Unexpected

(3rd Person POV)

"Why did you stay behind, Mayuri Kurotsuchi?", Byakuya asked.

"How odd. That doesn't seem like something you'd care to know.", Mayuri answered.

"There should be more things that are of interest to you in the World of the Living. So why stay here? What are you plotting?", Byakuya asked again.

"Oh? How very cautious of you. Don't worry. I'm not planning anything that will scare you. It's just that, at the moment, the corpses over here are more interesting. That's all. 

Once the battle in the World of the Living is over, someone will open up a Garganta from the other side. I'll use that to go to the World of the Living and take my time to examine each of the corpses."

Byakuya didn't say anything and only looked at Mayuri with his stoic expression. This seemed to unnerve Mayuri though.

"What is it?", Mayuri asked. 

Byakuya didn't say anything.

"What is it?", Mayuri asked with a slightly raised voice. "I asked you, what is it?!"

"If you have something to say, say it! Okay?", he had stood up from his position at this point. It seemed like it was nearly unbearable for Mayuri not to know something.

"Well ... I never expected you to say such a thing. I was a little surprised.", Byakuya said.

"What?"

"That thing you just said ... It sounded as if you were implying that sending Ichigo Kurosaki to the World of the Living would end the battle.", Byakuya explained.

Kurotsuchi had a ... stressed expression on his face. He might have realised that his words could indeed be interpreted that way. 

"It sounded as if you believed that Ichigo Kurosaki would be victorious.", Byakuya said.

Kurotsuchi narrowed his eyes ... and then sat back down. 

"Nonsense. Absolute nonsense. I never expected such words to come from you, Byakuya Kuchiki. ... It is not Ichigo Kurosaki at all that gives me such confidence.", Mayuri said with a thoughtful expression.

"Oh?", Byakuya was intrigued. Might there be someone whom Mayuri respected?

"Is there someone that Captain Kurotsuchi expects to finish the fighting?", Byakuya asked. 

.

.

(Mayuri POV)

'Is there someone that I expect to finish the fighting?', well he wasn't wrong. I didn't care about whether Ichigo Kurosaki went to the World of the Living and fought Aizen. After all ... he is there.

Just as he was there when Aizen and his three lackeys were inside the Negacion. And just like he is always bothering me in my lab ... although he is helpful from time to time. And I enjoy his company more than others. However, I would never tell him that.

I still remember when I injected a drug into him that allowed me to see his reaction to it. He smiled ... SMILED and then said that I should bring out more drugs to test. 

.

(Flashback)

"Oh? You knew I gave you a drug, but still didn't do anything? And now you want me to inject more into you. What an interesting man you are."

"I don't care whether you inject me with drugs, as long as you do it openly and ask me first.", he said and looked at me with a smile. 

But then his smile vanished. His aura turned darker and more dangerous and my breath stopped. He grabbed his Zanapkuto and everything in my lab turned to dust in an instant, leaving only us two in a sphere of blackness that he seemed to control. The drug that I injected into him didn't seem to do anything anymore and he was ... unhappy right now. 

"Should you again show me such disrespect and do something to me like that ... I will end you. And I will turn you into a doll and give you Urahara Kisuke as a present so that you can watch him work. Are we clear?!"

"... Crystal."

(Flashback end)

.

That was the first time ... I was actually scared. Everything turned back the way it was after that and he never talked about it again. He really let me test drugs on him. It seemed to amuse him.

I understood then, that all these rumours about him were utter nonsense. This one deserved to be a Captain, more than others and he was also smart. 

Over the years I came to enjoy his company and he told me the name of his Zanpakuto. What a powerful one it is. I almost couldn't contain myself to analyse it. He only laughed and told me that that was sadly not possible. I'll get to research it, just wait.

.

.

.

On the other battlefield, things went mostly the same way they did in canon. But there was one difference. And that difference was Rangiku Matsumoto. The good Lieutenant of the 10th Division was much stronger than her counterpart from the canon story. 

"Leave those three to me, you deal with the Espada behind them.", Rangiku said to Hitsugaya. 

"Can you take them?", he asked. 

"Yes!"

"Wait!", the Espada said. The two Shinigami looked at her, "what is your name?"

"Mine? Well, it's Rangiku. Why?"

"So you're Rangiku ... I see. That will complicate things.", the female Espada said.

"Do you know me?", Rangiku asked. 

"Yes ... he told me about you.", the Hollow answered. 

"He? Who he are you talk- ... Oh I see. Wait then what is your name?", Rankigu asked.

"Tier ... Tier Harribel.", the Espada said.

"Oh? So you're Tier. Well, that is so nice to meet you!", Rangiku said all happy and enthusiastic. She had totally forgotten what they were doing right now. Hitsugaya looked at his Lieutenant bewildered. But his confusion wasn't over just yet. Because Matsumoto went over to the female Espada and ... EMBRACED her!!!

"It is soooo nice to finally meet you. I was told so many things. But he never told me how you look ... how strange and that when you are so hot as well.", Rangiku said.

Contrary to what others thought, the Espada didn't kill or attack Rangiku when she went to hug her. No instead the female Espada ... smiled and talked with the Shinigami like they were ... sisters or something. 

"Well, Toji also never told me what you looked like, at least not in detail. He called you the cute readhead slacker. Apparently, you never trained as much as he hoped you would and he didn't want to push you. He said that you always knew what to tell him and that he just couldn't help forcing you to do it.", Tier said.

"He ... he called me cute? Oh and here I was, thinking he never looked at me.", Rangiku said.

"I'm not sure he meant it that way ...", Tier said.

"No, now I heard it so that is what I will believe from now on. No take-backs."

"So ... what should we do now? Are we supposed to fight? Lord Aizen saved me ... just like Toji did. I promised to serve him.", Tier said.

"Ah, I'm sure that Toji, if he were here would not care about those things and that he would rather have you fight on our side. I mean Aizen manipulated everyone and doesn't care about anything. He must have a plan for you Arrancar and must not care about you. I'm sure that we can talk with the Head Captain about you.", Rangiku said.

"I ... I don't know...", Tier said.

"Matsumoto! Would you care to fill me in on this strange behaviour? Are you plotting behind the Shinigami's back?", Hitsugaya said.

"Oh Captain, no don't worry. This is Tier Harribel, a friend of Toji's. He told me a lot about her and apparently, he also told her about me. She's not an enemy but she promised to be loyal to Aizen because he saved her. I say that we let her help us in this fight against Aizen. What do you say?", Rangiku asked. 

"So you want this Arrancar .. that is also an Espada, to join our side? And you expect me to just take this? Are you crazy?", Hitsugaya.

"No, you should know that by now. I am sure that if Toji was here, you would believe him. So why don't you believe me now? I am also telling the truth. This is Tier Harribel, the woman Toji told me about a lot in the past. He tells me about her when I ask him to tell me about his adventures and I enjoy them.", Rangiku pursed her lips.

"So ... this Espada ... is actually a ... 'friend' of Captian Fushiguro?", Hitsugaya asked.

"Captain? What do you mean Captain? When I asked him how he could always come to Hueco Mundo and waste so much time, he said that he was a lowly Shinigami and that no one would ever miss him if he spent time in Hueco Mundo.", Tier said, "So he lied to me. That ... bastard. I would have never ..."

"Haha, that is probably also why he didn't tell you. He knew that you would never talk with him otherwise.", Rangiku said. 

.

As these three were in their own world, the tres bestias were watching from the side. They didn't know what to think about this. Their leader and the one they all looked up to were now conversing with this female Shinigami as if they were long-time friends. 

"Do you understand this?", Mila Rose asked.

"No.", Apacci said.

"It would seem that Lady Harribel has had contact with a Shinigami before she took us in. I do wonder how we never met this man or why Lady Harribel never told us about him. And this female Shinigami ... she must be someone that also knows this man ... and a Captain no less.", Sung-Sun said.

"Do you two think that ... Lady Harribel and this Shinigami ...", Apacci said.

"No. She would never do that!", Mila Rose said with conviction.

"Don't say it like that. There is a familiarity in the way they talk about him that I can indeed see something happening between them. I have never seen that look on Lady Harribel, except when she looks at us ... I wonder ...", Sung-Sun said.

"Stop that! There is no way that can be true."

"I agree. That is stupid."

"Well you can say whatever you want but that is how I see it. Now let us go and ask Lady Harribel what we're going to do.", Sung-Sun was the voice of reason among the group. 

.

.

Meanwhile, as this was happening, the trio consisting of Ichigo, Unohana and Toji were running through the Garganta. Toji made sure to wait for the two of them to gain a good head start. Why did he do that? Well, easy ... he knew what was going to happen and he wanted to be ready for it. 

Aizne thought he was so smart but that wasn't true. Toji was far smarter than he was, by a long shot. He was evolving and growing constantly. He had never stopped training and it had been centuries since he had fused with his Hogyoku Mk. Infinity.

And to top it all off, Toji had limitless potential. 

.

Toji jumped in finally and was running after the three. However, when he entered, he saw the two of them waiting for him patiently. This surprised Toji ...

"What are you doing? Why didn't you run?", Toji asked heatedly. 

"Why are you asking us this? Obviously to wait for you.", Unohana answered.

"Shit ...", was all Toji said as he felt it happen. The trap he had been waiting for when he entered the Garganta went off. In a matter of milliseconds, the walls that surrounded them began to crack. The Reishi began to run amock and the platform underneath their feet was also showing signs of destruction.

"What is this?!", Ichigo screamed.

"The platform ... it's being broken. We must hurry, otherwise we will get crushed by the-", Unohana started.

"No! You won't make it.", Toji said in a serious tone. This was very imaginative. Aizen manipulated Szayelaporro Granz to create this device and then malfunctioned when a certain Reiatsu entered. Quite smart I have to give him that. But that shouldn't make the entire tunnel collapse ... someone really wants me dead ... don't you?

"Hahahahahaha, what a smart person you are ... hahahahahaha ...", Toji began to laugh uncontrollably but was quickly dragged back to reality by Unohana.

"Stop that Toji. What do you have in mind?", she asks.

"Why would I have a plan? Maybe we are all going to die right now and then-"

"Aha ... yeah no. No hurry up and tell us!", she said.

"Alright ... well the plan is simple. Get closer to each other. Unohana grab Ichigo's shoulder and no matter what ... don't let go. Ichigo, make sure to have him teach you the final Getsuga Tensho when you see him.", Toji said and winked at his student.

"What do you-?"

"Chiao Chiao ...", Toji said and then moved his hands as if he was pulling the string of a bow. He pulled ... aimed with his left arm and then ... let go. The two of them suddenly felt propulsion forward as if they were shot out of a cannon. Toji did his ... 'last' miracle. 

He manipulated the matter in the air and transmuted it into a gum-like substance. Then he pulled it back as if he was pulling back the string of a bow and fired the two forward to the end of the tunnel. 

"... tell everyone about meeeeeeeee ...", they heard Toji scream after them as they flew through the Garganta that was breaking apart. At the last moment, they saw the exit and flew out like two cannonballs.