23 The Battles Begin

(Sokyoku Hill)

The assembly of captains and lieutenants watched in shock and awe at the upstart ryoka holding back one of the most powerful weapons of the Shinigami with frightening ease. The oldest among the captains were merely surprised and impressed by the boy that earned their commander's trust. Zaraki felt his grip tighten and his new scar burn with excitement.

"This is impossible!" Yelled Soi-Fon, finding it hard to accept the reality before her.

'There you are, Kurosaki.' Byakuya thought venomously, ready to fight the boy to the death if needed.

'So he is the one that's dared to erase my sin.' Unohana reflected in shock at the boy. 'He might just do it.' She glanced at her current successor, who couldn't stop grinning manically and trembling in excitement. 'He even makes my blood boil. Just how powerful is he?'

'If you couldn't do this much, I'd be disappointed.' Yamamoto thought. 'Jushiro should be here soon with the Shihouin Shield. How long will you last?' He questioned as the phoenix tried to push off of Ichigo's large blade. The young hybrid responded by twisting around and throwing the massive fire bird off balance. Just as it righted itself, Ichigo coated his fist with enough Reishi that it looked like a massive fang, and then he punched the Sokyoku with so much force that it flew back a few meters. 'That's more like it.' He thought approvingly. 'Form could use a little more work though.'

(With Ichigo)

The day of the execution came, time for him to act. Yoruichi gave him a cloak that enabled him to fly and he made his way up the side of the hill, completely undetected in the wake and flames of the Sokyoku. When he saw Rukia held in front of that massive phoenix, he immediately put himself between it and her. He grunted from the effort but didn't budge an inch. He was going to boast about saving her, say something cool are heroic, but the words died in his throat when he saw her. Not the proud and confident Soul Reaper he partnered with in the Living World, but a blank empty shell. It hurt to see her like this, the way he could have been if Zangetsu didn't stop him from giving in to despair. He felt the flame bird move, so he turned and swung his blade to twist the massive creature. He coated his fist in his Reiatsu and threw a punch, right in the creature's beak.

"Getsuga!" He called out, his punch turning into a black fang and sending the creature back. He turned back to Rukia and pulled her free of the execution, destroying her restraints, to stand on top of it. "Hey Rukia." He said, hoping to get a response. It seemed to register with her as she slowly responded.

"...Ichigo?" She muttered, apparently not all together just yet.

'How to get her back?' He wondered, completely unconcerned with the rising phoenix, or the various captains that wanted to kill him. 'I got it.' "Your Chappy drawings sucks." He told her, and was suddenly slapped really hard as a result.

"How dare you!" She yelled at him indignantly. "Orihime thinks my drawings are adorable you uncultured cur!" After she finished yelling, she realized a few things. Ichigo was in front of her, they were on top of the execution platform, they were surrounded by captains and lieutenants, and she wasn't dead... yet. "Ichigo."

"Glad to see you too Ruki-" She punched him in the stomach, managing to knock the wind out of him with the surprise punch.

"Why did you even come!?" She yelled. "You can't fight up against the entire Gotei 13 and expect to-" she stopped when Ichigo grabbed onto the back of her neck.

"Shut up." He said before capturing her lips in a deep kiss. Her eyes were open in surprise, then bugged out in shock as he quickly dominated her mouth and making her melt in his arms.

(With Yoruichi)

"Nice." She said from her vantage point, ready to start her long awaited match with her favorite little bee. "But fifteen hits on a ten second kiss? You can do better than that Ichigo."

(With Kyoraku)

'Well, that's one way to keep someone quiet.' Thought Kyoraku as he watched the display, his lieutenant blushing next to him.

"I take it I'm late?" He turned to see his oldest friend finally arrive with the shield, but the Sokyoku was not attacking again... yet. "So that's Ichigo?" He said, finally seeing the leader of the Ryoka in the flesh. "I'd daresay Rukia is finally fulfilling a fantasy right now."

"Yeah." Kyoraku agreed. "She could've hidden that crush of hers better."

(With Renji)

'Amazing.' Thought the tattooed lieutenant. 'Even now the gap has only widened between us. In strength and courage.' He lamented, never having the courage to admit his own feelings to anyone, even himself. 'If it makes her happy, then fine. Good luck Ichigo. You'll need it.' He then glanced to his captain whose eye was twitching in the most subtle way possible. 'Because I have NEVER seen captain Kuchki this mad before!'

(With Ichigo)

'That should do it.' Ichigo thought as he pulled back, a trail of saliva between him and Rukia, to see her still red face and dazed eyes and became a ragdoll in his arms. 'Claims to have lived ten of my lifetimes. You'd think she was kissed at least once before.' The moment was ruined by a loud screech of the Sokyoku, readying itself for the next strike. He straightened himself out and started spinning his Zangetsu's released form by the cloth on the tang, creating a blur of white and black. "Bring it." He challenged, gathering his Reishi into the blade as he charged his signature blade skill. "Getsuga," He let the length of the cloth extend to match the distance between him and the monstrous bird, "TENSHO!" He yelled out, bringing the strike down across the phoenix and tearing a massive gash in it's body. At the same time, a cable wrapped around the body of the great blade as Kyoraku and Ukitake performed the ritual to destroy the Sokyoku.

"Oh come on!" Zangetsu cried out. "I could've taken that oversized toothpick!"

"This is the plan, deal with it." The Quincy manifestation scolded.

'If it wasn't for the fact that I can manifest you guys physically, I'd think I was going insane.' Ichigo thought as the Sokyoku exploded in a flash of light. Ichigo took the chance of momentary confusion to scope out what allies he had down there. Yamamoto was out as he needed to prove Aizen's guilt first. The two captains weren't an option because they must be who the old man picked and must used for the ruse. Kenpachi was Kenpachi, so hell no. Leaving only one choice, the man that begged Ichigo to save Rukia. The tattooed lieutenant standing right next to the man glaring at him with the intent to kill. 'Not a problem there.'

"IchiGO!" Rukia muttered, having come to consciousness, before Ichigo pulled her into a bridal carry. "What are you-" She tried to ask as Ichigo flashstepped in front of Renji and slammed his foot into Byakuya, sending him flying.

"Take her and run. NOW." Ichigo ordered, passing Rukia off to the tattooed man.

"Uh, right." He said, still in shock at everything he witnessed. "Right!" He started running away from the assembly of captains and lieutenants, trusting Ichigo to keep them off their back. All the lieutenants that were not in the know looked at their colleague in shock before Soi-Fon gave the order to chase after Renji. However, lieutenants Izuru, Iba, and Hisagi were more focused on payback for their humiliation as Ichigo stood between them and Renji. They were joined by Isane and Squad 1's Chojiro Sasakibe. The lieutenants charged at Ichigo and just when the giant masked captain of the seventh tried to warn them, Ichigo appeared behind the group of lieutenants, all of whom were sent flying back by swift punches and kicks.

"So fast." The masked figure gasped in shock, almost unable to keep track of the boy. "No wonder he's a captain's only opponent." He growled, ready to take on the boy before he felt a hand grasp his wrist.

"Don't you dare Komamura." Kenpachi growled. "This is not your fight." Even through the mask the berserker could feel the larger figure demanding answers in his gaze. "Kuchiki's called dibs on this." He said, just as Byakuya reappeared and tried to attack the ryoka. "Anyone that can see this is a personal matter of honor for him. I may love fighting, but even I don't get involved in another man's fight. Not this kind."

"A brute like you having a sense of honor?" Kaname asked, surprised and on guard. "Of justice?"

"Hell no! Kuchiki will never shut up if you interfere. That's all." The scarred warrior told them. "Now let's go. The lieutenants are down and the traitor's escaping." He told them as they all charged toward Renji and Rukia.

(With Yamamoto, Kyoraku, and Ukitake)

"Well that's happening." Kyoraku commented, watching the three captains charge off. "And it's only getting worse." He turned to see Soi-Fon attacking the 3rd seat duo of the 13th that Ukitake brought with him. "Jushiro, we should go!" He said grabbing onto his old friend.

"You two," growled the Commander, "this act of treason is inexcusable!" He yelled, subtlety hinting in an old gesture known only to them to get moving. "I will have to punish you both PERSONALLY!" He roared just as the two finally flashstepped away, aiming for a safe distance. 'So it begins.' He thought before heading to where they were jumping to.

(With Soi-Fon)

"Treason is unforgivable!" She yelled, silently berating herself for that foolish order earlier. Kiyone was under her foot, having her lungs crushed under the great strength of the petite captain. Before she could continue, she was tackled off of the hill by a masked assailant. "Hey! Who do you think you are!?" She demanded.

"You were always excitable, but you seem a little distracted." The masked figure teased as she removed her coverings. "Hey there Soi-Fon, I missed you." Shed said with a cocky grin.

"Y-Yoruichi!" She gasped. All at once, a flood of memories and emotions hit her. The sense of betrayal and hate from when she left, anger that drove her to get as strong as she could, and a sliver of hope that what Tatsuki said was true. All this as they continued their fall into the forest below.

(With Unohana)

She was sitting on the beast form of her Zanpakuto, flying toward her division to drop off most of the defeated lieutenants. Her own lieutenant and Sasakibe were the least injured as he was privy to the plan. He still had several fractured ribs but he and Yamamoto knew enough healing kido to fix that problem. Now was time for her mission, letting Hitsugaya get into the C46 chambers first to act as an unknown variable to let Aizen think he's still in control, if he is a traitor. If he was, she would stop him. She passed over where her successor was already distracting Tousen, as evidenced by the big black dome.

'Don't kill him yet Zaraki. Not until we get definitive proof.' She thought as she continued their flight in silence.

(Earlier With Kenpachi)

The three were making their way toward Rukia and Renji, Zaraki keeping up with the other two on pure running strength instead of flashstep. Tousen slowed himself down to sustain a conversation with the one man he thought would threaten the peace and the last to side with justice.

"This was odd of you Zaraki." He said, getting a curious glance from the one eyed man. "I always figured you for a brute and the last to care about justice and honor."

"Of course I don't care about any of that crap." He said before quickly slamming his fist into Kaname's face and stopping the chase. "I just figured that was the best way to get you out of the way."

"Kaname!" Komamura yelled, watching his friend fly into a building with the force of the strike. "Zaraki!" He roared in anger, unsheathing his blade to strike at the scarred man. Years of fighting and experience allowed him to catch the larger captain's hand and wrist and throw him toward his friend.

"I'm actually surprised you two didn't hear anything about it." He said as the two captains prepared to fight as he unsheathed his worn chipped blade.

"Kenny and Ichi are friends now!" Yachiru chirped from her place on Kenpachi's back. "Kenny fights alongside Ichi, and Ichi will fight Kenny as much as he wants!"

"Yeah, basically." He agreed before telling the small girl to wait on the sidelines. "Ichigo wants to save her, I want to fight him again, so I have to protect her. The only way you two are getting past me is if I'm dead." Tousen was the first to stand up.

"I always knew you would destroy the peace we worked so hard to maintain." He said, unsheathing his blade to prepare for the coming fight. "As a man of peace and a captain of the Gotei 13, your very existence is unforgivable. For the sake of justice, you must die! Bankai!" He called, placing a hand on the ring on the tsuba of his blade, making it grow and multiple, sending them around the two combatants while Komamura got out of the attack's range. The rings created a vacuum of darkness that removed almost all of Kenpachi's senses as the bankai enveloped them both. "Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Korogi." He said, finalizing the technique. "Welcome to this mumyo hell Zaraki, where all senses of sight, scent, sound, and Reishi sense become numb. Are you afraid?" He said as he slashed the man before him. "Any warrior, no matter how skilled, will feel fear when deprived of there senses so suddenly." Zaraki tried to move before getting slashed again as Tousen kept moving. "It's useless. You are too slow to counter me. Your loss of senses will be the-" He tried to boast when Zaraki almost struck him. 'What the, how?' He questioned, feeling concern when he was in his element.

"I don't know if you can hear me, or if I'm even making a sound." Zaraki said, not hearing himself but feeling himself speaking. "But you just missed your one chance to kill me." Kaname felt himself grow more and more afraid. "You wouldn't understand it, but let me tell you something. What it means to be the Kenpachi." Tousen made another strike, that he managed to keep from becoming fatal and made his counter attack which missed, but barely. "The Kenpachi is one who cannot fall in battle, the greatest warrior of the 13 Court Guard Squads. One that has fought countless battles and earned countless victories. To that end, I have lived for fighting. The one thing that excites me, makes my blood boil. Throughout all those countless fights, I have something you will never understand. Instinct." He said as he dodged and countered again. "Instinct that keeps me focused, helps me adapt, even if I can only feel the sharp edge of your blade." He told Tousen, shocking the blind man at the revelation that the demon in human skin was figuring out the one weakness of his bankai. "That one thing is more than enough for me to control this battle. But, as much as this bores me, it suits my needs just fine." He said, dodging the next, sloppy, attack and grabbing hold of Tousen's hand and hilt. "I'm supposed to keep you occupied, traitor."

"What!?" Kaname froze. His technique failed him, failed to let him kill this monster before him. However the accusation surprised him more. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you are suspected of treason. Ichigo told the old man, who told Unohana, who asked me to keep you occupied." Zaraki explained. "She'll go to the Central 46. If she finds Aizen alive, you are guilty of treason." The blind man began to shake at the revelation of the ruse coming undone, after more than a century of planning, all because the old man took a chance to trust a ryoka. "I couldn't care less what was going on, but it looks like the claims are true." He said, before kicking the man in the gut and sending him back, returning to those empty senses. "Now you have two choices. Dispel your bankai and use what time you have to try and catch Rukia, just to gamble on the chance that I won't be able to cut off your legs. Or try your luck in here, where your chances of hitting me grow slimmer by the second." There was a pause as Kaname weighed his choices. "Or till I get bored, then I'll just break your legs." The realization dawned on him, there was no chance for him to win.

'Wait, there's still Komamura.' He remembered as he went after Zaraki again. He doubted his friend would abandon him against a foe like Zaraki, so he decided on that gamble. As expected, Zaraki caught him again, slashed him down the middle. Enough to slow him down, not enough to kill him. The bankai dispelled a second later.

"I told you." He said, throwing the injured swordsman to the ground. "Try to run and I'll cut off your limbs!" He roared as he brought his blade down, only to be blocked by the arm guard and helmet of Komamura. Tousen took the chance to run, losing precious seconds because of his injury. "Oh yeah, forgot about you." Zaraki said as the helmet broke apart. "I thought you would have gone after the girl." The face revealed underneath was that of a wolf. "So that's what was under that mask."

"You're not afraid?" The wolf man asked, unsheathing his blade.

"The only thing I'm afraid of is never finding a worthy opponent or losing what ones I find." He prepared for the new fight. "Your looks are the last things I care about."

"Of course you would only have such shallow interests." He said flaring his Reiatsu. "Be warned, I'm not as kind as Kaname. I'll meet you in your path of carnage and kill you for your crimes against the peace."

"I'm just acting on the old man's orders." He said lazily, making the beast man pause.

"What?" He growled, shocked that Yamamoto would give any such orders for Zaraki's actions.

"Tousen is suspected of treason." He explained, annoyed that he had to do it a second time. "Unohana is off trying to verify the evidence against him. I was supposed to keep him busy till then."

"You're lying!" Komamura roared. "Tousen would never betray Soul Society! Bankai!" He yelled out, summoning his massive puppet. "Kokujo Tengen Myo'o! I will kill you for your accusations!" He yelled, refusing to believe that his friend was a traitor as he swung his blade, the giant armored figure copying him.

"Have it your way!" He roared in response, blocking the attack with the area around them cracking under the pressure.

(With Soi-Fon and Yoruichi)

They were already fighting, one on one. The moment they landed and separated, she immediately ordered the assassination unit of the Onmitsukido to evacuate. She was not interested in taking chances, not interested in letting any moment of pause distract her from her duties. Fact, Yoruichi is considered a criminal and a traitor for abandoning her post. Fact, her mission was to apprehend Yoruichi. Fact, she hated her for leaving her behind all those years ago. Fact, Tatsuki telling her that Yoruichi left her behind for her sake nearly crushed her resolve.

'No!' She denied, focusing on her fight, furiously exchanging punches and kicks to the other. 'She's a traitor! Not my lady anymore! I must kill her!' She thought, managing to send her flying back with a kick. 'I'm not that weak little girl that looked up to you!' She charged, tears starting to form in her eyes as Tatsuki's words echoed in her mind.

"She ran because of a false charge on her allies." The words reverberated in her head, remembering Kisuke and Tessai. "She left you because she didn't want you to become a criminal for her sake. She loved you too much for that."

'Shut up! She abandoned me! She left me!' She raged against the traitorous memories as her movements became sloppy. 'She wouldn't leave me behind out of concern! She would've told me if there was something going on! She would've trusted me!' She thought as Yoruichi continued to block, looking at her old protege with a concern that Soi-Fon was blinded to in her frenzy.

(With Yamamoto and others)

They sat, watching and feeling the battles around them begin. Most of them were enjoying tea, Sasakibe and Nanao competing over who made the better tea, while the Head Captain and Kyoraku had some sake instead. He remarked that the events and possible revelations to come put his nerves on edge for the first time in a long while.

"He must have really angered Kuchiki for him to go that hard right off the bat." Kyoraku commented, pouring his old teacher another cup.

"He is strong and a dedicated warrior, but he will not beat that boy." Yamamoto said as the two warriors clashed in the distance. "He has grown overconfident and complacent in his power. As a noble and a captain whose had centuries of training to hone his skills, he cannot believe that a human with Shinigami powers could ever really match him. In his eyes, Aizen didn't try to fight and Zaraki is a mindless brute." He took a drink to calm himself. "He has long had the power to back his arrogance, but Ichigo will test that mettle. And he will break it. Watch him well Shunsui, Jushiro. Right or wrong, that boy will be my next disciple. He has too much potential to just waste." He said, and to hell with the C46 if they try to stop him. This boy would be their ace against the Quincies.

(Ichigo Vs Byakuya)

Their blades were locked against each other, the massive Zangetsu and the unreleased Senbonzakura, as both warriors glared at each other. Byakuya, with hate and anger, and Ichigo, with will and determination. They separated and clashed a few more times.

"Byakuya, why didn't you try to save your sister?" Ichigo grunted against his opponent's strength.

"She was ordered to die by the law, the law I swore to uphold!" He growled back, losing his cool against the man that failed him... and defiled his sister, but mostly failed him. "I vowed to follow and never break the law on my parents' grave!"

"Even if that meant killing your sister?" Ichigo demanded.

"You were supposed to clear her name!" Byakuya roared in anger. "I'm bound by my word, so you were all the hope I had left. You would clear her name, take your sentence, and she would be free. But now, all of Soul Society wants her dead. Her fate is sealed and its all your fault!" He pointed the tip of his blade to the ground. "And I swear, I will kill you for this. Bankai." He released his blade, creating a tunnel of massive katanas which collapsed into petals. "Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

"Huh." Ichigo noted as the swarms of petals moved. "This might be fun."