Chiya's POV 

"My guess is you've come for this?" I asked the woman who'd appeared with half a division at her back. I bared my teeth into a grin at the feel of her reiatsu battering at me.

Like that would scare me.

Kera was practically quivering in her boots from whoever this was and as I held her eye, I began to see why. The force she exuded, it reminded me of that brute Kenpachi, only a lot more disciplined.

"Release the soul reaper, Kera," the woman said, hand on her blade.

"Unfortunately, Kera can't come right now so you'll have to deal with me." I raised Paulo up and wrapped a hand around his throat.

I gave the gentlest of squeezes and he gasped like a fish out of water, hands clawing at my wrists. "Ah, ah, ah," I crooned to him, raising him higher from the ground. "Don't make me kill you." I rolled my eyes back to the woman and her posse. "And if any of you try anything funny, I'll gut him and then you. Hands off your weapons."

Hands relaxed from their blades. I relaxed my own grip, just enough to let him gulp down a few mouthfuls of air. "That's much better." I itched to render them bloody and broken with Dorangoháto but already Kera was trying to fight her way back to my body. Probably to run away.

"Chiya, stop now. You don't want to go up against her."

"What do you want, Hollow?" the woman said.

"Her name is Unohana. She's Captain of Squad Four, Chiya. You need to run."

'Kera, sometimes you need to learn when to shut your mouth.' I didn't need her fear polluting me in case this did turn into a fight. Which I'd gladly participate in. It had been a while since I had versed a strong adversary one on one.

"Unohana, is it?" The Captain stiffened. "Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to leave the soul reaper here and you're going to let me walk away scot-free. Should any of you make to follow me, well, I don't have to spell it out. I'm sure you and your squad have the brains to figure out the rest of the threat."

"We can't let you do that!" came an outcry from a silver-haired woman. Her head whipped between me and Unohana. "Captain, if we all attacked now, she won't be able to retaliate."

I grinned at them and made Paulo squeal, eyes bulging. It drained a little to do this but I pushed my reiatsu outwards, twisting it with the fire in my soul. Blue flames burst to life at my feet and along my arms, a pleasant warmth that had Paulo sweating profusely.

Unohana raised her hand to keep the other at bay. "Unfortunately, we don't know the full extent of her powers and what she is capable of," Unohana said. "Our best option is to abide by her rules."

The silver-haired one's lips pursed into a pale, thin line.

"Tell me, what are you doing here?" the Captain asked.

"For the same reason all Hollows are. To hunt, to kill, to maim." I licked my lips. "To tear a soul reaper to shreds, to devour souls. If I had my way, I'd raze this place to the ground." Their aghast faces sent a pleasurable shiver up my spine. "Does that answer your question?"

I was more dangerous than they could ever know.

"But right now, I'm needed to stop some blithering fools from make a stupid mistake so I'll have to save the killing until another time."

I cancelled the flames and put the boy on the ground. He breathed a sigh of relief. I kicked him over so he lay flat on his back and pressed my foot to his chest. He cried out in pain and I knelt closer towards him, smelling the fear rolling off him in waves.

"If I was you, I'd revise how you speak to women. Kera's not the only one strong enough to beat your arse to the ground. And to answer your question from earlier, yes, I am a Hollow. Thanks for noticing."

I left him stunned and winded. I didn't bother looking back as I headed for the end of the alleyway, in the direction the others had escaped to. Kera itched to take back control; she wanted to look back and make sure they weren't about to attack. I had every confidence they wouldn't.

"Kera!" I paused and looked over my shoulder. "You and I will be having some words when this is all over," Unohana said.

I sent her a mock salute. "I'll make sure to pass on the message. Oh and I really hope we see each other again soon, Captain of Squad Four. You look like you'd be an interesting adversary." Then I took off at a fast-paced run. No one gave chase.

"Great. We are going to succeed in our mission and I'm just going to die straight after," Kera whined. "Thank you, you-"

"If you call me an overgrown lizard again, I will not hesitate to march back there and try my hand at fighting a Captain."

She went silent after that. I prowled the streets, searching for Kenpachi's spiritual pressure. I really didn't want to – there were more pressing matters like food and healing – but I knew she'd be insistent in finding him.

It made me gag thinking about her infatuation with him. Of all people in the entire Seireitei and Kera had a crush on Zaraki. I shook my head. She could pine all she wanted but I was sure that the Captain cared more for fighting than ever pursuing a relationship.

"Why did you do that? Why did you say all those things?" she questioned.

"Because it's in my nature," I replied, eyes roving the streets that began to join up to ours. It seemed we were travelling down the main thoroughfare. I really hoped we ran into someone because I was itching to sink my claws into flesh.

It had been so long since I'd fought, since I'd felt blood running down my arms. I missed the act of ripping beating hearts straight from chests. I missed being a dragon and unleashing hell upon my enemies. It didn't take a genius to understand why Kera avoided letting me partake and her stubbornness would only go so far in keeping her alive.

"Are you headed for Orihime and Kenpachi? They should have rescued the other three by now."

I rolled my eyes yet answered in a level voice, "Yes, but it's a little hard to find your hard-headed Captain's spiritual pressure."

"Okay, that's it! I'm taking back control."

I didn't offer any resistance. She'd find out soon enough. My vision blurred and pins and needles scorched my limbs before I was back floating in limbo.

"Oh," she merely said, stumbling to a halt in the middle of the street.

'If I was you, I'd find a wall,' I offered. She faltered towards the closest one, our vision fuzzy at the edges. 'Remember how I warned you that we were running low on energy?'

"Yes, I know!" she snapped, smashing a fist into the wall and concaving a section of it. "We'll die," she mocked in a whiny, high-pitched voice.

'Good, at least it seems you've started to learn a bit more.'

She growled under her breath and began moving again, attempting to match the pace I'd set and failing. Miserably. Gasping and panting, we barely went a hundred metres before she had to stop again. Her legs were drunken fools tottering about.

'Do you want me to take over again?'

"How... were you... able... to even... move?"

'Simple. I'm older and smarter. I've had more practice running when on the verge of death. It's a Hollow thing, you wouldn't know.'

"Fine," she said and for the first time ever, I felt her allowing me to take control. There was no resistance as we transitioned and she drifted away, a lot further away than I expected.

"At least you didn't pass out before letting me have control," I said and resumed running. My breath ached in my chest but I pounded onwards. A brief flash. I turned my attention to it but it wasn't any of the others.

"Why?" The fatigue in her voice slurred the word.

"Because if you'd passed out, all the Hollow bone would fall away. We'll bleed to death in the street."

"Oh, that's not good," she said.

We continued on in silence. I ran in a continual straight line because I had no directions on where to go. I gathered, though, that Rukia's execution would be in a public place or a place of high importance. The stone cliff looming overhead looked like the most likely place soul reapers would execute people, flashy and in-your-face.

I came to an intersection of left and right, looked down both and realised that none seemed to be turning towards the hill. How come this place was such a labyrinth? It was a wonder Soul Reapers could get anywhere in this place.

"Kera? Kera, I'm lost. Which way?" I asked. No one asked. "Kera?"

The dumb idiot's asleep?!