//------------------------------// // Soul Society: Shrine of Penitence // Story: Bleach: Heart of a Hero // by Blackdrag-rose //------------------------------// Sombra spent some time making sure the entrance they used to get into the underground water tunnel system didn't have any enemies hanging around it, where he discovered that he had been right in thinking that they would be focused on tending to Renji and all of the other wounded Shinigami that had been beaten so far today. He did go back up to the surface once or twice, just to see what was going on around their exit area, and found that any Shinigami that had been following that Lieutenant he had felt had gone off to do their other responsibilities, while discovering that the immediate area around the stairs was also clear as well. That brought a smile to his face, as that meant once Ichigo was healed they could get a move on and slip into the area beneath the Shrine of Penitence while the coast was clear, as the only ones that knew where they were going happened to be Ikkaku and Yumichika, and the only person they would have told was their Captain. When he thought about Captains, however, he found that the really strong reiatsu happened to be gathered in one place, no doubt because they were holding a meeting to go over what was going on at the moment, and eventually they dispersed and went their separate ways. The only Captain he was interested in was Captain Byakuya, the one he had fought in the World of the Living and lost to because he had no idea he had been restricting his power to such a degree, but with Shokyo at his side, and a good amount of additional training with both her and Kisuke, he felt that this time a battle between them would end differently. Down in the underground water tunnel the only interesting thing that happened was when Ichigo started to recover from his wounds, which had barely closed by the time he had opened his eyes to find Hanataro, who was wearing gloves at the time, working on stabilizing his body. The reason that was interesting was because Ichigo tried to leave the area that they were hiding in, despite the fact that his body would collapse and he'd die if he did something like that, and the only reason they got him to stay down there was because Ganju sucker punched him and knocked him out, making Hanataro whine for a moment about there being another wound he had to treat now. At the same time Sombra found that their new friend had found something 'interesting' when he was tending to Ichigo's left shoulder, as a Hollow mask had materialized under his clothing and happened to be a little cracked, but Sombra knew that it hadn't been there when they finished their training and went through the gateway to enter Soul Society. His hunch was that there was more to Ichigo's powers than he and the others realized, as the mask coming out of nowhere told him that something wanted to keep Ichigo alive at all costs... and right now, while they were surrounded by enemies, he was willing to at least let whatever had created the mask remain in peace, since it had saved his friend's life from being terminated earlier. Another thing that Sombra found out was that, while he was working, Hanataro sometimes talked with whoever was around him, being the person he was healing, if they were conscious, or someone else, like Ganju for instance, but since Ganju didn't feel like talking Sombra guessed that he could talk for a few moments. "So, is the World of the Living exactly like Rukia said it was?" Hanataro asked, once more displaying his interest in a place that he might never get to go to, especially since he was likely going to be punished for helping them during their invasion, despite the fact that he could lie and tell his superiors that he was forced to help them. "It's a nice place to live, despite the fact that I have next to nothing to compare it against." Sombra replied, as he had enjoyed his time in the World of the Living, obviously as an Arrancar since he couldn't remember anything else before becoming what he was, "Most people in that world don't see people like you, me, the rest of the Shinigami, or even Hollow for that matter, not unless they're like Ichigo and have the ability to see and interact with the 'Other side', as that's what they refer to the afterlife as. Even though not a lot of people could see me, and some didn't even trust me when I first met them, I eventually forged some great friendships with many of them... even with Rukia, even though she may not think that way at the moment." "Why can't you compare the World of the Living to anywhere else? Haven't you been to other areas of that world, besides this Karakura Town that Rukia talked about?" Hanataro inquired, though as he looked up from his work for a moment, to get something he needed for Ichigo's wounds, he noticed a dark look appear in Sombra's eyes for a moment, one that freaked him out, "S... Sorry, I didn't mean to barge into something that was personal for you." "It's okay... it's nothing." Sombra said, to which he sighed for a moment, as the though about what he could have compared Karakura Town to had caused him to slip deep into his thoughts for a second or two, "It's just... I actually don't have anything to compare Karakura Town to. The majority of my memories are gone, that's why I can't do that." "What's that supposed to mean?" Ganju stated, as he had been listening to the conversation and had found a part of it that both interested him and confused him, though at the same time he turned back to the duo, "You should be able to remember everything from the earliest moment you can to this point in time..." "Unfortunately, that's something I cannot do." Sombra replied, to which he pulled Shokyo, and her scabbard, off his belt and laid her on the floor in front of him, while at the same time knowing that Hanataro and Ganju were staring at him while they did their own individual things, "Look, let me explain something; I'm an Arrancar, and that's a Hollow that has removed their mask and gained Shinigami-like powers, and, as I've been told, their true form and power is sealed away inside a blade that resembles a Zanpakuto. Shokyo, the blade you have seen me use several times so far, is, in reality, a Zanpakuto that a Shinigami might carry into battle, not an Arrancar's blade, making me different than the other members of my kind, if there are any others besides myself and Sora. When I made the jump from Hollow to Arrancar something went wrong and all of my memories were sealed inside the blade as well, and I have no idea where, in the vastness of Hueco Mundo, that blade could be..." Hanataro stopped for a moment, as the look in Sombra's eyes told him that the man wanted to know who he had been before becoming what he was, but the fact that the blade in question was lost to him, and it seemed to be that way at the moment, told him that there was next to nothing he could do besides apologize for bringing something like that up and getting back to his work, allowing Sombra to move to a corner and sit down. Sombra sighed as he did that, because it wasn't Hanataro's fault that he had lost his memories and that he had no idea where the blade that contained them was located, but he did want to find the blade and figure out who he had been, even if it wasn't that great. At the same time, however, he decided that he might as well close his eyes and get some rest, because something told him that when morning arrived they were going to be busy, even if he had no idea why he had that sort of feeling in the first place. The only this his senses picked up was the fact that, at one point in time, Hanataro got up and left to get some supplies that he didn't have on hand, as he told him despite the fact that he was trying to sleep, but with his timely return Sombra paid it no mind and drifted off into his dreamless sleep once more. When morning arrived Sombra, usually being one to rise with the morning sun, happened to be the first one up and found that Hanataro had completed his mission, as Ichigo's body was patched up and looked like he was ready to move once more, even if they really should stay in a hidden area to let his wounds heal. At the same time he found that Hanataro had used some more of his healing ability to mend a few of Ganju's own cuts, as he must have gotten some after he separated from them when they crashed and Ikkaku and Yumichika found them, meaning those cuts came from the Eleventh Division Shinigami that had been chasing him. There was also the fact that Hanataro seemed to be resting his head on Ganju's leg, meaning that he had to be exhausted from all that healing he had done, but instead of waking anyone he headed down to the exit he had crept out of the previous night, to survey what was going on, and headed outside once more. Fortunately, as he discovered, it was the same as it had been the previous night, no Shinigami in the immediate area and the Captains were scattered across the Seireitei, save for the fact that he was sure that two of them were close to the Shrine of Penitence... and one was definitely Captain Byakuya, as Sombra recognized the reiatsu anywhere, but at the same time it seemed to be moving as well. As Sombra delved back into the underground water tunnel system he hoped that Captain Byakuya was nowhere near the tower when they made a move for Rukia, along with the other Captain that he was feeling, though he also ignored the scream that erupted in the air, as it wasn't one of his friends... and he was positive that it didn't concern them in the slightest, so he felt that it was safe to ignore it for now. When he returned to where the others were resting he found that Ichigo was already up and about, meaning that he must have awoken in the last few minutes since he went up to the surface, Ganju was up, and it looked like he had been annoyed since Hanataro drooled a little on his pants, and Hanataro was still exhausted, despite the fact that he was forcing himself up as well. Sombra sighed and moved to stop their new friend from pushing himself too much, since he had pushed himself to heal all of Ichigo's wounds in a single night, but that was when Hanataro reached into his pack and pulled out a small ball that almost reminded him of Kon's Mod Soul pill, save for the fact that it had a skull on it. "And... just what is that?" Ichigo asked, as he, much like Ganju and Sombra, was staring at the pill in question as he wondered what was so special about it, though at the same time Sombra knew that Hanataro would explain what it was in the next couple of seconds. "In order to not get tired out, and to continue working like workhorses, every member of the Fourth Division is supplied with this special nutritional tonic." Hanataro explained, knowing that one of them was actually interested in what he was showing them and the other two were merely curious about the pill, and he started to move it towards his mouth as Ichigo and Ganju said that they thought he had been tricked, "Just take one of these and, amazingly, I'm ready to go." Despite his sad, and slightly depressed expression that he wore most of the time, Sombra could tell that there was a spark of energy in his eyes, showing that the pill had worked like it was supposed to, to which he stopped Ichigo and Ganju before they wasted anymore time and got them moving immediately. As they headed towards the opening near the stairs Sombra filled them in on what he knew, that there were no Shinigami around the area that Ichigo and Renji had fought in, surprising Ichigo for a moment, and that all of their friends seemed to be making their own progress towards reaching the tower in the center of the Seireitei. From what he was able to tell Uryu, Orihime, and Sora hadn't gotten in a fight since the last one he had felt, causing Ichigo to nod his head in agreement while also stating that they wouldn't fight someone that they couldn't beat, and that Chad had punched something that morning before continuing on his way, while Ichigo agreed that he could feel Chad's reiatsu as well. At the same time Sombra sensed that Yoruichi was closer to their location than she had been when they were separated, but, at the same time, it would be a while before she found them and they were already planning on advancing towards the stairs, because if they could get Rukia out now, and find a good place to hide, they could regroup and get out of here before their enemies found them. When they reached the area in front of the stairs, and both Ichigo and Ganju confirmed Sombra's claims about there being no enemies around, while also feeling Chad finishing a fight somewhere, the group stared at the stairs for a couple of seconds as they prepared themselves. "Alright, let's get moving." Ichigo said, to which he took the first step forward and started the walk towards the stairs that were in front of them, while at the same time the others followed behind him, as Sombra was keeping his senses open for any additional enemies, "It's time to visit the Shrine of Penitence and save Rukia." At first they did a slow jog of sorts, just to make sure that Ichigo was as fine as Hanataro said he was, even though Sombra believed him when he said that, but once they determined that running and fighting wouldn't ruin his body, not unless he took even more damage in the process, the four of them started to run up the stairs that were in front of them and headed for the top. It was during the run up the long staircase, which was longer than what Sombra had thought it would be, that Hanataro revealed that the pill he had taken earlier had worked like he had told them, where both Ichigo and Ganju, to Sombra's surprise, continued to claimed that they didn't believe in the effects of the pill and that he had been lied to by his superiors. Fortunately, even with the long staircase that was ahead of them, it didn't take them long to reach the top step and find a new area for them to make their way through, but they paused for a moment and caught their breath, once more showing them that Hanataro's work had kept Ichigo's wounds from opening and that he was definitely good to go. "The security is pretty lax here as well." Ichigo commented, since he was still surprised that the area he and Renji had fought in had no guards, so seeing another area that was like the first one only made him more concerned, "I guess that means that we'll have smooth sailing from here on out." "Ichigo, there might not be any Shinigami around us, but there is someone that we need to keep an eye out for as we move through this area," Sombra said, as there was a powerful reiatsu signature coming from the area that they were heading into, one that felt like it belonged to a Captain, and Ichigo, from what he could tell, hadn't felt it yet. "What are you talking abo..." Ichigo started to say, but that was followed by the three of them feeling the reiatsu that Sombra had felt earlier, because the person that the reiatsu belonged to had increased it's pressure on them the moment after they came to a stop, showing Sombra that one of the Captains had been waiting for them to arrive and that he was incredibly powerful from his reiatsu alone. The four of them stood there for a couple of seconds, feeling the intense reiatsu all around them as the entire area seemed to shake in the process, and Sombra found that Ichigo, Ganju, and Hanataro were sweating as they felt the power that was weight down on them, where the sweat seemed to float into the air instead of falling to the ground. Sombra also found that he was the least affected of the group, as while he wasn't sweating he knew that they had to move fast before the Captain found them, but he also understood that their foe was watching them at the moment, from wherever he was standing. For the next minute the four of them ran from the top step and headed into the area in front of them, but as they did that Sombra could feel no distance opening between them and the Captain that was currently hunting them, as his reiatsu made it feel like there were a number of blades close to his body and one wrong move would result in a painful wound or even death, and he could see that the others were affected in a similar fashion, even when Hanataro fell and Ganju had to pick him up so they could keep moving. "There you are." a voice said, one that was loud and clear for Sombra, though at the same time Ichigo seemed to have heard it as well since he stopped at the same time Sombra did, though as that happened Sombra turned towards the top of one of the structures and found a Shinigami, wearing the normal clothing with the white Captain's uniform, standing at the peak and happened to be staring down at them. The Shinigami was a tall, muscular man with a wild and aggressive appearance, no doubt with a personality to match, where Sombra noticed that he had a long face with pronounced cheekbones, pronounced, hairless brow ridges, along with green colored eyes and long, stringy black colored hair. A noticeable trait in his appearance, that Sombra noticed instantly, was the long, thin scar that happened to be running down the left side of his face and across his left eye, no doubt inflicted on him by when he was younger than he was at the moment. What Sombra found interesting was that the Captain he was looking at had bandages across his midsection, his hair was styled into stiff strands that had small bells attached to the tips, a black choker serving as a necklace, and he had a black colored eyepatch over his right eye, which seemed to be a little elegant, since it had a gold-like lining and a chain as one of the straps. Sombra could practically feel the reiatsu oozing off of the Captain, proving that they were much stronger than their Lieutenants were, and, at the same time, that meant that their plan to get to the Shrine of Penitence might not actually work with him standing in their way. Sombra noticed the Captain move through the air long before Ichigo even spotted the movement, as he was holding his chest like someone had stabbed him, and soon the Captain that he had been staring at was standing just a couple of steps behind them, with a wicked look on his face. "You're Ichigo Kurosaki, aren't you?" the Captain, Zaraki as Sombra remembered Ikkaku telling them before they departed from the area he and Yumichika had been beat in, said, though as Ichigo turned to look at him a grin appeared on his face as he turned towards Sombra, "That would make you the Arrancar that's known as Sombra... the one that wounded Byakuya in the World of the Living and cut Gin when he prevented your entry into the Seireitei." "I am the one called Sombra." Sombra replied, though at the same time, while noticing how fearful Ichigo seemed in the Captain's presence, he turned and faced the person that was going to stand in their way this time around, "You must be the Captain of the Eleventh Division, Kenpachi Zaraki." "I am... but call me Zaraki, as 'Kenpachi' is only my title." Zaraki commented, though the grin remained on his face, as he was pleased to see that his thoughts about the Arrancar that had wounded two Captains had been correct, as he was the only one of the group that wasn't scared of him at the moment, something that he aimed to change, "I came here, to this very spot, to fight you to the death!" "So... this is the power of a Captain." Ichigo said, though it was more to himself, as he was still caught off guard by the sheer power that happened to be coming from the man in front of them, while at the same time wondering just how much stronger Sombra must have, than he was he mentally added, been to avoid being in the same state that he, Ganju, and Hanataro were in. In was in the following moment that Sombra noticed the Lieutenant of the Eleventh Division, who appeared to be just a little girl that rode on Zaraki's shoulder, make a moment about the state that Ganju and Hanataro were in, along with jumping over to Ichigo's shoulder as Sombra followed her movements, though that only caused her to smile as Zaraki's grin widened even further. "Ken-chan, he's the one!" the little girl said, pointing one of her fingers at Sombra for a couple of seconds, though at that point Sombra was sure that one of the Shinigami they had beaten on the way here had told the Captains about him, meaning that the Lieutenants were all aware of what an Arrancar was. "That he is." Zaraki replied, because when Yachiru used her own speed in such a manner not a lot of Shinigami could follow her movements, but Sombra was able to keep track of her and sense whether or not she was a threat in this instance, as he had noticed his left hand grip his Zanpakuto's scabbard for a moment before she came back to him. "Sombra." Ichigo said, as he now understood the words that Renji had said to them, about the other Lieutenants and their Captains, especially after seeing these two and how they interacted with each other, though at the same time his friend glanced at him, "I want you to join Ganju and take Hanataro out of this area. Go on ahead without me." "What are you talking about?" Sombra inquired, because right now this wasn't the sort of opponent that Ichigo could beat on his own, and it pained him to admit that his friend would have a hard time beating such an opponent all on his own, but at the same time he reached for Shokyo, "Ichigo, this is an opponent that we need to work together to defeat, because fighting him alo..." "I got this." Ichigo insisted, not even bothering to look at his friend at the moment, as he needed to steel himself for what he was about to do, especially since Sombra was Rukia's best chance at getting out of the Seireitei alive, "Go on, join Ganju and get out of here before this maniac attacks us." "Ichigo, sometimes you need to know when to accept a friend's assistance." Sombra stated, surprised that his friend was willing to tackle Captain Zaraki in a one on one battle, especially when he was terrified of the reiatsu the man was putting out, but at the same time he turned around and faced the opposite direction, "But, if this is what you wish, then I will leave him to you... but if we free Rukia, and you're still fighting him, I'll make sure to help you in anyway I can." Since Ganju and Hanataro, who Ganju was currently carrying at the moment, were already fleeing the moment Ichigo told them to get moving, and neither Captain Zaraki or his LIeutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi when Ichigo asked her name, Sombra flashed through the air and left the area, knowing that it was dangerous for Ichigo and was letting his friend battle it out with the Captain to give them a head start. As the three of them continued on their way to the Shrine of Penitence, however, Sombra heard a comment from Zaraki as they headed in the opposite direction, as he sounded like he was disappointed in Ichigo getting in the way of him and his true target, but he also guessed that Ikkaku must have spoke highly of Ichigo since he was willing to stick around and see how strong Ichigo was for himself. When they got far enough away from where Ichigo and Zaraki were standing Hanataro came to and surprised Ganju, who fell on his face in the process, before explaining that Zaraki was the 'Kenpachi', a nickname given to the person who loves fighting and who has killed the most people, and that he couldn't be killed, not that Ichigo would be planning on something like that. Once Hanataro had spoke his mind on the subject, and informed Ganju that they had to move on while at the same time making Sombra worried about his friend, the three of them continued onward as Hanataro continued to lead them in the direction of the Shrine of Penitence. As the three of them followed the path that Hanataro was following, however, Sombra continued to keep tabs on the fight between Ichigo and Captain Zaraki, as best he could from simply sensing their reiatsu, and immediately he could tell that Ichigo was off to a bad start since his reiatsu was shaking, revealing how terrified he really was. From that point onward Sombra felt their reiatsu moving through the area around them, indicating that Captain Zaraki was chasing Ichigo at the moment, proving him right that his friend wasn't ready for this sort of fight, even though it seemed to be a little exciting for Zaraki. What he could tell was that Ichigo's fear of Zaraki was causing him to revert back to what he had been like when he was training against Kisuke in the underground training area, something that Sombra had hoped he would have forgotten about after his battle with Renji, but at the same time he guessed that, after a single day, change wasn't going to happen automatically. At one point he felt Ichigo run again, making him sigh in annoyance for a moment, because he was honestly considering heading back and helping his friend, but Ganju insisted that they remain true to the mission that they had been given and focus on that... though it was had to do that when he felt Chad getting into a fight with someone that also felt like a Captain, and ended up losing after a couple of minutes. The good news was that Chad wasn't dead, as the Captain he had been fighting had stayed his hand and was likely taking him into custody for questioning when he woke up later on, and there was no bad news to that, because it seemed like Chad's defeat had been fuel for Ichigo to get back into the battle, as he reengaged Zaraki not a few seconds later and, if he was reading the reiatsu correctly, Ichigo must have done something that excited his opponent, because that was followed by a few vibrations as the two continued to battle. Of course that was when Ichigo did something stupid and Zaraki cut him, as he felt the change in Ichigo's reiatsu, the change that came with defeat, and immediately turned around, as he intended to head back to where his friend was resting and smash Zaraki into the ground for what he did. His actions were stopped when he felt another change in Ichigo's reiatsu, as it had spiked rather suddenly, and that happened to be instantly followed by surprise flashing through Zaraki's own reiatsu, indicating that Ichigo had to be pressing him, to which Sombra nodded and followed after Ganju and Hanataro once more. What he wasn't expecting, as he ran along the path that Hanataro had chosen for them, was for Zaraki's immense reiatsu to increase by a drastic degree, though as that happened he, Ganju, and Hanataro paused for a moment as they stared out from the roof that they were standing on, because as Zaraki increased his power Ichigo called upon the power of Zangetsu and increased his power as well... and they were amazed when one of the structures that were near the two fighters collapsed, no doubt because someone cut it down. Eventually Ichigo did the same thing that Zaraki was doing and both of their powers increased to the point where the area around them shook under the sheer intensity of their reiatsu, all that Sombra could tell by just feeling their reiatsu, and then they charged at each other, where the collision of their powers flattened the area that they had been fighting in, much to Sombra's amazement. Based on what he was feeling it appeared that the battle might have been a draw, as both Ichigo and Zaraki's reiatsu went down to the dangerous levels, the same level they went to when someone was close to dying, but, for the most part, he could also tell that neither of them were actually going to die, despite the fact that they needed some rest and some days spent healing before they could do anything else. Sombra smiled as both Ganju and Hanataro continued to move forward, as it appeared that, despite his worries, Ichigo had managed to battle Zaraki to a draw and took him out of the running for the moment, meaning that their escape from the Seireitei would be slightly easier once they freed Rukia from her cell. He also didn't have to worry about his friend, as he felt the tiniest sliver of Yoruichi's reiatsu appear for a couple of seconds and then felt Ichigo being moved somewhere else, to which he chuckled for a moment before heading over to where his current companions were standing so they could get the show on the road before more enemies showed up. "The sounds have stopped." Hanataro commented, as he found that the sounds of battle that they had been hearing for the last couple of minutes, while they were climbing up to the path that would take them to the bridge that connected to the Shrine of Penitence, had finally stopped and the area was silent once more, "Do you guys think Ichigo is alright?" "We've come this far, so we have no choice but to believe in him." Ganju replied, showing Sombra that neither of them seemed to be able to feel the reiatsu that had been in the air during the fight, as he found it impossible to ignore the fight that his friend had been in, "We also don't have the time to get distracted." "Don't worry Hanataro, Ichigo's fine." Sombra said, as he figured that he might as well tell their friend that Ichigo had survived the fight, even if Ganju might be focused on the task at hand, though he was pleased to find that Hanataro was pleased by the news as they turned towards the task at hand. Ganju's brilliant plan to get over to the gap that was in front of them, instead of heading over to the path that Hanataro had been leading them to, was to use a grappling hook and swing across, only for him to actually break the hook off from the rope that it was attached to and scare Hanataro in the process. Instead of wasting time on Ganju's ridiculous ideas, and hurting Hanataro in the process, Sombra grabbed onto both of them and flashed through the air, moving over to the path that they had been heading toward and landed on the roof, to which he set them down and they started moving towards the Shrine of Penitence as they kept an eye out for guards. As it turned out it didn't take them that long to reach the end of the path that the roofs allowed them to travel on, but at the end of it all Sombra glanced over the edge and found some guards that were recovering from the reiatsu that had been in the air, where the two of them started talking about which one of them was trembling and who wasn't, before Hanataro pulled out a container and dropped a couple of drops on the Shinigami on their left. Sombra discovered that the drops, called 'trembling point', caused people with low reiatsu to pass out, for how long he had no idea, so when the first Shinigami fell to the ground, and the second looked up to where Hanataro was standing, Sombra took the container for a moment and dropped a single drop on the second Shinigami's neck, knocking him out in the process and preventing Ganju from accidentally raising the alarm. As Sombra returned the container, and Ganju commented that Hanataro had some scary stuff inside his pack, the three of them started the trek over the narrow bridge and Sombra noticed that there was next to nowhere to run in case someone came and attacked them, but he focused on the door that they were heading towards. "So, the entrance is a shutter type." Ganju commented, recognizing the style of door that was in front of them, and Sombra decided to take his word for it, since he had no idea what he was talking about, before he crossed his arms as he smiled for a moment, "Now, how are we going to open it?" "It's alright." Hanataro said, though as he knelt down and reached into his clothing, revealing that he was searching for something, Sombra stopped Ganju from saying anything, as he was curious as to what he was looking for, before a light smile appeared on his face as he pulled out a large wooden key of some kind, "Last night, after I healed both you and Ichigo, I borrowed the spare key from the cell key cabinet in the underground canal." "I take it that it's not okay for you to do something like this?" Sombra asked, as he had seen a brief look appear on Hanataro's face for a moment, showing that, despite the mission to save Rukia, he was still worried about breaking the rules of Soul Society to assist them, the invaders. "Oh, I'll likely be punished once they find out what I've done." Hanataro answered, though at the same time he slipped the key into the lowest slot in the door and started turning the lock, showing that, despite how sacred this place seemed to be, that he actually knew the combination to the door in front of them, "But last night, I was thinking that Ichigo was always getting torn up from the fights he was in, and all I did was run away from fights. After hearing what Rukia told me about the World of the Living, and witnessed Ichigo's resolve to save her to repay his debt to her, I decided that I wanted to save Rukia as well, and that I was willing to do everything in my power to assist you guys... even if that means that I have to face a punishment later on. But still, stealing the key to the Shrine of Penitence is the best I could do." "Hanataro, giving us directions, healing us, and stealing the key is more than enough," Sombra said, though at the same time he smiled as Hanataro looked back at him and Ganju, who was being silent at the moment and was focused on the door in front of them, "Now then, let's open the door and get to saving Rukia." "I get why Ichigo wants to save this person," Ganju spoke up, showing that he might have been listening to them and had picked now to talk, even though he didn't have much to say at the moment, though at the same time the door started to rise before their eyes, indicating that Hanataro had remembered the combination correctly, "but I don't understand why so many people are so freaking desperate to save her. This 'Rukia' must be one hell of a cutie, man." Sombra sighed for a moment, as Ganju wasn't thinking about the main reason they were here in the first place, but instead of talking to the man he turned towards the opening door as he got a good look inside the cell that they had been keeping Rukia inside, who just so happened to be standing in the middle of the floor in front of them, wearing a white robe of some kind with a red collar around her neck and a look of surprise on her face. "Sombra? What are you doing here?" Rukia asked, as she couldn't believe that the Arrancar she had trusted back in the World of the Living, and had thought to be dead despite Renji telling her otherwise, was standing in the doorway at that very moment, before noticing the people with them, "And who are they?" "Rukia, I'm sure you remember Hanataro Yamada, and this is Ganju Shiba." Sombra replied, though at the same time he noticed that Ganju seemed rather silent, or maybe shocked was a better word to use in this instance, before he turned towards Rukia once more, "As for why I'm here... well, we came to rescue you." "Wait, did you say Shiba?" Rukia inquired, but as she said that she glanced at the clothing that Ganju was wearing and instantly recognized the symbol that he wore on them, knowing that this wasn't going to end well, especially since she knew something that the others didn't. "You two know each other?" Hanataro asked, as that hadn't been something that Ganju talked about, mostly because it had been Ichigo and Sombra that knew Rukia, but as he turned toward Ganju, however, he found a look of rage on the man's face. "Yeah... I know her..." Ganju stated, though at the same time he felt some sweat rolling down the side of his face, as he couldn't believe who he had tried to risk his life for as the memories of the past came back up to the surface, "As if I could forget... that mug... She's... she's the Shinigami that killed my older brother!" Sombra raised an eyebrow, remembering what Ganju had said back when they were getting ready to enter the cannon that had allowed them to enter the Seireitei, and now understood that he and the others had brought Ganju to the one person that he hated with all his heart... but he hoped that he could put that behind him for now, as he could feel another reiatsu coming from nearby, one that was all too familiar to him. "My brother's wound was a sword wound." Ganju continued, not caring if they wasted time at the moment, because right now he was focused on the one person that he could never forget and the one person that he was never going to be able to forgive, "The back of his neck had been slashed and he had been stabbed through the heart. If he had fought with a Hollow, why would he have died of sword wounds?! And back then, she said to me that she had killed him!" "Ganju, there must be some mistake!" Hanataro said, to which he stepped in front of Ganju and stared at him, which actually surprised both Ganju and Sombra since he was always running from fights and angry people, "There's no way that Rukia could hav..." "It's alright, Hanataro." Rukia said, speaking up once more, though at the same time Hanataro turned to look at her for a moment, no doubt hoping that what Ganju said was a lie he had made up as an excuse not to rescue Rukia, "Member of the Shiba Clan, without a doubt, your older brother, Kaien Shiba, was killed by my hand. Do with me as you wish. I have resigned myself to death, be it by your hand or the hand of my superiors, and I will not resist my fate." "Sorry, but that won't be happening today." Sombra spoke up, causing the three of them to focus on him for a couple of seconds, especially since he hadn't entered the Shrine of Penitence at all, before his expression grew serious as he turned around, "Because Captain Byakuya has arrived at last." The moment the statement left his mouth the area was filled with Byakuya's intense reiatsu, which happened to be on the same level of Zaraki's reiatsu, but the difference was that, while it inspired fear in both Hanataro and Ganju, and even made Hanataro tremble, Sombra found himself unaffected by the reiatsu and took a step forward immediately. "Sombra! What are you doing?!" Rukia asked, as she had seen the results of their last battle and knew that, even as an all powerful Arrancar, Sombra still didn't have a chance, not even her brother was so much stronger than he was, to which she wondered if he had a death wish or something. "Rukia, there's another reason I came to Soul Society... one I never told the others about." Sombra said, to which he kept his eyes in front of him and stared at the Captain that was his opponent, the same Captain that he came to defeat with his own hands, "In addition to saving you I came here to find and defeat Captain Byakuya... and I will do just that." "Surely you must be joking!" Ganju said, as he could feel the immense reiatsu that was coming from the famous Captain, who was currently walking down the bridge to where they were standing, and felt that the person in the doorway had simply lost his mind at this point in time, "You can't battle someone that has that type of reiatsu." Sombra glanced back at them for a moment and smiled, as he knew something that they didn't know, before turning to face his opponent and continued to walk across the bridge that was in front of him, knowing that Ganju and Hanataro would think of a plan to get out of here... though he was happy to see that Byakuya seemed annoyed the moment he spotted him walking towards him, as if he expected him to be dead. "I felt a familiar reiatsu heading towards the Shrine of Penitence and came to investigate," Byakuya stated, where he kept his eyes on the Arrancar in front of him, knowing that the battle to come would be over as quickly as the last one had been, and kept his left hand near his Zanpakuto so he could be ready, "I was curious as to what kind of powerful warrior had come this far while hiding his reiatsu, only to find a familiar bug standing in my way." "And there's that tone that pissed me off the last time we fought," Sombra said, though at the same time he raised his right hand and drew Shokyo from her scabbard, as he intended to begin the fight soon and not hold back at all, especially since his opponent was a Captain, "besides, this 'bug' survived your last attempt to kill it and came back even stronger than before, so much so that you'll regret not finishing me off when you had the chance." "Though you are standing your ground, your reiatsu has not changed since we last fought," Byakuya commented, as it was impressive that such a being was able to stand in his presence, when he was allowing his reiatsu to pressure the entire area around him in such a manner, but that wouldn't change the outcome of what was coming next, "You may be an Adjuchas ranked Arrancar, one with a decent will to live through my attack in the World of the Living, but your power is nothing compared to what I pos..." Sombra grinned as he cut Byakuya off, as he finally released his own reiatsu and the entire area shook for a couple of seconds, where a familiar look of shock appeared on his opponent's face, but before Byakuya had a chance to pull out his Zanpakuto, and call out the Release Call, Sombra flashed through the space between them and landed on front of his target, whose eyes widened in surprise. That was instantly followed by Sombra swinging his Zanpakuto as he cut a light diagonal gash into Byakuya's chest, exactly opposite the one he had given him in the World of the Living, and the force of the attack knocked his opponent back, who was shocked by what was happening. Not a couple of seconds later Byakuya, who had a moment to draw his Zanpakuto, blocked the incoming attack as Sombra came down on him from above, forcing him to stay in one spot as he struggled against his increased power, but that was only the beginning of what he had planned for when they fought again. Sombra followed the downward attack by pulling himself backwards in a jumping motion, allowing Byakuya to believe that he had gained the upper hand for a second, but in reality he flashed back in front of his opponent and delivered an uppercut that knocked him into the air, before jumping into the air, spinning around, and kicked him in the chest so he went flying into the building that he and the others had been using the roof for cover earlier, knocking part of the wall down in the process. As that happened Sombra dropped down to the bridge and put himself between Byakuya and his companions, who were still standing around like morons as they stared at him with a stunned expression on all of their faces, before he raised his left hand into the air and pointed his palm in Byakuya's direction as reiatsu gathered for a moment. "O Lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!" Sombra recited, recalling one of the Kido spells he had learned, or more specifically a Hado spell, and started to recite the incantation as he allowed his power to gather in his palm, "Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws. Hado Number 33: Sokatsui!" Byakuya raised his head in time to see the torrent of blue energy ripple out of Sombra's palm, surprising him and the others for a moment as they understood that he was capable of using some powerful Kido, and barely had enough time to move as it barreled into where he had been resting, causing the entire area around him to explode in that instant, while at the same time the sturdy bridge remained standing as part of the building fell apart. "No way... he can use Kido?!" Rukia commented, as she didn't know what was more surprising, the fact that Sombra, an Arrancar, was able to learn and use Kido in the short time since she last saw him, or the fact that he was currently beating her brother in a match, all while preventing him from saying his Release Call. "I see that I was wrong; you have gotten stronger since we last fought," Byakuya stated, though as he emerged from the wreckage of the building he had been knocked into, and faced his opponent, he found that the scarf that he wore had been damaged in several areas, causing his frown to deepen as he truly focused on his foe, "and I see that we need to rethink how Arrancars work, because you are the first that has ever used a Kido spell before. I shall take this matter seriously and not hold back against you. Scatt..." Sombra, taking advantage of the fact that he was much faster than he had been during the first fight he had with Byakuya, flashed in front of his opponent as he started to utter the Release Call, and held his blade in the manner that came with such a command, before swinging Shokyo as he retraced the first gash he gave him, giving him two wounds in the same battle a surprise crossed his face once more. Sombra found it amusing that his opponent continued to be shocked in such a manner, as if being wounded was something that members of the Kuchiki Clan didn't do, but right now he had scored three good hits on him between their two matches, and right now he was far from over, as he came here to beat him and he was going to do just that. As Byakuya staggered backwards he decided to forgo trying to say the Release Call and thrust his Zanpakuto forward, though as that happened Sombra moved to the left side of where his foe was standing and let the attack pass by him, before slashing into his shoulder as he knocked Byakuya away from Rukia and the others. Once that was done Sombra went on the offensive and started swinging Shokyo a little more often, instead of just parrying attacks, and Byakuya soon found himself on the defensive, shocking Rukia with every action she was seeing, as this wasn't something that happened every day. After a minute of tormenting Byakuya with a series of attacks, and cutting small gashes into his arms and legs to show him that he wasn't playing around, Sombra flashed back to the bridge and put some distance between them, where Byakuya walked out of the ruined building and stared at him. "You know, this is starting to feel like it's one sided." Sombra said, as he honestly wasn't expecting his training to allow him to put this much pressure on a Captain, one that was clearly holding some sort of power back from him, and sighed for a few seconds, before looking his opponent in the eyes, "Go ahead, use your Release Call and show me the power you used to defeat me back in the World of the Living." "And how do I know that you aren't trying to get me to lower my guard?" Byakuya asked, because right now he was having a hard time believing that this was the same Adjuchas ranked Arrancar he defeated in the World of the Living, as his reiatsu now felt closer to that of a Vasto Lorde, or at least an extremely powerful Adjuchas that hadn't reached the final level of a Hollow's evolution. "Because I wouldn't tell you to do something and then exploit a weakness, I'd just attack and show you where you went wrong," Sombra replied, though he couldn't fault Byakuya for saying that, as he did attack him the last time he tried to use the Release Call, something that Ichigo never seemed to aim for and proved to be a good target when the opponent he was facing had no idea he could be attacked in that moment, "Besides, Shokyo and I agree that you would be a good opponent if you let Senbonzakura have a chance to battle as well." "Shokyo? Do not pretend that your blade is a Zanpakuto!" Byakuya stated, though at the same time he raised his own Zanpakuto into the position he had been attempting to use earlier, where he found that his opponent seemed to be abiding by what he had told him, making him think that this was a trap of some kind and that he was going to have to spring it to move the fight along, "An Arrancar, despite gaining Shinigami-like abilities when they remove their masks and take on a more Human form, cannot manifest a Zanpakuto spirit like real Shinigami can. Here, allow me to show you the power of a true Zanpakuto! Scatter, Senbonzakura!" Sombra grinned as the blade of Byakuya's Zanpakuto vanished and turned into the familiar flower petals that he vaguely recalled from their first fight, though as the strands of petals flew through the air, however, he found out that he could still follow their patterns and knew where the attacks were coming from. As such he either dodged the attacks that were coming at him, shocking Byakuya even more as he did that, or parrying the attacks and pushed them back, where he found that it was slightly harder than it had been earlier, which was what he had been hoping for when he told Byakuya to do this and let him go through with it. At the same time, however, he sensed that Shokyo, who had been treated like an Zanpakuto of equal status as the ones that were carried by the other Shinigami they had seem, was unhappy with the words that Byakuya had said and desired a chance to show him that he was wrong. After a few more moments of dodging the attacks, and finding several more openings that he decided not to take advantage of this time around, Sombra eventually sighed and flashed back to an area to divert Byakuya's attention from Rukia and the others, all while holding Shokyo at the ready. "You know, you have a habit of annoying me and you also managed to annoy Shokyo at the same time," Sombra said, to which his reiatsu flared, as he was going to show Byakuya just how horribly wrong he was about the Zanpakuto that he was carrying with him and trained with back when Ichigo first released Zangetsu, "Shimmer, Shokyo." Sombra waited for a moment as Shokyo took on her crystalline broadsword form once more, surprising Byakuya by the fact that she acted like an actual Zanpakuto would, before he flashed through the air as his opponent sent the torrent of flower petals at him, dodging them before they came close to hitting him. As he flashed around the area, confusing his opponent in the process since he only stayed in one spot for a second before moving again, Sombra took the opportunity to deliver a number of cuts to Byakuya's body, aiming anywhere from his legs to his arms, or all over his body, and let the length of each cut differ from the one before it. He was also aware of the fact that Rukia was stunned by the fact that her brother was being beaten in such a manner, though at the moment his style of attack had been inspired by the thousand rapid slashes he remembered feeling when Byakuya first released Senbonzakura against him, and, based on the annoyed expression Byakuya wore, he knew his opponent understood what he was doing... though at the same time his left hand remained open as he charged his reiatsu once more, as he had one more surprise in store for his opponent before he brought an end to the fight. "O Lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!" Sombra recited, but as he spoke the good thing about moving so much was that Byakuya was unable to pinpoint where he was standing, meaning that he couldn't stop this from happening, even if he wanted to, "Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!" Byakuya was growing tired of his opponent acting like he owned the battle, even if he was dominating the fight, and decided to punish him accordingly by aiming Senbonzakura's petals at Rukia and the people that had come here with the Arrancar, but, as that happened, his eyes widened as he realized that he had successfully sprung the trap he had been thinking about earlier... only this time his guard was definitely open and it would take too long to recall the petals as Sombra appeared in front of him. "Hado Number 31," Sombra said, raising his left hand, which had a large sphere of red energy gathered around it, one that definitely wasn't the black Cero he had fired back in the World of the Living, until it was level with Byakuya's exposed and wounded chest, "Shakkaho!" Sombra grinned as a torrent of red energy erupted from his hand and barreled into Byakuya's exposed chest, which knocked him backwards and caused him to crash into the now ruined building that he enjoyed knocking him into, while at the same time setting both his clothing and part of the building on fire, though that included scorching part of his chest with the Hado spell. A couple of seconds ticked by as the flames seemed to die down, revealing the damage that he had caused to his opponent, but as Byakuya started to get back up, despite the wounds that had been inflicted on his body, Sombra moved out of the way as the flower petals returned to him and he reformed Senbonzakura's blade. When he got back on his feet, and stood up once more, Sombra sighed and flashed forward, kicking Byakuya in the chest and knocked him into another wall that was behind him, though this time he dropped his Zanpakuto as he collapsed on the floor, to which he turned around and headed back towards the bridge... only to stop when he felt the presence of another Captain near his location, several more closing in on his location, and Yoruichi rapidly approaching his location. "Who are you?" a voice said, to which Sombra turned to the right for a moment and found a tall man that had long white colored hair, that seemed to almost reach his waist, one that he recognized as a Captain by the white clothing that was over his Shnigami attire, before he understood something, "Wait a second, you're an Arrancar! What's an Arrancar doing in Soul Society?" "My name is Sombra, and I'm rescuing a friend," Sombra replied, to which he beckoned to Rukia for a moment, who was still stunned by seeing her brother being beaten in such a manner, before he faced the Captain, "So, which of the other eleven Captains are you supposed to be? And, more importantly, are you going to stand in my way as well?" "I am Ukitake Jushiro, though I prefer just Ukitake, and I'm the Captain of the Thirteenth Division," the man replied, but at the same time Sombra noticed that he wasn't reaching for his Zanpakuto, meaning that he might let him go with Rukia and the others, "I can tell that you're strong, possibly even stronger than most give you credit for, but can you hope to battle the remaining six Captains that are on their way here? They've felt the power you possess, stronger than last Adjuchas ranked Arrancar that they fought between two to three hundred years ago, and they're all converging on your position to stop you... can you hope to beat all of them, when they all possess a power that is stronger than a Shikai?" "Stronger than a Shikai..." Sombra said, though if that was the truth, and it seemed like it was since he didn't detect any lies coming from Captain Ukitake, that meant he was lucky to knock Byakuya down before he could utilize this other form of Senbonzakura, otherwise the battle could have ended differently, "I sense someone strong among the Captains... I guess retreating is the best thing I can do for the moment." "Don't worry, I'll have your companions escorted to a holding area where they'll be safe until later," Ukitake said, to which Sombra raised an eyebrow for a moment, as he was surprised by what the man had said, before finding Yoruichi, in her normal form and wearing her usual clothing once more, on a nearby roof and beckoning for him to move out of the area before reinforcements arrive. "I'll hold you to that." Sombra stated, where he reverted Shokyo back to her katana form, sheathed her once more, and headed off before the other Shinigami entered the area, though as he did so he turned around when he reached Yoruichi and noticed that both Ganju and Hanataro had the situation explained to the situation, as they weren't upset about him leaving them there, even if it upset him a little, before he turned towards his companion, "Yoruichi, it's good to see you again... and in your Human form no less." "It's good to see you again as well, Sombra." Yoruichi replied, to which she smiled as the two of them headed out of the area that they were in, as she had a specific place that they needed to be before they could make a second attempt at saving Rukia and the others, "Don't worry, I took Ichigo to a safe location and put some powerful drugs in his system to keep him down, which will rapidly close his wounds at the same time, allowing him to be ready for when the two of you train for the next stage of our operation." "Train for what?" Sombra inquired, because at the moment he knew that, in a one on one fight, he might be able to take most of the Captains, save for one if he was feeling the reiatsu right, but at the same time his curiosity was raised as he followed after Yoruichi. "For the final stage of a Zanpakuto... the Bankai!" Yoruichi said, though her tone suggested that such a thing was something serious within the Gotei 13, to which they remained silent as they headed away from the Shrine of Penitence and headed form her secret hiding spot. Sombra had no idea what Bankai even meant, but the way that both Yoruichi and Ukitake talked about it told him that the technique was stronger than what happened when the Release Call was used and the Zanpakuto's form changed into something else, making him wonder what power was sleeping inside Shokyo... and if he was worthy enough to learn whatever secrets she hadn't told him about.