~Odd|One|Out~

Shin'ichi stuck a finger against her forehead. "I have my duties, and you have skipped out on yours. Nnoitra is a threat, and I'll deal with him accordingly. All you're doing is making this harder. It's too late to go back now!" He argued.

"It was supposed to be my day off! I didn't expet any of this!", she exclaimed, pushing his hand away, "If I go back then no one will get hurt but me. And I'm ok with that. I can handle pain, broken bones, anything since everyone always tries to injure me in someway anyway, or I do it myself. Nnoitra-sama may be a threat now, but he won't be if I go with him back to Las Noches..!".

Shin'ichi frowned at her. "Ugh, typical Arrancar, always making things difficult." He stood. "Why didn't you choose to go back earlier!? It would've saved heartache. What is done is done. Nnoitra will kill you if you go back now, and then this whole escapade would have been for nothing." He glared down at her.

"Well maybe it's because I don't think! And no one asked you to get involved like this anyway!", Michi exclaimed, "In the end, even if I am a traitor to Aizen, me and you are still enemies. You should've killed me earlier then none of this would've happened". She growled in annoyance, turning away from him and beginning to head back towards the fight between Ashia and Nnoitra.

Shin'ichi did not make a move to stop her just yet. "We may be enemies, but we don't always have to be; You said so yourself, you and I are not so different. Then we should put our differences aside and handle Nnoitra. If we kill him, or send him back with his tail between his legs, that's one small step towards Aizen's defeat. Then you won't have to hide anymore..." He sighed, almost dejected.

She stopped, looking at the ground. "I...don't want to hurt Nnoitra-sama...or Tesla...The reason for that is something you wouldn't understand. I never draw my blade or fight back because it wouldn't solve anything. It would just make things worse. Like today when I drew it against Tesla. Everything got worse. And...for Aizen-sama....", she trailed off, raising her hand and running it along the mask fragments along her nose and below her eyes, "Aizen gave me this body. He gave me my sanity back. It's hard to explain...but I don't want to face him either...".

Shin'ichi stared at Michiru's backside. "Is a body, your sanity, worth being treated so inhumanely? If Aizen really cared other than for using you like a pawn, you wouldn't feel the need to break away from his ranks." He told her, moving past her. "Just stay here. I'll make sure Nnoita is fine. I just don't want him around here."

She stared at the ground. Was it worth it? She didn't know anything else. She had never been treated nicely besides Tesla and Ichimaru. They were the only two that even spoke to her without looking down upon her. "I don't know anything else...", she whispered. She then looked at him as he walked by her and quickly grabbed his arm. "The only way Nnoitra is going to go back is with me or someone comes to get him!", she stated to him, "He won't leave if you just tell him to!".

Shin'ichi grabbed ahold of Michiru's hand. "Then I'll force him back. All you have to do is hide, and Ashia and I will run him off. He'll be forced to, if he's overwhelmed." He insisted.

Michiru shook her head. "Nnoitra-sama won't back down! If he feels threatened enough, he'll even go in his released state! He won't be forced back!", Michi stated.

---

"What's the matter? Getting tired?", Nnoitra asked with a grin. Ashia was breathing heavily and the area around them was quite torn up. "I could ask you the same thing", she replied, Nnoitra also breathing heavily. "Heh, I'm just fine. Having fun beating you around, that's all!", Nnoitra stated, coming at Ashia again. Ashia ducked down, avoiding Santa Teresa and coming at Nnoitra while staying low to the ground. "I really wish you would just buzz off", Ashia stated, bringing her blade down on Nnoitra's shoulder...

Shin'ichi sighed and let go of Michiru's hand. "Trust me. I know what I'm doing. I can handle Nnoitra. Just stay back, or you'll get me killed trying to keep you out of harm's way." He drew his zanpakuto without another word and ran off towards the fight.

Michiru stood there, now feeling as if she was going to cry. "I don't understand..", she whispered to herself as he ran off, "It doesn't make sense...Why is he nice...? He's even a shinigami...why is he nice?! No one's been this nice...no one has...".

---

Ashia's blade his Nnoitra's shoulder but did not break skin. Nnoitra's grin only widened at this. "What's the matter? Can't cut me?!", he laughed, noticing the surprised look on her features. He quickly reached out and grasped Ashia's hair, jerking her around for a moment before tossing her aside. He pulled Santa Teresa back to him. "I have the strongest hierro! You can't cut my skin you stupid bitch!", he laughed as he came at Ashia, not giving her time to recover from being thrown.

Shin'ichi growled. "Then try this, asshole!" He swung at Nnoitra, drilling into his side with his released zanpakuto, knocking him away from Ashia. He slid to a stop and assumed a protective position infront of her so she could recover.

Nnoitra went flying into a few trees nearby. Ashia looked at Shin'ichi as she sat up, "You didn't have to do that...", she stated with a small smirk as she rose to her feet, "Now he's gunna be pissed". She was right. Nnoitra stood from the rubbled trees, glaring at Shin'ichi, "Stupid shinigami. You shouldn't have done that!". His clothing seemed to be ripped but there was no wound. He then smirked. "Two against one. This should be fun!". He was used to fighting more than one opponant. It was always interesting.

Shin'ichi narrowed his eyes, gripping his Nodachi zanpakuto. He yelled and ran forward, swinging in an arc. The wind bunched for a second then shot out with a sonic boom, sending it racing towards Nnoitra.

Nnoitra grinned as the wave of air came at him and he raised Santa Teresa, about to make a move when Michiru appeared in the way, blocking Shin'ichi's attack with one of her own as he sword was engulphed in blue flames. "Stop fighting! Ashia...! Shin'ichi! Please leave now!", Michi exclaimed.

Shin'ichi would never understand Michiru. He eased his weapon, but did not let it revert just yet. The wind around them kept whipping wildly because of his anger, and was almost close enough to use his Bankai.

"Pfft, what the hell are you doing?", Nnoitra growled from behind her, "You in the way stupid bitch! MOVE!". He threw Santa Teresa at her and for once, Michi turned around and blocked the attack, being pushed back slightly. "If I'm going to be a traitor...then I have to face my own battles. I don't want you two to get hurt", Michuru stated as she pushed Santa Teresa back, "I'm sorry Nnoitra-sama. But I'm not your fraccion anymore...".

Shin'ichi watched and thought, long and hard. Michiru was taking a very brave, and dangerous, step. He glanced over at Ashia, but still he did not put his weapon away. He would not let her be overcome by Nnoitra.

Ashia shook her head. "You disturb me from my nap, ask for my help, and now you don't want it?!", she growled in annoyance, "Oh I'm helping whether you like it or not! I did not just give up my nap for nothing!". Ashia took a step forward, standing beside Michiru now. "But you'll--", she silenced herself as Ashia glared at her. "Stop all this worrying about involving other people and getting them hurt! You should at least be a little selfish and worry about yourself more often!", Ashia stated before looking back at Nnoitra.

Nnoitra began to laugh. A laugh that sounded as if he had gone mad. "Not my fraccion anymore...?", he repeated, "You don't make that choice. I do. And you're going to be my fraccion until the day you die!". With this, he came running at Michiru, Santa Teresa in hand. They clashed blades, but Michiru struggled to hold Nnoitra back as he pushed down with such force.

Shin'ichi agreed with what Ashia said; He did not throw caution to the wind, and more than likely his job, by helping Michiru then having her change decisions at the last second. He had to control his anger though. He did not want to use his Bankai right away.

Ashia growled, coming at Nnoitra from the side and swinging her blade down at him but he moved Santa Teresa so that her sword his the handle of the over sized weapon. "You three really piss me off", Nnoitra commented, throwing both Ashia and Michiru aside. He grinned, grasping Santa Teresa with both hands. "Maybe we should take this a step further, hm? You want to play, we'll play. But I don't play nicely", Nnoitra commented, about to use his released form when another gargantua opened up beside him and out stepped Tousen, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You were not ordered to come here, Nnoitra", the blind man spoke, "Neither Tesla or Michiru". He completely ignored the fact that Ashia and Shin'ichi were even there.

Shin'ichi growled at the blind man. "No! Let him stay and die!!" He yelled at Tousen. His anger was slipping through his fingers and the wind was becoming more violent around the Captain. He was adamant about fighting the pest Nnoitra.

"T-Tousen-sama...", Michi murmured, taking a few steps back from him. Tousen looked over, and although he couldn't see, he knew where everyone was due to their reitsu. "You shouldn't even be involved", he was refferring to Shin'ichi, "Arrancar, Espada, they are none of your concern. No one you should protect or fight along side with". He then turned back. "Get inside the gargantua -- All of you", Tousen ordered, reffering to Nnoitra, Tesla, who was now climbing out of a few bushes from where Nnoitra had tossed him earlier, and Michiru, "Aizen-sama is very displeased with all of you". Nnoitra merely grunted and placed Santa Teresa onto his back. His fight was ruined. He entered the gargantua with Tesla, but Michiru didn't follow. She merely took a few more steps back. "Michiru. Go inside the gargantua", Tousen spoke. She stayed silent, retreating a little further from him. "Do not make me use force", Tousen placed a hand on the hilt of his zanpakuto.

Shin'ichi grasped Michiru and pulled her closer to him, placing his zanpakuto infront of them. "Through my dead body then, won't you?" He narrowed his eyes at Tousen. He was involved this deep. It didn't matter to him now what happened.