Kicking off the edge of a tiled rooftop, Yoruichi is bounding across Seireitei with a bulky, unconscious Ichigo draped over her shoulder and Zangetsu strapped to her back.

[Intro Page: COLOR!!! XD It's the 4 'rescue rangers'! Ichigo, Ishida, Chad and Orihime are decked out in street wear, leaning against tall columns. I love KT's sense of style! XD]

"...They have escaped..." Byakuya notes as he turns around and leaves.

"Ah! Hey! Where are you going, Byakuya!?" Ukitake calls after him from the bridge, "What do we do about these guys!? You came to dispose of them, didn't you!?"

"I’ve lost interest," Byakuya doesn't bother to look back as he strides away. "Do what you wish with them."

"Good grief..." Ukitake scratches his head in bewilderment, "...He's a fickle guy as ever."

Elsewhere on the bridge, Rukia’s legs seem to be too weak to keep her standing. "...haah...ah..." she tumbles forward into oblivion.

"Ru... Rukia-san!" Hanatarou scrambles over to her when he sees her pass out.

...When Byakuya went away, the thread of tension was cut... Ukitake thinks as he looks over at the fallen Rukia. That’s natural...

"...Now, then... I guess I’ll try and call them," Ukitake raises his head and hollers into the surrounding area. "HE~~Y! SENTAROU! KIYONE!! COME ON OUT!"

Two shadows leap out of their hiding places and land in front of Ukitake. One is a man, by the name of Kotsubaki Sentarou, who has a working-man's appearance – tough, braided ropes are tied around his forehead and shoulders. He also has a sharply defined chin, a goatee, and unkempt hair.

The young woman who appears along side him, called Kotetsu Kiyone, has extremely short, blonde hair, dark eyebrows and wears a western-style shirt collar. In Team 13, they are tied for the position of the 3rd highest rank. (1)

New enemies...!? Hanatarou looks up at them from where he kneels by Rukia’s unconscious body.

"So you both followed me after all..." Ukitake groaned. "How long have you two been here?"

"Since ‘Hmph! ...Well, that was dangerous!’, Captain!!!" Sentarou barks promptly, reciting Ukitake's first words when he arrived at the bridge and stopped Byakuya from doing something quite rash.

"You mean, since the very beginning..." Ukitake frowns in disapproval. "I told you two not to come because it’s so dangerous."

"I sincerely apologize!!" Sentarou gives a vigorous salute. "It is because I am one who holds such great respect for you, Captain! I could not help but follow you surreptitiously!!"

"AAH! That’s unfair, Kotsubaki!" the short-haired girl, Kiyone, whines. Then she turns her attention to Ukitake, insisting, "Captain! The same goes for me!! I am one who love...no, erm, respects you even more!!"

"HUH!? It’s obvious that I respect him more!!" Sentarou rounds on her, veins popping in fury. "Trying to pick a fight, you snot-nosed girl!?"

"Anytime!!" she snaps back viciously.

"...Well, whatever," Ukitake interrupts his quarreling subordinates. "Anyway, Kiyone, please contact Team 4 and request a top-level rescue squad to come without delay for one fatally wounded casualty."

"...Eh..." Hanatarou looks over at him in surprise.

Ukitake continues, "Sentarou, please put Rukia... back into her cell once more..."

Sentarou's eyes harden, "...Yes, sir." He strides over to Hanatarou and barks at him, "Move it, kid!"

"N... no way!" Hanatarou protests. "I don't want Rukia back in a cell..."

"Haul ass, you little snot!" Sentarou towers over Hanatarou and yells right in his face, like an insane drill sergeant. "You think someone such as I would do this sort of thing by choice!?"

"EEP!" Hanatarou backs off, his courage spent.

Sentarou picks Rukia up in his arms and gently carries her back to the White Tower. "Oof... Sorry, Kuchiki...! Captain Ukitake and I will surely negotiate with the superiors and get you out of prison...!" he assures her, though she is still passed out. "Until then, just endure it a little while longer..."

"That's not fair, Kotsubaki!" Kiyone runs after him angrily. "I've been much more worried over Kuchiki-san this whole time!!" She calls out to Rukia, "Kuchiki-san! Captain Ukitake and I will get you out, okay!!"

"Huh!? What’s with you fucking copying me!?" Sentarou turns and yells at her, "You wanna fight, you copying monkey-girl!?"

"Bring it on!!" Kiyone snarls.

"Hurry up and call for Team 4!!" Sentarou reminds her.

"Shut up!" Kiyone shouts. "I was just about to go do that!!"

Hanatarou moves away from the ruckus and approaches Ukitake, who is looking down at Ganju’s bloodied form. "...Ah... Uhm..." he stutters in the precence of the 13th Captain.

Ukitake supplies the words for him without turning around, "'Why are you helping us?' you mean?"

"...Ah...Yes..." Hanatarou admits.

"It's to help you," Ukitake says while facing the fallen Ganju, "Besides the fact that the criminal who killed Aizen is unknown, there's also the high possibility that you outsiders are carrying information on the criminal. You can’t be killed without an investigation," He says as he turns his head in Hanatarou's direction and adds, "Most importantly is the fact that, despite your lack of resources, you people tried to spring one of my subordinates from prison. I couldn't possibly leave such people in a lurch."(2)

~*~*~

Elsewhere in Seireitei, low-level Shinigami methodically scour the streets for the remaining intruders that have yet to be accounted for.

"Sir! There is no one in the vicinity over there!" a cheery voice informs the leader of one of the hunting parties.

"I see! Alright!" the leader herds his men in a new direction, "Go around the second Eastern column!! Those intruders are cunning! Don't overlook them! Search every nook and cranny!"

"Yes, sir!" his men call back.

"Thanks for the report! ...say," the square-jawed Shinigami leader turns his attention to the two who delivered the report, "By the way, I haven’t seen either faces of you two before... Are you rookies?"

"Yes, sir! I am Inoue, who joined the ranks as of this term!!" Orihime salutes enthusiastically in her black Shinigami uniform, a portion of her hair is tied back in a slightly different style than usual. "I'm looking forward to your guidance from now on!!"

"...I am Ishida," says Ishida Uryuu, who is also in uniform, but definitely not as cheerful about it. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance..."

"Fhurm... Hmm..." the heavy-set leader leers at Orihime thoughtfully, "Not bad..."

Orihime looks up at him, unaware of what he meant by that.

The man slaps a meaty hand on her shoulder with a grin, "How about coming to my place tonight?"

"Pardon?" she asks.

"Don’t you know about me? I’m Umekida Toshimori!" he gloats. "I hold the position of 20th in the 9th Division and my name is on the list for the 15th. I don’t like to boast, but I’m the most successful leader among my peers!" He jabs a thumb against his chest, "It won't be bad to..."

Umekida pauses when Ishida suddenly appears in front of him, purposefully standing in the narrow space inbetween Inoue and himself.

"...What do you want?" Umekida growls at the boy.

"At such an important time where intruders have invaded and even special war-time orders have been issued," Ishida points out calmly, "one cannot assume that even those with high positions have time to spare."

"What did you say...!" Umekida is about to explode in anger at the boy’s insolence. "How dare a low-level subordinate like you lecture someone such as I..."

"We didn’t catch sight of them in this direction!" a group of Shinigami down the path call over to Umekida. "Please give us your next orders!"

"Ugh... guh... Shit...!" Umekida has Ishida by the front of his jacket. He's torn between either beating the shit out of Ishida or going back to work. In the end, Umekida runs off after his men to give them further orders. As he leaves, he yells back at Ishida, "I won't forget this! After this ruckus dies down, I'll definitely teach you a lesson!"

"Go ahead," Ishida petulantly sticks out his tongue in Umekida’s direction. "Once this ruckus dies down, I won’t be here anymore."(3)

Orihime smiles at him, "...Thank you, Ishida-kun."

"No, it was nothing..." Ishida blushes and looks away, nudging his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "It’s just that I don’t like those type of people..."

Orihime's attention is already elsewhere, "Anyway, it seems that we’ve been getting by pretty well. For us to make it this far by the method I thought up myself... I’m a genius!"

Ishida looks over at her, respect in his eyes, "...That’s right..."

He remembers what happened not too long ago, when they were hiding behind bushes to avoid capture from the Shinigami...

“Eeh!? Steal Shinigami clothes!?”

“SHH! Your voice is too loud!” Orihime hushed him. “We’re not going to steal, we’ll just borrow them for a little while!”

“Isn’t that… the same?” Ishida asked.

“We don’t look all that different from Shinigami. The difference is in the clothes!” Orihime pointed out. “So if we can disguise ourselves as Shinigami, we can go along smoothly the whole way.”

Ishida hesitated, “Yeah… but…”

It was then that Orihime spotted two Shinigami walking down the pathway. “SHH! They’re coming!!” she warned Ishida. “We’ll go at the count of three!!”

“One… Two…” Orihime whispered as the Shinigami walked past the bush they hid behind, “Three!!”

“WHA!?” WHAM “KYAH!!” POW “EEH!?” SMACK

“…Whew…” Orihime sighed as she surveyed her handiwork, “This’ll do!”

“Mmmmph!” the two Shinigami, a man and a woman, have been stripped naked, tied up, and covered with a large sheet to protect their modesty. They’re quite distressed. “Mmph! Mmm!”

“I’m very sorry…” Orihime apologized to them as she hefted their clothes in her arms. “We’ll be borrowing this for just a little while.”

“T… that amazed me… You knocked them both out all at once…” Ishida said, impressed. “You're surprisingly strong, Inoue-san.”

“Oh, really? Ehehe~” Orihime blushed modestly. “To be honest, I learn a little Karate from Tatsuki sometimes! She complimented me and said I was rather strong! I think she said I have the ability of a light first-grade…”(4)

Ishida is rather winded by this surprising bit of information. I… I’ll try not to get into any fights with Inoue-san… he decided.

“Now, then!” Orihime turned her back on Ishida and yanked her shirt over her head, “Let’s get changed!”

Ishida’s prude sensibilities (as well as his glasses) shattered from this immodest display. “Wa… wait, wait! Inoue-san!!”

“Eh?” she looked over at him in innocent confusion before realizing her actions. “Oh, I see, I see. Sorry!” Orihime pulls her shirt back on sheepishly. “That’s right! Boys and girls mustn’t change in the same room, right?” she added under her breath, “I felt like I was with Tatsuki-chan without even realizing it…”

“In that case…” Orihime somehow managed to put together a small area by using a sheet held up between two stacks of warehouse boxes. The make-shift curtain even has a sign that says ‘Ishida-kun’s Exclusive Fitting Room’ and encouraging comments written on the sheet, such as ‘Comfortable!’, ‘Spacious!’, and ‘Not Embarrassing!’

“Go ahead, Ishida-kun!” she swept a friendly arm towards the fitting room.

…I wonder… Ishida thought to himself as he changed clothes in the fitting room, isn’t it the opposite situation which is normal…?

The flashback fades out as the situation returns to Ishida, sitting on a set of steps and feeling rather embarrassed over himself due to that particular memory…

"Now, then!" Orihime stands a few feet away from the steps, writing in a small, flowery notebook. "We drew out information from those people earlier that Rukia is in a place called 'Senzaikyuu.' Everyone must be heading that way." Her expression softens, "Kurosaki-kun must have surely arrived there safely by now..."

Ishida looks up at her with a solemn expression before he moves to stand, "I see… Well, then we should hurry, so Kurosaki doesn’t plunge in alone and bungle up everything." He adds, "We have to hurry so we can go back him up!"

Orihime smiles brightly at Ishida, "Sure!!"

As they walk down the pathway, Orihime asks, "Which team should we say we’re affiliated with? It’s best if we can give a swift reply in case we ever get questioned."

"Hmmm..." Ishida thinks it over, "you’re right about that..."

Not too far away, a section of the white wall by the steps begins to move and a shape detaches itself from the flat surface. The white camouflage flakes off the form, revealing Kurotsuchi Mayuri – Captain of the 12th.

Mayuri's gaze follows the direction of the path that Ishida and Orihime headed down.

~*~*~

A set of doors slam shut. Blood sprinkles the ground. Ichigo’s body drops unceremoniously to the floor.

Yoruichi still has Zangetsu strapped on her back as she leans forward and pants for air, her lungs hungry for oxygen. "...Whew..." she sighs. "I've been retired from actual battle for nearly a century... For me to breathe so heavily after constantly using the instant step 100 or 200 times... I've gotten rather rusty..."

Time passes. There is a blanket draped over Ichigo while he sleeps with his brows drawn together, as if he is having nightmares. Yoruichi sits against the wall with her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms resting on her knees.

"Wake up, Ichigo," Yoruichi says as she watches over him. "You still have quite a way to go to get stronger." She adds, "When you wake, I'll definitely tell you about the secret of the true power of Zangetsu, which you carry."

(1)Who has 2nd highest rank? Who is the vice-captain?
(2)Yay! Ukitake is a nice guy - and for good reasons too! XD No wonder he's got a fan club, I mean, he seems to care about the welfare of his subordinates alot. I wonder what kind of arguments he had to go through with the other captains to try and lift Rukia's sentance... his illness must have gotten in the way of that, but how long has he been ill anyhow?
(3)That is so cute.
(4)You see that? It's the perfect premise for a Tatsuki/Orihime fic. ^_~

Notes:
-Orihime is just full of creative surprises, ne? She's so awesome!
-Ori/Ishi? (*hears dosetsu torturing himself with a spork* ...o_0) Erm... maybe now is not a good time to jump to conclusions. I mean, usually in these types of life & death situations, couples hook up rather quickly - well, that's what happens in normal manga, at least - but that's not the case here. Sure, their personalities play well off each other, but that's about it.
-Personally, I think Orihime's openmindedness will effectively break down a lot of Ishida's emotional walls and show his true side, but I don't think he'll grow incredibly dependant on her - he should know better. In any case, Orihime seems too focused on her affection for Kurosaki-kun & Tatsuki to notice much else.
-Ishida is growing on me like mold on month-old toast. Hehe :P He was pretty rough around the edges at first, but lately his actions/reactions to everything has been priceless comedy-relief. ^_^
-Well, we wanted Orihime & Ishida to appear and that's exactly what KT delivered to us! *glomps KT-sama* Now I'm desparate to find out what's up with Zangetsu & this "secret" of his... <_<

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