37 – Taken

37 – Taken

Ichigo gets up and slashes Renji across the chin just barely scratching him.

"I know you were talking, but you were so wide open. I couldn't help it, but why don't you continue? You were talking about not even being able to scratch you?" Ichigo said.

"You were off guard, Renji." the silent Byakuya suddenly chimes in.

"Captain Kuchiki?" Renji asks.

"That kid looks familiar. There was a report the other day. He managed to seriously injure a Menos Grande and force it back to Hueco Mundo."

Renji laughs out loud.

"This kid beat back a Menos Grande? Who'd believe that!" he questions.

"I mean just look at his zanpakuto. It's so big and useless. It's obvious he hasn't mastered his spirit power!" he says with a sneer.

"Do you even know your zanpakuto's name?" he asks Ichigo.

"Name? Do you name all your swords?" he asks.

"He doesn't even know his zanpakuto's name. And you believe you can fight me? You're 2000 years too early." Renji says.

"Howl, Zabimaru!" Renji yells as he runs his hand across the blade transforming it into a straight sword with metal teeth running along the back.

He swings the transformed blade down on Ichigo, but halfway into his swing it splits into segments becoming a sword whip instead which passed by Ichigo's zanpakuto and pierces into his shoulder causing him to drop the zanpakuto. Slowly Renji tears his zanpakuto out one tooth at a time nearly tearing off Ichigo's arm.

Ichigo falls to his knees holding his immobile arm bleeding profusely.

"It's over brat! It's time to get going." Renji yells.

Renji dashes towards Ichigo to give him the finishing blow, meanwhile Rukia breaks out of her stupor and dashes towards them leaping onto Renji's back while grabbing his arm holding the zanpakuto.

"Run Ichigo!" she screams at him.

Ichigo picks his zanpakuto back up instead though.

"Brother..." Rukia said unable to give him an answer.

"He looks a lot like him." Byakuya tells her.

Ichigo grabs the hem of Byakuya's pants.

"I'm not dead yet." he struggles.

Rukia realising that if he keeps struggling against her brother it will be his death runs up to them and kicks Ichigo's hand away.

"What are you doing Rukia?" Ichigo asks her indignantly.

"You're just a human. How dare you grab brother like that? Know your place." she tells him.

"Let's go back brother. I will atone for my sins. There's no need to finish him off, just leave him to die." she says to Byakuya before walking off determinedly with tears in her eyes.

"Fine, I've already shattered his Chain of Fate and Soul Sleep. He will be dead soon and even if he survives he will never be able to use his power again." Byakuya responds.

Renji opens a senkaimon and the three walk off into the portal together leaving Ichigo alone to bleed out onto the pavement.

"Hmm" Byakuya looks back his gaze passing around the area where Hisashi was camouflaged, but then shakes his head and turns around leaving through the senkaimon which closes behind him.

A few moments later the blonde homeless looking guy in green Urahara Kisuke shows up and picks up Ichigo and Uryu taking them away.

Hisashi lets out a long drawn out sigh.

'Thank god that's all over and nothing went wrong. For a moment there I thought Byakuya knew I was here.' he thinks to himself. He stares at where Kisuke took Ichigo.

'Alright now that Rukia has been abducted this guarantees Ichigo will be heading to Soul Society so I can leave for Hueco Mundo' he decides.

He spreads his wings and flies towards where he and Masaki fought. This place is out of the way and if his plans cause some extra damage it's already pretty messed up here.

'Ok system, stop suppressing the evolution.' he thinks.

[Answer: Affirmative]