Chapter 7: Antithesis

The Nest of Maggots had ceased to exist beyond the sky scraping monolith of light.

SoiFon, having barely left the prison herself, stared up into the irradiated sky. The massive cross shaped pillar blinding her for a moment, until she managed to Shunpo a distance away. Rubbing her eyes she watched as the entrance to the prison burned away, leaving nothing only a hole.

A single silhouette flew up the white energy, stopping directly in the cross section of pillar. As the light slowly dies away the Captain is able to make out the being in the sky, Haruki Armbruster. SoiFon's eyes widen in shock, staring at the form the young silver haired girl now holds.

Sprouting from the girl's back were six large silver angelic wings, stretched out in their entire magnificence. Behind her wings is a large six point halo, slowly rotating in place. Flowing white robes cascaded down her small frame breaking into four long strips, which billow past her legs. Her eyes couldn't be seen behind the white fire of pure energy seeping from them. Finally in her hands she holds an glistening orb, which shined with the entire spectrum of color.

SoiFon had little opportunity to figure out what had just happened, before the Quincy prisoners started shooting out of the hole below Haruki. Not far behind them the prisoners that survived the initial explosion flooded out into the Seireitei. The Quincy however stopped just outside the destroyed prison, taking up a guard positions around the floating girl.

Immediately they held out their hands and began to absorb the Reishi around them. Earth, buildings, trees, and even dead bodies began to break down into Reishi. The particles ascended toward the Quincy, replenishing their strength.

SoiFon broke out of her stupor just as a few of her squad appeared next to her, awaiting orders.

"Send an emergency Hell Butterfly to all the Gotei 13! The Quincy have escaped, and to ready their forces immediately. I'll hold them off here." She barked out, and unsheathed her Zanpakuto. The stealth force members vanished once again, as she swings her sword out to her side.

"Sting all Enemies to Death: Suzumebachi. (Hornet)" She commands, running her left hand over her sword blade, which turns into a pink energy. The energy engulfs her right hand and turns into a black and gold gauntlet with a long golden nail on her index finger. She narrows her gaze at the closest Quincy, a tall yellow haired woman. 'First let's thin their forces.' She vanishes in a blur aiming for the woman's chest.

Her honed reflexes narrowly allow her to avoid a giant spear-like arrow aiming to impale her. SoiFon quickly Shunpo's back a good twenty feet, skidding to a halt and kicking up dust. The huge arrow that sunk into the ground ahead of her had to have come from above. She whips her head up just in time to see nearly a hundred of the same arrows hovering in a circular pattern around Haruki.

Armbruster gazes down at the Captain, a look of pity on her face. SoiFon sneers up at the young woman, but is forced to Shunpo out of the way of several more of the large lances of light.

'Fine. You'll be first.' SoiFon growls mentally, taking to the air. Her superior speed keeps her ahead of the second volley of arrows streaming down at her. She manages to get half way to her target, before something zips by her face from behind, slashing open a gash in her right cheek.

Just before dodging the next arrow coming down at her, she sees what cut her, the first arrow she had avoided, dirt still falling from it. It stops in the air behind the bolt coming at her, and launches toward her once again. With widened eyes, SoiFon blitzes back, losing all the ground she had made toward Haruki. Scanning the scene before her her stomach drops. None of the arrows have vanished. In fact they seemed to be able to change direction instantly and probably track her.

"I need to be faster if I am to reach her." SoiFon steels herself and begins solidifying the Reiatsu around her. Her Captian's Haori explodes off around her, white energy whipping off her body. "Shunko!" She shouts and the white energy takes the form of several vortexes streaming off her arms and back, a similar aura covering her body.

The next instant twenty arrows stab together around her, but she just stares down at the cluster below her, before looking back at her target. "HAAAA!" SoiFon shouts as she vanishes completely from sight, only a small white trail of Reiatsu erratically bouncing through the arrow filled air. Almost effortlessly now she regained the distance and more, quickly dodging every shot fired at her.

With a smirk the Second Division Captain closes in, ready to pierce the girl with her Nigeki Kessatsu (Death in Two Steps). Suddenly a circle wall of arrows close in front of the woman, which she just rushes toward, intending to blast right through them. The moment she was within feet of the closing circle the light lances explode.

Haruki observes the massive explosion, feeling but unaffected by the gale force winds and pressure it exerted. Her head slowly looks up as a stream of smoke flies out above the roiling fire cloud. SoiFon, her clothes singed, continues her flight toward the Vollstandig empowered Quincy. A burst of Reiatsu and suddenly the Captain is within arm's reach of Armbruster.

"Die Quincy." SoiFon says coldly, and her hand blurs twice stabbing at the same spot on Haruki's shoulder.

The black haired woman flinches, pulling back a heavily cracked finger cover, her expression now filled with horror. The mark that appeared on the Quincy's shoulder dusts away, having absolutely no effect on the girl. Haruki just stares at the Shinigami with a sad expression.

Immediately SoiFon recoils, and Shunpo's high above the unmoved Haruki.

"BANKAI!" She calls to the heavens, as a stream of blue Reiatsu ascends from her. Before the energy dissipates it starts falling out of the sky. The rest of the light arrows begin to fly toward the energy.

SoiFon emerges from the pillar, a huge golden missile and arm-guard covering her right arm. The missile's fins slide out, as she takes aim at her target.

"Jakuho Raikoben (Hornet Thunder Whip)!" She shouts, not hesitating for a second the launch the massive weapon at Haruki. SoiFon is thrown higher into the sky from the kickback, as the missile spirals down to its target.

Haruki watches the weapon close in on her passively, the many lance-like arrows surrounding her disperse into particles.

CRACKOOOM!

The explosion following is ridiculous, it's force easily leveling buildings and trees on the ground, and bringing many of the Quincy prisoners to their hands and knees.

The fireball of destruction continues to expand in the sky. SoiFon watches the incoming wave of destruction with a triumphant smirk. Not caring that she'll be caught in her own attack. She took out the Quincy, and the rest can handle the weakened prisoners. Her job was done...

The blast wave began to sink away from her falling form. The heat and fire from it pull away from her leaving her cold and undeniably terrified. She sees an increasingly iridescent shine from under the explosion. SoiFon flips herself around, landing on solidified air, watching as her strongest attack is consumed by the teen girl, who is only holding out one hand against it.

The Captain grits her teeth, staring at the devastating sight.'Now, while she's distracted.' SoiFon concentrates more Reiatsu into the storm of a Shunko already flowing around her, and she fades away with Flash Step. During the leaps she starts loading another missile. It taxes both her body and spirit to the breaking point just keeping both her Bankai and compressed energy technique alive. However she is determined to stop her enemy at any cost.

The Second Division Captain comes within ten feet of her target, finding no resistance. Suddenly she feels hundreds of cuts break open across her body, along with a massive energy drain. Not only that, but her Shunko destabilizes and blows apart. She manages to blink a few times before she starts falling out of the sky, more cuts tearing her clothing and marring her skin. As she does she manages to see small flakes of light shining all around her.

SoiFon cries out in pain as she falls. She's silenced quickly as a spear of light breaks out of her chest from the back. Her blood burns off the Reishi arrow. Before she can respond in any form, she is impaled on seven more. Each imbedding itself through her petite frame, arms, and legs. Her nerves fire off in pain, and she's completely paralyzed by it. Her shrunken pupils bounce around erratically as she tries to keep Haruki in sight. The sword in her hand slips from her loose grip, tumbling down and out of the sky.

The last of the titanic explosion fades away, and Haruki once again looks at SoiFon. She commands the arrows to bring the dying Captain to her. Slowly the arrows bring the impaled woman up to her. SoiFon's vision is filled with twinkling lights around the shining body of the Quincy girl. She feels what's left of her Reiatsu seeping from her the closer they draw together.

Haruki floats down to meet the woman, sadness etched into her features. Once they are close enough to talk Haruki looks over the Shinigami with her white flaming eyes.

"I didn't want this... why didn't you listen?" Haruki's voice is grievous, but also strained.

"How..." SoiFon manages between bloody coughs, and streaming tears, trying to be defiant to the end.

"My Schrift (Scripture) allows me to create a field of minute P... Pure Reishi particles that surround me. Inside it anything... anything that uses Reiatsu or Reiryoku (Spiritual Power) is disrupted and nullified. Weißes Rauschen (White Noise) protects me as The Memory awakes in... side." Haruki says strained, as if she's forcing it.

"Why... *Cough cough* tell me this?" SoiFon sputters out, genuinely surprised the girl revealed so much to her.

"Because... I can't stop The Memory, and you... you can't and won't live to... b... but you can tell others who might. I'm sorry." Haruki suddenly winces, her head throwing backwards like she is fighting something painful mentally. The Quincy floats back away from the Shinigami, but she quickly swipes her hand at SoiFon. The light arrows piercing the Captain violently throw her backwards through the air, before wrenching themselves from her body.

SoiFon falls toward the Seireitei limply, trails of blood spilling out of her wounds. She's aimed at some random location in the capital of the Soul Society. Helpless and on her last few breaths, SoiFon just accepts her demise, letting the tears flow freely now.

This was her fault.

If only she had listened.

Maybe...

Maybe... she wouldn't have brought this upon them.

Her flight came to an abrupt halt, as a pair of arms caught her free fall. Her blurry eyes looked up to see the new Captain Commander staring down at her.

"I... I'm so sorry." She wheezes out.

X X X X

The Human World

Karakura Town

Ichigo walked along the darkening street, his destination the Ishida estate. Still donning his white hoodie with the hood up, he feels a small lump build in this throat. He was meeting his friends soon, and while this reunion was going to be much less emotional than with his sisters, it was a very important affair. Ichigo was going to ask Uryu and his father about his Mother, and find out if Haruki was indeed his cousin.

Kisuke said he'd have the definitive DNA proof in the morning, but knowing that the young Quincy's story held water would certainly take a load off Ichigo's mind. Then he could truly relax and enjoy the rest of his time in the human world.

His friends, minus Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro, knew of his subsequent return. Though it was going to be interesting to see the uninformed's reactions once he took off his hood. Tatsuki would probably do her very best to kick his ass. And he'd let her too.

Being his oldest friend she really didn't deserve to be left in the dark about everything that happened in the last few weeks, outside of his death. At least Kisuke had told him that all three had been spiritually aware for a while, only they weren't told of Ichigo's true fate. He left it to Ichigo to open that can of worms, most likely for entertainment value.

'Thanks Hats n' Clogs.' He thought as he neared the Ishida abode. Turning the corner of the street he saw his group of friends waiting outside the gates to the large home. Taking a deep breath he sticks his hands in his hoodie pouch and walks out into the open.

"So why are we waiting again?" Ichigo overhears Tatsuki ask. Her crossed arms and stance indicating she didn't like the secrecy Chad and Orihime kept about this little get together.

"It's a surprise." Chad replies in his deep voice. The tall teen spots Ichigo out of the corner of his eye, and taps the red headed girl next to him on the shoulder. He points to the incoming person in a white hoodie, and Inoue follows his indication. Her eyes light up and a huge excited smile explodes on her face.

"Yo." Ichigo announces his presence with a simple wave of his hand. Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro all round on the stranger walking up, confused by the familiar voice they had just heard. Ichigo stopped about five feet from the group, watching them as they tried to recognize who was under the hood.

Grasping the sides of his hood in both hands, he starts to peel the mask away. All it took was the briefest reveal of orange hair before his oldest friend had somehow closed the distance, and was drop kicking him in the chest. The Gigai he was in stood no chance against a martial artist with an emotional hair trigger.

Before the hood was even half off his head he was tumbling backwards down the street. Coming to a stop on his back the pain hit full force, and he wraps his arms around his chest, wheezing for air. He barely registered the glowing eyed young woman standing menacingly above him. It was only thanks to his instinct screaming at him that allowed him to roll to the side to avoid a punch that slightly dented and cracked the street.

Wide eyed and fearful he looks up from his sitting position to see Arisawa standing up with a smoking fist. The rage in her eyes is completely offset by the tears streaming down her face.

"Look I know I should have..." Ichigo started but was interrupted by Keigo throwing himself onto Ichigo from out of nowhere. Blubbering relentlessly while whimpering Ichigo's name happily, the young man locked Ichigo into a death hug.

The Arrancar expected emotions to run high, but this was downright ridiculous. Boy did he miss his spiritual body's strength and speed right now.

X X X X

With things settled down, thanks to the timely intervention of Ryuken Ishida coming home, the group of friends enter the Ishida estate. They were greeted by Uryu at the entrance, but his father asked to see Ichigo alone in a separate room for a minute. Uryu and Ichigo shared a look, with Uryu breaking eye contact quickly, looking slightly ashamed.

Having little to zero interaction with the the older man and Quincy, Ichigo was understandably nervous. Sure he'd heard that this man, Kisuke, and his own father were friends, but that didn't mean he wasn't quite literally a Hollow in a den of Quincy. Despite his worry, he followed Ryuken into a home office room.

"I don't think we have been properly introduced yet. I am Ryuken Ishida, Uryu's father." The older man says casually as he wanders over to a large glass door bookcase. Pulling a key from his coat's breast pocket, he unlocks the case and runs his finger over the old looking manuals and books.

"Right, uh sorry, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, a friend of your son's." Ichigo stumbles through his words, a bit intimidated by the stern appearance of the Quincy.

"And thanks in part to my son's actions a Hollow." Ryuken states bluntly, not even trying to hide the accusation. Ichigo blinks confused a few times before he shakes it off.

"It was my choice. Uryu was only in the wrong place at the wrong time." Ichigo defends, not sure what to make of the head of the Ishida household right now.

"True, but he fought alongside the Vandenreich, and that was his choice. Even inadvertently, he helped cause your death." Ryuken selected an old looking book, and moved toward his desk.

"If it wasn't for him we would have lost that battle, and most of us wouldn't be alive. Picking the wrong side or not, I don't blame him. Neither should you." Ichigo felt his ire rise, and the last part was said to the Quincy in a partial growl.

A smile broke Ryuken's stone walled face.

"I was told you were earnest and loyal to a fault. I see that hasn't changed in death. Thank you for your kind words." Pushing his glasses up on his nose, the older man opens the book and starts flipping through pages. "Be sure to tell my son that. He's been rather upset over the whole affair."

"I... yeah I'll tell him." Ichigo said deflating, glad he didn't have to butt heads with this man.

"Now I understand you have come here with a secondary motive. Isshin has informed me that you have some questions about your mother's lineage, correct?" The elder Ishida looks up from the book, seemingly finding the page he was looking for.

"Uh yes sir. I was wondering if my Mother had a sister." Ichigo asked finding himself asking a bit too enthusiastically.

"I see." Ryuken looks down at the book, scanning it for a moment. "Masaki Kurosaki was brought under my Mother's care when she was a teenager. Until you and your sisters she was the last of the Kurosaki's. She was also supposed to marry me to keep the Ishida Quincy bloodline pure." Ryuken's eyes glanced up after saying this.

Ichigo wasn't sure how to react or respond to this. Uncomfortable was the nicest was to describe it. His eyes darted around the room, avoiding the piercing gaze of the older man. His right hand ran it's fingers through his hair, and ended up scratching the back of his head.

Ryuken's glasses became reflective, hiding his eyes, and he huffs out a chuckle. "However even I knew she would have driven me up a wall. So I believe she ended up with the right person in the end." He kidded, turning his attention back to the book. Hearing Ichigo let out a sigh of relief, a smirk formed on his lips.

"This is a record of all known Quincy families living in Japan. Including the Kurosaki's." Ishida paused to turn the book around and slide it over toward the young Hollow. Ichigo stared at the open leather bound object in anticipation.

"That should hold the answer to your question. It is the least I can do for the man who saved my son." The older man added, stepping away from his desk. He looks out the window at the grounds beyond, allowing Ichigo the opportunity to search in peace.

"I didn't do anything worth praise for Mr. Ishida. Uryu still ended up joining the Vandenreich." The teen said after a few moments silence. He still looked down at the precious book, but his expression had changed to one of reflection. He literally did nothing to stop the pompous idiot with glasses from fighting with the Quincy faction.

"I beg to differ, and my Son may never admit it, but your words had a substantial impact on him." Ryuken turned back around, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "You reminded him that you were his friend. Despite the choices he was to make or the side he chose. You may not think much of such a simple declaration, but to Uryu, it was the fundamental decider." Taking off his glasses, Ryuken watched Ichigo look up at him in surprise.

Ryuken set his glasses on the table, and gave the young man a slight bow.

The Kurosaki jumped, utterly shocked by the gesture. "Please you don't have to do that!" He exclaims.

"You helped save my Son, so I believe I do. Since the young fool may never find the courage to do this, at least allow me. Thank you Ichigo Kurosaki." The elder Ishida says in a firm but kind voice, coming up from his bow. "Now I think you have waited long enough for an answer."

"Right... Thank you." Ichigo humbly looked down at the open pages of the book. After a few seconds of reading his eyes widened.

X X X X

An hour later Ichigo is sitting with his friends in a spacious living room, eating and chatting amongst themselves. Ichigo had explained his situation to Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro. They had taken it surprisingly well, even if him being a Hollow made his two male friends pause. He let them know what life was like there so far, and who he now lived with. When he described Tia to them, Tatsuki caught the change in tone he used for her. Needless to say, he was backed into a corner for a good while, until the food came out to take their attention from him, even if just temporarily.

Uryu was quiet through most of the visit, only chiming in to throw out his trademark snide remarks every so often. Ichigo could see what Ryuken meant now. Uryu's pride and regret kept him from voicing an apology or thanks, or maybe he was just waiting for a chance when they could be alone. Either way, it still surprised Ichigo that that one phone call all that time ago changed everything.

Midway through a slice of pizza Ichigo's Pesquisa (Inquiry) reacted to two familiar signatures closing in on them fast. The others who could sense spiritual pressures also reacted at that same moment. The signatures were definitely Hollow, but on a level that was well above Menos.

"Loly? Menoly?" Ichigo asked quietly to no one in particular. Setting his pizza down he and the others headed to the front door. They heard hurried muffled voices, and then silence, before a knock came to the door. Ryuken stepped out of his study, a dangerous glare shining from his glasses.

"Hold on Mr. Ishida, I know them, they are friends of mine." Ichigo hurriedly explained, before opening the door and finding the two girls he expected. Menoly stood before a fuming Loly, a relieved smile on her face seeing that Ichigo was the one who answered.

"Menoly, Loly, what are you two doing here? Wait are you authorized to even be here!?" Ichigo panicked a bit, realizing that they may have just breached the truce he had set up.

"No, sorry Ichigo, but something urgent has come up and Lady Harribel sent us to find you." Menoly's smile sank away into an embarrassed blush.

"We don't have time to be polite! Ichigo the Soul Society came and took Haruki. They said that you gave them the okay to hand her over. Is that true?" Loly asked pushing past her sister-like friend to stand in front of him.

"They WHAT!?" Ichigo exclaimed in shock and sudden anger. "No one came to me about that! What the hell is going on!?" Ichigo growled his fists clenching. Ichigo's spiritual pressure began to leak out of the Gigai. The makeshift body's skin actually began to crack trying and failing to contain his power.

"Ichigo what is going on?" A new voice grabbed everyone's attention, and they looked up in time to see Rukia landing on the ground outside the gate. "I felt two powerful Hollow presences appear and then..."

She wasn't allowed to finish her question as Ichigo forcefully ejected himself for his Gigai, and appeared in front of his short female friend. Power leaked off of him in black tendrils that floated into the air. Rukia stared up into his golden eyes, terrified of him. Instinctively she reached for her Zanpakuto, and Ichigo's eyes darted to her hand on the hilt of her weapon.

Closing his eyes and turning his head away he huffed a breath, and forced the feeling of angered betrayal away. He did not want it consuming him. Like he kept being told his emotions would be rawer, more likely to overwrite his judgment. Hearing Haruki had been taken, when he had asked her to be kept, wasn't given a reason, and most grievously of all was told he allowed it. Of course his emotions were dialed up to eleven.

Careful to move slowly he reached out with his right hand and placed it on Rukia's slightly shaking hilt clasped hand. His aura vanished and his pressure dissipated, allowing all to relax somewhat. Shaking his head he gave her as calm a look as he could.

"I'm sorry Rukia, but I was just told some very infuriating news." He paused once again to collect himself, pushing away the growl that accompanied his words. "Did the Soul Society take Haruki and the Quincy from Hueco Mundo?"

"They shouldn't have... I mean no not yet. That's what I'm here to talk with you about." Rukia was shaking from her stupor by his question, answering in a confused tone.

"Bullshit!" Loly shouted as she trudged up to Ichigo's right staring daggers as the Shinigami. "Your people came and took the Quincy. That's why Lady Harribel sent us to find Ichigo. She found it suspicious after he told her to keep the girl in Los Noches."

"What? That can't be! I was sent by the Captain Commander to talk to Ichigo about it. He said he wouldn't act without getting Ichigo's permission first." Rukia shot back, staring just as hard at the Arrancar girl for a few moments. She turned to look up at her Hollow friend, to find his eyes darting to and fro, like he was trying to make sense of the situation.

"Ichigo I know this looks bad, but I swear I was told to talk to you first." She pleaded. Not liking the sound of any of this.

"We left just as the Shinigami arrived, which was no more than an hour ago. And they said they had Ichigo's okay to take Haruki and the rest." Menoly countered with what they were told and saw.

By this time his crowd of friends had drawn nearer, listening intently on the argument. Ichigo for his part was ignoring the verbal fight. He had a sneaking suspicion someone was pulling strings, and he felt it couldn't be the Arrancar. They had no reason give her up, and he trusted Tia's word to him. That only left the Soul Society... but why the rush? Why would someone go out of their way to falsify his word to get to the Quincy? He knew Shunsui could be a bit mysterious, but he'd been nothing but upfront with his desire to make peace with the Arrancar.

"Rukia... did Shunsui give you a reason they needed the exchange so soon?" Making eye contact with the young Soul Reaper woman, he made sure his seriousness couldn't be mistaken.

Stopping her side of the unheard argument, Rukia focused on him just as serious. "Central 46 wants to extract the soul fragment of the Quincy Emperor from her soul. When we interrogated Yhwach's second-in-command he said that she held the largest portion of his split soul amongst the Vandenreich. That her power was only explained to them as..."

"Rise from defeat to claim victory." Uryu interrupted, his already pale skin blanching more.

"What do you know Uryu?" Orihime asked looking shaken by the news. Most of the group still had the war fresh in their minds. They turned to look at the former member of the Stern Ritter.

"No more than that, yet the way Yhwach spoke of her importance means nothing good." He explained, watching Ichigo's reaction carefully. The orange haired young man clenched both his fists. Everything said just made him want to leap without looking. To storm the Soul Society once again to make sure Haruki was alright.

"She didn't tell me her ability or power either... or maybe couldn't. Looking back on it she seemed to be fighting herself when the topic came up." Ichigo grumbled. All this talk was getting them nowhere. He really wanted to leave.

"Then I would suggest you go find her." Ryuken interrupts, stepping through the teenagers to his son the Shinigami and the three Hollows. "Hopefully nothing has come to pass yet, and this whole ordeal turns out to be a someone jumping the gun."

"Right. Rukia, Loly, Menoly we're leaving." Ichigo says with so much authority and determination none of those he named questioned it. Turning back around to his group of friends, he gives them all a haggard smile. "I'm sorry to cut our reunion so short. I'll be back as soon as I sort this mess out. Could you please contact Urahara and tell him where we're heading? Oh and have him pick up the Gigai please, thanks." With that said he turns back around and gives Rukia a nod. She returns it and turns to the street. Unsheathing her sword she stabs the air before them and a set of wooden doors appears before them. The doors open and a pair of Hell Butterfly float around the white light of the entrance. The four enter, with the ethereal doors closing behind them.

X X X X

Minutes Later

Seireitei

Stepping out of the Senkaimon, Ichigo immediately bumped into Rukia's back.

"Whoa, sorry Rukia..." He would have continued if it were not for the smoke and death assaulting his senses. Looking up the world around them is littered with trails of smoke and fire. Their immediate surroundings looked like bombs had been dropped all around the gateway.

Sounds of battle and cries of agony floated throughout the air. Reiatsu flared all around them, and it was difficult to pinpoint any particular one. Except one. Kenpachi's tremendous power easily dwarfed all but a few among the amalgamation of powers.

"Dear lord." Ichigo breaths out, his mind still not completely registering what was happening. He hears Menoly gasp behind him, covering her mouth in her hands. Rukia is speechless and wide-eyed at his side. Loly steps up on his other side observing the devastation, unsure of how to react herself.

A series of explosions in the distance bring the group out of their shock. There amidst the smoke a brilliant white light flew around detonations following it's trail.

"How did this happen?" Rukia finally manages to say, her senses returning. Her question is quickly silenced as a large lance of pure white flies right towards them from the smokey sky. Ichigo jumps in between the women and the oversized arrow, quick drawing his Zanpakuto off his back. He slices downward in front of him, launching a wave of black energy at the incoming bolt.

The detonation of clashing power forces the group to cover their faces. Ichigo releases the hilt of his sword with his left hand and lets the weapon rest at his right side.

"You're people fucked up that's wha..." Loly shouts at Rukia, only to be interrupted by Ichigo.

"Now's not the time. We need to get in there and help!" The male Arrancar growls and brings his sword up from his side.

Loly grits her teeth, biting back her response to the Shinigami, and pulls out her Zanpakuto. Rukia and Menoly follow suite. Ichigo homes in on the nearest Captain level power and takes off in that direction, his body disappearing in the buzz of Sonido. Which just so happened to be where the constant bombardment of explosions was.

The girls all follow just as quickly, doing their best to keep up with his terrifying speed.

X X X X

4th Division Barracks

The headquarters of the medical squad is packed full of injured and dying Soul Reapers. A barrier surrounds the entirety of the barracks and medical wings. A barrier that is being assaulted by Quincy attacks. Many of the Kido users constructing the barrier are quickly falling prey to exhaustion trying to maintain a constantly draining shield. The simultaneous use of Reiatsu draining and barrage of powerful attacks is putting the entire facility at risk.

Unohana herself is supplying the Kido shield with her own power, as her squad tends to the injured. The landscape around the 4th Squad is a hell scape of fire and destruction. It is this scene that Ichigo and company stop at.

Landing on a partially collapsed roof Ichigo takes in the devastation. He finds his attention drawn away from the current battle though. His gold eyes focus on the brilliant shining light in the distance. He recognizes the aura of the being inside of the brilliant star in the dark sky. Yhwach, or at least mostly it feels like the Quincy Emperor.

Menoly arrives a few seconds after him, landing next to him on the roof. Shortly after that Rukia and Loly land near them. A explosion and subsequent screams break his focus, and he looks back to the assaulted barracks.

"We need to break their siege of the 4th Division." Rukia shouts just before she herself takes off into the battle.

"What are we going to do, Ichigo?" Menoly asks, looking up to the orange haired teen. His eyes narrow as he picks out the strongest amongst the Quincy attacking the barracks.

"We fight." Ichigo growls and blasts into the sky towards his target. Loly and Menoly look at each other before nodding and taking off after him.

X X X X

"Keep up the pressure. Their shield is weakening." Bambietta yells gleefully, as sending another wave of white bombs from her Vollstandig wings to the barrier.

As she smiles down at her handiwork she feels a humongous pressure bear down on her, just before a scar of black and red energy slices through her bombs exploding each. "WHAT!?" She roars, just before Ichigo parts the roiling explosions by blasting up toward her. Bambi recoils back, her eyes wide, and waves her wings down at him in a a surprised panic.

A salvo of energy bombs converge on the Arrancar, only for him to disappear just before they hit. The bombs collide with one another and the sky is lit up in a gigantic explosion. Watching intently but with caution, Bambietta waits to see where Ichigo will emerge.

She feels a ping of his Reiatsu behind her, and explodes a bomb there. The large explosion has no noticeable effect on her, besides the Quincy spinning around fast and floating backward. Her eyes dart around her as she turns her head left and right, trying to find him. The speed the Hollow is traveling makes it difficult to pinpoint him, putting the Quincy on the defensive.

"Medialuna!" Ichigo's voice calls from above the woman, and a scar of darkness is sent down toward her. She looks up and sends several bombs to intercept the attack, filling the sky with another line of huge explosions.

"Stop running around like a coward andHURK!" Bambietta's angered shout comes to an abrupt halt when Ichigo buzzes in front of her, and rams the hilt of his sword into her gut, hard. The unexpected attack winds the Quincy, forcing her hack out the air in her lungs.

Before she can recover Ichigo's left hand wraps around her neck, cutting off her air intake. Desperately trying to inhale and failing, Bambi panics further. Using her Scrift she ignites the Reiatsu on Ichigo, a burst of flame and force cover him, exploding backward off of him for a good distance.

A smug smirk comes to her face as the hand on her throat slacks. Suddenly the fingers grip harder around her already collapsing throat. Fear etches itself into her expression. Smoke rolls off the completely intact, but injured Arrancar. The clothing covering his torso was vaporized, and his skin is seared with third degree burns, leaving only small undamaged patches on his face and back.

His closed eyes open to stare directly into her terror filled orbs. A chunk of his cheek on the left side of his face was gone, showing his teeth and gums beyond. Even his Mask Fragment horn was half melted away. Charred sinew and muscle is visible through the dissipating cloud of smoke. The Quincy had only seconds as the damage to his body immediately started to heal, his regeneration kicking in.

Bambi's vision blurs from the lack of oxygen, but she was ready to explode him as many times as it takes to kill him, or die trying. At least that was the idea, until Ichigo sinks his knee so hard into her gut and she passes out. The Quincy Sternritter's eyes roll back into her head, and her body goes limp. Her empowered form scatters off of her, falling away into nothingness.

"Ichigo are you okay?!" Loly shouts worriedly as she and Menoly fly up next to him. His body still hadn't completely healed, and he had to imagine it didn't look any prettier than he felt. Hoisting the unconscious woman over his shoulder, he looks at each of the girls in turn. Giving them a weary smile, he shakes his head.

"Not really. That hurt like a bitch, but..." He glances to Bambietta on his shoulder, and frowns. "... at least we have someone to interrogate. How about the two of you, are you okay?" He looks the two Arrancar over. They look like they had seen a bit a fighting.

"We've taken care of a good chunk of the small fry on the ground. The Shinigami are cleaning up the rest now. It seems like most of their stronger fighters are elsewhere." Menoly give him a reassuring nod complete with a thin smile. He returns the smile to both of them.

"Why didn't you just kill her?" Loly asks bewildered at the notion of capturing the Quincy again.

"Believe me I really felt the urge to." Internally he was still wrestling with the decision. She had probably single handedly killed more Shinigami today than her life was worth. However he still didn't want to think he was a cold blooded killer. Right now he'd leave her fate up the Soul Reapers. Besides she could provide much needed information on what exactly was going on, and what happened to Haruki.

"What now?" Menoly asked looking over the battle scarred world around them.

"I need get to Shunsui, and figure out where Haruki is." Ichigo replies. He turns when he feels Rukia approach, along with Unohana.

"Thank you Ichigo. The barracks are safe thanks to you and your friends." The Captain of the 4th Squad says as she watches the last of his body heal itself. Rukia next to her was just as worried for him, seeing the amount of damage he took from the brief fight as she fought on the ground.

"No problem, but do you know what happened here?" Despite biting back the anger filled comment about taking Haruki without his consent, he at least kept the hard scrutinizing glare.

"I was only told that a prisoner exchange was to happen today. I was given no other details, I apologize." Retsu says with no hint of falsehood, and Ichigo believed her. At least he certainly didn't blame her for the machinations behind this whole shit storm.

"Right. Then I need to find Shunsui and Haruki. Here." Ichigo pulled the unconscious Quincy from his shoulder, and holds her limp body by the back of her belt to Unohana. "Restrain her and see if she knows anything." As soon as the older woman had Bambi in her grip, Ichigo turns toward the largest concentration of fighting with both Kenpachi and Shunsui's Reiatsu among it.

"Loly, Menoly. This isn't your fight, and I don't expect or want you to follow me into it if you don't want to." Ichigo hesitates leaving to address the Arrancar women next to him. "So I need you to make your choice right here and now while we're safe."

"Like I'm going to leave you alone with a bunch of backstabbing Shinigami. Someone needs to have your back out there." Loly replies instantly with a smirk, and gripping her fist in front of her for emphasis.

"I don't want to leave you either, but I think Lady Harribel should know about this. You may need reliable backup." Menoly starts unsure, but a smile and nod from her sister set her resolve, even adding the last bit with some snark. Rukia subtlety puffs out her cheeks at the comment, while Unohana manages to keep her emotions unreadable.

"Right..." It's Ichigo's turn to hesitate. Tia was probably going to kill him for this. The pit of his stomach drops further when the briefest flash of thought that he may die today comes to his mind. Not because he may die, no, because he may die without seeing her again. "... just let everyone know that this isn't their fight either, and I understand if they don't want to fight. I won't hold it against them." Ichigo's fists tighten. He would rather not have the Arrancar show up at all. This was his problem, not theirs.

"Allow me to escort you to the Senkaimon. The least I can do as thanks is protect your passage through and back." Retsu chimes in with a smile. Ichigo and the girls turn around to look at the woman, and he nods his head thankfully.

"Thanks Unohana. Alright..." The orange haired Arrancar steels himself, and turns back around to his target. "... let's do this." Ichigo vanishes in a buzz, quickly followed by Loly and Rukia. Unohana and Menoly watch the raging battle scape in the direction the three left for a few moments, before turning the other direction and leaving themselves.

X X X X

Ichigo's senses spike, and he pulls out of Sonido. Rukia halts next to him, looking confused at her friend. Loly stops on his other side, her eyes wide and looking down toward the ground far below.

"What's wrong Ichigo?" Rukia asks looking between the two Arrancar, who seem to be focused heavily on the battle on the ground.

"There are Arrancar down there." Loly fills her in, frantically trying to pinpoint the source of the Reiatsu.

"What?! But how?" The Shinigami Lieutenant asks, searching the mass of powers below her. It takes a second but she too picks up on the Hollow energy below them.

"I recognize one of them. But he's..." Ichigo's brows furrow. "Rukia you go on ahead. Meet up with Shunsui and figure out what's going on. I'll catch up." With that said he drops out of the sky quickly. Loly follows without a word, but Rukia pauses looking from where the two are falling to the huge shining being in the distance. Gritting her teeth she turns away from her friend and heads toward First Squad's headquarters.

X X X X

Legions of Shinigami are assaulting the 12th Division Barracks and R&D department. Among them are Quincy foot soldiers and several Sternritter hanging near the rear of the fighting. Giselle smiles on at her handiwork. Next to her, with a look of satisfaction. is a large rotund dark skinned man with a white beard, small black sunglasses, and a staff in his right hand.

"I must say little Giselle, this fight has taken a rather unexpected twist. Love certainly is a crazy thing." PePe grins, while watching those under their influence attack their comrades.

"I'm surprised that mad genius was able to hide those from the Hollow Queen." Giselle remarks, her wide smile somehow growing larger.

"Indeed. He must truly love his profession." PePe nods in agreement.

In the midst of the battle, fighting against the small army, are four Arrancar, who by all accounts should have perished two years ago. Dordoni, Cirucci, Luppi, and Charlotte mow down the waves of enemies that come at them. A task made all the harder as the lovestruck and zombified Soul Reapers attack relentlessly.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi watches on keeping tabs on his revived creations. As well as defending his barracks as his assistant and Lieutenant works down in the labs finishing up the Souruaisoreta.

"At least the ability of the Quincy seem to have no effect on my Hollow. That being said they should be preforming better than this. Maybe there was a greater degree of degeneration than I originally anticipated?" Mayuri mumbles to himself watching the bloodshed impassively. A massive familiar Reiatsu spikes his senses, and the scientist looks up to see a barely visible figure falling astoundingly fast toward the fight. 'Tch. Could the brat's timing be any more frustrating.' Kurotsuchi's expression sours, realizing just what kind of annoyance this would bring him.

In the middle of the chaos the being slams onto the ground, sending out a wave of oppressive power and anger. The four Arrancar sense it's another Hollow, while only one recognizes it. Dordoni stares wide eyed at the young nino he fought years ago, before his own death. Ichigo Kurosaki stood up from his crouch a grim look on his face.

Lifting his head he scans the paused fighting masses. Pulling his sword to the side Ichigo spins around once sweeping it in front of him, backing the strike with some of his massive well of Reiatsu. A powerful shock wave plows over the combatants in the field around him, dropping the majority of them on their backs or unconscious in a large forty foot radius surrounding him. He comes to a stop where he started.

His sight lands on the two largest concentrations of Quincy power near the rear of the oncoming forces. Before the orange haired Hollow can take off to fight them he feels another Arrancar power coming quickly toward him. Turning he sees someone he thought had perished years ago.

"Nino is that you?" Dordoni calls as he blasts his way through over the knocked down crowd, to land close to the Arrancar teen.

"Dordoni? How are you... here? I thought you died." Ichigo asks the older reanimated man.

"Indeed I did. However..." He is interrupted as the other three Resurreccion powered Arrancar converge on him, and Loly lands next to Ichigo. He's about to continue when another voice cuts him off.

"Kurosaki, what are you doing in the Seireitei? I do believe you had to schedule your visits." Kurotsuchi asks with his usual superior condescending tone, as he approaches them from his vantage point at near his barracks. "And what are you four doing? There is an opening no thanks to you lot. Get back to the battle, the labs cannot be compromised." Mayuri glares at his zombies, before pressing a button on a device in his hand. Electricity courses through the Arrancar, forcing them to their knees in agony.

After a moment the Captain releases the button. "Go." He orders. Before they can move a muscle Ichigo rams his right fist into the side of Mayuri's jaw. The Captain has no time to react and is dropped to the ground. Eyes wide in anger and surprise he picks himself up, slightly hunched from the pain. Holding his cut and bleeding cheek he glares at the offending Hollow.

"How dare you strike me abomination!" In the blink of an eye Mayuri finds the business end of Ichigo's Zanpakuto held lengthwise across his throat. However the scientist would not be made a fool of and hardened his stare.

"What did you do to them?" Ichigo demands managing to barely reign in his anger. The sharp of his sword pressing dangerously to the Shinigami's throat.

"I brought them back from the brink. They live now only by my curiosity and good graces. Or should I have left them for Hell? If anything you should be thanking me Arrancar, in fact you should all be thanking me." Mayuri chides as if everything was just that simple. He glares deep into Ichigo's golden eyes unblinking.

"You used us as guinea pigs, you bastard! He cut us open again and again, poked and prodded us, and ran his slimy hands everywhere! I would've preferred death to what you did to us!" Cirucci growled pointing her finger at the scientist Captain, before wrapped her arms around her body. Attempting to drive away the memories or their "reincarnation". At this Loly looks ready to cut the genius down herself, but she leaves him to Ichigo.

"I ordered you to continue fighting, greater things are at stake than your petty sense of well being." Mayuri barked at her and the still unmoving three. He was about to press the button again, but Ichigo saw it and pressed his sword harder into his neck, stopping and silencing the man.

"I'm trying real hard to not cut your head off right now Mayuri, so don't push it." Ichigo warned dangerously. He wasn't kidding either, almost every fiber of his being wanted to do just that. It was only because he didn't want his rage to cloud his judgment that he managed to hold back. A feat that teetered on a pretty thin edge right now.

"Why are you pointing your blade at me? Are you so blind to the events transpiring around you? In the midst of a war for the very Soul Society you put the needs of the few over the many? How much of a fool can you be?!" The Squad 12 Captain berates, waving his hand to the resuming fighting around them.

"Do you even know what's at stake?!" Mayuri continued, missing Kurosaki's darkening expression.

"GAH!" Charlotte shouts, breaking through Ichigo's haze of anger. The Arrancar teen spins around to see the tall purple haired man stuck by a heart shaped beam. He drops to a knee, and the rest of the group immediately jump back into the game.

Above them are the two Quincy who were leading the mind controlled forces, PePe and Giselle smile down at them.

"Oops did we interrupt something?" Giselle giggled creepily, covering her mouth with a hand. "You missed Ichigo PePe, now we'll probably have to fight him."

"I'll make him see the light soon enough." The bearded Quincy states, a large smile on his face.

"Then we better make sure he's too busy to stop it." Giselle smiles and snaps her fingers. A hum sounds next to Ichigo, and a fist screams towards his face. Ichigo tenses and catches the fist in his left free hand just before it connects, but struggles with halting it completely until it's two inches from his face. He had to shift his stance to brace himself from the force.

Ichigo looks to the side seeing Kensei Muguruma had thrown the punch. "Kensei?"

The Visored's dead eyed stare meets him, and along with his darkened colored skin, Ichigo could guess he was being controlled. That was all he could see before the blue haired Captain threw his other fist toward Ichigo's side. The teen stepped back avoiding the hit, but was quickly met with a flurry of blows.

With his speed Ichigo easily dances on the razor's edge of each punch. The only problem was Kensei's punches were continually closing the already marginal gap Ichigo was putting between each strike. In his sealed formed he wasn't fast enough to continue to avoid them all without room to move. Kensei kept on him, keeping him easily at arm's length. It was only a matter of time before he would connect a devastating hit.

The two blurred through the battle scarred barracks.

"Kensei man, snap out of it. The Quincy are controlling you." Ichigo shouts trying to break through whatever spell they had his ally in.

"It won't work Kurosaki. He's a zombie of my making. You can stab, blast, and rip to your heart's content, but he'll keep coming at you. Until I'm dead he'll be my puppet forever." The girl Sternritter announced to the barely visible fighter.

"Is that so." Ichigo mused in a venomous whisper. "Sorry about this Kensei." He mutters really feeling sorry for what he was about to do. In a burst of power he forced the zombified Captain off of him for a brief second. A streak of black passed between them, and Kensei's right hand flew off at the wrist, severed by Ichigo's sword.

If Muguruma was phased by the attack, he didn't broadcast it, only faulting back with a quiet grunt. Before the Captain was able to catch his balance, Ichigo back spun and kicked him in the chest as hard as he could. Kensei's body rocketed through a building and the next after.

Without warning Ichigo phased from sight, and Giselle screamed in pain. Ichigo reappeared behind the Quincy woman his back to her, and holding a bloodied sword out at his right side. Giselle's right shoulder down to near the middle of her ribcage was cleanly cut apart. Her right arm and that section of chest peeled away from her body, dangling uselessly, and blood gurgling out of the wound.

Only... the blood wasn't spilling, it was coagulating together and starting to combine with the blood from her body. Slowly the two halves started pulling each other together. Her scream turns into a laugh as she looks over her shoulder at her attacker, her eyes filled with mirth. "Owww... that one actually hurt. Oh well I've had worse. Good try Kurosaki, too bad my Zombie can heal myself from fatal wounds." She gloats spinning around to face him.

The Arrancar spins around, his Zanpakuto doused in black flames.

"Medialuna."

Slashing between them a humongous blast wave of black energy tears outward, engulfing the shocked Giselle completely. Her pained cry is quickly drowned out by the roar of the attack. Ichigo watches on passively as the energy burns in the sky for a few moments. The attack finally dissipates, leaving absolutely no trace of the woman, except tiny black smoldering chunks falling out of the sky.

"Heal from that." His condemns with a grimace.

At this a good two thirds of the attacking zombies freeze in place, then collapse in heaps on the ground. The large bearded Sternritter watches on in horror seeing their combined assault halted almost instantly. Outnumbered and well outmatched he turns to tactical retreat.

"Well I'm not feeling the love here, so I think I'll take my leave." Chuckling nervously he spins around on his floating basket and starts to leave. Behind him the remaining love struck forces band together to stop any who would give chase, with Charlotte at the forefront.

Ichigo homes in on the escaping man. A cry of pure agony stops him from pursuing, and he turns to the source. The violet haired Arrancar grabs at his chest, his eyes wide in terror, before he just stops suddenly. His eyes go white and smoke pours from his mouth. The revived Hollow falls flat on his face, returned life extinguished.

Ichigo and the other Arrancar turn toward Mayuri, who's thumb comes off a button on the controller he holds. Another howl takes attention away from the mad scientist. A blinding pillar of light erupts none to far from the battle. A silhouette matching the large Love themed Quincy can be seen inside.

Nearly forty pillars spring up around the Seireitei, including the Medical Squad headquarters, easily breaking through the barrier set up there. The lights last only a few seconds, before receding back toward the largest source of Quincy power. Which grows nearly twofold in strength after the beams enter it.

PePe falls from the sky, hitting the ground and whimpering in pain. The minor Quincy soldiers had completely vanished inside the beams, and the mind controlled Shinigami seemed to snap out of their trances. The battle won for the moment, Ichigo flies toward Kurotsuchi, his anger returning in spades. In a moment he stands before the impassive looking man.

"Why did you kill him?" Kurosaki demands, bearing down on the Shinigami with intent to harm.

"He was being controlled. It was simpler to remove him from the equation." Mayuri replies logically, unfazed by Ichigo's anger.

"You heartless bastard!" Ichigo raises his sword, only for Mayuri to raise the controller in response.

"Strike at me and the rest perish. I can't have your emotions getting the best of you here." Ichigo grips his hilt hard, pure hatred radiating from him. The side of the Captain's lip curled up, and he noted the arrival of his Zombie Arrancar and the one that came with Kurosaki, had appeared at the boy's side. His smirk grew as his own men encircled the Hollows, weapons at the ready.

"Besides if you kill me how am I going to finish the device that is supposed to save that Quincy girl you came here for?" Mayuri's words scattered most of the haze of anger inside Ichigo's mind. The disdain for the man was still there, and he wanted so much to hurt him. His unrestrained emotions continued to remind him of that, but Ichigo held himself back himself. He was here for Haruki.

Gritting his teeth, the Arrancar teen drops his sword slowly to the side, and forcefully grinds down his impulses.

"Ah I see your transformation hasn't completely rid you of your reasoning. Good." The Captain says smugly, as he turns around to head back toward his labs.

"Nino..." Dordoni watches the scene, hating that Mayuri had Ichigo completely at his mercy. Truly the white faced Shinigami was a devious one.

"Ichigo..." Loly rests a hand on Ichigo's shaking arm. He lets out a breath, and slightly relaxes at her touch. He looks to the side and down at the shorter girl. She gives him a silent nod of understanding, before looking at the retreating back of Mayuri and practically snarling at him.

Ichigo's scowl briefly twitched upward, knowing Loly understood his frustration. It really helped settle his nerves that she was there to focus him. His eyes hardened again as he look back up to the Captain, his stare burning a hole in the back of the man's head.

"After this is all over they are leaving with us. And I swear if you try anything before then I'll personally rip out your throat." Ichigo warned Mayuri, not a drop of insincerity in his tone. The Zombie Arrancar were not going to be his research puppets any longer.

"Don't you need to play hero somehere?" Mayuri answered after a moment, before he disappears from sight. Ichigo tch'ed and turned to face Luppi, Dordoni, and Cirucci, with Loly following suit.

"I'm sorry this happened to you all. I promise I'll bring you home once I'm done here." Ichigo swears, looking at the slightly brightened expressions on their faces.

"Thanks, Nino." Dordoni nods to him, the other two nod as well.

"I know you probably want to get the hell away from this place, and I won't blame you if you leave. But please bear with me. Right now I need to find Haruki, and stop all this." Ichigo looks to each of their faces. While both Dordoni and Loly had understandable looks about them, Luppi and Cirucci were much less convinced.

"Why the hell are you helping them anyway?" Luppi questions skeptically.

"Yeah, let's just get out of here before that faced painted freak decides to blow the rest of us up." The purplenette glowers, staring up into the much taller Ichigo's eyes.

"I'm helping because I still have friends here, and I'm not asking you all to help." Ichigo retorts his patience quickly thinning.

"Good. Because I'm washing my hands of this rat infested shit hole. I just want to leave, and never see another damn black robe again." Cirucci humphs, putting her hands on her hips.

"Agreed." Luppi nods, crossing his arms, giving everything around him a sneer of distaste.

"Fine." Ichigo bites out shortly. Catching his once again rising anger and pushing it away, he closes his eyes, places his free hand over his face, and sighs. "Loly." The twin tailed girl at his side perks up at her name and looks up to him. Loly could easily see the war inside him between emotion and reason. It was painfully obvious to anyone who knew him since his transformation.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry to ask this of you, but can you lead them to the Unohana's barracks? She'll keep them safe until this is done and we can get back home." He looks down at her from one eye through his fingers. Loly bristles, and he can tell she's about to argue with him.

"Please, could you do this for me?" He adds waylaying her response, and deflating her.

"Yeah, I can. But I'll be right back." Loly smirks up at him hooking a thumb toward her chest. "Unlike these ungrateful morons, I'm not leaving you alone to fight here."

Luppi and Cirucci shoot the younger girl an offending glare, but before they can say anything Dordoni steps up between them. "No worries Nina, I'll go with him." He and Loly share a smile, and she nods to him.

"Thanks." Loly thanks.

"Are you sure Dordoni?" Ichigo's concern for the older man showing. He was strong, but by comparison to most of the Arrancar in Hueco Mundo now, he paled. Even Loly was stronger than the man now, thanks to the training they did in the Dangai.

Dordoni just slaps his chest proudly, and puffs it out.

"Of course. Since our fight you've proven to be nothing but honorable and respectful. Now that you are a fellow Hollow, I would be happy to fight alongside you."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Ichigo tries to give him one more out, in case he's unsure.

"I am."

"Okay then... I'll be back soon Ichigo. Stay safe." Loly nods to Dordoni one more time before smiling at Ichigo, locking eyes with him.

"You too, Loly."

"Ugh, just get me out of here." Cirucci comments, pretending to gag. Loly whips around and glares at the other woman, but shakes her head and starts levitating off the ground.

"C'mon then." Loly and the two Arrancar take off, heading back away from the front lines. Aivirrne takes one last look over her shoulder at Ichigo, worry etched in her features, and then she blasts off at full speed. She is determined to not leave his side for very long in this fight.

Ichigo steps to the side, facing the massive battle in the distance. Dordoni steps up next to him, following his gaze. The older man, despite his well managed air of confidence, swallows away a lump in his throat, put there by the amount of power being thrown around ahead of them. Ichigo notices this, and pats his shoulder with a reassuring hand.

"Thanks for fighting with me."

"I can't promise I'll be much help to you, but I'll do what I can, Nino."

"Thanks Dordoni, but don't push yourself. I don't want that new lease on life snuffed out just as quick." Ichigo grins reassuringly, which the older Hollow smirks back. They nod at each other and then take off.

X X X X

Hueco Mundo

A light breaks out over the night sand in front of Los Noches. The Senkaimon doors appear just above the sparkling sand and open wide. The instant the doors slide open enough a figure flies past them and lands in front of the central gate of the newly rebuilt fortress.

Menoly wastes no time in entering the massive structure. She takes a quick breath and surges her Reiatsu as high as she can get it. Her power flares, whipping sand up around her, and flinging it for quite a distance. Within a few seconds her call is answered.

Tier, Grimmjow, and Nel appear first. Quickly the Caballeros Oscuros assembled, and Menoly extinguishes her power with a long breath.

"Why are you alone, Menoly?" Teir asks, seeing the open Senkaimon behind her, but no sign of either her sister Hollow or Ichigo. "What happened?"

"The Shinigami lied to us. Haruki was taken without Ichigo's permission. We went to the Soul Society after finding out, and somehow the rest of the Quincy had gotten free. Ichigo and Loly stayed behind to help, and I came back to tell you." The blond girl explained quickly, running out of the breath she hadn't yet caught.

"Those lying bastards. Let 'em burn in the..." Grimmjow snarls.

"Grimmjow." Tier warns, silencing him with an accompanying side long glare. "Does Kurosaki need our assistance?" This news twisted an uncomfortable knot in Harribel's stomach.

For one she knew Ichigo was perfectly capable of handling himself. His power dwarfed most in Hueco Mundo at the moment. However, she wanted to be there to help. Not for the Shinigami, not to stop the Quincy, but entirely to be by his side in this fight to make sure he was safe.

She wouldn't deny her recently reciprocated feelings for Ichigo anymore. However, even she would not lead others into a fight just because she wished to go. She would go even without the others, every fiber of her being pushing her to that choice. Though she couldn't and wouldn't jeopardize the safety of Hueco Mundo and her kin because of her selfishness. This was all their own decision to make.

'Damn that man.' She internally grinned with a chuckle, reliving the memories of Ichigo explaining his reasons for protecting Haruki, and before that herself and the Arrancar. He was willing to fight for those he cared about, only offering himself so as to prevent danger to others. A trait they both shared, and she admittedly admires about him.

"He said he doesn't want to put us in harms way, and only wanted Loly and I to stay if we wanted to. However from what I saw the Shinigami were having trouble with the fight, and I think Ichigo may need our help." Menoly answered, looking increasingly fidgety.

'She wants to go back, that much I can easily tell.' Tier grinned slightly behind her high collar. He certainly wormed his way into many of their souls, didn't he?

"After all that's happened those stupid bastard Shinigami still screwed with us. I'm all for letting them die, and I'm know Berryhead can take care of himself..." Grimmjow began, sliding his hands into his jacket pockets. His expression was hard to read, yet the signs of refusal were present. In a second that changed, his toothy smile splitting his face. "...but I'm always up for a brawl. And I'm not going to let him have all the fun this time." Jeagerjaquez nods and looks to Tier. She and the rest of the collected are surprised by his change in attitude.

"What do you say Queenie? This'll be better than any training we can do here? And we can knock enough heads to put those black robes in our debt." The blue haired Arrancar challenges their leader, not realizing she had already made up her mind.

"Yeah! Ichi is getting back up whether he wants it or not. Count Nel in!" Neliel hops up next to Grimmjow, raring to go.

Tier's hidden smile grows, and her eyes close, before she nods to them. "I will not allow one of our own to fight alone. I am going too."

"If Lady Harribel is going you can count us in too." Mila Rose steps up smacking her fist against her chest. She looked ready for a fight. As did the smirking Apacci, her hands on her cocked hips. Sung-Sun quietly falls into place next to her friends, but agrees with a nod to her Queen.

"It is settled then. However I need to ask several of you to stay behind and guard Los Noches. Luka, Gantenbainne, Rudbornn, will you do this for me?" Tier asks looking at all three men individually.

"Of course my Queen." Rudbornn answers without hesitation, in his usual resting military pose.

"I'd much rather fight." Luka objects, but one look from Grimmjow quickly changes his mind. "But... I'll stay and guard Los Noches with my life."

"You can count on us, Lady Harribel." Gantenbainne motions to Luka and Rudbornn.

"Thank you all." Tier nods to them and turns to the away group. "Let's be on our way."

Menoly releases a hefty sigh of relief, and smiles.

X X X X

Seireitei

Ichigo and Dordoni break out of their flight, stunned by the raw devastation in front of them. It looked as if something had stripped the earth bare in a river wide line heading toward the center of the Shinigami city. There were no buildings, no roads, trees, anything. Just the empty ground nearly a hundred feet wide running from the former Nest of Maggots toward the 1st Squad headquarters.

On the edges of this paved path half destroyed buildings, torn landscape, and dead bodies were littered everywhere. Ichigo could only think of it as the first line cut into a wheat field. Turning away from that he looked toward the cause. The iridescent being drawing ever closer to the leading body of the Gotei 13. Anything directly under it was broken down into Spirit Particles, and absorbed into the the ever growing power.

Since his entrance to the Seireitei he felt a familiar power, one he'd desperately hoped was just his senses playing with him. The closer he flew to the epicenter of the destruction, the more apparent it became that what he felt wasn't wrong.

Yhwach's Reiatsu was definitely coming from their target.

Whether it was actually him wasn't clear. There was a minute trace of an others presence there, barely able to be felt among Yhwach's overbearing power. And Ichigo had a sinking feeling he knew who's it was.

What's more Kenpachi had somehow been taken away from this fight. His power flaring a great distance from here now. Baring his teeth Ichigo entered Sonido, heading toward Shunsui's presence, who stood between the being and the rest of the First Squad Barracks.

"Shunsui, what the hell is going on!" Ichigo shouts as he appears before the new Captain Commander. The man in question looked haggard and worn out, not to mention nervous. Everything opposite to how Ichigo recognized of the man.

"Hell would be a pretty apt description of the situation, Ichigo." Kyoraku counters as playful as he could, trying to show as little weakness as possible. "I take it you are here for Haruki?"

"Your damn right I am! Where is she?!" Ichigo demands hotly at the leader of the Shinigami. Shunsui's confident front droops and he points with one of his two blades at the source of Yhwach's energy. Ichigo turns, following the sword's indication, and let his eyes adjust. Inside the massive pool of power is Haruki.

"I'm sorry Ichigo, we had nothing but good intentions..." Shunsui is cut off when Ichigo grabs a handful of robe hear his neck, and pulls them taut.

"Why did you take her! This could have all been avoided if..." Ichigo spat, his face inches from the Captain Commander's.

"I know! Dammit all I know! Someone subverted my authority, most likely Central 46. Their fear of her unknown power forced their hand, and pulled strings behind my back. Trust me when I say I wanted to speak with you first." Kyoraku explains hurriedly, not backing away from Ichigo's death glare.

A rumble emanates from Ichigo's throat in a low growl and let the him go, backing away a few feet in the air. "Why does she have the same Reiatsu as Yhwach?" Ichigo relents, turning around fully to watch Haruki approach slowly. "And why is coming here?"

"Her code name is 'The Memory', and her power is said to be able to bring the Quincy back from defeat. We still don't know what that means, but we have learned a few things." Nanao says from behind Shunsui. Slightly pausing to push her glasses back up she starts explaining.

"Captain SoiFon, rest her soul, relayed some information that Haruki herself gave to her, before she passed. According to the Quincy girl her ability is defensive in nature, creating a field of Pure Reishi particles in the air around her. These disperse any attack relying on Reishi or Reiryoku. What's more she has a constant contingent of around a hundred large arrows of light that surround her, and can be maneuvered at will." Nanao reads off her report.

Ichigo's eyes opened slightly more in hearing that SoiFon had died by Haruki's... or Yhwach's hand. He held no real love loss for the short Captain, but he knew her, and he at least counted her as one of those he would willingly protect.

That thought keeping with him, he was oddly, and for the most part, unfazed at her passing. Once again the worry of what this new form was doing to his personality resurfaced, but he filed it away quickly. Quicker than he expected.

"And trust me it's true. We've thrown almost everything we have at it, and nothing has been able to get through to deal any major damage. The only person who did was Zaraki, and he was swarmed by the stronger Quincy immediately after. They have him pinned down." Kyoraku added, keeping his watchful gaze on Haruki.

"This allows her to charge whatever 'The Memory' is. Which we believe is the orb Haruki is carrying in her hands. Long range reconnaissance indicates that all the Spirit Particles being drawn to her are absorbed into the orb. The orb fills with light as it absorbs them." Nanao looked down at her book which seemed to display something to her.

"Our latest projections say it's close to seventy five percent full. It was nearing fifty percent when Captain Zaraki attacked Haruki. Immediately following several of the Sternritter attacked him and then the pillars appeared. After that the energy in the orb jumped substantially after the white pillars absorbed into her." His Vice Captain finishes, looking up from her book. Ichigo looked behind Haruki to the consumed destruction behind her.

"All that and it's only seventy five percent full?! Dios mio." Dordoni pales. Shunsui and Nanao look to the unfamiliar seemingly stitched together Arrancar, then to Ichigo.

He fixes them with a stern look. "Your science division is keeping secrets." Shunsui's eyes close and he lets out a sigh, shaking his head as he does. "We were nearby one of those pillars when they appeared, and it engulfed one of the Sternritter. His power seemed to be absorbed into it." Ichigo added, just then realizing how the orb filled so quickly. The Captain Commander and his Vice Captain were taken aback at this information.

"That's not good." Shunsui's alarmed expression worried Ichigo.

"What? What's not good?" Ichigo demands impatiently.

"If she's not taking their energy but also absorbing the pieces of Yhwach's soul back into her, then our fears are probably correct." Seeing Ichigo's angered and confused expression, the Captain Commander continues. "Apparently Haruki was given the largest portion of the Quincy Emperor's soul. So our best guess is that when that orb fills to one hundred percent he may be revived, using Haruki as a surrogate body." He says with a hardened expression.

Kurosaki's face morphs from anger to horror, and back to anger. Yhwach was going to use Haruki to return. This is beyond crazy, practically falling on Aizen levels of monstrous.

"Commander Kyoraku, we're just about ready to try." Hitsugaya says as he appears in the sky next to the collected. Shunsui turns and nods to the Captain, who was currently in his Bankai state.

"Alright. Hopefully this works." The older man states gazing past the Arrancar to the Quincy beyond.

"Ichigo... I'm sorry. I should have realized something was up sooner." Toshiro apologizes to the orange haired teen with a small bow. Ichigo watches the act with confusion, but just accepts it. He had a good idea that Shunsui wasn't the only one played in the apprehension of Haruki.

"It's alright Toshiro. Let's just focus on saving everyone before we get to the bowing." Ichigo sees the young blue haired man's fists curl harder, and he raises his head. Toshiro nods then takes off towards the Yhwach possessed Haruki. Ichigo follows him with his eyes until he's facing the bright form of Armbruster.

"So what's the plan we hope's gonna work?" Ichigo asks, observing as Hitsugaya comes to a stop a ways in front of the oncoming Quincy.

"Most of our attacks can't penetrate her field of Pure Reishi. So we're going to see how well it does against the elements." Shunsui says, uncertain expectation in his voice.

"Elements?" Dordoni asks curiously intrigued before Ichigo can.

"Fire, Water, Earth, etc. Natural elements. In this case water, or more specifically ice. Elements are essentially Pure Reishi, and hopefully can get through or at least nullify her field. If old man Yama still had Ryujin Jakka he would have probably been able to burn it away. Now though the best we have is Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Kuchiki. She's going to attack from below and he's going from the front." The C.C. explains.

Ichigo quickly locates Rukia's signature and see's her standing on the ground right in the path of Haruki. Her power is raging, nearing heights he'd never seen from her. Ichigo chanced a ghost of a smile, then turned his sights back to Haruki, the smile gone.

"Commence the operation!" Shunsui shouts, and Ichigo see's Toshiro's Reiatsu skyrocket.

"Hyoten Hyakkaso (Frozen Heaven Hundred Flower Funeral)!" Toshiro yells, and stabs his sword toward the heavens. Dark clouds coalesce in the sky over the Seireitei. A gargantuan hole breaks the clouds covering the air above Hazuki. A massive downpour of snow falls from the gap descending upon his target.

"Some no mai, Tsuishiro (First Dance, White Moon)!" Rukia shouts, and a wide white circle appears around her, before the walls of the circle fire up toward Haruki.

Haruki's head lifts up from staring at the orb, and her solid white eyes glance up and down at the incoming attacks. Her hands release The Memory, and one flows up while the other aims down. Twenty lances of light form underneath the possessed girl, their tips aiming toward each other in a slight angle down. The huge arrows slam together and combine to form a light cone aiming down.

Above her the air alights with twinkles of Pure Reishi, as she moves the majority of her field above her. Ice flowers bloom in the hundreds above her, the snow flakes connecting only against the flecks of Reishi. None allowed to pass through the condensed field.

The beam of crystal blue below her slams against the cone of light slopping it's advance into the sky. The attack solidifies into a single solid pillar of ice, with Rukia in the center on the ground. Both of the massive ice based attacks are prevented from reaching their target.

Haruki turns her blank gaze forward to Hitsugaya after the snow stops falling. The solidified Reishi above her shatters and falls around her like snow of light. Locked in a stare with Toshiro, her above hand falls toward him, a dozen light lance arrows aim and launch toward his exhausted body.

At the same time she sends the cone created from arrows down toward Rukia. Their power easily being enough to break through the pillar below, and only seconds from hitting her at it's current speed.

Shunsui appears in front of Toshiro, his swords at his sides. Deceptively easily the Captain Commander destroys the arrows aimed at his underling. At the same time a beaked tornado slams through the base of Rukia's ice pillar and emerges from the other side with her safely in it's maw. The spiraling cone buries into the ground and detonates. The explosion illuminating Dordoni, with one leg lifted and tangible tornado's flying around him.

Ichigo blurs past the two Captains strait toward Haruki. With her Reishi field out of the immediate way, Ichigo took his chance. In the blink of an eye his body appears just before her, his sword drawn back. Before she can respond he slashes at the Orb, his large black blade creating a resounding ring against The Memory in a solid hit.

It's eerily silent immediately after the surprise attack. The Arrancar teen gritting his teeth harder seeing that the minutest of scuffs on the orb's surface his reward. He put everything he had into that attack, short of using either Medialuna or Resurrect-ing. He didn't want to harm Haruki if he could help it, aiming only for what seemed to be the problem.

'Shit. I can feel my power being sucked into the orb already. I need to break it now!' His mind raced, fear for both the tiny amount of time left before the Pure Reishi Field returned, and the massive draw from his Reiatsu.

"Dammit! C'mon!" Kurosaki shouts in frustration, pulling his sword back for another hit. This time his weapon courses with dark energy, black flames licking off it's surface. "Media..."

"Ichi... go." Haruki blurts out, breaking his concentration on the task at hand. Looking up he meets her all white eyes and a smile of comforted sorrow.

"Haruki? Haruki, thank god! You need to stop this." He says, unaware of the sparking Pure Reishi particles starting to fall around him.

"I... can't. He has con... control of my body. Soon... my mind. If I reach... reach that building... he'll be complete. Please... please kill me. Stop him!" She manages to relay before Ichigo suddenly looses his footing in the air.

"HARUKI!" He yells as he falls out of the sky, reaching up for the girl. Ichigo regains control over his Reiatsu twenty feet down. And readies to blast back up to her, only to have to dance around a shower of energy lances. Ichigo buzzes out of existence, appearing a moment later next to the air born Shunsui, Hitsugaya, Rukia, and Dordoni.

Haruki looks directly at them, and hundreds of arrow lances form around her. The soar through the air at the group, but Ichigo and Shunsui intercept them, destroying them as the came. An unrelenting hail of arrows flew at them, but the two men obscured the air with their afterimages, breaking each that came at them.

"Shunsui, Haruki managed to tell me that if she reached your headquarters The Memory would be finished. What does she mean?!" Ichigo's voice called from many different locations as he blitzed around, attacking arrows.

"... Dammit all!" Comes Kyoraku's panicked reply, also from several locations at once. "That's where Aizen is imprisoned!"

"WAIT! WHAT!?" Ichigo shouts aghast.

"If she reaches him The Memory will have an almost unlimited supply of Reiatsu to feed from!" The Captain Commander states urgently.

X X X X

Loly flew over the destruction that was the Seireitei, feeling Ichigo's power spike from miles away. His intoxicating power a lighthouse among the ocean of others. She had all faith in his ability and power, already experiencing his propensity for victory against the odds. What was making her push her speed to the limit right now was that the opponent this time was possibly one of his family.

If push came to shove, was he able to strike her down?

What's more Haruki's power was beyond what her senses could read, and ever growing. She'd felt a similar magnitude of Reiatsu only once, and that was when Ichigo, Tier, Grimmjow, and Nel faced down the Quincy Emperor himself. It took literally everything Ichigo had back then to defeat that monster.

The battle happening between them came into sight. It was then that she felt Ichigo enter his Resurreccion. His power exploded dramatically, and she saw his pillar of ebony rise into the sky. The pillar of dark fire surged back in on itself, and right out of the gate Ichigo's power ascended past the peak of her sensing ability.

'He's going full bore from the start... Can the Quincy girl be that dangerous?' The second she asks herself this she is witness to a blade of black and red grow and pierce the sky. It is Ichigo's, that much she knows, being very similar to the titanic Sword of Damocles he used against the Quincy barrier in the last war. It was daunting, and the pressure emanating off of it made her falter in her flight.

The closer she got the more spiritual pressure saturated the area. The volume of it seemed to thin the air itself.

"Shit!" Loly shouts, seeing the giant blade begin to fall on the light. She stops flying and braces herself, bringing her arms up to guard from the collateral energy sure to follow such an attack.

It doesn't come.

Her peeking eye sees the attack fall, and just before hitting the target, the middle section of the black obelisk vaporizes. Just scatters harmlessly. Leaving the top half to tear into the landscape behind Haruki, destroying a good section of the destroyed landscape. The bottom part to slices harmlessly down, still connected to Ichigo's real sword.

That attack should have been able to level mountains with ease. Yet it was utterly useless against the Quincy. In fact Haruki hadn't stop moving toward Ichigo and those with him, even in light of Ichigo's attack. She just continued, like it was a light breeze.

'How... how are we going to win against that!? It's futile, pointless... we should just go home. Leave the Shinigami to their death's...' She thought staring into the distance, any will to fight broken after watching the spectacle. Her instincts screamed at her to just run with a cold chill running down her spine. She was hilariously outclassed if Kurosaki's best shot was useless. She should just grab Ichigo and run.

'He'll understand. Even he's got to realize. I'll just get him and we'll make our escape. He'll understan...' She hugged herself as she began falling into despair.

Suddenly hundreds of smaller black energy scars began assaulting the invisible barrier around Haruki. Loly's scared wide eyes trailed the rain of attacks back to Ichigo. He was still fighting. Still trying to breach this monster's defenses.

He... wasn't going to stop. 'I knew he wasn't. That's someone important to him. He'd do that same if it was any of...'

'...us.'

Loly forced her arms down, forming defiant fists from her hands. Narrowing her eyes, she fills herself with every ounce of determination that she can muster. She smashes that deafening scream to run in her head down to a dull reminder. She wasn't going to leave him alone with his stupid, idiotic, moronic, suicidal choice to continue fighting. She'd be with him to drag him back to Hueco Mundo when the fight became un-winnable.

"DAMN EVERYTHING! I'M GOING TO BE BY HIS SIDE!" She yells so fiercely her throat burns. "POISON, ESCOLOPENDRA!"

X X X X

Ichigo could barely feel his arm already, and his power drained almost as quickly with every sword stroke. After his strongest attack failed to even move what was left of Haruki's field, he decided to drill a hole through it instead of just hitting it. Unfortunately that was met with practically the same result. It didn't help they couldn't see more than motes of light in the sun to judge the effectiveness of her field.

The Yhwach controlled Haruki hadn't even needed to throw another attack their way. Her defense was near impenetrable from most abilities. Those strong enough to make a difference she now knew to defend against, or take out before they could use their powers. And she just floated forward toward her goal, Aizen.

That was another bag of very pissed off cats to deal with. Aizen was alive, somehow held prisoner under the First Division's headquarters to boot. And if what Shunsui said was true, he was basically an unkillable unlimited battery just begging to be hooked up to. Should Haruki make it to him, that was it. Game over. Yhwach would be reborn, and with Haruki's natural defense pretty much be a god.

Ichigo couldn't... WOULDN'T let that happen. All he needed was the smallest hole in the her defense, just one split second to attack The Memory again. He wouldn't give that damned orb a chance to drain his energy. This time he wouldn't hold back, he'd use everything in that attack even his own life, if that was what it took. There were too many lives at stake, Human, Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy.

Their backup was bogged down with the remainder of the Sternritter. And even if he wanted to hope the Caballeros Obscuros would show, he didn't want them here. He was the strongest of them, and even he didn't feel that arrogant in that statement. If he couldn't stop The Memory, they... and Tia, would probably die with him.

The Soul Extractor was near completion, as Nanao reported to them. But even that was still about an hour away. And the undeterred progress of Haruki would have her at Aizen in fifteen minutes at most. That wasn't even factoring in if The Memory decided to take back the rest of Yhwach's split soul and boost it's progress further.

Shunsui, Dordoni, Rukia, Nanao, and Hitsugaya all chipped in with their own attacks. All focused on the same point, and making just as little progress as he was. Their best counter to the field, Rukia and Toshiro's elements, couldn't help now either. Rukia's dance wasn't strong enough encompass the field, and was too slow to pull off. Toshiro wasn't strong enough to pull off another Hyoten Hyakkaso. Even if they could The Memory wouldn't let them.

Ichigo was out of options, plain and simple. All they could do was hope to slow Haruki down.

"Veneno de Niebla (Venom Fog)!"

A purple mist poured into the air behind the glowing Quincy. Behind the fog was Loly, mist blasting from the ends of her centipedal arms. The violet cloud covered the Pure Reishi Field, without dispersing, and from the bottom of the growing fog black rain fell to the earth. First a few raindrops, then suddenly a full on shower, burned the landscape below it.

The pure reishi particles were dissolving inside the acid cloud. Ichigo and comapny halted their efforts for a brief moment, watching The Memory's impenetrable defense being beaten. Loly was smiling tiredly, her features bordering on sickly, as she pushed herself to keep in the air among the overbearing pressure around her. But her attack was working.

Haruki's body twisted mid-air, utterly surprised that something was able to defeat her power. Her white eyes locked onto a Hollow, who she recognized, but didn't even feel approach. The Arrancar's Reiatsu was small enough to write off as a threat. Yet here it was tearing apart her field. Haruki's controlled body glared down at her, until she felt Ichigo coming at her.

She was vulnerable, and nearly a half of her field was gone. He wouldn't hold back this time.

"NOOOO, DONT!" Haruki screams, begging her body to listen to her. Even before she finished screaming the Lance was dropping above Loly.

X X X X

Ichigo raced at The Memory smiling at Loly success, wholly intent on finishing this once and for all.

Then Haruki screamed.

His focus broke, and he felt it. Loly's spiritual power flatlined.

Ichigo didn't slow down, but he did change his target, and in an instant he was in next to Loly. Her chest pierced by a lance of light, directly where her heart would be.

"... no, nononono no. Loly no." She fell into his waiting arm, her Resurreccion dusting off of her and turning into particles of pink light. With her back firmly pressed against his left arm, Ichigo quickly swipes his sword at the lance, destroying it easily. His sword drops out of the sky, released from his hand, as he uses it to cup her pale cheek.

"Loly... Loly... come on. Look at me, please Loly." Her head rolls against his shoulder, and she blinks her eyes open tiredly. It takes a second for her blurry vision to focus on Ichigo's terrified face. She can't feel anything below her shoulders, and she was awefully cold.

"Ichigo..." She mutters, before shuddering violently.

"Loly, you're going to be okay. You're not going to die here." He blurts out, tears staining his face.

"I hope..." She gasps, inhaling sharply, "... I helped."

Two voices barely registered in Ichigo's ears after Loly said this. One was a pained yell, and the other was something he couldn't make out.

"You did, Loly, but save your breath I need you to focus on..." Ichigo's sense flared, and he only had time to turn his back to it. Three lance arrows sunk into his back, the tip ends breaking out of his chest, and spraying Loly's body with his blood.

"Ichi... go..." Loly breaths out, horror mixing in with the numbness in her eyes.

Together they drop out of the sky, Ichigo holding Loly possessively in his arms. They hit the stripped bare ground with a dull thud. Ichigo never letting Loly out of his protective hold.

It was then an wrathful Reiatsu washed over the entire Seireitei. A power no one could ignore, not even the crying Memory possessed Haruki.

"T...ia." Ichigo breaths out weakly, recognizing the intoxicating aura.

CHAPTER 7 END

Chapter 8 Preview

Time froze for her, as she felt a Reiatsu she believed gone forever. Her head instinctively turning to look down into the abyssmal hole that was opened by the deadly attack. Down there in the darkness, quickly illuminated by the daylight, was the one person she dared to have been rid of forever.

"Aizen." Tier whispered frigidly, as she glared down at the man bound to the chair.

"Well well, what could you possibly be doing here my dear Harribel? Certainly you haven't come to rescue me?" Sosuke's smile both disgusted and infuriated the Hollow Queen.

"Aizen..." She hadn't felt the amount of wrath building up in her for years. Yet it came to her so quickly... so easily. Her wide eye'd stare taking filled with malice.

"If I know one thing well it's how to read a person. And you my dear Harribel, you want to tear me asunder. I always admired how you could hide your emotions, but now you wear them like a sleeve. Your eyes betray you even if nothing else does." Aizen taunts, his eyes gleaming with intent.

Tier's grips on her patas tightened so much she could swear the handles cracked. Aizen was alive. She dared hope otherwise, what a fool she was. But now... now she could get her revenge. She could end his miserable pain enducing existence right here, right now, by her own hands.

It would be so easy. He was defenseless, bound and shackled. Apply some force and power, and even this monster would die. She'd have her retribution, her justice.

Preview End

A/N: First of all I am so very sorry this chapter is so insanely late. I hit several writer's blocks, as well as several controversial (to me at least) plot points, and add in real life shenanigans. That is why this is so long in coming. Though I do hope it is was worth it.

So we come to the final arc and last two chapters in my oldest and longest running fanfic. I took to heart several of my readers comments about real consequences to the Soul Society's actions. And I intend to deliver... even if it hurts me to write it.

Now I'm pretty sure I have mentioned that I wasn't thrilled with the whole Quincy arc for the final enemy in Bleach. They were way to overpowered, and as shown in the last chapters of the original manga, Yhwach was ridiculously powerful. However, at least Kubo did something right in how they beat the man, sometimes it's isn't power that wins the day, but the right skill or strength in the right place. That is what I strived for in my story. Power wont always win, sometimes a good plan or seemingly weak ability can change the tide of battle.

Anyways, thank you all who have stayed with me on this rollercoaster ride. I hope that this and the upcoming final chapter will settle this story in way that it leaves you all and myself satisfied. I have gotten into writing steadily again, and hope to have the final chapter out before the end of this year.

So thank you all again my dear readers, and I'll see you all at the end of Days Of Night.

~Wiggles

EroSlackerMicha: I hope to remind you once again Ero, lol.

plums: A true consequential war it is.

HALLIBEL: Well to answer your question, I believe since the Arrancar were originally Hollow, their masks are a part of them more than the Visoreds. That's why they can't just be taken off. As for Loly... I hope this chapter may change your opinion of her.

Kuroi Rin: I hoped you would like that Kuroi. I'm a bit surprised I can do romantic stuff that well, but I guess when you are so invested in your characters you want only the best for them. Haruki is going to have a rough time in the finally, that much I can say, but even I am not sure of her fate just yet. We'll have to find out together. I hope this chapter was good, and yes I am still thinking on the potential arc after the main story. Thanks always for your reviews Kuroi.

Antex-The Legendary Zoroarc: Apparantly I do fluff pretty well, lol. Answers to your questions, in order: Hopefully not, This chapter will probably show you where he might be headed, Best bet Central 46.

maxe03: Well even though Ichigo is trustworthy, there is still the chance he'll drastically change. It's asafety measure. He still doesn't know about the Shiba clan, lol. When Ichigo fought Yhwach in the previous story he had both his Quincy and Hollow powers at max, even if he picked his Hollow in the end. So he had a major power boost. As for being weaker he's just inexperienced in his new form, and he lost half of his power in the previous battle with Yhwach.

Max: Well the next chapter will tell.

Guest #1: Well actually Medialuna is essentially his Hollow version of Getsuga Tensho, and he displays powers similar to his Shinigami form. As for the second form, we do not know yet if he does have one. You have to remember at this point in the story Ichigo has been a stable Arrancar for only a day or two. He's had no combat training or Hollow training. Being able to access powers instinctively is very different than when you try deliberately. Kenpachi wanted Ichigo to learn on the fly, hence the kill or be killed attitude.

Guest #2: He needs permission because as a precaution. He's still potentially dangerous, because he's not used to being a full Hollow. And it actually was in the initial deal.

Angel of Atonement: It's a mixture of SS bureaucracy, fear, and pride on SoiFon's part. Well it is possible Haruki couldn't tell Ichigo anything. Thanks Angel.

| OmegaInfinity |: SoiFon isn't really a bitch, so much as she's prideful and arrogant. She doesn't believe enemies should get preferential treatment. She is so wrap up in her black and whites, it takes a good while to see the greys. It was like that when she reunited with Yoruichi. She didn't want to believe the SS was in the wrong and so took everything at face value: to prideful in the system in place. And she's arrogant becasue she thinks there isn't anything or one who has the power to beat the system. These are her major character flaws. However given enough hard fact and evidence she will see the greys. I disagree with the saint version of her, because it goes against her character. Unless she's pushed through one hell of an emotional eye openning guantlet, she couldn't change that easily. Hope that helps, but keep in mind that is my opinion on her too. Thanks OmegaInfinity.

Mangahero18: To be honest I hadn't thought about that route. It is an interesting idea, and some of it may have fit in with what I had planned already, but you never know. I hope you'll like the conclusion once we reach it.

Spazzman29: To be fair Zaraki is insanely powerful when he taps into his true power, and Ichigo is actually on his level in my fic. But Ichigo is very inexperienced in his new form, hence the seeming power gap. I like Menoly, I do, but I can't put too mnay girls in Ichigo's corner, he's got enough as is. However the Chad crush may or may not work out, you'll have to wait for the conclusion. I feel Grimmjow's speed is his defining feature, so it would naturally increase with his power. We'll have to find out Haruki's fate in teh next chapter.

Guest #3: Well thank you. I hope this chapter is just as good.

Lionmanepoc: Thank you for the review Lion. I'm very glad you enjoyed this and the last story. I can understand where you are coming from in the character interactions in HQDK vs DON. I can explain that. As I was working on HQDK I was just starting out, and when I made my second major story Pam, Pete, and Harley, written during the middle of HQDK I got a whole lot better at character interaction and developement. I do pride myself on my grammar, but I do mess up on the spelling quite a bit. Plus I proofread all my own stories so I tend to skip over some mistakes. When I look back on Ichigo HQDK and Ichigo DON I do realize the same thing. Honestly I needed a way for him to tap back into his Hollow side briefly, just so we all knew it was still there. But I could have also waited until the Quincy Invasion of the SS now that I think about it. I thank you for sticking with my way overdue updates. I hope you find this chapter enjoyable as well, Lion.

dnguyen686: Well... that's certainly a way to describe that mishandled situation.