Chapter 20

How the hell they managed to become so strong, no one knew. But as the six taichous read the reports from other Shinigamis, they knew that their enemies were quite a formidable bunch.

"These three people are your current enemies." The soutaichou's droning voice echoed all throughout the room. He showed them three pictures on his table before he pointed to each of the photos. "This person is Jin Kariya, a bounto and someone who wants to have revenge in Soul Society for the experimentation and order of annihilation to their race." He said as he pointed to a man who had sickening crimson eyes and white hair. He was tanned and had an air of arrogance just from the look on his face.

The soutaichou then pointed his finger to the photo of an innocent-looking guy with dark blue hair and brown eyes. He looked older than the first male and a lot kinder too. "This person is Shusuke Amagai, a former unseated Shinigami who obtained an armament that can destroy the peace in Soul Society. He also wants revenge for the death of his father, also a Shinigami, at the hand of another."

Then Yamamoto pointed his finger to the third person. The male had dark, narrow eyes and sleek raven hair combed to the back of his head. He looked like an ordinary goon in Rukongai. "This person is Kugo Ginjo, a former Substitute Shinigami who also wants to have revenge in Soul Society for being used as a mere tool for the sake of Soul Society's safety."

No one talked for a while, now knowing what kind of connection the three people had. It seemed Soul Society have wronged so many people that now these people were coming back to bite it in the ass.

Shinji's bitter laugh rang out loud in the room. "So, in short, these people are just like the Vizards, used for their power and then thrown away like a rag doll once their usefulness was over." He sighed. "I wish Central 46 will be warier and not too hasty, nor too conventional, about their decision-making. It makes many people hate them and want to annihilate them, old man." By now, all of them knew that the soutaichou wasn't the one responsible for the things that kept on happening in Soul Society, as well as the harsh and quite heartless decisions made. It was the idiots in Central 46.

"Be quiet, infant." Yamamoto opened his eyes to let the young Taichous see the gravity of the situation. "Your mission is to infiltrate Hueco Mundo, where they are currently residing, and put a stop to their plans. I sent lower-ranking Shinigamis and most of them had been annihilated. So I divided the taichous into two. You six will be sent there to stop them while the remaining seven will remain here to defend the place. They already sent their 'regards' to us so it means they'll be expecting you. Failure will not be tolerated." He stomped his cane on the floor with a loud thud, signaling the end of the meeting, and all taichous immediately dispersed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When Ichigo arrived in his office to prepare for his departure that would be in an hour, he found his whole Division members waiting for him.

"Ichigo!!" Rukia immediately called when he entered the gate, though it seemed she regained her composure and cleared her throat. "I mean, Kurosaki-taichou, what's going on? The alarm suddenly went off!"

"I'll be on a mission for a while, Rukia." Ichigo said to the noble girl before his eyes turned to everyone. "I expect all of you to continue doing your duties in this Division even in my absence. Kuchiki-fukutaichou will be the highest in command while I'm gone. Show her the same respect you show to me." When they all voiced their assent, the teen continued. "There is an enemy threat to Soul Society and I expect your full compliance in case a battle ensues. Remember your training, especially those of you who just started in this Division. Understood?" When he heard another united assent, he smiled at them before he said his goodbye, at least for a while.

He went inside his office, aware that Rukia had followed him. "Ichigo, who are the ones supposed to go to this mission? Don't tell me you're alone?!"

He sighed before he turned to her as he started preparing his things. "No, there will be six Taichous in the mission including me. Byakuya will also be there." He smiled at the girl.

Rukia narrowed her eyes at the specific mention of her nii-sama. Of course, she was happy that Ichigo found her nii-sama to be someone he could depend on in case something happens. But… had they really gotten that close already? She brushed the topic off her head for now as she focused on the most important matter at hand. "But Ichigo, you know you can't overexert yourself. Unohana-taichou said that–"

"Rukia, the soutaichou knows about my condition." Ichigo simply shrugged. "If he thinks I cannot handle it, then he wouldn't have let me join in the mission." He put on his brown cape, since other Shinigamis often said that Hueco Mundo was a very cold place, before he patted Rukia on the head. "Don't worry too much about me, okay?"

And before Rukia could even react to his words or form a retort, he was already gone. She sighed as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She just hoped her nii-sama would immediately notice if Ichigo were to experience fatigue and collapse. And she wished that Byakuya wouldn't be his normal cold self and at least try to help Ichigo when that happens.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Byakuya sat on the porch of his house in a seiza. He was facing his beautiful garden but his mind had no time to appreciate the beauty in front of him and his eyes were closed in deep relaxation and concentration.

He was currently standing in the middle of his inner world, facing Senbonzakura. His eyes were wide as he took in the scene before him.

The cherry blossoms were not so dead anymore. In fact, some pink sprouts could be seen in their branches now. They're beginning to bloom. The soil could not be seen anymore for the short green grasses covered them entirely. The pond had so much water and so many koi fishes. He inhaled the fresh air and it felt so soothing, just like the scent of one orange-haired teen he was now getting so used to inhaling. The moon was still crescent, and Byakuya wondered if it had something to do with the fact that Ichigo liked a crescent moon more than a full moon. The teen told him that fact one time in one of their idle conversations.

"It's not so lonely and barren in here anymore, Master." Senbonzakura voiced what his own master was thinking. "It's not even cold anymore."

"…Hn." Byakuya answered as he surveyed the place. He couldn't believe that all of the things he was seeing now were brought upon by his feelings for the orange-haired Shinigami. Did that mean his feeling was slowly growing and turning into love?

Byakuya stiffened at the thought, especially when he saw the cherry blossoms starting to have buds. What if his feelings grew so much to the point that he could no longer control them? The thought alone brought upon doubts in his mind. What would become of him? He knew Ichigo wasn't the type of person to entertain feelings from other people, moreover romantic feelings from another male. He had a wall to protect his heart for Soul Society's sake!

"Master…" Senbonzakura called his master when he sensed Byakuya's unconscious fear. "You might want to break that person's wall first. It'll be a hindrance to you."

Byakuya glared at his zanpakutou. Aside from the fact that he didn't know how to do such a thing, there was no way he would destroy Ichigo's comfort zone just for his own satisfaction. He knew better than to do something like that. If Ichigo wants to lower his guard in front of him, he'd be grateful. But he wouldn't go so far as to break it. He himself feared what would happen if his own barrier was broken.

Senbonzakura couldn't help but form a strained smile from underneath his mask. It seemed his master was already falling really deep, though he silently feared that the teen wouldn't be there to catch the noble at the end of it. And with that, he knew he had to make sure that Ichigo falls for his master too.

An hour later, the six Taichous were standing in a worn-out-looking empty training field, waiting impatiently as Kurotsuchi-taichou explained the details of their would-be journey to the other dimension.

When he finished his manual explanation about important things and the huge garganta – the 'gate' in which they would use in order to get to Hueco Mundo – was opened, the Twelfth Squad Taichou smirked. "I'm not sure how long this garganta will hold out though. Make sure to hurry up in your shunpos. But don't worry, I'll make sure to collect your bodies to experiment on them if you die."

And of course, nobody listened to him anymore after he finished his second sentence. The six Taichous immediately jumped inside the huge eye-like opening and vanished to the other world. Everything was covered in darkness except for the smooth path of reiatsu that they were simultaneously making while running. All five Taichous' pathways, except Kenpachi's, were smoothly done. Only the brash Taichou's reiatsu did a ragged but strong path because his reiatsu control wasn't as masterful as everyone else.

"So, how long do you think we will run until we get there?" Shunsui asked in a chilled-out manner after some time. He was on the far left side of the group. Beside him was Kenpachi who had Shinji to his right. "My feet are kind of hurting now, you know!" The brunette's voice was whiny but everybody could tell he was merely trying to start a light conversation. It seemed that even he could feel the seriousness of the situation.

Kenpachi grunted. "If we see a light or something, then I guess that's it."

"I think we should be about half-way there by now." Shinji, noting that they were shunpoing really fast, pointed. "It's just a matter of minutes now." The blonde was beside Toshirou while the white-haired small Taichou had Ichigo on his right. On the far right side was Byakuya. Their shihakushos and haoris were swishing behind them as they shunpod fast enough that no normal eye could have seen them.

Ichigo could feel the Hollow inside him getting more and more excited by the moment and he couldn't help but feel that Shinji was actually right. He looked sideways at his companions for this mission and couldn't help but think that this mission wouldn't go as easy as their past encounters with enemies. Of course, Aizen was never easy to begin with, what with all the things he did and planned. Muramasa wasn't an easy feat either, though the guy wasn't as heartless as the former. Not to mention that his intention wasn't so much as for himself but for the sake of someone else. But this time, the three people that they would encounter, not to mention their subordinates, had reasons worse than the first two.

Ambition could only take you so far. It could only depend on your self-reliance and confidence. But revenge… It could make a man do things that were unheard of, could make everything turn to chaos, and make the truth and lies intermingle into one. It could turn any man insane and greedy, just as it could make anyone savage and violent – not to mention it could blind many. The feeling was dark and heavy, like something a person would want to take out of his system but couldn't. The only way to release the feeling was for him or her to see an enemy's blood, and lots and lots of it.

"Want to bet on who will be able to take down more enemies?" Kenpachi grinned as he voiced his suggestion. He had been mulling over that for over a minute now.

"You bet I will take down more than anyone else here." Shinji grinned as he looked sideways at Kenpachi who was directly on his left.

"Hah! Keep dreaming!" Kenpachi voiced aloud in a mocking tone, though his grin actually looked like it just widened tenfold.

Toshirou sighed, not wanting to take part in the nonsensical things the two other Taichous were betting on. If they kept that up, they would surely lose their next monthly wage… again. Ichigo sighed just some seconds after him. If Shinji and Kenpachi were the ones to team up, he bet they wouldn't only try to outdo the other. They would surely destroy the place too. Shunsui looked amused at the suddenly heated atmosphere beside him though he didn't bet on anything. He was more inclined in a witty battle than a fight of sheer brashness and power. Byakuya, being the stoic man that he was, didn't even act like he heard anything.

Toshirou looked sideways at Ichigo before he voiced his mind. "Kurosaki-taichou, will you be alright in this mission?" The orange-haired teen – who looked a little older than the white-haired Taichou who was in fact at least twice older than the former – looked at Toshirou with a confused expression before he saw the dead serious emerald eyes looking at him. Ichigo immediately knew what Toshirou was talking about.

Aside from Ichigo himself, only Shunsui, Kenpachi, and Toshirou knew about his weak health. He and Byakuya weren't that close before – though Unohana-taichou said she could have told the guy if she had the chance – and it wasn't like the teen to just expose his weak side to anyone, especially not to someone so strong and dependable like Byakuya. He couldn't bear to see pity in those beautiful gray orbs, not to mention indifference. 'Pity', he could tolerate, but 'indifference' was another matter of its own.

The teen also had no chance to tell Shinji, not that he was actually planning to tell it to the blonde. The fifth squad Taichou already had a lot of things to worry about and Ichigo didn't want to add up to the ever-growing pile. Shinji was the leader of the Vizards, and he considered Ichigo to be part of their little group. He would worry more about the orange-haired teen's well-being than he would if it was a subordinate. Aside from that was the fact that he would get it from Hiyori if she learned that he received that much damage from that battle even though she and the other Vizards did their best to train him. It was only for sixteen days, but she wouldn't think about that and just hit him with her favorite slippers. It had become her favorite hobby these past few months, with Shinji as the target practice.

Both Kenpachi and Shunsui looked sideways at Ichigo when they heard the statement. Even Byakuya couldn't help but glance at the white-haired Taichou for the obvious worry etched in the voice.

"Of course, I'll be alright. I'm stronger than you think, you know." Ichigo smiled kindly, touched at the sudden rush of concern from Toshirou's eyes. "I'll be fine."

"What do you mean?" Byakuya talked for the first time and the others actually blinked in order to remember that he was there. The raven was looking at the teen and he was so close to glaring, the kind of glare that Ichigo learned the noble usually used on people if he wanted something so badly. How he was able to figure that one out, he himself had no idea.

"Nah, Toshirou's just a little worried because it's such a large-scale mission, the first time for me too." Ichigo wasn't looking at Byakuya and the latter immediately knew that the teen wasn't telling him the whole truth. He could tell that Ichigo wasn't lying, but he wasn't telling everything either. And it annoyed him greatly that the others seemed to know, especially Kenpachi and Shunsui who were looking at the teen knowingly.

"Hn." The raven knew though that if Ichigo didn't want to tell him about it, then he couldn't do anything but wait until the teen was ready. Or if he ever would be... He looked in front of him, trying to suppress the sudden flash of pain that gripped him. He knew he was just one of those people who wanted to be closer to Ichigo. His relationship with the teen was nothing in comparison to the teen's relationship with Kenpachi, or Shunsui, or even Toshirou. Heck, he thought that the sakura trees in the Kuchiki manor had managed to spend time with the teen more than he did.

But still… he thought that he of all people had managed to at least get the teen's trust… if not his at-arm's-length friendship.

Toshirou looked at Ichigo meaningfully when the latter said those words to the raven, and with that, Shinji immediately knew that things weren't as simple as that. Now he wondered how he could get the teen to open up to him and Byakuya. It seemed that Shunsui and Kenpachi already knew from the moment their eyes flashed with something like concern too, if only for a brief second before they managed to hide it.

Ichigo sighed. He could feel Byakuya's barely noticeable disturbance in reiatsu and immediately knew that the raven somehow felt disturbed that he didn't know something almost everyone obviously knew. So it bothered the noble that Ichigo didn't tell him… He knew that Byakuya's reiatsu didn't feel any different, if not totally colder, to many Shinigamis. But for someone who was able to duel with the raven for at least four times now, not to mention the only one who managed to know what Byakuya's reiatsu felt like when the latter was relaxed – since Ichigo was always in the Kuchiki manor, not to mention the only one who could and would want to go to the place frequently – the teen could immediately tell that it wasn't coldness per se that gripped the noble's reiatsu tightly right now, but utter loneliness… and pain…?

The orange-haired taichou looked sideways to his right, where Byakuya was. Even though he could only see the expression of stoicism, coldness, and indifference on the noble's face, Ichigo was sure he could tell in the other's reiatsu that the raven was upset. However, it was so faint it was almost not there at all what with all the suppressing the raven was probably doing at the moment. Maybe it would be better to just tell Byakuya…

'You can just tell him about your body's condition, you know.' Muramasa voiced inside him. 'It's not as if he's the type to judge you by just that. You know that if he is, he wouldn't be your chichi's student.'

'And maybe he'll stop asking you for a spar too.' Shiro voiced inside him as well and Ichigo's eyes widened when he realized that fact too. 'If you like sparring with him so much, then I suggest you don't tell him. But if you care about your health for even a bit, then I suggest you say it.' The Hollow snickered inside him when they – his spirits – all felt his hesitation to tell the older male when just earlier he was almost deciding to tell him. 'Do you like sparring with him so much?' Shiro cackled manically inside his mind and he had the urge to suddenly go to his Inner World even for a second and beat the crap out of the guy. 'No, no. I guess the question should be like this, Ichigo. Do you like being with him so much?'

"What do you mean by that?" He asked with a furrowed eyebrow, momentarily forgetting about his dilemma of 'to tell or not to tell'. "Of course, I like being with Byakuya. He's a little stubborn and prideful sometimes, no, most of the times, but he's kind." Shiro cackled again and Muramasa came to Ichigo's rescue by beating the hell out of him, or at least trying to, because Ichigo was sure Shiro wasn't the type to get beaten so easily. The teen could feel the brunette zanpakutou's frustration even from the outside. He even heard Zangetsu sigh.

Ichigo looked at Byakuya and was about to tell him that he'd tell the raven about it some other time when Shinji's voice suddenly broke his line of thought.

"We're near the exit. I can already see the light of the door." The blonde voiced just enough for all of them to hear.

"Hah! Let's go!" Kenpachi shunpod faster and, before any of them could stop him, had already managed to disappear into the light. Shunsui could only sigh in half amusement and half exasperation before he too hurried up and dashed towards the exit. They all knew that the enemy knew they were coming. So what's the point of a stealth entrance, right?

"Annoying bunch of idiots." Toshirou mumbled just beside the orange-haired teen before he too hurried up in his shunpo and chased after their companions. And before Ichigo could even say anything, Byakuya had already shunpo'd out into the open too. He sighed as he stared at the raven's back. If only he'd been faster enough... He and Shinji were the last to enter the door-like opening into a passage.

But before they entered the passage, Shinji whispered something to Ichigo which made the teen's eyes widen and made his dash almost stop. "If he's so important to you, then you shouldn't let him worry about you more by keeping him in the dark."

The orange-haired taichou tried to open his mouth to retort, or possibly deny the part about Byakuya being so important to him, but he found out he couldn't find his voice. He was so caught off-guard by that comment and now he could only stare at Shinji as the latter smirked at the teen's reaction and caught up with the others.

When had Byakuya become important to him without his knowledge?

He felt Shiro smirk inside him just as both his zanpakutous nodded and his eyes widened at the realization. He didn't even deny the accusation. No, he couldn't deny it. He was careless. He let another soul get closer to his heart than what he wanted. It was hard to keep Renji and Rukia, and also the others, away from his personal barrier, but it seemed he was so focused on trying to shoo them away that he wasn't able to see that he left himself so vulnerable.

"Oy, Ichigo." Shinji called from the inside, trying to gain his attention again. The man was smirking, meaning he was obviously enjoying the shock that he gave his kouhai Vizard. "If you keep on spacing out, you'll get left behind." He added in a playful tone which earned him a glare from the teen.

Ichigo scowled as he looked away, obviously embarrassed at the fact that someone else managed to see how close he was getting to Byakuya while he himself was unaware of it. Both Kaien and Juushirou didn't keep their promises of not dying and leaving him behind. He didn't want that to happen again…

'Ichigo, you're not the little kid anymore who could only make others promise him to stay alive.' It was Zangetsu's voice in his mind right now. 'You are given this power, both Shiro's, Muramasa's, and mine, so you can protect those who are important to you, including yourself. Don't underestimate your power, or you'll lose the necessary resolve to control it.'

Ichigo started walking behind everyone quietly. Once in a while, someone would look behind them to see if the young Taichou was still following. The teen was lost in his own world. He kept on pondering about Zangetsu's words, and knew that the guy meant he could protect those who were important to him now. And that he didn't need to rely on promises…

'Words are empty without action, King.' Shiro voiced, and quite seriously too, rare for someone like him. After all, he was someone who always fools around and did his best to annoy everyone. 'Did I ever tell you I can hear your thoughts, King? And I think I might have heard something really nasty about me just now.'

'He means that there is only one thing to do, Ichigo.' Muramasa voiced this time, not even addressing Shiro's added statements. 'You just have to protect them. You are strong enough, though your body might be weak…'

'Don't overdo it though, Ichigo.' Zangetsu spoke. 'Remember that if you get hurt, someone else will shatter in deep pain because of you. On top of protecting those who are important to you, you should protect yourself more.'

Ichigo sighed as he listened to his inner spirits' inner ramblings and lectures. Heck, if it was that easy to protect other people, then he would've done it a long time ago. Not that he wasn't thinking they were right. He actually thought that what they were saying was true, well most of it – because Shiro was there too. But the thing was, the fear that had managed to grip and root itself inside his heart remained and he dreaded the fact that somehow, there was yet another person who was beginning to be more important to him than anyone else.

And he stopped walking completely. What did he mean by that? What did he mean by Byakuya was slowly becoming more important to him than anybody else? He couldn't understand what it meant but judging by the fact that Shiro was snickering inside him, it seemed his Hollow already understood.

He knew that the way he felt about Byakuya wasn't like how he felt about Renji or even Rukia, or Juushirou. It was different. But no matter what it was, it didn't change anything. And the fact was, he was scared…

.

.tbc.

.