"LET ME GO!" Orihime struggles against the man carrying her away from the battleground. "Please let go of me!"

"OWOWOWOW!! What's with you! I'm saving your life!!" the man yells as Orihime slaps and kicks at him while he has her tucked under his arm. "Honestly, I could have just I left you behind already!!"

"That's fine! Please leave me behind!" Orihime shouts back, "I'm going to help out Ishida-kun!"

"I won't allow that!" the Shinigami says stubbornly, "I am Aramaki Makizou, in my tenth year with the 11th Division, and also called Maki-maki!! I am a humane man who won't say 'Oh, sure' when asked to let go and leave women and children be-" Orihime manages to viciously sink her teeth into his shoulder blade, making him yelp in pain, "-HIND!?"

"Ugh...! W... why, you...! Take this!!" In retaliation, Maki-maki(1) strikes the back of her neck with a karate chop, forcing her to lose her toothy grip on his shoulder. "Hehe... sorry... I don't wanna get caught up in a battle with that jerk Kurotsuchi, nor do I wanna get shot by that guy with glasses... so a little rough treatment is..." His explanation falters as he realizes that poor Orihime is utterly unconscious - total KO. He worries, "...I wonder if I overdid it a little..."

"Maybe I should apologize when she wakes up..." Maki-maki mutters to himself as he starts lugging her up a set of stairs, gaining more ground away from the battle. "I don't understand her at all, but she doesn't seem like a bad person... but she is an intruder..."

Unnoticed by Maki-maki, an unknown Shinigami steps into the pathway he had just vacated. The figure seems to be watching Maki-maki as he runs up the stairs.(2)

~*~*~

"...Oh, well..." Blood drips from Mayuri's damaged arm. It is still unwound, but the cables don't retract the pieces back in place and the hand at the end of it has been blasted to bits. "On its only try, it took up too much time anyhow..." He presses his fingers on the section of his arm that is still completely connected to his body.

Ishida senses something bad about to happen, so he quickly jumps farther away from his enemy. His instincts prove true when he witnesses Mayuri blast his own arm off, discarding the broken cable and ruined hand. To his own arm...!! Ishida thinks in amazement.

"Ow... How painful..." Mayuri takes out a small needle and injects some sort of liquid into a vein in what remains of his arm. "It hurts so much that..." The vein swells, causing the bloody stump to bubble, distort, and grow. "it feels like my mind is melting." His entire arm is restored within seconds.

Ishida is extremely horrified by his grotesque transformation.

"...It seems the lady has escaped," Mayuri notes. "That's fine. If there's even a single strand of her hair in this area, that's all I need to be able to track her. Ahh... Oh, how I want to capture her quickly and examine her until she's a mashed pulp... If only it had been a seconds sooner..."

...Damn monster...! Ishida thinks as he surveys his opponent from a few dozen feet away. ...However... that doesn't seem to mean that I don't stand a chance against him... He certainly has incredible spiritual pressure, but the strength of that pressure comes in waves(4)... If so, it looks like I can play for time until Inoue-san makes a clean getaway, and then I'll catch him off guard to make my escape...

Ishida's gaze turns towards Nemu, who stands motionless off to the side behind Mayuri. I've got two enemies... I can't aim for them both at once... If this Kurotsuchi guy is a captain, then does that mean the woman behind him his deputy...? It's just that I haven't sensed her move at all since earlier... For her not to move even when an arrow is being aimed at her superior... does that mean she doesn't have much skill in battle...? He draws his bow back, Even so, I'll start with him first! He fires an arrow.

Mayuri dodges the attack and his gaze darts back to where Ishida stood - which is now deserted. A second arrow flies toward his head from behind.

The impact causes a messy explosion and Ishida watches this from his new perch on the roof on one of the gates. He waits anxiously for the dust cloud to disperse so he can be able to see if his opponent is still alive.

"You move pretty well, don't you..." Mayuri has suddenly appeared on the eaves beside Ishida, casually surveying the damage to the ground below. Ishida is caught off guard and swings around to face him.(5)

"You were good earlier, as you are now... It's the 'Hirenkyaku'(6), isn't it. Right? It's an advanced movement technique for the Quincy, where one travels at full speed by riding the spiritual current made in the legs. Am I wrong?" Mayuri says, "It's amazing that a youth such as you mastered it... You're pretty good. You seem to be brimming with natural talent..."(7)

Damn... Ishida thinks anxiously. I couldn't shake him off...! When did he...

"However..." Mayuri adds, "running around that way is slightly bothersome. In any case, we also have a move called the 'instant step', but it's very exhausting. After this, I have to capture the girl and study her. I am busy; unlike you. So here I'll use the best way of saving myself a lot of time..." He draws his sword from the scabbard strapped to the front of his waist, "by killing you."

Mayuri speaks to his soul-cutting sword, "Tear him apart... Ashisogijizou."(8) His transformed blade resembles the face of an embryonic baby. Its closed eyes are large, but its lips and nose are tiny. The fingertips of its infantile hands are steeped together under its chin, as if in prayer. From the wide forehead of the baby's face, 3 wavy blades branch out - the one in the middle is the longest of the three.

He released his soul-cutting sword! Ishida hastily aims his arrow, recalling his battle against Scythe-weasel Jiroubou.(9) Shit! Unlike the 'Tsunzakigarasu' I saw earlier, I can't figure out this sword's ability by its shape!

Mayuri charges at Ishida, his strange blade poised to strike.

What is it!? What could its ability be!? Ishida asks himself. If it's a type that can absorb my attacks, then I can't strike carelessly...!! Mayuri is getting closer and Ishida has run out of options, Shit!! This isn't the time to worry!!

Ishida releases his arrow in the same moment that Nemu leaps in between him and Mayuri. "...Wha..." He looks on in surprise as she catches the energy arrow with her bare hand and uses her other free hand to grab the collar of his jacket. Shit!! he thinks as Nemu pulls them both off the roof of the gate, She came here!!

"L...Let me go...!" Ishida desperately tries to push Nemu away before they both hit the ground, "Let..." His words catch in his throat when he looks over Nemu's shoulder and sees Mayuri leap at them. Wait, Ishida thinks numbly as his gaze meets Mayuri's manic eyes. He can't be-

Nemu is ripped away from Ishida by the force of Mayuri's sword slash. The long gash of blood runs deep across her back and up Ishida's chest and shoulder as they tumble to the ground below.

No way, Ishida thinks as Mayuri completes the bloody stoke of his sword. He really did it to her - isn't she his companion? Why...

Nemu manages to stand up. She is slightly bent over with blood poring down her back as she is gasping for air. She turns her head to the side and her lips turn up in a content and hopeful smile -

- Mayuri slams her face with his fist, sending her to the ground reeling from the blow. "You idiot!! I taught you not to let go even if your arm breaks!!"

Nemu stares at the ground, her lips are spotted with blood, "I... I apologise..."

"Humph... Whatever. It's not like I had any expectations for you, anyhow," Mayuri turns away from her fallen form, bearing his soul-cutting sword at Ishida menacingly. "Then again... now that it has gotten this far... it looks like it'll be a lot easier to behead this infant and be done with it."

Sitting up against the wall, Ishida glares up at Mayuri defiantly - but the blood and sweat he's covered in makes it obvious who has the upperhand.


(1)Hey, if he calls himself Maki-maki, then that's what I'll call him too! ^_^ With a funny nickname like that, I have a feeling that this drunkard Shinigami will be around for quite a while. ^^;

(2)KT-sensei seems to like adding in mysterious figures stepping into view. For example, a mysterious foot steps into view when Orihime and Ishida first landed in Seireitei (pg.134, vol.10), which may or may not have belonged to Jiroubou. After the conversation that Aizen & Renji have, another foot steps into view - this may or may not have belonged to Gin. I think the major problem is this: Uniforms. If everybody wasn't wearing the same clothes, we wouldn't have this sort of mysterious-ness! Get rid of uniforms! I demand Casual Fridays in Seireitei!! (3)

(3)Sorry for the tangent - I really shouldn't be allowed near caffeine. -_-

(4)Which could explain why Ishida can sense when Mayuri is about to do something.

(5)I think this is what dosetsu calls the speed trials. ^_~

(6)Honestly, the kanji for this particular word in the scan is a bit too obscure for me to read properly - the best I could come up with was "Flying curtain legs" - but I'm quite certain that is not the correct translation. It's a flying *something*, but I just don't know what... Sorry about that.

(7)First he sounds like a car salesman, now he sounds like a camp counselor. Mayuri loves to get on one's nerves. <_<;

(8)Beast-slaying Jizou. In Japan, stone Jizou are a common sight. They're child-like Buddhist figures that are placed for the sake of children, usually for ones who have passed away.

(9)For reference, see the Uryuu vs. Jiroubou fight in vol.11... (or at least drool over the cool Renji cover)

Note:
-The shoulder-biting scene cracked me up so bad. XD I almost felt sorry for Maki-maki. Almost. :P
-Nemu has a beautiful smile. I can't think of enough ways to slowly torture and kill Mayuri. Ah, well...
-The only music I listen to while translating scenes with Ishida in it: Dashboard Confessional. eikitty is so incredibly right, he is indeed the "Emo Warrior" of Team ICHIGO. ♥

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