Chapter 20: Soul Society, Part 2
The sound of a cup shattering against the ground echoed out in a large meeting room made from large oaken wood fashioned in the likeness of an old rural war barrack.
"C-Captain?"
Yamamoto could hear the nervousness in the messenger's tone. Admittedly, it was justified. He himself could only barely restrain the trembling of his hands when the latest news on the battlefield had been delivered, and even then, it was due to experience and age.
Placing strength in his arms, he stood tall and imposing, the very figure of a leader un-paralleled throughout, acting as if the earlier mishap with the fallen glassware was intended. His hands were crossed and planted firmly over his wooden walking cane, the sheer aura exuding off of him enough to ease the nervousness of the messenger reporting. He was the Head-Commander. Every action of his reflected the very state of the Seireitei, and subsequently, the morale of those beneath him. Thus, even if he felt any form of trepidation or unease, he would loath to show it. Firm in the face of danger. And Resolute in belief. The laws of the Seireitei must be upheld. It was tradition, an honour and obligation. Law breakers must be punished, and intruders eliminated.
But circumstances made any such thoughts far more complicated then they should be.
It was only the subtle creasing of his brows that were the only indication of the turmoil of his inner thoughts. Yet fortunately, only people who he had associated with him for a long period of time like Unohana, Shunsui or Ukitake could discern such a minor movement.
"Is it truly as you say?" He asked once more for clarification. After all, what he had just heard before was too frightening to consider, and could lead to future problems magnitudes worse than any hollow or criminal in the Maggot's Nest could ever achieve.
"Yes," the answer was solemn and resolute. Misinterpretation was impossible.
A solemnness entered his gaze,
"Immediately heed my warning!" His voice was booming.
This was the worst-case scenario that could never have had been foreseen. There was a hollow in the Seireitei's midst with the ability to reproduce a Shinigami's Zanpakuto. He had to compliment Captain Toshiro for his foresight to send another update on the situation even after sending Rangiku Matsumoto. From the second informant's words, Captain Hitsugaya was currently still locked in combat. As for Rangiku, she had been the one to report of many other things of relevance, and it was only when a second messenger came that everything could be concluded thoroughly.
"Do not let negligence allow the enemy to gain the advantage. Inform all personnel of the Court Guard Squads to minimize exposure of their Zanpakuto to the enemy. Should any draw their blade, end it with a swing, or finish it quickly!"
"Understood Head-Captain!" Rangiku and the other messenger gave a salute before quickly leaving.
Once the two had exited the room, Yamamoto's shoulders seemed to sag as he contemplated silently to himself. The more Zanpakuto the enemy hollow saw, the stronger and more versatile the hollow will become. Now with the invasion of the Seireitei, this hollow was like a fish to water. The hollow had to be dealt with now before it could mature into something devastating.
This Vasto of White, and the swords it could produce.
At that moment, his eyes couldn't help but glance down at his Zanpakuto. He knew of its nature, a reflection of the iron and heartless leader he had been before the establishment of the Seireitei. Would he find himself in a situation where he would have to face his own strength?
A frown found its way to his old face, but he disregarded it and it soon faded. What was important now was to lead his units against the invaders.
Soifon wasn't back yet. As the leader of Squad two and the Stealth Force, she played a significant role in the Seireitei, and right now, her efficiency in completing task was necessary.
The fact that she had yet to return meant only one of two things. Either she was delayed, or she had died under enemy hands. If she were delayed, then his worries would be put o rest since no matter how delayed Soifon was, her chance of survival as the Stealth Force leader was undisputable. But in any case, should the latter prove true, then all he could do as the Head-Captain would be to avenge her. An eye for an eye.
The sound of the door at the entrance of the room creaking open alerted him to another messenger staring meekly through the gap. From the strength of his vision, he could determine that the messenger staring through the gap was nervous. The attire in which the messenger wore was dishevelled, the appearance looking as if the man had just gone through a thorough beating.
How odd. Staring closer, he realized that the messenger was not really a messenger, but a sentry tasked with managing the safety of the Seireitei's walls.
Could another section of the Seireitei have had been breached? A grave look passed through his eyes, but on further thought, something just didn't add up.
It was a mystery that just didn't make sense.
In this time of crisis, what could cause any messenger reporting the situation outside to hesitate?
"Enter," he spoke bluntly, drawing a surprised stutter from the man.
"H-Head Captain, r-reporting," the man said with a bow.
"Has anything happened with the other gates? Have they been breached?" Yamamoto cut directly to the root of the matter. After all, there should be no other reason why a sentry would travel to the First Division's barracks otherwise.
"N-Not exactly," the man nervously fidgeted under Yamamoto's gaze, but soon collected himself as Yamamoto urged him on. "It's the Shibas, Captain. They've forcibly opened the gates with the help of one our Gate Keepers, Jidanbo. That's not even all though. Along with the Shibas, an odd group of other individuals were following as well, one of which wore a Shihakusho similar to our Shinigami. He did not report a division when asked, and when I insisted further, Lady Kukaku Shiba, she…"
The man didn't have to finish for Yamamoto to understand. The split lips on the man's face and the dried blood from the man's nose was enough of indication of what happened. And it was infuriating.
"Impudent! To dare break protocols at this crisis!" Yamamoto's spiritual force spilled out in a wave, but he quickly reigned it in as to not trouble the youngster before him. "You are dismissed. Inform the guards waiting outside to convey a strict lookout for the Shiba siblings," he spoke gruffly.
After reporting, there was no need for the sentry to remain in the room.
With the closing of the door, Yamamoto had another problem he had to deal with. The Shibas were going to be unpredictable. And what was worse was the knowledge of why they would go to such lengths. It was increasingly clear to him that the last of the Shiba clan had gotten wind of their eldest brother. A sadness befell him for a moment as he realized he would not be able to fulfill the promise he had made to the previous lieutenant of squad thirteen. What Kaien had wished to avoid as the last request for his undying loyalty, had sadly become a reality.
As for those following the Shiba clan members, they were to be apprehended at post haste along with the Shibas. He didn't know if the Shiba's had brought along friend or foe into the Seireitei, but at the moment, they were no different from the invading hollows. Travelling Evils,
Ryoka.
The sound of steps entered his ears, the soft clatter of sandal wood tapping against the floor.
"Unohana," he called without turning around. He knew she would be beside him.
It was only when he sensed that something was off did he finally turn around to face her.
"Has the task been fruitful?" He asked.
"I'm afraid I'm not here to deliver much good news," Unohana spoke regretfully, her voice clear. Her eyes were downcast, and her hair covered over them before she looked up.
"Speak then," Yamamoto grunted.
"The Central-Forty-Six has declared the forwarding of Rukia Kuchiki and Kaien Shiba's execution in the next few days. They will not concede on the matter no matter what reason is given."
The grip he had on his cane tightened to the point where he unknowingly punctured a hole into the floor. He could care less at the moment though.
"Has the Central 46 gone mad?! They want us to host an execution in the middle of this mess?" He asked incredulously.
Unohana's response was only to give a nod. It was all that she could do.
Yamamoto was at a loss, but quickly he regained himself.
Calm became his gaze.
Steady became his figure.
"So be it then. As it has been decided, there's no going back," he spoke suddenly moving forward.
"Head-Captain?" Unohana spoke in surprise. "You?"
Yamamoto turned his back to Unohana, the symbol of Squad One flashing valiantly before her eyes on the haori on Yamamoto's back.
"A leader can not direct at the safety of his own home. It is time for us to move as the Captains of the Court Guard Squads."
Aizen had directed him in this direction, but in his haste, he had forgotten to ask the man how far he would have to go.
The buildings Shirou passed where nothing but blurs as his speed allowed him to travel at a rate in which the objects in sight seemed distorted. However, contrary to belief, things weren't that easy, at least for those that tried to impede him.
In his wake was a number of fallen bodies: Their clothes torn into shreds, and blood seeping into the fabric. The shocked expressions on their faces and the unwillingness in their eyes as it slowly dawned on them that they were dead, were like piercing daggers on his back. It was a numbing sort of feeling that coursed through him at that moment. An anguish that he vaguely realized was familiar.
He had done such a thing before. To take countless lives as if a reaper of the underworld, like the Shinigami themselves.
Who was he in the past?
He was Shirou Emiya.
And although everything about himself was blurry, the ideals he maintained were still there, still calling to him to do what he believed was right.
"M-Monster,"
A choked breath, a gurgled noise that barley registered into his ears, quickly muffled out by the squelching of metal to flesh.
"I-I don't want to die!"
Regardless, a sword did not stop once swung.
A cold resolution took root from within him while he slew those that impeded him. Every moment hindered meant more casualties to those that had followed him, and that was something he considered far worse.
"R-Retreat, it's a a Vasto Lorde!"
He gave pause. Raising a single hand, a flurry of nameless blades manifested from the air, eliminating an entire squad of seated officers as the tranquil words of Kyoka Suigetsu flittered into his mind.
"An enemy left alive, is just another catastrophe for the future. Just as a boy grows into a man, it is better to defeat a heart of vengeance before it blooms."
He would have hesitated before, hell, he probably would have had argued and condemned such an action, but reality had hit him far worse.
"M-My King…"
Those he had once let flee, he met once moments later, cheering as they stabbed to death several of his own. It was one of Bran's followers. Someone that had helped lead and organize the other hollows in the war between Baraggan's armies. Now, here, and lending his aid, that organizer was killed.
Killed.
One of his own had been killed by the very people he let flee.
"This is why you kill all your enemies in a war," Gaebolg's voice had echoed within his mind. "When you fight, do you fight for those behind you, or those in front of you?"
"…" Kyoka didn't comment at that moment.
He was thankful. He didn't need a reminder anymore. There was once a time in his life where he had learned to separate friend from foe. Innocent from guilty.
In this sort of situation, anyone who appeared before him should be treated as an enemy.
Swords once again appeared around him, vibrant drops of red soon spraying out in wide arcs. The screams and choking gurgles that he'd long since gone deaf to no longer affected him.
Yet, inside, as he stared off at the bodies that lay around him, he knew of only one thing howling in anguish from within him.
This was hell.
As his war path only continued to expand, the hollow hole in his chest gradually widened, a reflection of the emptiness he was feeling.
"…" It was the sound of a tender breath, gentle and bereaved; a soft sigh filled with a somberness that spoke volumes. "Shirou,"
The undiscernible image of a woman in armour, laying in rest from within the Unlimited Blade Works trembled, as if she herself could feel the pain and emptiness. Her call was one of comfort, a hope to ease the darkening clouds above within the world of her Avalon.
Yet he could not hear her call.
She swallowed, keeping her emotions to herself; the eyes shadowed by her hair were downcast and dreary.
Shirou was unaware of it, his hands clenching into fists as he decided to move on from where he had stood.
All that remained were the motionless figures floating in the air, staring at him impassively from the blood stained Zanpakuto scattered across the battlefield. Their expressions revealing the complexity of what they truly felt.
Moments later, they would fade away, just another individual that would roam within the inner world of unlimited blades.
The building should not have been very far now. In fact, he believed that he would reach it at any moment, so he gradually slowed down his pace to keep a lookout for the building Aizen described.
"Shirou," A person called out to him as he had leapt forward.
He turned his gaze, only to meet eyes with Harribel. He breathed an internal sigh of relief as he quickly inspected her. She wasn't injured aside from a few scratches over her bone-armour. She had probably only run into the lower-leveled Shinigami similar to the ones he encountered himself.
Oddly enough, when Harribel noticed his gaze, her body had tensed while her eyes glanced away from his. He quickly ignored such actions though as he was more interested in other things.
"What happened to Starrk and the others?" He asked quickly.
Harribel was swift to compose herself, the small flush on her face fading away to a neutral calm, her eyes appearing distant once again. "Starrk was originally moving along with me until Lilynette woke up in his arms. After Starrk was forced to explain to her what exactly was happening, she 'persuaded' Starrk to put more effort into searching and thus we spilt up to cover more ground. As for Sung-Sun, Apacci, and Mila Rose, they decided to spread out as well."
Shirou didn't have to ask Harribel further for what happened. Lilynette had probably goaded the three.
"Then everyone else?" He asked.
By now, almost all the hollows that had come with him into the Soul Society had made it through the Seireitei's walls by entering the hole he had created. Their whereabouts were largely unknown to him and Harribel had been the one to direct the majority of them while he had confronted the Shinigami at the front.
"Dispersed for now," Harribel spoke. "The majority of them are quite smart and spilt off in groups, but I fear it will be impossible to survive an encounter with any Captain-Class Shinigami. Even then, something in the air here in the Soul Society makes it feel like I'm being pressed by something. Possibly a property of the walls surrounding this place. This only adds on to the fact that although we have the advantage in overwhelming the enemy at the moment, in the long term, it is ourselves who will be at a disadvantage. They have the superior numbers, and our spiritual energy isn't infinite."
"Looking at you," Harribel spoke slowly. "It seems you found a lead?"
He nodded his head. "She should be in that building over there. It's the Twelfth Division's building from what Aizen told me."
Harribel pursed her mouth at the name of Aizen, but she didn't question it. Instead, she nodded her head. "Good. The sooner we can get this over with, the faster we can return. Although some hollows harbour the thought of defeating the entirety of the Soul Society with our advantage now, it's not feasible at the moment."
Harribel narrowed her eyes. "I'm sure you feel it to."
He did indeed.
It was the sudden dryness of the air, like he had stepped into a room filled with hot steam. A powerful enemy had just taken to the battlefield, and even now the influence of the enemy's spiritual pressure was enough to cause a change in the environment.
This wasn't good. Not at all.
"My King?" A hollow suddenly stopped as it noticed Shirou and Harribel. Even more so, when Harribel beckoned it over.
"Is there anything you need?" The hollow asked earnestly. All of it's power had been granted in large contribution by Shirou. It was willing to do anything so long as Shirou asked out it.
"Inform the others to stop spreading out. The Shinigami are beginning to reorganize themselves and this chaos will soon cease," Shirou spoke. "By this time, if we don't find Silent, then all that we could do is build ourselves a temporary base of operations while searching. Call back the others."
The hollow nodded his head vigorously before flying off towards any other hollows it could see.
"Didn't you just say that Silent was in that building," Harribel inquired with a raised brow.
He had indeed, but the thing was, nothing was ever certain until found.
Harribel quickly understood Shirou's reasoning.
"Then let's go," Harribel beckoned. "We don't have time for idle chatter anymore."
Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he spotted something. "No," he spoke to Harribel. "You go on first."
Harribel frowned, but conceded after a moment of thought, rushing forward towards the building Aizen described as the Twelfth Division.
Meanwhile, Shirou's eyes were glued onto the two children peeking at him with deep green eyes from the side of a corner. The two had their silver hair pulled back into ponytails and rest of it hanging down in large bangs in front of their faces. They wore large triangular blue hats with small red fans on either side, and it was clear to see that beneath the light blue robes were kimonos. Said kimonos had vertical red and yellow stripes near their waists. Around them was a light beige hakama, and on their feet, were blue shoes.
The two should be no older than five. They should not have been anywhere near the battlefield, and this was what drew his attention at first. Then came the fact that they gaping at him with their mouths hung open.
When they realized that he was staring at them, their wide mouthed expressions soon shut, and they rushed out of sight from around the corner. One of them had even tripped in the process, the big blue shoes nicking itself against the ground and causing the tumble. Immediately, the other boy rushed up to the fallen child and together they scurried away.
It was evident that they may have seen his previous performance and were scared stiff by it.
Perturbed, he soon followed, not wishing harm to come to children so young, and mentally berating Shinigami for even enlisting them in this kind of situation.
What awaited him as he turned the corner though, was something far from what he was expecting.
The two children were clambering over a white-haired man smiling wryly at them. The expression of wryness on the man's face though soon faded away as the two children pointed at him in the distance.
"B-Bad man?!"
He could hear what the two children were saying while pointing fingers.
On further inspection, he realized he already knew the two's names. Sogyo no Kotowari.
They were the Zanpakuto of the Thirteenth Division's Captain, Jushiro Ukitake, the man currently in front of him.
"Captain Ukita..ke," one of the fallen Shinigmai rasped out on the ground. A sword was still stabbed through the Shinigami at this moment, and it would not take long before the man perished. "R-Run, he's too strong."
Jushiro's face darkened upon seeing this scene. After all, Jushiro was a kind man, a Captain that treasured his subordinates, and it was something Shirou could gleam from the man's character alone.
"You did all this?" Jushiro's tone was cold as he called out to Shirou.
Shirou did not deny it.
There was a silence between the two as Jushiro took another second to look across the battlefield, moving on to see the path of bodies left behind in Shirou's wake.
"So many lost their lives," Jushiro's fists were clenched together, a deep sorrow in his eyes. "This is unforgivable."
Shirou did not fault Jushiro's reaction, it was commendable that the man had not flown into a rage yet. After all, Shirou knew that he would have.
"I'll stop you here and now," the resolution in Jushiro's tone caused Shirou to tense as a wave of spiritual energy rocketed towards the sky. Even Harribel's figure that had just arrived at the front of the Twelfth Divisions building, paused and looked back.
However, Harribel had confidence in Shirou, and quickly proceeded forward despite Jushiro's stunning release of power.
Jushiro Ukitake was one of two prodigies trained by the Head-Commander himself. A genius in the sword, and with an abundance of spiritual energy, he was at the top of his generation; even blessed with a duel spirit Zanpakuto.
"Waves, Become my Shield!"
The two boys clambering over Jushiro soon froze, a seriousness hidden beneath the mischievousness of their eyes. One of them jumped over towards Jushiro's left, fading away into mots of spiritual energy.
"Lightning, Become my Blade!"
The other boy jumped onto Jushiro's right and quickly followed after the other boy's example giving Shirou childish snort.
At that moment, two blades took form from in front of Shirou bound together by a woven red thread looped through steel rectangular chakrams. The blades were refined, shining with a radiant luster reminiscent of the light patterns of waves.
Those blades were pointed at him, as another pair firmly lodged themselves within his inner world.
"Sogyo no Kotowari,"
With every movement, there was an accompanying chime. The clinking of metal pieces.
There were no words when the battle started, just the sparks of embers produced from the grating of steel.
"Che,"
Air escaped his mouth as he parried the blade away with Kanshou, yet as he was about to counter, he had to redirect his sword.
Clang!
Jushiro's face was emotionless, nothing except the veins popping on his forehead indicating the strength he was putting behind his swings.
Shirou tilted Kanshou down, Jushiro's sword grating against it before he suddenly pulled back and shoved forward with a shoulder.
Not expecting the sudden move, Jushiro had somehow avoided it by leaping over him. The reflexes the man was showing were admirable, but it wouldn't be enough to face him in battle. If anything, that task was more suitable for whoever was strong enough to affect the entire area itself with spiritual pressure.
Hmm?
Something registered in his sight at that moment, a red rope-like fabric. Tendrils of electricity were moving along its length, and it was only after hearing the familiar chime of the rectangular chakram like charms that he realized what it was.
"Sogyo no Kotowari."
As Jushiro's voice entered his ears, and the rope rapidly wrapped around his neck, he felt his body start to twitch involuntarily while his vision swam.
"AAOOH!" Jushiro shouted, heaving Shirou over his shoulder by using the momentum of his leap.
Shirou caught in the rope tying Sogyo no Kotowari together was propelled into the rubble arcs of electricity dancing across his body.
Jushiro breathed heavily, a finger still at the tip of Sogyo no Kotowari where he fed his blade a current of lightning Kido.
Normally this Kido art should not have had been so damaging, but due to the abilities of Sogyo no Kotowari, the offensive strength of the attack was greatly enhanced. Sogyo no Kotowari had the ability to absorb an opponent's energy attack through the left sword and direct it through the connecting rope where the five charms on the rope increase the attack's speed and pressure. Normally this would be used by an enemy's attack, but in this case, he had utilized his own power.
"!" Jushiro brought a hand to his mouth, coughing out a mouthful of blood.
The damned sickness that had been plaguing him was acting up again. He quickly forced it down.
"Impressive, but it's not enough," Shirou spoke as he sat up from the rubble.
The burns and scarring from Jushiro's attack was quickly healing as Shirou flooded his body with energy. Jushiro's strike was not strong enough to breach significantly through the defense of Shirou's skin as a Vasto Lorde of his caliber. Even more so when his eyes eyes could detect that Jushiro didn't have access to the immense spiritual energy the man possessed. A pity then.
To even hope for any damage, Jushiro would have to use the blade of his sword rather than the rope that bound them together.
Jushiro readied his swords, lunging out again. He would have been a fool if he allowed the enemy time to adjust to the situation. Jushiro as a prodigy raised by the Head-Commander himself along with Shunsui knew that keeping the tempo of the battle was critical.
Jushiro swung out again, his strikes gaining strength as he thought about all the comrades that had perished under Shirou's hands.
It was unforgivable.
He knew what it was like to see those under him die again and again. Kaien had been one of the most impactful ones, and the relief he felt upon seeing him alive again was unimaginable. Yet that relief had been crushed as soon as Kaien opened his mouth to explain the situation. Now, he didn't know what to do now that both Rukia and Kaien were to be put to death. Seeing the bodies around him, not only did it cause him grief, but it gave him a reminder that Kaien and Rukia would be like them eventually.
His mood was incredibly bitter, and it reflected in his health.
Blood continually rushed to Jushiro's mouth, but he just kept on swinging.
Originally, he had taken a stroll to rid his mind of its turmoil do to the sudden attack of the hollows, but it was impossible after hearing the latest order of the Central Forty-Six. The execution date had been pushed forward. There nothing he could do unless he acted soon. Yet he knew that infighting at this time of invasion would lead to even more casualties. The Soul Society must stand united to defeat the threat of the hollows.
How could he act on his own selfishness to save his lieutenant and seated officer at this time of crisis like Shunsui had suggested?
It was this dilemma that caused him to walk outside to clear his mind. Little did he know about the scene of carnage that would await him.
Jushiro back stepped to avoid Shirou's strike, and carefully twisted past it with a burst of Shunpo. He arrived directly in front of Shirou, his blades pointed forward as he stabbed.
DING!
The sound was accompanied by the falling rain. A storm had flown in created from the violent swirling of the spiritual energy around the Seireitei. One of ice and fire creating a storm.
Sogyo no Kotowari pressed its tip firmly against Shirou's chest, the strength in it unable to pierce.
The rain matted Jushiro's hair to his forehead, the water acting as a stark contrast to the blood leaking from Jushiro's mouth as the man began to violently cough. The once imposing figure of a prodigy of the sword, reduced to a his knees hacking blood from out of his throat.
Shirou looked on at Jushiro with a solemnness in his eyes. He knew that this would be the result. It was apparent from the fluctuations of Jushiro's spiritual energy that something was wrong within his body. The recklessness in utilizing the amount of spiritual force Jushiro had used, and the weakness of the body, was never a good combination.
Sogyo no Kotowari slid down against Shirou's chest, leaving a trail of red as the razor edge cut a thin line over the skin.
It was a pity that Jushiro wasn't in any true condition to fight. It was why he had held back on his abilities after deducing this. In honour of Jushiro's valiance, he had not used any other ability but his sword play to fight against this Captain.
It was a warrior code. An art of Chivalry that had nagged at him endlessly.
And in the end, Shirou's sword play was inferior.
The pitter patter of the rain continued to sound along with the violent wheezing as Jushiro continued to cough out blood even as the man passed out.
Shirou let out a sigh. Over the course of the fight, he had not been winded and had not expended too much energy. He would have to conserve it should the true monster he could feel within the Seireitei confront him.
As of now though, he would have to deal with the predicament in front of him.
"B-Bad man no touch him!"
"You're a meaner! G-Go away!"
The forms of Sogyo no Kotowari stood protectively in front of Jushiro's body. One of them had even gathered up his courage and climbed up onto his shoulders where those little hands that had balled up into fists began whacking at his head. Tears were in both of the children's eyes and with the prompting of one of them, he was suddenly surrounded by the two. The both of them attacked him. Feeble kicks and punches resulting in no damage. The both of their actions were just serving as an annoyance. Hell, one of them even attempted to hang off of his head in hopes of blinding him from approaching Jushiro.
It was a fruitless endeavor.
"No stop!" The two called, finally pressing themselves on top of Jushiro as if it would change anything.
Shirou sighed. "I'm just going to take him out of the rain," he reasoned. "The cold will only make things worse."
Sogyo no Kotowari looked at each other and finally relented when Jushiro let out another cough.
"Y-You better not try anything o-or you'll see w-what's coming to you," Sogyo no Kotowari threatened with balled fists, a red flush coming to their faces.
"I promise I won't hurt him, but I will have to restrain him then," Shirou bartered.
"F-Fine, but no hurting him," the two children spoke nervously. It was reminiscent of two kids panicking over their parent.
Negotiations over, Sogyo no Kotowari moved off of Jushiro and allowed Shirou to move the man out of the rain.
Once out of the rain, the main problem came int he form of what to tie the man up with. He would need some sort of restraint that would block off the spiritual energy Jushiro could easily use once awakened to break free.
The answer came to him from Kyoka who directed him to a building she explained was like a jail in the Soul Society. Inside, he found a spiritual energy restraining cloth which he used to tie Jushiro in.
All the while, Sogyo no Kotowari stared hard at him, watching anxiously with their wide green eyes.
"Where are you taking him?" Sogyo no Kotowari asked when Shirou slung Jushiro over his back.
Jushiro was now a hostage that he may be able to use for later. He couldn't just leave him to be found and set free by other Shinigami, nor could he leave him under the power of another hollow. They wouldn't hesitate to put down a Captain-Class Shinigami, no matter if the man was ill.
After fastening Jushiro on his back, Shirou moved int he direction of the Twelfth Division's building, Sogyo no Kotowari trailing after him. Eventually, he soon saw Harribel walking out of the Twelfth Division's building before he arrived at its entrance.
As he noticed the expression on her face, there were only two words that he heard clearly which she grunted out.
"She escaped."
"Be careful," Kukaku whispered while pointing up above.
Ichigo and the others soon noticed the presence of a group of flying hollows attacking another group of Shinigami. The waves of generated spiritual pressure let everyone know just how strong those combatants above were.
This was crazy, and Kukaku had emphasized more than once not to get involved no matter who was dying in front of him.
Those were Adjuchas class hollows at the minimum, and a single one alone required the strength of an entire team of Shinigami to take down.
They were like mice skittering around beneath a battle between behemoths.
"Orihime, don't you dare," Kukaku hissed.
More than having to remind Ichigo, it was Orihime who was troubling Kukaku most. After all, Ichigo couldn't heal others but Orihime could. The amount of injured Shinigami they've sneaked past was too numerous to count, but in each encounter Kukaku felt like she was fighting a mental battle.
"You can't go to heal them. Don't you understand that we're as much of an intruder in the Seireitei as those hollows. Even worse, say you do manage to heal them and those cured bring in more injured allies, we'd be prime target number one for those hollows. This is war, and we have our objective. Every Shinigami knows what it is that they have had signed up for since their academy days. Leave them."
"But sis, K-Kaien wouldn't leave—"
"Not another word Ganju," Kukaku spoke, cutting Ganju off.
Her hands were balled into fists, and it was clear that this decision was much harder on Kukaku than it was for them.
They lapsed into silence, remembering the trouble Kukaku had already gotten into on their behalf after beating a wall sentry after Jidanbo lifted up the gates.
"Just, just follow my instructions," Kukaku said. "From what I remember, the Seireitei hold most of their prisoners in the isolation tower before a verdict has been decided by the Central Forty-Six. That tower in front of us over there is our best chance at finding the truth of this matter."
To Kukaku, the matter with Rukia could hardly compare with the issue of the survival of her elder brother.
"Then let's go," Karen spoke trying to move forward.
However, Ichigo firmly planted a hand on her shoulder, placing Karen behind him and in the middle of the group.
Karen glared, but didn't speak up about it as they had to keep quiet to avoid detection.
Explosions sounded out across the landscape, and soon, a sweltering heat appeared that casued Kukaku's back to stiffen.
"The Head-Commander," she muttered to herself before she turned around to everyone else and signalled for them to stop.
"From here on out, the security is going to tighten exponentially. Do not do anything reckless," she advised.
Ichigo and everyone else quickly accepted Kukaku's advise, but as they began to move forward, Kukaku froze.
It was simply because the path she had once taken before when she had last been within the Seireitei was reduced to rubble. Bodies were spread everywhere, and there was no longer any structure to hide behind to avoid detection. This scene was far worse than anything they had encountered. After all, she had been leading them through inconspicuous areas and the number of casualties found there were at a minimum. However, this was different. It was a slaughter the likes of which led her to only a single conclusion from the enemies she had once seen above.
A Vasto Lorde must have been here. No other hollow or group of them could such destruction in a short span of time.
This was incredibly off putting.
But most of all though, she forgot the most important thing.
"You fool!" She called out to Ichigo.
The scenery had caused agitation in Ichigo and the already flimsy control he had with his spiritual energy burst out of control. It was like a torch exploding in the dark. There was no way the Shinigami or hollows would not notice it.
"Fuck, run!" Kukaku burst forward. "We just have to make it past that row of rubble over there and we'll enter a safer district we can take cover from. Ichigo, hurry up and reel in that damned spiritual energy of yours. Ishida, help him."
Panicked, the entire group scrambled to follow Kukaku's directions, but it was already too late. From up in the sky a shout was heard loud and clear.
"Mila Rose, there's more of em!"
Turning up, Kukaku was shocked to see a humanoid figure in the distance staring down at their running group.
"V-Vasto Lorde," she stuttered out. Her body quickly began to feel like jelly with the ramifications of it all.
Clearly it wasn't just her though as everyone was affected. Even more so when another humanoid figure appeared in the distant east.
Two Vasto Lordes.
This, this, what could they possibly do in this situation.
To make matters worse, in their stupor staring a the Vasto Lordes in the distance, they neglected to notice the approaching form of an entire group of Adjuchas that had surrounded them.
"K-Keep close," Kukaku stuttered, her confidence in the situation dropping. If only Yoruichi were here. Together they could have had probably thought up of something.
Their backs pressed against each other, they brandished their weapons. Kukaku had a fire bomb in hand, Ichigo with his blade, Ishida with his bow, Orihime with her hair pins, and Karin with a pair of gloves given to her by Kisuke. Ganju was the only one still in a stupor, but a quick kick from Kukaku and he quickly brandished his weapons he stored in a bag.
The power the hollows were exuding was suffocating. It was an entire group of Adjuchas and behind them were two Vasto Lordes.
Ichigo stepped forward to combat them as he knew that the situation was his fault. Karin looked at him as if he was crazy, yelling at him to get back into a safer position. Yet any thoughts of a safer position soon left her mind as the hollows around began charging an attack Ichigo had only ever seen once. And even then, it was just barely deflected.
Ceros.
Just before the situation could get any worse though, a voice pierced through the sound of the growing ceros. It was the voice of an adolescent still shrill and in the midst of changing into something more feminine.
It spoke only one sentence as the hollows surrounding them suddenly parted.
"Ichigo, what the fuck?"
Chapter 21: Soul Society, Part 3
In a forested region just outside of the Seireitei's walls, strong winds beat back against her hair. Glossy jade like strands matting against the sweat of her brow. A bruise had formed on her chest, the redness spreading across her stomach. Over the rest of her body were numerous butterfly like patterns.
Nelliel tu Odelschwanck, lowered her lance from its position blocking her face, her body motionless aside from this one action.
"What's wrong hollow?" Yoruichi goaded, skidding to halt along the ground. "Tired?"
Not to far off, Soifon followed suite, the agitation in her eyes clear as she looked first at Nelliel, and then to Yoruichi.
Nel snorted after hearing Yoruichi's question.
She pointed her lance forward.
"Coming from a two vs one, you are not in a position to judge," Nel spoke, taking a moment to adjust her breathing.
The situation had become increasingly troublesome after Yoruichi's intervention. It was simply because her two opponents were so well coordinated that it didn't make sense unless they've worked with each other before. However, from the fury in Soifon's eyes, she and Yoruichi did not appear to be on friendly terms.
This is what confused Nel for the moment. However, she would loath to be caught up in such an irrelevant matter. The most important aspect of the situation was how to counter the sudden two-way attack.
First, she was already wary about the purpose of the black butterfly patterns forming across her body, and secondly, she had to find a way to deal with her enemy's speed. The surrounding trees and shrubs only made things even harder; obscuring visibility and allowing the enemy to suddenly shift positions by using the plants as spring boards. It had become troublesome when she had to aim her lance.
The area was not suited for her style of battle, therefore there was only a single thing she could do.
Without warning, a pink cero began forming over her mouth, the spiritual pressure it was emitting enough of an indication to Yoruichi and Soifon of the power it possessed within it.
"Soifon," Yoruichi sent a nod towards the Captain of the Second Division.
Soifon clicked her tongue, but she understood what the past Captain of the Stealth Corps was implying. She would be a blubbering fool unfit for her position if she hadn't.
Quickly, Yoruichi and Soifon retreated several steps back, each bound large enough to cross tens of meters.
Nel didn't care about Soifon and Yoruichi's evasive maneuvers as the two disappeared to hide amongst the trees. After all, Nel thought derisively, her cero was not aimed at them.
With a quick motion, she turned her attack towards the ground and compressed it with even more spiritual energy before releasing it.
BOOOM!
The resulting shockwave sent a plum of ash and debris into the air, and reduced the surroundings to acres of splintered wood and burnt leaves.
The battle ground was now an open plain similar to the environment fought within Hueco Mundo's large dunes.
As the dust and dirt continued to hail from the sky, Nel watched passively as two pairs of hands breached through the forest's remains seeking leverage before the main body burst out.
Yoruichi and Soifon were dirty, their clothes torn and stained with soil, but fortunately, they didn't sustain much injury aside from a trickle of blood that seeped from a cut on Soifon's forehead.
Nel beckoned the two forward. Before they already had the advantage in numbers, and they still did, but her advantage was in her strength as a Vasto Lorde. One or two good hits should be enough to render one immobile to deliver a killing blow. Now that the terrain was neutralized, her chances of landing said blows had increased.
Yet for some reason, the two didn't attack immediately. Instead, Soifon stood rooted as she stared past Nel's back in disbelief.
"T-That's impossible," Soifon muttered aloud.
Nel didn't have to turn around to know what Soifon was looking at. After all, when she destroyed the surrounding trees, visibility had greatly increased, allowing them all to see the state of the Seireitei.
When Soifon had first been pursed, she had already stopped the initial hail of spears from penetrating through the Seireitei's defences and had even alerted the other Captains of the problem. This should have been enough of a contingency to allow the Head Captain or other Captains to come up with a measure to prevent the hollow's entry.
Yet…
The hollows had all made it into the Seireitei.
From where the three stood, smoke was billowing up from the Siereitei behind Nel's back in full view of the other two.
Shirou had done it, Nel thought quietly to herself. Of course, she had no doubts with his capabilities. To protect his own domain and followers for so long, the hollow was sure to be all powerful in his own right. It was an error on the Soul Society's part to provoke such an individual.
Nel readied her spear, her instincts telling her that the enemy was about to unleash their power in a frenzy.
Soifon's eyes narrowed dangerously, she couldn't afford to waste anymore time with the situation the Seireitei was in. Briefly, she turned her attention towards Yoruichi and couldn't help the bout of anger that nearly overwhelmed her earlier.
Yoruichi had left Soifon without a word in the past, leaving Soifon to pick up Command of the Second Division and Stealth corps Yoruichi had left behind. The resentment due to that event was not small. But for the sake of the Seireitei, Soifon could put her past injustices and grudges on hold until after the danger has subsided.
Seeing the resolution in Soifon's eyes, Yoruichi dashed forward to initiate the attack.
Nel's sense moved into over drive. It was unquestionable to her about which of her opponent's speed was faster. Over the course of Yoruichi's interference in the battle, the one that had caused the most damage to Nel was Yoruichi.
The bruises left on Nel's body were enough of an indication.
Soifon on the other hand, did her little damage, but from the amount of butterfly patterns sprouting on top of her skin, Nel was sure that Soifon had her own methods to kill.
"Tch,"
Nel's lips thinned as she gritted her teeth from the sudden blow to her abdominals. Ignoring the pain, she lashed out with her lance, only to falter mid way when she heard a whistling by her ear.
Twisting her body, she barely managed to dodge the finger strike aimed at her neck.
Hoof planting against the ground, she pushed forward, using her superior build and strength to tower over Yoruichi.
Her left arm propped itself up, her body maneuvering to stand on her hind legs.
Power welled up from within her.
Beast like, and domineering.
It was a stance reminiscent of the Greek Centaur of legend.
A Teacher, Healer, and Prophet.
The Bowman and trainer of heroes.
Chiron.
"Lanzador Verde,"
It was an instant in time. As Nel's eyes locked on to Yoruichi's figure, she could see the ripples moving across Yoruichi's muscles as the woman immediately attempted to move out of strike range.
She wouldn't let her. In a battle between sudden bursts of speeds, she was confident in her own swiftness. Like a leopard giving chase to an animal mere meters in front of it.
There was no escape.
"Ah?" The gasp couldn't help but come out of her mouth.
It was completely unexpected.
Why was Yoruichi smiling?
Unable to find an answer, and unwilling to cease her attack, the outcome was not in her favour.
"Shunko," Yoruichi spoke calmly, twisting her body to reveal that she hadn't had the intention of escaping Nel's strike at all.
Rather, she would meet it with her own.
Lightning like tendrils scorched the earth, bright pressurized Kido spewing like torrents from out of Yoruichi's back and sleeves, giving her the appearance of wings.
From the danger she was feeling, Nel knew that the situation was no longer in her favour.
And it played out just as she had expected when Yoruichi burst forward with her attack.
"Thunder King's Fists!"
Nel's expression stiffened.
Like snakes, Yoruichi's hands seemed to ignore the power contained within Nel's lance, and instead battered ceaselessly against the arm holding it.
Crkk-!
Nel muffled a scream as the bone of her left arm snapped, the direction of her attack was altered as a result, heavily cratering the ground.
This result however allowed Nel to destabilize Yoruichi's footing.
Capitalizing on the opportunity, she immediately punched out with her right fist.
Yoruichi had crossed her arms to block, yet it still resulted in her being blown back and sustaining damage. Large bruises that quickly blackened appeared across the entirety of both of her arms.
However, Nel was the one that was worse off.
After all, she wasn't facing just one opponent.
With her left arm temporarily out of use, Nel felt a sense of helplessness take root from within her as Soifon appeared on her weakened side.
Nel cursed inwardly, attempting to dodge as she had no means to use her left arm to block her left side. Due to her size though, she was unable to dodge, and instead, was forced to take a gamble.
Suzumebachi pierced into one of the butterflies on Nel's body a second time.
After wards, Soifon quickly retreated.
"It's over," Soifon spoke calmly as Nel glared.
"You may have been curious about those marks appearing on your body during this entire fight," Soifon spoke, her Zanpakuto returning to its nodachi form. "I can tell you though that no matter how strong you are, you're dead."
Suzumebachi had a deadly ability. It was called Death in Two Steps. If struck in the same spot which was hit the first time, Suzumebachi's victim will inevitably die.
This was all but guaranteed, and with this knowledge, Soifon was extremely confident in her kill.
Not even glancing back at a glaring Nel, Soifon headed in the direction of the Seireitei, Yoruichi following behind her.
Left behind, Nel felt exhausted, but felt extremely lucky for her quick thinking.
On her body, on a certain butterfly mark, her hollow bone armour shattered into numerous pieces, revealing the smooth and unblemished tan skin beneath. This was the spot that Soifon had stabbed a second time. By focusing all of her spiritual energy at that one spot she predicted Soifon would hit, she created several dense layers of extra protection on the area.
Yet it was tantamount to the puncturing strength of Suzumebachi that all layers had been pierced, the bone armour shattering into pieces.
If what Soifon had said was correct, then Nel really would have had died should the second strike had actually landed.
A shiver ran down her back, but she was far from scared. As a hollow, this wasn't the first time that she was near death.
Still, her body ached, and blood oozed out from the other puncture marks over her skin. Worse still, the various bruises made it hard to move and gather energy.
She had no choice but to seek shelter within the distant forests her previous attack didn't destroy and recuperate there.
Tentatively, she made her way under cover despite the pain of her movements. Eventually, she collapsed, siting down on her side and leaning her back against a tree.
Her expression displayed her frustration. Individually, she had a hundred percent confidence in defeating her opponent, but against two enemies both specializing in speed above her own. The battle was exceedingly difficult. Still, she was smart as Vasto Lorde, and thought back to her mistakes. The next time if she were to run into the two again, it would not be her hiding away to recuperate.
Grimacing at her injuries, her eyes expressed the displeasure of what she was about to do.
She was a Vasto Lorde, and the prestige such a title brought to a hollow was not something to be looked down upon. As the strongest of hollows in hierarchy, her power was gigantic, but there was once a time when it wasn't so; back when she was still an Adjuchas roaming around Hueco Mundo.
This was at a time when she hadn't met with her companions like Pesche. Not that she would have had been strong enough to protect them at the time, but it was better that way. Only with strength could one do what one wishes.
The weak must find their own way to power. This was true for all Vasto Lorde roaming within Hueco Mundo. Similarly, those kinds of hollows are in possession of a certain skill or advantage when seeking and fighting prey.
She was much the same.
Although she possessed high speed regeneration like many hollows at the Adjuchas stage in evolution, high-speed regeneration was incredibly taxing to undergo. Even just regenerating an arm could take a fourth of her reserves. Therefore, what she had that other Adjuchas didn't in their fight for survival, was another means to heal from her injuries with minor spiritual energy if at all. This was what allowed her to stand above the rest. That, and her ability to absorb an enemy hollow's cero and send it right back at them with increased power and speed.
Just, she hated her healing method.
Made her look like a fool even. Yet with the situation as it was now, her wounds stinging and blood seeping out, it reminded her of those near life and death situations of the past. At those times, she couldn't have cared less about any personal feelings, and she wouldn't care about it now. Granted, she did get some respite knowing that there was no other hollow or Shinigami in the area to see her.
Still, her expression grew increasingly cold as she thought of Soifon and Yoruichi as feeling once again began to course through her broken left arm. In which point, her arm began to move.
Slowly and stiffly, she reached a hand into her mouth and over her teeth towards her throat.
The sound of choked gagging echoed within the stillness of the forest, her wounds gradually healing.
Elsewhere,
Ichigo could hardly believe the sight before his eyes. He and his group were completely surrounded by hollows whose strength was nothing to laugh about. Even worse, there were Vasto Lorde class hollows mixed in with the crowd.
However, these hollows had not attacked them at all. Instead, they were just standing there in confusion, equally as stupefied as himself as the attention of everyone's gazes focused on the little child-like hollow.
It was Lilynette Gingerbuck, the hollow he had met in Karakura Town. Currently, she was staring directly at him, her finger still outstretched and pointing at him after her previous outburst.
Subsequently, everyone turned to face him. Kukaku, Ganju, and the rest aside from Ishida were also staring at him in befuddlement. After all, they weren't there to witness the scene of Lilynette's arrival unlike Ishida and himself.
Closing her mouth, Lilynette then turned to face the other hollows.
"What are you all waiting for you idiots?" She spoke. "Get away from em."
Lilynette pushed herself through the crowd, dragging along a wavy brown-haired man who looked as if he'd rather be anywhere but his current location. This man was named as Starrk when Lilynette grew irritated and started berating him.
Meanwhile, Ichigo was still in a stupor in which he was knocked out from when Lilynette appeared directly in front of him.
"What are you doing here?" She asked haughtily, her hands on her hips as she leaned forward questioningly.
He didn't know how to answer for a moment.
It was rather hard for him to take Lilynette seriously when she barely even reached half his size, and was still acting superior.
Perhaps Lilynette noticed the incredulous yet amused look on his face as she then climbed onto Starrk's back and began questioning again from a higher position.
"What are you doing here?" She asked again, this time her arms were crossed and she was looking down on him. She completely ignored Starrk's protests.
Looking at the scene, a twitch of irritation appeared on his lip as he considered giving a lesson to the brat. But seeing the hollows still around him and his friends, he suppressed the urge. What was even more of a shock for him was that Lilynette commanded such respect from the other hollows.
Looking at it now, the invading hollows were under Lilynette's control? The idea was absurd, but facts proved louder than words.
Even then, under Lilynette's stare, he decided based on the experiences he had with her in the human world that she was trust worthy enough. Otherwise, he could probably bribe her with the ice cream she had once tasted in Karakura Town.
"We're here to rescue people," he said clearly after a moment.
Lilynette's eyes widened. "Oh! We are too," she spoke as if competing.
As this was going on, he felt a nudge on his side.
"How the hell do you know these hollows?" Kukaku whispered discreetly.
He could only smile bitterly. There wasn't enough time to explain, and even less when one of the other Vasto Lordes appeared followed by more.
"Oi ya brat, why'd you tell everyone to stop attacking?!" Emilou Apacci said.
Behind Apacci were Sung-Sun and Mila Rose who had the same questioning appearance.
Lilynette grunted. "They're friends," she said, using Starrk as a shield.
"Friends?" Apacci echoed, looking at Ichigo and the rest's direction. "Three of them feel like Shinigami, and the rest are just humans. How could they possibly be friends? Look, one of them even looks like a Shinigami. It's better to just kill them."
Apacci stepped forward.
"No!" Lilynette said, jumping off of Starrk to stand in front of Ichigo and the rest. "I agree with you about the others, but Ichigo's a good guy," Lilynette said with a nod.
Apacci,s mouth twitched and she considered just pushing Lilynette aside. However, one glance at Starrk and remembering the strength Starrk had once displayed, she quickly decided against it.
Clicking her tongue, Apacci conceded the issue grumpily.
"Where are you guys going?" Lilynette asked Ichigo once the hollows around began to give them space. Leaving behind only herself, Starrk, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun at the center.
Ichigo didn't have the chance to answer though. It was Kukaku instead.
"The isolation tower," Kukaku said. She had thought about it quite deeply. There was nothing to hide from these hollows as none of them aside from Lilynette looked like they cared about the information. And if they did, didn't that mean they'd have the help of Vasto Lorde class hollows? "It's where the Soul Society keeps its prisoners and individuals of high profile."
Hearing those words, not only Lilynette, but Sung-Sun and the others eyes widened. Sung-Sun and the rest of the hollows objective was to find Silent, and perhaps she could be in the isolation tower that was spoken of.
For Apacci and the rest, it was a good lead to go on. Previously, she, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun had been comabting against a few other Captain-Class Shinigami, but for some reason unknown to them, their opponents suddenly left acting as if they were still fighting someone. Bewilidered at the time, Apacci and the others did nothing as they watched their opponents disappear into the distance towards another part of the Seireitei.
They hadn't pursued, and this fact was mainly because of Sung-Sun who quickly reminded them what lady Harribel had instructed before hand. There was no point in wasting their energy on a battle that was meaningless. Instead, they would direct their effort towards locating Silent like as Harribel had instructed.
"This isolation tower, which direction is it?" Sung-Sun asked gruffly, a hand to her mouth as if disdained speaking to those she considered below her.
Kukaku stared at Sung-Sun, and thought over her answer, not caring about Sung-Sun's rude gesture.
"It's over there," she spoke eventually, pointing at the distant buildings. "However, if you are thinking of heading there now, you're bound to fail. It's heavily fortified as its near the Fourth Squad's barracks where the majority of injured Shinigami are sent to heal from their injuries. Furthermore, the location is also near other key buildings that allow for quick deployment of troops. Undoubtedly, you will face a lot of opposition."
Sung-Sun closed her mouth, and bit back any response she was about to say. Kukaku's answer was precise enough for her to get a general understanding of the situation. Furthermore, out of three female Vasto Lordes present, she was undoubtedly the smartest. She could read subtilties and the undertones in Kukaku's voice well enough to understand something.
"Then you would have a way?" Sung-Sun inquired, staring at Kukaku.
Instead of answering, Kukaku just began to walk off. This action was enough of an answer.
Ichigo and the others hesitated for a moment, but then quickly followed after Kukaku along with Mila Rose and the rest.
Lilynette separated from Starrk and moved towards Ichigo, the two soon beginning to argue about matters Starrk could care less about. Instead, Starrk's eyes trailed towards Apacci and the rest following after Kukaku.
He knew that the three thought that Silent may be in the isolation tower Kukaku had spoken of, but the odds weren't a hundred percent either. Therefore, Starrk decided on a course of action despite the relative laziness he displayed while doing so.
He quickly instructed the other Adjuchas level hollows to disperse back in different direction of the Seireitei. In this way, they may be able to find Silent sooner. Besides, no matter if Kukaku had a method to get to the isolation tower or not, it would have been impossible not to get spotted with a group of hollows as large as theirs. Therefore, Starrk had instructed them to disperse.
The group of several dozen hollows thinned down to just Starrk, Lilynette, Apacci, Sung-Sun, and Mila Rose. If Kukaku and the rest took heed of this, they didn't show it on their faces.
As Starrk and the others walked leisurely after Kukaku's lead, they missed one of the hollows Shirou had sent to tell everyone to gather together.
Walking silently, this odd group of Shinigami, humans, and hollows made their way towards a certain area of the Seiretei.
Suddenly, Kukaku stopped.
In front of her was a single path that lead up to a flight of stairs connecting up to a larger platform. Said platform had a massive cylindrical tower stretching out into the sky. If one were to look carefully, it was possible to see numerous groups of Shinigami organizing themselves nearby in the other locations adjacent.
The path Kukaku had taken was roundabout, and she had even lead them through a great majority of the way through the Soul Society's underground system. Just remembering the smell, nearly caused Lilynette to gag, but nonetheless, they'd made their way to the tower with minimal detection if at all; the rampant spiritual energies in the air helped to mask them even further after they had suppressed their spiritual energy.
However, the group's sudden stop caused question marks to appear in everyone's minds. However, the answer became apparent after looking at the base of the stair case.
"Renji?" Ichigo spoke, seeing the Shinigami he had fought in the human world.
The current situation was the fact that Renji was blocking the way. With Renji at the base of the flight of stairs, it became impossible to avoid detection up to this point, and Kukaku knew it.
However, Kukaku forgot that in the group she was leading, three of them were rash and hot-headed- even excluding Ichigo and Karin.
"It's only one Shinigami," Mila Rose spoke, pushing forward along with Apacci. It looked as if they were having a competition as to who would defeat Renji first.
However, the two were stopped by Sung-Sun.
"You idiots," Sung-Sun reprimanded. "There's no point in squabbling over a weakling. How unrefined of you two. How could the two of you even hope to be in Lady Harribel, or Shirou's good graces? It's to comical."
"Bitch, shut up," Apacci and Mila Rose swore, redirecting their attention.
Meanwhile, Lilynette was already urging Starrk to take action, pounding on his back to get him to move forward. However, it was doomed to be a failed attempt. Starrk would not budge for a reason so trivial.
Instead, it was Ichigo who confronted Renji despite Kukaku's hisses for him to remain where he was.
Ichigo couldn't do as Kukaku said though.
Between Renji and himself, the two had many things to settle. Past scores, and setting things straight. In his opinion, if Renji cared so much for Rukia, then why didn't Renji devote his strength into saving her rather than condemning her to death? It wasn't right.
As Ichigo approached, he quickly noticed that Renji had already taken notice of them. It was hard not to when he considered the sheer presence of the Vasto Lordes behind him, especially when Apacci and Mila Rose had released their spiritual energy moments earlier.
However, a look of surprise appeared over Renji's face followed by a wave of contempt and fury as he noticed Ichigo.
"It's you," Renji spoke through gritted teeth, his Zanpakuto was immediately drawn. "If it weren't for you, Rukia wouldn't be in this situation."
Ichigo had no answer other than to draw out his own sword.
It was then that Renji noticed the others.
"H-Hollows, Vasto Lorde?" Renji's tone of voice was incredulous and filled with a disbelief carrying a hint of fear. Even more so when he recalled that his Captain had been defeated by Vasto Lordes previously. It was only recently that Captain Byakuya woke up, and the man had already disappeared from the medical ward despite his injuries.
"You led hollows here," Renji said gravely. However, Renji didn't move to inform the others immediately.
Renji was hot-headed, but he was in no way a fool. If Ichigo was travelling with hollows, then that meant that they must have shared the same objective. Were the Vasto Lordes helping Ichigo to rescue Rukia? It was the only objective he could conclude that Ichigo would have in the Seireitei.
Renji's emotions immediately became conflicted. On one hand, he knew that the chances of succeeding in rescuing Rukia would increase with the battle strength of several Vasto Lordes, but he also had his duty as a Shinigami. Eventually, he settled on an answer, keeping the entirety of his attention on Ichigo.
Perhaps Kukaku derived, or understood something from the situation, but she immediately began leading the others past Renji who did nothing to stop them.
Orihime, Karin, Chad, and Ishida faltered at that moment, unsure about what to do, but Ichigo quickly gave them a nod to move forward. This was his battle to face.
As soon as Kukaku and the rest were out of sight, Ichigo opened his mouth to speak.
"Why'd you let them go?" He asked, although he already had a hunch.
"That's none of your business," Renji dismissed.
Renji's dismissal only strengthened the theory growing in Ichigo's mind, but regardless, this wasn't the time.
With a single step, the battle began with a single shout.
"Howl, Zabimaru."
In the buildings above, Lilynette and Starrk stared down as the battle began. Instead of following after Kukaku and the rest, Lilynette had unexpectedly decided to wait and see how Ichigo's battle would conclude.
"Lilynette, you don't want to follow?" Starrk asked, making himself comfortable.
Lilynette balled her hands into fists.
"I do want to follow, but…" She trailed off.
For some reason, she felt that it would be a shame if Ichigo were to unfortunately die. In the time she had spent with him in Karakura Town, she had seen and experienced the kind of person he was. Even if she was a hollow, he didn't treat her with any contempt or prejudice. Instead, when she had explained that she was looking for someone in Karakura Town, Ichigo had even toured her around along with another black-haired Shinigami. Rukia if she could recall.
Because of these experiences, there was a part within herself that considered Ichigo a friend. In which case, letting him die as she went forward left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Thus, she had stayed behind, and wherever she would be, Starrk would follow too.
In her opinion Starrk was always the most dependable.
Back when they were alone, they only had each other, now she had many friends.
And she would keep it that way. She didn't want to experience that feeling of loneliness again, making her hold those close to her dear. Perhaps on some levels, Starrk understood what she was thinking, as even though Starrk appeared to be slacking, his eyes were on the battle unblinking.
With just a word from her, she was sure that Starrk would intervene.
"Let's go," Kukaku spoke, urging Orihime and the others to get a move on.
The Isolation Tower was directly ahead of them, and there was no point in looking back now like Orihime and the others were doing. Kukaku knew the reason though, and it was precisely because fo this that she couldn't put any anger in her tone. They were just concerned about Ichigo. However, unlike them who wasn't paying attention, Kukaku long ago noticed that Starrk and Liynette had stayed behind.
If those two were helping him, then Ichigo should be safe.
Turning her attention towards the isolation tower, she realized that it would be a long climb to reach the top. The only wayto enter the tower was through an adjacent building connected by wooden bridge. Said building was surrounded by a large flight of stairs that spiralled around it to reach the top.
Looking back at the worried face of Orihime and the others, Kukaku decided that she would continue leading this inexperienced group.
"Follow me," she said, moving forward.
Apacci, Sung-Sun, and Mila Rose, didn't follow after Kukaku and the others, instead, the three were looking at the tower and then to the flight of stairs.
"It would be way faster if we just jumped up," Mila Rose quickly concluded.
For once, no argued with her amongst the three.
"We're not going to follow them?" Apacci asked dismissively.
"There's no point now that we're here," Sung-Sun said.
On this point, the three of them were once again in sync. They held no attachments to Kukaku and the rest, only curiosity towards Ichigo, and Ichigo wasn't present at the moment. Speaking of which.
"Where's the brat?" Appaci asked. She had been sure Lilynette and Starrk were following from behind. And from the looks of it, Mila Rose was of the same mind.
"They stayed behind if the two of you didn't notice," Sung-Sun spoke sighing. "You both still have to work on your observation skills."
Neither Apacci or Mila Rose could retort. After all, they had failed to notice Starrk and Lilynette leave in their haste.
"What do you guys think the brat finds interesting in that orange haired Shinigami?" Mila Rose asked.
"It's Ichigo if you can't recall, and unfortunately, I don't have the answer to that question," Sung-Sun replied. "With everything settled out though, well then, shall we?"
Apacci and Mila Rose nodded.
Spiritual energy gathering to their legs, the three soon cratering the ground as they leapt up, creating cracks that spread out to become small fissures.
The tower was huge, reaching an absurd distance into the sky. Even for Sung-Sun and the others, it was impossible to make it to the top in a single bound. Therefore, they all moved towards the tower's base to use it as leverage for another strong leap up. However.
"Eh-!?"
As soon as Apacci's foot made contact with the building, instead of being able to leap further up as she intended, she instead felt her power suddenly vanish. Subsequently, she began falling down, crashing into the ground where she left an imprint on the polished tile.
Mila Rose and Sung-Sun burst out into laughter, Sung-Sun's laugh more reserved as she used a hand to cover her mouth.
"Idiot, can't even jump properly," Mila Rose goaded.
Like Apacci, she was nearing the maximum height of her leap and would need to take another one using the tower.
"This is how it's done," Mila Rose spoke, staring down at Apacci as her foot made contact with the building's ledge.
"!"
Mila Rose looked down on her foot stupidly, and then wordlessly crashed down into the ground as she experienced a similar loss of power as Apacci.
"Who's the fool now!" Apacci relished in Mila Rose's failure.
"S-Shut up," Mila Rose spoke, pushing herself off the ground. "There's something weird with this tower."
As Sung-Sun was nearing the apex of her leap, she hesitated as she glanced down at the two below. They were staring expectantly at her. Admittedly, she didn't like the feeling.
If two out of three didn't succeed, then what was the point of making a fool out of herself? There was no class in that at all, and the two down below were just waiting for her to fail. There was no way she would give them that pleasure.
She coolly snorted, reaching the apex of her jump, and then slowly descending down.
Apacci and Mila Rose felt a twitch on their faces as they stared at Sung-Sun who was looking condescendingly at them.
Instead of saying anything, Sung-Sun instead moved towards the tower and placed a hand on it, her expression growing dim. "This tower has similar properties to the wall that surrounds the Seireitei, making it hard to create a platform of energy beneath our feet or to concentrate our energy," Sung-Sun concluded. "It'll be far too difficult to utilize our power to make are way up by jumping. Therefore, our only choice is to walk up unless we can fly naturally."
After Sung-Sun finished speaking, the three of them looked toward the base of the stairs, and grudgingly began to make their way up to catch up to Kukaku and the rest.
Speaking of Kukaku, she and the others had already made their way up the majority of the tower. In just a few more steps they wood reach the wooden bridge leading into the isolation tower's holding room.
She didn't speak much with the others, nor did she try to alleviate their concerns towards Ichigo, but that was because she had her own troubles to deal with at the moment. In just a matter of minutes, she would be able to confirm for herself the validity of Ichigo's past statement. In some part of her heart, she knew that this could have been a ploy to allow Ichigo and the others easy access into the Seireitei, but she couldn't help but believe it anyway. After all, her elder brother may be alive.
She swallowed just as she arrived at the top, the sound of footsteps behind her alerting her to the fact Ganju and the others had arrived beside her. She didn't that much notice though. Someone else had her attention.
"Well well, Lady Shiba," a man wearing a pink patterned kimono spoke. Said man was occupying a spot directly in front of the wooden bridge. "It's been a long time since you've last visited the Seireitei. And to think, you even brought friends."
The man was obviously referring to Orihime and the others, but there didn't seem to be any hostility in the man's tone.
"Captain Kyoraku," Kukaku said, clicking her tongue. "I don't suppose you'd let me just take a look at who's in there would you?"
Shunsui Kyoraku tilted the straw hat over his head down, casting a shadow over his eyes as he thought back to the final wishes of the lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division.
"Ah, yes, about that, afraid not. Classified stuff there yes," Shunsui drawled. However, he soon realized that his refusals were only making Kukaku want to try harder to know what lay inside. Yet, Shunsui couldn't just give her permission to see either. "Lady Shiba, I would much appreciate it if you didn't make things difficult for this lazy Captain. Perhaps we can just share a drink or two instead?"
"Cut the bullshit, Captain!" Kukaku roared. "If you won't let me see, then why don't you just tell me who's in there?"
"Hmmm," Shunsui released a sigh before he shook his head. "Its classified information."
Saying that, Shunsui seemed to detect something moments later as his eyes narrowed.
Just as Kukaku was about to burst into a rage, her expression shifted into one of panic.
"Ganju get down!" She called.
Confused about why Kukaku was telling him to get down, Ganju still did so anyway, avoiding a cero that whizzed past with its trajectory aimed towards the door of the isolation tower.
Almost in the blink of an eye, Shunsui had cut it in half with a drawn sword, destroying it before it could even reach.
"Tch," Mila Rose grunted in annoyance. She hadn't been aiming for Ganju, but the man had unfortunately positioned himself in the way after she had already let loose the attack. But in any case, she didn't really care.
"Vasto Lordes," Shunsui's expression immediately became serious after he concluded his sightings.
"Oi, you sleazy looking man. If your busy dealing with the others, then why don't you just let us see who's in this tower without disrupting us?" Sung-Sun said. "I can guarantee that we will leave if our target isn't there."
"Sleazy, me? Beautiful lady, do your eyes simply deceive you?" Shunsui spoke back, readying his sword.
"No, my vision is far better when judging others," Sung-Sun replied smoothly. "Now either get out of the way, or prepare yourself for battle."
"You aren't making this easy for me you know," Shunsui said. "In fact, I'm afraid your two friends over there have already decided to make trouble for me."
Hearing Shunsui's response, Sung-Sun could only exasperatedly shake her head in annoyance at the provocative looks Apacci and Mila Rose were giving, their energy already shifting into a battle frenzy.
They were idiots, no more than just idiots, they were imbeciles. Didn't they understand that everything would just become a waste of energy if Silent wasn't even inside the tower? It was far better to first verify before taking action, but these two…
Sung-Sun just had no words to express herself other than a vehement amount of insults.
Without waiting for the conversation to continue, Apacci and Mila Rose struck out first, forcing Shunsui to retreat up into another part of the building where he faced off against the two.
At the top of the tower, the influence of whatever property in the building was somewhat reduced, allowing for battle.
Sung-Sun stared at Kukaku, and felt as if she was being used. However, she couldn't say anything as it was Apacci and Mila Rose who started everything. Grudgingly she followed after her two 'friends.'
Realizing the opportunity that was in front of her eyes, Kukaku immediately moved towards the tower.
"Hurry," she beckoned Ganju and everyone else over.
The bridge was wide and long, and by the time everyone reached the holding cell at the isolation tower, sounds of explosions began to ring from where Shunsui was confronting Apacci and the others.
As she placed a hand on the door of the cell, her body couldn't help but freeze. This was the moment.
Briefly, she recalled all the memories she had of that smiling older brother of hers. The last hope of the Shiba Clan that was ruthlessly crushed and turned into bitter resentments. He had been killed. It was like a mantra that had once repeated in her young mind over and over again, and still did in her dreams.
She had long since been informed of the situation, and she knew herself well enough to know that she never blamed Rukia Kuchiki, the Shinigami involved in her brother's death.
Yet that didn't stop her from grieving.
It was like something had grabbed hold of her heart and was constantly squeezing it.
At this moment, time felt as if it was frozen.
And in this time frame, Ganju's hand brushed up against her own, and together they pushed open the prison cell.
It was dark and cramped. The only light coming from a rectangular shaped opening that acted as a window to allow air into the room. Other than that, the room was devoid of anything else, just a stone slab of Sekkiseki rock that could be used to sit on.
"O-Orihime, Chad, Ishida, Karin?" Rukia stood up in surprise within the room. She was wearing a white gown like kimono. An attire designated to souls that were to be purified and extinguished by the Soukyoku.
She and Ganju didn't care much about this though.
Instead, she didn't know when it began, but tears were streaming down her eyes. Her face shifted, her brows crinkling together as the sheer emotion running through her overwhelmed her. As strong of a woman as she was, she suddenly felt as if she had lost all her strength, returning to that little girl who waited foolishly for a brother that wouldn't return.
She dropped to her knees, sobbing quietly, using the back of her hands to wipe away at the tears that just wouldn't stop.
Ganju was much the same, yet instead of falling on his knees, he had covered his eyes with an arm, yet it was clear that the man was crying too from the transparent stream of liquid trailing down his cheeks.
Orihime and the others couldn't speak. Instead, they were staring in shock at the person who had garnered such a reaction.
I-Ichigo?
The person appeared like an exact copy of Ichigo aside from the black hair the man had.
From what Ichigo had said before, this man was named Kaien Shiba, and he was the older brother of Kukaku and Ganju.
Kaien was staring in shock, a hint of something flashing across those expressive eyes.
Startled to his feet, Kaien opened his mouth and asked gravely.
"K-Kukaku, G-Ganju? What are you doing here?"