A Thousand of You

The grass blew violently as Silas flew over empty land. He had a blank look on his face, refusing to turn back at the several Soul Reapers following him. A few more minutes into their flight, he jolted high into the clouds and came to an abrupt stop.

'This should be far enough,' Silas thought to himself.

Following him were two captains, one captain-level lieutenant, and three other Soul Reapers. All his chasers surrounded him so that he couldn't escape.

"Making us come all this way, even after hearing us yell stop, only tells me you know what you've done... Ichigo Kurosaki."

Silas's head shifted to the person talking, Yumichika Ayasegawa. Yumichika was currently the fifth-seated officer in squad eleven. An orange piece of clothing sits on top of his uniform around the neck, which covers most of his chest that would otherwise be exposed by his garment. He also has colourful feathers on his right eyelash and eyebrow.

"I believe this is the first time we've met," he said, flicking his hair in a feminine fashion.

"Come to think of it, we never did introduce ourselves to the person who took down Aizen," his partner said. It was Ikkaku Madarame. He was quite the skilled swordsman, possessing a Bankai that turned his spear into a large guandao.

"Your turn's over, Baldy!" a little girl happily screamed. It was none other than Yachiru Kusajishi. Her pink hair matched her rosy cheeks, and she waved at Silas as if the two were close friends. From what he remembered of her, she wasn't a real girl; she was truly a manifestation of Zaraki's power. But it wasn't her that he got as far away from the hotel as possible.

"Now we can finally have that fight," Zaraki said with a sadistic grin. "The rest of you, stay out of it."

"We're under orders to capture him, not kill," the other captain reminded him. It was Mayuri Kurotsuchi. He looked the same as Silas remembered: white skin with bare teeth. "It doesn't look like his ally's with him. Where are you hiding the Quincy?"

Silas figured they would be after Uryū as well. There was only one reason the Seireitei would dare send this many capable Soul Reapers after him: they discovered Yoruichi's corpse. Mayuri also said "capture". That could only mean he was under investigation for a potential crime. And the only crime he could have committed was not revealing Yoruichi's death.

He was careless. Had he remained in Karakura Town, Uryū would have been involved in all of this.

"Enough talk!" the last Soul Reaper yelled. Silas turned to see the most disdainful look anyone's ever given him before. It was Renji Abarai. "If anyone's going to take this deceiver's head, it's gonna be me."

Renji already had his Zanpakutō released.

Zabimaru was a longsword with six segments, each wider than the one preceding from the hilt. On the front and back are two pick-like protrusions of those segments, with the ones on the front much longer than the ones on the back. The segments are connected by a stretchable thread, allowing the weapon to grow and extend as if it were a whip rather than an actual sword.

"But before that," he said with a serious look. "Where's Rukia Kuchiki?"

Silas remained calm. He knew what he was capable of. If he was in the right state, he would gladly obliterate all of his current opponents. But right now, he was at a disadvantage. Zangetsu couldn't be used!

It was understandable why the Seireitei would send the likes of Zaraki and the rest of his squadron. But Renji was an outlier. Rukia's childhood friend must have requested or even begged to come on this mission.

So he said, "What's this about?"

"What?!" Renji answered in defiance. "You know darn well what this is about. You lied and murdered Yoruichi Shihōin!"

That's all Silas needed: to cause Renji to become frustrated. Now he was sure that the Seireitei didn't truly know whether or not he was the killer. And to be frank, he never recalled lying. They merely believed what they assumed.

Mayuri chastised Renji for having revealed that information. Silas was a wanted criminal who needed to first be apprehended. Innocent until proven guilty. That was the basic structure for a prosecution in Central 46. Either that or Genryūsai issued a warrant.

"You're all mistaken," Silas said.

"Then why were you running from us?" Yumichika questioned. "It wasn't easy to find you because we kept mistaking your spiritual pressure for a Hollow's."

Time worked differently in the Soul Society. For all Silas knew, they may have discovered Yoruichi's corpse a week ago in the Seireitei.

"I'll gladly tell you where Rukia is, Renji... Remember the hotel I came from?"

Renji hadn't hesitated to bolt in that direction. Ikkaku and Yumichika tried to stop him, but he let his emotions get to him. It was exactly what Silas had hoped for. Now the field had fewer Soul Reapers to deal with.

"That stupid brat!" Mayuri commented. "No matter, I'll leave things to you, Captain Kenpachi. Take your time with him so I can properly study what makes him tick."

The other three moved away slightly as Yachiru hopped off Zaraki's back. "Go get em, Kenny!"

"I waited a long time for this," Zaraki said.

Odds of winning were not in Silas's favour. That was despite having to face one opponent for now. His power was no longer refined, but that didn't mean he would go down without a fight!

Tensions in the air rose. It was if the others could feel his determination brewing. Silas closed his eyes and lifted his head to the heavens. He was so high up, yet the sun's light still managed to reflect off his calm features. Looking at it, the beams covered his vision. All he could think about was his family.

'Daddy, you're the best!' his son's voice echoed in his mind. 'I want to be just like you when I grow up, 'cause no one can beat my dad!'

"I don't care what your name is," Silas said, slowly unsheathing Zangetsu. The steel blade grinding against its holster was heard by everyone. "A thousand of you wouldn't stop me..."