Insanity of Betrayal

in which Ichigo is a bit of an idiot

Meanwhile...

Chad and Uryu land in Hueco Mundo. Ichigo was nowhere in sight.

A few minutes later....

Ichigo jumped out of the hole in the sky.

"Ichigo!" Uryu hissed. "What took you so long?!"

"Sorry, Uryu, Chad, I had to ask Kisuke a favor." the orange haired newcomer said nonchalantly. 

"Whatever. Let's go!"

And they were off.

Not too much later, they ran into a bunch of hollows. A little green-haired girl being chased by a stick, clown, and giant worm hollow.

Naturally, Ichigo's protective streak convinced him to attempt to rescue the human-looking girl from her pursuers. 

After 'saving' her, the hollows explained that they were playing a game of tag, not actually hunting Nel, the little green haired girl.

"You're... an arrancar?" Ichigo had a hard time believing his ears. "You don't look like the arrancars that went to the world of the living..."

"You have some nerve telling us we don't look like arrancars when you look even less like arrancars than we do!" Nel retorted in a squeaky voice, "you don't have a mask, and you dress in a black kimono. You look more like a... a soul reaper!" Nel gasped in realization. "You're a soul reaper?! There was a warning about intruders... We have to tell the Espada!"

Crap. 

"Hahaha," Ichigo laughed nervously. "What'd ya mean? I got a mask right here, see?" He bent down so his face was, hopefully, out of Uryu and Chad's sight range. He quickly summoned the Vizard mask. "See?" he cringed internally at his voice. He still wasn't used to the high pitched echoey ness of it.

"I can promise you that we aren't going to hurt you. Can you get us to Las Noches?"

Nel nodded. "Yeah, the castle is over th-"

A whirring sound allerted Ichigo, and he grabbed Nel, jumping to the side. 

And just in time.

The retractable blade that belonged to a certain pineapple lodged itself right where they were.

Crap!

He focused, letting the mask crumble to dust, before looking up.

Rukia and Renji stood on a sand dune nearby, swords at the ready.

"Hey! You almost hit us!" Ichigo yelled at the red headed offender.

They slid down the dune. Rukia squinted up at Ichigo. "...I swear... I thought I saw...? It was a holl-"

"Well, what are you guys doing here?" Ichigo cut her off loudly, pleading with his eyes not to question what she had seen. Not now, at least.

She sheathed her sword, rather hesitant, before answering. Fine, her expression said. You'd sure as heck better explain. But verbally, she replied, "We're here to help you save Orihime, of course."

To say the trio was surprised would be an understatement.

"! But I thought you were-?"

"Forbidden? And since when do we listen to the rules?" Renji refuted.

"Touche,"

"Anyways, Ichigo, what was that? I swear I sa-"

"WELL," Ichigo bit him off, "We know where Orihime is. She should be at Las Noches, and Nel and her friends can get us there, right, Nel?"

The green haired arrancar, who had climbed onto Ichigo's back, reminding everyone of the pink haired lieutenant of Captain Zaraki, nodded.

"Nel trusts Itsygo, so Nel will help Itsygo! Bala Bala, we're going to Las Noches!"

They boarded the giant worm-like hollow, and it took off, the three hollow siblings sitting at the front to guide.