21 Chapter 21

In a forested region just outside of the Seireitei's walls, strong winds beat back against her hair. Glossy jade like strands matting against the sweat of her brow. A bruise had formed on her chest, the redness spreading across her stomach. Over the rest of her body were numerous butterfly like patterns.

Nelliel tu Odelschwanck, lowered her lance from its position blocking her face, her body motionless aside from this one action.

"What's wrong hollow?" Yoruichi goaded, skidding to halt along the ground. "Tired?"

Not to far off, Soifon followed suite, the agitation in her eyes clear as she looked first at Nelliel, and then to Yoruichi.

Nel snorted after hearing Yoruichi's question.

She pointed her lance forward.

"Coming from a two vs one, you are not in a position to judge," Nel spoke, taking a moment to adjust her breathing.

The situation had become increasingly troublesome after Yoruichi's intervention. It was simply because her two opponents were so well coordinated that it didn't make sense unless they've worked with each other before. However, from the fury in Soifon's eyes, she and Yoruichi did not appear to be on friendly terms.

This is what confused Nel for the moment. However, she would loath to be caught up in such an irrelevant matter. The most important aspect of the situation was how to counter the sudden two-way attack.

First, she was already wary about the purpose of the black butterfly patterns forming across her body, and secondly, she had to find a way to deal with her enemy's speed. The surrounding trees and shrubs only made things even harder; obscuring visibility and allowing the enemy to suddenly shift positions by using the plants as spring boards. It had become troublesome when she had to aim her lance.

The area was not suited for her style of battle, therefore there was only a single thing she could do.

Without warning, a pink cero began forming over her mouth, the spiritual pressure it was emitting enough of an indication to Yoruichi and Soifon of the power it possessed within it.

"Soifon," Yoruichi sent a nod towards the Captain of the Second Division.

Soifon clicked her tongue, but she understood what the past Captain of the Stealth Corps was implying. She would be a blubbering fool unfit for her position if she hadn't.

Quickly, Yoruichi and Soifon retreated several steps back, each bound large enough to cross tens of meters.

Nel didn't care about Soifon and Yoruichi's evasive maneuvers as the two disappeared to hide amongst the trees. After all, Nel thought derisively, her cero was not aimed at them.

With a quick motion, she turned her attack towards the ground and compressed it with even more spiritual energy before releasing it.

BOOOM!

The resulting shockwave sent a plum of ash and debris into the air, and reduced the surroundings to acres of splintered wood and burnt leaves.

The battle ground was now an open plain similar to the environment fought within Hueco Mundo's large dunes.

As the dust and dirt continued to hail from the sky, Nel watched passively as two pairs of hands breached through the forest's remains seeking leverage before the main body burst out.

Yoruichi and Soifon were dirty, their clothes torn and stained with soil, but fortunately, they didn't sustain much injury aside from a trickle of blood that seeped from a cut on Soifon's forehead.

Nel beckoned the two forward. Before they already had the advantage in numbers, and they still did, but her advantage was in her strength as a Vasto Lorde. One or two good hits should be enough to render one immobile to deliver a killing blow. Now that the terrain was neutralized, her chances of landing said blows had increased.

Yet for some reason, the two didn't attack immediately. Instead, Soifon stood rooted as she stared past Nel's back in disbelief.

"T-That's impossible," Soifon muttered aloud.

Nel didn't have to turn around to know what Soifon was looking at. After all, when she destroyed the surrounding trees, visibility had greatly increased, allowing them all to see the state of the Seireitei.

When Soifon had first been pursed, she had already stopped the initial hail of spears from penetrating through the Seireitei's defences and had even alerted the other Captains of the problem. This should have been enough of a contingency to allow the Head Captain or other Captains to come up with a measure to prevent the hollow's entry.

Yet…

The hollows had all made it into the Seireitei.

From where the three stood, smoke was billowing up from the Siereitei behind Nel's back in full view of the other two.

Shirou had done it, Nel thought quietly to herself. Of course, she had no doubts with his capabilities. To protect his own domain and followers for so long, the hollow was sure to be all powerful in his own right. It was an error on the Soul Society's part to provoke such an individual.

Nel readied her spear, her instincts telling her that the enemy was about to unleash their power in a frenzy.

Soifon's eyes narrowed dangerously, she couldn't afford to waste anymore time with the situation the Seireitei was in. Briefly, she turned her attention towards Yoruichi and couldn't help the bout of anger that nearly overwhelmed her earlier.

Yoruichi had left Soifon without a word in the past, leaving Soifon to pick up Command of the Second Division and Stealth corps Yoruichi had left behind. The resentment due to that event was not small. But for the sake of the Seireitei, Soifon could put her past injustices and grudges on hold until after the danger has subsided.

Seeing the resolution in Soifon's eyes, Yoruichi dashed forward to initiate the attack.

Nel's sense moved into over drive. It was unquestionable to her about which of her opponent's speed was faster. Over the course of Yoruichi's interference in the battle, the one that had caused the most damage to Nel was Yoruichi.

The bruises left on Nel's body were enough of an indication.

Soifon on the other hand, did her little damage, but from the amount of butterfly patterns sprouting on top of her skin, Nel was sure that Soifon had her own methods to kill.

"Tch,"

Nel's lips thinned as she gritted her teeth from the sudden blow to her abdominals. Ignoring the pain, she lashed out with her lance, only to falter mid way when she heard a whistling by her ear.

Twisting her body, she barely managed to dodge the finger strike aimed at her neck.

Hoof planting against the ground, she pushed forward, using her superior build and strength to tower over Yoruichi.

Her left arm propped itself up, her body maneuvering to stand on her hind legs.

Power welled up from within her.

Beast like, and domineering.

It was a stance reminiscent of the Greek Centaur of legend.

A Teacher, Healer, and Prophet.

The Bowman and trainer of heroes.

Chiron.

"Lanzador Verde,"

It was an instant in time. As Nel's eyes locked on to Yoruichi's figure, she could see the ripples moving across Yoruichi's muscles as the woman immediately attempted to move out of strike range.

She wouldn't let her. In a battle between sudden bursts of speeds, she was confident in her own swiftness. Like a leopard giving chase to an animal mere meters in front of it.

There was no escape.

"Ah?" The gasp couldn't help but come out of her mouth.

It was completely unexpected.

Why was Yoruichi smiling?

Unable to find an answer, and unwilling to cease her attack, the outcome was not in her favour.

"Shunko," Yoruichi spoke calmly, twisting her body to reveal that she hadn't had the intention of escaping Nel's strike at all.

Rather, she would meet it with her own.

Lightning like tendrils scorched the earth, bright pressurized Kido spewing like torrents from out of Yoruichi's back and sleeves, giving her the appearance of wings.

From the danger she was feeling, Nel knew that the situation was no longer in her favour.

And it played out just as she had expected when Yoruichi burst forward with her attack.

"Thunder King's Fists!"

Nel's expression stiffened.

Like snakes, Yoruichi's hands seemed to ignore the power contained within Nel's lance, and instead battered ceaselessly against the arm holding it.

Crkk-!

Nel muffled a scream as the bone of her left arm snapped, the direction of her attack was altered as a result, heavily cratering the ground.

This result however allowed Nel to destabilize Yoruichi's footing.

Capitalizing on the opportunity, she immediately punched out with her right fist.

Yoruichi had crossed her arms to block, yet it still resulted in her being blown back and sustaining damage. Large bruises that quickly blackened appeared across the entirety of both of her arms.

However, Nel was the one that was worse off.

After all, she wasn't facing just one opponent.

With her left arm temporarily out of use, Nel felt a sense of helplessness take root from within her as Soifon appeared on her weakened side.

Nel cursed inwardly, attempting to dodge as she had no means to use her left arm to block her left side. Due to her size though, she was unable to dodge, and instead, was forced to take a gamble.

Suzumebachi pierced into one of the butterflies on Nel's body a second time.

After wards, Soifon quickly retreated.

"It's over," Soifon spoke calmly as Nel glared.

"You may have been curious about those marks appearing on your body during this entire fight," Soifon spoke, her Zanpakuto returning to its nodachi form. "I can tell you though that no matter how strong you are, you're dead."

Suzumebachi had a deadly ability. It was called Death in Two Steps. If struck in the same spot which was hit the first time, Suzumebachi's victim will inevitably die.

This was all but guaranteed, and with this knowledge, Soifon was extremely confident in her kill.

Not even glancing back at a glaring Nel, Soifon headed in the direction of the Seireitei, Yoruichi following behind her.

Left behind, Nel felt exhausted, but felt extremely lucky for her quick thinking.

On her body, on a certain butterfly mark, her hollow bone armour shattered into numerous pieces, revealing the smooth and unblemished tan skin beneath. This was the spot that Soifon had stabbed a second time. By focusing all of her spiritual energy at that one spot she predicted Soifon would hit, she created several dense layers of extra protection on the area.

Yet it was tantamount to the puncturing strength of Suzumebachi that all layers had been pierced, the bone armour shattering into pieces.

If what Soifon had said was correct, then Nel really would have had died should the second strike had actually landed.

A shiver ran down her back, but she was far from scared. As a hollow, this wasn't the first time that she was near death.

Still, her body ached, and blood oozed out from the other puncture marks over her skin. Worse still, the various bruises made it hard to move and gather energy.

She had no choice but to seek shelter within the distant forests her previous attack didn't destroy and recuperate there.

Tentatively, she made her way under cover despite the pain of her movements. Eventually, she collapsed, siting down on her side and leaning her back against a tree.

Her expression displayed her frustration. Individually, she had a hundred percent confidence in defeating her opponent, but against two enemies both specializing in speed above her own. The battle was exceedingly difficult. Still, she was smart as Vasto Lorde, and thought back to her mistakes. The next time if she were to run into the two again, it would not be her hiding away to recuperate.

Grimacing at her injuries, her eyes expressed the displeasure of what she was about to do.

She was a Vasto Lorde, and the prestige such a title brought to a hollow was not something to be looked down upon. As the strongest of hollows in hierarchy, her power was gigantic, but there was once a time when it wasn't so; back when she was still an Adjuchas roaming around Hueco Mundo.

This was at a time when she hadn't met with her companions like Pesche. Not that she would have had been strong enough to protect them at the time, but it was better that way. Only with strength could one do what one wishes.

The weak must find their own way to power. This was true for all Vasto Lorde roaming within Hueco Mundo. Similarly, those kinds of hollows are in possession of a certain skill or advantage when seeking and fighting prey.

She was much the same.

Although she possessed high speed regeneration like many hollows at the Adjuchas stage in evolution, high-speed regeneration was incredibly taxing to undergo. Even just regenerating an arm could take a fourth of her reserves. Therefore, what she had that other Adjuchas didn't in their fight for survival, was another means to heal from her injuries with minor spiritual energy if at all. This was what allowed her to stand above the rest. That, and her ability to absorb an enemy hollow's cero and send it right back at them with increased power and speed.

Just, she hated her healing method.

Made her look like a fool even. Yet with the situation as it was now, her wounds stinging and blood seeping out, it reminded her of those near life and death situations of the past. At those times, she couldn't have cared less about any personal feelings, and she wouldn't care about it now. Granted, she did get some respite knowing that there was no other hollow or Shinigami in the area to see her.

Still, her expression grew increasingly cold as she thought of Soifon and Yoruichi as feeling once again began to course through her broken left arm. In which point, her arm began to move.

Slowly and stiffly, she reached a hand into her mouth and over her teeth towards her throat.

The sound of choked gagging echoed within the stillness of the forest, her wounds gradually healing.

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Elsewhere,

Ichigo could hardly believe the sight before his eyes. He and his group were completely surrounded by hollows whose strength was nothing to laugh about. Even worse, there were Vasto Lorde class hollows mixed in with the crowd.

However, these hollows had not attacked them at all. Instead, they were just standing there in confusion, equally as stupefied as himself as the attention of everyone's gazes focused on the little child-like hollow.

It was Lilynette Gingerbuck, the hollow he had met in Karakura Town. Currently, she was staring directly at him, her finger still outstretched and pointing at him after her previous outburst.

Subsequently, everyone turned to face him. Kukaku, Ganju, and the rest aside from Ishida were also staring at him in befuddlement. After all, they weren't there to witness the scene of Lilynette's arrival unlike Ishida and himself.

Closing her mouth, Lilynette then turned to face the other hollows.

"What are you all waiting for you idiots?" She spoke. "Get away from em."

Lilynette pushed herself through the crowd, dragging along a wavy brown-haired man who looked as if he'd rather be anywhere but his current location. This man was named as Starrk when Lilynette grew irritated and started berating him.

Meanwhile, Ichigo was still in a stupor in which he was knocked out from when Lilynette appeared directly in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked haughtily, her hands on her hips as she leaned forward questioningly.

He didn't know how to answer for a moment.

It was rather hard for him to take Lilynette seriously when she barely even reached half his size, and was still acting superior.

Perhaps Lilynette noticed the incredulous yet amused look on his face as she then climbed onto Starrk's back and began questioning again from a higher position.

"What are you doing here?" She asked again, this time her arms were crossed and she was looking down on him. She completely ignored Starrk's protests.

Looking at the scene, a twitch of irritation appeared on his lip as he considered giving a lesson to the brat. But seeing the hollows still around him and his friends, he suppressed the urge. What was even more of a shock for him was that Lilynette commanded such respect from the other hollows.

Looking at it now, the invading hollows were under Lilynette's control? The idea was absurd, but facts proved louder than words.

Even then, under Lilynette's stare, he decided based on the experiences he had with her in the human world that she was trust worthy enough. Otherwise, he could probably bribe her with the ice cream she had once tasted in Karakura Town.

"We're here to rescue people," he said clearly after a moment.

Lilynette's eyes widened. "Oh! We are too," she spoke as if competing.

As this was going on, he felt a nudge on his side.

"How the hell do you know these hollows?" Kukaku whispered discreetly.

He could only smile bitterly. There wasn't enough time to explain, and even less when one of the other Vasto Lordes appeared followed by more.

"Oi ya brat, why'd you tell everyone to stop attacking?!" Emilou Apacci said.

Behind Apacci were Sung-Sun and Mila Rose who had the same questioning appearance.

Lilynette grunted. "They're friends," she said, using Starrk as a shield.

"Friends?" Apacci echoed, looking at Ichigo and the rest's direction. "Three of them feel like Shinigami, and the rest are just humans. How could they possibly be friends? Look, one of them even looks like a Shinigami. It's better to just kill them."

Apacci stepped forward.

"No!" Lilynette said, jumping off of Starrk to stand in front of Ichigo and the rest. "I agree with you about the others, but Ichigo's a good guy," Lilynette said with a nod.

Apacci,s mouth twitched and she considered just pushing Lilynette aside. However, one glance at Starrk and remembering the strength Starrk had once displayed, she quickly decided against it.

Clicking her tongue, Apacci conceded the issue grumpily.

"Where are you guys going?" Lilynette asked Ichigo once the hollows around began to give them space. Leaving behind only herself, Starrk, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun at the center.

Ichigo didn't have the chance to answer though. It was Kukaku instead.

"The isolation tower," Kukaku said. She had thought about it quite deeply. There was nothing to hide from these hollows as none of them aside from Lilynette looked like they cared about the information. And if they did, didn't that mean they'd have the help of Vasto Lorde class hollows? "It's where the Soul Society keeps its prisoners and individuals of high profile."

Hearing those words, not only Lilynette, but Sung-Sun and the others eyes widened. Sung-Sun and the rest of the hollows objective was to find Silent, and perhaps she could be in the isolation tower that was spoken of.

For Apacci and the rest, it was a good lead to go on. Previously, she, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun had been comabting against a few other Captain-Class Shinigami, but for some reason unknown to them, their opponents suddenly left acting as if they were still fighting someone. Bewilidered at the time, Apacci and the others did nothing as they watched their opponents disappear into the distance towards another part of the Seireitei.

They hadn't pursued, and this fact was mainly because of Sung-Sun who quickly reminded them what lady Harribel had instructed before hand. There was no point in wasting their energy on a battle that was meaningless. Instead, they would direct their effort towards locating Silent like as Harribel had instructed.

"This isolation tower, which direction is it?" Sung-Sun asked gruffly, a hand to her mouth as if disdained speaking to those she considered below her.

Kukaku stared at Sung-Sun, and thought over her answer, not caring about Sung-Sun's rude gesture.

"It's over there," she spoke eventually, pointing at the distant buildings. "However, if you are thinking of heading there now, you're bound to fail. It's heavily fortified as its near the Fourth Squad's barracks where the majority of injured Shinigami are sent to heal from their injuries. Furthermore, the location is also near other key buildings that allow for quick deployment of troops. Undoubtedly, you will face a lot of opposition."

Sung-Sun closed her mouth, and bit back any response she was about to say. Kukaku's answer was precise enough for her to get a general understanding of the situation. Furthermore, out of three female Vasto Lordes present, she was undoubtedly the smartest. She could read subtilties and the undertones in Kukaku's voice well enough to understand something.

"Then you would have a way?" Sung-Sun inquired, staring at Kukaku.

Instead of answering, Kukaku just began to walk off. This action was enough of an answer.

Ichigo and the others hesitated for a moment, but then quickly followed after Kukaku along with Mila Rose and the rest.

Lilynette separated from Starrk and moved towards Ichigo, the two soon beginning to argue about matters Starrk could care less about. Instead, Starrk's eyes trailed towards Apacci and the rest following after Kukaku.

He knew that the three thought that Silent may be in the isolation tower Kukaku had spoken of, but the odds weren't a hundred percent either. Therefore, Starrk decided on a course of action despite the relative laziness he displayed while doing so.

He quickly instructed the other Adjuchas level hollows to disperse back in different direction of the Seireitei. In this way, they may be able to find Silent sooner. Besides, no matter if Kukaku had a method to get to the isolation tower or not, it would have been impossible not to get spotted with a group of hollows as large as theirs. Therefore, Starrk had instructed them to disperse.

The group of several dozen hollows thinned down to just Starrk, Lilynette, Apacci, Sung-Sun, and Mila Rose. If Kukaku and the rest took heed of this, they didn't show it on their faces.

As Starrk and the others walked leisurely after Kukaku's lead, they missed one of the hollows Shirou had sent to tell everyone to gather together.

Walking silently, this odd group of Shinigami, humans, and hollows made their way towards a certain area of the Seiretei.

Suddenly, Kukaku stopped.

In front of her was a single path that lead up to a flight of stairs connecting up to a larger platform. Said platform had a massive cylindrical tower stretching out into the sky. If one were to look carefully, it was possible to see numerous groups of Shinigami organizing themselves nearby in the other locations adjacent.

The path Kukaku had taken was roundabout, and she had even lead them through a great majority of the way through the Soul Society's underground system. Just remembering the smell, nearly caused Lilynette to gag, but nonetheless, they'd made their way to the tower with minimal detection if at all; the rampant spiritual energies in the air helped to mask them even further after they had suppressed their spiritual energy.

However, the group's sudden stop caused question marks to appear in everyone's minds. However, the answer became apparent after looking at the base of the stair case.

"Renji?" Ichigo spoke, seeing the Shinigami he had fought in the human world.

The current situation was the fact that Renji was blocking the way. With Renji at the base of the flight of stairs, it became impossible to avoid detection up to this point, and Kukaku knew it.

However, Kukaku forgot that in the group she was leading, three of them were rash and hot-headed- even excluding Ichigo and Karin.

"It's only one Shinigami," Mila Rose spoke, pushing forward along with Apacci. It looked as if they were having a competition as to who would defeat Renji first.

However, the two were stopped by Sung-Sun.

"You idiots," Sung-Sun reprimanded. "There's no point in squabbling over a weakling. How unrefined of you two. How could the two of you even hope to be in Lady Harribel, or Shirou's good graces? It's to comical."

"Bitch, shut up," Apacci and Mila Rose swore, redirecting their attention.

Meanwhile, Lilynette was already urging Starrk to take action, pounding on his back to get him to move forward. However, it was doomed to be a failed attempt. Starrk would not budge for a reason so trivial.

Instead, it was Ichigo who confronted Renji despite Kukaku's hisses for him to remain where he was.

Ichigo couldn't do as Kukaku said though.

Between Renji and himself, the two had many things to settle. Past scores, and setting things straight. In his opinion, if Renji cared so much for Rukia, then why didn't Renji devote his strength into saving her rather than condemning her to death? It wasn't right.

As Ichigo approached, he quickly noticed that Renji had already taken notice of them. It was hard not to when he considered the sheer presence of the Vasto Lordes behind him, especially when Apacci and Mila Rose had released their spiritual energy moments earlier.

However, a look of surprise appeared over Renji's face followed by a wave of contempt and fury as he noticed Ichigo.

"It's you," Renji spoke through gritted teeth, his Zanpakuto was immediately drawn. "If it weren't for you, Rukia wouldn't be in this situation."

Ichigo had no answer other than to draw out his own sword.

It was then that Renji noticed the others.

"H-Hollows, Vasto Lorde?" Renji's tone of voice was incredulous and filled with a disbelief carrying a hint of fear. Even more so when he recalled that his Captain had been defeated by Vasto Lordes previously. It was only recently that Captain Byakuya woke up, and the man had already disappeared from the medical ward despite his injuries.

"You led hollows here," Renji said gravely. However, Renji didn't move to inform the others immediately.

Renji was hot-headed, but he was in no way a fool. If Ichigo was travelling with hollows, then that meant that they must have shared the same objective. Were the Vasto Lordes helping Ichigo to rescue Rukia? It was the only objective he could conclude that Ichigo would have in the Seireitei.

Renji's emotions immediately became conflicted. On one hand, he knew that the chances of succeeding in rescuing Rukia would increase with the battle strength of several Vasto Lordes, but he also had his duty as a Shinigami. Eventually, he settled on an answer, keeping the entirety of his attention on Ichigo.

Perhaps Kukaku derived, or understood something from the situation, but she immediately began leading the others past Renji who did nothing to stop them.

Orihime, Karin, Chad, and Ishida faltered at that moment, unsure about what to do, but Ichigo quickly gave them a nod to move forward. This was his battle to face.

As soon as Kukaku and the rest were out of sight, Ichigo opened his mouth to speak.

"Why'd you let them go?" He asked, although he already had a hunch.

"That's none of your business," Renji dismissed.

Renji's dismissal only strengthened the theory growing in Ichigo's mind, but regardless, this wasn't the time.

With a single step, the battle began with a single shout.

"Howl, Zabimaru."

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In the buildings above, Lilynette and Starrk stared down as the battle began. Instead of following after Kukaku and the rest, Lilynette had unexpectedly decided to wait and see how Ichigo's battle would conclude.

"Lilynette, you don't want to follow?" Starrk asked, making himself comfortable.

Lilynette balled her hands into fists.

"I do want to follow, but…" She trailed off.

For some reason, she felt that it would be a shame if Ichigo were to unfortunately die. In the time she had spent with him in Karakura Town, she had seen and experienced the kind of person he was. Even if she was a hollow, he didn't treat her with any contempt or prejudice. Instead, when she had explained that she was looking for someone in Karakura Town, Ichigo had even toured her around along with another black-haired Shinigami. Rukia if she could recall.

Because of these experiences, there was a part within herself that considered Ichigo a friend. In which case, letting him die as she went forward left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Thus, she had stayed behind, and wherever she would be, Starrk would follow too.

In her opinion Starrk was always the most dependable.

Back when they were alone, they only had each other, now she had many friends.

And she would keep it that way. She didn't want to experience that feeling of loneliness again, making her hold those close to her dear. Perhaps on some levels, Starrk understood what she was thinking, as even though Starrk appeared to be slacking, his eyes were on the battle unblinking.

With just a word from her, she was sure that Starrk would intervene.

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"Let's go," Kukaku spoke, urging Orihime and the others to get a move on.

The Isolation Tower was directly ahead of them, and there was no point in looking back now like Orihime and the others were doing. Kukaku knew the reason though, and it was precisely because fo this that she couldn't put any anger in her tone. They were just concerned about Ichigo. However, unlike them who wasn't paying attention, Kukaku long ago noticed that Starrk and Liynette had stayed behind.

If those two were helping him, then Ichigo should be safe.

Turning her attention towards the isolation tower, she realized that it would be a long climb to reach the top. The only wayto enter the tower was through an adjacent building connected by wooden bridge. Said building was surrounded by a large flight of stairs that spiralled around it to reach the top.

Looking back at the worried face of Orihime and the others, Kukaku decided that she would continue leading this inexperienced group.

"Follow me," she said, moving forward.

Apacci, Sung-Sun, and Mila Rose, didn't follow after Kukaku and the others, instead, the three were looking at the tower and then to the flight of stairs.

"It would be way faster if we just jumped up," Mila Rose quickly concluded.

For once, no argued with her amongst the three.

"We're not going to follow them?" Apacci asked dismissively.

"There's no point now that we're here," Sung-Sun said.

On this point, the three of them were once again in sync. They held no attachments to Kukaku and the rest, only curiosity towards Ichigo, and Ichigo wasn't present at the moment. Speaking of which.

"Where's the brat?" Appaci asked. She had been sure Lilynette and Starrk were following from behind. And from the looks of it, Mila Rose was of the same mind.

"They stayed behind if the two of you didn't notice," Sung-Sun spoke sighing. "You both still have to work on your observation skills."

Neither Apacci or Mila Rose could retort. After all, they had failed to notice Starrk and Lilynette leave in their haste.

"What do you guys think the brat finds interesting in that orange haired Shinigami?" Mila Rose asked.

"It's Ichigo if you can't recall, and unfortunately, I don't have the answer to that question," Sung-Sun replied. "With everything settled out though, well then, shall we?"

Apacci and Mila Rose nodded.

Spiritual energy gathering to their legs, the three soon cratering the ground as they leapt up, creating cracks that spread out to become small fissures.

The tower was huge, reaching an absurd distance into the sky. Even for Sung-Sun and the others, it was impossible to make it to the top in a single bound. Therefore, they all moved towards the tower's base to use it as leverage for another strong leap up. However.

"Eh-!?"

As soon as Apacci's foot made contact with the building, instead of being able to leap further up as she intended, she instead felt her power suddenly vanish. Subsequently, she began falling down, crashing into the ground where she left an imprint on the polished tile.

Mila Rose and Sung-Sun burst out into laughter, Sung-Sun's laugh more reserved as she used a hand to cover her mouth.

"Idiot, can't even jump properly," Mila Rose goaded.

Like Apacci, she was nearing the maximum height of her leap and would need to take another one using the tower.

"This is how it's done," Mila Rose spoke, staring down at Apacci as her foot made contact with the building's ledge.

"!"

Mila Rose looked down on her foot stupidly, and then wordlessly crashed down into the ground as she experienced a similar loss of power as Apacci.

"Who's the fool now!" Apacci relished in Mila Rose's failure.

"S-Shut up," Mila Rose spoke, pushing herself off the ground. "There's something weird with this tower."

As Sung-Sun was nearing the apex of her leap, she hesitated as she glanced down at the two below. They were staring expectantly at her. Admittedly, she didn't like the feeling.

If two out of three didn't succeed, then what was the point of making a fool out of herself? There was no class in that at all, and the two down below were just waiting for her to fail. There was no way she would give them that pleasure.

She coolly snorted, reaching the apex of her jump, and then slowly descending down.

Apacci and Mila Rose felt a twitch on their faces as they stared at Sung-Sun who was looking condescendingly at them.

Instead of saying anything, Sung-Sun instead moved towards the tower and placed a hand on it, her expression growing dim. "This tower has similar properties to the wall that surrounds the Seireitei, making it hard to create a platform of energy beneath our feet or to concentrate our energy," Sung-Sun concluded. "It'll be far too difficult to utilize our power to make are way up by jumping. Therefore, our only choice is to walk up unless we can fly naturally."

After Sung-Sun finished speaking, the three of them looked toward the base of the stairs, and grudgingly began to make their way up to catch up to Kukaku and the rest.

Speaking of Kukaku, she and the others had already made their way up the majority of the tower. In just a few more steps they wood reach the wooden bridge leading into the isolation tower's holding room.

She didn't speak much with the others, nor did she try to alleviate their concerns towards Ichigo, but that was because she had her own troubles to deal with at the moment. In just a matter of minutes, she would be able to confirm for herself the validity of Ichigo's past statement. In some part of her heart, she knew that this could have been a ploy to allow Ichigo and the others easy access into the Seireitei, but she couldn't help but believe it anyway. After all, her elder brother may be alive.

She swallowed just as she arrived at the top, the sound of footsteps behind her alerting her to the fact Ganju and the others had arrived beside her. She didn't that much notice though. Someone else had her attention.

"Well well, Lady Shiba," a man wearing a pink patterned kimono spoke. Said man was occupying a spot directly in front of the wooden bridge. "It's been a long time since you've last visited the Seireitei. And to think, you even brought friends."

The man was obviously referring to Orihime and the others, but there didn't seem to be any hostility in the man's tone.

"Captain Kyoraku," Kukaku said, clicking her tongue. "I don't suppose you'd let me just take a look at who's in there would you?"

Shunsui Kyoraku tilted the straw hat over his head down, casting a shadow over his eyes as he thought back to the final wishes of the lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division.

"Ah, yes, about that, afraid not. Classified stuff there yes," Shunsui drawled. However, he soon realized that his refusals were only making Kukaku want to try harder to know what lay inside. Yet, Shunsui couldn't just give her permission to see either. "Lady Shiba, I would much appreciate it if you didn't make things difficult for this lazy Captain. Perhaps we can just share a drink or two instead?"

"Cut the bullshit, Captain!" Kukaku roared. "If you won't let me see, then why don't you just tell me who's in there?"

"Hmmm," Shunsui released a sigh before he shook his head. "Its classified information."

Saying that, Shunsui seemed to detect something moments later as his eyes narrowed.

Just as Kukaku was about to burst into a rage, her expression shifted into one of panic.

"Ganju get down!" She called.

Confused about why Kukaku was telling him to get down, Ganju still did so anyway, avoiding a cero that whizzed past with its trajectory aimed towards the door of the isolation tower.

Almost in the blink of an eye, Shunsui had cut it in half with a drawn sword, destroying it before it could even reach.

"Tch," Mila Rose grunted in annoyance. She hadn't been aiming for Ganju, but the man had unfortunately positioned himself in the way after she had already let loose the attack. But in any case, she didn't really care.

"Vasto Lordes," Shunsui's expression immediately became serious after he concluded his sightings.

"Oi, you sleazy looking man. If your busy dealing with the others, then why don't you just let us see who's in this tower without disrupting us?" Sung-Sun said. "I can guarantee that we will leave if our target isn't there."

"Sleazy, me? Beautiful lady, do your eyes simply deceive you?" Shunsui spoke back, readying his sword.

"No, my vision is far better when judging others," Sung-Sun replied smoothly. "Now either get out of the way, or prepare yourself for battle."

"You aren't making this easy for me you know," Shunsui said. "In fact, I'm afraid your two friends over there have already decided to make trouble for me."

Hearing Shunsui's response, Sung-Sun could only exasperatedly shake her head in annoyance at the provocative looks Apacci and Mila Rose were giving, their energy already shifting into a battle frenzy.

They were idiots, no more than just idiots, they were imbeciles. Didn't they understand that everything would just become a waste of energy if Silent wasn't even inside the tower? It was far better to first verify before taking action, but these two…

Sung-Sun just had no words to express herself other than a vehement amount of insults.

Without waiting for the conversation to continue, Apacci and Mila Rose struck out first, forcing Shunsui to retreat up into another part of the building where he faced off against the two.

At the top of the tower, the influence of whatever property in the building was somewhat reduced, allowing for battle.

Sung-Sun stared at Kukaku, and felt as if she was being used. However, she couldn't say anything as it was Apacci and Mila Rose who started everything. Grudgingly she followed after her two 'friends.'

Realizing the opportunity that was in front of her eyes, Kukaku immediately moved towards the tower.

"Hurry," she beckoned Ganju and everyone else over.

The bridge was wide and long, and by the time everyone reached the holding cell at the isolation tower, sounds of explosions began to ring from where Shunsui was confronting Apacci and the others.

As she placed a hand on the door of the cell, her body couldn't help but freeze. This was the moment.

Briefly, she recalled all the memories she had of that smiling older brother of hers. The last hope of the Shiba Clan that was ruthlessly crushed and turned into bitter resentments. He had been killed. It was like a mantra that had once repeated in her young mind over and over again, and still did in her dreams.

She had long since been informed of the situation, and she knew herself well enough to know that she never blamed Rukia Kuchiki, the Shinigami involved in her brother's death.

Yet that didn't stop her from grieving.

It was like something had grabbed hold of her heart and was constantly squeezing it.

At this moment, time felt as if it was frozen.

And in this time frame, Ganju's hand brushed up against her own, and together they pushed open the prison cell.

It was dark and cramped. The only light coming from a rectangular shaped opening that acted as a window to allow air into the room. Other than that, the room was devoid of anything else, just a stone slab of Sekkiseki rock that could be used to sit on.

"O-Orihime, Chad, Ishida, Karin?" Rukia stood up in surprise within the room. She was wearing a white gown like kimono. An attire designated to souls that were to be purified and extinguished by the Soukyoku.

She and Ganju didn't care much about this though.

Instead, she didn't know when it began, but tears were streaming down her eyes. Her face shifted, her brows crinkling together as the sheer emotion running through her overwhelmed her. As strong of a woman as she was, she suddenly felt as if she had lost all her strength, returning to that little girl who waited foolishly for a brother that wouldn't return.

She dropped to her knees, sobbing quietly, using the back of her hands to wipe away at the tears that just wouldn't stop.

Ganju was much the same, yet instead of falling on his knees, he had covered his eyes with an arm, yet it was clear that the man was crying too from the transparent stream of liquid trailing down his cheeks.

Orihime and the others couldn't speak. Instead, they were staring in shock at the person who had garnered such a reaction.

I-Ichigo?

The person appeared like an exact copy of Ichigo aside from the black hair the man had.

From what Ichigo had said before, this man was named Kaien Shiba, and he was the older brother of Kukaku and Ganju.

Kaien was staring in shock, a hint of something flashing across those expressive eyes.

Startled to his feet, Kaien opened his mouth and asked gravely.

"K-Kukaku, G-Ganju? What are you doing here?"