Betrayal

"… Let's go home," Ichigo finally said. "We don't really have any business being here, now that we've got Inoue. Let Soul Society take care of things here; we have a home to protect, and I'll be damned if I'm not there to defend it!" He turned to Ishida and Renji. "We'll have plenty of chances to fight the Espada when Aizen tries to create the King's Key in Karakura, and let's not forget that the Espada can create their Garganta to get there while we're chasing them out here in Hueco Mundo." He shook his head. "We must stay vigilant and protect Karakura!"

Ishida and Renji nodded at him, accepting the logic. "Hmph," the Quincy scoffed lightly, "dunno when you grew a brain, but you made a couple of good points. Alright, Kurosaki, let's head back."

"What about Kaien-dono though?" Rukia asked, sending him a worried glance.

Kaien waved them off. "Go on, head back. I'll keep trying to subvert him from here. Just be sure to tell everyone I'm still around, 'kay? Don't want to get killed just yet!"

"How are we going to get back?" Chad queried. "I don't think Urahara's Garganta is still accessible, is it?"

"Even if it was, this place is hardly full of landmarks," Rukia pointed out. "I didn't bother to remember where it was, what about you guys?"

Ichigo and Renji shook their heads no. "I don't think Urahara kept it open," Renji added bitterly.

Kaien laughed. "Is that all you need? Not a problem for everyone's favorite former fukutaicho." He began charging his reiatsu, raising an arm. "The higher level Espada can do it just by gesturing, but I'm not up to that level yet…" Without warning, he whipped around, spinning Nejibana and creating a multitude of water, stabbing at Rukia.

Caught entirely by surprise, Rukia was unprepared for the assault. While she did manage to dodge the stab instinctively, one of the trident's prongs managed to graze her side right before a wave of crushing water slammed into her and forced her to her knees several feet away.

Ichigo drew Zangetsu immediately and Shunpo-ed in front of Kaien, his suspicions returning in full force. "You are not Shiba Kaien, are you?!" he accused.

The others had all drawn their weapons as well – in Inoue's case, her hands were at her hairpins, ready to create a defense or offense at a moment's notice – and had surrounded Kaien. "Of course I'm Kaien," the Espada said with a cocky grin. "It was just a test. Like Rukia told ya, I was the one who taught her how to use her sword. I just wanted to see how much she'd grown." He sent an honest smile her way. "You've gotten a lot better, Rukia. It used to be that you'd have been impaled by such a surprise attack."

"Why?" Rukia demanded, getting to her feet. "Why would you attack me like that, knowing that the old me would have died in an instant?!"

"Is it really so surprising?" Kaien asked. "After you killed me with your own two hands, and condemned me to this living hell in Hueco Mundo, is it so surprising that I would want to strike back, to kill the one who killed me?"

"You're really pissing me off!" Ichigo growled, his grip around Zangetsu's hand clenching.

"Ichigo!" Rukia barked. "Everyone, please. Stay back, let me handle this." Ichigo turned to see Rukia slowly draw her own blade. Making a decision, he took several steps to the side. The others followed suit, allowing Rukia unblocked view and access to the Espada. "Kaien-dono… when I stabbed him, when he was merged with that Hollow… he temporarily regained control of himself and spoke to me, hanging on through the pain of having his lungs filled with blood…" Her eyes flashed dangerously. "He thanked me for killing him before he could kill anyone, so he could die with a clear conscience! You may have Nejibana… you may have Kaien-dono's face, his memories… But Kaien-dono would never use a potentially lethal strike against someone he thought might not be able to handle it! You are not Kaien-dono!"

"What are you talking about?" Kaien asked with a grin, holding up his free hand. "I really am Kaie-"

"Don't say his name again!" Rukia screamed, letting her reiatsu flare in patterns around her. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki! Some no mai!" She Shunpo-ed out of Kaien's vision.

Kaien gasped, remembering what happened next. Sparing only a glance behind him to verify his findings, he saw that Rukia was indeed behind him, slashing the air with Sode no Shiraiyuki. He jumped away just as she cried out "Tsukishiro!" He was just in time to avoid the pillar of ice that erupted from a white circle under his feet.

Rukia whipped around, and seeing Kaien in the air, quickly stabbed four spots in front of her in the desert sand. "Tsugi no mai! Hakuren!" She sent a wave of ice at her former mentor.

Kaien countered by slashing Nejibana down into the blast, unleashing a torrent of water that delayed the Hakuren just long enough for Kaien to escape. "Have you forgotten who taught you to fight, Rukia? Some no mai, Tsukishiro. Tsugi no mai, Hakuren. I was there when you devised those attacks!" Kaien taunted. "You can't possibly think you'll catch me in them!"

"Stop acting like you're Kaien-dono when we both know you're not!" Rukai demanded, rushing him and raising her sword to slice him apart physically.

Kaien blocked easily. "You've got guts to try to kill the same man twice, Rukia!"

"SHUT UP!" Rukia screeched, slashing Sode no Shirayuki against Nejibana with all her strength with one hand. Her other one whipped up, palm towards Kaien. "Hado 33: Soukatsui!"

It struck Kaien directly in the face, making him reel back in pain, clutching at his face. When he moved his hand away from his face, Rukia could see that Kaien was mildly burned, and he looked rather pissed off. "That… was a mistake!" he snarled. "Zommari! Get the girl!"

Hearing the mild sonic boom of a Sonido, everyone whipped around to Inoue, where Zommari had appeared directly behind her and grabbed onto her arms firmly. "Aizen-sama requests you stay in your quarters," he said clearly to Inoue. "I am here to escort you."

"Souten Kisshun!" Inoue cried, her fairies forming an oval barrier around Zommari. As it happened, Zommari's hands were outside the barrier, and the barrier simply continued around his wrists.

When Zommari attempted to Sonido a second later, nothing happened. "What did you do, woman?" he demanded.

"Welcome to my Souten Kisshun," Inoue whispered. "This is my prison technique."

"This cannot stop me," Zommari stated calmly. "All I need do is knock you unconscious, and your power will disappear."

At that moment, Ichigo Shunpo-ed next to them and sliced Zangetsu straight down, attempting to cleave Zommari's hands off. Sensing the danger, Zommari quickly brought his hands back into the barrier, which closed up the moment he had. Now the Espada was completely trapped.

"I apologize, Aaroniero," the captured Arrancar stated slowly. "It seems I underestimated them."

"Then allow me to finish them," Kaien answered with a sigh, deflecting Rukia's next physical strike with ease.

Ichigo gripped Zangetsu more firmly. "I won't let you."

"No, Ichigo!" Rukia barked. "He's mine! Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" Kaien leapt up and to the side, dodging the wave of ice. "He's taken Kaien-dono's form, and pretended to be him! I… I need to do this. I need to be the one to finish him, to finish what I started so long ago."

"How touching," Kaien commented with a grin. "Instead of accepting your friend's help, you want to kill me, your precious Kaien-dono?"

"You are not Kaien-dono," Rukia responded, her voice as cold as her Zanpakuto's ice. "Aaroniero, was it? TELL THE TRUTH!" she bellowed.

A very deep voice answered her from within Kaien's head. "Very well." With a disgusting noise, Kaien's face began to distort and melt away, until it was clear that there was a long cylinder for a head, a tank filled with some sort of red liquid, lighter than and not as thick as blood. Inside the tank were two heads, each tattooed with the number nine. "Allow us…"

"…to introduce ourselves," a higher-pitched voice came from the lower head. "We are…"

"Aaroniero Arruruerie," they finished together. "Noveno Espada."

Flesh began to appear on the cylinder, swiftly forming Kaien's face once more. When Aaroniero spoke, Kaien's voice came out. "You asked for the truth, Rukia?" He grinned maniacally. "My power is to completely take all the powers of the Hollows I eat! Unlike any other Espada, I have unlimited potential to evolve!"

Ichigo had sickening feeling he knew what was next. But he was beat to the punch by Ishida's intellect. "You were telling the truth about how Shiba Kaien, or at least the Hollow that merged with him, reformed in Hueco Mundo using Shiba-san's spirit body," Ishida stated more than guessed, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "But you found and ate him, didn't you? Which gave you the abilities of Shiba Kaien, and the Hollow that absorbed him. That's how you can use Shiba-san's body, his memory, and his Zanpakuto."

"Correct, Quincy."

Rukia shook her head, her hands trembling at the revelation. I thought I saved you, Kaien-dono… instead I only prolonged your agony…

"Oi, Rukia, you ok?" Renji called out, concerned.

"She's not ok, and she won't be," Aaroniero revealed with a smirk. "That's right, Kaien is in here, screaming. He desperately wants to take over, but that won't happen. I'm far too strong for that."

Rukia fell to her knees. Kaien-dono… is alive? Within the Espada? She looked at her Zanpakuto, feeling weak. She no longer had the strength of will or of body to kill the Espada, not while Kaien was still fighting.

"Rukia!" Ichigo yelled. "Don't listen to him! Don't you remember what you told me?! If Kaien was really eaten by this asshole, then killing him will free Kaien's spirit through the purification of our Zanpakuto!"

Rukia's head jerked up at that. "Yes, that's right… Slaying a Hollow with a Zanpakuto purifies it of all the deeds done as a Hollow, and sends the spirit to Soul Society. Any soul that has been eaten undergoes the same process!" Hope began to fill her, and her hands steadied as she rose to her feet. "If I slay you, Aaroniero, then I will free Kaien-dono!"

Aaroniero frowned using Kaien's face. Damn you, you orange-haired bastard. I had her right where I wanted her! Now she's more determined than ever! He began to understand just how Kurosaki Ichigo frustrated his superiors so, and how he intrigued Aizen-sama. "I see you've found your resolve. But you will never manage to kill me!" He reached over with his right hand, the crook of his elbow holding Nejibana up, and took off his left glove, revealing a truly disgusting, writhing form of flesh that resembled a tentacle whose end had been cut off. Several smaller tentacles grew from approximately where the wrist should be. "Say hello to my own Zanpakuto! Devour, Glotoneria!"

Aaroniero's lower half dissolved, reforming into a rapidly-expanding purplish blob that had several tentacles waving around. It looked like a blob-style octopus, with several mouths forming on the middle of some of the appendages.

Ichigo couldn't help it, he laughed aloud. "Just how are you supposed to move quickly like that?!" he taunted. "Now all of Rukia's attacks are gonna hit you, and you'll shatter just like that!"

"Even my old, slower self could hit you now," Chad added with a smirk.

Ishida actually turned away. "This is embarrassing; why would any Espada actually make himself slower and less able to dodge his enemies' attacks when that was all that saved him earlier?"

"Rukia, if you would do the honors?" Renji asked with a mocking smile at Aaroniero.

"Gladly." Rukia quickly pierced the ground four times in front of her in a semi-circle. "Tsugi no mai! Hakuren!"

A wave of ice rushed over, only to be stopped by a tidal wave of water flowing from Nejibana. "Nice try, Rukia," Aaroniero mocked. "My turn. In this form, I can use all the powers of all the Hollows I have ever eaten!" He grinned. "And I've eaten over 33,000. So try this one on for size!"

Two of his many appendages shaped themselves into an enormous scorpion-like tail which began to launch balls of an unsavory-looking substance at Rukia, who had to repeatedly Shunpo out of the way. It was a good thing she did; the yellow-green balls exploded on impact.

If I can just strike the head, he'll be finished! Rukia thought coldly, now Shunpo-ing next to Aaroniero's torso and swinging Sode no Shirayuki. But to her enormous surprise, her Zanpakuto shattered on impact.

"Did you forget, Rukia?" Aaroniero asked, almost kindly even as he backhanded her back to the ground. "When I swung Nejibana into that Hollow, Metastacia… my sword shattered."

"You are NOT Kaien-dono!" Rukia screamed angrily, picking herself back up just in time to dodge another shot from the scorpion tail.

"Even so, your Zanpakuto is gone," Aaroniero told her with an evil smile. "And you're the one who made this a fight for pride; no one else will interfere. How do you plan to purify me without it?"

"You only shattered the blade," the short Shinigami informed him, holding the hilt of Sode no Shirayuki firmly. "San no mai!"

"What?" Aaroniero gasped. "You have a third dance?!"

" Shirafune!" Rukia called out, holding the hilt in front of her. Before the Arrancar's very eyes, Rukia's Zanpakuto reformed from ice particles that quickly flowed from the remnants of the Shinigami's other attacks. She glared at Aaroniero. "Kaien-dono, allow me to free you!" She lunged forward and, instead of aiming at the body of Kaien, she plunged her sword into the blob that had formed Aaroniero's Resurreccion.

"Hah, what a weak attack!" Aaroniero taunted, before realizing he was losing feeling. He looked down and extended a few of his tentacles. Before his very eyes, they were slowing and being encased in ice. "What is this?!"

"My third dance, Shirafune," Rukia informed him frigidly. "You think one of my dances would only reform my Zanpakuto if it breaks? Of course not! My pride, Sode no Shirayuki's pride… would never accept that! Shirafune reforges my Zanpakuto with the coldest of ice! So cold, that anything that touches my sword will freeze solid. Feel it, Aaroniero Arruruerie, as your blood slows in your veins, as you find yourself weak. Die, Noveno Espada, knowing that I, Kuchiki Rukia of the 13th Division, have avenged Shiba Kaien!"

Through Rukia's speech, Aaroniero's eyes widened as he struggled mightily. His tentacles would respond extremely sluggishly as they were encased by the ice. He could feel the ice almost reach the body he had taken from Kaien. "If I die, then you all will die with me!" Using all of his reiatsu and strength, he ripped the scorpion tail from its icy prison and launched an enormous ball of combustive death Inoue Orihime.

Inoue's eyes widened, but she knew better than to freeze up. "Santen Kesshun!" she cried out, forming a large triangular shield that she prayed was strong enough to withstand the blast.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo roared. At the same time, Ishida pulled back a very large arrow and shot it. Both attacks collided with Aaroniero's last attack and caused it to explode early.

Inoue held strong, focusing her reiatsu into the shield, holding off the shock of the explosion. Her Santen Kesshun first cracked… and then shattered as the last of the attack faded away. She bent to her knees, heavily winded from expending so much at once.

Aaroniero grinned as he saw the result, even as the ice crept up his neck. As the ice encased his head, he screamed. "ZOMMARI! KILL THEM ALL!" And then the ice covered his face. Rukia wasted no time withdrawing her sword from the new statue of ice, leaping up and beheading the monstrous Noveno Espada, trusting that her friends could hold off Zommari for a few moments.

Inoue, hearing Aaroniero's scream, felt horror take root in her heart even as she turned and saw the Septima Espada released from Inoue's Souten Kisshun prison. And then her world went black.

Zommari brought his hand back up from the expert chop to the back of her neck, putting in just enough effort to knock her out. "I am sorry, Aaroniero. But Aizen-sama left very strict orders." A moment later, both he and Inoue were gone, just in time to avoid being beheaded from Renji and Ichigo, having come to him from either side.

"Kurosaki!" Ishida barked, leaping up and following Zommari's trail with his Hirenkyaku.

"Already on it!" Ichigo replied, flickering into a Shunpo. To his mild surprise, Ishida was noticeably faster than he was before Ichigo had left. "You've gotten faster!" he complimented.

"Of course! What do you think I've been doing while you were gone, Kurosaki?! Having tea and lying about?!"

Ichigo frowned, ignoring his friend in favor of sensing outwards; Zommari was slowly but surely pulling away, and they were almost at Las Noches. "Fuck it. Bankai!"

Ishida didn't bat an eye as Ichigo suddenly vanished from sight. Instead, he merely picked up the pace as well, and felt enormous satisfaction at the shocked look in Ichigo's eyes. "Yes, Kurosaki, I am now as fast as your Bankai!" the Quincy gloated, readying his bow.

Now that Ichigo was closer, and not completely preoccupied with an opponent, he noticed that Ishida's bow had changed. It now resembled a curved spider web more than anything else. "Nice bow. Any new abilities?"

Recognizing that Ichigo was trying to exchange possibly vital combat capabilities right before battle, Ishida refrained from mocking him. "I can fire up to 1,200 shots consecutively, though they are naturally weaker than my normal shots. I can also change the direction of my shot somewhat after firing it. Anything I should know?"

"Mask got an upgrade, and I've learned a couple supplementary moves with Zangetsu, but they have a charge time. Should be able to use Cero, but haven't tried yet," Ichigo summarized. "Be ready, we're almost upon him!"

"You don't have to tell me, Kurosaki!"

Meanwhile, Rukia, Renji and Chad looked at each other. "Why d'ya think they left us behind?" Renji asked his friends.

"I just fought and killed an Espada," Rukia pointed out. "I suppose I should take a few moments to rest and recover my reiatsu."

Chad nodded. "They left us to guard you during your recovery while they recover Inoue."

"Are you ok, Rukia?" Renji asked carefully; he didn't want to offend her, but her emotions had obviously been on a roller coaster in the last half hour.

Rukia sighed, sitting down in the sands of Hueco Mundo. "I'm as well as can be expected. I merely hope that Kaien-dono returned to Soul Society upon my slaying Aaroniero. Failing that, I can take comfort that he will be reincarnated eventually." She shook her head with a self-deprecating chuckle. "I really thought Ichigo might be his reincarnation, you know? My second chance to save his soul."

"They are a lot alike," Renji admitted, sitting next to her as he gathered his courage. "Is that why you like Ichigo so much?" He held his breath; he was taking a chance being upfront about Rukia's obvious attraction to the orange-haired idiot.

Rukia glared mildly at Renji. "Just what are you saying, Renji?"

Her pineapple-haired friend swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "I'm saying that no matter how I look at it, you seem to be attracted to Kurosaki Ichigo. I'm just wondering why."

"What makes you say that?" Rukia asked emotionlessly.

Renji flinched at her tone nonetheless, but was determined to make his point. "You're comfortable enough to banter with him and beat on him when you keep yourself distant from almost everyone else. If I'm not mistaken, you are highly sensitive to his reiatsu, and he was the first thing you thought of when I asked you to come along on our mission to protect Karakura. You sleep in his closet for crying out loud! I don't know what all happened during that time when Ichigo had all your powers, but obviously something must have. You're closer to him than you are to any of your old friends!"

The ice-using Shinigami gaped for a moment and then schooled her face into a stern look. "I suppose I can see how you reached that conclusion, Renji." She sighed. "Ichigo is nothing but a very good friend. Yes, Karakura is associated with Ichigo for me, because I met him there and that encounter changed both our lives permanently. Yes, I am sensitive to his reiatsu, because I was there, living with him constantly putting out such reiatsu all the time. I am sensitive to your reiatsu as well, I hope you know."

Renji did not know that, as a matter of fact, but he waved her on anyway.

Rukia nodded in acknowledgment. "I sleep in his closet for a simple reason: because that is what we are accustomed to, and it's easier for me to be there to explain the odd thing to Ichigo when he needs it."

"So you wouldn't be interested in dating Ichigo?" Renji asked to clarify. He understood everything she said, but he wanted to hear a blunt rejection.

Rukia suddenly had a sneaking suspicion she knew what her friend was doing. She pointed a finger at him with wide eyes. "You're trying to hook me up with Ichigo!"

"What?! No!" Renji denied.

"You are!" Rukia looked at him angrily. "I don't need you to find me a suitor! Did Nii-sama put you up to this?!"

"Huh?" Renji blinked. "Why would Kuchiki-taicho send me of all people to find you a suitor?"

"Because you work for him, and you know me well enough to find people I could stand to marry for politics!"

"I assure you, Rukia, that was never my intention! I was asking as your friend," Renji said softly. "I haven't been a part of your life in a long while… and then that whole mess with your execution, and now the Arrancar, and saving Inoue…"

Rukia softened and settled down. "Sorry," she offered.

"It's ok."

Chad cleared his throat, making both his companions jump. They'd completely forgotten that the gentle giant was there. "Rukia, if you're finished recovering, we should attempt to rejoin Ichigo and Ishida."

"Agreed." She got up and dusted the sands of Hueco Mundo off her clothes. "Alright, let's go."

Renji followed suit as they began to run. He felt somewhat better, now that he'd finally asked his childhood friend her feelings for Ichigo. While he recognized he'd never gotten an answer for Rukia's possible interest in the Substitute Shinigami, Renji was put at ease. He was even able to convince himself that there was still a chance for him. Cool it, he told himself sternly, if a touch sadly. Wait until after the war's over. And don't get your hopes up.

Renji felt a stirring in his mind, one which he had come to recognize as his Zanpakuto wishing to converse. Why wait? Zabimaru asked simply. Why not let yourself hope?

Rukia is a Kuchiki, Renji confessed. A noble. Her brother is my taicho, and I don't feel I have a chance. I've seen what happens to noble families. They get married off for political gains, and I have very little political power. He would never approve.

Zabimaru shifted somewhat. The wielder of Senbonzakura… Kuchiki Byakuya. He is your foe?

Renji felt like laughing bitterly, and he could feel Zabimaru get the impression. He is a potential foe. Before I can know, I need to know how Rukia feels.

Why?

That was actually a good question. Renji's ambition was to become stronger than Kuchiki Byakuya. That was his whole reason for going to Kuchiki-taicho's squad, becoming his fukutaicho. It was a major reason for his efforts into learning Bankai. One way or another, Zabimaru and Senbonzakura would clash. Ok, now that I think about it… yes, Kuchiki Byakuya is my foe. If we can defeat him, then I would feel much better about asking to court Rukia.

Then we shall defeat him and prove our strength. You grow stronger every day, and become more adept at our Bankai. Remember, Renji, that when our Bankai was not even a day old, we forced Kuchiki Byakuya into Bankai and nearly defeated him.

Renji nodded to himself, taking heart at the encouragement. Do you have any suggestions on how we can get stronger?

Your foe favors Kido. Recall how he locked us in place with that Bakudo and then brought us to defeat with his Bankai. Learn how to counter it, and you take away one of his greatest strengths.

As always, Zabimaru made the solution sound so simple, and it made sense. Thank you, Zabimaru.

You are welcome, Renji. Zabimaru's presence retreated into his Inner World, and Renji nodded once more to himself, feeling his resolve strengthen now that he had a plan.

Ichigo and Ishida had caught up with Zommari, who had realized the inevitability of their arrival and set Inoue against the wall of Las Noches. "You have arrived," Zommari noticed.

"Your powers of observation are astounding," Ichigo taunted.

Zommari laughed quietly, as though at a private joke. "You two are very fast, I will concede. I have the fastest Sonido amongst the Espada. Shall we have a contest of speed? Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Zommari Leroux, Septima Espada."

Septima? Only one step below Grimmjow… "Careful, Ishida," Ichigo warned. "He's not boasting about that speed of his; he's so fast he leaves tangible afterimages."

Zommari turned calm eyes on the Shinigami. "I wonder how you know about that? Unless you are that Arrancar I talked to earlier today."

"Let's just say he and I are rather close," Ichigo said mysteriously, gripping Tensa Zangetsu tightly. "Give us back Inoue, and we won't kill you. Or at least I won't," he corrected himself, glancing at his Quincy partner. "Not so sure about Ishida here."

Instinct flared and both Ichigo and Ishida leapt out of the way in opposite directions as two clones of Zommari appeared behind them and attempted to stab them with his sword. "You have excellent reflexes," the Arrancar that they'd been addressing complimented. "But it is arrogance to think that you can defeat me."

"And your arrogance shows simply by that very statement," Ishida commented, firing three arrows at once, each of them rocketing towards a Zommari. One of them was struck and vanished, while the other two Sonido-ed out of the way, reappearing several feet to Ishida's side. "It doesn't matter if there's one or three of you; I have no need to guess which one is the original. Kurosaki, protect Orihime! Make sure no more Arrancar come to take her away while I finish this weakling."

Ishida's sure giving a lot of orders lately, Ichigo thought to himself as he Shunpo-ed next to Orihime and gently picked her up. "Think you can take him alone?"

Ishida glared at him before vanishing with his Hirenkyaku, neatly avoiding another strike from his opponent. He reappeared several meters away, firing several more arrows at Zommari, who dodged and cloned himself to replace the copies who had been struck. "Kurosaki, stop wasting time and just go!"

With a single nod of acknowledgment, Ichigo vanished with all the speed of his Bankai-enhanced Shunpo, taking the unconscious Inoue with him.

"A shame you sent them away," Zommari said calmly, "I would have greatly enjoyed what is about to happen next then. As it is, you have proven that I will not catch you with my own sword under normal circumstances."

Ishida raised an eyebrow as the clones vanished, leaving only the single Zommari. "You are about to use your Resurreccion?"

"Indeed."

Ishida scoffed. "Whatever it is, you will not defeat me."

"And there is your arrogance, human. It is foolish to think that a human, no matter how gifted, can defeat an Espada."

"Then allow me to prove you wrong. Release your Resurreccion, Espada, and this Quincy will destroy you," Ishida challenged, using his free hand to push his glasses up his nose a little, making them flash.

Zommari shook his head ruefully, as though disappointed. "Very well then." He brought his Zanpakuto up horizontally in front of him, then let go. His sword stayed there, levitating in front of him as the Espada took a bracing stance, as though preparing to catch something heavy, but then moved his hands to either side of him. He looked as though he were meditating, almost. Then his head slowly tilted further and further, his neck twisting, until it was perpendicular to the rest of his body. "Suppress, Brujeria!"

His Zanpakuto abruptly bent, again and again until it was in an edged spiral shape. Mist exuded from it and Ishida could feel the mist melding with Zommari's reiatsu. When the transformation was over a few moments later, Zommari's new form was revealed. His upper body was still that of a human, though now covered in a white skin-tight outfit that revealed only his face and hands. However, similarly to Aaroniero's Resurreccion, Zommari had completely lost his legs, which had reformed into a large pumpkin-like shape. However, the most notable thing about him was that all over his body, eyes had appeared.

Ishida frowned. Those eyes must have a purpose… His power, whatever it is, must be strong and difficult to elude in order to make up for his apparent inability to move. His eyes widened as Zommari raised a hand towards him. His palm contained an eye, and it suddenly pulsed with reiatsu. In that instant, he vanished with a burst of Hirenkyaku. A moment later, he reappeared several meters away, and glanced in the direction of where he had been. What? Nothing seems to have happened…

"You are wondering what happened," Zommari stated more than guessed. "Your intuition told you to move, that I was about to attack, and yet nothing happened." He smiled triumphantly. "And yet something has happened! Look at your left hand!"

Ishida did and gasped. A sun symbol had appeared on the back of his hand. A glower settled on his face as he quickly ran through one of his Quincy exercises to limber up his fingers… "I see the symbol, Arrancar, but what does it do?"

"To understand, you must realize that everything has a sovereignty to it. Everything is ruled by something else. A peasant is ruled by his local lord, who is then ruled by the king. But the peasant rules his house and possessions." Zommari smiled. "What my Resurreccion does, is allow me to usurp that rule. Each of my eyes has the ability to steal sovereignty over whatever it sees, and allows me to use it as though it were a part of me. Now, intruder, I have taken your left hand. To demonstrate… extend towards me, left hand!"

To Ishida's horror, his left hand darted out, reaching for its new master, pulling his arm along with it. Nevertheless, he stood his ground. This is bad! He's already drastically reduced my effectiveness! What can I do… that's it!

"As you can see, my power allows me to use your own body against you. Your brain no longer commands your left hand. If I hit you in the head, then I can control your whole body. This ability… I call it Amor," the Espada finished. "Now then, little archer… left hand, choke him!" The hand made no movement. "I said choke him!"

"It won't work," the Quincy told him with a smirk, using his left hand to raise his glasses up a little, making them flash.

"But how?!" Zommari demanded, infuriated.

"Your sun symbol is a marker of your reiatsu," Ishida analyzed. "It does indeed allow you to manipulate whatever has that symbol to do what you wish. However, I am a Quincy, bound by mortal limits, and our bodies succumb to the susceptibilities of age. To counter that, we created a technique that allows our old to use their bodies with all the dexterity and speed of their youth, through use of spirit threads controlled directly by my brain to use our body like we would a puppet. We call it… Ransotengai." He glared at his opponent. "You may have imprinted your own control over my hand, but I can counter with my Ransotengai! And as your Amor and my Ransotengai counter each other, my brain is able to use its normal currents to direct my body. All I have to do is use my Ransotengai to move in direct opposite whatever you command."

Having regained control of himself, Zommari smiled. "I must admit, I am impressed that a lowly human could come so far. But I must wonder… I have many eyes. It must take quite some concentration and constant attention to counter my ability from one eye. Can you counter them all and still fight?"

Ishida gripped his bow firmly and formed an arrow. "We'll see." He vanished into Hirenkyaku, going around the Espada, quietly counting the number of eyes he had as he dodged the blasts of Amor and fired back some arrows at the Arrancar's torso, which Zommari blocked with spots on his body that were not covered in eyes. Fifty eyes… He smiled. "I'm quite possibly the worst opponent you could have ever faced, Zommari."

"Oh, why is that?"

"Because I'm an archer, and you're nothing but weak points!" Ishida let loose a flurry of arrows, managing to hit five out of twelve eyes on Zommari's lower body; the other seven had suddenly closed, covered by the same pink flesh-like material that made up Zommari's lower half. The open eyes, upon being hit, imploded.

Zommari screamed in pain. "You arrogant wretch!" he bellowed.

"You cannot protect all your eyes without sacrificing your ability," Ishida taunted. "I will pick them off one at a time, and then I will take your head."

"Fine," Zommari growled. "Let's see how you dodge all of my eyes at once!"

I must protect my head at all costs! Ishida used Hirenkyaku to once more get behind Zommari, where he'd eliminated the five eyes, and crouched down, using his spider-web bow as a shield. He winced as several of the eyes pulsed in unison and hit his bow at once, making it buckle. But Ishida wasn't being idle. "A silver rod strikes the five-fingered stone bed…" Ishida used his free hand to grip one of his silver tubes from his utility belt, wincing as his bow shattered under the onslaught and he could feel his legs being taken over. "Quintuple Restraining Frames!"He flung the silver tube at the Espada.

"What?" The Espada suddenly found himself in complete darkness. "What did you do?!" He demanded.

The Quincy smiled as he saw that Zommari was surrounded on all sides by his stone prison, emblazoned with a five-pointed Quincy cross. Ishida stood up and brushed himself off, realizing that by cutting off his opponent's sight, the sun symbols were no longer on him. He was free from Amor. "That was another Quincy technique, Gritz. It allows me to completely envelop a target in a stone casing, covered by our Quincy cross. It can be broken out of with enough strength, but as you seem to have no legs, I purposely made it so the stone is more than your arms' length away. You cannot use your eyes, you cannot hit me. Know in your final moments that it was I, Ishida Uryuu, Quincy, that killed you."

"No! Curse you!" Zommari screamed, unleashing his eyes again and again on his imprisonment, but finding himself unable to escape. He would have to use Cero, or Gran Rey Cero, but the truth of the matter was that he had not done so in quite some time, in favor of using his eyes, which were faster than either of those. He had always derived amusement by watching his enemies tear themselves apart under his spell. As a result, he needed several seconds to charge, which he wasted no time beginning. Even so, he knew his end was near. "Hail Aizen-sama!"

Ishida needed no such charge time. Drawing a Seele Schneider from his belt, he pulled it back on his newly re-created bow, and fired directly for Zommari's head. It easily pierced the rock… and went straight through the Espada's skull. The Quincy technique Gritz fell apart under the reiatsu-absorbing abilities of the Seele Schneider, revealing the undoubtedly-dead form of Zommari. Ishida retrieved the Seele Schneider, deactivating it and storing it in his belt once more, watching as Zommari faded away.

Sensing Ichigo nearby, Ishida Uryuu once again used his high-speed technique to rejoin them. "Ishida!" Ichigo greeted. "How was he? I take it was he as a bit of a pushover, given your complete lack of wounds."

"Pathetic," the Quincy scoffed. "Though he might have given you trouble." Ichigo growled at the insult, and was about to retort when his rival continued. "I was perhaps the worst kind of opponent he could have come up against. He had the ability to wrest control of one's body away from you. Like I said, Kurosaki, he might have given you trouble. One hit from that move and your precious Bankai would be slitting your own throat. I was only able to counter it with a Quincy technique."

Ichigo's mouth clamped shut audibly. "Fine. Well, we have everyone now," he said, changing the subject. "Let's go home." Seeing the nods of his friends, he put on his Gillian mask and ripped open a Garganta, jumping in. His comrades swiftly followed.

Aizen Sousuke frowned; he'd lost two Espada, the Septima and the Noveno, and there had been no casualties on his enemy's side. Hell, no one had even been seriously injured! In addition, the girl had escaped, and their entire force was returning to the human world to guard it. He hadn't expected that Kurosaki brat to be able to open a Garganta just as effortlessly as Aizen's Espada; that meant that the living world would have more powerful fighters waiting for him to invade.

"Looks like that Substitute Shinigami's made some powerful friends, eh Aizen-sama?" Gin commented. "He didn't even fight at all!"

"Indeed."

"Does this change our plan at all?" Tousen asked from behind Aizen's throne.

"… No. Be ready to leave as soon as the taicho from Soul Society invade." I hope you're ready, Kurosaki Ichigo. He smiled. I look forward to crushing you once again, and then sacrificing your entire town in front of you.