So... I'm back... yayyyy

Yeah, so, apologies. Same old song and dance. I'm determined to not leave this story discontinued. "Too little, too late?" You say? That's fair, but at least I'm not leaving something half-finished. That's enough for me to sleep at night.

Chapter Nineteen. I like to think my writing has improved somewhat since that original chapter years ago. Hope so. I want to go back and revise the initial chapters here shortly. The quality difference is night and day, I feel, and if you can't stomach the first couple of chapters, you're not going to want to read the rest.

Lots of reviews piled up. I can't answer all of them and I apologize for that. Besides, I did want to cut back on the amount of space I use for Author's notes. If you have concerns you wish personally addressed, by all means, message me privately. I'll do my best to reply. Life's cray-cray.

Soooooo, yeah. Here we go.

Fuckin'. Fuck.

(Chapter Nineteen)

It had been barely a week since Ichigo, Harribel, and Starrk had met with Unohana and Ukitake. That had marked the last contact Ichigo and the Arrancar had with the Seireitei of any sort. While the little exchange had gone well, they felt, the waiting for whatever was to come was starting to make everyone anxious. Urahara had assured everyone that everything would work out and to continue with their day ins and outs. That was the most they could get from the shopkeeper on the matter, so many did just that. Daily, Ichigo came by to spar with the Arrancar, particularly Ggio – whom which continued to look towards the Shinigami for guidance and assistance for anything combat-related. Baraggan had yet to comment on the matter, not that he particularly had to care. Some had taken to the break in fighting as a blessing. Others? Not so much.

Boredom. All encompassing, suffocating, omnipotent, boredom. Grimmjow Jaegerjacques, former sexta Espada, grit his sharp canines slowly – the noise cringeworthy in its own right – as he sat upon one of the many boulders that littered the basement of the Urahara Shoten at random. His legs crossed, one leg tapping furiously as the Arrancar made to find anything to amuse himself. Anything at all. To think, merely a couple weeks ago, he had free reign of Hueco Mundo. The sandbox was his playground. There was always something to kill in that barren landscape, ironically enough. It kept him sane. That, and his hatred for anything and everything. What could he say? He wasn't a complicated individual, he just required activity. And watching Kurosaki and the Primera-brat spar with each other was almost last on his list of things to do to amuse himself – it didn't help the Strawberry's fan club was watching and chiming in on every. Single. Detail.

"See? Wait, wait, wait, watch. Look at Ichigo-kun's expression." Apacci instructed, an arm wrapped around the shoulders an increasingly annoyed Sung-Sun, whom was trying her best to exercise restraint. "When he blocks – look." The Doe Arrancar prodded further, giving Sung-Sun a shake. While growing agitated steadily, Sung-Sun still did as Apacci suggested and observed closely. Mid-spar, Lilynette leaped forward swiftly, her speed having improved rather impressively through many hours of training with both Ichigo and her fellow Arrancar. She thrusted her zanpakuto forward, deciding against a wild swing against the human wisely. Ichigo parried the strike expertly, managing to make handling Zangetsu in his Shikai state as easy as breathing. As he did so, a small grin broke out on his face, his gaze, though focused and steeled on the smaller Arrancar, soft and prideful as he noted the progress she had made.

"There it is! See that? I mean, sploosh, amirite?" Apacci jostled her olive-haired sister further, smirking wildly as she turned her multi-colored stare from the obvious object of her affection back to Sung-Sun. "Don't you wish that look was directed at you, Sung-Sun? Perhaps between your legs as Ichigo-kun goes down on you?"

Sung-Sun spluttered at the bold accusation from Apacci, her pale face reddening dramatically. The Arrancar defended herself from her sister's verbal onslaught and pushed Apacci off her shoulder, the girl stumbling backwards but keeping that smirk full-blown.

"No denial! I knew it!" Apacci declared, standing and pointing wildly at Sung-Sun. The scene was more than amusing to others present. Well, minus Grimmjow.

"Apacci-san, it would behoove you to not make any more outrageous suggestions." Sung-Sun started, doing her best to compose herself, though her flushed expression betraying her.

"Oh, come off it." Apacci scoffed, waving off Sung-Sun's usual defense. "You know I'm right. Everyone does. Right?" She glanced over at the others.

"I mean… maybe." Menoly shrugged, more than aware of Sung-Sun's feelings, though saying nothing more to not fluster the Tercera's Fraccion further. Loly had no such restraint.

"Duh – and who wouldn't? I mean, have you seen that?" Loly gestured to the human in question and his visage, the lightest beads of sweat dripping down his sun-kissed head to trail his face, that same grin on his face as he offered helpful suggestions here and there to Lilynette. "Sploosh." She added eloquently.

"See? Everyone." Apacci declared, turning back to Sung-Sun, whom had managed to somewhat clear her blush and recompose herself.

"You are as annoying as you are unprepossessing, Apacci-san." The girl stated bluntly, her sleeve rising to cover her mouth characteristically. To this, Apacci flared her nostrils and glared at her sister.

"You calling me ugly?" She demanded, stepping forward to get in Sung-Sun's face – whom which glanced to the side in an incredibly uninterested manner.

"Yes." Sung-Sun affirmed simply, not at all bothered as Apacci began rolling up a sleeve to try and defend her honor.

"Why you-!"

"That's it!" Grimmjow cut in sharply, the sexta standing quickly, his glare fixated heavily on Apacci and Sung-Sun. "I can't fucking take it anymore! You chicks won't stop fucking squawking!" By now he had the attention of all the girls, including Lilynette and Ichigo who turned from their spar to watch the mental breakdown of the blue-haired ex-Espada. "I'm fucking going out!" He announced suddenly, pivoting and beginning his determined stride towards the exit, hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Hey, Grimmjow, why don't you calm down a second and-?" Ichigo's attempt to pacify the Arrancar was cut off with,

"Go shove your head in a dick, Kurosaki!" And with that, Grimmjow left. Ichigo blinked.

"Well, then…" He sighed, only slightly concerned at the potential ramifications of Grimmjow being out and about Karakura. He -did- trust the Arrancar to a certain extent. Fighting side by side in a death match against Ulquiorra can do that. Still, there was concern.

"Are we going to keep sparring, Ichigo-sensei?" Lilynette's impatient question broke him from his brief train of thought, the high schooler turning back to look at the small Arrancar.

"I think that's enough for now. Sorry, Lily-chan. It's been a long day." He breathed out apologetically, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. Lilynette, though disappointed, understood. After all, he had been here since early that morning sparring with more Arrancar than just her. While not exactly challenging to the human, hours of training still stacked up on the reiatsu juggernaut.

"Okay, Ichigo-sensei." She still sounded rather dejected, which Ichigo noticed.

"You've really improved a lot, Lily-chan. I'm really proud of you." He praised her sincerely, grinning widely at the girl supportively. Lilynette's cheeks flushed slightly as her crush complimented her, shuffling her feet slightly.

"T-thanks, Ichigo-sensei." She stuttered slightly, mentally berating herself for appearing so love-struck. Well, she was, but that was beside the point. Totally. They were joined by the other girls now, Loly speaking up first.

"You plan on leaving now, Ichigo-kun?" The brunette asked, shuffling up to the boy, standing tip-toed to demand a quick peck before any sort of answer. Ichigo smiled and, whilst returning Zangetsu to his back, obliged the attention-happy Arrancar with a quick kiss to her lips.

"Not if you don't want me to." He answered with that grin of his that Loly, and the other girls, loved to see.

"Psh, you have to ask?" Apacci answered for Loly, sauntering up and demanding the same attention from Ichigo, though being a tad more physical, leaning forward into him, a hand pressed up against his chest. Ichigo seemed a little taken aback at the sudden action, glancing at Loly as if asking for permission with a rather perplexed expression. Loly merely raised an eyebrow expectantly. Not quite sure what that meant, Ichigo went for broke and offered the same quick kiss to Apacci as well, feeling all kinds of awkward – even though the girls around seemed to have little reaction to it. Well, except for Sung-Sun, who seemed to be bringing up the rear of the group, watching with an impatient expression on her face, hidden behind her sleeve, as if waiting for the scene before her to be over with already.

"Guess not?" Ichigo shrugged his shoulders, Apacci leaning back away from him. Menoly, being patient as she was, decided to wait until another time to claim her own token from the boy. Preferably in private. The usually stoic girl was not one to be sated with a quick peck, not after everything they had gone through. She was perfectly content to wait, only a small grin present on her face as she observed the happy expression on her own sister's face from her proximity to her boyfriend. Their boyfriend. Whatever. Words.

"You should know, were it up to us, that you'd not leave at all and just live here." Menoly said, finally offering her piece. "Though, that would be awfully selfish of us. We know you care for your sisters and father."

"I mean, I could probably get away with a couple of days here and there." Ichigo said thoughtfully, looking off in thought. "Could just say I am crashing at a friend's house."

"Or my house. Your family does know about us." Loly stated, rather proud of the fact to a certain extent.

"No way. Not in the mood for that drama." Ichigo shook his head, to which Loly giggled, knowing full well what he meant. Would be funny, though, she admitted. "They're still not over the fact you slept over one night."

"And SPEAKING OF." Apacci cut in. "When do I get my night with you, huh?" She asked, crossing her arms with a huff.

"Um, well-," Ichigo started, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly as he began to try and formulate a response that would be both polite, but also something the girl would want to hear.

"I do believe I am also owed a night as well, Ichigo-kun." Menoly added, though more to further flush the boy. Not that she was at all opposed to the idea.

"And we'll just go ahead and speak for Sung-Sun as well." Apacci added before Ichigo could try and address Menoly. Sung-Sun glared at Apacci as Ichigo turned his embarrassed gaze on to her now, which, naturally, caused the olive-haired girl to avert her eyes elsewhere quickly to save face.

"Do not be ridiculous, Apacci-san." She brushed off the suggestion sharply, that flush returning from before. Lilynette, for her part, could only turn her jealous stare from each of the girls and Ichigo repeatedly, obviously wanting to interject with her own feelings.

Thankfully for Ichigo, he was saved from the awkward situation escalating as Urahara approached the group.

"Ah! Kurosaki-san! Just the human-Shinigami-Hollow hybrid freak of nature I wanted to see!" The shopkeeper exclaimed jovially. Ichigo's eye twitched in annoyance at the 'affectionate' terminology the ex-Shinigami gave him. "Were you aware that Jaegerjacques-san rather abruptly left a little while ago?"

"Yeah, he said he wanted to go for a walk." Ichigo shrugged as he told the half-truth. "Said he was bored." He added. To the side, Loly, Menoly, Apacci, Sung-Sun, and Lilynette listened to the two talk, the former three rather put off at the interruption to the fun they were having. Sung-Sun was thankful, as her jealousy had only been flaring more and more throughout the exchange.

"I see." Urahara 'hmm'ed thoughtfully. "So, and this is just a suggestion, but I think we should maybe kinda go and find him and bring him back as soon as possible." Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you say that?"

"Shopkeeper's intuition."

(Seireitei – Thirteenth Division Grounds)

There was a large gathering outside the Division Headquarters – the majority of eleventh division in formation accordingly – Ikakku Madarame heading up the formation as his taicho and fuku-taicho had yet to appear. It was irksome for the rather laid back third seat to be in such a position, taking charge of the formation, waiting patiently for the Operation Order to be given before they started their deployment into the World of the Living. Aside of the formation, a small attachment of medics from Fourth Division and soldiers from Thirteenth Division also stood in formation, none other than Rukia Kukichi at the head, being the highest ranking in the absence of Ukitake.

In Eleventh Company's formation, Yumichika stood near the front, eyes glancing back and forth at his fellow Shinigami. He was dressed as normal, appearing to have pampered himself that morning quite well, despite knowing he'd be off into the World of the Living not but a few hours later. In the attachment formation, Hanataro squirmed in spot, quite anxious at having been selected. While being a competent medic, he was also chosen due to his previous interaction with Ichigo and his human friends. It made sense, but it didn't make him any less anxious. Alongside him were new faces, some he barely recognized, despite being in the same company.

They all waited patiently in formation for a few minutes longer, silent and anxious, at parade rest. This changed when, from the Company Headquarters, emerged Ukitake, appearing quite healthy for the day, ready and willing to do work. The white-haired taicho looked forward to the formation in front of his Company's Headquarters.

"Company, atten-TION!" Ikkaku gave the command with authority, and the entirety of Eleventh Company snapped to attention, any chatter that had been taking place being silenced with the command. "Parade REST!" The third seat followed through as soon as the company snapped to attention, returning them to their previous positions.

"Attachment, atten-TION!" It was Rukia's turn, calling her small formation to attention now. "Parade, REST!" As Ikakku had done, her attachment returned to parade rest, attentive and all eyes forward. Ukitake approached the two formations, the smile that was customary of him was on his face, wide and proud of the soldiers standing out before him.

"Relax, relax." He waved a hand, stopping. "No need to be so formal." Ukitake added, waving over Rukia, whom stepped over to stand with her taicho and Ikakku.

"Hai, taicho. Everyone's just a little on edge." Rukia admitted a little sheepishly, obviously not used to performing such actions in front of large groups of people. Ukitake nodded, smiling warmly.

"Of course, this is rather unprecedented, I agree. I am one hundred percent confident in everyone's abilities, though. You all should be as well." He looked between the two as he assured them. Ikakku and Rukia both nodded.

"Eleventh Company is ready, minus our taicho and fuku-taicho." Ikakku reported, looking left and right for any sight of said individuals. Ukitake raised an eyebrow, his smile dropping to adopt a concerned frown.

"Is that so? That's odd. Zaraki-taicho and I received the link-up location and time from sotaicho at the same time just a couple of days ago, so I doubt he forgot." The ancient captain 'hmm'ed thoughtfully. "I suppose we can send a runner back to your company so try and find them."

Just then, a Hell Butterfly flew up to the group, landing itself on Ukitake's shoulder. The message it held was for him, and the man's frown deepened shortly before the butterfly flew off.

"Taicho?" Rukia questioned, only slightly concerned at his expression.

"Well, it would seem we must accelerate our movement to the World of the Living." Ukitake began, sighing deeply. "It would seem your taicho got a little anxious and left prematurely." He looked at Ikakku, whom could only widen his eyes at the implications.

That was not good.

(Karakura Town – Away from the Urahara Shoten)

"Fucking dandelions and their harems." Grimmjow grumbled as he skulked about the streets, eyes darting to and fro for something, ANYTHING, to do. His walk had yielded nothing fruitful. Maybe there was a hollow somewhere to kill. There's a thought. Not as if he could just start blasting left and right throughout the town. Kurosaki would probably be butthurt about it. He tch'ed. Fucking dandelions and their harems.

At this point, his little hike had only solidified his boredom further, now engraining in his mind that there was truly nothing to do regardless of what he did. What a horrible realization, he concluded. He'd probably snap one of these days if things continued as they did. Hell, Shinigami taichos had showed up just the other day and he had not been allowed to go out and play with them for a bit. Bullshit, right?

Grimmjow's pesquisa jolted as a powerful signature made itself known and suddenly, the Espada's attention was grabbed as a Senkaimon opened not fifty meters in the air ahead of him. To appear in such a public place proved that whoever opened it clearly had no intention to use tact or hide his entrance into the World of the Living. Fully open, the doors sliding apart, it revealed none other than Kenpachi Zaraki, taicho of Eleventh Division. Not that Grimmjow knew the face, name, or position. All he saw was an incredibly large amount of reiatsu and killing intent radiating off the Shinigami.

Zaraki looked left. Right. Forward. His eyes locked with Grimmjow's, whom had stopped his stride to stare at the sudden intrusion. A few seconds passed in deafening silence, before a wide, splitting, smirk stretched on to Zaraki's face. A smirk just as wide and dangerous appeared on Grimmjow's.

All Hell seemed to break loose at that point.

(Urahara Shoten – Basement)

"Kurosaki-san, where is Grimmjow-san?" It was Harribel, and Ichigo could only commend her situational awareness; it had barely been an hour since the Sexta had left the Shoten. Maybe he really should have tried and stopped him? The human turned to give the blonde Arrancar his attention.

"He went, uh, out." He answered after a moment, having been thinking of a good way to put it. Clearly, that was what he decided on, and he could tell Harribel wasn't impressed. For having her face half-covered, the woman was still able to convey her emotions well.

"Out." Harribel repeated, saying it aloud in her own voice to try and confirm if it still sounded ridiculous with her saying it instead. It did.

"Grimmjow went out?" It was Starrk.

Ichigo started slightly. The Arrancar was stealthy, he had to give him that. And fast. "Yeah."

"…. I do not think that was wise."

"I don't think so either, but he left pretty abruptly and wasn't willing to listen to anyone who tried to talk to him." Ichigo explained. Though, saying it, he probably could have been a little more aggressive. At the same time, doing so might have just escalated the situation and the Arrancar's anger. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

Harribel turned from Ichigo, fixing her gaze on Starrk. "How much do you think we will be looking at in collateral?"

"Oh, you know… the 'Grimmjow' amount." Starrk deadpanned.

Once again, Urahara made a convenient, or inconvenient depending how you look at it, entrance. "Kurosaki-san, Harribel-san, it would seem we have a… situation, putting it delicately." It got the attention of both, one already dreading where this was going.

"Is it bad?" Ichigo asked, more rhetorically than anything. He already had a good idea where this was going.

"I mean, not too bad." Urahara's fan collapsed and the man waved it in his face casually. "So, remember our friend, Jaegerjacques-san? Over six foot, blue hair, sour disposition?"

"We have been acquainted." Harribel answered, though there was no humor in her tone whatsoever. She glanced over at Ichigo, who did his best to not meet the woman's icy gaze.

"Cool, cool. So, remember Kenpachi-taicho? Over six foot, spiky hair, sour disposition?" Urahara continued, looking at Ichigo again. Ichigo's eyes widened.

"…. Oh shit."

"Indeed."

(Grimmjow vs. Zaraki Kenpachi)

"Come on, Arrancar! Keep chipping the rust from my blade!" Zaraki shouted enthusiastically, swinging one-handed at Grimmjow, whose smirk nearly split his face at this point. Their blades collided violently, a loud screech following and sparks flying.

"I thought Shinigami taichos were supposed to be tough?!" Grimmjow taunted back. A hand came off his blade, open and pointed at Zaraki. A cero formed and Zaraki just made himself scarce to avoid the point-blank attack. Of course, without a willing Shinigami taicho to take the attack, the blast was free to shoot off and collide with half-constructed building. It was empty, thankfully, but the beams that made up the frame of the structure buckled easily and collapsed in on itself, kicking up dust high into the air. The sight only further excited Grimmjow and Zaraki, both fans of wanton destruction.

The dust blew over the street, obscuring Grimmjow's vision and causing him to lose sight of his opponent. His vision suddenly darkened and he suddenly realized a hand covered his face. Before he could react, the hand clamped down tightly on the Arrancar's face. Zaraki lifted Grimmjow into the air, before slamming him back down into the ground sharply.

"Hahahaha!" Zaraki laughed near-maniacally as he dragged the Espada through the concrete, tearing into the street easily. Through grit teeth, Grimmjow made to defend himself. He thrusted his zanpakuto up, estimating where the Shinigami's arm would be and pierced through the towering man's forearm, whom instinctively released Grimmjow at the sharp pain. Grimmjow quickly regained his stance and the dust had finally cleared. When it did fully, it revealed both fighters, exhaling a tad heavier than normal, both bleeding – Grimmjow from the top of his head from being used to renovate the street and Zaraki from the new slit in his forearm. The injuries did nothing to deter either, and they both still sported their dangerous smirks.

No words were spoken, Grimmjow dashing forward to take the offensive this time. He swung strong and swift, his zanpakuto slicing through the air sharply. Zaraki blocked the attack, once again causing sparks to fly. Before he could offer any sort of riposte, Grimmjow's leg struck into his right side sharply, sending the large man into the large concrete wall to the side. Zaraki struck the wall with his back, being lodged into the wall. He looked up at his opponent just in time for the bottoms of Grimmjow's feet to take up his vision.

Grimmjow slammed into the Shinigami, kicking him through the wall and into the construction lot on the other side. Zaraki stopped mid-flight as he clipped the side of a crane, redirecting his trajectory and sending him tumbling into the ground. A few unceremonious rolls later and the taicho regained his footing, landing on his feet and sliding back to a stop in time to defend himself as Grimmjow pressed the attack. "Like that, punk-ass?!" He shouted in delight.

Instead of blocking, this time Zaraki leaned back to allowed the tip of Grimmjow's blade to pass by harmlessly. With an opening, Zaraki unleashed an attack of his own. With Grimmjow's right side exposed, and Zaraki being right-handed, his left fist clenched and he delivered a sharp punch into the Arrancar's side. It was a powerful attack, despite its speed and Grimmjow damn-near had the wind knocked out of him which only further allowed Zaraki to press his attack.

A second punch followed, striking the same spot, before Zaraki brought his zanpakuto back and slammed his hilt into the Espada's head. Ears ringing now, Grimmjow barely had time to register being suddenly grabbed by his leg and thrown violently. The flight was short-lived as a cement truck just so happened to be the external force to stop his inertia. The mixer caved inwards as Grimmjow slammed into it, the entire truck tipping over and leaving Grimmjow to admire the clouds for a couple of seconds. His senses returned, only to realize Zaraki was standing over him, again grabbing him and peeling him from the metal. This time his flight landed him into what remained of the frame of the building he had destroyed earlier, the remaining beams coming down on top of him and kicking up dust once again.

Zaraki admired his handiwork, ignoring the blood flowing freely from his arm still, for a few seconds before, from the dust, a beam flew out and struck him in the stomach, sending him upwards into the air, seeing as he had still been atop the ruined cement truck.

(With Yachiru)

Yachiru's eyes followed Zaraki as he flew past her spot atop a nearby building, barely catching the sight of the taicho achieving flight atop a metal beam. She giggled in delight at the sight, not at all bothered at the scene before her. "Kenny's having fun." She commented to herself in her usual, bubbly, tone.

(Grimmjow vs. Zaraki Kenpachi)

Bursting from the ruins, Grimmjow followed his target with a snarl on his face, flying after Zaraki. Catching up to him, Grimmjow spun several times forward, ending with a drop-kick that sent Zaraki back down to Earth and making a crater in the street again. Grimmjow pursued, not intending to allow his opponent a moment's respite.

Despite his speed, Grimmjow's survival instincts kicked into overdrive and he angled himself just in time to avoid skewering himself on Zaraki's zanpakuto. Catching himself on his hands, Grimmjow twisted his body to kick out at Zaraki again, who only blocked the strike with his free arm, his hand latching on to Grimmjow's ankle. The Eleventh Company taicho swung Grimmjow overhead and down into the ground harshly by his leg.

"CERO!" Grimmjow snarled, barely aiming the attack before firing it off, forcing Zaraki on the retreat again, letting go of the Arrancar. Again, the attack passed by the Shinigami harmlessly, tearing into the street and leaving a long, smoking, indentation. Grimmjow hopped on his feet again, Zaraki returning to his lackadaisical fighting stance meters away. "Enough playtime, asshole!" His right hand came to his zanpakuto, signaling his intention to unleash his Resurrección.

Sensing the rising reiatsu coming off Grimmjow, Zaraki's smirked only widened and he began to reach up to his eyepatch.

"Grind,-!"

"Yeahno." Starrk appeared in front of Grimmjow, his eyes, though glazed slightly, clearly expressing annoyance. Grimmjow could only blink in surprise at the Primera's sudden appearance. What happened next was barely a blur, one moment he was ready to release, the next he found himself suddenly half-buried in the street, legs sticking up into the air flailing wildly, attempting to free himself.

"What the-?! Hey! Lemme go! Fucker!" On Zaraki's end his body was tied up in what appeared to be medical tape, with a slight tail hanging off the wrap and being held by none other than Ukitake, who looked thoroughly embarrassed at his peer's actions. "I'll gut you, pretty boy! Untie me!" At this point, Harribel and Baraggan sonido'd into the scene, standing alongside Starrk with Grimmjow's legs still flailing in the background, muffled curses being spit at Starrk. With Ukitake, Ikakku and Rukia appeared at his side, followed shortly by Yachiru whom pointed indignantly at Ukitake.

"Hey! Meanie! Kenny was having fun!" She defended her taicho valiantly, but it fell ultimately on deaf ears as the Shinigami turned their collective attention to the gathered Arrancar. They could all sense the power coming off these three, and with one of their companions in the ground behind them, they were ready to react to any violent actions the Arrancar might take.

"Ahh, Starrk-san, Harribel-san." Ukitake broke the awkward silence with a sheepish grin, greeting the two he recognized, rubbing the back of his head. "I am terribly sorry for the actions of my fellow taicho. We did not know he had ventured into the World of the Living until barely twenty minutes ago."

"Yes, well… s'pose the same can be said on our end." Starrk sighed, scratching his head with one of his gloved hands. Baraggan scoffed at the Primera's statement.

"A fool Grimmjow may be, I do not see any of us sharing the blame." He divulged his opinion gruffly, staring at the Shinigami with an intense gaze. Starrk waved off the Hollow King's statement.

"Ignore him. Old age gets to everyone eventually." The Primera offered a joke, if only to try and clear the tension in the air. It worked, somewhat, with Baraggan turning his hard gaze back to Starrk.

"And complacency affects even the mightiest of warriors." He replied dangerously, narrowing his eyes at the Primera.

"Enough. Baraggan-san, Starrk-san. I advise you both to be courteous to each other in the presence of allies." Harribel's voice of reason broke the two Espada off each other, allowing the three of them to focus on Ukitake and his fellow Shinigami. Grimmjow had yet to free himself from his stone tomb.

"I had hoped our next meeting would be under much better circumstances. Again, I apologize." Ukitake continued after the Arrancar stopped their brief argument, his words managing to only somewhat drown out Zaraki's continued struggle to free himself of his binds.

"Anything can happen once, Ukitake-san." Harribel spoke next, her arms crossed as usual. It did please her, somewhat, that Ukitake had the good sense to, at least, remember their names. Before the scene could get anymore awkward, they were joined by Ichigo and Urahara – whom sported Yoruichi in cat form on his shoulder.

"There you guys are." Ichigo said, landing in between what looked close to a standoff. "You guys ran off fast." He pointed out, bemused at the sight of Grimmjow's still flailing legs behind the Espada.

"Ichigo!" Rukia's voice tore his gaze over from the Arrancar to the Shinigami. He smiled at seeing his friend, though slightly confused as to what all of them were doing here. And Ikakku? What an assorted group of Shinigami to suddenly appear he couldn't help but note.

"Rukia? Ikakku, Ukitake, Zaraki?"

"And me, Ichigo-kun!" Yachiru bounced over to him happily, latching herself on to his torso. "Kenny and I missed you!" She exclaimed happily, hugging the deputy Shinigami tightly. Ichigo did his best to try and dislodge her as he continued.

"What're you guys doing here?" He asked the question all present were wondering.

"Well, Kurosaki-san, it would seem Yamamoto-sotaicho was willing to believe what you had to say to us the other day." Ukitake began to answer, smiling at the boy and the Arrancar behind him. "He would like to extend his hand in friendship, so to speak; the Seireitei has declared you and your Arrancar friends allies and we are here to assist you all with the war against Aizen and his remaining Espada, much like Toshiro-kun was originally tasked to do."

These words surprised Ichigo and company. While Ukitake and Unohana had expressed things would be fine, they didn't expect such a declaration from the Old Man delivered to them by Ukitake. It made things less tense for them, a couple relaxing somewhat. Only Baraggan remained fully on guard, his gaze still steeled on the Shinigami.

"That's amazing to hear, Ukitake." Ichigo tried again to remove Yachiru from his personage. "What all does that mean, though?"

"Well, Ichigo." Rukia decided to answer for her taicho. "We're all going to be staying in the World of the Living to do our best to help out. There's a lot of you and our new Arrancar allies present here and the sotaicho thought it would be prudent to have some of us over here as well." Ukitake nodded and added,

"Yes – both as a show of force and to show we, as Shinigami, are completely willing to work alongside our new allies, unorthodox they may be." The taicho finished with that warm smile on his face that did its job in disarming everyone's anxiety further.

"How splendid! I anticipated we'd have a few guests here in the short future." Urahara chimed in, just beside himself with happiness. Yoruichi rolled her feline eyes.

"Only took Ichigo-kun here smacking around a few of your heads, didn't it?" She pointed out 'innocently', a Cheshire grin making its way on to her face – and appropriately so, too. Ukitake, again, rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yes, yes. Again, we apologize. You should know, Yoruichi-san, these are trying times. I don't entirely blame the Hitsugaya Advance Team for making their on the fly decision, but I do agree it could have gone better."

Behind the Arrancar, Grimmjow's legs slowly began to slump over, his flailing about dying down steadily. It would appear the lack of oxygen was beginning to get to the Espada. Starrk caught on to this and turned, grabbing one of the Sexta's legs and yanking him out of the road, which enabled Grimmjow to gasp out for air. He coughed a few times as he found himself on his hands and knees, struggling to regain his breath. This went mostly ignored.

"It's in the past and I'm happy to have you guys on my side again." Ichigo stated with a friendly grin plastered on his face.

"And allow me to add, on behalf of the Arrancar here, we are pleased to have you with us during these times." Harribel added to Ichigo's statement, dipping her head slightly to affirm her sincerity.

"Yes, well, first impressions aside, we're eager to get our working relationship kicked off. I do not suppose there is somewhere else we can take this meeting?" Ukitake asked mostly Urahara, turning his gaze to the hat-'n'-clogged man.

"Of course, of course! We can just head on back to my humble shop and discuss business." Urahara's fan collapsed again and obscured his face, though his eyes remaining visible and full of mirth.

"Sooo…. How many of you are there? Is it just you guys?" Ichigo asked finally, looking between the four present curiously.

"So, about that…"

(Urahara Shoten – Basement)

"Wow! It would seem the already impressive tunnel system has been expanded upon to accommodate all of the new arrivals!" Urahara shouted in feigned surprise, which elicited a sweatdrop from all gathered. All gathered being the entire task force designated to occupy Karakura Town. "How long has this been here?!"

"Okay, yeah, the same song and dance, so-" Ichigo was cut off trying to rain on Urahara's parade as the shopkeeper turned sharply.

"It IS quite the work of Kami, isn't it?" There was a twinkle in his eye as he spoke, clearly beside himself with achievement.

"… right."

"What I don't understand is how you expect all of us to be perfectly fine with an entire company of Shinigami residing within a hundred meters of where we lay our heads." Baraggan voiced his disapproval loudly, stepping up to make his presence, and ire, known.

"Didn't think about it much. S'pose you'll just have to deal?" Urahara shrugged his shoulders, all but brushing Baraggan's concern off. The Hollow King grit his teeth, his annoyance with the ex-Shinigami taicho growing rapidly.

"I think a better way to put what my companion here is wondering is: will it not be taxing to host both us and the Shinigami under your roof?" Harribel stepped in once more, looking from Baraggan to Urahara.

"We actually prepared to stay out on the outskirts of town. That is how we packed. It is no issue to us if you cannot host us." Ukitake said, eyes turning towards him. Urahara waved off the taicho.

"Nonsense! The Urahara Shoten is more than willing to provide room and board to the Shinigami of Seireitei. Our treat!"

"That's very kind of you, Urahara-san." Rukia thanked appreciatively, smiling at the older man. Urahara merely waved his fan at her. "I'll begin to get everyone situated, taicho." She looked over at her taicho now, waiting for the go ahead. Ukitake nodded.

"Yes. Make sure everyone gets situated orderly and without fuss. Two to a room, Rukia. Give me an up when everyone is settled and make sure everyone stays within their confines until I have a chance to go over things with Urahara-san and our new allies." He ordered briskly, which Rukia nodded in affirmative.

"Hai, taicho." With that she turned to carry out her task, Ikakku following her to aid in dealing with members of his own company. Zaraki watched them leave, Yachiru hanging off his shoulder, an unimpressed look on his face as he regarded his surroundings. He said nothing, talking not being one of his strong points.

"When can I get everyone in the same room to discuss our occupation details? I don't want to leave anyone in the dark, which may help to alleviate some tension." Ukitake looked back at Starrk and Harribel.

The two looked to each other briefly, before Starrk answered, "Well, that's unfortunate, because I'm about two hours behind on my sleep-"

"We can have everyone gathered momentarily, if you are prepared now." Harribel cut off Starrk, her eyes twitching in annoyance at her Primera's attempt to brush everything off. Starrk let out a long sigh, trailing off in his attempt to break away.

Ukitake nodded. "If it's not too much trouble."

"Then we will all be gathered shortly."

"I'll help." Ichigo chimed in finally, wisely keeping quiet during all the movement. He looked away from the mass of shinigami moving into the new system of tunnels to everyone else. Harribel nodded appreciatively.

"If you would be so kind, Kurosaki-san."

"Yeah, no problem." Ichigo turned to do just that. Of course, it wasn't hard to start finding people, as a large majority of the Arrancar were in the room watching everything transpire, perched atop boulders and the like with calculating stares. "Convenient." He said to himself. Loly looked from the Shinigami to Ichigo, stepping down off of a rock to approach him.

"Ichigo-kun, are you sure about this?" She asked, crossing her arms defensively.

"Everything will be fine, Loly-chan. Ukitake-taicho is good person, same with Rukia and Ikakku. I trust their ability to keep everyone in line, okay?" He assured her with a soft smile.

Loly's brow furrowed, but she didn't offer anything to dispute his statement. She seemed to, at least, trust his words.

"More bodies to keep things nice and lively down here. I'm down." Luppi spoke up, though less to Ichigo specifically and more to the gathered Arrancar.

"Tch." Ggio scoffed, though his fellow Fraccion didn't share his disregard. Abirama Redder spoke up next.

"I think it'll be fun to bust some Shinigami heads. I know some of them will probably want to try and mess with us. I say, bring it on,care mother fuckers." The tribal looking Arrancar stated, smirking widely.

"If Baraggan-sama decrees them enemies, then it will be so. No sooner, Redder." Poww boomed out, his low voice easily projecting to the others.

"Whatever, hippo."

"I'm with Red. I hope they give us a reason." Edrad Liones spoke next, a member of Grimmjow's Fraccion. Di-Roy licked his lips, flashing his sharpened teeth.

"How exciting."

"Shut up, meatheads." Apacci hissed at the gathered males, a twitch to her eyes. "Go take your testosterone somewhere else." She was met mostly with scoffs.

"Careful, Apacci-san. Being the Fraccion of Harribel-sama does not give you free reign to behave as you like. We're your bothers, after all." Yylfordt smirked at the bluenette.

Apacci huffed and got up in the man's face. "You wanna fight, girl-hair-having-weirdo?" Yylfordt frowned.

"Okay, okay, Apacci-chan." Ichigo spoke up finally, capturing her attention. "Listen, guys, there's going to be a meeting here in a few. Stick around and all your concerns should be hashed out, alright? Wait until after to start doing anything stupid." Apacci turned back to Yylfordt and 'hmph'ed, stomping off.

"I hope you're right about them, Kurosaki-san." Sung-Sun spoke up this time. "Things are tense since our defection. I hope you can, at least, empathize with our concerns." Ichigo nodded.

"I understand. I'm just asking to wait to hear them out. They're not so bad once you get to know them." Sung-Sun nodded.

"If Ichigo-senpai says they're trustworthy, then that should be enough for a reference to their character." Ggio spoke up finally, looking between Ichigo and the other Arrancar. Being among the more experienced, and strongest, of them all, his words were heeded – though, only for the time being.

"Is Aaroniero-san in his room?" Ichigo asked no one in particular, after giving Ggio an appreciative nod. The saber-tooth Arrancar responded in kind.

"Pretty sure. I can go fetch him." Ggio offered, already turning to do so.

"That'd be great." Ichigo nodded. Ggio walked off briskly, jumping down off of the boulder and making his way over to the tunnel that led to the Arrancar's respective rooms. Grimmjow's and Baraggan's Fraccion all began to move over to where Urahara, Zaraki, Starrk, Baraggan, Harribel and Grimmjow were. They stopped a few meters short, allowing the powerful beings their space as they all waited for everyone to gather.

"Nervous, Ichigo-kun?" Menoly asked, approaching Ichigo as the group dissipated to only him and the girls now. Ichigo sighed and shook his head.

"Not really. Well… no, more anxious to see what is going to happen next. I know the Seireitei mean well, but there's a lot of bad blood here. I know that most of you guys probably just followed the Espada when they defected. I don't know for sure who here is willing to work alongside Shinigami." Ichigo explained, his brow furrowed as he stared at the backs of the Fracciones.

"Some of them may be harder to sway than others, but we all trust Starrk-sama and Harribel-sama. Without them, this wouldn't have happened. And, well, we all trust you, too." Menoly smiled softly. Ichigo blinked in surprise, turning to look back at her.

"Really? Me?" Menoly nodded. Mila-Rose answered for her.

"I mean, yeah, you're a Shinigami and all, but you're not so bad. You've stuck up for us in the past, helped us out, and I'm pretty sure you actually died fighting Ulquiorra to help out Grimmjow-sama." Loly frowned when Ichigo's condition upon returning from Las Noches was mentioned. It was an unpleasant memory.

"Starrk-sama, Harribel-sama, and even Grimmjow-sama and Baraggan-sama seem to accept you. For most of us, that is enough." Sung-Sun offered, her expression mostly hidden as usual, though a slight twinkle to her eyes suggesting she was, perhaps, smiling softly.

"I mean, I'm just here for your body." Apacci shrugged, teasing Ichigo mischievously, who coughed lightly to try and maintain composure.

"Too bad he's not here for yours, eh?" Mila-Rose asked her sister. Apacci whipped around, glaring at her sister.

"You dare imply I am anything but a magnet to the eyes of Ichigo-kun?" She asked hotly, squaring up with Mila-Rose, as was their usual ceremony this time of day.

"Magnet. Sure. If he was another magnet, that is." Mila-Rose smirked. Apacci spluttered at the surprising wit her sister displayed.

"Oh, so someone's a fucking scientist now, huh?!"

"Girls." Ichigo tried to butt in, but to no avail. They were long gone. He sighed, looking back at Loly, Menoly, and Sung-Sun. "Well, I guess we should on over, huh?" They all nodded silently and quickly made to separate themselves from Apacci and Mila-Rose as their argument escalated.

(Ten Minutes Later)

"First off, I'd like to open with: thank you all again for hosting us. We hope this marks the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship between the Arrancar and Shinigami." Ukitake opened, addressing all the gathered Arrancar pleasantly, looking between each one of them. For now, it was just him, Zaraki, Yachiru, Rukia, and Ikakku present. No need to have all the Shinigami present. That could merely complicate things for the time being.

"Dispense with the pleasantries, taicho." Baraggan, while adding rank to the end of the statement, spoke with much impatience. "Inform us as to the reason why you are all here." While coming off sounding quite rude, he did voice what everyone else was thinking.

"Of course, of course. Our Task Force, led by myself and Zaraki-taicho, are here on deployment to the World of the Living to provide aid to Ichigo Kurosaki and our Arrancar allies in all ventures they may have in relation to the war with Aizen. With our presence, we hope to act as a show of force to deter any hostile actions Aizen and his remaining followers wish to make." Ukitake informed them all confidently, his voice commanding authority and the eyes of all gathered. "With our presence, we hope to allow full freedom of maneuver across all Karakura Town, which is Aizen's main goal to seize in order to create the Oken – the key which will allow him to gain entry to the palace of the Soul King." The taicho had the undivided attention of the Arrancar now, all attentive to what he had to say. With no interruptions, Ukitake continued. "With us, we have a large portion of Eleventh Company, the Seireitei's main line company, an attachment of medics from our Fourth Company, and myself and my subordinate to provide additional command and control on the ground."

A stick in hand, Ukitake knelt down and drew out a box in the sand. Too bad there hadn't been time to prepare a proper sand table. Oh well, he'd have to make do. "Now, our environment is an urban one, main obstacles on ground being human structures and vehicles." He drew several smaller boxes to simulate buildings. "While our main operating base will be here at the Urahara Shoten-" An 'X' was put in a building in the center. "-we will always have a presence throughout the city. At all times, a platoon-sized element will be on ground, separated into smaller, five man teams, that will be on roaming patrols throughout Karakura. A rotation will be set up between all our soldiers with an 'eight hours on, sixteen hours off' approach. This will allow for adequate rest between patrols." Symbols and arrows were marked throughout the box now, showing where patrol routes would be. By now, the Arrancar had gathered closer, with Starrk, Harribel, and Baraggan at the helm being the most attentive.

"Each platoon will have a designated patrol leader, which will be Rukia Kuchiki of Thirteen Company in charge of First Platoon, Third Seat of Eleventh, Ikakku Madarame, leading Second Platoon, and Yachiru and Yumichika Ayasegawa, the fukutaicho and Fifth Seat of Eleventh company sharing authority of Third Platoon. With each platoon, there will be an assigned medic. Periodically, myself and Zaraki-taicho will accompany a platoon of our choosing, but we will mostly remain here to coordinate with you all and Urahara-san." Ukitake stood up, done with drawing out in the sand box. "Additionally, at all times we will have a Company in Seireitei on standby as a quick reaction force in the event a threat appears and escalates to needing reinforcements. Questions?"

"Hmm…" Baraggan hummed thoughtfully, eyes glued to the makeshift sand table before him. He appeared content, surprisingly enough. "At least there's a plan." He stated.

"Does Seireitei believe this is necessary? You make it out as if Aizen could attack at any given moment." Starrk raised an eyebrow, looking at Ukitake.

"Quite frankly, that is how we are approaching this. Prior to your defection, we felt as if we could predict, to a certain extent, his most likely and most dangerous courses of action. Now, there's more variables to consider and we feel it is best to have soldiers on the ground." Starrk nodded, furrowing his brow further as he examined the sand table. It was a little out of his element, sure, but he understood everything Ukitake had to say and he knew what to expect from the Shinigami, for the most part. All in all, he was content. The Primera didn't voice his approval just yet, however, allowing anyone else to take the floor.

"I have a suggestion." Ichigo spoke up, eyes turning towards him. Ukitake raised an eyebrow, though kindly gave the floor to Ichigo. "I think it would be a huge help to both you guys and us if we included some of the Arrancar in the roaming patrols."

"Well… I don't see it being an issue on our end…" Ukitake began thoughtfully. Baraggan turned his stare from the sand table to Ichigo.

"And what reasoning do you have for this, human?" He asked gruffly, clearly not too thrilled with the suggestion. "If the Shinigami wish to spend man hours walking in circles outside, by all means. I do not feel that requires our participation."

"I'm curious, too." Starrk followed-up Baraggan's concern with his own, though managed to be a little more polite about it.

"Well, to start, you guys all seem to be bored out of your minds being cooped up here all day, every day. Pretty sure some of you could appreciate stretching your legs a bit." He gave a pointed look to Grimmjow, who merely 'tch'ed and looked off to the side. "On top of that, I think that if we want to truly come together and work as a team, we start sooner than later. Both sides set aside their differences as soon as possible and begin trusting one another. The only way we'll be able to defeat Aizen is if we all work together."

"I can see your point." Ukitake nodded his head. "We can work with adding a few more numbers to each platoon. Though, that being the case, they would need to take all guidance from their designated patrol leaders. Do you think that will be an issue?"

To some, maybe. Some of the Fracciones looked to each other, mumbling back and forth, some more open-minded than others. A select few were rather disgruntled with the idea. There was a lot of prejudice on both sides, to be sure. At the very least, Ukitake wanted to make it known that he was willing to work together for a common goal.

"A group of Arrancar can accompany a platoon out, but those Arrancar will take orders from one of their own. He or she can delegate information from their patrol leader, but, ultimately, what they do is determined by him or her." Starrk suggested, providing rather wise insight to the situation, looking between Ukitake and the other Shinigami present.

"We'd be willing to give it a shot. I am willing to support the opportunity for us to work together closely." Ukitake said, trailing his gaze over everyone present. "We can talk more about it later. For now, we need to continue getting settled. You can expect the first platoon to be geared and ready to move out within the next day. That should give us enough time to hash out the remaining details on our end and for you all to appoint your own internal leaders."

"Sounds like a plan." Starrk nodded his head, satisfied for the time being. Even Baraggan appeared somewhat content. How long that would last was to be determined.

"Thank you for your time, Ukitake-taicho." Harribel dipped her head respectfully, which was returned sincerely by Ukitake.

"I'll stop by in a little while, Ukitake-taicho. You know, smaller details and what not. Nothing too important." Urahara waved his fan, carefree for the most part.

"Of course. If no one has anything else to add, I've said everything on my part. Again, I look forward to working with you all." And with that, the meeting was over. Everyone began to disperse, except for Rukia, who made her way over to Ichigo.

"This is all your fault, by the way." She stated as a matter of fact. Ichigo scoffed.

"Is not, shrimp." He waved Rukia off. This earned him a sharp poke to his ribs which caused him to recoil sharply. "Ow, what the hell?"

"It's totally your fault! Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was when all of the details came down to the everyone deploying? Seriously, Ichigo? We're all here because you couldn't keep it in your pants?" Rukia asked, exasperated.

"You're crazy, for one. Secondly, nothing has been out of my pants, nor have I been in anyone else's!" Ichigo defended, his face flushed from both the implications and the argument. More the former.

"You're unbelievable!"

"And you're four foot, nine!" By now the two were in each other's faces, teeth grit and seeming ready to throw down. Though, slowly, the mock anger subsided and Rukia sighed.

"It's good to see you, Ichigo. I was worried. Really." She said softly, her words sincere. Ichigo's expression softened as well and he allowed a small grin to surface.

"I told you to trust me, didn't I?" Rukia chuckled.

"Yeah, you did. You're still unbelievable, though. This… this is insane."

"They're good people, Rukia. I trust them with my life. Hell, several of them already did save my life. Starrk and Baraggan? They risked their lives to return to Las Noches after defecting to get me and Grimmjow the hell outta dodge." Rukia listened quietly, before shaking her head.

"Why can't you just stay out of trouble, Ichigo? Seriously."

"Not like it's my fault."

"It's one hundred percent your fault, Ichigo-kun." Loly chimed in, joining the conversation between her boyfriend and the unknown woman. She gave Rukia a glare, which was returned whole-heartedly.

Ichigo brought his hand up between the two. "Okay, okay, okay. Maybe some of it was. You're not free of blame here either, Loly-chan."

"Me? I'm innocent in all of this. Not my fault I got seduced by a Shinigami the day I take a vacation into the World of the Living." She shrugged her shoulders, giving Ichigo a small smirk. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Uh-huh. Right. You're everything but innocent." Loly gasped, feigning hurt, placing a hand over her heart.

"Your words, Ichigo-kun, they sting."

"Oh, good grief." Ichigo rolled his eyes.

Rukia could only watch the two interact. It was such an interesting sight. Ichigo and an Arrancar girl flirting with each other. She wasn't even the only one, from what she had been led to believe from the reports. Truly, the boy kept things interesting. An alliance between Hollows and Shinigami? That was unheard of. Yet, here they all were. Talking plain as day, as if they weren't almost opposites of each other. It was cute, Rukia had to admit.

"Anyways, I can introduce you to everyone, if you want, Rukia." Ichigo's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she nodded, smiling politely.

"That would be nice, Ichigo."

(The Next Day)

There had yet to be any real incident since the arrival of the Shinigami – something that surprised Ichigo if he was completely honest. The day was still young, however. The Task Force had got settled relatively quick and, true to their word, had already begun their patrols. The Espada had yet to relay their decisions on whom would accompany them, but there was discussion of it. To no surprise, Baraggan was still pretty opposed to it, seeing as the ancient Hollow had hardly come out of his quarters since the day prior. At least some were amenable to the idea of an alliance.

"What you thinkin' about, Ichigo-sensei?" Lilynette's curious voice was heard behind Ichigo, and he turned and offered her a reassuring smile.

"Nothing much, Lily-chan." He waved off her concern and continued to stare out and watch the Shinigami move back and forth on their side of the basement.

"I don't trust them, Ichigo-sensei." She said abruptly, looking off to the side, rubbing her left arm. Ichigo looked back at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Why not? They haven't done anything to you, have they?" The warning in his tone prompted Lilynette to look back at him and shake her head quickly.

"No, no! Nothing like that. It's just… they're Shinigami. We're Hollows. Hollows that look like them, sorta, and can talk and do all sorts of other things, but still Hollows. I don't want anyone to get hurt." She spoke softly, concern evident in her hushed tone. Ichigo nodded. He understood where the girl was coming from. He doubted she had encountered many Shinigami outside of that little mishap a few weeks ago, with the Hitsugaya Advance Team. If that had been the first time meeting a Shinigami, then what a lousy first impression.

"I know what you're saying, Lily-chan. Really, I do. Some Shinigami can be real pricks. Got it. Hell, Aizen was a Shinigami at one point. Now, Ukitake and Rukia? They're the kindest and most understanding people I've ever met, especially the taicho. Even Ikakku and Yumichika are good people. Zaraki, eh… he can be a bit of a wild card, but I trust him. I trust all of them." He smiled again. Lilynette stared up at him for a couple of seconds, seemingly captivated by his expression and soft words directed at her. She flushed slightly and averted her gaze, fiddling with her hands to try and distract herself.

"O-okay, Ichigo-sensei."

"Do you trust me, Lily-chan?" Ichigo tilted his head, smile dropping to adopt a more neutral expression as he waited for an answer. Lilynette snapped her gaze back to him, eyes slightly widened.

"What? Of course I do! You're the best, Ichigo-sensei! You help me whenever you can, teach me how to fight, talk to me whenever I want you to. Everything." Her blush furthered as she began rambling, and the first defense that came to her mind to help her out in this situation was to merely keep rambling to try and cover up. "I mean, you know, you're nice to everyone, not just me. Everyone likes you, especially Harribel-sama's Fraccion and Loly-chan and Menoly-chan and Ggio-san and, I mean, well-"

'Stupid, stupid! Just shut up! Kami!' Lilynette mentally berated herself, her flush managing to deepen somehow when Ichigo just looked at her with an amused grin and a raised eyebrow.

"I trust you, Ichigo-sensei." She repeated, finished with her rambling for the time being. Ichigo chuckled at the nervous Arrancar. He reached out and patted her head – even though it was mostly bone from the fragment of her Hollow mask.

"Good, Lily-chan. I trust you, too. Everything will be fine, alright?" He assured, removing his hand. Lilynette nodded slowly, her face still quite red. She was already embarrassed. Might as well go for broke here, right?

"Ichigo-sensei, do… do you like me?" She asked meekly, her visible eye managing to find anything but him to look at. Ichigo seemed taken aback at the sudden question but quickly regained his compassionate stare.

"Of course I do, Lily-chan. You remind me of my little sisters." He said, smiling. Lilynette turned and gaped at him.

"S-sister?" She repeated, mouth still agape and her eye comically wide. The inside of her mind began to crack slowly, spider-webbing as if it was a window, before breaking away with the loud ringing of glass crashing all over the floor. "Sister." She repeated, mind still quite broken.

"Mind if I interrupt?" Was the polite interruption from Menoly who approached the two calmly, hands down at her sides as she stopped beside the two of them.

"N-no! I was just asking with Ichigo-sensei about the sisters, Shinigami – sentence structure." Lilynette sputtered, face red and hands flailing about wildly, before her fight or flight instincts kicked in and caused her to turn on her feet and run off. Ichigo only stared after her, confusion and concern mixing in his head.

"Uh… okay?" He wondered if he should go after her. He hoped he didn't do anything to upset her – and he further hoped that Starrk didn't take it the wrong way if he did do something.

"Oh my. What'd you manage to say to her, Ichigo-kun?" Menoly looked at him, a coy grin on her face, as if she already knew the answer. Or, at least, suspected what had occurred.

"I don't know? We were talking and she asked if I trusted her and I said she was like my sisters." Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "My sisters aren't bad, if that's what she thinks. I don't know. I'm so confused." Menoly 'tsk'ed a few times.

"Oh, Ichigo-kun. You're so dense, it's adorable." She coo'ed, stepping up and hugging him, reaching a hand up to ruffle his orange hair. Ichigo adopted a less-than-amused expression.

"I am not dense." He defended pathetically, which only made Menoly giggle.

"Uh-huh, sure. Enough about that. I just realized something, though." She changed the subject quickly, deciding it wasn't really her place to explain Lilynette's behavior. That and it was fun to see Ichigo confused.

"What's up?" Ichigo asked, forgetting about her mock-insult for the moment.

"I realized we've had almost no alone time. You, me, no one else." Menoly spoke almost sultrily, low and only for him to hear as she pressed herself up against him. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, but she was confident, for the time being.

"Oh." Ichigo remarked intelligently, his face flushing as well as the Arrancar squished her chest against his arm. He did notice that, for the moment, there was no one around. The Shinigami he had been watching earlier seemed to be all gone, probably to their rooms. "And, uh, well… what did you-ulp!" He was cut off as Menoly grabbed his head and brought him down to capture his lips with her own. Surprise soon gave way and Ichigo kissed the blonde Arrancar passionately, quickly dropping his arms to wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Menoly moaned softly against his lips, prompting Ichigo to deepen the exchange by brushing his tongue along her lips. That was the only invitation Menoly needed to respond in kind, her tongue meeting Ichigo's outside their mouths to make for a rather sloppy make-out sess. Neither seemed to mind, even as small bits of saliva from each other trailed their chins.

The lustful kiss ended seconds later – seeming much longer than that to the two. Both their faces flushed, Ichigo looked down at Menoly, cracking a grin. "Well, hey there, Menoly-chan." He said, having gained some sense of confidence and control over the situation.

"H-hey, you." Menoly stuttered, batting her eyelashes cutely up at the man. "Here I was feeling all neglected. Good things come to those who wait, I suppose." Ichigo snorted.

"You didn't have to wait, you know."

"I know. Maybe I just don't like an audience?" Menoly raised her eyebrow, smiling at Ichigo. Her smile dropped suddenly, looking over his shoulder. Her brow knit in concern. "Uh, Ichigo-kun." She poked his shoulder and pointed off behind him. Curious, Ichigo turned to look over his shoulder. He understood the concern.

From the Shinigami's quarters, Zaraki emerged. The behemoth of a man stood tall, his hair only serving to make him appear all the taller and menacing. He was obviously bored and his eyes scanned about the massive chamber for anything to amuse himself with. As fate would have it, on the other side of the basement, from the Arrancar's rooms, Grimmjow stepped out. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, as was customary of him, and his face, permanently fixed into a scowl, regarded the open room with disinterest, eyes darting around.

Both of their eyes locked simultaneously. Ichigo's eyes widened. Zaraki and Grimmjow both smirked wide, both reaching for their weapons. "Ah shit, no NO!" Ichigo tore himself from Menoly to try and prevent the scene from playing out.

BOOM!

Too little, too late.

(Las Noches)

Rudbornn Chelute, 61st Arrancar and the head of the Exequias, sat alone in a darkened chamber – his legs crossed and his hands resting on his knees. His posture was straight, neck in line with the base of his spine as he seemed to sit at attention. The darkness did not bother him at all, in fact, the eerily collected Arrancar welcomed it. It left him to his thoughts. And anticipation.

He had been among the Arrancar Aizen had further experimented on after The Divide and the man had been awaiting patiently for the opportunity to unleash his newfound abilities. The anticipation was palpable and the Arrancar felt it necessary to meditate alone in the chamber to keep his nerves steeled so that he was ready when called upon.

Luckily for him, his wait was over. The door opened, light flooding into the chamber, the shadow from his horns adorning the wall in front of him.

"Rudbornn." It was Ulquiorra. The calm Arrancar stood in the doorway, hands in his pockets, that same indifferent expression on his face as always.

"Primera-sama." Rudbornn replied, though sounding respectful not yet standing or turning to acknowledge the Espada.

"It is time." Ulquiorra stated simply. Rudbornn's posture shifted slightly, before the Arrancar stood up slowly. He turned and faced Ulquiorra now, hands clasped behind his back.

"Very well." He replied, acknowledging the simple orders Ulquiorra had given. With nothing further to say, Ulquiorra turned and departed. Lights flashed on in the room, and it would reveal Rudbornn stood upon a pedestal of sorts – a circle in the center of the room elevated by merely a step. The Exequias Commander unsheathed his zanpakuto. "Grow, Árbol." Reiatsu flooded the room and Rudbornn began the transformation into his Resurrección.

Rudbornn was lifted into the air, root-like appendages wrapping around his waist and spreading out in the room, the reach and density of the roots having changed significantly. Roughly thirty feet in the air, dozens of thick branches shot out from him, seeming to emanate from his back, each sporting their own vast number of smaller branches. Attached to each of these branches were what appeared to be half-skulls, four or five hanging from each of the small branches.

When the transformation was complete, it was almost as if a giant tree had grown in the center of the room, with Rudborrn seemingly embedded in the trunk, only his head, torso, and arms visible. It was a rather grotesque sight, but the sheer power he could feel coursing through him excited the usually level-headed Arrancar and he was eager to test out the extent of his new power. Willing it so, dozens of his Calaveras formed and dropped down to the floor – all exact copies of each other. They stood up in unison and awaited instruction, hands clasped behind their backs patiently. Not as if they could be impatient, per say.

Around the room, Gargantas opened next to particularly large groups of Calaveras.

"Execute, Calaveras. Leave no survivors." Rudbornn ordered calmly, his voice distorted and projected, echoing in the large chamber. Wordlessly, the legion of Calaveras begin to step through the Gargantas. When they do, more are created. As they are made, they move out – a steady stream of the Exequias shuffling into the Gargantas methodically. If Rudbornne could smirk, he would.

(World of the Living – First Platoon – Rukia Kuchiki)

Rukia sighed, standing balanced atop a light pole as she gazed out at the town of Karakura. It had only been a couple of hours since beginning her first shift on the deployment and she could already tell this was going to drag on. She had been assigned here before, but being alone and not in charge of a bunch of bloodthirsty Eleventh Company soldiers made things a tad better.

"Kami, this is boring as shit." One soldier grumbled, looking at his buddy for confirmation.

"No need to tell me that. This is going to be a long as fuck deployment. It's only day one, too." They both groaned aloud, taking solace in all of their collective misery.

"Shut up and pull security!" Rukia barked down at the men, who stiffened and spread out again.

"Hai, Patrol Leader!" They shouted obediently, not wishing to incur the wrath of the woman. Rukia sighed, already near exasperation.

Suddenly, she looked forward with a start. She sensed foreign reiatsu and a lot of it. One. Two. Three. No, wait. Six? From her perch, she identified several Gargantas opening in the sky. From their maws revealed the Calaveras, standing in formation and unmoving. Rukia's eyes widened. There had to be dozens of them in a single Garganta.

"Net call, net call, net call. This is Yarrow 1-6. We have a situation."

(Urahara Shoten – Newly Constructed Control Room)

"I predicted some sort of move from Aizen. Not this soon, though." Urahara stated, standing alongside Ukitake, Baraggan and Starrk a few feet behind them in the back of the room. In front of them, a rather elaborate set-up of monitors and computers, much like you would find in Twelfth Division's Headquarters. Urahara had it made quickly, so quickly that you could suspect he already had it, for battle tracking and it allowed multiple views of Karakura at the switch of a button. Currently, though, each switch of the feed on any monitor would yield the same thing – dozens of the Calaveras emerging from Gargantas. "They look familiar?" He asked, looking back over his shoulder at Baraggan, whom had invited himself into the room.

"The Exequias. There's an Arrancar in Las Noches with the ability to clone himself when he releases his zanpakuto. I had only seen it a couple of times and certainly not for a long while…" He trailed off, deep in thought.

"He could create an impressive amount before, but this far surpasses that." Starrk observed, flashing his gaze from monitor to monitor. "By a mile." The Primera frowned deeply, knowing that this would probably interfere with his sleep schedule.

"So, safe to say that, as I suspected, Aizen took it upon himself to experiment further with the Arrancar. If he has an Arrancar with the ability to produce indefinite amount of copies of himself, without even needing to be present, then he could win this war through attrition." Urahara frowned, collapsing his fan and waving it in his face softly. "How inconvenient for us."

"We must not allow our enemies to gain a foothold!" Baraggan shouted, shouldering his axe and standing tall. "If it's blood they want, it's blood they'll get."

"As you say, Baraggan-san. First platoon will need help and fast." Ukitake looked back at the Espada, turning to walk past him to prepare to leave at once. Baraggan grunted, but did not argue.

"I would advise gathering up everyone and sending them out. I will relay the coordinates of the most densely populated areas of these new foes to you all as you depart." Urahara did not turn from the monitors, expression rather serious for the man. His fan wasn't even out. "My equipment is labelling these Hollows to be around the average Fourth Seat in strength. Not too daunting, but they have quite the advantage in numbers."

Baraggan said nothing, turning and following Ukitake, leaving Urahara to stare at the monitors intently.

(Urahara Shoten – Basement)

"Time to stomp out some mother fuckers!" Grimmjow exclaimed, slamming his fists together in pure joy. He laughed and made for the ladder first, intent on being the first one out. Behind him, Zaraki, his chipped Zanpakuto shouldered, his smirk wide and dangerous.

"Just don't get in my way." Grimmjow scoffed.

"Vega, Poww, Redder, Aivirrne, Mallia. Team one." Baraggan ordered, taking control of the situation, as per usual.

"Hai, Baraggan-sama!" Ggio, Poww, and Redder shouted in unison, with Loly and Menoly less than exuberant to be working alongside the three. Well, at least Ggio was alright, they both agreed on.

"Be careful, you two, alright?" Ichigo warned them both. Loly scoffed and smirked.

"It'll be cake, Ichigo-kun. Worry more about yourself." She replied, confident as ever.

"We'll be fine, Ichigo-kun." Menoly replied more politely. Their answers put Ichigo at ease.

"Apacci, Mila-Rose, Sung-Sun, and myself. Team Two." Harribel said next, already the three Fraccion following after her as she made to depart.

"Later, Ichigo-kun! You can watch me leave, if you want." Apacci winked at Ichigo before sauntering off to catch up with Harribel. Behind her, Sung-Sun turned and offered a nod to Ichigo, which was returned.

"Shawlong, Edrad, Yylfordt, Di-Roy, Nakeem! Just go kill shit!" Grimmjow ordered all of his Fraccion. At that, he left the basement, utilizing sonido to make a speedy exit up the ladder. Zaraki followed with a Shunpo. His Fraccion all smirked and rushed out to meet their enemy.

"Right, team three. Team Four – Aaroniero, Luppi, Madarame, Yumichika." It surprised those present that Baraggan had actually remembered the Shinigami's names. Goes to show that the Hollow King did, in fact, pay strict attention to detail even when he seemed completely uninterested.

"Come everyone – a decisive victory awaits us." Aaroniero ushered, leading the way for his team.

"Whatever you say, Two-Face." Luppi chuckled as he followed, Ikakku and Yumichika taking up the rear.

"Team Five, Chuhlhourne, Calius, Parduoc. Go."

"Hai, Baraggan-sama!" Came two deep, and one rather feminine, affirmative.

"Team Six. Myself." Baraggan grunted. "Team Seven. Starrk and brat."

"Hey!" Lilynette shouted indignantly. She was ignored, Baraggan finished and leaving the basement as well, disappearing with a sonido.

"Lilynette, stay back and help Urahara-san." Starrk ordered calmly. Lilynette snapped her head in his direction, anger already evident on her face.

"What?! I want to fight! I've gotten so much stronger!" She yelled at Starrk, jabbing a fist into his ribs. Starrk grunted, but began to leave nonetheless.

"No, Lilynette. Stay." And with that, he disappeared, leaving Lilynette alone with Ichigo. She clenched her fists and grit her teeth, gnashing them in anger at being told to stay behind as everyone else went out to fight.

"Lily-chan, relax, okay?" Ichigo patted the small girl on the shoulder. Lilynette slumped to his touch, her eye watering slightly.

"It's not fair, Ichigo-sensei. It's just not fair."

"Starrk-san just wants you to be safe. So do I." Ichigo said sternly. Lilynette looked up at him and Ichigo gave her a smile. "I know you've gotten stronger, but give it just a little more time, alright?"

"… hai, Ichigo-sensei." Dejected, Lilynette accepted his words. For now. Ichigo let go of her, finally leaving. Alone, Lilynette sniffled once, before wiping her tears away and running to find Urahara.

(Outside)

"Pay attention, ground teams. Relaying locations of Gargantas. Move and engage the enemy and shut the Gargantas, for the time being. Team One, stay in Mitsumiya District. Team Two, to the west to Mashiba. Team Three, South to Kinogaya. Team Four, north to Gakunehou. Team Five, northwest to Kitakawase. Team Six, southwest to Komatsu." Urahara's voice was heard through everyone's shiny new ear-pieces. Ukitake had thought it prevalent to distribute them out to everyone, seeing as it was the goal to keep everyone involved and communicating with each other.

"Hai." Was the collective response, the distinctive 'bzt's of multiple sonidos following.

"Yarrow 1-6 is currently in Mashiba. Team Two, link up with her and provide assistance to her team. Other teams are located in Kinogaya, Mitsumiya, and Gakunehou. Help them out as best you can and get those Gargantas shut." Hopefully, being Arrancar, it would be a simple task.

(With Team One)

Arriving at the designated area, the team was greeted by the sight of dozens of Calaveras already gathered in waiting. The hollows seemed to have little to no interest in their surroundings, almost as if they were waiting for the Arrancar to appear.

"Whoo! I'm going to kill all of you! Come get some!" Redder began shouting, clenching his fists and pumping himself up as he usually did before a fight. "WHOO! COME ON!" He pumped his chest several times. Loly rolled her eye at him.

"Shut up, meat-head. Just go kill them." She scolded, obviously not impressed with his display. Redder only turned his smirk back on her.

"Come on! Get pumped with me!" He encouraged whole-heartedly. Loly blanched.

"No thanks."

"Focus, everyone. We're outnumbered, but what we lack in numbers I know we make up for in skill." Ggio's voice broke the two's attention away from each other and on the saber-tooth Arrancar. "Redder and I will fight as a pair, same with Loly and Menoly. Poww."

"Hmm?" The large Arrancar hummed expectantly.

"You know what to do."

"Hmmm. Yes." Lifting his comically small, in comparison, zanpakuto, the Arrancar unsheathed it. "Breathe, Calderón." He stated calmly, before beginning his transformation. Surprised, Loly and Menoly sonido'd atop a nearby building and gaped at the sight before them. Poww began swelling rapidly, as if ballooning, transforming into his giant, whale-like, release, completely towering over everyone, standing several stories high. Loly and Menoly had never seen the release before, and further gaped as they tried to look all the way up at the released Arrancar.

Ggio only smirked at their reactions. "Alright, let's go!"

(Team Two)

Rukia panted, holding Sode no Shirayuki forward defensively as the Calaveras continued to surround her on all sides. They seemed to keep coming, no matter how many she killed. Her team had been taken out rather quickly, seeing as how they had been taken by surprise. She suspected they were still alive, just banged up. Her powers had grabbed the attention of the enemy and they quickly disregarded the fallen Shinigami to attack her. While still ready to fight, she wandered just how long she'd survive.

"Cascada." Rukia leapt up into the air to avoid being washed away by the sudden downpour. She didn't know where it came from, but she saw an excellent opportunity.

"San no mai, Shirafune!" She called out, moisture gathering at the tip of her blade to create a blade of ice. She slashed at the water and the effect was almost instantaneous. If the force of the water striking the Calaveras didn't do enough, being flash-frozen in the water would have certainly finished them off. Rukia landed on the ice gracefully, seemingly unbothered in the drop of temperature. She was the only one.

"Kami, it's cold!" She turned her head and saw Harribel and her Fraccion, whom finally joined alongside her. Apacci's teeth chattered and she began rubbing her arms furiously. "W-w-w-what'd you do?! It's f-f-freezing!"

"Compose yourself, Apacci-san. Have you no discipline?" Sung-Sun scolded her sister, only to be on the receiving end of a multi-colored glare.

"Sh-sh-shut up, Sung-Sun! I don't have l-long s-s-sleeves like you d-do!"

"I don't either, but I'm not being a little wuss about it." Mila-Rose snorted. Apacci refocused her glare on Mila-Rose now.

"P-probably f-from all that h-h-hair all over your b-body!" She insulted ever so gracefully.

"I am NOT hairy, you little-!"

"Ladies." Harribel said, commanding the attention of both of her unruly Fraccion. Satisfied with the silence, she looked towards Rukia. "Are you alright, Kuchiki-san?" She asked.

"Yes, thanks to you. I appreciate your assistance." Rukia thanked sincerely, bowing her head.

"Where is your team?"

"They're alive still, for the time being. I don't think any of them were seriously injured. Our medic gathered them up and left with them a little while ago to take them back to the Urahara Shoten." She reported. Harribel nodded. She looked up and over at the Garganta. Their respite was over it seemed, as more and more Calaveras began pouring out. "Back to the situation at hand. It doesn't matter how many I defeat. I kill one and two others take its place. I have not been provided an opportunity to get close to the Garganta to try and close it. Even if I did, I do not know if I could." Harribel nodded.

"Leave that to me. It is quite simple." She assured, her calm stare appraising the situation. She stepped forward, walking apart from the other four, as if saying she'd take care of it on her own.

Suddenly, a piercing light from overhead caught their attention and, before she could move, a Negacion shot down and enveloped Harribel. Her gaze hardened. She knew what this meant.

"Harribel-sama!" Her Fraccion shouted, moving to assist her.

"Stay back!" Harribel ordered the three. "There is nothing you can do for me, at the moment. Assist Kuchiki-san and get the Garganta closed." With that, she was pulled away from them, the sky closing above, leaving Rukia, Apacci, Sung-Sun, and Mila-Rose alone. Apacci grit her teeth.

"Well, this just got stupid."

"We will be able to emerge victorious without Harribel-sama's assistance, Apacci-san. I am confident in our abilities." Sung-Sun looked at Rukia. "What are our orders, Kuchiki-san?" Apacci and Mila-Rose looked at Rukia expectantly. Rukia blinked once, before furrowing her brow and looking at the Calaveras.

"We clear a path. Keep them off civilians and focused on us. When we get close to the Garganta, one of you try and close it, if you can. If not, we'll hold at the opening for as long as we can." She ordered confidently, gripping Sode no Shirayuki tightly. The three Arrancar brandished their respective weapons and faced their enemy.

"Let's do this!" Apacci shouted, smirking wildly. Sung-Sun rolled her eyes but said nothing, rallying alongside her sisters.

"I'd say don't get in my way, but seeing as you're flat from every angle, that'll hardly be an issue." Mila-Rose wasn't as reserved as Sung-Sun.

"Shut up!"

Rukia could only mentally curse her situation.

(Team Three)

"This is too easy!" Di-Roy shouted, slashing apart a Calaveras in delight with his zanpakuto.

"If even you can take these guys, then they really are weak as shit!" Edrad taunted his ally, sending a mighty punch into an opponent and sending him flying into a group behind him.

"Now, now, brothers." Yylfordt 'tsk'ed, jumping back to stand alongside Shawlong and Nakeem as they took a defensive posture, each facing a different direction outward. "Our quarrel is with the Exequias for now. Let's focus."

"Indeed, Yylfordt. Though weak individually, do not allow yourselves to become separated and surrounded." Shawlong said, scanning their surroundings. While surrounded, the enemy wasn't dense in numbers just yet. They had arrived and immediately began trying to establish themselves in the area. For now, the enemy was scattered, approaching from a linear direction as individuals as if they were brainless mobs. With what he knew, that's all they were.

"Right." Nakeem grunted, acknowledging his comrade's words. "I can only wonder how much Grimmjow-sama is enjoying himself."

(Team Grimmjow and Zaraki)

"How lame!" Grimmjow laughed, slicing apart his foes left and right, his zanpakuto red with blood, which only made the Arrancar cackle in delight. "You're all weak as shit! Give me a challenge!"

Zaraki was having similar thoughts, easily cutting through the Calaveras by the dozens – sometimes not even using his blade and just punching clean through them. "You know how to close that Garganta up?" He asked Grimmjow, turning to look back at him. Grimmjow scoffed.

"Should be easy enough. Just got to get close to it." Zaraki's smirked widened.

"Hold off on that for a bit."

"My thoughts exactly!" Grimmjow laughed, returning to his happy slaughter.

(Team Four)

Ikakku gave a strong thrust forward, skewering an opponent through his gut as if cutting through butter. He sliced right, near cutting the Hollow in half in doing so and brought Hozukimaru up, gripping it with both hands to block a downward swing from another Calaveras. Ikakku smirked and Spartan-kicked the Hollow in the stomach, knocking it on to its back. Ikakku followed through by jumping forward and impaling the Hollow, the blade cutting through him and striking the concrete underneath. You could say he was having fun.

"Lame, lame, lame." Already released, Luppi's tentacles were seeming to flail about, hitting Calaveras left and right as they tried to close the distance on him. For his part, Luppi was standing rather lackadaisically, even as his tentacles fended off the attackers. "How boring. Here I was hoping for a real challenge."

"The odds are in our favor in regards to skill, Luppi-san – be mindful of complacency. Our foe is Legion and will exploit the smallest weaknesses in our defenses. Such is the fighting style of the Exequias."

"Yeah, yeah." Luppi waved off the Espada's appraisal. He looked over at Yumichika, whom was standing off to the side, letting the other three do the work. "Don't wanna join the fun?"

"I think I will merely play the role of an audience for now, Luppi-san." Yumichika explained, shrugging his shoulders and allowing Ikakku to have his fun.

"Whatever you say, Queen."

(Team Six – Baraggan)

Baraggan looked left. Calaveras. Right. More Calaveras. Forward, back – the same. The Negacion had been unexpected and it seemed to have transported him out of Karakura Town. He guessed that the same may have happened to the other Espada. Divide and conquer. He didn't know whether or not to feel insulted, though. If Aizen actually thought this little display would be enough to bring down the ancient hollow, then the ex-Shinigami clearly did not know the abilities of his previous soldiers. No, there must be an ulterior motive.

Oh well. That could be determined later. For now, he was surrounded on all sides.

"I am surrounded by fear." Baraggan hoisted his axe up into the air, carrying the weapon one-handed in an impressive display of strength. It gleamed in the sunlight, as if anticipating the kills to come. "And dead men."

(Team Seven – Starrk)

A loooooong sigh escaped the Primera's lips. He ran a hand through his hair, clearly aggravated at the situation. Much like Baraggan and Harribel, he seemed to have been taken elsewhere. Calaveras were everywhere. On the ground, on rocks and boulders, in the trees. He didn't know if they intended to frighten him. If so, well, that would just be awkward for all parties involved.

"I don't know if you guys really wanna do this…." He said. He didn't know what the point was. The Calaveras were brainless, merely acting on the will of Rudbornne. He knew this. Still, Starrk figured it was worth a try. Who knows? Maybe it would work. It didn't and, one by one, the Calaveras began to move in for the attack. Starrk sighed again, not even bothering to reach for his Zanpakuto. "Just… what a drag."

(End of Chapter)

And there you have it. Added up the word count, gave a nice little cliffy-sorta kinda to make you look forward to the next chapter which I will start on in the next couple of days. I am happy to be writing again. I find it enjoyable. Looking to finally get down to finishing this old-ass story.

As always, beta'd by the wonderful Lazruth. Still surprised this guy has stuck around despite my shortcomings as a human being. Speaking of, here's your favorite part of any new chapter. The Beta Rant.

By the Hells, it's been a long time since we've had a chapter, let alone a rant. Sure, a little over a year since the last chapter, but more than three for a rant! Well, let's get on to it then.

Maybe you all have seen this before- breaking of the fourth wall. Now, if you're writing a character like Deadpool or Pinkie Pie, that makes sense. They've been established has having been able to. If you're going to have another character do it, you should at least have a reason that can make some sense. Sure, Pinkie isn't a good example of that (having never been revealed just how she can talk directly to the audience and such) but Deadpool is.

But some people aren't careful with their characters. They break the fourth wall because of some desperation to bring humor into their story. But if the character themselves isn't interesting and talking to the audience isn't enough to keep the reader invested, then the character and by extension the story falls flat. But I can get over that. Or leave the story alone.

But you know what really puts my balls in a salad shooter? When the author starts talking to the reader in the middle of the fucking story! Dude, what the actual shit?! It throws off the pacing of the story, breaks the immersion, and just comes off as stupid. The especially bad ones are the ones where the author uses a character to state a preference and then puts in that that's also his opinion and that anybody who disagrees with him is wrong. Not going to name any names, but the absolute worst ones are where the author uses this method to state his "grooming preferences" with ladies and then claims that anybody who disagrees must be a pedophile.

Hey, Fuck-nuts, maybe it's that I'm not into choking on hair when I'm with my lady? You ever think of that? Nope, because your opinion is "fact" (*cough*Bullshit!*cough*) and everybody else is wrong. I have my opinions, you have yours, just don't try to shove yours down my throat. I can only swallow so much.

The opinions of Betas do not reflect the opinions of the Author. Any relation to persons, events, locations - real or fiction - is purely coincidental. Cause what I say is fact - even when it's wrong. Which doesn't happen.

Read and review. Or just read. Or just review. Hey, whichever you want.