Chapter 22

The roar of a large centipede-like Hollow was enough to make even the little stones on the ground tremble. Its many legs were the size of a normal human leg because of its huge size. Not to mention that it emitted some kind of venom every time it spitted some kind of dark greenish liquid.

"So, do those two really have a romantic relationship?" Kenpachi asked just as he swung his sword at one of the creature's legs. A huge grin was on his face as he studied the gigantic creature in front of them. The creature came out of nowhere and suddenly lunged at them for an immediate attack.

"Tch. I didn't think you're the type to pry on other people's business." Shinji said just as he dodged a very deadly liquid that came out of the Hollow's mouth. "And besides, we don't have the time to talk about them right now. This one's an Adjuchas, you know. Don't slack off!"

"Hah." The huge Taichou of the Eleventh Squad laughed just as he cut off some of the centipede's legs. "Scared?"

"Hmm." Shinji grinned just as he cut off some legs too. "Not quite."

"Then it's fine, right? To talk, I mean." Kenpachi shunpo'd towards the back of the creature just as the blonde slid underneath it. "This playtime is over anyway." And the two sliced the Hollow together – the larger male cut it from the back and Shinji cut it from its stomach.

"Playtime, you say?" Shinji said as he sheathed his sword. "This small fry? Not even close." They both looked at the disintegrating Hollow and both grinned at the fact that their boredom was lessened even for just a while. The Taichous stood there staring at the place where the Hollow disappeared from for some more moments before Shinji started speaking again. "Why do you want to know? About their relationship, I mean. It's not that big of a deal, you know."

Kenpachi grinned. "Nothing much. I just want to have some fun annoying the hell out of that Kuchiki bastard."

"Use the information against him and annoy him to the fullest?" The blonde's grin widened. "Or maybe we can use it to make him fight us."

"Nah. Just fighting us would be boring." The huge Taichou started walking, not realizing that he was already walking in the direction that Shinji wanted him to go in the first place. "I want him to experience how it feels for his noble pride to shatter a little. And I feel that Ichigo still doesn't know how that noble feels. It will be great to use that."

"And how in the world are you going to do that?" Shinji arched an eyebrow at that. "Can I take part in that experiment of yours?"

No, they weren't being mean. They just wanted some fun in their still boring infiltration mission. Since the main characters weren't likely to appear in front of them yet, it would be nice to have some entertainment in their journey. And besides, they both realized earlier that Byakuya's feelings were already obvious, at least to everyone else except the person himself and also the subject of his affection. They, as senpais/friends of the two, needed to do something about it, right?

Kenpachi's wide grin turned totally manic. "You're already part of it." And that made Shinji stop and stare at his co-taichou in confusion. "I'll tell you as we walk."

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

"Are you sure you can handle them on your own, Byakuya-bo?" Shunsui asked while wearing a goofy expression.

The squeaking noise started again just as several giant rat-like Hollows appeared from everywhere, encircling the two of them. There were at least twenty of them, eyes hidden with white masks.

"Tch. I told you repeatedly not to call me that." The answer was enough for Shunsui as he sat in a nearby place while Byakuya was surrounded. The raven was much more like Kenpachi anyway, especially when things like those were present. He didn't want any help.

"Ah, Ichigo-kun!" Shunsui suddenly called, distracting Byakuya from his fight. It seemed the mere name was enough to make the raven stop and look. The noble gave a cold glare at the older male, since Ichigo was nowhere to be found, but the brunette only looked at him innocently. "I really felt his reiatsu earlier, Kuchiki-taichou!"

"Please be quiet." Byakuya voiced coldly before he sliced one of the giant rats in half, effectively turning it into dust. Shunsui grinned to himself as he marveled at the fact that he managed to fool Byakuya. So Ichigo's name was enough to distract him, huh...?

Byakuya dodged a particularly swift movement from another Hollow before he used his zanpakutou's ability, the sakura petals, and turned them all into dust in one move. He was annoyed at the fact that Shunsui was messing with him in the worst possible way. Using Ichigo to irritate him in purpose was way too out of line. It greatly annoyed him. The noble's eyebrows furrowed when, indeed, he could feel Ichigo's reiatsu from a distance, though barely. It seemed the teen was fighting, but with minimal reiatsu so he wasn't at all concerned. Ichigo was stronger than him… There's no need to worry for the other taichou. Or at least that's what he hoped.

"Shall we now head to the place where Ichigo-kun and Hitsugaya-taichou are?" Shunsui asked, earning a nod from the other taichou. "Alright, let's go!" The older taichou was still grinning even after they left the place.

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

"Tch. You bastard…" Toshirou gritted his teeth as he slashed one of the winged Hollows. He sighed when it disintegrated into thin air. The Hollows were hard to fight against because they have the ability to break his ice with just their powerful kamaitachi. It's awfully annoying, to say the least. Not to mention he was injured…

He barely had the time to look in Ichigo's direction before another one attacked and he found himself driven into a corner, literally and figuratively. He looked at Ichigo but saw that the guy was also busy and shouldn't be distracted. He needed to fight the thing on his own for now.

Ichigo gritted his teeth as he fought one-winged Hollow after the other. He knew that Toushirou was starting to get exhausted and he knew that wasn't good. But his hands were so full he didn't even have the time to look at his companion. He could only tell from the fluctuating reiatsu that the other Taichou was giving off.

He knew he probably shouldn't do anything that might destroy the place and bury them alive, but he had no choice. "Getsuga Tenshou!!" He shouted before he made a horizontal slicing motion from his sword and let his immense reiatsu flew out. He panted as he watched his technique destroy several Adjuchas, leaving him without any more enemies to deal with. He immediately shunpod over to Toshirou and help the guy defeat the remaining Hollows.

"…Thanks, I guess." Toshirou voiced in exhaustion as he looked sideways at the orange-haired Shinigami. "Are you alright?"

Ichigo smiled. "Yeah. I'm not tired." He knew that it would be disastrous if he were to feel fatigued right now because they were in the middle of a mission but he still had no choice but to fight lest he wanted to die… or worse, become a burden to everyone.

"Kyouraku-taichou is coming." Toshirou said after a while and they both looked at the place where they knew the two Taichous would appear from.

After several minutes, Shunsui and Byakuya's figures appeared from the distance and Ichigo couldn't help but smile as he sighed in relief. He's safe too. He knew that Byakuya was alright because the man was strong. But seeing him personally was a lot better. It made the teen feel warm. It seemed it was far too late for him… It was already too late to make Byakuya leave his heart now… For now, he didn't know if it was a good thing or not – well, most likely it wasn't a good thing – but he'd try to be mature enough to take responsibility and face his feelings. He scowled a bit when he heard Shiro cheering in his inner world, as if the Hollow had won something.

He sighed. His whole body felt lighter now that he managed to accept that someone was important to him more than anyone again. He hadn't felt that light in such a long time now. But it wasn't the type of light feeling that was normal. His heart felt so at peace… and yet he also felt giddy and excited for some unknown reason. He had only been separated from Byakuya for a short time so he couldn't understand why he would feel so happy and excited at the sight of the older male. Maybe Byakuya was a lot closer to him now than he realized…

Shunsui waved a hand at them and Ichigo waved back kindly, though in a little bit slower manner than the other. "Are you two okay?" Shunsui voiced when they got nearer.

"Yes, just a bit exhausted." Toshirou shrugged before they started walking towards the direction where they could feel Shinji and Kenpachi's reiatsus.

"So, how do you think we should go out of here?" Shunsui asked as he looked at his three companions.

"We just have to go way up there." Toshirou answered flatly as he pointed upward. "I'm sure it won't be that much of a hassle if we use these trees as leverage." For a second they thought he was being sarcastic. But by the end of his second statement, they already knew he was being serious.

"Although, it will be harder than we think." Shunsui voiced goofily. Both Ichigo and Toshirou scowled at him for contradicting the white-haired teen's idea so abruptly. "No, no. I didn't mean to offend you, Hitsugaya-taichou. I only want to take into consideration the hundreds of Gillians that will be attracted to our reiatsus the moment we climb up there."

"We encountered a lot of them earlier." Byakuya voiced with a straight face, backing up Shunsui unintentionally.

Ichigo blinked before he smiled. "I see." Byakuya's eyebrow furrowed at the fact that Ichigo seemed different somehow – like he'd grown and matured a little. Not to mention he seemed a little brighter than the last time he saw the male… And he couldn't help but smile a little. Luckily, no one saw him because at that time they all felt Shinji and Kenpachi's reiatsus nearing them.

Shinji immediately ran over to their side the moment they saw one another and the blonde was ecstatic at the fact that he wasn't alone with Kenpachi anymore. "Ichigo, I missed you!!" He said before he hugged the living hell out of the teen.

"Sh-Shinji..!" Ichigo blurted in surprise, before he reddened a little in embarrassment. Unbeknownst to him, however, Shinji's face was full of malicious grin as he looked at Byakuya and the others who were behind Ichigo. The raven had a terribly dark aura surrounding him and he was glaring at the ground, obviously doing his best to stay calm.

Kenpachi gave the blonde a silent thumbs-up and Shinji finally let go of the teen. Ichigo was left so confused about what actually happened, but all he felt was Byakuya's intensely dark aura and Kenpachi and Shinji's victorious expressions. Shunsui looked amused for some reason and Toshirou just looked plainly exasperated. Maybe Kenpachi and Shinji did something to annoy Byakuya…

"So, how are we going to get up there now?" Kenpachi asked as he felt so proud of his accomplishment. Byakuya was definitely fuming despite the usual cold look that he had, if the dark aura that still kept on coming out of him was any indication.

Shunsui told both Shinji and Kenpachi of the plan but also told them of the risks. Together with Toshirou, they decided to think of some plan – though Kenpachi wasn't listening that much since he was built to fight, not to make complex strategies.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo asked Byakuya quietly as they too listened to the plan.

The raven was a little surprised that Ichigo seemed concerned. But the teen was kind. Of course he'd be concerned… And yet, seeing the worried look on Ichigo's face was enough to ease his anger a lot. He knew he was being irrational, falling for such a cheap trick as making him jealous. But he couldn't help it. He knew it was cheap, but the anger and jealousy that gripped his heart tightly were real… "I'm fine. They just annoyed me a bit." Ichigo nodded and smiled at him, making him pat the teen's head again.

"Alright." Shunsui's voice made them both focus on the plan more. "We'll rest here for a while."

"What?" Kenpachi, who was obviously not listening, blurted out. "We're not tired yet! There's no need to–"

"Kyouraku-taichou is right, Zaraki-taichou." Toshirou voiced. "We need our full strength in order to get out of here. We need to be as stealthy as possible because those Gillians might not be strong enough to defeat us, but their number is definitely to be feared."

"Not to mention we cannot just use full strength because the place might collapse if we use too much reiatsu on them." Shinji added.

"Tch." Kenpachi said as he sat with legs crossed right then and there. "Wake me up if we're already leaving." He leaned on a tree branch and closed his eyes to sleep. The others also followed him and they all sat facing one another, forming a circle. It's also a good strategy because they could watch out all directions.

Ichigo could feel his body turning cold. Just the thought of finally telling Byakuya about that body weakness of his was enough to make him so nervous. He knew he needed to tell the man sitting quietly beside him now while they still had a quiet time, but he feared that Byakuya would feel pity for him. Or worse, he'd feel indifferent about it. Ichigo was weak, he knew that much, and he was afraid to be hurt more than anything. But earlier… Byakuya was in pain… And he knew that he feared that more than fearing pain for himself.

"Bya–"

"Ichigo," Ichigo blinked when Byakuya spoke his name at the same time, making him falter. Byakuya looked sideways at him and continued. "Here." He brought out a steamed bun in a paper bag from inside his sleeves. Everyone immediately looked at him oddly. Even Ichigo looked surprised. How could Byakuya have something like that inside his sleeve all the time while he's fighting? "Abarai-fukutaichou bought them in one of his missions in the living world and wanted me to give some to you."

The others looked at the raven suspiciously, especially since the bun came from another man. But Ichigo only smiled brightly and thanked Byakuya for it.

"You may also get some if you want." Byakuya voiced coldly at the suspicious eyes on him. "And I was telling the truth." He added when he saw Shinji's particularly malicious grin.

"Alright, manjuus!!" Shunsui exclaimed excitedly before he came over to Ichigo's side and asked for some. Of course, the teen was much too kind to give everyone some while he and Byakuya ate silently and contentedly.

Afterwards, the six of them decided it was time to do some climbing and readied their limbs and reiatsu for it, though they were all careful not to draw any attention to themselves. They climbed swiftly upward for several minutes and were almost relieved, but the sight of a dark ceiling with no way out greeted them. There were also some Hollows on the way trying to chase them.

"We need to break it." Kenpachi voiced and, without waiting for an answer, readily punched the bricks, giving them entrance.

"Good work." Shinji and Shunsui grinned at him before they all climbed upward.

"I never thought I'd like light so much." Shinji said as he eyed the torches on each side of the wall.

"Look, everyone. Jackpot." Shunsui voiced as he pointed at a light not too far away from them. It seemed to be some kind of exit, though they weren't entirely sure yet.

"Shall we go?" Ichigo asked as they all started walking towards it.

"We should be careful though. This place is really annoyingly full of cheap and ancient booby traps." Toshirou muttered as they walked. They could see the light to the exit but it seemed like they weren't getting any nearer at all. After a while, they could already feel their impatience and annoyance at the out-of-reach light.

"Is it just my imagination or it looks like we're not getting any nearer?" Shinji asked in annoyance. "That damn door… we're not getting any nearer at all…"

"I think that might actually be the case… Or else…" Shunsui answered as he too eyed the unchanging scenery before them. "It was a lot bigger and farther than we think."

"Look." Ichigo voiced as he pointed upward. They all followed the teen's fingers and saw that they couldn't see the ceiling any longer. "It seems the ceiling is getting higher and higher."

"It means the exit is a lot bigger than it looks." Toshirou said in understanding. "Should we hurry up?"

Kenpachi and Shinji grinned at one another before they both broke into a run, leaving the other Taichous face-palming at their attitude. Ichigo and the others immediately followed after the two Taichous and they all shunpod swiftly towards the exit.

It took them at least another half an hour before they reached the huge opening. They felt immediate relief at the sight of it as it got bigger and bigger by the second. What they saw when they came out, however, was something they never even dreamt of seeing in Hueco Mundo. Clear blue sky…

"Am I dreaming?" Shinji asked as he pinched Kenpachi's arm without a second thought.

"I can't feel any pain at all. Maybe you're right. You might really be dreaming." Kenpachi snickered. "Either that, or you're just too weak to pinch me." Shinji found himself with a huge vein of annoyance on his forehead as he started pinching the other Taichou more.

"There are three doors." Toshirou pointed out as he looked at the three doors on the other side of the huge empty room. Or rather, it was supposed to be a room, only without a ceiling. They all walked towards the said doors quietly but immediately stopped in the middle of the room. "There are three powerful Hollows coming."

And just as Toshirou said that, a series of attacks flew towards them at the center of the room. The six Taichous swiftly shunpod away from the explosion and smokes, immediately realizing that the enemies probably separated them on purpose.

"Goodness, why do I always end up with you?" Kenpachi muttered as he eyed Shinji curiously. The latter looked offended but he knew the Eleventh Squad Taichou meant no harm.

"Maybe because we think alike?" Shinji managed to say before a huge Adjuchas swiftly attacked both of them. "I'd say bring it on!" He grinned as he and Kenpachi sliced the annoying Hollow in two. They both grinned as they finished the job without any sweat.

"Oh, it seems my partner changed." Shunsui mused aloud as he looked at Toshirou's scowl. "But I guess Hitsugaya-taichou is a lot better than Kuchiki-taichou."

"I'll make sure to tell him that." Toshirou said before they attacked the second Adjuchas together. He froze it all over before Shunsui used his twin sword to shatter the Hollow into pieces.

Shunsui also saw how easily Kenpachi and Shinji defeated their opponent and he felt a little disturbed. "I can't believe we defeated them so easily."

Ichigo and Byakuya were already finished on their side when Ichigo spoke. "Yeah, I think so too, Shunsui-san."

"You think it's a trap?" Toshirou asked both Ichigo and Shunsui as he himself thought of that possibility.

"That might actually be the case. Anyway, we shouldn't let our guard down just because we managed to defeat those weak opponents." Shinji said as he eyed the middle door. "Are we going to go separately from here on out?" The others shunpod over to him as he spoke.

"Two of us should go inside one door since there are three doors and six of us." Toshirou voiced as he looked at everyone. "And I personally think that Hirako-taichou should be together with Kenpachi-taichou because the two of you fight alike."

"And I think Byakuya-bo and Ichigo-kun can go to one door together since they think alike." Shunsui smiled kindly, not at all expressing any ulterior motives when he spoke. He chuckled when he saw Ichigo blush a little and Byakuya silently cleared his throat.

"So you mean we go together?" Toshirou didn't look happy at all and Shunsui tried his best to pout, though it didn't work much.

"Well, we should promise to come back together as one!" Shinji said as he held out his hand. Ichigo smiled at that and he also held out his hand, on top of Shinji's. Shunsui grinned and also did the same. Kenpachi looked bored, but he nevertheless cooperated. Toshirou looked embarrassed as he also put his hand on top of everyone's. Byakuya looked at everyone and closed his eyes, face filled with nothing but indifference as he also put his hand on top of Toshirou's. That action made everyone else smile at him, though he didn't act affected at all. "No matter what comes to us in this place, we should never yield to weakness and remain strong at heart! We will live and come back to Seireitei together!!"

Afterwards, they all went their separate ways and shunpod inside the door together with their partners.

Byakuya was looking ahead as he thought about Shunsui's words to him before they parted. Don't let Ichigo get exhausted. He now wondered what that meant. Well, no matter. He knew he'd protect Ichigo at all costs anyway. He then looked at Ichigo as the latter surveyed the place.

Ichigo noticed that the place once again has a ceiling. It's a little difficult to discern since it was too high and the place was a bit dark. But he nevertheless knew that they weren't alone.

"Byakuya, do you think they will attack us any time soon?" Ichigo asked as he eyed one particular dark corner while they both walked.

"They're weak. We will not have any problem at all." Byakuya answered with poise as he eyed the corner as well.

"What did you say!?" A sudden voice made them both stop as they looked in the direction where it came from. A tall, skinny figure suddenly came out and did a weird dancing move, and Byakuya and Ichigo both watched in disinterest. The Hollow immediately assumed a pose that the two Shinigamis knew was kind of lame. "Hey, Dondochakka!! Help me here!!"

"B-But I'm afraid, Pekche!!" A gruffy voice said as another Hollow appeared, totally huge and fat. He also made a pose beside the other Hollow as he came out. They both have unique features but both didn't have any ill will of their own.

"Hyaa!!" And they both watched as a small child appeared out of nowhere and made a pose in front of the two Hollows earlier. Ichigo did his best not to laugh at their antics.

"Shall we get going?" Byakuya voiced with cold disinterest, not even looking at the embarrassing figures anymore.

"Ah… yeah, I guess." Ichigo answered as he looked at the figures one last time.

"Hey, we're not finished yet!!" Pekche voiced as he made another lame pose. "What are you Shinigamis doing here!? We won't let you harm our Nel-chan!!"

"Yeah, Shinigamis are bad!! They always hunt us down and kill us Hollows!!" The little girl's shrill voice echoed throughout the hallway.

"T-They do nothing but hurt us, donchaknow!?" The Hollow named Dondochakka said loudly, though his voice wavered from fright.

Byakuya's expression immediately contorted into one of cold annoyance and he immediately held his Senbonzakura, ready to cut the Hollows, if it weren't for Ichigo's voice. "Cut that out and tell us where we can find your boss."

"Bosu?" The little girl repeated the word with innocence. "…bossu." Byakuya already started walking away since he knew his patience could only last a little more. He didn't want to suddenly snap in front of Ichigo of all people.

"No, I think he meant Bossu." Pekche told the others. "Bossu, bosu… bosom!" Ichigo felt like an idiot for asking them.

"Whatever." He voiced before he walked away, following Byakuya quickly. He could still hear Pekche's annoying voice and Dondochakka's loud one arguing about 'bossu' in the distance. And somehow, that exhausted him a lot more than those Hollows in the underground. He couldn't help but sigh.

"Ichigo–" Byakuya was about to say something but everything went completely still for him when he noticed something extremely disturbing. His eyes widened as he stopped walking, staring at Ichigo's back with obvious shock.

"What is it?" Ichigo immediately stopped when he noticed the older male's reaction and he immediately looked behind him to see what was wrong. Even his own eyes widened at what he saw. The snotty little girl from earlier was clinging onto him like a koala and he didn't even notice. He felt neither her weight nor her presence. Nothing at all. At least until now.

Byakuya immediately drew his sword and pointed it at the child, much to Ichigo's surprise. "Get off him." His voice was cold and serious, making Ichigo panic.

"No!" She said in defiance before she turned to Ichigo and grinned childishly. "What's your name?"

"B-Byakuya, let's listen to her first?" Ichigo tried to calm Byakuya down and immediately pried the child off him by grabbing her from the collar of her green shirt. He then put her down and stared at her. "How did you manage to sneak up on the both of us?"

"What's your name first!?" The girl pouted and crossed her arms.

"Er, Ichigo. You?" He sighed when the girl giggled.

"Itsygo! I'm Nel!!" She climbed up to him again and hugged the teen, much to both males' surprise. Byakuya was more than irritated and Ichigo was a little embarrassed.

"So you're Nel." Ichigo smiled at him. "Do you know where we–?"

"Bossu?" She asked wearing an innocent expression.

"Yes–, Er… No, forget that. Are there some other Shinigamis in this place?" Ichigo asked instead. Since the girl didn't seem to know what the word 'boss' meant, then he would just ask something that the girl clearly knew of.

"Shinigamis… You're here." She immediately answered.

"Aside from us." Byakuya voiced coldly. He wasn't a fan of children and he didn't want to. Ichigo couldn't help but smile inwardly at Byakuya's attitude.

"…You mean those bad guys?" She asked, pouting. Ichigo and Byakuya looked at one another before they asked more about the bad guys. "They… They killed the others and threw Nel away. They killed the other Arrancars." Byakuya's eyes widened at that. Ichigo was more worried about Nel who was about to cry so he didn't notice the change of expression in Byakuya's face though he still felt the noble's apprehensive reiatsu.

"Byakuya?" He called.

"If they are capable of killing some Arrancars with ease, then not only will they be a threat to Seireitei, they will also be a key to Soul Society's destruction. They will easily be able to tilt the balance between worlds." Then his eyes' expression changed again. "We have to destroy them as soon as possible."

Ichigo was already about to answer when they both felt a relatively strong reiatsu not too far from them. "It's strong." He voiced. "And it's coming closer at a very rapid pace."

"I'll deal with it." Byakuya said before he glanced at Nel. "Deal with the child." Ichigo prevented himself from actually laughing. Was Byakuya really that bad at dealing with children? No wonder the noble didn't like him at first, especially since both Byakuya and the Soutaichou still saw him as a child. And he couldn't help but sigh at that.

"Alright." He answered as he carried Nel again. He actually wanted to fight alongside Byakuya but he thought that Nel might do something if they took their eyes off her. It's not that the teen was suspicious of the child. It's just that the child was obviously a small Arrancar if they would look at her physical form. The only thing preventing him from actually seeing the girl as a threat was the fact that she carried almost no reiatsu at all even when he carried her. Or maybe that meant she could hide it pretty well even from the two of them…

"Take care, Bakuya." Nel beamed as she voiced the words and Byakuya stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around. Even Ichigo was surprised at the sudden change of Nel's mood. She was now drooling but she was still smiling.

"Hn. I will, brat." He voiced before he walked again. Ichigo couldn't help but smile again. Really, Byakuya was such a softie. He just didn't want to show it.

.

.tbc.

.