The Universal Villain

Slashing towards Ichigo again Rukia's Zanpakuto made a high pitched sound at Ichigo blocked with the blunt side of Zangetsu. Since the fight began, Ichigo had mostly been on the defensive only preventing her strikes from making contact and never actually fighting back. While being pushed back from her constant barrage of slashes, Ichigo tried to talk to her again while blocking. "Rukia whatever he told you or did to you cant trust him! Guys like him will throw you away the moment they get what they want! He's using you!"

But even after saying that Rukia didn't seem to react as she swung with double the force of her other strikes. The force caused Ichigo to be sent flying through the town getting knocked through skyscr.a.p.ers in his flight path. Staring at the direction, she hit Ichigo away, Rukia swiftly turned her sword upside down with the edge of her blade pointed to the ground.

"Juhaku." Slamming her Zanpakuto into the ground, the floor itself began to freeze. Anything within a ninety-degree arc that was touching the floor was being frozen as the ice started to spread to was Ichigo had landed.

As this was happening, Ichigo was lying against a pile of rubble as he g.r.o.a.n.e.d. 'Nothing I say is getting through to her. If I could just figure out what he did, maybe I could reverse it.' Suddenly Ichigo heard a sheering sound as he lifted his head his eyes widened as the entire area in front of Rukia began to turn into the town of ice. Seeing the ice get closer, Ichigo quickly got up jumping into the air as the area he was just lying in was completely frozen over.

'Did Rukia always have this much power using her Shikai?' Due to Rukia being kidnapped so early in the story, Ichigo had never seen her Shikai before, nor did he know its abilities. "The ability to control ice, maybe?" Looking down at the frozen town below his feet, Ichigo was surprised at how much of the town was actually frozen.

It was while Ichigo was distracted looking down at the town did Rukia take this opportunity. Using Flash Step in succession time and time again, she disappeared and reappeared through the air as she appeared in front of Ichigo. Pulling back her Zanpakuto, she spoke in her head as she swung it towards Ichigo. "San no mai, Shirafune." Mid swing, her Zanpakuto's length grew along with its weight.

If not for the sound of her voice, Ichigo wouldn't have noticed Rukia had already moved to attack him. Dodging her attack, Rukia cut dozens of buildings in half which began to freeze not shortly after. Appearing higher in the sky, Ichigo looked down at Rukia with a strange expression. 'If I hadn't dodged that attack I would have died.'

He had refused to attack Rukia, but after almost dying from a single mishap Ichigo began to realize he might not be able to talk his way out of this. "Fine if its a fight you want then I'll give you one. But after I defeat you, I'm going to make fix whatever he did to you." Ichigo didn't know if Rukia could hear what he said, but she could tell from his placing his Zanpakuto in front of him that he was finally ready to fight. Responding to Ichigo taking a fighting stance, Rukia also changed her fighting position as they were both prepared to take this seriously.

Meanwhile, a couple of miles away from where Ichigo and Rukia were fighting Shen, Urahara and Isshin had a tense atmosphere going between the three of them. Staring at the two people in front of him, Shen could see the destruction in the distance. "Well since they have started their fight I think it's about time we started ours, don't you agree."

Although Urahara was still drained, he didn't have any fatal injuries so he could still fight, and Isshin was a new combatant to add to the equation. Looking at Isshin and Urahara Shen began to stretch his body before the fight as Urahara asked him a question. "Is what you said true? Is did you really kill the Head Captain."

As a former captain, he of all people would know how powerful the Head Captain was, and the thought of him being defeated even by Shen was hard to imagine. Hearing Urahara's doubt, Shen stopped stretching as he spoke. "Well I did have to use some unconventional methods as I mentioned before, but they got the job done. Though there were a few hundred casualties, some sacrifices have to be made."

Hearing Shen say a few hundred 'Sacrifices' caused both Isshin and Urahara to grit their teeth. "Hundred's of Soul Reapers are dead so that you could kill one old man. And you have the nerve to smile?" Isshin rarely got angry, but Shen had been pushing everyone with his little taunts since he arrived and he finally snapped.

Allowing his Reiatsu to leak to the point the wind began to change Isshin drew his Zanpakuto from its sheath before looking towards Urahara. Although Isshin didn't say anything before rushing towards Shen, Urahara knew he was telling him to prepare. Even though Ichigo was needed for the plan to work, they can use this time to prepare everything.

Taking Shen's attention, Urahara jumped into the air as a red light began to appear at the tip of his Zanpakuto. Slowly Urahara began to inscribe a formula on the air using that red light as a highlight of sorts. Focusing back on Isshin Urahara's actions didn't escape Shen's view. 'I knew they must have had a plan.'

Ignoring Isshin for a moment, Shen was torn. He was interested in finding out what they were going to try, but if it were actually effective, he would have screwed himself over. 'If I let them try them plan, would it count as overconfidence or interest?' Coming out of his thoughts, Shen covered the back of his hand in Haki, blocking an incoming attack from Isshin.

After blocking Isshin's sword, Shen twisted his grabbing on to Isshin's Zanpakuto. 'The one reason you should never rely on a sword.' Isshin felt a strong force cause his stomach to collapse in on itself.

While holding Isshin's sword, Shen used the opening to kick him straight in the stomach causing Isshin's grip on his Zanpakuto to loosen slightly. 'Well, there is one way to see what their plan is and remove the risk of being screwed over.'