"My, my... such stiff shoulders. You can feel it when you're with Yama-jii, and he gets all fired up."

"Yeah, no kidding. After we wrap this up, how about the two of us give him his first shoulder massage in years?"

"No, no, it's my shoulders that are stiff."

"What are you talking about? I've never once seen you with stiff shoulders,"

You swallowed at their calm banter, your grip on your sword getting a little shaky.

I might be strong or whatever, but I've had no experience against a real enemy. I haven't felt the pain of being cut. I hope I can help Rangiku, at least a little...

"Here we go... Matsumoto, (L/N). Do you feel uneasy?"

You were about to nod stupidly, but turned to Rangiku instead.

"What are you talking about?" she asked calmly and simply. It was a clear 'no'. Your Captain glanced over at both of you for a split second, before shaking his head.

"Let's go. Don't lose your focus!"

"Yes sir! We'll take care of these three, you get the espada in the back!"

"...Can you handle them?"

"Yes," you both answered in unison. You felt confident with her by your side-- It was just something strangely maternal about her that made you feel so at ease.

"...Alright, I'll leave it to you."

As you finally turned away from him, one of the Arrancar sprung into action.

"Like hell I'm gonna let you go!"

Just as they began moving, the dark-skinned blonde Espada spoke up.

"Wait."

The arrancar immediately stood back. Your Captain and the Espada locked eyes and began to pull their swords out. You gulped.

I shouldn't be worrying. He's a Captain.

Immediately, you pulled out your sword to meet one of the Espada's fraccion. As if in sync, you heard many others clash all around you.

"Bastard! How dare he swing his sword at Halibel-sama?!"

"Wait, Apache! Do it later!"

"What was that, Mira Rose?! Are you saying that it's okay for that little brat to hurt Halibel-sama?!"

You glared at her for the 'little brat' comment. It had gotten to the point when you were just as offended as your Captain when they made comments about his height... which was sort of ironic, seeing as you poked fun at him about it all the time.

"Fool. She's drawn her sword. That white-haired kid has no chance of winning anyhow. I'm saying that, if you want to back her up, then you should mop up these girls quickly and then go."

"...Yeah, now that you mention it... that big-breasted girl, she said something about the both of them handling the three of us, didn't she?"

"Wow, your ears are better than I thought," Rangiku chided. "I was thinking to myself, 'Are her ears, her face, and her style all awful?"

You turned to grin at her.

Good idea... she seemed hot-headed, so making her mad would probably be our best bet.

"THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

"It's a taunt. Quit getting baited all the time, it's getting to be a pain."

"Yeah, the gorilla-man is right, y'know."

You burst out laughing as the two began screaming in anguish.

"The hell did you just say?! Grr..."

"WHO'S A GORILLA-MAN, YOU DAIRY COW?!"

Suddenly you remembered that there was another girl. You turned to her, eyebrows raised- almost expecting her to be just as mad. To your surprise, though, she looked calmer than ever.

"Would you two stop it? It's disgraceful. You guys getting all upset is exactly what the enemy wants. The fact that you're both imbeciles can't be helped, but could you please refrain from causing problems for me as well?"

"Bitch! Whose side are you on, Sunsun?! Is it okay if we start with you, then?!"

"Well, isn't that funny? Because I was just thinking you two would be a burden to me."

"HUUH?!"

Man, it really pays off to tease these guys.

Suddenly, just as you glanced to Matsumoto, the three went silent. They stared at you and Rangiku intimidatingly, and you shivered a little under their gazes.

"It's too late to look at us like that now. When there's more people on one team than the other, surrounding the enemy is the standard tactic. You lost your advantage the moment you bunched together like that."

You realised that they were indeed bunched together, and quite far away, too.

"Growl, Haineko,"

"-!"

You watched in surprise and confusion as her blade turned to ash. The ash blew up in a cloud of dust, surrounding the Espada.

"What the hell is this?! You're making fun of us! What the hell are you gonna do with this sand shit?!" Appachi shouted, sticking her hand through. She was immediately pulled back inside, falling on the floor in the process.

"Oof! What the hell are you doing, Sunsun?!"

"Don't foolishly touch something if you don't know what it is! You are so intolerably careless."

"Whaaat?!"

You swallowed once again as she stood up, looking furious. A split second later, her arm was covered in gashes and blood.

"Guh...?!"

"Appachi!"

You turned to Rangiku smugly, crossing your arms almost proudly.

"That is Haineko's power. The blade turns to ash, and I then chop up the place where the ash has fallen with a swing of the hilt. You may think of all of the ash surrounding you as my sword. You have nowhere to run." She clicked her fingers, and the ash spun around them rapidly, creating something akin to a tornado.

"Careful. I'll start the mincing with the one that touches that rapidly whirling ash," she hummed.

Your smile fell.

"Rangiku... aren't we forgetting something? Wait! They're hollows, they can use-!"

Three Ceros shone from the inside of the swirling ash, causing it to dissipate.

"Did you really think you had us beat with something like that?"

You fumbled with your Shihakusho. Rangiku was covered in gashes, and you still hadn't made a move to help. Rangiku had told you to wait for her signal, so why...?

"Hey, you two... you think it's okay if I take a break over there?"

"What kind of foolish things are you spouting?"

"That chick's totally done for! She's got no chance. Plus, the other lady might have a sword, but she looks weak and inexperienced. You guys could easily take her out."

You turned to her, ready to ask for permission, but she flash stepped. You whipped your head around, only to see her in Appaci's grasp.

"Rangi-"

"I thought I told you... that you don't have a chance!"

Rangiku was flung away momentarily, but ash spouted towards the Arrancar.

"Like I'd get hit by that!" she shouted, using a Cero.

"Even by myself you're no match for me!" she shouted, flipping backwards, ready to strike her.

~