Byakuya flash steps in front of the huddled Shinigami and Espada before reaching down and covering Rukia with his Haori preserving her modesty. The transformations that they went through tore through most of their clothing leaving them without anything to cover their chests. Ichigo has only a single sleeve of his Bankai robes top half over his right hand. Rukia is curled into Ichigo's chest crying softly due to what they've both gone through, but with no signs of further danger Byakuya motions for the others to approach which doesn't take very long for them to do. "You look worse for wear Rukes." Renji says as he walks up to Byakuya's side. "What the hell happened?" He asks, prompting Rukia to lift her head up slowly and look at her friend with tired sad eyes.

"Aizen changed me." She confesses, "I am an Espada... the Cero Espada." She says, answering the unasked question hanging in the air.

"Now's not the time for an interrogation, Renji." Ichigo says, now gazing up to face the red haired lieutenant. "We need to get to Karakura town." He says before attempting to stand, but finding he doesn't have the energy to do so. Seeing this Orihime summons her hair pin spirits and encases the two in their aura.

"I'm afraid we're stuck here unless you or Rukia can open a garganta to the human world. Either that or we need to contact Soul Society and the hell butterflies can't travel between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society." Renji responds, causing Ichigo to glare at him for outing the truth that he was afraid to hear.

"For now, just rest and recover your spiritual pressure. We're going to need to be at full strength in order to take down Aizen." Byakuya says before turning to Orihime. "Are your powers capable of restoring their strength or do they only heal physical injuries?" As Orihime is about to respond, Rukia interrupts her.

"I'm still at full strength, devouring Ulquiorra should have replenished our spiritual pressure. He was the fourth rank espada but his power was equal to the primera espada Starrk." Rukia responds, as she feels her fatigued body be slowly rejuvenated. "Starrk is on our side. He's a friend."

"Here I thought Ichigo was the one who was good at making friends with enemies." Renji responds, "Anyone see where the hell Grimmjow went?"

"Who cares, he held up his end of the deal and he's free to do whatever he pleases. We have our own problems to worry about." Ichigo says before he sees Rukia perk her head up, then a moment later the rest of them sense something.

"It seems you're an expert at making messes, Ichigo-kun." The motherly sweet tone of Retsu Unohana causes all of them to snap their attention to captain mom who's walking over the top of a sand dune towards the group.

"That was more Rukia than me." Ichigo says, prompting Rukia to turn and glare at him for blaming her. "I kind of... hollowfied. Fully."

"Well, at least you're back to normal and when we defeat Aizen you won't have to foot the bill for the damages." She says before noticing what's become of Rukia. "Byakuya-kun, Orihime-chan, may I tend to them?"

"Yes, please. I can't regenerate their spiritual pressure very fast." Orihime says, answering Byakuya's question before recalling shun shun rikka back to her hairpin.

"I have some extra robes with me so you can cover yourself Rukia, I don't have an extra shihakusho unfortunately for you Ichigo." Unohana says as she produces the set of white robes to give to Rukia, who takes them graciously.

"Don't worry about mine, Captain. My Bankai robes will come back with my spirit energy." Ichigo responds before helping Rukia dress herself with the new robes. "You guys mind turning away?" He asks, prompting the others to turn and give Rukia a bit of privacy.

"If the state of his robes represents how much spirit energy he has, then even now with the level of strength he's still radiating he's stronger than Captain Hitsugaya, Ukitake and Komamura." Restu thinks to herself as she extends her hands towards the espada and the vizard begins to channel healing Kido into the two. "Captain Mayuri is here as well preparing the garganta, once you two are back to full power we need to get to the world of the living. The battle has already started."

"No. I can't. I need to go to soul society." Rukia says before pulling the note from within her pocket. "If Ichigo fails, I need to be in soul society, in the real Karakura town to defeat him. He knows the one in the real world is a fake. He went there just to kill the other captains." She hands the note to Byakuya for him to read. "The only way to kill him now is to destroy the Hogyoku. I tried to kill him here, but he regenerated. Even after I cut his head off with his own sword." Byakuya and Restu both look at Rukia alarmed when she says this.

"You hurt him with his blade?" Retsu asks, "How was that possible?"

"What do you mean? Zanpakutos are swords, even if they're bound to your soul." Ichigo asks before looking at Tensa Zangetsu in his hand and lifting it slightly.

"Unless you're the one holding the blade. Your sword cannot cut you when wielded by someone else, if Rukia was able to cut Aizen with Kyoka Suigetsu then..." Unohana reasons before beginning to trail off in thought.

"She's linked with the Hogyoku or his soul much like she is with yours, but there is another possibility..." Byakuya trails off silently.

" Kyoka Suigetsu is rejecting Aizen." Rukia finishes. "When I held that blade, I felt an immense sadness radiating from the weapon. It didn't feel like Aizen, his blade was reaching out to me trying to get me to free her from him. He's only ever used it as a tool never forming a bond with it." The others go silent when they hear this.

"When we get to the human world, Ichigo, you must fight Aizen with everything you have. Do not hold back whatsoever." Unohana's tone is no longer motherly or affectionate, it's like that of a cold calculated warrior and the others sense this. "If this goes south, and he manages to escape to soul society, Rukia will have to face him."

"He's been banned from the Senkaimon, he'll have to go through the Dangai to get there." Renji adds. "What if you can't beat him?"

"Then I will." Rukia says sternly

"We can't predict what he'll do when he goes through the Dangai, but it's likely that he'll destroy everything in his way including the cleaners. If he does that it'll give you the opportunity to pursue him and train there in the meantime." Byakuya which causes Ichigo to arch an eyebrow at this. "The Dangai is 2,000 times denser than the outer dimensions, meaning an hour in soul society is 2,000 hours in the Dangai about 83 days in there. Rukia, if you cannot defeat Aizen, then you must stall him for as long as possible."

"That's assuming he doesn't outright kill me if I lose against him." Ichigo says, "When we get to the human world, I'm going to use my bankai and my resurrection to attack him. Everything I can do in a single attack."

"I'll relay the news about Starrk to the other captains." Byakuya says.

"The espada follow Aizen blindly, especially Harribel. I don't know what he promised her but he promised Starrk that he would never be alone again but he never fulfilled it. Starrk and I became friends through my imprisonment and my transformation. Barragan is the only one that cannot be spared. He must die." Rukia explains, her tone pleading for her allies to spare Starrk and save Harribel from Aizen's schemes. "We need to go."

"I was waiting for you fools to finish this pointless conversation. The sooner you put that traitor captain in the dirt the sooner I can go back to my research." Captain Mayuri groans as he walks over the top of the sand dunes. "The Garganta is up and ready to take you to the human world. I will escort the former lieutenant Kuchiki now Espada Kuchiki to soul society to await Aizen."

"She has not been demoted, and I trust you are aware that she is as powerful as Kenpachi at his full might. It would be wise for you not to insult my sister. Especially in my presence, and her husband's." Byakuya warns, but the eccentric researcher merely waves him off before leading them to the garganta.

"Good luck Ichigo." Rukia says, cupping his cheek in her palm then kissing him. Mayuri groans at the show of affection.

"Hopefully I wont need it." Ichigo responds after breaking the kiss, "Make sure my sisters are safe."

"I will." Rukia says before watching him walk through the portal with Unohana and Byakuya heading to the battle of Karakura town.