Consequences

There was silence between Ichigo and the Vizards for a few seconds. Every one of the exiled Shinigami-Hollow hybrids knew that Ichigo was being perfectly serious, as he'd gone as far as drawing his mask.

"Well?" Ichigo demanded. "Are you willing to risk your life and sanity to reach the pinnacle of Hollow power?"

"I am." All eyes turned to Hiyori, who spoke quietly, but fervently as she stepped forward. "I don't care if it's hard and painful. I don't care if I learn things about myself that I don't like. We need Resurrección to keep ourselves safe from Soul Society. But I don't just need it, I want it! I learned a hard lesson fighting Aizen: I wasn't strong enough! So teach me, damn it! I want to be the strongest! If I need to bring back my Hollow, then so be it!"

Well said, Zangetsu murmured.

She might be closer than she thinks. She sounded positively Hollow herself there.

Ichigo nodded, acknowledging Hiyori's speech. "Alright then, Hiyori. Now, keep in mind that I got my powers in a different way than you did." He took off the mask, twisting it around looking into its visage for a few moments before crushing it. "You had yours implanted into you by Aizen while already having been purely Shinigami. So was Tōsen's, most likely. Mine, however, are all natural – my Hollow powers were already developing before I became a Shinigami, and I never got a Konsō so I was never purified. So while I expect the process to be the same, there may be a couple of unexpected hitches."

Everyone nodded, acknowledging Ichigo's words. Encouraged, he continued. "Now that I have a chance to look back at everything, I realize that my first step was taken without my own knowledge of what it meant. I took my Hollow's sword and successfully claimed it as my own as I defeated him," he explained, materializing his Hollow's Zangetsu in his left hand. Ichigo stabbed it into the ground, allowing it to stand alone, cloth wrappings fluttering lightly in the air. "That was more accident than anything else," he admitted. "But it was my first step. I won't say any more until you've managed the same, and can summon them in the real world." Ichigo turned and walked to the door.

"Wait, that's all you're going to tell us?" Shinji asked incredulously.

The Substitute Shinigami paused right outside the door, the Hollow Zangetsu crumbling into reishi behind him. "Resurrección is a road of self-discovery, Shinji. It wouldn't be fair to you if I gave you all the answers. But here's a hint: think like a Hollow." With that, he silently left.

The Vizard all glanced at each other. "Well, he gave his assignment," Rose muttered. "And I think he meant it when he said he wouldn't say anything else until we did it."

"It's not like we'll be done in the next few minutes," Mashiro pointed out with an uncharacteristic pout on her face. "We have to fight our Hollows again."

"And we have to not only win, but take their swords and claim them," Kensei added grimly. "No easy task."

Lisa sighed. "Right then. We'll come up with a schedule after dinner."

"What if… one of us loses?" Love asked quietly.

The room fell silent as the spikey afro-haired Vizard voice what they'd all been thinking. It was a hard question. The last time they'd fought their Hollows, they'd agreed that if one of them fell victim to their Hollow, the rest would put him or her down. But now, they'd met Cazador de la Luna, and Ichigo had actually regained control of his body.

"Why not do what Ichigo did?" Rose finally asked. "Cut a deal with our Hollows? Fight periodically for control. It worked well for him."

"True," Lisa agreed before glancing at their leader. "What's wrong, Shinji?"

"I just have a strange question," the blond Vizard said slowly with a strange expression. "We didn't make any deals with our Hollows when we fought them the first time. We just beat them into submission, and buried them deep in our souls. How the hell do we unbury them?"

"Hinamori-chan?" Unohana blinked, confused by her patient's strange behavior. "What do you mean?"

"Please, Unohana-taicho!" Hinamori begged. "I might not have much time left!"

"Relax, Hinamori-chan," the healer gently suggested. "We will know if Kurosaki-san attempts to invade Soul Society, so you have plenty of time. Now, why not tell me what happened?"

Reassured by Unohana's words, the fukutaicho settled slightly. "I had arrived in the living world to help out and find out the truth from Aizen-taicho himself. I was so confused… I mean, I was his fukutaicho was so long! Surely not all of it was a lie… surely he would tell me the truth." Hinamori knew how foolish she sounded, but it was how she had felt.

Unohana, however, said nothing to condemn her. "And that's when Aizen-san told you what you've told me?"

Hinamori nodded, glad that she was not being judged. "Right. But Kurosaki…" She shivered, as though the mere mention of his name was a curse on her spirit. "He attacked Aizen-taicho anyway. And then, what he said…!"

Unohana waited several seconds for Hinamori to stop shivering in a mixture of fear and revulsion. "What did he say?" the centuries-old taicho asked quietly.

"He said he would kill Aizen-taicho, and take his head as a trophy. And then he would fake my death, and… and…"

Hinamori was unable to say it, but Unohana understood, and slowly moved to take her into an embrace. Apparently that simple gesture of reassurance was too much, as Hinamori promptly burst into sobs. The fukutaicho's tears stained Unohana's uniform, but neither moved for several minutes, until Hinamori had gotten ahold of herself. Finally, they broke the hug and Hinamori quieted her sniffles.

"I do not know Kurosaki-san very well personally," Unohana admitted, "so I do not know whether he would do such a thing had he the capabilities. But does he have the capabilities, Hinamori-chan?"

That was an excellent question, and it pierced straight through the fog of lingering terror and panic in Hinamori's brain. "I… I don't know," she said aloud. "I never met him before then, and I was never briefed on his abilities since I woke up so recently. No one thought I would need them, since I was ordered to stay out of the fight…"

"Then allow me to fill in the blanks." Unohana gave her patient a gentle smile, rather than one of her intimidating ones. She knew that she had to play this carefully – despite her words, she was rather certain that Kurosaki Ichigo would not do what Hinamori-chan had related to her. If he had been that kind of person, then there would have been some sign prior to then, especially during his invasion of Soul Society. The fact that Kuchiki Rukia had been powerless and had stayed with Ichigo for months, and still enjoyed is company, stated quite a lot as well.

Also, Unohana had taken the girl personally from Kurosaki-san's friends, who had explained their side of the story – Aizen had used Kyōka Suigetsu on his former subordinate and made her think that Ichigo had said that very thing. That, to the highly experienced taicho, gave them a lot of credit. In addition, it matched Aizen's character to do such a thing.

But Hinamori-chan would not believe this – it was all too apparent her fear ran very, very deeply, and to her the experience was very real. She had trusted the former taicho, Aizen, and would automatically dismiss any suggestions that he had used Kyōka Suigetsu on her as well. What Unohana had to do was always make it very apparent that she was on Hinamori-chan's side, and slowly have the fukutaicho discover the truth on her own. The first step to that was reducing the fear, by giving Hinamori-chan all the information.

"Kurosaki-san's powers are well documented," Unohana began. "His Zanpakutō's name is Zangetsu, and its power is the condensing of Kurosaki-san's powers and magnifying the power of his slash. It's known as the Getsuga Tenshō. His Bankai is Tensa Zangetsu. In this form, Kurosaki-san's Getsuga is much more powerful, and his speed and strength receive dramatic increases as well.

"In addition, he has a Hollow mask that allows him to tap into Hollow powers and enhance his Shinigami ones further. The most recent report states that he can use Resurrección, which seems to give him an upgrade in all the powers I've mentioned so far.

"In terms of Kidō, he seems to have had little education. He used Bakudō 1: Sai on Aizen during the fight in the Fake Karakura, but that is all we know of. He appears to prefer fighting melee." Unohana put a hand on Hinamori's arm. "Hinamori-chan, Kurosaki-san simply doesn't have the ability to fake your death."

Hinamori still looked a little worried, though far less than a few minutes prior. "What if he tries to take me by force?"

"Then Soul Society will go to war again, this time with him," Unohana reassured her. "You can't think that we would simply let him do as he wishes? If it comes down to it, then I will fight him myself. Nothing is going to happen to you. Now get some rest. I promise you, if Kurosaki comes, I will protect you with my life."

Hinamori's eyes shone with gratitude and unshed tears. "Thank you, Unohana-taicho," she whispered. She lay down, suddenly feeling her exhaustion – she was very tired from her burst of panic. She fell asleep almost immediately.

As soon as she detected her patient was asleep, Unohana let loose a sigh, her normal smile vanishing. "Poor girl," she murmured. It will take months to make her comfortable enough to walk outside alone. Maybe years. And even then, just meeting Kurosaki-san could cause a relapse. I don't think her fear of him will ever truly vanish. Damn you, Aizen!

She left the room, only to almost stumble over Hitsugaya Tōshiro. "Hitsugaya-taicho!" she exclaimed lightly. "I assume you're here to see Hinamori-chan?"

"Yes. Is she awake?"

Unohana gave her colleague a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, she just fell asleep again."

Hitsugaya's expression hardly changed, but Unohana could tell that he was disappointed. "How… How is she?"

Quickly but gently, Unohana guided him into another room so as to not be overheard. "Quite frankly, Hitsugaya-taicho, not good. Physically she is almost completely recovered, but mentally, she is worse off than before."

Hitsugaya nodded. "I had hoped otherwise, but I suppose that's to be expected. I read the reports after the meeting – Aizen used an illusion on her to convince her that Aizen was good and Ichigo was the real enemy."

"You are well-informed," Unohana commented, slightly impressed but not surprised by the young taicho's dedication. "I'm afraid that the illusion has had devastating consequences. Hinamori-chan is truly afraid of Kurosaki Ichigo and believes him a monster due to the illusion. She is convinced that he is coming after her now that her protector, Aizen, is dead."

Hitsugaya closed his eyes and rubbed his temples with his right hand. "Of course. I should have expected as much. What can be done?"

"I am working with her personally," the healer assured the ice-user. "Together, we should be able to solve the majority of her issues given enough time, but she will likely be very wary to outright afraid of anything that could be linked to Kurosaki-san for a long time. In the meantime, she will need the help of her close friends, but I must ask you to not bring up Aizen or Kurosaki-san if at all possible."

"What if she brings up the subject and insists on continuing it?" Hitsugaya queried, concerned.

"Be supportive, and discuss it. Try to remain as calm as possible," Unohana advised. "She may or may not lose her temper with you, but do not take it personally. Matters of misplaced faith are never easy to fix, and she will almost certainly apologize to you after it's all over." She paused. "Hitsugaya-taicho, what she truly needs from you is to know that despite everything, her friends and family are still there for her."

Hitsugaya nodded, reassured from her words. "Alright. When she wakes, could you please tell her that I came to visit?"

"Of course."

"Thank you." With that, Hitsugaya made his way out.

Now then, it was time for Unohana's next two patients. She calmly walked to the next room and entered softly. "Good evening, Tōsen-san, Gin-san, Komamura-taicho."

"Good evening, Unohana-taicho," Komamura greeted respectfully, standing up from where he'd been seated near Tōsen. He and Hisagi had taken turns standing watch over the two ex-taicho, largely because Tōsen was considered the larger flight risk.

Gin was sitting up, and merely nodded at Unohana, his small satisfied smile never once dimming. He had been rather docile his entire incarceration, actually, hardly saying a word, but smiling all the same. When asked by Hisagi several hours ago, he had simply said, "Aizen's finally dead. My dream, hundreds of years in the making, is finally accomplished. I even got the chance to stab him in the chest! I don't need any more reason than that."

Tōsen looked in her general direction. "Hello, Unohana-taicho. Would you care for a game of shogi?"

"No thank you." Unohana approached the blind man first, quietly using a diagnostic healing Kidō. "You seem to be completely fine, physically, and far faster than I had expected."

"It is due to my new Hollow powers," Tōsen explained without a trace of regret. "They increase my regenerative abilities, even without my actively calling on them."

Unohana nodded and moved on to Gin, using the same diagnostic. "You are recovering nicely, Gin-san. I see you have been doing as I asked and not been using any reiryoku. It will still be some time before you can even use Shikai again safely, however."

"Eh, it was worth it to put that hole in Aizen's chest."

Unohana said nothing, but privately agreed. She would have done the same simply for what he'd done to Hinamori-chan. Somehow, however, she got the impression that Gin knew her feelings on the matter by the way his smile widened minutely for a second.

Her diagnostic complete, Unohana stepped away calmly, but paused near the door. She wanted to know something, just in case. "I'm not sure if Komamura-taicho has told you, but we took a vote last night on whether to promote Kurosaki Ichigo to taicho of the 5th Division."

Neither traitor looked particularly surprised. "And?" Gin asked.

"I vetoed it, which meant that we were one taicho short."

"Hmm, Hinamori-chan, right?" Gin asked pointedly, his eyes opening just slightly. "And since there's a decent chance that one or both of us will be restored to our previous positions, ya want to know whether we'll also recommend him."

Unohana's eyes widened fractionally. He's… very perceptive. "Yes."

"Hmm, I don't know," Gin wondered aloud, leaning against the wall and looking up at the ceiling in an almost quizzical manner. "He's gotten unbelievably strong… did ya know that he can already look into and accurately decipher the feelings that echo in a Shinigami's Zanpakutō?"

"That is a high-level skill," Komamura answered, impressed.

"His growth rate is downright frightening, isn't it?" Gin's smile dimmed somewhat as he gave some honest thought to the question. "Ichigo's got the right kind of mentality for being a taicho, I think," Gin continued. "And with a little practice, I don't think paperwork'd be a problem. Certainly couldn't do worse than Kenpachi, anyway."

There was more than a grain of truth to that, Unohana had to admit – Kenpachi was notorious for putting off work in favor of fun, and his childlike fukutaicho was just the same. His paperwork ended up being largely handled by his third and fifth seats, Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika.

"But ya know, I feel for Hinamori-chan," Gin admitted, looking back at the lead healer. "Wasn't her fault what Aizen did to her. He's stole somethin' precious from her, ruined countless happy memories. She needs your help, and if you think making Ichigo her taicho keeps her from gettin' better, then nah, I won't do it."

"Thank you," Unohana said sincerely, looking him in the eyes. Gin had just won a measure of respect back from her – she hadn't expected him to be so sympathetic. It was as though he knew someone who had suffered something similar before… She put it out of her mind, and instead turned to Tōsen. "What of you?"

"My only experience with the boy was when he was fighting Grimmjow," Tōsen replied. "But he left a favorable impression. Not to mention, can Soul Society truly afford to not have him on their side? I follow the path of least bloodshed. I lost my way and followed a false trail set by Aizen, but now I see clearly. Having Kurosaki Ichigo not on Soul Society's side can only end in war, with many casualties and much suffering. I sympathize with Hinamori's plight, Unohana-taicho… but should I regain my former position, I will support Kurosaki's ascendancy to taicho. Hinamori is now a danger to every other Shinigami in Soul Society due to her unwavering belief in Aizen, and she will not be able to tolerate those around her celebrating his demise. She can be taken care of in the Maggot's Nest."

It was perhaps the first time that Unohana and Tōsen had ever disagreed on such a matter. Their views had been similar for as long as Unohana had known the blind Shinigami, both harboring a distaste for unnecessary bloodshed. Tōsen had very nearly joined her division, but had instead been snapped up by the taicho-turned-Vizard Muguruma Kensei.

"Harsh," Gin commented. "You would throw her into the Maggot's Nest? She'd never be able to defend herself with just her physical strength."

"To my sight, either Kurosaki or Hinamori must go in order to maintain the peace," Tōsen argued. "They cannot coexist without Hinamori losing her mind! The illusion Aizen put her under saw to that."

"How do you know about that?" Unohana demanded calmly. Tōsen, by all accounts, had been apprehended long before that, and should have had no opportunity to learn it.

"I have exceptional hearing, being blind." Tōsen turned his sightless eyes on the healer, who looked into them unflinchingly.

After a few seconds, it was apparent that was all that Tōsen would say. "I see," Unohana murmured. She had her answer, now it was simply a question of what to do with the information. "Please excuse me. I have other patients to attend to." She left a moment later, not giving them any chance to interrupt as she thought quickly of what needed to be done.

"Kuchiki-taicho."

Byakuya looked up from his paperwork to see his fukutaicho standing at attention, holding a few documents of his own. "Abarai."

"I've been invited by Kurosaki Ichigo to participate in a free vacation in the living world. I formally request a week's leave, starting this Monday," Renji intoned.

"Granted," Byakuya answered immediately, returning his attention to the paperwork on his desk.

Renji blinked – he'd been expecting something more along the lines of his being a needed presence in Soul Society's tumultuous time of reorganization, and perhaps a veiled comment that he should be training to fill one of the possible slots for taicho. After all, Renji was, to the best of anyone's knowledge, the only non-taicho Shinigami in the Gotei 13 who had achieved Bankai and might be interested in leaving the division he was in. Knowing his taicho, the fukutaicho had even taken the time to prepare calm responses to any question he could imagine Byakuya asking him.

So Byakuya's easy acceptance of Renji's request for leave rather startled him. "Taicho?" he asked in confusion before his brain could halt his tongue.

The taicho of the 6th Division calmly put down his writing utensils and looked his fukutaicho in the eye. "Abarai, you have served the Gotei 13, and this division, faithfully as my fukutaicho. You have proven you are among the elite by achieving Bankai. You have grown strong, Abarai, strong enough to have struck a blow on Aizen that would have finished almost anyone else, and wise enough to know there are still depths of your potential yet untapped. I would not insult someone of your dedication by reminding you of your need to train, for you are already well aware.

"You received that invitation this morning, and you have clearly carefully weighed your options before choosing your path. So long as you understand the consequences to your decision, and I have not received orders otherwise, I will not stop you." Byakuya turned his eyes back town to the paperwork before him. "When you return, your work will be waiting for you."

"Hai, taicho!" Renji saluted, then began to quickly retreat from his superior's office, a sense of pride filling him. He'd just been verbally acknowledged by the man he aspired to defeat. He was another step closer to finally achieving his dream!

"Abarai."

Renji froze. "Hai, taicho?"

Byakuya's eyes didn't leave the paperwork this time. As he signed another paper, he finally said, "If you see Rukia… inform her she too has my permission to go."

Agreeing quickly, Renji almost ran from the office to tell his lifelong friend. Finding her in the 13th Division training grounds, the fukutaicho narrowly avoided becoming a pineapple-haired icicle by dodging one of Rukia's dances. "Rukia!" he greeted.

Rukia lowered her sword. "Renji? What're you doing here? I thought you'd be drowning in paperwork by now."

"So did I, but get a load of this!" Renji almost pushed the invitation in her face.

Rukia grabbed it and quickly read through it. Her eyes lit up in excitement before her face turned downcast. "I'll have to ask Nii-sama…"

"He already gave permission," the tattooed redhead interrupted. "I didn't ask for you!" he amended, seeing her thunderous expression. "He just knew, and told me to tell you!"

"Hm." After a few moments deciding Renji's fate, Rukia finally smiled. "Alright then. This Monday it is!"

Ikkaku was not a man who scared easy. He lived for a good fight, just like his taicho, Zaraki Kenpachi, and was unafraid of death. However, he had a very strong survival instinct, and his whole body was screaming NOT to do what he was about to do.

He knocked on the door in front of him. "Eh, come on in," Zaraki beckoned grumpily.

Ikkaku entered. For once, Zaraki was working on his paperwork. Yachiru appeared to be snoozing in the corner. That explains why he's grumpy. He hates paperwork.

"Ikkaku? What do you want?"

"Taicho…" Ikkaku swallowed, but carried on with his voice unwavering. "I want your help in training my Bankai."

"Hmm?" Now Zaraki looked interested. "I thought you might have Bankai but I wasn't sure. And you want my help?"

"Yes, taicho. I want to fight you with it."

Zaraki grinned widely, his immense reiatsu beginning to give off battle-lust as he eagerly stepped away from the table and drew his sword. "I was just hopin' for a good distraction right about now. Lucky me."

Ikkaku raised his own reiatsu in challenge and drew Hōzukimaru. "Well then, it's time for our rematch! BANKAI! Ryūmon Hōzukimaru!"

Outside training on his own, Yumichika sighed when he heard that yell. He turned around just in time to witness part of their barracks collapse. I'll go alert the 4th Division…

Part of the debris suddenly blasted outwards, revealing Ikkaku in his oversized Bankai, swinging the Chinese Monk spade joyfully at Zaraki, who blocked with his own Zanpakutō. "You got a nice-looking Bankai there, Ikkaku!" the taicho complimented, his grin looking more and more unnerving by the second. "But I wonder, how strong is it?" He purposely didn't block the next strike from the Guan Dao in Ikkaku's other hand, which cut deeply into Zaraki's left shoulder. "Perfect. You can cut me pretty well with that!"

"You better not take too many more hits like that, taicho!" Ikkaku taunted, indicating the faded red dragon crest on the axe-blade the floated behind him. Even as he spoke, the crest filled partway. "I get more powerful with every drop of blood spilled!"

Zaraki's left arm suddenly came up and knocked the weapon out of his shoulder, and he rushed directly at Ikkaku, bells in his hair ringing madly. Ikkaku deflected the as-yet-nameless Zanpakutō with the weapon in his right hand and struck again with his left, this time landing a shallow cut to Zaraki's torso. But he was forced to jump backwards to avoid being cut in half from the power of Zaraki's next slice, and even then the taicho's immense reiatsu seemed to surge forth, knocking him backwards.

Ikkaku grinned as well as he gave it his all fighting his taicho – he should have done this long ago. It felt good to be using his full power, and unafraid of being caught. With a battle cry of his own, he leapt back into fight, twin expressions of battle-given joy on both fighters' faces.

Ichigo sat on the roof of his home, watching the sunset, quietly enjoying how the sky's hue slowly darkened and shifted into other colors, creating a veritable painting of nature's beauty. But Ichigo's enjoyment was tarnished by his body feeling tense and on edge. He longed to be doing something, something physically demanding that would allow him to relax his mind. He knew that he would enjoy the sunset far more if he were not so on edge… it was too soon, Ichigo realized, for him to be able to properly appreciate the sunset like he had before.

Ichigo sighed, getting up and dusting off his pants before walking to the edge and casually flipping himself down and through his open window. He'd finished his homework earlier, and he was rather tired. After all, he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. I think I'll take an early night, then. Several minutes later, Ichigo had changed into his nightclothes and lay down to rest, his Shinigami Representative badge underneath his pillow, just in case.

He was just about to fall asleep when his badge suddenly screamed shrilly right into his ear, "HOLLOW!"

Taken by surprise, with his ear ringing painfully, Ichigo almost fell out of bed as he shot up. "Oh you have got to be kidding me," he groaned, picking up the badge and halfheartedly slapping it against his chest, releasing his Shinigami form.

Stepping through his window, Ichigo sensed the Hollow a fair distance away, and Shunpo-ed to it in an instant. This Hollow was a rather simple humanoid one, all black body with a white mask like most of its kind, with small bone-like blades extending from its elbows, knees and shoulders. It was about three times Ichigo's size, but it was far weaker than Ichigo's usual intruders. "You're interrupting my sleep, asshole," he said calmly. "Go back to Hueco Mundo or I'll kill you where you stand."

"Who are you?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo. I'll give you fifteen seconds to get out of my town before I take you out."

"Hold on!" the Hollow cried out, waving its arms "I'm just a messenger!"

Ichigo buried his face in his left hand in exasperation. "Fine, fine. What's the message?"

"Ulquiorra Schiffer wants you to meet him in Hueco Mundo, near Las Noches. He told me to tell you that it's extremely important."

Ichigo nodded curtly. "Open the Garganta. I'll follow you there."

"Gladly. There are too many Shinigami here for my taste." The Hollow opened a Garganta and leapt into it quickly, Ichigo following a beat later. A short time later, Ichigo and the Hollow reappeared in Hueco Mundo, landing softly on the sands of the endless desert. "Alright then, I'm out of here!"

The Hollow whose name Ichigo had neglected to acquire ran off, not wanting to be anywhere near someone with Ichigo's levels of power.

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo turned, having expected this. "Ulquiorra," he greeted. "What's up?"

"I believe congratulations are in order. You defeated Aizen," Ulquiorra began. "However, unexpected problems have arisen."

"What do you mean?"

"Aizen was the leader of Las Noches, and was master of even Vasto Lorde level Arrancar," Ulquiorra stated. "Prior to his rule, Baraggan Luisenbarn was the established King of Hueco Mundo. Now, both are dead. Hueco Mundo is in an uproar, attempting to determine who shall be its new leader."

"Hold on, how do they know Aizen's dead? I only just killed him yesterday," Ichigo pointed out.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, your clash could be felt across dimensions to those who knew to look. When your power remained in the end, the outcome was obvious."

"Oh. So, what's happening about the uproar thing?"

"I am attempting to gather any living Espada, former or otherwise, to reestablish order."

"Sounds reasonable."

Ulquiorra merely nodded in acknowledgment to Ichigo's remark. "In terms of rank and power, Tia Harribel and I are the strongest Arrancar remaining of Aizen's army. However, we are not necessarily stronger than the other Vasto Lorde Hollows in Hueco Mundo, and there are elements of Aizen's army that may hold grudges against us, or wish to fight to prove themselves stronger."

"Grimmjow," Ichigo recognized, remembering the Sexta Espada's desire to become Vasto Lorde.

"Precisely. Many high-level Hollows may attempt to band together and invade Karakura to locate and consume the one who has defeated Aizen – you – in order to become the new strongest. If I understand your motivations correctly, you find that idea abhorrent not simply because you do not desire to be consumed, but because others will be put in danger."

"Damn right," the Vizard agreed. "So you called me to warn me?"

"That was one of my objectives, yes," Ulquiorra acknowledged. "My second objective is to persuade you to end the rebellion yourself."

"And how would I do that?" Ichigo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Recall that Hollows obey the strongest. It is a matter of instinct. Demonstrate your strength, and most will not dare disobey. At that point, you publicly put myself and my colleagues in power as the established rulers in your absence, thusly allowing yourself to return to your human life."

"So, to summarize, Hueco Mundo is in civil war because there's no established strongest, so your solution is to prove that I'm the strongest, and then put you in as a legal authority."

"Yes."

Ichigo sighed. He already knew his answer – he would do all he could to make Karakura safe. But still… The spirit worlds are never going to let me relax, are they?

Probably not.

I would not anticipate it.

You two are SO supportive. "Fine. How do we do this?"

Ulquiorra nodded. "Flare your power as high as you can. Any challengers will flare their own to alert you their acceptance of the challenge, and then come to fight you. When you win, flare it again. Repeat the process until there are no challengers left. At that point, you will be acknowledged as King of Hueco Mundo."

Let's get this party started, then!

Yes, let's. Ichigo raised the arm holding Zangetsu and brought his left hand to rest on the inside of his right elbow. "Bankai." Reiatsu swirled around Ichigo, a black Getsuga running down Zangetsu. When it cleared, Ichigo was in his new Bankai form, with the chain running up his bare right arm.

Almost casually pulling on his Adjuchas mask and deciding to save Resurrección for if he really needed it, Ichigo turned his Hollowified eyes to the starry night sky of Hueco Mundo. "Time to get to work." He flared his reiatsu, vaguely noting that Ulquiorra weathered it without even a flinch.

A few moments later, he felt answering flares in the distance, which all began coming straight towards him. Ichigo steadied his grip on Tensa Zangetsu and put everything else but the incoming battles out of his mind – he couldn't afford to be distracted when he was fighting for his life. The first one arrived and Ichigo smirked behind his mask. "Perfect."

"Who the hell are you?" the Hollow demanded. This one seemed to be human-shaped with thick bone-like things jutting out of his skin in just about every visible place, giving the Hollow a resemblance to a pine cone. The Hollow used his two arms to rip out two of the bones from his hip area, which revealed themselves to be spiked boomerangs, which he held as though they were daggers.

"The name's Kurosaki Ichigo, Vizard. I killed Aizen. You?"

"Leroux Banthos, Vasto Lorde."

Oooooh, Cazador said appreciatively. Can I eat him, please? I want to find out what Vasto Lorde is like!

Normally, I'd say yes, but we don't have time to fight the same guy twice, not when we're gonna be fighting a lot of people after this.

What about the last guy? He's bound to be a Vasto Lorde too!

Maybe. We'll see. "It seems my Inner Hollow wants to eat you."

"I'm rather curious what Vizard tastes like, myself," Leroux admitted. "Now let's get started!"