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Yojimbo Yamamora was 6 years old. He lived in Karakura Town with his Mom and his Dad. He loved playing with the other kids around the playground across from his house. His favorite part was making sand castles in the sand box. He was really excited when his parents said they were going to the beach where the sand never seems to end. Yojimbo Yamamora never made it to the beach. The car he was in was involved in a fiery car crash. No one survived.

Poor little Yojimbo, he had no one to play with. There were other kids at his playground, but they would never play with him. It was almost like he wasn't there. The truth is he wasn't actually there. He had died and his soul lingered in his favorite spot, the sand box by the swings across from his house. All day he would pretend to play with the children, and all night he would sit on the swing set waiting for the children to come back. He wished he could follow them and play with them more, but there was a problem. He was stuck, attached to the bottom of the sandbox by a long chain that was attached to his chest. He just wanted someone to play with. He got his wish.

On a rainy night, when Yojimbo was sitting on his swing set, a strange, robed man appeared. He asked him if he wanted to play a game. Yojimbo could barely contain himself. Someone had come to play with him! The man pull from his black robe a long, curved, wicked looking blade. At the sight of the sword, Yojimbo's began to tremble. This man had not come to play. With a strike faster than Yojimbo could register, the man severed the chain from his chest. Yojimbo looked in shock as he saw the chain fall to the floor. Before he could even say a word to the man, he disappeared.

Over the course of the next few days, Yojimbo noticed a few things that upset him. First off, the children stopped coming. His friends who he so desperately wanted to play with have stopped coming to visit him. Secondly, He consistently noticed a robed figure standing in his room in his house, just watching him. Thirdly, the chain on his chest slowly began to shrink. Slowly at first, then more and more rapidly until the night that would change the course of his life.

On that night, Yojimbo saw two men standing a distance away from his house. The thing that amazed him was that these men were standing on telephone poles. In a blink of an eye, the men were standing on his front lawn. A third man, the robed man with the wicked blade, appeared on the roof of Yojimbo's house. Almost simultaneously, all three men drew there blades. The men were all so fast that Yojimbo barely knew what was taking place before his eyes. There was an instant when they stopped, with one of the two men impaled on that long, curved, wicked sword. The impaled man slid off that blade and fell to the ground.

The second man had obviously become enraged by this because there was what seemed a cloud of green energy surrounding him. In the light that the cloud gave off, Yojimbo could tell that the manwas wearing black robes like the evil man and the dead man. What was different, however, was hiswhite cloak that he wore over his robes. The second man looked like he uttered a few phrases and Yojimbo could not believe what happened next. Out of the bottom of his sword, a second blade grew. When it had finished growing, his doubled-bladed sword was as tall as he was. The evil man didn'tseem to worry about this miraculous change in weaponry. In fact, a similar cloud, only this time red, appeared around the evil man and his sword also changed. That curved, wicked blade grew until it nearly doubled in length.

The two men clashed, and sparks flew everywhere. It was obvious to Yojimbo that the man with the white coat was winning. A sharp pain then wreaked havoc on Yojimbo's chest. He screamed louder than he thought possible. He dropped to his knees. The man in the white coat looked over and saw the state Yojimbo was in and decided he needed to end this battle quickly. Meanwhile, the pain had quicklyspread to Yojimbo's head. He felt that though his face was cracking from the pain. When he thought he was going to die from the pain, the pain suddenly stopped. He saw in front of him the smiling face of the man in the white coat. Behind him, impaled on his own blade, was the evil man from before. Ashining light that illuminated from below him showed more of the man. He was completely unscathedfrom his battle. The smiling man told him, "There is no need to worry. You're going to a place called the Soul Society. There you will find peace." With that, Yojimbo went completely numb and sank into unconsciousness.

When he awoke, Yojimbo was laying in a shabby house. No one was around and it looked as though no one had been around for quite some time. He threw off his coverings and stood up. He looked at himself and realized the only thing he was wearing was a ragged beige robe with a simple belt. He then decided to search the house for anything he might be able to use. He found some very stale bread in pantry. He wasn't hungry right then so he left it alone. He went to scratch the top of his head and realized he had a covering on his face. What he removed from his face a mask. There was something unsettling about this mask. It was perfectly shaped to fit Yojimbo's head. It was white and closely resembled a skull, teeth and all. It also had a red slash mark on the right side. The weirdest part about it was that it was not fully complete. It was still missing a slice of the mask where the left eye would be. Undisturbed by this, Yojimbo tucked the mask into his new robe, just in case.

Soon after going outside the house, Yojimbo was told in was in a place called the Rukongai. He was told he was in Inuzuri, the 78h District of the South Rukongai. He was often told to keep his head down and stay out of the way of the drunkards. He was mostly left alone, discarded as unwanted child. His luck soon ran out however.

Yojimbo was walking home one night after stealing some bread from a local drunkard. He was trying to go unnoticed, but his plan failed. In front of him were three men. Two of them carried clubs, and the one in the middle carried a sword. The one with the sword recognized Yojimbo as the filthy animal that stole his bread. One of the two men with clubs grab Yojimbo and threw him against a wall.

Yojimbo could barely breathe. He saw the three men coming closer with hatred in their eyes. Then a voice in his head spoke to him. It told him to let it handle this little problem, because after all, he isn't of any use to it if he died here. After that, his mind went numb.

When he woke up the next morning, his mask, now full, was sitting on his pillow beside his head. He also found a sword covered in blood. A very familiar sword. In fact, it had belonged to the man from the night before. How he got it, Yojimbo didn't know. He did know, however, that he has a goal in life. That goal was to become strong enough to protect himself. With that decision, Yojimbo practiced with that sword for years. One day, he will use that same sword to help protect those he loved.

Years passed as Yojimbo continuously trained with that sword. Everyday he would wake up early and run around the 78th District. After words he would commence in physical exercise. He would carry large rocks back and forth between two different piles. Eventually he learned more practical exercises. He learned about sit-ups and also push-ups. He would do the former until his entire abdomen was bright red from repetition and the latter until his arms couldn't hold him up anymore. Then it would be time for lunch when he would have to go out and steal more bread or eat some from his stockpile, if he had any. After lunch, Yojimbo would go out and practice with his sword until his limbs ached andhis body was numb. By the time he was about 15 in the Rukongai (about 150 years in the World of the Living), no one crossed his path.

However, his training was not purely physical. He also had to train his mind because of the voice in his head. As Yojimbo grew stronger, so did it. Every now and again, it would attack him mentally and try to take control of Yojimbo's body. Yojimbo would always scream in pain and clutch his head. Because of his strange behavior, the people of the 79th District began to shun him instead of just ignoring his existence. He became the 'Demon Boy of Inuzuri'. He was feared and shunned by the people. Everyone threw rocks at him everywhere he went. He eventually made use of this as a way to improve his reflexes. Eventually he learned to dodge their rocks even when he wasn't looking at the thrower.

No matter how skilled at swordplay, nor how mentally fortified, nor physically fit Yojimbo was he was still mocked by all. No one would talk to him, besides to tell the 'Demon Boy' to go back to the hell he was born in while throwing rocks from afar. Soon Yojimbo's hope of ever finding acceptancebegan to wither away and almost die altogether. However, it would be that one fateful encounter that would forever impact his life.

While running through the 78th District near the woods, Yojimbo heard a mass of male voices and a female voice shriek for help. Yojimbo knew that he had finally found a test for his training. He sprinted into the woods. When he got to a clearing he saw ten armed men gathered around in a circle seeming to beat on something. Near the edge of the clearing was the source of the feminine voice. She was a small girl, only about 15, with dirty, black hair that went to her shoulders and dark skin. She was wearing a long, dirty, faded blue robe, and was sitting against a tree. She was petrified from fear and didn't move a muscle. The circle of men parted to reveal the center of attention. It was the body of aman, broken and bloodied, lying on the forest floor. He had the same black hair and dark skin as the girl.

Yojimbo drew his sword and ran in front of the girl. He between the men and the girl with both hands tightly gripping the handle of his sword. A lone man broke their ranks and charged Yojimbo. He was cut down by a single diagonal slash across his chest. One down, nine to go. At the absolute worsttime, the voice made its attempt at control over Yojimbo. He decided that it had saved him before, itmight help him again. Letting it have only a little control, Yojimbo felt a familiar sensation around hisface, but it was only half of his face. The men faces went from evil smirks to as pale as death. The next thing Yojimbo felt was an amazing surge of energy. He rushed forward, faster than he ever thought possible and killed the second man with a horizontal slash across his chest. The third man died in a similar fashion, with Yojimbo's blade piercing his flesh. One by one they fell until none yet drew breath. Then the power, along with the sensation on his face, disappeared.

When Yojimbo talked to the girl, he learned her name was Yuki Shiraki. She also explained what happened. Her brother had betrayed a local gang to another gang. Those men chased her and her brother into the woods, where the beat him to death. She didn't even want to think of what would have happened to her if Yojimbo hadn't come along. However, with her brother dead, there was no way of Yuki supporting herself. Yojimbo decided that she could come live in his shack with him. She agreed.

It took him a while, but Yojimbo finally was able to split the one room into three rooms: his room, Yuki's room, and the main room. Yojimbo was very glad that someone was talking to him in a kind manner. In fact, she even gave him a nickname: Jimbo. He really wasn't sure what to think of this, but he decided that he would come up with a nickname for her. So, he became Jimbo and she became Sokoshi Yuki. Together, they lived happily. However, it wouldn't always be that way.

Yojimbo and Yuki sometimes trained together. He would show her how to make a glowing orb of spiritual energy in her hand, and laughed when she gave up because she couldn't do it. She would helphim by throwing things towards him and he would slice them in mid-air. Eventually, she got the hang of controlling spiritual energy. They decided that they were going to become Soul Reapers together.

Unfortunately, that did not happen. While training one day, a messenger came asking for Yuki. When she read the message, she couldn't believe it. One of the noble houses of the Seireitei decided that she resembled their clan in many aspects and had invited her to live with them in their palace. She was so excited to be leaving the hell they called Inuzuri. On the outside, Yojimbo was happy for her. On the inside, however, he felt as though once she left, he would be all alone again. Eventually a royal escort did come and they took Yuki to the Seireitei.

Everyday after Yuki had left, the attacks of the voice had become more frequent and more aggressive. After a few years, Yojimbo thought he was going to lose his mind. To try to console himself with the sake that was readily available in the 78th District. Surprisingly enough, it actually did help repress the attacks and also gave him a sense of serenity he hadn't felt since his days with Yuki.

Right when Yojimbo thought things couldn't get any worse, they got worse. Over the course of a few weeks, there have been more and more stories of monsters taking people from their homes and killing them in the woods. The monsters themselves didn't scare Yojimbo. What scared him was the description of their faces. The monsters apparently had white, skull-like masks to hide their faces.

Beside the fact that he shared a mask with these creatures, he really didn't care about what happened to these people who made his life hell. Then one night, one of the creatures attacked his house. Wrong move. Yojimbo grabbed his robe and sword and prepared to kill this thing. It lunged at him, and with one smooth strike, its head went crashing to the floor. Yojimbo heard more of the monstrosities in the woods. Almost in a blood lust, Yojimbo ran into the woods to kill more.

In the woods, he found a circle of the creatures surrounding what sounded like a person fighting. Yojimbo heard the monsters die one after another. Yojimbo didn't want this lone warrior to have all the fun and joined in. Eventually, he made it to the middle of the circle where he stood back to back with the warrior. This warrior wasn't in black like some of the other ones he had seen. He was dressed in the same way as Yojimbo, in tattered robes. Then the two warriors went into a killing frenzy. The creatures were dropping left and right. It was almost like the two warriors shared one mind. Their stabs, slices, blocks, and parries were all so perfectly timed with one another. In a matter of minutes, not a single one was left alive.

After the fight, Yojimbo and the other warrior walked back into the village. During this time, Yojimbo learned many things about this man. First of all, he learned that the man's name was Sutoka Miyazaki. Secondly, he learned he was not from the 78th District, but the 72nd District. Thirdly, and probably the best thing of all, Yojimbo learned Sutoka drank sake. That meant Yojimbo finally had a drinking buddy! He also learned that, while in the 78th District, Sutoka had no where to live. Wanting his new drinking buddy to stay, Yojimbo offered Sutoka the sectioned off part of his house that was once Yuki's room to stay in. Sutoka gladly accepted his new friend's offer. After that, they went to go get some sake.

After a few months, Yojimbo and Sutoka became the best of friends. Everyday they would spar until their lungs burned. Then every night, they would get as much sake as they could drink. They even made plans to build their own secret underground training facility and to become Soul Reapers. The underground training facility came first. They went into the woods and on the other side found a sheer cliff face. They used this as the entrance. The room they made had a large, cleared circular area for dueling. The rest of the room consisted of rock spires that made the landscape uneven and made it more difficult to fight your opponent. After mastering their own course, Yojimbo and Sutoka finally decided that they were ready to join the Soul Reaper Academy.

Once they had joined the Soul Reaper Academy, their lives improved dramatically. They were given new clothes, new places to live, and food. Everyday they had classes on how to be a Soul Reaper. One was a swordsmanship class, another was the history of the Seireitei, a third was learning the duties of a Soul Reaper, and a fourth was learning about Kido. Now Kido manifests itself into two different forms: Hado, which are attack spells, and Bakudo, which are binding spells. When it came to the firstthree of the classes, Yojimbo and Sutoka quickly rose to the top of the class. There were. . . difficulties when it came to the fourth class. Yojimbo excelled at Hado, but completely failed at Bakudo. Sutoka was even worse. When trying to use a simple Hado, it backfired into his face.

During their studies at the Soul Reaper Academy, Yojimbo and Sutoka learned about theZanpakuto. The Zanpakuto is the weapon every Soul Reaper uses. It is directly connected to their souland by communication with their Zanpakuto, Soul Reapers can fortify their connection with their Zanpakuto. Being directly connected to the soul of the Soul Reaper, each Zanpakuto is different based on its wielder. Each Zanpakuto also has its own soul, personality, and name. During their third year, Yojimbo and Sutoka decided that they were going to get their Zanpakutos.

After classes one day, Yojimbo went out to the woods around the Academy and found a good flat rock on which he could meditate. He sat on the rock, crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and felt himself being pulled. When he opened his eyes, he wasn't on a rock anymore. Instead he was in a vast desert. Before him stretched miles and miles of beautiful sand. He turned around and to his surprise, there was a hot spring oasis. He couldn't believe this place. It was absolutely amazing. Then he heard something call his name. When he turned back around to see who it was, where once was a beautiful desert was now a violent sandstorm. Out from the sandstorm came a peculiar creature. It was a fox, but this fox was the size of a large dog and had yellow fur. That wasn't the weirdest part. The most peculiar thing about this fox was that it had three tails. Then the fox talked. It told Yojimbo that if he must prove himself worthy to wield its power. A black figure began to rise out of Yojimbo's shadow. It was a man dressed all in white, with completely white skin and black hair. What really made Yojimbo worry was that his pupils were bright yellow, the whites of his eyes were completely black, and he looked exactly like Yojimbo. The man mocked him, asking him if he didn't remember him. Then he pulled a mask out of thin air over his face. It was Yojimbo's mask. This man with the black eyes was the source of the mask.

The fox turned around and sucked the entire sandstorm into its mouth. The fox told them that this desert will be their battle ground. Then a sword appeared in the hand of each man, and the fox told them to let the fighting begin. The manifestation of the Voice attacked first. He moved fast, and attacked even faster. Yojimbo could barely keep up. Yojimbo stuck to a tactic that had helped him survive the Academy: let the enemy use all their energy in the offense, then when the time presents itself, defeat then with a single, overwhelming blow. In the flurry of the manifestation's attacks, it missed just once. That was all Yojimbo needed. Using a Hado, he sent a streak of blue flame into the stomach of the manifestation from point blank range. After that the fox told the manifestation that its job was done. It stood up, sneered at Yojimbo, and sank back into the ground. After the fox told Yojimbo that if he ever needed help, just call on its name: Sunakitsune.

Now in their final year of the Soul Reaper Academy, Yojimbo and Sutoka were practically kings of the Academy. They were in the top of their class, already had their Zanpakutos, and were even already accepted into the Squads. However, most students of the Academy knew to stay away from Yojimbo on the days when he was mad. People would say they could hear him talk to himself in two different voices. On one such day Yojimbo was walking the halls, when, he felt someone wrap their arms around him. Yojimbo almost elbowed them in the head until they called him 'Jimbo'. There was only one person in all of the Soul Society that called him 'Jimbo' besides Sutoka. He turned around andsaw the shining face of Yuki. He was speechless. He thought he would never see his friend ever again. Yojimbo couldn't help but return the embrace. His life had finally changed. He was no longer the 'Demon Boy of Inuzuri'. He was now Yojimbo, or 'Jimbo' to Yuki.

Now the time had come where Yojimbo and Sutoka to finish their training in the Soul Reaper Academy. They had finally graduated. Now it was time for them to part ways into their separate squads. Sutoka went to Squad 2, otherwise known as the Stealth Force. He will instantly be seated in the 5th Seat. Yojimbo, however, went to Squad 6 where he was instantly assigned the 6th seat. Yojimbo found his new home in the Squad 6 barracks unsettling at first. A lot of people hated him for the fact that he was green as grass to being a Soul Reaper, but was still awarded the 6th seat. Others admired him for his skill with hado and his Zanpakuto. He eventually got along nicely with most of the rest of the squad.

Then the time came for his first mission. He was assigned to the World of the Living to investigate a series of strange Hollow appearances. He was told that he could bring one other person along on this mission. Naturally, he chose Sutoka. As of now, Yojimbo and Sutoka had their first mission. They met the next day at the Senkeimon. The Senkeimon is the gate between the Soul Society and the World of the Living. Once in the World of the Living, Yojimbo and Sutoka wasted no time and went straight for the site of the last appearance. Once there, they felt the power of a strong Hollow nearby. They tracked this power to its source and found nothing. Until they looked into the sky. Hovering above them was a massive black tear in the sky. Staring out from it was a giant, head with a white mask. The Hollow in the portal opened in mouth and formed a large ball of red energy. Yojimbo and Sutoka knew this wasn't going to be good. They moved just as the massive Hollow fired off its laser. If they had stayed in that spot, they would have been disintegrated. The laser left a massive crater in the spot it impacted. Yojimbo and Sutoka both knew it was time to put their training to the ultimate test.

Yojimbo released his Zanpakuto first. He drew his Zanpakuto and cried out "Disperse, Sunakitsune." The blade of his sword turned to sand and scattered around him. Forming a circle around him, his sand took the form of 3 columns that swayed as if they had a mind of their own. Sutoka released his own Zanpakuto shortly after by saying " Howl, Rei Okami." At this, four shadows sprang from the ground. The shadows then took the same appearance and stance of Sutoka.

Angered by this act, the giant Hollow tore the portal so that its entire body could enter the World of the Living. The Hollow's full height was that of a 5 story building. Yojimbo knew they had to act fast or they were both dead. He started by sending a column of sand into the eyes of the Hollow to blind it. Then Sutoka and his four clones charged at the Hollow from every direction. The Hollow would try to smash him, but Sutoka was too fast. This excellent distraction gave Yojimbo enough time to cast a high level hado he had been working on. Yojimbo aimed at the Hollow's head with his right hand outstretched and grasped his right shoulder with his left hand. He then started to chant, "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings,ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens." He then released the spell with " Hado #73 Soren Sokatsui!" A massive pillar of blue flame shot from Yojimbo's right hand. The pillar of flame hit the giant Hollow straight in the middle of its face. The force from the pillar was so intense, that it tore the Hollow's head in two. The entire rest of the Hollow's body just faded away. With that, Yojimbo and Sutoka went back to the Soul Society to report on their findings.

More missions came and went. All of them completed to a tee by Yojimbo and Sutoka. Their skill was soon recognized and they were rewarded accordingly. Based on their power, ingenuity, and leadership, both Yojimbo and Sutoka were promoted to the 3rd seat of their respective squads. At about this time, Yuki graduated the Soul Reaper Academy. She was recruited by Squad 4, known as the Medic Squad. At her graduation, Yuki asked Yojimbo if he could help her obtain the released form of her Zanpakuto. He agreed to help her.

They started their training at the old training bunker Yojimbo and Sutoka built. Yojimbo explained that unless sought after, a Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto doesn't show itself unless the wielder is in dire need of its power. So, Yojimbo was going to force her Zanpakuto to aid her. He drew his sword and told Yuki to do likewise. The sealed form of Yuki's Zanpakuto was that of a wakizashi, which was only 22" long. Yojimbo charged at her with his sword. The powerful strike felt to Yuki as though it was cut straight through her sword. For hours this same instance repeated itself. Yojimbo attacking, Yuki barely defending. Yojimbo decided that this method was taking too long and was going to force her tocontact her Zanpakuto. He let Yuki catch her breath for moment. She had a perplexed look on her face, wondering what he was doing. He looked her straight in the eye, held his sword out at an arm's length, and quietly said "Disperse, Sunakitsune."

His blade turned to sand before her eyes and circled around him. The sand then formed three shifting pillars of sand. She was terrified of what was going to happen next. He sent the sanding flying in her direction. The sand swirled around her, howling in her ears. She let out a scream and her vision went black.

She woke up in a palace throne room. However, this was no ordinary throne room. The entire throne room was made of glittering ice. The only source of illumination was that of chandeliers of ice holding blue fire hanging of a endless ceiling. Standing on the right hand of the throne was the only other person in the room. She had pale skin, white hair, and pale blue eyes, the color of ice. She wore a white dress and white sandals. The most amazing thing about this person were the two wings made completely of ice that resembles the wings of a bird and what appeared to be a floating halo, also made of ice. Yuki couldn't believe her eyes. The angel approached Yuki and asked her why she had been neglecting the angel's calling. Yuki couldn't respond. The angel told Yuki that she just had to listen to the angel's calling, and she could wield her power. Yuki agreed to this and her world went black again.

Yojimbo was impressed with himself. He didn't think that we would be able to force a Zanpakuto to react, but there it was. In the middle of his little sandstorm shone a radiant, pale blue light. Yojimbo recalled Sunakitsune back around him. The pale blue energy continued to radiate from Yuki. She then yipped, " Shake the Frosted Heavens, Kori no Tenshi." From her back, two large wings sprouted made completely of ice. Behind her, six swords made of ice formed. She was so happy to have finally reached Shikai.

Although he continued to help Yuki with her training, Yojimbo still went on missions with Sutoka. One such mission was going back to the World of the Living to deal with a group of powerful Hollows. Knowing full well they could handle themselves, the went straight off to the World of the Living. In normal Yojimbo and Sutoka fashion, they wasted no time hunting down the enemy. They found them on top of an apartment building surrounded by the bodies of multiple people, and two Soul Reapers. This offense infuriated Yojimbo and Sutoka. They both released there Zanpakutos. But these were no ordinary Hollows. They were fast, so fast that Yojimbo and Sutoka barely had time to block their attacks. It was also apparent that these two Hollow were smart, for they separated the two Soul Reapers. Yojimbo sent a pillar of sand to confuse and distract the Hollows. Meanwhile, Sutoka and his clones set up strategic points around the two Hollow. They were all prepared to deliver the deathblow as soon as Yojimbo removed the sand. Then things got a lot worse.

Above their heads, Yojimbo and Sutoka heard a guttural form of talking that was yelling at them. They looked up and saw three more Hollow of greater strength than two they were fighting. The one who seemed to be the leader attacked Yojimbo, which freed up the other four to assault the Sutoka clones. Yojimbo could hear the voice inside him, mocking him, telling him that he had better not get them both killed. Yojimbo and Sutoka fought with all their strength. They just couldn't seem to catch a spare moment for a counterattack. All hope seemed lost.

From a distance away, Yojimbo heard a man say "Crawl, Jikan". It was almost as though time seemed to flow around the man as he walked up and slashed the Hollow with his blade. But the blade never made contact. He then cast Bakudo # 73 Tozansho on both Yojimbo and Sutoka. A large, blue walled, upside down pyramid formed around them. Then, right where the man had swung his blade earlier, a blast of energy engulfed the Hollows. When the smoke from the blast cleared, only four of the Hollows remained standing. The lead Hollow asked the man who he was and why he was interrupting his fight. The man simply responded by stating that his name was Kizoku Isha, Vice-Captain of Squad 13 of the 13 Court Guard Squads, and that it was his duty to put an end to dishonorable creatures such as themselves. He then cast Hado # 33 Sokatsui into the face of the lead Hollow.

Kizoku lowered the barrier, and charged at one of the Hollows. Sutoka and Yojimbo followed suit. Kizoku used his kido to erect a giant barrier to block the red laser of his Hollow. He then shot off a rapid fire sequence of spells. He then trapped his Hollow is six beams of piercing yellow light. Yojimbo finished his off by using his sand to slice through the head of the Hollow. Sutoka, being the clever Soul Reaper he was, used his clones swords to pin his Hollow to the wall and the clonesthemselves to hold it still. Sutoka then calmly walked up to the pinned Hollow and, with one fluid motion, decapitated it.

The three Soul Reapers then went to the one remaining Hollow that Kizoku had trapped. When questioned, the Hollow kept ranting on and on about its 'Master' and how he will 'destroy everything'. The Hollow then shouted, "Profundizarr Tinieblas will be the downfall of the Soul Reapers." Kizoku got sick of his ranting and sliced the Hollow's head in two.

Yojimbo, Sutoka, and Kizoku returned to the Soul Society to report there findings. Being Vice-Captain, Kizoku went to his captain with the information which meant Yojimbo and Sutoka had the rest of the day off. Sutoka decided to go and train with the rest of his squad. Yojimbo decided that he would also train. Instead of going to his Squad barracks, Yojimbo traveled back to Inuzuri to the training bunker he and Sutoka had built. He decided that he had enough of the Voice in his head. He was going to bring the Voice under his dominion.

He began by releasing Sunakitsune. Using the sand, he created a dome around him, to prevent any unfortunate accidents. He then entered his inner world to take the fight to the Hollow. When he entered, he knew things were going to be bad. Sunakitsune was no where to be found. Instead, sitting on a rock by the oasis, sat the source of the Voice, his Inner Hollow. He demanded that his Hollow tell him where Sunakitsune went. The Hollow just laughed at him. He mockingly asked which Sunakitsune Yojimbo was talking about, the one Yojimbo held or the white Sunakitsune he was holding. Yojimbo was astonished. How did his Hollow come to wield Sunakitsune? Yojimbo needed answers, and he was going to get them one way or another.

Hollow Yojimbo didn't like this tactic. He instead charged at Yojimbo. Yojimbo barely blocked his Hollow's attack. Yojimbo got sick of his Hollow's mocking laughter and released his Zanpakuto with "Disperse, Sunakitsune". His Hollow followed suit and the same kind of sand encircled him, except his Hollow's sand was pure white. Yojimbo had no clue how to react to this. Again, his Hollow mocked him for his surprise. He told Yojimbo that Sunakitsune wasn't around anymore because. . .he was Sunakitsune. On the outside of the bunker, Sutoka was about to take part in a struggle for survival.

Sutoka entered the bunker to start another day of his special training. He was surprised to feel a heavy spiritual pressure upon entering the bunker. When he reached the clearing, he learned the source of this power. In the middle of the clearing stood a Hollow with its back turned to Sutoka. Sutoka had no idea how it got into his training ground, but he knew how it was getting out. Using a special kind of movement called Flash Step, Sutoka practically appeared behind the Hollow with his sword drawn. The force from the impact of the blade should have killed the Hollow instantly, if he hadhit the Hollow. The Hollow had moved, even faster than Sutoka, to the other side of the clearing.

Sutoka now had a good look at it. It had a large hole in the center of its chest, which was common for Hollows. It was different in that it was human in both size and general appearance. It also had a strange red slash mark over its right eye. It had a large three large spikes protruding from each shoulder and spikes on its knuckles and feet. It also had a strange red pattern winding down each arm that connected on its back. Also on its back were six spikes that pointed in a downward angle. The thing about this particular Hollow that unsettled Sutoka the most was the fact that it had long, white hair, exactly like Yojimbo's. The Hollow charged at Sutoka's position, which forced Sutoka to use Flash Step to again dodge its attack.

Yojimbo could barely believe what he heard. How could this demonic variant of him be Sunakitsune. He was sick of this nonsense. Yojimbo pointed his index and middle fingers at his Inner Hollow and cast Hado #4 Byakurai. A single bolt of blue lightning streaked from Yojimbo's fingertips. The Hollow easily blocked it with the white sand he controlled. The Hollow again mocked Yojimbo telling him he will never be worthy of Sunakitsune's power. At that, Yojimbo snapped. He gathered all the energy he possibly could. He sent a massive wave of sand hurling toward the Hollow. The Hollowused its own white sand to slash through the wave of sand. As he did, he was struck in the chest by a bolt of blue lightning, followed by a blast of blue fire, followed by an even greater blast of blue fire. By this time, the Hollow could barely stand. The Hollow heard some chanting from Yojimbo. Yojimbo then screamed "Hado #88 Hiryu Geki Zoku Shinten Raiho!" A massive pillar of lightning erupted from Yojimbo's hands. The pillar of lightning hit the Hollow full force. When the smoke cleared, he saw the smoking body of the Hollow still standing. The Hollow told Yojimbo that he might have bested him this time, but if Yojimbo slipped up even once, he would be there to take control.

On the outside, Sutoka knew that this was a Hollow. However, there was something off about it. It had the same hair and the about the same height as Yojimbo. This Hollow was also wearing pants. Most Hollows are bestial creatures and have no such need. The more Sutoka thought about it and the more he fought this Hollow, the more he thought it had some relation to Yojimbo. Then, the Hollow stopped moving. It just stood there. Then it began to glow. Sutoka knew this was not going to be good. He Flash Stepped to behind a rock spire to await the inevitable. A few seconds later, the entire room was shaken by an explosion that left the entire room in a cloud of smoke. Sutoka stepped out from behind the rock to see what had become of his foe.

The Hollow still stood there, but its eyes were completely soulless. Then, its body cracked and opened up like a cocoon. Standing inside the cocoon was Yojimbo, wearing a white skull-like mask with a red slash over its right eye. Yojimbo took one look at Sutoka and fell into unconsciousness. When he awoke, he was lying right where he had fallen. He looked and saw the mask laying on the ground next to him. Further away, he saw Sutoka sitting on a rock, staring at Yojimbo and flipping the pendant, that he usually keeps on tied to the hilt of his Zanpakuto, dextrously through his fingers.

Yojimbo had no idea how his long time friend would react to his Hollow mask. Sutoka just sat there, flipping his pendant through his fingers. Sutoka finally broke the silence by quietly telling Yojimbo that they were more alike than he realized. Sutoka grabbed his pendant by the end of its string and let it hang. The charm on the end of the pendant was in the shape of a howling wolf's head and was a strange silvery-green color. Sutoka told Yojimbo that he also had a unique power, but his came in the form of his pendant. He dropped his pendant and said, " Zeige Dich, Eigenbrötler." Before the pendant ever hit the ground, it changed into a gray-green, ethereal wolf. The wolf was the size of a horse and was nearly transparent. Sutoka explain that this was something called a "Bount Doll". He explain further that before he became a Soul Reaper, even before he met Yojimbo, a man had abducted him and performed a number of tests on him. Then the man just let him go, and gave him a book. Upon reading this book, Eigenbrötler came into existence.

Yojimbo was confused by this. He asked Yojimbo exactly what did Eigenbrötler do? Sutoka explained that Eigenbrötler was capable of phasing between this plane of existence, and a plane of existence that only it controlled. Now, it was Sutoka's turns to ask questions. Sutoka asked why Yojimbo had the same kind of mask as a Hollow. Yojimbo really didn't have a clear answer for him. He just kind of woke up in the Rukongai wearing it. At this, Sutoka asked Yojimbo something he had never thought about. He asked if Yojimbo could summon its power, like he could summon Eigenbrötler. Yojimbo had never tried. Yojimbo concentrated with all his might, to no avail. He then tried to pull it on using his hand. As his hand crossed over his face, he felt the undeniable surge of power that came with having the mask on. Sutoka got the look on his face that he gets whenever he has a great idea.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Yojimbo and Sutoka learned more and more of the extent of their powers. Yojimbo learned that he could only keep his mask on for twenty-three minutes. After that, it would shatter into pieces and he would have to wait to reuse it. Sutoka learned to use his bount dolls abilities more quickly. He was still limited to only phasing up to half of his body. Eventually, Yojimbo learned to fire the Hollows signature red laser, the Cero, and Sutoka learned to completely enter Eignbrotler's plane of existence.

Later on, Yojimbo was walking down the halls of the Squad 6 barracks when he heard the powerful, commanding voice of the Captain of Squad 6, Captain Kuchikki. The Captain addressed Yojimbo by his official title of 'Third Seat Yamamora'. The Captain told him that he needed his help with a demonstration. Yojimbo could tell by the look in his Captain's eyes that this was going to be a fun demonstration. The Captain took Yojimbo to the barrack's outdoor battleground. Standing in a horizontal line were about 20 new Squad 6 recruits. The Captain lead Yojimbo about 10 feet in front of the recruits. The Captain then addressed the recruits saying, "Welcome to the 6th Squad of the 13 Court Guard Squads. Be proud of the fact that you are standing here as full fledged Soul Reapers. This demonstration you are about to witness will show, with hard work and dedication, the power you will be able to achieve in Squad 6."

The Captain then turned to Yojimbo and told him to draw and release his Zanpakuto. Wary of what his Captain might be up to he slowly drew his Zanpakuto and released his shikai with the phrase 'Disperse, Sunakitsune'. The sand came pouring out of nowhere and formed the three familiar pillars around Yojimbo. The Captain just stared at Yojimbo's Zanpakuto and nodded several times. He then turned back to the recruits and stated, " I will now show you how a well-trained member of Squad 6 should fight."

With lightning fast speed, the Captain drew his own sword and called out ' Rise, Seinaru Fenikkusu'. His normal katana changed to become a bastard sword with a what looked like a phoenix at the base of the blade with its wings forming the guard. Yojimbo realized that he had never seen the Captain's Zanpakuto up until now. Not wasting any time, Yojimbo sent a pillar of in the direction of Captain Kuchikki. The Captain almost seemed to teleport to the left of the pillar and swung his down. A large wave of purple fire in the shape of an 'X' eruted from his slash. Yojimbo used his two remaining pillars to shield him from the wave. The wave connected with his sand and Yojimbo could feel the heat from the intensity of the fire.

The next thing he knew, he was staring his Captain in the face. He had used the wave of fire as a distraction. The Captain then started an overhead swing. Yojimbo let just a small portion of his Hollow powers slip through. Luckily, he was able to dodge the Captain's attack. He then sent all three pillars of sand at the Captain. They encased the lower half of his body, immobilizing him. Yojimbo gathered all his power said as quickly as possible, "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings,ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. Hado # 73: Soren Sokatsui!"

A tower of blue flame erupted from Yojimbo hands in the direction of the Captain. The spell hits its target location. Yojimbo felt completely drained as he stared at the wall of smoke in front of him. He let out a long sigh. That's when he felt the blade at his throat. He turn his head to see his Captain smiling at him, still holding his Zanpakuto to Yojimbo's throat. He lowered his blade from Yojimbo's throat and said, " That was a good trick, immobilizing me for the time required to release a high leveled Hado." The Captain then addressed the recruits, who all scattered at the start of the fight and were now regrouping. "A member of Squad 6 should always have a plan to defeat their opponent. If, however, that plan doesn't go accordingly, they should always know how to think on their feet. Now, I hope you all enjoyed that demonstration and were paying attention, because I'm not doing that again."

The next day, Yojimbo and Sutoka were doing what they normally did right after lunch, they had a drinking contest. About halfway through their contest, they heard a bustle out in the streets. Everyone was running in the same direction. Yojimbo heard someone say something about a fight.

Being curious, Yojimbo and Sutoka went to check out what all the commotion was about. They arrived at a plaza where a number of Soul Reapers had gathered. Yojimbo and Sutoka used their status as 3rd seaters to push their way to the front of the crowd. Standing in the middle were the Captain of Squads 12 and 13, Captain Takedo and Captain Abe. However, Yojimbo's acquaintance, Kizoku Isha, was also standing there. He stood opposite of Captain Takedo. Yojimbo asked Sutoka what was going on. Sutoka explained that Vice-Captain Isha had challenged Captain Takedo's leadership and was about to fight him for his Captaincy.

Captain Abe spoke briefly to the two contestants then jumped back into the crowd. Yojimbo was surprised when Captain Abe was suddenly standing between him and Sutoka. The two fighters in the center of the plaza just stood there. Then, at the exact same time, they drew there swords and clashed in the middle. They moved at incredible speeds, clashing every few seconds. This kind of battle went on for a few minutes. They eventually stopped to re-evaluate each other.

Kizoku decided to shift tactics and fired Hado # 33: Sokatsui. A column of blue fire shot of Kizoku's hands towards Captain Takedo. However, by the time the column of fire had left his hands, Captain Takedo was already behind him. The Captain released his Zanpakuto with the phrase 'Petrify, Bashirisuku' and swung at Kizoku. Luckily, Kizoku was barely fast enough to dodge this blow. Yojimbo turned to Captain Abe and asked why hadn't Captain Takedo's Zanpakuto change when he released its shikai. The Captain explained that Captain Takedo Zanpakuto is subtle and crafty, much like its wielder. The outward appearance doesn't change, giving the ruse of being harmless. In reality, one cut from that blade will cause numbness of surrounding area, slowing of reflexes, and can lead to a permanent coma.

Captain Takedo continued with his onslaught of attacks, Kizoku dodging each one. Kizoku then faced his opponent and stuck his sword into the ground. This action surprised Captain Takedo, but he still continued his strike at Kizoku. Kizoku countered his attack with 'Bakudo #8: Seki'. Captain Takedo's blade was caught against an orb of energy in Kizoku's hand. Kizoku then raised his other hand and fired off 'Hado #63: Raikoho'. Captain Takedo jumped back, but was still hit with the brilliant blast of golden lightning that erupted from Kizoku's hand.

Yojimbo could see that Kizoku's Hado did a great deal of damage to Captain Takado. The force of the lightning completely obliterated the Captain's left arm. However, the Captain retrieved what appeared to be a syringe from his white Captain's cloak and stuck it into where his arm should have been. His then miraculously regrow from his shoulder. Yojimbo was intrigued to see how Kizoku would defeat this opponent.

Kizoku started by pulling his Zanpakuto out of the ground and whispering 'Crawl, Jikan'. His blade become pure gold and his movements became much faster. He raced toward Captain Takado, who deflected his blade just in time. Yojimbo was familiar with the power of Jikan, but he never imagined it would makes Kizoku's actions so hard to follow. Kizoku continued his assault by randomly switching between slashing and firing off mid-level Hado. Every time, Captain Takado would deflect or dodge Kizoku's attack. Kizoku eventually ended his assault and stood back to reexamine the situation. Captain Takado then began taunting his opponent by saying, " Wondering why you can't hit me? Allow me to explain. Before I came here, I studied your Zanpakuto's abilities and developed a drug that maximizes my reaction speed. With this drug, you will never be able to beat me."

Kizoku stood up straight and swung his blade. The air around his sword shimmered like a mirage. Using flash step, he repeated his motion all over the plaza. The Captain seemed to be laughing at his nonsensical movement. Kizoku then rushed at Captain Takado. They exchanged blows for a few minutes, and Kizoku fired off another round of Kido. Captain Takado dodged, but as his foot touched the ground, a blade of energy came from one of Kizoku's mirage swings. When he dodged that blade, another would come from a different direction. This sequence repeated itself until finally one connected. It left a minor cut on Captain Takado's sword arm, but that didn't stop Captain Takado from going into a rage. He glared at Kizoku and said, "Alright, if you want to play, let's play! Bankai, Kakogan Bashirisuku."

Yojimbo knew of Bankai. It was the second release of the Zanpakuto, and was every Soul Reapers ace in the hole. It took years to master and was one of the requirements to being a Captain. The power in a Captain's Bankai was enough to level a city. Up until now, Yojimbo had never seen a Bankai.

Captain Takado became surrounded by a cloud of green energy. The air in plaza became tight from the amount of power he was releasing. He blade changed to that of a rapier sword. Beside the change in form, nothing seemed different about the sword, but Yojimbo knew something was different. Captain Abe spoke at that point saying," This does not bode well for Kizoku. While Kakogan Bashirisuku looks harmless, it is actually incredibly lethal. True to its name, any area that comes into contact with that blade, will be slowly encased in stone."

Yojimbo was interested to see how Kizoku, only a Vice-Captain, would do against a Captain's Bankai. Kizoku just stood there, probably analyzing his opponent. He then did the stupidest thing he could possibly do when dealing with an unknown enemy, he charged. The Captain easily deflected his strike. Kizoku then tried shooting off Hado #4: Byakurai, but the Captain deflected it off his blade. The Captain then took this opportunity to charge Kizoku. Kizoku tried to dodge, but still received a shallow cut on his abdomen. At this the Captain just smiled a maniacal smile.The horror in Kizoku's eyes said it all. Slowing, but surely, the area around the cut was being turned to stone. Then Kizokudid the one thing nobody expected. Kizoku said, " Bankai, Kyosei no Jikan."

A deep blue cloud of energy erupted from Kizoku. In his hands he held a large golden blade in the shape of a pendulum. He let it slip through his fingers until he held it by its pommel. He swung it three times. On the third swing, a force came from the blade and Kizoku called out, "Iyashi Kyosei no Jikan". Miraculously, the stone that spread from Kizoku's wound started receding until it was no longer visible. Kizoku started moving incredibly fast. Captain Takado looked as though he just couldn't keep up.

Next thing Yojimbo knew, there was a massive amount of lightning, which he knew must have been Hado #88. The only left of Captain Takado after the smoke cleared was half his torso reaching for a syringe. Kizoku crushed the syringe under foot and brought his pendulum blade onto Captain Takado's neck, cleaving it from the rest of his body. Captain Abe ran up to Kizoku and shouted to the crowd, " Welcome the new Captain of Squad 12, Kizoku Isha!"

The next few days after that fight, Yojimbo became restless. He had never even given thought to achieving Bankai. He decided that this was something he had to do. He went back to the old training ground that he and Sutoka made. He sat in the middle of the clearing that was normally used for dueling. He drew he sword, Sunakitsune, and laid it across his lap. He closed his eyes and let himself drift into darkness.

When he awoke, he was back in his familiar desert, but it had changed. Amongst the ocean of beautiful sand, rock spires had grown where none were present before. He sought out Sunakitsune and found it near the oasis. The fox was laying down as though it were asleep. When Yojimbo approached it picked its head up and spoke. "You are wondering why these rock spires have grown from the sand." Yojimbo stopped in his tracks. How had the fox known his thoughts? The fox continued, " Those gnarled spires of stone jutting from the sands, they represent every time you have doubted. Not only the times you have doubted yourself, but also every time you have doubted me and your control over the Hollow."

Yojimbo felt ashamed of this, but he asked Sunakitsune to help him achieve Bankai. The replied that it could not help him achieve Bankai, only show him the way. Yojimbo told the fox that he was ready to do anything to achieve Bankai. The fox replied, "So be it." Sunakitsune stood up and let loose a mighty howl. Yojimbo thought his eardrums were going to explode. Sunakistune finished its howl and spoke, saying, "This is your challenge." Yojimbo didnt understand. Then Yojimbo felt a hot gust of wind hit him from behind, nearly knocking him to the ground. His face turned pale when he beheld the source of the wind.

Ten feet from where he stood, chained to the ground, was a monsterous figure with burning yellow eyes. Yojimbo jumped back in fear. Sunakistune looked at him and said," This is your challenge: unchain the sand fox without the aid of kido or ken." Yojimbo stared at the fox. He wasn't even sure where to begin. He decided to take to the sky and get the whole picture. Looking down at the creature, he was surprised to see how big it really was. Its body was about the same size, if not bigger, than the entire Squad 6 barracks complex. That wasn't even its largest feature. The fox didn't have one tail like a normal fox, nor three tails like Sunakitsune. It had a total of nine tails each one as long as Sogyoku Hill is tall.

How those chains kept the best in place, Yojimbo had no idea. It was up to him, however, to unchain it. He counted all the chains and came up with a total of 49. Two were to subdue its maw like a muzzle, another nine were used to subdue its body and legs, and the other thirty-eight were weaved in and out of its nine massive tails. All while it was chained, it was writhing, trying to get loose of its chains and obtain its freedom. Soon, Yojimbo felt sorry for the sand fox. He decided to start at the head and move his way back.

He started to approach the sand fox and it stopped moving. It just stared at him. He got within a few feet of it. It never moved. Yojimb thought to himself that this was going to be a piece of cake. He grabbed the first chain, but it didn't budge. He increased his reiatsu and became surrounded in a cloud of golden energy. He chain eventually started to move and he got it to slide over the sand fox's mouth. Then he moved on to the second one. The fox's head was now free of chains. Yojimbo walked up to pet the mouth of the fox, but thats where thing got complicated. The fox, its mouth the size of a small building, lunged at Yojimbo, attempting to swallow him whole. Yojimbo barely reacted in time. He flash stepped back into the air and the fox started writhing again, trying to get free to devour him.

After the next few hours, Yojimbo was too tired to continue. He had managed to free the torso and legs of the fox, but not without difficulty. It wasn't enough that the chains were massive, but that the fox tried to kill him every time he got close to it. Yojimbo sat at the oasis and washed his face with the water there. Then an idea occured to him. He stood up and looked at his shadow. He then yelled, " Hollow, come here." A form began to ascend from his shadow. A twisted, mocking version of himself stared back at him. "How may I serve myself?" were the first words the Hollow said, in its seemingly natural mocking tone. Yojimbo flinched at these words, but replied, " You are going be a distraction for me. I need to unchain this fox, but it keeps attacking me." Hollow Yojimbo burst out laughing, saying, "You're trying to give me more power? Works for me." Yojimbo wasn't sure what he meant, but was glad he could now focus on the chains.

With his Hollow distracting the fox, Yojimbo quickly got to work on the fox's tails. Soon, the first tail became free. Then, it got worse. With the tails length, the fox could go after the Hollow with its jaws, and Yojimbo with its tail. This made freeing the other tails more difficult. Every time he got one chain free, the tail would attempt to crush him under its weight. Then he freed a second tail, much after that a third. He now had a larger version of Sunakitsune made of sand. With three tails to chase him around, Yojimbo was making little to no progress. He called out to his Hollow, "This isn't working. Don't worry about distracting it anymore. Come help me instead."

Now with working at twice the pace, the chains, slowly but surely, began to fall. With each one gone, however, more tails arose to attack Yojimbo. Soon only one tail had yet to be unchained. Yojimbo was about to go for it when his mind went black.

When he woke up, he was lying on the floor of his training ground, covered in sweat and bleeding, looking into the face of Sutoka. All Sutoka said was, " You look like crap. Go to the Squad 4 barracks and get healed. We have another mission and I need you to not suck."

Firsth thing Yojimbo did was go to the Squad 4 barracks for some minor healing. He was hoping to talk to Yuki, but everyone seemed to be a kind of anxious rush. After he was properly bandaged, he met up with Sutoka and the other Soul Reaper that would be joining then. Sutoka introduced him simply as Renga. The tall, bald, dark skinned man simply kept his arms crossed and nodded his head. Yojimbo felt uneasy around him. They continued on to the Squad 12 barracks to await further orders on their mission.

Upon arriving, they were met by Captain Kizoku Isha, who stood in front of a large gate to a world another world, called a garganta. The Captain approached and said, "I have calibrated the garganta to drop you as close to the origin of these creatures as possible. We are expecting an attack any day now. Report any findings using this device. If my vice-director considers it important, he will patch you through to me. I will be personally overseeing the preparations. Get in, report anything you find, and deal as much damage is necessary to the enemy. Do you understand?" Sutoka simply replied, "Yes sir." Captain Isha continued, "Be careful. The reiatsu we've analyzed thus far shows that you can expect enemies of captain level or higher. Any intel that you can retrieve about their leader will be useful. Good luck." With that Yojimbo, Sutoka, and Renga jumped through the garganta.

The three Soul Reapers landed in strange world. This world was covered in night. They landed in an area covered in pale white sand with dead tress scattered throughout. Sutoka activated his communication device and reported, " This is 3rd Seat Miyazaki reporting. We have successfully entered Heuco Mundo." There was no reply, which was expected. In there normal fashion, Sutoka and Yojimbo started looking for their target.

After about an hour of searching, they found a small party of strange Hollows. Renga, being the classic Squad 11 mindless grunt, initiated an attack. He drew his sword and cleaved one on the Hollows completely in half in one strike. The other four turned to see what had happened to their companion. When the three Soul Reapers saw the faces of the Hollows, they were in shock. Normally, a Hollow's mask covered its face completely. However, these Hollows were wearing only partial masks. Yojimbo cursed under his breathe and yet to the aid of Renga, while Sutoka radioed in a report on the strange Hollows. He reported, " 3rd Seat Renga has encountered, and engaged, a group of Hollows with only partial masks. Yojimbo has also engaged the Hollows. More reports will follow." Then Sutoka too joined the battle.

Yojimbo stared down his opponents and saw that they had a number advantage of four against three. Renga was the first to release his Zanpakuto. He called out, "Break Everything, Hametsu." His sword started glowing and changing shape. When it had stopped glowing, it had formed a pair of knuckles that looked like it encased his fists in steel blocks. Yojimbo and Sutoka released their Zanpakutos simultaneously. Yojimbo noticed that the familiar pillars of sand around him were twice the size of normal.

The three Soul Reapers easily dispatched the four Hollows. As they walked over the next hill, they saw a gigantic, white structure. Sutoka spoke into the communication device and said, "We believe we have found the enemy stronghold. I'll report in again when we are inside the stronghold." With that, the Soul Reapers ran for the stronghold.

Once inside the stronghold, Yojimbo, Sutoka, and Renga were intercepted by a strange hollow that resembled a Soul Reaper. Renga attempted to engage the Hollow, but it was too quick for Renga. It had already used its version of the flashstep, called sonido, to appear behind him and deliver a slashing blow to Renga's back. The hollw turned to see Yojimbo and Sutoka already releasing their Zanpakutos. The hollow licked its lips and said, "Those are some fancy sword you have there. Want to see mine?" It then drew its completely black sword and shouted, "Blow them away, Cho Onsoku."

The hollow burst into a crazed fit of laughter as he became surrounded by barrier of wind. Yojimbo and Sutoka decided to go with their normal tactic: Yojimbo uses his sand to blind, Sutoka and his clones engage to distraction, and Yojimbo readies a high-level hado to finish the job. Yojimbo sent his sand flying toward the hollow, but it was blown away by the hollow barrier. Yojimbo cursed under his breath. Sutoka and his clones flashstep in five different directions then all converged onto the hollow. As soon as they got close, the clones were ripped to shreds by the wind barrier and Sutoka was sent flying back. If Yojimbo and Sutoka been normal Soul Reapers, they would have met their match. However, they were not normal Soul Reapers.

Yojimbo decided to forgo the distraction and set his left hand upon his right shoulder. He then raised his right hand and quickly said, "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings,ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. Hado # 73: Soren Sokatsui!" The spiraling twin pillars of blue flame that erupted from the palm of Yojimbo's hand engulfed the hollow. Yojimbo was relieved that all it took was one well placed hado. Then the flames were dispersed and the hollow still stood, unharmed. Yojimbo cursed under his breath again.

The hollow let out a fake yawn of boredom and asked, " Is that all? I guess its my turn then! Ready or not, here I come!" With that, the hollow shot forward like a bullet. Had Yojimbo's sand been any slower, he would have been speared by the hollow. Instead, the hollow crashed head first into a wall of sand. The hollow remarked, " That almost hurt a bit." Yojimbo smirked and replied, "If that hurt, this is going to kill." Yojimbo sent his sand to engulf the hollow, but using the same technique as before, he raced backward. Luckily, he raced right into Sutoka.

As the hollow shot backward, Sutoka was using his own flashstep to increase his speed. He held his sword out as to spear the hollow with all the force of both their combined speed. The hollow noticed Sutoka's attack and shot upward. Sutoka stopped in his tracks. The hollow mocked, " Wow, you guys almost got me. In all reality, I've been mostly defending. Now its my turn to attack." With that the hollow clapped his hands and released a sonic boom aimed down at Yojimbo and Sutoka.

The force of the blast caused Yojimbo and Sutoka to drop to their knees. Yojimbo looked at the hollow, and even though it was laughing manically, Yojimbo could barely hear it. He turned and looked at Sutoka, who was seething with rage. He stood up and pointed the blade of the sword on the ground. He looked at the hollow and said, " Zeige Dich, Eigenbrotler!" The emblem of a wolf's head he kept tied to the end of his sword started to glow. It dissappeared, and standing in front of Sutoka was his ethereal wolf, Eigenbrotler.

The wolf seemed to fade, then charged at the hollow. The wolf lunged and bit deep into the shoulder of the hollow. The hollow let out a loud howl of pain. Eigenbrotler had phased itself through the wind barrier and tore off a sizable chunk of the hollow's shoulder. Yojimbo watched in amazement, at both Eigenbrotler and the fact that Sutoka's wounds were starting to close and fade. Sutoka could feel the ambient reiatsu of Wecomundo mend his wounds. Then he had an idea of how they could end this miserable hollow's existence.

"Yojimbo, fire a Soren Sokatsui at Eigenbrotler!", called Sutoka. Yojimbo didn't understand Sutoka's plan, but his plans normally succeed. So Yojimbo placed his left hand upon his right shoulder, and aimed his right hand at the spectral wolf. He chanted, "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings,ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. Hado # 73: Soren Sokatsui!"

Right as the spiraling twin pillars of blue flame was about to hit the wolf, both the fire and the wolf disappeared. The hollow burst out laughing, despite having a massive shoulder wound. Then, inside his wind barrier, a portal opened up and released a spiraling twin pillars of blue flame at point blank range. The hollow was instantly disintegrated. Yojimbo went to find the unconscious Renga, while Sutoka reported in, "We have met our a strange opposition. They look like Soul Reapers, have Zanpakutos, but have bleached white skin and bleached white robes. 3rd Seat Renga has been knocked unconscious. We are going to attempt to reach the heart of the stronghold."

Yojimbo, Sutoka, and Renga ran through the stronghold until they reach a set of large white doors. Renga looked at the doors and grinned. He called out 'Break Everything, Hametsu' and steel knuckles formed on his hands. He punched the doors and they immediately turned to dust. Sutoka remarked, "Well, that's one way to make an entrance." Upon entering the room, they could instantly tell it was a throne room. At the far end of the room, seated upon a white throne, was a man dressed in black armor. Standing at his side was a man wearing white robes similar to the strange hollows, except his had a hood. The very presence of this man made Yojimbo feel uneasy. The man in the black armor stood and said sarcastically, "I see I have some guests. I hate to be a rude host, but I'm expected to somewhere. However, my lieutenant here will be more than happy to take care of you." With that, the man in the black armor ripped open a black portal in the air, stepped in, and disappeared.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Sutoka sent this urgent message:"The enemy commander has just vanished, I think hes headed to the Soul Society." Then suddenly, the hooded man appeared in front of Sutoka and sent him flying with a knee to the jaw. Yojimbo jumped away as Renga just stood there, astonished. This was a costly mistake. The hooded man caught Renga in the temple with his heel, and Renga was sent into a pillar. The man looked at Yojimbo and said, "Two down, one to go." From behind the hooded man, Yojimbo could hear the words "Howl, Rei Okami". Yojimbo smirked, and replied with "Disperse, Sunakistune". The hooded man smirked and said, "Well, this might actually require me to draw my sword." All five of the Sutokas flashstepped, and Yojimbo used Sunakistune to create a sandstorm to blind the man. The man drew his sword and slashed the air. The sheer force of his swing blew away the sandstorm, and stopped every Sutoka in his tracks.

At the sight of the man's sword, Yojimbo broke out in a cold sweat. For some reason, the man's wicked looking blade was familiar to him. The man noticed Yojimbo's reaction and said, "So you do remember me. For a while, I thought you had forgotten all about me." Yojimbo took a swig from the sake jug he kept with him and said, "I have no clue what your talking about." Sutoka seized the opportunity to take his enemy by surprise and flashstepped above the man and brought his sword down upon the man's head. Faster than either Sutoka or Yojimbo could register, the man had used his own flashstep to move back to the throne. He looked at Sutoka, and the reawakening Renga, and said, "I'm trying to get reacquainted with an old friend, and I don't want to be interrupted again. Gekido. Urayamashi. Kill these pests."

Two figures emerged from doors on e ither side of the throne room. Gekido was a large man, with a full beard and mohawk. He looked like he was made completely of muscle. Like all the other hollows in the stronghold, he had bleached white skin and white robes. Urayamashi was a thin man with melancholy face. Gekido laughed hysterically and said, "Its about time we get to do something! We could be out there killing Soul Reapers with the rest of the army! I guess killing these two will have to do for now!" Gekido let out another laugh, drew his sword, and shouted "Crush, Keiri". Urayamashi followed suit with "Consume, Kare Engimono".

The hooded man turned to Yojimbo and said, " Let's go somewhere where we can talk in private." The man let loose a cero at the ceiling and exited through the roof of the building. Yojimbo was wary at first, but wanted to know why this man knew so much about him. On the roof of the stronghold, the hooded man started talking to Yojimbo again, saying, "I'm hurt that you don't recognize me. I've been there for you for so long." Yojimbo just wanted to scream at the man, but kept his cool and said, "Why have you been watching me? How do you know me?" The hooded man just starting laughing, saying, "I'm the reason you died."

Sutoka cursed under his breath. These two hollows weren't as strong or as fast as the hooded man, but they were still a pain. Renga had decided to fight Gekido, pitting raw power against raw power. That meant that he was stuck with Urayamashi. This hollow with a constant expression of sadness somehow not only had a Zanpakuto, but also had Shikai. From what Sutoka could tell, the hollow's Shikai consisted of a black halberd with green fur wrapped around the pole near the ax head. It had remarkable speed and the length of the halberd only made things worse. In Sutoka's mind, he had the advantage. Not only could he have up to five of himself, but he also had Eigenbrötler if things got really bad.

Renga was cursing up and down in his mind. This hollow was just as big as him, and just as strong too. However, Renga has fist weapons and the hollow has a six foot tall ax with a two foot long curved blade. Renga was confident that he could win though, because Hametsu breaks anything it touches. The hollow charged and Renga easily sidestepped his ax and attempted to punch the hollow's leg. However, the hollow used its sonido to dodge the blow. It appeared again behind Renga with the ax above its head, ready to deliver the final blow.

At this proclamation, Yojimbo became furious. He had no clue why he was so angry at a man making such outrageous claims, but he couldn't help but feel like he was telling the truth. He drew his sword and charged the hooded man. The man pulled out his sword faster than he did last time and easily blocked Yojimbo's sword. Yojimbo jumped back, called 'Disperse, Sunakistune', and sent all his sand toward the hooded man. The man flashstepped out of the way, and the sand came back and formed its default three columns. Yojimbo noticed something was different about them. There seemed to be more sand than there usually was. Yojimbo didn't really care enough to pay it too much attention and continued his assault with a rapid fire succession of hado. The hooded man blocked each hado as it came. Yojimbo cursed under his breath. The hooded man then said, "Maybe this will help you remember, 'Sing your Dirge, Kagee.' His wicked blade grew to a length of ten feet. Finally, Yojimbo remembered everything. The playground, the wicked sword, and the captain that freed him. Yojimbo became even more enraged and became surrounded in a cloud of yellow energy. He screamed, " IT WAS YOU! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT DID THIS TO ME! YOU MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL! AND NOW, I'M GOING TO RETURN THE FAVOR!" Yojimbo pulled his hand across his face and the cloud of energy around him tripled in size, and became wild and frenzied. Yojimbo felt the familiar surge of power that came with wearing the mask.