was cut short as he felt the sandal of the Ryoka push against his back sending him flying down the stairs.

"I'LL SEE YOU DOWN THERE!" Ichigo shouted as he stretched his neck and begins to slowly stroll down the stairs, his eyes finding amusement in seeing Kenpachi roll down the stairs in more annoyance than pain.

"That was evil… on the same level as Rin and Medea," Est spoke up.

"You are spending a bit too much time with them"' Restia said.

"Oh, please, I just took the easy way out. Nothing more!" Ichigo justified himself.

"AH~HA! That looks like fun!" The young voice of Yachiru surprised Ichigo as she appeared on his shoulder, looking excitedly from Kenpachi falling down the stairs and at Ichigo himself.

And before Ichigo knew it, he himself was falling down the stairs of Seireitei even faster than Kenpachi from the kick Yachiru had given him.

"THAT LITTTLLLEEE BBBRRRAAATTTTTTTT!" He shouted as he continued to fall, and much like Kenpachi, he felt more annoyed than in pain from the falling.

Restia and Est were laughing their heart out. "You reap what you sow, Ichigo!" the older girl said, as she and Est kept laughing.

Somewhere in Ichigo's mind he wondered what would be the response from all of the people at the bottom when they see two of the strongest Shinigami falling down a huge amount of stairs comically.

With Unohana…

Unohana sighed in relief as the huge amount of power dissipated from when Kenpachi and Ichigo had surely fought.

'Thank the Soul King! The amount of power Kenpachi was releasing from that last attack was almost enough to bring down the whole surrounding area. But still… I find it was quite a large amount of overkill for just one man.'

Unohana eyes landed upon the giant of a man who had just awakened from his injuries, and even though he was in a potentially dangerous situation, he seemed to be completely calm.

Isane had asked him why he seemed so calm around so many unknown individuals, and he had simply stated, "If Ichigo had entrusted my wellbeing with you all, I have nothing to fear from you," was what he said, which also caused Unohana to become more intrigued by the teen in question.

'He had such terrifying power, and yet, here lays someone who trusts Ichigo with his life completely… But how is such a thing possible when said Ichigo has such enormous power? How is he supposedly so well-liked, and yet be so strong?'

Unohana's thoughts were cut short as she heard something coming from the stairway from which Ichigo and Kenpachi had gone. Looking towards them, she had to stop herself from laughing out loud at what she saw.

Kenpachi Zaraki, the scariest Shinigami, was falling down the stairs in a comical manner. The funniest part was the fact the man wasn't even in pain from the falling, as seen by the pure annoyance plastered on his face.

Unohana managed to calm herself down from the inner laughter, but when she saw the orange-haired Ryoka falling down the stairs in the same manner as the captain, but continuously screaming out in anger at the pink-haired lieutenant. She had to bring her hand up to hide the smile and light laughter which came from her. But a strange thought crossed her mind as she saw both fighters land upon the ground.

'Wait… if both of them are still alive… who won?'

That question was answered when Ichigo picked himself, grumbling all the time, and then he reached onwards and heaved the huge Captain onto his feet and then onto his shoulders, answering Unohana's question. He didn't even have a scratch on him, completely fine.

'He beat Kenpachi? He isn't even look injured; not even his Yukata is damaged. So that huge power was his and not Kenpachi's?'

She also realised another reason as to why the teen… 'Sado' wasn't worried at all. With a friend with the power of Ichigo's, why would one be worried when he would always come save you?

Unohana also felt something she hadn't felt in a long time when she figured out Ichigo beat Kenpachi like she did, a feeling she hadn't felt for over 200 years. She shook her head – now wasn't the time to be thinking of the past, it was stupid to do so in the current situation.

Ichigo stumbled over with Kenpachi on his shoulder, with Yachiru popping up from behind them and landing in front of Unohana.

"Pretty-chan! Ken-chan had such a fun time fighting Ichi-chan!" The little kid shouted as everyone's shocked faces turned to the pair, except for Unohana, who had already figured out what had happened during the fight.

Ganju was the first to speak. "Y-You beat him?"

Ichigo scoffed as he dropped the large Captain from his shoulder in front of Unohana lack a sack of potatoes. "Of course! I said I'd win, didn't I? And besides…I have never broken my word."

Everyone was shocked still at Ichigo's bold statement, before he sat down and relaxed somewhat. His eyes widened happily at seeing his best friend awake and smiling at him. "Chad. Are you okay?"

Chad gave a thumbs up as a reply.

Ichigo turned towards Unohana. "Unohana-san, could you please heal Kenpachi… He kind of owes me a favour."

One of Unohana's delicate eyebrows raised up at that statement.

"Heh! He made me offer to help him; otherwise, he wouldn't fight me," Kenpachi said loudly as he continued to simply bleed on the ground.

Unohana's eyes went from the bleeding man to Ichigo, and then back to the bleeding man, before she sighed in resignation at the fact only Kenpachi would do something like that to fight someone really strong. "You do realise if I heal Kenpachi so he can help you in your plans, then I would be considered a traitor to the Seireitei as well?"

Ichigo tilted his head.

"But you healed my friend, and doesn't that make you a traitor already?" He asked like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Unohana stared at Ichigo in the eyes for a few moments, before a smile broke out on her face and she began to heal the bleeding man on the floor.

"You really are spending way too much time with Rin." Restia said.

"Hush, you."

"You seem to have caught me red-handed… Kurosaki-san…"

Ichigo smiled happily at that.

"And she is going along with this…" Restia sighed.

"Captain… are you sure?" Isane, the Fourth Squad's Lieutenant asked of her captain, as she nervously looked toward her.

"Yes, Isane-chan. Something has been bothering me about the whole thing relating to Rukia Kuchiki's… 'unique' circumstances."

"What do you mean, Captain Unohana?" Hanataro asked, as he began to replenish Ichigo's Reiatsu as best as possible.

"Well, I have no conclusive proof, but ever since the warrant for Rukia-san's arrest was ordered, something had just felt off about the whole thing, and since Kurosaki-san and his companions have decided to try and save her, I feel like it is the adequate time for me to involve myself."

"I'm really grateful for you want to help. But I'd hate for you to lose your position and endanger yourself. I already got Kenpachi's help, I'd hate to endanger anyone else."

Unohana smiled as she healed a particular nasty-looking cut on the Squad Eleven Captain's chest. "Whilst I am appreciative of your worry for my well-being, I believe I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself and Isane-chan."

"I have an idea," Ichigo said.

"What do you have in mind?" Unohana asked, curious.

"If you want to help, then why don't you stay undercover and see what you can find within your Seireitei, specifically Central 46? All this odd feelings and weird orders are from them, after all. In the meantime, we will continue with our plan. This way, even if someone catches you, you can say you were acting under your own and investigating this as it felt a bit odd to you," he explained his plan.

"That… is a very good plan. You are a good strategist, Kurosaki-san," Unohana said, praising him.

"Thank you, and please call me 'Ichigo'. Kurosaki-san is my father."

"Sure."

Ichigo stood back up. "Right, well, I better continue onwards. Kenpachi! When you're healed up, I want you to find the rest of the Ryoka in the Seireitei and protect them from danger. Chad! You go with him and help keep our friends safe as well!"

Unohana nodded that plan that Ichigo gave was smart, best to split the two strongest members of the group so that they can split the amount of attention that they receive, giving each of them a better chance at winning against any enemies.

"That sounds like a good plan Ichigo-san, I and Isane will return to our division and start investigating when I have healed Kenpachi-san," Unohana said.

"Take care of yourselves." Ichigo said as he, Ganju, Chad and Hanataro headed for the white tower.

Next Time: Traitors Revealed

See You All the Next Time