Abarai Renji is lying on his back inside of the prison cell were he was treated for his injuries. His hands are bound at the wrists and a white sheet covers him up to his bare chest. His eyes are closed, but his brow is creased and perspiring. It seems that he hasn't rested well while recuperating from his battle against Ichigo.

A monkey materializes in mid-air beside the hard bed, moving toward Renji. Its hands and feet are small, but its body is as large and imposing as that of a baboon. There are fluid black markings across the pale fur on its back and shoulder blades which resemble the geometric tattoos on Renji's body. The creature has a long, scaly tail with the head of a serpent at the end. The snake seems to move independently of the monkey but their attention is both focused on the still form of the Shinigami at their feet.

Renji's eyes crack open and he peers up at the creature standing by his head. He looks into the monkey's pale, pupil-less eyes, "...Zabimaru..."

"...Still resting, huh," Zabimaru speaks from the primate's mouth. The snake, which is also a part of the creature, hisses rudely at Renji over the monkey's shoulder, "Oi, that's pathetic!"

"Whenever I think it's been a long time since you last came out, I get that, huh," Renji says from his prone position. "You're the same as ever. There are many other things you could say, you know."

"I have already recovered," Zabimaru tells him. Renji looks past the monkey and sees his Zanpaku sword at the other end of the prison cell. Zabimaru, the sword, is in its unsealed state, laid out on a slab of stone. It appears to be completely restored. "I can fight at any time," the monkey looks down at Renji with its blank eyes, "Next is your turn."

"Quit sleeping all the time and revive yourself quickly!" the snake snaps at him, "Then let me fight that bastard, Zangetsu!" Zabimaru recalls its battle against Ichigo and Zangetsu. It is eager for a rematch.

The monkey says, "Next time, I shall certainly... I'll win!" The snake finishes vehemently.

Renji looks up at Zabimaru, before turning his head away to face the wall, "...You idiot. You've been dozing off, haven’t you."

Then, Renji looks up at the ceiling, confident in his words, "That guy isn't my enemy anymore."

The snake and the monkey observe him for a silent moment, thinking this over. "...I see." Zabimaru eventually speaks. "So then, who is your enemy? Who will you fight against from now on?"

Renji doesn't reply. He looks past Zabimaru watching him with pale eyes, past the metal bars of his small prison window to see the bright sky beyond.

[Intro Page: The one-page portraits finally return!! YES! XD This one features a profile view of Renji, his black jacket is untied and his chest is bare all the way down to his abdomen, revealing some of the elaborate tattoos on his chest and stomach. Woo! He's hot!! *dies a fangirly death*]

On the long bridge that leads into the White Tower, a woman has appeared in front of a surprised Ichigo. She faces the equally bewildered captains with a serious expression. "...Y... Yoruichi..." one of them stutter.(2)

"Who... is she?" Hanatarou asks from a short distance behind Rukia. "She's a stranger..."

"No..." Rukia says in shock, "I remember hearing that name... I'm certain she's-"

"The late Captain General of Secret Maneuvers (3) as well as Chief of the entire 'Penalty Corps' - Shihouin Yoruichi," Byakuya addresses the newcomer.

Yoruichi meets his gaze, but does not say a word.

Byakuya's eyes narrow, "I haven't seen your face in a long time. You covered your tracks more than 100 years ago. Everyone thought you had died, however..."

"...Yoruichi-san," Ichigo speaks up respectfully from behind her. He has his sword drawn and ready, "You came to save me, right? Well, thanks. But I'm sorry, please move aside." His eyes focus past the back of Yoruichi's shoulder, to where Byakuya faces them both. "I have to defeat that guy."

"...defeat?" she turns her head to the side, "You? Over him?" She looks back at Ichigo sharply, "...You're such a fool."

"Eh..." Ichigo's eyes widen as Yoruichi vanishes in the flash of an instant. The next thing he is aware of is the sensation of a hand stabbing deep into his gut wound - the same deep wound he had recieved from fighting Zaraki Kenpachi.

"Wha...!?" Rukia gasps as she and the others watch Yoruichi attack Ichigo.

Ichigo is the most belwildered one of all. He stares down at where Yoruichi has her hand embedded deeply in his bleeding stomach, "..Wha...what did you... Yoru..." His head falls back and his eyes go blank, "...i..."

Yoruichi withdraws her bloodied hand and Ichigo tumbles forward. She catches his bulky form and easily hefts him over her shoulder.

"...Medicine, huh," Ukitake speaks up. "It's either the 'gaten' (worn point) or the 'houten' (collapsing point). You hammered something from a powerful anesthesiologist into his gut," he looks at her solemnly, "...You intend to heal him, Yoruichi."

"...Ukitake," she acknowleges his words, but doesn't not provide him with an explaination for her actions.

"Do not think I would let you heal him," Byakuya steps forward. "I won't allow it. You cannot escape from here."(4)

Yoruichi peers at him from over her free shoulder, "...Oh, you've started talking big, Byakuya-boy." She smiles, "Have you beaten me even once at a game of tag?" (5)

"...Well, shall we give it a try?" Byakuya asks calmly.

In a blur of motion, they both disappear.

When they reappear, Yoruichi proves to be faster (despite carrying Ichigo over her shoulder the entire time) by appearing right behind Byakuya. He spins around with a wide slash of his blade, but to his surprise, she is already gone.

She appears in mid-leap on the far end of the bridge where it meets the row of buildings. This is several dozen feet behind Byakuya, since he's still near the White Tower end of the bridge.

Yoruichi smirks at him and lands on top of the rail. In that split-second, Byakuya is already by her unguarded right side (since she is carrying Ichigo on her right shoulder).

Byakuya looks down at her. "At that level of instant step, did you really think you could evade me?" he scoffs.

His blade easily rips through her from right hip to left shoulder, cutting off her arm in the process. Byakuya watches Yoruichi collapse in a spray of blood as he holds his sword arm horizontal, having just completed its strike.

The sturdy position of his sword arm provides a nice perch for the real Yoruichi. She crouches on his arm at the same moment that the illusion on the 'injured' Yoruichi wears off - revealing a simple sheet of ripped cloth in front of Byakuya's startled gaze.

Yoruichi looks down at him. "At that level of instant step, did you really think you could catch me?" she counters with a self-assured grin.

Before he can even turn his head, Yoruichi is 20 feet above him, on the roof of the building behind him. "Three days," she calls down to Byakuya, with an unconscious Ichigo draped over her shoulder. "In three days, this guy will be stronger than you."

Byakuya looks up at her as she continues to speak, "Until then, I'm taking the liberty of a truce for a short while. If you wish to pursue us, go ahead," Yoruichi's form begins to blur as she is about to disappear again, "'Instant God' Yoruichi still cannot be caught by the likes of you."

And with that, she and Ichigo vanish.


(1)Renji - Shirt = Happy Airy! I consider that to be my big birthday gift!! Whee! XD
(2)Can't tell who says her name in this panel, but it's most likely Ukitake.
(3)This is based on assumptions & impressions but it seems like the Secret Maneuvers (including the messengers, the "Ritei Division") work parallel to the 13 Divisions - but not under their orders. I could be wrong, but Captain General of Secret Maneuvers might be an equal rank to that of Yama-jii's position as Captain General of the 13 Divisions.
(4)Once again, Byakuya uses the term "kei" (?) in a way that I'm not familiar with. If anyone could help me figure out the proper context for this, please let me know. Thanks. ^^
(5)Interesting play on words. Usually, the word for the game of tag is "onigokko" (????) a.k.a "make-believe demons" (someone pretends to be a demon & chases after everyone). However, in this case Yoruichi calls it "onigoto" (??), which has the same meaning, but is primarily used to mean the demon's part in a Noh play. There is an author's note on that panel to clarify it, since it seems to be an archaic use of the word.

Notes:
-So what's next? Healing & training for Ichigo, I guess - but I can't imagine why he would trust Yoruichi after she stabbed him in the gut like that. Ouchie. I bet he's gonna be pissed when he wakes up. <_<
-I'd really like to hear dosetsu-taichou's take on Zabimaru and what that might imply about the spirits of other Zanpaku swords among the shinigami.
-Speaking of which, the monkey speaks in a rather fluid, archaic style that resembles Rukia's speech patterns, while the snake speaks in a far cruder style.
-I hope Renji gets back into the main story soon. It seems like there will be a 3-day period while things heat up before a major Ichigo vs. Byakuya battle, so maybe Renji can get out of prison by then. I can just imagine Ichigo & Renji fighting side by side... *droooool*
-Chad, Renji, Hinamori... there's a heck of a lot of people in prison... I wonder if Orihime & Ishida have been caught yet.
-A Yoruichi vs. Kisuke battle would Kick Ass, wouldn't it?
-By the way, if Yoruichi can take on Byakuya - they could have managed to save Rukia, couldn't they? Something tells me that Yoruichi didn't take Ichigo to Seireitei just for the sake of saving Rukia. It almost seems as if Yoruichi & Kisuke have been using this whole Rukia debacle as a way of training Ichigo's shinigami abilities...
-Poor, poor Hanatarou is seriously screwed... aiyaa... -_-

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