Chapter 9: Welcome back

Helen smiled as nodded towards Gemma who approached.

"Nicely done Gemma, it appears as if you're just in time" Helen complimented his friend and turned to face the direction of where Lucia had been heading.

"Any means necessary" Gemma smirked as he took his place beside Helen, in the distance he saw Lucia standing beside the two guards… the guards laying on the ground.

Lucia reached down and picked up one of the bloody guards, it was as if Lucia had given the guard orders, Gemma and Helen could not make out what it was Lucia had said to the guard but it all had made sense when the Senkaimon opened up.  Lucia turned his head over to his brother's direction, a wicked smile across his face as he twisted the guards head with force…dropping the man to the ground.

Helen nodded in approval as Lucia quickly took off into the Senkaimon and on his journey through the Precipice World…at the end of this trail, he would find his 'playground'.

"Come now Gemma, Im sure Lucia will make it to his destination" Helen began to speak but hesitation in his voice. "I hope this all works out and enough reinforcements are sent… we will find an opening and get to Sajin Komamura in time" Helen argued out loud to himself, trying to build confidence in himself…confidence that his real worries would be put to rest;

(Lucia be careful) Helen said in thought as he shook his head and began to walk down the alley with Gemma and away from the Senkaimon.  As Gemma walked over the bodies of the three Soul Reapers he had killed earlier, he knelt down beside the middle one and looked over the man;

"What is the matter Gemma?" Helen asked as he stopped and turned around to notice his comrade had come to a stop.

Gemma smiled and looked up to Helen, adjusting his glasses;

"It … felt good to use my shikai, it only-"

"It only makes you want to use your bankai that much more, is that it?" Helen laughed softly as he finished Gemma's sentence, Gemma nodded looking back down to the lifeless body.

The shadow of Helen who stood began to stretch down the alley, light coming overhead.

"BASTARDS!" Blaze yelled;

Over head, Blaze held his shikai over his head with both hands. His shikai was covered in flames that followed through the night sky as he rapidly descended towards the two. As blaze swung, a quick but large fireball hurled towards Helen and Gemma… Blaze didn't aim for Helen but Gemma who was looking at the bodies and un-aware that the fireball was at his direction.

As the flame increased in size it was only meters away from hitting its target. Helen flash stepped in front of Gemma and held up his bandaged left arm, its markings began to glow as the space between Helens hand and the incoming fireball appeared distorted… as if it were a vacuum. Blaze took notice to Helen who now held onto his elegant looking shikai;

(He's using that sealing technique that Kuro had informed me of… it looks like he needs to have his zanpakuto unsealed to use that maneuver) Blaze was now feeling relaxed as his feet touched the ground.

Gemma felt embarrassed that Helen had to step in the way and stop the oncoming fireball;

"Gemma you and I will regroup later, leave this fool to me" Helen said, and just as instructed Gemma vanished with a flash step.

Blaze pointed his crimson blade towards Helen; he avoided looking at the ground at the three dead men before him. Helen glared down Blaze and took a strange stance, his arms tucked closely and his legs fare apart. Smoke cleared from the previous attack and left the two to face each other.

"I come to and you already manage to get yourself into trouble, huh Kagayaku?"

Blaze didn't turn his attention away from his opponent until he seen who had addressed him in his peripheral vision… beside Blaze stood none other than Drazon in his uniform.

"Drazon?! The medicine worked" Blaze said surprised at his friends recovery.

"Thanks to you Blaze, and I don't think I've been acquainted to this man yet" Drazon set his hands on his hips as he eyed down Helen.

Blaze relaxed his posture and looked to Drazon. "Helen Kasashi… he was the one who put you in the medical wing of Squad Four" Blaze began to explain to Drazon.

After a few seconds Drazon turned to Blaze and noticed that the Senkaimon in the distance was beginning to close;

"Looks like you let one get away huh, Blaze ill explain to the others later but let me handle this one and you go after the runner" Drazon remarked, he held up his hand as he noticed Blaze about to say something.

"Alright Drazon… but what about my squad?" Blaze began; he then started to hear laughter behind his back.

Tsuyoi, Kibo and Kuro approached and Tsuyoi pushed Blaze in the direction of the Senkaimon;

"We have a runner of our own you let go, Cap'n" Tsuyoi smirked and walked over to Kuro. Blaze knew they meant Gemma who left briefly ago;

"And we're wasting time as you are too" Kuro glared at Blaze, Blaze returned with a smile as his three friends took off to find where Gemma had gone to.

"Drazon… his arm, watch out… it has a sealing ability, not much is known about it but I believe he can only use it when his shikai is out" Blaze quietly told his friend, Drazon nodded in agreement.

Blaze without further hesitation dashed off and jumped through the almost shut Senkaimon. Just before the Senkaimon closed a cloaked figure darted behind Blaze, without making a sound the person entered the Senkaimon without being noticed by Blaze. The Senkaimon slammed closed, only Drazon and Helen were left in the area, the two faced each other… Helens posture never swayed… not even once.

"Now why would you have your only aid in battle leave and run off like so?" Helen smirked; he wanted to get under Drazons skin.

Drazon looked to the ground; a swift breeze brushed his navy blue hair to shield his eyes;

"Blaze has this thing that's hard to describe… he wants to protect those who can't or won't stand up for themselves, I could see in his eyes that he wanted to go stop that man who ran into the Precipice world" Drazon began to explain, he looked up to Helen and noticed the slight expression of confusion over Helens face.

"Blaze reminds me of someone who has shown me that protecting those you care about is strength alone…even if it's a reason to fight … a reason to die, maybe you'd want to meet him?" Drazon folded his arms as he looked up to one of the darkened areas of a high up building.

A tall man with messy, light-brown hair slid down the sloped roof only to land a bit closer to Helen than Drazon was;

"Who said he had his 'only' aid leave in battle" Kenta asked rhetorically as he referred to Helens previous question.

"And who might you be… not that it will matter soon" Helen shifted his right foot behind his left foot now readying to move.

"Kenta Yamasaki, third seated member of the hidden squad… you aren't supposed to know of me" Kenta replied

Helen waited for Kenta to laugh or smile but Kenta never did… he was dead serious, the hidden squad was not known too well to Helen even from his previous years in the Soul Society. Helen didn't say anything after that, he pushed off the ground with his right foot and projected his body towards Kenta… his closer opponent.

"Tell me you two" Helen began as he pushed his right arm forward and lunged towards Kenta with a stab.

Kenta unsheathed his dormant zanpakuto downwards against Helens shikai; this pushed the attack towards the ground and left Helen wide open.  Drazon then blurred out of sight only to appear beside Helen whose blade was now in the ground, Drazons zanpakuto slowly sliding out of it's sheathe. Helen let go of his shikai for now and pushed off the ground into the air. Drazon slid out his sword in a horizontal slash towards Helen but Helen had already jumped into the air… the blade skimmed in front of Helen and let only a single strand of Helens hair fall to the ground.

"Are you experienced in Kido based fights?" Helens smiled as he held his left arm and pointed it to the ground, his palm began to glow green.

Kenta looked up and smirked, he nodded towards Drazon.

{Precipice World}

Blaze made his way through the Precipice world as quick as he could not only because he had to stop Lucia but because he knew of the 'Cleaner' … Blaze knew only stories of this strange thing which will try to dispose of Blaze if his stay proves to be longer than necessary.

Blaze heard an echo of what seemed to be laughter up ahead… Lucia's laughter.

"So I've got myself some friends to play with huh? We'll see you on the other side!" Lucia's voice echoed as he tormented Blaze.

Blaze began to dash faster and tightens his grip on his zanpakuto as he attempted to go faster.

"Don't let him get to you Blaze… I know you can keep your cool"

Blaze quickly lifted up his blade and stopped at the cloaked figure that stood beside him and stopped as he did;

"W-what the hell? Answer me now!" Blaze twisted his blade to point at the person, he wasn't going to waste any time… he wanted this possible enemy to be done with as quick as possible.

The person quickly threw off their coat.

Tessa wore her Shihakusho with her arm limp in the right sleeve; Blaze remembered that was where she had been wounded.

"Tessa! You're finally awake" Blaze was surprised, but also worried for his friend as she appeared in no condition to be fighting.

Tessa smirked and began to jog to keep up the pace;

"I've missed out on enough action, if you need assistance I'll be here… Captain" Tessa nodded in her Captains direction. "Now I suggest we hurry" Tessa sighed, a bright light creeping into view from behind the two, allowing their shadows to be clearly visible in front of each step.