[ Feeling Danger]

Aisumasutā has visited Kie many time scene his return to the Seireitei. However now he been keeping a
distance because it pains him to see a comrade in such away.

But it has been a slow quit day and he got an uneasy feeling. Slowly he made his way to the academy where Kie was still in a coma…with no signs of improvement.
As he came on to the academy grounds he found it in utter chaos! Soul reapers where running around in a panic from what sounded like an attack.

Quickly Aisumasutā ran to the nears guard and stopped him.

Aisumasutā: “What’s going on? What has happened?”

Guard: “Captain…captain Kie has gone missing!” Aisumasutā eyes filed with a mix of fear and anger. He pushed the guard aside and ran down the hall to Kie’s recovery room…afraid of what he might find.

He pushed aside the door and saw the bed that once held the body of a comrade…was now bare!
Overcome with rage Aisumasutā quickly start down the hall. (How could this have happened? There are no signs of attack and no spikes in spirit energy. There’s no way an enemy could have come from the outside…) At this thought Aisumasutā stopped in his tracks. (From the outside…they are inside. INSIDE!) Quickly Aisumasutā ran to the front of the academy and flash-stepped onto the gate and looked over everyone who has been running wild.

Aisumasutā: “Everyone! Listen up!” Many of the guards and lower squad members stopped and looked up at him…others still ran off looking. “I want to take a roll call of everyone who has been seen entering the academy! Find everyone inside the grounds and report back to me! After you have reported your fellow squad members’s locations return to your search for captain Geißt! Understood!”

Crowd: “Yes sir!” The crowd was now moving in a more ordered fashion, slower than before but more effective. Aisumasutā now jumped down and waited at the gate, looking around so no one will leave unnoticed. He drew his zanpakotu and stood at the ready.

"Who ever did this will learn why the call me Aisumasutā!" Now he let his spirit energy rise high enough to be felt on the academy grounds...so that any enemy nearby will know the master of ice…is on the hunt!

This post is extremely late and I apologize for that. It's been a complicated few weeks and I'm just relieved that its over and I can focus on writing again.

[Rising Tension and Twisting Relations]

The tension in the room was hard to place. It wasn’t anger, fear, surprise, excitement, or anything else so easily portrayed with one word. Nor could it be summed up as ‘several different emotions coming together in a single melting pot’.

But, oddly enough, despite this ambiguous aura in the meeting room in which all the Jūzō Hoshō captains gathered, it was not nearly so difficult to guess what each individual was thinking.

Yvon Gerard started off the chain with his stern, stubborn gaze that was pointed directly at Akihiko Seinosuke. It was the suppressing gaze of both disapproval and obstinacy that made it clear that Yvon was prepared for an argument at a moment’s notice and was determined to get his point across, simply biding his time until the right time came to bring up the matter.

Akihiko, however, dutifully ignored Yvon’s hostility, focused instead on Tomoyo Daidōji. His face was sheathed in barely concealed concern as he attempted to read his friend’s thoughts through her expression, confused by the failure of this attempt. Sharper eyes would notice that he was pushing aside any of his own worries by trying to bury himself in the concerns of others.

Tomoyo broke this chain abruptly with her head bowed, her long locks of dark hair hiding much of her face as she avoided eye contact. Her bowed head was not of deference or shame—she seemed to simply be doing it out of habit, as if she felt it was the natural thing to do in this situation. Noticeably, she did occasionally glance up at the faces of her fellow captains—primarily Sumiko Anenokoji and Kyobo Sodo.

Sumiko Anenokoji and Kyobo were the opposite of the others; they made it a point to avoid eye contact with anyone else around them, either because they were lost in their own thoughts or because they didn’t want anyone else to know what they were currently feeling and who those emotions were directed to.

Elizabeth Renoir…well, skipping her for now.

The few other captains in the room were all visibly discomforted by the state of their colleagues. Several were still missing, such as Akumu Shimo and Yushi Kenronri. It was uncertain whether they were simply late or even intended on showing up to this meeting.

It seemed that not even the Head Captain herself had been prompt enough to show up immediately.

This single fact was enough to incense a particularly testy member of the group who’d arrived on time…

“I hate to be the first to break the silence, but I’m confused.” The polite voice rang through the hall, the first since the first captains had arrived. “This is a meeting, is it not? And yet we’re missing quite a few people.”

“Relax, Elizabeth.” Kyobo’s tone was lax as he continued to stare around with no real direction in his eyes. “A lot has happened recently. It can’t be helped that they’re a bit late. They’ll get here when they get here.”

“I see.” Elizabeth’s tone remained respectful and expressionless as her eyes flickered toward Kyobo. “I suppose I can hardly talk when the two people who no one expected to come arrived on time as they should. I congratulate your recovery.”

“Thanks—”

“But I’ll be ignoring that sentiment when I ask that you shut that mouth of yours before you spout any more stupidity, for your sake. Your calm aura is absolutely irritating. Do you mind leaving the room?”

“Elizabeth, I said to relax, didn’t I?” Kyobo sighed heavily as his exasperated eyes fell onto Elizabeth’s expressionless mask. “There’s no use rushing things. We all have our worries, so even if you complain to us—”

“Ah, I see. I must not have been clear in meaning. Please excuse me. I was not asking you to go and search for the absentees. Rather, I think it’s only natural to put the trash out when it begins to smell rotten.”

Kyobo’s eyes narrowed drastically as his posture straightened. It was unlikely that Elizabeth missed this very clear warning, but she continued anyway, pronouncing her next words concisely.

“Any of us who can’t even handle a single one of those fallen Gotei 13 captains can only be a retired piece of junk mistakenly put in the ‘competent’ bin. Is this not so?”

Her response was flaring spiritual pressure that roared like a crushing ocean, aimed directly at her. Very few eyes shifted in their direction at this, but it was clear that everyone was annoyed with both parties.

“Elizabeth, let me tell you something.” Kyobo’s voice was low and eerily calm as his fists clenched. “I don’t really talk to you much, so I try to keep my thoughts to myself. But the way you take out your frustration on others pisses me off. If you want a fight, just say so. Don’t beat around the bush like some highbrow pansy.”

“‘Fight’? I don’t think that word would apply. The ‘highbrow’, as you say, do not throw out trash.”

“Really?” A sarcastic grin appeared on Kyobo’s face as he sneered. “But you seem pretty hung up on that guy from the Gotei 13 who you couldn’t even kill. What was his name? Livus or something? I bet you just want to ask to head captain to send you to Hell so you can fight him.”

The pause before Elizabeth responded was very noticeable.

“…I’ve never seen such irritating trash before. Maybe it would be best to remove the eyesore myself.”

“I fucking dare you to try.”

Two spiritual pressures clashed in the air as both sides took a deliberate step forward, one hand moving toward the hilt of their swords. They didn’t seemed to be doing this in jest or as a game of chicken. They fully intended to take their frustration out on each other.

“She won’t grant you permission.”

There was a pause of silence as Sumiko cut in with an almost disinterested tone.

“…I’m afraid I don’t understand your meaning, Captain Anenokoji. Do you mind elaborating?”

“She won’t grant you permission.” Sumiko repeated clearly. “For various reasons. Of course she wouldn’t; the target you’re so obsessed with isn’t even in Hell anymore.”

“And what makes you so sure of that?”

“Perhaps if you paid more attention to my reports on what I’ve been doing in Soul Society, you’d remember. Or perhaps you do, but refuse to believe it? In any case, I won’t repeat the summary of what I’ve done in the twelfth captain’s laboratory. My information is accurate. But whether or not you even believe me is of little concern. I simply don’t want you demanding that I send you to Hell ‘just to check’ or some other stupidity.”

Elizabeth clicked her tongue irritably as her posture slackened. Kyobo watched carefully in case she lashed out suddenly, only relaxing when she showed no further signs of hostility.

“That bug can’t die in one place, can he?”

“That’s good news for you, isn’t it? Had you managed to bother me when I was recovering in that ward, you would have only caused trouble for everyone here.”

Sumiko turned her gaze in Tomoyo’s direction as she spoke. Tomoyo’s eyes, which had been glancing at Sumiko at that moment, quickly and firmly trained themselves on her feet.

“Captain Daidōji, I suppose I should be thanking you. Not only did you grant me some extra moments of piece, you assisted with healing me and allowed Kyobo to come and rescue me, didn’t you? Your kindness truly knows no bounds.”

Sumiko waited for a moment, but there was no response. Several of the others looked up, puzzled by this silence. They were certain that Tomoyo was in the room and could easily hear Sumiko’s gratitude; why didn’t she answer?

“Come now, captain.” Sumiko sighed as she tried again. “I understand that you’re modest by nature, but it’s only a little praise. You’re free to accept it.”

Still nothing. The majority of the captain’s faces showed puzzled expressions whereas Sumiko grimaced with some unconscious irritation. Akihiko struggled to restrain his sympathy as he remained silent. That expression on Tomoyo’s downcast face clearly showed that she was troubled by Sumiko’s expression of gratitude.

And that brief moment of grace vanished quickly.

“I really don’t understand you.” Sumiko sighed as she touched a finger to her temple. “You’re a genius when it comes to kido, you realize that, I’m sure. And yet you shrug aside people’s praise and insist on the ridiculous notion that you’re ‘weak’. You just sealed away two captains of the Gotei 13—not a feat anyone with skill below you or myself could manage so easily. But I cannot even acknowledge you as another genius if you cannot even respond to concept.”

“……ory…”

The murmured apology was spoken too softly to be heard clearly, but the sentiment was clear. It was uncertain was Tomoyo was apologizing for, but it didn’t have a pacifying affect in any way.

“You’re ‘sorry’? I wasn’t aware that you had anything to apologize for, captain.” Sumiko tapped one foot impatiently as her speech quickened with every word. “But please, enlighten me. Are you apologizing to me because you’re truly sorry? Or are you apologizing simply because it seems to be the easiest thing to do now?”

Several seconds passed by in total silence and Sumiko’s eyes narrowed at the lowered dark head in front of her.

“…No response…huh?”

“Raise your head, Tomoyo Daidōji!”

Yvon Gerard turned his accusing gaze away from the object of his hostility for the first time as he faced Tomoyo, arms folded across his chest as he puffed it out proudly. His grimaced wasn’t one of irritation, but an expression that was meant to encourage confidence.

“You are a captain surrounded by your peers! You have to speak clearly so we can all hear your words!”

“Don’t waste your time, Captain Gerard.” Sumiko advised as she shook her head. “It would be wonderful if the problem stemmed from mere shyness. At least then, I would be concerned about her personality.”

“Is that…so?” Yvon glanced at Tomoyo once more, now showing a puzzled demeanor like the rest.

“Yes, it is. As she is now, I’m not certain I can entrust affairs to her totally as we have before. The failure during the attack strategy before last that was foiled by the twelfth squad captain might not have been a mere fluke. It could have been the result of an error stemming from a personality flaw—”

“That’s enough, Anenokoji.”

Akihiko cut off Sumiko with a sharp tone and she raised an eyebrow at him in wonder.

“Enough? What do you mean—”

“Do not question Tomoyo’s competence anymore. A little doubt is allowable, but her skills are absolutely necessary. If you cease to trust her, I can’t see anything but reckless mistake after mistake in the future.”

Sumiko snorted but did not voice an argument, knowing that he had a point. Even so, both her and Akihiko’s eyes veered toward Tomoyo once more. Still, she had not raised her head or tried to say another word even after Sumiko’s incrimination.

Almost in unison, several heads in the room turned toward the entrance to the hall, searching for relief from the tense atmosphere among the captains. All hoped that the next arrival would bring a distraction along, though many feared it would only make the atmosphere worse.

I'd just like to wish you all a Happy New Year guys! (And Gals!) I hope this next year breeds material even more epic than the year now gone.

Breach

She paid her lieutenant no heed as she silently watched her work from the corner of the room. Kie was not concerned with her at the moment, her mind completely focused on the task at hand - getting Captain Ajibana and Captain Tsukubashi back from the void that the Juzo Hosho woman had so generously left behind for them. Her brow furrowed in thought as her concentration shifted from one panel of technology to the next, constantly shifting her body so as to work with the different machines. A solution was bound to show it's face, wether or not she found it purposely or accidentally. At the moment, it seemed that an accidental solution would be more probable. Kie sighed audibly and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

The separate dimension was far more complicated than it had seemed to be. Instead of bending the fabric of space and time alone, a kido web was weaved around it in order to preserve the pocket that the others had been trapped in for quite some time. From what she could tell, the kido was highly adaptive, changing form and sometimes even shape when it was in danger of being either destroyed or breached by the natural course of things - in essence the balance of space and time trying to manually correct itself. Kie was reluctant to try breaching it, for the space inside was fragile, surrounded by a dangerous pocket of empty space that would suck in everything that was trapped in the dimension if it were breached in the "wrong" way. She was, admittedly, confused. Stumped. She was unable to continue her work because of multiple holes in whatever theories she had managed to conjure, which were small in number, as unfortunate as that was.

Releasing her now sore nose from the grip of her fingers, Kie sighed, louder this time. Her lieutenant looked up. "Would you like some help over there?" she asked politely, although she already knew the answer.

Kie shook her head. "No, that won't be necessary. I just need some time to think on things by myself."

Kira nodded in understanding. She stood up and gathered the many books she had managed to read in the time she had spent in the lab and placed them under her arm. "I'll be going then. I heard a small commotion up top earlier. Perhaps I should go and… correct it," she said, shaking her head as she headed for the ladder. Before she was gone, Kie heard her mutter something about Aisumasuta, causing her to smirk.

Kie turned around silently and resumed working, though her current state was fruitless. She was at a loss, unable to think of a solution that could possibly be able to help the other captains, much less communicate with them. Clenching her fists, she returned to her work, silently hoping for some sign, some way to be able to reach her fellow captains.

The kido that surrounded the pocket was free flowing, almost like it could think. Another intelligence versus her own was not something Kie was used to when doing research. Even more compelling was the fact that kido did not have a cognitive process, meaning that it should not have been able to move about freely without a shinigami controlling it in the form of a spell. Confused and angered over her own incompetence, Kie sat back into her chair.

Kido was a form of energy, anyone who used it knew that. Tomoyo, the woman who had constructed the separate pocket dimension, knew the ins and outs of kido quite well, by the looks of it. What Kie had thought about before was one large spear of opposing energy. She had tried concocting a device that would do one such thing if it had been fed with the right amount of spiritual pressure and then concentrated into a single beam of piercing energy that would have, hopefully, broken through the barrier. The flaw in that plan was that the void in between the barrier would have immediately begun to destroy the very fabric of the dimension itself. That plan would have killed them, rather than saved them.

Several other ideas like that one had been tossed around in the last hours of the night, each one of them having been shot down by the one simple fact that there was a void in between the Kido and the actual dimension, and that void was the most dangerous part of the whole concept. She raised her fingers to her head and balled her fists in her white hair, groaning as fatigue set in.

She opened her tired eyes again and rubbed the blur away, her sight sharpening and the itch disappeared. She stood up again and returned to the computer, studying all of her notes again. Watching the screen as she scrolled through all of the information she knew, she searched. Looking in between the lines, perhaps for a cheaters way out, but mostly for a safe solution to the entire problem.

Stopping at the longest paragraph of notes she had taken, she began to read through it again, narrowing her eyes and taking deeper breaths.

A single part of her, in the back of her mind, told her that it was do or die at that moment. Either she found a solution, or the others would be lost forever.

Her breath hitched as she saw a piece of information - "The gateway from the dimension would need to be well-maintained." That ruled out simply opening up a hole and leaving it alone, which meant that using another means of keeping the gate open was needed. Perhaps a device that would expand to the size of the hole after it was opened?

Another piece of information - "Even if one managed to open up an exit that was stable enough to traverse, it would only be stable enough to keep itself open for two minutes at most, and they would need to begin travel through it immediately without risk of injury." That much Kie knew was true. But for it to be truly stable, the hole would need to be maintained by something physical, rather than something maintained by a separate energy. A kind of expanding ring that opened up a pathway to the outside? Even then the void would still end up crushing it within a period of two minutes. Perhaps…

"A single strike will not weaken it enough to be able to break through - those threads are too strong when they link together in a single spot," Kie murmured.

Kie tapped her chin for a moment and pulled up the old blueprints for an barrier that she had begun developing just before the Shiruburaito incident, having been in… other relations. An expanding barrier. Once the barrier was thrown onto the ground it wound expand into something that could have been ducked into, but the concept was disregarded because of the lack of firearm-based Zanpakuto - although they still existed. A spark in her eye, Kie began to mentally rearrange the components of the device, removing some and placing others in different spots.

"That's it," she suddenly spoke to herself, standing up a little straighter and jerking the table in the process. "A device that will spread out around the opening and seal it off with a physical object. A device that doesn't strike once…" she stopped, leaning towards the computer and cracking a slight smile that was filled with relief. "… but several times."

Kie then set to work, nearly sprinting to the other side of her lab with a purpose. She tore open another secret hatch in her lab to reveal an even larger chamber on the other side, filled to the brim with old machines and useless doodads that were never used by the Shinigami. Sifting through the old scraps and pieces of metal, she found several of the parts she needed and returned to her desk, smiling wider now - yet still barely noticeable. It could work. The plan could work, and Kie could save them. It was only a matter of time.

Kie spent hours on her new project, attempting to construct her device. Even with the power it would end up holding, enough to spear right through the kido barrier, it would only last for her estimated two minutes.

"Maybe if I…" Kie continued mumbling to herself, as though talking out loud would help her get through the kinks in her device.

"What if I do this…" she muttered as she removed a broken energy cannon, replacing it with another. Her fingers worked nimbly to fix the machine up, patching any rough spots she could find with a sort of safe lock - should the void begin to destroy the gate sooner than expected, it will begin to relieve the pressure inside of the dimension by draining it out into the other side. Essentially, it would get rid of the oxygen and carbon dioxide within the space. Kie grimaced as she thought about someone straggling behind, struggling to breathe as the gate was crushed and dying before they could even get sucked away into nothingness. Although it would pose another threat to the occupants, it would slightly lengthen the amount of time they were given to get through the gate, which would either make or break the entire mission.

She stood back and admired her handiwork. The device, large and circular, was sitting on top of and taking up most of her desk. Several different cannons were placed along the sides and in the center was a device meant for collecting and spreading reishi into several different places - those places being the energy bases for the eight separate cannons that littered the sides of the contraption. The entire thing was collapsable, able to fit into itself. Looking over it all one last time, Kie nodded to herself before grabbing the machine by its sides and laying it into the operation bay. Pulling out a small two way radio and attaching one to her own hip, she placed it into a small pouch on the outer layer of the thing, allowing a form of communication once the barrier was pierced.

Returning to her computers, she was all business rather than smiles and grins. Typing in several codes, activating several systems and setting off several alarms within the lab. She pulled out her headset, normally used to relay messages to her other squad members, and turned it on. Taking a breath and calming her nerves, she methodically summoned the Hell Butterfly through the walls of her station and listened to it's message.

"Captain Geißt," the Head Captain relayed. "We are ready for the strike to be made. All other shinigami have been evacuated from the area and you are free to fire."

Steeling herself, she waved a brisk hand through the wispy creature and pressed a large, generic red button.

Any others who were above the facility would have felt a massive shaking that rocked the whole place, but from another perspective it would look as though there were an impossibly large pillar rising from the depths of the Soul Society - which happened to be her large, and very secret, laboratory. A window was opened up in front of her, allowing her to view her target in it's entirety - a wide open expanse of nothing. The only thing that would have determined that she was looking in the correct direction would have been the small and barely noticeable flux that surrounded the pocket dimension, something she could only see and determine because of her soul perception.

Grabbing a lever off to her right with a firm hand and throwing it into the on position, a large ringing sounded throughout the labs and throughout soul society.

"This is Captain Kie Geißt," she spoke, feeling her voice boom within the metal walls of her workplace, and likely throughout all of the Soul Society. "Two captains, their lieutenants, the near entirety of the Fourth Squad and their barracks are trapped within a separate dimension, as you well know. This is located directly above the old location of the Squad Four barracks and Healing Center. Within mere moments I will fire a device that will break through the walls of the dimension and allow an escape route for the trapped shinigami. The reason for the forced evacuation was the backlash the destruction of the dimension will cause. A massive wave of spiritual pressure will be released when it has finally collapsed, which is why I asked that you all be removed and put into safer places with sturdy walls. When this is all over, you will have your friends and colleagues back…" she switched off her headset. "…hopefully."

She hesitated for only a moment before she slammed her hand down upon another generic red button, causing a countdown to resound through the area, which every shinigami heard.

"Initiating strike sequence," the robotic voice recited. "Firing in…"

"Three." Kie held her breath.

"Two."

"One."

"Launching."

A large gathering of spiritual pressure, directly siphoned from her own body - and a second external source being a single incubation tube from the back - powered the device. As her breathing became more and more labored, the rise in heat and strength of the upcoming blast were massive. Within moments, it had built up all necessary power…

…and fired.

A bright red light pierced the sky, separating the thick fog that had set upon them earlier that morning. It raced towards its destination with purpose, slamming into it with a force that nearly knocked Kie from her feet. A large rumbling rose from the force of the impact and Kie began to wonder, a little too late, if it was really safe to do what she was doing. The thought was quickly disregarded as the other seven beams fired and hit their mark with an accuracy that she was actually quite proud of. From her screens indication, she could see the threads gathering in the places being struck by the eight beams, with the ninth awaiting a manual launch. She spent a quiet moment with her hand hovering over the release switch, watching her computers carefully as each thread was put under more and more stress. Kie had to time it carefully, otherwise it would be breached in several different places, which would be extremely bad. A sudden moment of terror passed as the barrier entered the red zone and Kie nearly backed away from the terminal in apprehension. Instead of giving in to her instinct, she pulled up on the switch and twisted, shoving it back into place, initiating the beams firing sequence. The other beams slowly grew in power and intensity pushing the kido to its limit, before it finally fired.

A moment passed and time seemed to slow down. Kie lifted her hand up to the switch on her headset and turned it on again. "Hold on to something, and don't let go until I tell you to!" she shouted to the entirety of Seireitei.

And it struck. Kie was thrown onto her back as it hit, but the window allowed her to witness the beam pierce the barrier almost immediately. She scrambled to her feet and turned a second switch, propelling the device along the beam as though it were a rail.

In another quick, yet agonizingly slow moment, the beam was shrunk into a small and concentrated laser, the device appearing to be suspended in midair. "You can let go, for now…" Swallowing hard, Kie felt a single drop of sweat make its way down the back of her neck as she slowly reached for her radio and shakily brought it to her lips.

"Hello?"

Static.

Kie grimaced. "Hello?" she repeated impatiently.

Static.

Kie felt a sudden panic settle into her gut as she slowly released the button and, yet again, heard the static of a signal with no connection. She sighed heavily, disappointment and anger coursing through her veins as though it were a new form of adrenaline. She placed both hands on the terminal and hung her head.

Angry and confused, Kie's thoughts began to race, consuming her and eating her from the inside. She had failed. She had let them down. She was nothing but scum if she couldn't so much as even reach them. Her plan… her foolproof plan had gone completely awry. Everything she felt at that moment was complete anger, self-loathing and self-hatred. Pure, unadulterated hatred for herself was coursing through her veins, pounding on the inside of her head like an angry drunkard coming home to his spouse. Kie was beside herself.

Which was exactly why she had been unable to hear the small snippets of voices that sounded through her radio. And when she did, she quickly scrambled to her feet and looked straight at the device suspended in the air, unmoving, several thousand yards from her.

With her eyes fixed on the machine of her creation, Kie raised the radio to her lips again and spoke.

"Hello?"

Static.

Followed by a resounding "Kie!!"

With a joyous laugh, Kie raised her eyes to the ceiling and praised whatever god there might have been. Although the ordeal was far from over, relief flooded her person almost instantly. She fumbled with the device for a moment, but was able to find and press the button nonetheless, taking a deep breath to calm herself before speaking - although she could not stop her own shaking.

"It's good to hear your voice, Senato."

This is another post that tells whats going on in Aisumasuta side of things. Hopeful tthis will add in his and Kie's relationship.

{Danger...passed}

It has been a few hours scene Kie went missing, but for some reason Aisumasutā felt a small amount of her spirit energy nearby. He had always remembered Kie’s spirit from anyone’s else’s. Even to a point the if one thousand people were gathered in one place he could pick her out in a matter of seconds without her even have to raise it. But, it has been so long that he shrugged off the feeling as just his mind playing tricks.

“Sir!” He turned to face one of the squad members that have reported in earlier. “We have found one soul reaper that was not seen entering the ground, but says that she know where captain Kie is.”

“Where is she?!” Aisumasutā demanded, his voice re-filled with anger. The squad member took a step back in shock the answered.

“She is currently in the company of three others by squad twelve’s barracks.” Aisumasutā did not waste time. He quickly flash stepped to squad twelve’s barracks. This is the only other time he has ever lost control over his emotions…but this time he will not let the one close to him get hurt.

He arrived at the barracks without any trouble and quickly made his way inside. One of the seated officers was their, apparently waiting for him. “The woman that knows where captain Kie is, where is she?” The seated officer gesture him to fallow and they made their way to a large meeting room. One the far side sat an soul reaper woman that he did not recognize, but her face showed that she was one with power. “You know about Kie?” The woman nodded in response. Aisumasutā waved his hand at the officer that lead him. “Leave us.” The officer nodded and left the room. Now he stood alone to face this woman. “Who are you?”

“Lieutenant Kira of squad twelve.” Aisumasutā nodded.

“You said you know where Kie is?” Kira nodded. “Where?”

“I can not say where, I can only tell you that she is working and cannot be disturbed.” Aisumasutā anger grew, right when he thought he would burn he cooled his mind and sighed.

“So she is safe?” Kira nodded. “Now how is she working? Her coma showed no signs of imporvment?”

“I…am not sure about that myself. Some how she awoke and when I found her she was working.”

Aisumasutā took a deep breath and tried to relax. The thought of Kie being safe and even better, awake brought joy to him…but the threat of lies still was on the table…so to speak.

“I can’t believe you on that, not without proof.”

“I have already told the head captain of her recovery…you all will have proof soon.” Aisumasutā stiffen…if Kira is telling the truth….the Kie is fine. “Now please allow me to spared the word to put this panic you started to rest.” Aisumasutā nodded and Kira left the room. He sat there alone for a few hours, waiting for his proof then he heard it.

“Sir you and I must leave now!” He turned to a squad member that just opened the door.

“Why? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know sir head captain orders all must evacuate this area.” Aisumasuta thought for a moment then stood up and started running down the hall with the squad member.

Soon after a few hour or so Aisumasutā along with many other soul reapers stood far from the squad twelve barracks. Soon he watched as large pillars rose up around the barracks. The shacking was so strong that he had to draw his sword and stick it into the ground for support. So the shacking stopped and then he finally heard the proof he’s been waiting for.

“This is Captain Kie Geißt,” Once Aisumasuta herd her voice…he felt all his anger and fear fade away…for now he knew, that he had not failed in protecting a friend. “Two captains, their lieutenants, the near entirety of the Fourth Squad and their barracks are trapped within a separate dimension, as you well know. This is located directly above the old location of the Squad Four barracks and Healing Center. Within mere moments I will fire a device that will break through the walls of the dimension and allow an escape route for the trapped shinigami. The reason for the forced evacuation was the backlash the destruction of the dimension will cause. A massive wave of spiritual pressure will be released when it has finally collapsed, which is why I asked that you all be removed and put into safer places with sturdy walls. When this is all over, you will have your friends and colleagues back.”

Once the speakers where switched off Aisumasutā stood and watched as beams of red light stuck up at the barrier. He would have to find Kie later…for now he had to hope her plan works.

[Duplicity]

The doors to the assembly chambers swing open, momentarily severing the discord erupting amongst the captains. An unexpected presence struts into the room, plopping himself comfortably in a seat beside Akihiko. Jisano Meibatsu, the Juzo Hosho’s unsavory outcast, rebelling with his standard dispassionate antics. He leans back in his chair, casually anchoring his feet atop the table. He was particularly uncivilized and lacked many graces. Even the most negligent of captains viewed him with an unsettling eye. He had few allies among the Juzo Hosho, no thanks to his attitude, and yet, he displayed a maddening degree of indifference toward the matter. His arrival was only a minor distraction, serving only to sharpen the tongues of those that had yet to speak. Seconds following his arrival, Akumu Shimo rushed through the doorway, sitting confidently, but hurriedly, between Yvon and Elizabeth. She sensed the hostility and corrected her posture, bracing herself for impact.

Captain Renoir casually clears her throat, placing her hands in her lap. “Well, nice of you two to attend. You haven’t missed much, simply Captain Daidoji’s silent whimpering,” she remarks with modest irritation and mockery.


Kyobo’s eyes rise from his lap, delivering a painful scowl in Elizabeth’s direction. “Must we continue these childish games? If she wants to mope, let her. It is none of our concern, honestly.”


Jisano crosses his hands and lets a smirk reach into his cheeks, his eyes glancing at Tomoyo’s motionless self-loathing. “Is that all that has happened? I expected to walk into much more than some minor bickering. Where is the carnage, the bloodshed? We can all do better than that, right?! I mean, let’s all be honest, we are growing tired of her constant whimpering. Someone slap her and get it over with,” he barks with a chuckle.

Tomoyo lifts her head, gazing softly at Jisano. “You’d have them slap me simply because I am modest?”


“You’re not behaving modestly, Captain Daidoji. You’re behaving not unlike a small, pouty child. Children should be punished. In fact…” he is abruptly cut-off by Sumiko’s bold interjection.


“…while I might find slapping you humorous, it wouldn’t solve our problem. Let’s refrain from suggesting silly, uncivilized methods. Leave the troglodyte to his sticks and rocks and we’ll function more sophisticatedly. Tomoyo, you need to reduce the sulking and envision a clearer image.”


“Are you calling me dumb,” Jisano questions.


“I’m impressed. I thought even that reference was beyond you. Unfortunately, you won’t receive praise, at least not from me, for such a limited scope of insight,” Sumiko jested with a coy smile.


“If you did not resemble a lady, my blade would be to your neck already.”


Akumu chuckles loudly from her seat, gazing at Sumiko and shrugging her shoulders mockingly, as to condone Jisano’s words.


“If memory serves me, when you had your arm severed it was this lady who forged you a new one. I think you owe her some gratitude, not insults,” Kyobo remarks in a low, stilted tone.


“Let us cease the petty squabbling. It is a redundant and a fruitless endeavor.”


Yvon’s irritation boils over, beginning with a steady line of questioning. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Captain Akihiko Seinosuke? Would you enjoy it if we all followed suit and wallowed in self-pity silently? Yes, you would love it if we had some self-loathing attitude, some self-righteous outlook following each of our battles. You’re a disgusting example of strength,” Yvon shouts with a ferocious contempt.


Jisano’s eyes lit-up. He was almost proud of the direction of Yvon’s discord. For once it was directed at the man he secretly loved and hated. A man so righteous, so reserved, and so unnervingly gifted that he procured the majority of praise. Finally he was the target of controversy. Jisano was planning on relishing this moment, watching with deceptively downcast eyes.


Akihiko lifts his gaze, glancing at Yvon for just a moment before closing his eyes and drifting into silence.


Yvon’s temper began to flare, fired up by Akihiko’s display of indifference. “Are you truly going to feign disinterest?” This is unbelievable. You truly are a coward awarded strength falsely.


Akumu’s lips quiver, frustration building. She is unsurprised by Akihiko’s silence, but continues to find it maddening. She desires for him to speak of his accomplishments and strengths, but he is the last to boast. She listens to Yvon berate Akihiko, culminating in a burst of fiery aggression. She slams both fists into the table and jumps to her feet. She grinds her teeth and is about to speak, when suddenly she notices Akihiko’s gesture.


Akihiko quietly and with a suppressed expression raises his hand, signaling for Akumu to stand-down. She quickly reseats herself, crossing her arms defiantly and delivering a menacing gaze to Yvon.


Yvon smirks for a moment, but is quickly perturbed by the continued silence. “Wow! Even after someone jumps to your defense, you continue to bow-out like a coward. You do not deserve the strength or title you possess. You hold this position simply because your father once held it. I believe he was a noble, honorable man, correct? He did not hesitate. He did not waver,” Yvon lists with unrelenting passion.


“Let your tongue be still, Captain Gerard. It does you a disservice,” Akihiko calmly remarks.


Yvon stares blankly, rising to his feet and swinging his hand across the table, causing all the wares to spring to the floor and shatter. “You dare mock me, Captain Seinosuke?”


Jisano remains still, watching with increasing enjoyment. He does remain confused, however, having never seen Yvon so enraged. It was about time, he thought , followed by a coy grin.


“My words did not dispense mockery, rather advised caution. Your words are laden with inaccuracies. If your strategy is to reveal flaws in my character, it is best to lead with truths. All that you shared consisted of nothing more than opulent fictions. My father was dedicated and earnest in his approach to battle. He was cunning, talented, and possessed unfathomable strength in battle. However, his greatest strength was not his potential for eliminating an enemy, rather his respect for life. He possessed a reservation which he elected to use during every encounter. This reservation was not sourced by weakness, but by compassion. The same compassion you and many others fail to employ. We may be arbiters of justice, but that does not give us the freedom to take lives arbitrarily. Taking a life must be considered carefully and avoided above all else. There are times when a life must be taken and others when it is avoidable. You lack the graces necessary for making those decisions. And it is that fundamental quality that distinguishes you from me and my father. All your paltry arguments do is diminish any semblance of humanity you possess.”


Yvon stares at Akihiko confusingly. As he continues to stare at him, a fire builds in his throat. His words become magma as he retorts. “You fowl-mouth, insignificant, weak-minded boar! I see you clearly now! You strut around bestowing your wisdom upon others when really, you are nothing but an ill-controlled monster at heart. You don’t think I know, do you? We all know!


Akihiko connects his gaze with Yvon, delivering a steadied stream of antipathy. His eyes are overcast by suppressed scorn, bubbling beneath the service, but untapped. He remains calm as he rests his jaw and lower lip upon his hands, cuffed together tightly and elbows rooted to the table.


“Yushi told me all about it. In fact, it was detailed in Captain Tomoyo’s report,” he said with laugh.
Akihiko’s eyes caught Tomoyo’s surprise from his periphery, having not suspected her to contribute to such a report.


“Yes, Akihiko, we all know of your carnage that day. In fact, it was particularly brutal, even among Jisano’s standards. We had some interesting snap shots, courtesy of Sumiko’s clickers.”


Yvon continues to laugh, while he sits in his seat, confident with his performance. “Bifurcating that Gotei 13 captain…was that the restraint you were boasting earlier? I imagine not.”


Captain Shimo stares nervously at Akihiko, unaware of the reports filed by the other captains. “What are they talking about Akihiko?”


Tomoyo slowly placed her hand close to him, grazing his elbow. He retracted from her without adjusting his current posture. She slowly sank into her seat, glancing shamefully at Akumu.


“Tomoyo was in the other dimension…how could she have…” she murmured with angst and confusion.


Tomoyo placed her hands in her lap, clutching her clothing with her fists and speaking with a bashful, faint voice. “I merely spoke of what I sensed. I did not see anything specifically.”


Elizabeth glared with an uneasiness at Akihiko, even she was surprised by his act of brutality.


“Give him a break. The captain had it coming, especially considering the mouth on him. Even watching the footage I wished I could resurrect him and kill him,” Sumiko explains with a tinge of humor in her voice.


“Do you have this footage,” Akumu asks restlessly as she slinks into her seat.


“Well, of course. I preserve all data sets, for the purpose of thorough analysis. It was in the report, mind you. You and Captain Renoir need to start fulfilling your duties. Your degree of incompetence is astonishing,” she says with clear irritation in her voice.


Elizabeth scoffs, directing her attention away from Akihiko and to the surface of the table.



“Yushi’s report was interesting, though. But Sumiko, yours was impressive. I enjoyed the detail, especially watching Akihiko slay his opponent. Two opponents in little over an hour. How impressively merciless,” Yvon jests while he sips a fresh cup of tea.


Jisano looks at Yvon and then Akihiko. “Cheer up, Akihiko. So you killed someone. Who cares! It was bound to happen! With that much power, I can’t imagine how you’ve held back until now!” He pauses for a moment, adding, “I will need to read that report now!”


Akihiko catches Jisano’s cheerful smile, bearing all his teeth, as though he delighted in such matters. Akihiko knew he did. He understood the others savagery and it disgusted him. Unfortunately, now he could not differentiate himself from the others, finding himself equally as savage.

I was mostly joking. I am looking forward to BP's post. When can we look forward to this, BP?

[Primal Savagery]

Akihiko caugtht the gleeful grin on Jisano's face, then turned away in disgust. Despite the fact that the others had learned of his savagery during his last fight, Akihiko was unconcerned with the consequences. They were all savage in their own way, except for the gentle Tomoyo, was the fervent opposite of savage. Jisano, however, was hardly one to grin like an imbecile, being easily the most savage and neanderthal-like of all the Juzo Hosho members. In fact it was incredibly ironic that he should delight in such news, unaware as he usually was. Akihiko didn't miss the 'trogolodyte' comment from Sumiko, however, and would have perhaps suppressed a slight chuckle, if he didn't have other things on his mind.

'Jisano... you are a fool. Such neanderthal movements might delight someone as you, but remember that we are not all impressed by such unnecessary violence. I did what was necessary and still regret it at some level. However, I require no such 'comforting' from someone like you and will not take your comments to a grain of salt. If you have nothing else to say, that is constructive, then kindly shut your mouth let others talk. I have nothing else to say to you.'

Jisano snarled at Akihiko. 'Fine, whatever... I was trying to help. Since you don't require it, I will not offer anything further. Damn you, Akihiko!'

Akihiko faced away from his childhood friend, disgusted with the snarling violence in Jisano's eyes. He had always been like that, to a degree, but was slowly getting worse and worse. Many years ago, he had been a bit lazy and sometimes quick to anger, but he never truly delighted in violence, not in the way that he did now.

Sumiko shook her head at Jisano. 'I thought I told you to keep your glee at violence to yourself... no-one is interested in hearing about your love for the destruction and death of others.'

'Shut the fuck up, Sumiko. I wasn't even talking to you. Keep your own thoughts to yourself. And watch out... you're really tempting me to wipe that stupid smirk off of your face.'

'You want to bet your life for that, you bastard? I could say the same to you... wipe that despicable snarl off your face and shut your mouth, otherwise we'll undoubtedly have a problem!' the smirk at his foolishness was now gone and a dangerous glint shone in Sumiko's eyes. However, she was not quick to anger and the look simply emphasized her resolve to shut the brute up.

However, they were interrupted, as another Captain finally showed up. Jisano turned his head and glared at the latecomer. Sumiko shrugged and looked anywhere, but at Jisano, using the interruption as a distraction to forestall the pointless argument.

'Yushi Kenronri... you're late' Yvon growled at him.

Yushi found a spot and glanced innocently over at Yvon. 'I am perfectly aware of that, Captain Gerard. I had something I had to do... a certain problem of mine required solving, hence why I am late. Looks like something heated has been going on here... shall I even bother to ask details?'

'A rhetorical question is never best answered, Kenronri. Why don't you tell us what is going on... surely you must be aware that we know by now...?' Yvon questioned him and glared at Akihiko with a single glance his way.

'Elaborate, please, Captain Gerard. I am not in the habit of reading the minds of others. Otherwise, direct your questions elsewhere.'

Yvon donned an irritated look. 'You should fucking know about Captain Seinosuke's savagery... you were close by, when it happened, were you not?!'

Yushi saw the look of rage deep in Yvon's eyes and sighed. 'How incredibly short-sighted, Captain Gerard. I was 'close by' indeed, but rather engaged in a furious battle of my own. As to Captain Seinosuke's savagery, I am currently unaware. Obviously, however, I can glean only that you are referring to the fight that our Captain was engaged in... I have little to say on the matter, other than the necessary, which is to point out that if Captain Seinosuke endeavoured to savagely dismantle a Captain, then I fail to see why you are so enraged about it, Captain Gerard.'

'Fail to see why...? ARE YOU FUCKING JOKING WITH ME, KENRONRI??!! That bastard always sounds eloquent, pawning off his false knowledge on the rest of us and acting as though he is somehow on some pedestal above the rest of us and you don't comprehend why I'm so goddamn angry???'

Yushi calmly stared Yvon. 'Yes, that is correct. I fail to see how it is your business, Captain Gerard. For a man who has never been a fool, I don't see how you can't comprehend that. I will stand by Akihiko's actions, because we are at war and we don't have to play fair in every battle, especially not Akihiko, who has regularly proved that, unlike most of the other Captains, he actually is selfless and noble. It has always been him to play fair and honour the efforts of the Gotei 13, even they are our enemy. Your anger is misplaced.'

'WHAT?! I'LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!' Yvon almost screamed, his veins standing out in his neck and his face red with rage.

'That wouldn't be a good idea. You would never hope to catch me, not with my speed, anyway. Besides, I'm no weakling and I can take care of myself. Calm the hell down, Gerard, as Akihiko probably already said, all this anger, rage and pointless bickering is not helping our situation. If we can't even compose ourselves here, then how the hell are we supposed to compose ourselves in engaging the enemy and fighting this war?'

Jisano stood up and slammed his fist down on the table. 'You are a coward, Yushi Kenronri. You need to stop saying all this bullshit and act like a man, not a little child. You're just like Akihiko... you always say that same type of bullshit that he does... that we should just sit around and drink fucking tea together and get along. I don't buy it. I can take it from Akihiko, because he is at least genuine, but you are a fake bastard who just wants to say those things so you don't have fight... so you don't have to listen to our rage.'

'A little child...? That's rather hypocritical coming from a man like you, Jisano Meibatsu. The last time we had words, I lost my temper, but I shall refrain from that this time. Sit down and shut up, you foolish apeman.'

'THE FUCK DID YOU CALL ME???!!!'

'An apeman... that is how you are acting right now. If you don't wish people to label you so, then perhaps a change of attitude is necessary.'

In the background, Akumu and Sumiko were both exchanging looks of glee, that Jisano was being antagonised so.

Finally, Akihiko stood. 'Jisano. Sit down. This rage that you are feeling is unnecessary and irrelevant. Captain Kenronri is right to say that we shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves. How will it look to our superiors, if we cannot even sit in the same room as each other, without fighting? I doubt they will trust our efforts to finish this war. Jisano... you are a childhood friend... so I don't really want to say this to you... however, it appears it is imperative that I do so. I can no longer shelter you... you have grown too rebellious for me to bother with it any longer. You're on your own.'

Akihiko sat back down, observing the reaction on Jisano's face. ' Is that how you truly feel, Akihiko?'

'It is not about what I feel, Jisano. It is about what has to happen. If you won't let me help you, then I refuse to waste my time trying. If you can change yourself and cease this childish behaviour, then perhaps it will not be necessary. Otherwise, I have nothing else to say to you and this time I mean it fervently... it is your choice.'

Jisano bowed his head and sat down, a sulk on his face now. However, his mouth stayed closed as he seemed to keep to himself now.

Akumu looked as though she were about to say something to him, but Akihiko shook his head.

Yushi seemed to understand this, too, because he sat down and stared over at Yvon, daring him to continue his charade of rage. Yvon glared back at him, but seemed to have run out of things to say.

'Are we all going to get along, or at least quit this childish bantering, then?'

Sumiko looked at Yushi. 'That's funny... a lot of it seemed to start when you entered the room, Kenronri... of course, I suppose that Captain Gerard was already angry before you came and you did put him in his place rather nicely.'

'Shut it, Sumiko. I have no intention of arguing any more... apparently neither of those two listen to the righteous rage of others...'

Kyobo spoke up. 'I'm sorry, guys. But I agree with Yushi and Akihiko. If we want to win this war, then we should listen to them and just hold out until we do. I know we can do it, if we try. It's not that hard to keep our angry thoughts to ourselves.'

'Maybe not for you. Others, however, are not as soft as you, Captain Sodo' Elizabeth spoke gently, but rage boiling underneath.

'I'm just trying to make my point heard, Elizabeth. I'm sure we'll all benefit from not fighting with each other.'

Finally, with little left to say on the matter, the Captains seemed to all lose any motivation to banter, nor fight with each other. Instead, it all went silent - much too silent for any real good to come of it.

First of all, sorry for the delay, I'm a bit busy lately with personal problems. Thus I won't be able to post on a regular basis but I will still try to shorten the waiting time as much as possible...

[Sacrifice]

(Moments before the initiation of Kei’s device.)

Shen and Senato sat among the multiple groups of squad 4 members, they sat at the same area just outside the barracks where all the members and injured were moved to as a precaution to the battles between the captains and their opponents. At the centre of the area were the wounded that were still being treated by their respective healers. The two lieutenants were taking a roll call of all the members and injured to make sure that no one was left behind in the rubble.

“So, Senato…” Shen began, “You don’t happen to have studied some space-time kido and know how to get us out of here do you?” he joked.

“No, I didn’t, captain Tsukubashi.” Senato sighed, “I’m not the kind of person to break laws which I am supposed to uphold. I know you’re only joking, but I do not enjoy such jokes.”

“Ok, ok, sorry. I’ll admit it wasn’t really funny,” Shen replied “but seriously, do you have any idea how we could get out of this?” He looked around at the space around him, although it seemed like everything was normal, if one were to continue walking in the same direction, after reaching a certain point, they’d end up in the same location. They were essentially turned around into a constant loop which consisted of the 4th squad barracks area.

Senato stood up from his position, “Well I can tell it wouldn’t be easy to break out of this…” Senato spoke with certainty, “That woman’s kido was like nothing I’ve ever seen… quite beyond the level of even our own kido specialists…” He remembered his battle with Tomoyo and how she so easily intercepted the power of his own zanpakuto without him even noticing it.

“It seems we both had quite difficult opponents…” Shen sighed as the images of his battle resurfaced in his mind, the amount of damage he had taken, as well as the amount of damage his opponent was able to withstand. “But at least we survived our encounters, and perhaps next time…”

He was suddenly cut off by a large burst of reiatsu combined with what sounded like ripping fabric. As they rose to their feet among the shock and surprise of the squad 4 members, they quickly noticed the location of this strange happening, a rip in the space and time which surrounded them. “The enemy aren’t done yet?” Shen was worried what would happen if there was a battle so close to the injured… None the less, they made their way to the hole, hands on the grips of their swords, ready for another battle.

To their surprise there was no one there. “What’s going on here?” Senato was puzzled.

“Hello?” Kei spoke through the radio

Senato and Shen turned to see the radio as they heard her voice. Senato, being closest lifted up the radio, “Kei!!” he shouted happily.

“It’s good to hear your voice, Senato.” Kei replied. She got through to them. “Unfortunately, we do not have time for a reunion,” Kei began before Senato or Shen could say anything, “What you see before you, is your way out of there, the gate will only be open for about 2 minutes, so you need to hurry everyone out immediately.”

“Right.” Shen replied as he got his squad moving. He and Senato stood at the gateway controlling the squad members’ uniform entrance.

As the first two squad members made it into Kei’s lab, she noticed something strange going on with the gateway, the form began to distort slightly. “Impossible!” Kei thought to herself, “It’s only been mere seconds, how can it be collapsing already?!” She hurried to her instruments and the problem was clear to her; The barrier was rejecting the foreign object, attacking the portal and essentially ripping it apart.

“Shen! Senato!” Kei shouted through the radio, “You two need to get through the gateway now! The barrier is ripping it apart and if you don’t get out of there now, you’ll be sucked into the void!”

Both Senato and Shen were completely bewildered by her sudden outburst, “Is there no way to keep it open longer?!” Senato replied, they had barely gotten anyone through as of yet.

“The gateway was formed through my Reiatsu, but I don’t have enough in order to add more to it…” Kei began shaking heavily, “I failed them.” She thought to herself, this plan that she thought would rescue her allies has ultimately doomed them. The hope she earned from hearing their voices was lost, she sank into a pit of self hate and confusion. How could she have tried something so reckless. She slammed her clenched fist onto her machines.

“So all it needs is more spiritual power?” Shen questioned calmly.

Kei lifted her head and slowly pulled the radio to her lips, “Shen, you’re not planning on…?”

“I asked a yes or no question, Captain Geißt! I’m not planning on standing by as my squad members are in danger!” He shouted, anger in his voice, though it was not directed at her.

“Yes…” Kei trembled, “If you can match your spiritual pressure to that of the gateway…” she straightened herself and let lose a painful sigh, “Then you should be able to keep it open for as long as you can sustain it, but if you do so, then the gateway will eventually become fully reliant on your spiritual pressure, meaning that if you stop exerting it, or run out, then they gateway will immediately collapse and suck you into the void. You are condemning yourself to death, Captain Tsukubashi.”

By the time Kei had completed her sentence; Shen had already placed his hand against the edge of the gateway and began exerting his spiritual pressure upon it. The gateway stopped distorting and reformed into its original uniform shape.

“Shen…” Senato began

“You should go now, Captain Ajibana, although you are well versed in kido, shaping your reiatsu to another form is the basis for healing, a skill you do not have.” Shen interrupted him, “Staying here is dangerous and stupid.”

“I can’t just leave you here to die!” Senato shouted, “Don’t you realise what you’re doing to your squad, your friends?” Shen took a moment to notice that although many of his squad members were leaving many had tear-filled eyes, there were even some who refused to leave. “Sacrifice brings pain, do you not see the pain you are causing them?”

“Do you not think I realise this?!” Shen shouted, “Life is not something that should be thrown away, but if I must surrender my life in order to let my squad survive, then I will! I have no other choice. Please… let me do this, not just for the Gotei 13, but for my squad, my friends.” Shen looked at Senato, his eyes clearly showed his desperate desire to protect his friends.

Senato nodded, yet said nothing to Shen as he made his way through the gateway, his lieutenant and a group of 4th squad members in toe. He did not look back, for he did not need to. He emerged through the other side of the gateway to see Kei, starring at her instruments. She had pushed her emotions aside, just as he did, in order to work at maximum efficiency.

“Captain Geißt, captain Ajibana…” Shen spoke through the radio, his exhaustion clear in his voice. “Please, take care of my squad for me, and beat those Juzo Hosho bastards who did this…”

Before either of them could reply via the radio a strange static began to come from the other end. Kei did not need to check her instruments to know what had happened; Shen had reached his limit and the gateway had collapsed, taking the entire dimension along with it.

Captain Tsukubashi, over half of the 4th squad as well as a large number of the injured, were lost. Not a tear was shed from his squad though. There was only silent respect for his sacrifice. Though even this silence could not hold out long…

“I know you have all just gone through a difficult ordeal,” Kei began as she turned to the survivors, “But I must request that you leave this lab, and speak no word about it to anyone.”

They were all confused by her request, was this, the biggest thing on her mind right now; people being in her lab? Not all the 4th squad members could accept this without an answer, “You…” one of the higher ranking officers began, “You just allowed half our squad, as well as our captain, to die, and you worry about us talking about your lab?!” his voice quickly escalated in anger and volume, “I can’t belie…”

“Silence!” The 4th squad lieutenant shouted to her fellow squad member, “Captain Geißt is not a fault for our captain’s death. He chose sacrificing himself for us, do not disrespect his memory by representing his squad in such an ill manner.” She turned to Captain Geißt, having subdued her squad member, “I’m sorry for that, Captain Geißt, we shall respect your request.” With that, she led the survivors out of the lab. As Kei looked at them she noticed that some still looked at her with scornful looks, most however, were simply sad and realised that she could not be blamed for this.

Eventually, they had all left. Only Senato and Kei were left in the area, “I’m sorry…” Kei began, it was true what that member of the 4th squad had said, it was her fault that Shen and so many others had died, or at least, that was her belief. “I failed…”

“Do not be sorry,” Senato interrupted her, “You were up against I kind of kido completely unknown to anyone in Seireitei. The fact that you saved this many of us is quite the feat in itself.” Although it was hard to notice, there was a small hint of doubt in his voice. Something wasn’t right about this… “I, too, shall take my leave from your lab now…”

“Thank you, Senato…” Kei replied whilst bowing out of respect.

For the single moment that she had bowed, something caught his eye, something in the back of this secret lab, an incubation tube with a female in it… one who’s features seemed eerily similar to Kei’s, though it would be best for him not to inquire into Kei’s projects at a time like this.

Having left the lab, he found Shiho waiting for him nearby. Without a word, they began walking. “Kei has a relatively large amount of spiritual power compared to most of us, and yet her’s was not enough to hold the gateway open for even a portion of the time that Shen was able to… was it exhaustion?” He thought deeply, “and what was that thing in the back, some kind of experiment?” It was all unclear to him what was going on, and the sadness that he was feeling was not helping. There was only one thing that he knew for certain; that Juzo Hosho woman caused this, whether she wanted to preserve life or not, he would not show a second of mercy should he cross blades with her or any other member of the Juzo Hosho.

Placing Blame

All of the remaining Captains had gathered in the hall, none of them speaking a word to one another. Yoshiro stood alone amongst them, attempting to keep his head held high, but failing miserably when he tried to hide his sadness from the rest of them.

Senato stood silently, every so often casting a glance at another captain, mostly Kie. His experience told him that voicing any sort of inquiry would only spark an argument, which was the last thing they needed. He remained quiet, observing his comrades through slightly narrowed eyes as the room remained quiet.

Aexus seemed a bit antsy, slightly shifting his weight from foot to foot. He would sigh slightly, bring his arms up to cross them over his chest, and let them fall limply back to his sides. He warily eyed several of the others, aware of the situation, and aware of the death of his comrade.

Majo was standing next to Livius and was obviously more calm than the others. Her demeanor was relaxed as she curled both of her arms into her long sleeves and allowed them to rest there. She was quiet as well, evaluating Senato in particular.

Akarui was the noisiest of those that sat in the room, sighing heavily from time to time, but otherwise saying nothing. A part of her knew that nobody truly wanted to bring up what had transpired the past few days, and yet that same part of her knew it would be the topic that received the most focus.

Livius stood, cold and unmoving, straight as a pillar. He was silently judging the others, focusing on a few in particular before his eyes would wander aimlessly about the room as we waited impatiently for someone to speak.

Yani stood next to him, quietly mourning for his friend. His eyes were covered in an unnatural shadow that caused him to look many years older than he had previously. His slightly pained breaths were a testament to the grief that the others refused to show.

And lastly, Kie stood, her eyes cast towards the wall as she ignored the glares she knew she was receiving. She refused to let their personal opinions on the matter get to her. She waited patiently for the Head Captain to arrive and begin the discussion, hoping that there would be as little anger as possible.

Yoshiro finally decided that he'd had enough of the suffocating quiet as his sadness abruptly turned to a simmering anger. "Are we going to sit here and pretend that everything is alright, when it is quite clear that it is not?"

Akarui immediately turned to him. "And what makes you say that? Things are just dandy, wouldn't you say?" she snarled, her voice latent with sarcasm.

Yoshiro snorted. "Are you blind, Akarui? We are missing more a third of the active Captains! Many of them had only just received their positions, barely had a chance to begin their duties, and they have already been killed."

"I hardly believe that is the fault of those remaining, Yoshiro," Majo replied. "If they were not strong enough to take down the opponent, then that was through their own fault."

"Says the woman who was barely able to handle that man's Shikai with her Bankai," Livius sneered. "If I remember correctly, you released both times, and were barely able to escape with your life. That in itself is a testament to your weakness."

"This coming from the man who was there to do nothing about it," Aexus stated calmly.

"Take that up with the brilliant scientist who had to send her lackey to come and escort me back," he retorted, jabbing a thumb in Kie's direction. She remained indifferent.

"She's so incompetent that she couldn't even destroy that weakling Juzo Hosho Captain who incinerated her lab," Livius continued. "A useless pile of unwanted and unworthy flesh is all that she was, all that she has been, and all that she ever will be."

"Livius, you swine!" Akarui shouted. "If I weren't bound by my oath as a Captain, I would have your head. Mark my words, you disgusting, egotistical bastard!"

Aexus cleared his throat. "If not for Kie, I would have died at the hands of that very same Juzo Hosho woman," he pointed out. "If I am not mistaken, Majo would have also been killed if not for Kie's intervention."

Yoshiro spoke up, his anger beginning to become evident in his posture. "And for what? That doesn't change the fact that Hiramakku, Sero and Reiji are all gone because of Kie's mistake!"

"And could you please explain to me how that was her doing?" Majo hissed, causing Yoshiro to flinch ever so slightly.

"It's easy really," Livius began. "If she had been competent enough to keep herself out of trouble, I would have been able to return sooner and could have slain all of those Juzo Hosho bastards that you seem so troubled with. Sojan and Fang would not have died and Tsugari would not have had his spiritual pressure removed.."

Aexus shot him a nasty glare. "You dare to-"

"Speak the truth?" Livius cut him off, narrowing hie eyes at Captain Gingumaru. Aexus closed his mouth and, for once, looked to Akarui.

"I don't know who you think you are, exactly," Akarui said, her voice eerily low, "But you need to grow out of that superiority complex you have. You were hardly able to kill your opponent during the first encounter, so I don't see why you feel entitled to place blame on others when you share just as much of it."

Kie turned to all of them, her eyes ablaze. "That is enough!" Her sudden spike in spiritual pressure was enough to force all of them to look at her. "You are all bickering like children. You are Captains - so why do you insist on this pointless and idiotic arguing? Can't you set aside your personal opinions for a single moment and cease this nonsense?"

Senato nodded in agreement. "She is correct. The one thing that we should be doing is regrouping and formulating a plan, and yet here we are, getting absolutely nowhere."

"You think we should listen to you?" Yoshiro snarled, his anger finally reaching the boiling point. "You are so hypocritical! You speak of nonsense and idiocy, and yet you are practically the reason we are in this position! Your incompetence has cost us three captains, four if you count Shen!"

Yani visibly winced at the sound of Shen's name. The room suddenly went quiet as the others began to feel the gravity of the loss.

"Yoshiro, you are never one to get angry like this," Senato spoke calmly. "Settle down."

He turned his seething eyes to Senato. "You did absolutely nothing to stop Shen from doing what he did, Senato, you're just as much to blame for his death as she is!"

Senato became visibly agitated, yet his voice remained calm as he replied. "By that logic, everybody in this room is to blame for his death, Captain Royichi. There is nothing I could have done to stop him, and he made that quite clear to me."

"You callous brat," Yoshiro replied, his words dripping with venom.

"Yoshiro, don't stoop to insults. It is unbecoming," Yani stated quietly.

The young Captain suddenly rounded on Yani and began to slowly march towards him. "And you. Where were you during the battles, aye?"

"Defending the others," Yani said. "Along with Akarui."

Yoshiro shot Akarui a quick, angry glance before returning his attention to Yani. "You don't seem to have a scratch on you, Captain Kohei. Nor do you, Captain Hyosho. You did nothing to help in the effort of the fight because you were "defending the others?"

"That's correct," Akarui spat. "And if I recall, you were felled by that man, Akihiko I believe his name was. The same man who killed Hiramakku and took away Reiji's spiritual pressure. You have no room to speak if you cannot even prove your own worth, as everyone else in this room has done many times over."

"You dare to question my own abilities?" Yoshiro replied incredulously. He remained quiet for a long moment until he looked in Kie's direction. Suddenly gesturing passively towards her, he spoke again. "What has she proven to us? That she can screw things up and make it that much harder for the rest of us? If you ask me, she shouldn't even be a captain!"

"Captain Royichi, cease this at once," Aexus sighed. He placed a finger on his temple. "You are honestly making a large deal out of something that can be easily remedied. Stop this quibbling and return to your position before the Head Captain returns."

"Easily remedied? Like hell!" he spat. "My fellow captains have died because of the incompetence of that woman,"- - he gestured to Kie - "and you want me to calm down and return to my post, acting like their death means nothing to me?!"

"Yoshiro Royichi." At the sound of his name and the sudden and suffocating presence of Kie's spiritual pressure, he silenced himself, although he still wore a defiant expression on his face. He stared at Kie through harrowed, hateful eyes.

"You will stop speaking at once. You are spouting complete nonsense, and are in no position to talk in such a manner. You are one of the youngest captains in this room, you are unfit to say those things, and you should really take an example from those who have remained relatively quiet in comparison to you. I don't know what has gotten into you, and I don't particularly care. But for you to berate other captains with much more experience than you is nothing short of ignorance - a level of which I have never seen. Your powers are still young. You have no knowledge of even a fraction of the things that the older captains know, and yet speak as though your insults and condemning words are justified." The others gawked at her as Kie paused to take a deep breath. "While you may feel a mighty sadness at their deaths, you must keep it in your mind that the rest of us are mourning their passing as well. I wont let you desecrate their names by acting in such a ludicrous manner."

Yoshiro snorted. "You, Captain Geißt should be ashamed of yourself. You are to blame for their deaths, and yet you say that you feel greif? You should feel guilt!"

"And do you honestly think that I don't? Did it never dawn on you that I already fet responsible for Shen's death? I do not need a fool like yourself condemning me further, Captain Royichi," she responded, turning her gaze to the wall ahead of her.

He gawked at her for a moment. "A fool like me? Don't you dare speak to me in such a condescending manner, you pathetic excuse of a shinigami!"

"If I know Captain Geißt, which I am fairly certain that I do, then she has every right to speak in a superior manner to you, Captain Royichi," Yani pointed out. " So do I and nearly every other captain in this room, for that matter. You are lacking in experience, which is an area where Kie excels. You are lacking in years, which is another area where she, and all others, have you beaten. Kie is the oldest captain currently serving, even older than the Head Captain herself, and deserves your respect whether you wish to give it to her or not. With an attitude like that, you will die in the same, savage manner that Captain Sojan did."

Aexus nodded his agreement. "Stop behaving like a child and suppress your anger, as you normally do, Yoshiro. We have heard enough from you."

Yoshiro snorted and glared at Kie, asking her a silent question.

The moment she caught his eye she sighed audibly and returned her now apparent glare to the wall in front of her. "I am one-thousand six-hundred and fifty-six years old," she stated through clenched teeth.

At that moment, the Head Captain walked through the large double doors to the chamber and walked through the middle of the eight shinigami. She sat calmly upon her perch as she faced them from the front of the room. It seemed that just from looking she knew what had gone on. She sighed. "Bickering again, I see." Most of them shifted slightly, a reluctant confirmation of the previous events. "I thought so," she affirmed, placing her staff across her lap comfortably. "Well then. Assuming that you have all gotten that out of your systems, we shall proceed with the meeting. Well? Who shall begin?"

Yoshiro stepped forward. "I will ma'am."

Senya nodded. "Speak then."

He cleared his throat. "My division still currently has thirteen injured, five in critical condition and eight recently moved from the makeshift bedrooms. Several of my seated officers were killed in the last encounter, and replacements will be needed soon."

Senya nodded and looked to Shen's empty place directly across from Yoshiro and winced. She quickly corrected herself and then looked to Sero Fang's empty standing. She lowered her head slightly. Seeming to catch her mistake, Yoshiro laughed slightly under his breath. Senya sent a scathing glare his way, yet said nothing as she finally looked to Senato. "Captain Ajibana."

He nodded and stepped forward. "Seventeen wounded, three of which are in critical condition. Only one seated officer was killed, another was wounded. I lost much of my supplies from my barracks when Kie's blast struck the barrier, and will need replacements soon so that my division can run at maximum efficiency."

Yoshiro chuckled slightly at the mention of the lost equipment. "Looks like she isn't just harming captains but entire divisions as well! This can even be proven in light of recent events! Very few members of the Fourth Division actually made it back, and who do we have to thank for that?"

Aexus glared in his general direction. "Stop at once, Yoshiro. You have no right to continue this nonsense."

"We are of equal rank, you cannot command me to do anything, Gingumaru," he replied. "I suggest keeping your nose out of this."

"You should listen to him, Yoshiro." Yani replied. "You are behaving like a spoiled child. Yes, you may have lost some friends, but that does not give you the right to blame it on others."

"I don't believe I was speaking to you, Yani. If you would mind your own business, then I might be able to clearly communicate my point. But with you consistently posing a problem by interrupting me, I'm not able to do that." Yoshiro emphasized his statement by looking to the Head Captain.

"Hm," she deadpanned upon hearing this. "I shouldn't allow this to continue. But I would like to hear what he has to say."

Aexus suddenly stepped forth. "With all due respect, you can't seriously be considering listening to this half-wit, can you? He has berated Kie for long enough, so why are you giving him the chance to do it again?"

"I thought she made it clear that I was my turn to speak," Yoshiro said, turning to his fellow captain.

"We wont let a fool like you spread such wicked nonsense! The Head Captain doesn't have time to hear such insolence!" Majo snapped. "You will not make an ass of Kie or yourself any longer."

"I am not making her out to be an ass," Yoshiro responded. "She has already done that herself. Her own incompetence has caused the death's and incapacitations of four captains! She needs to be held accountable for her actions, and I wont stand idly by and watch her simply remain indifferent to that!"

"You are a goddamned hypocrite, Royichi!" Akarui spat. "Remind me who won in that little sparring match you had with the Juzo Hosho man? Remind me who nearly died trying to keep that Sumiko-whats-her-face from taking the lives of any others? Remind me who just freed a Captain from a dimension woven almost completely out of a kido we had never seen before? Remind me who worked tirelessly for days, without rest, to save Senato and Shen? Well? Remind me!"

"And can you remind me of the reason that Shen isn't here? Can you remind me of the reason Livius was stuck in hell? Can you remind me of the reason that almost all of the fourth squad is dead? Well? Can you?" Yoshiro smirked as Akarui opened her mouth to speak but came up with nothing.

"Are you truly that childish?" Yani asked. "Shen isn't here anymore, that's that. It was of his own accord, even you cannot deny that simple truth."

"Livius asked to be sent into Hell," Majo added. "That was his own decision."

"And Hiramakku Sojan and Sero Fang were fools, which is exactly the reason they ended up dead," Akarui stated bluntly.

Yoshiro nearly leaped at her. "You worthless, good for nothing pig! How dare you insult my comrades in such a manner!"

"Then shut your trap and stop being so hypocritical!" Majo snarled. "Even I can no longer tolerate this. You speak of dishonoring Sojan and Fang's names, but their names were dishonored the moment they marked themselves as incompetent and arrogant morons! Kie is no fool, and yet you blame their self-imposed deaths on her? Ignorance like that can no longer go unnoticed by me. If you want to be recognized as a Captain, then act like one, you petulant buffoon!"

Yoshiro narrowed his eyes at her. "You imprudent little-"

"Who are you calling imprudent, you wailing imbecile!" Akarui screeched.

"Hold your tongue, woman," came Livius scathing reply.

"Cut the shit, Livius," Aexus snapped. "You shouldn't have left, and you know that."

"Don't speak to me about my own business, you clod," he sneered.

"You foul rats," Majo looked at both Livius and Yoshiro. "Do you honestly think that what Kie did was a negative thing? Shen gave his life of his own accord, we've established this many a time already. Senato is here with us thanks to her efforts, and that alone should be enough to rejoice! You are so thick that you cannot even get it through your minds that everything she has done has been for our safety. Whether or not it ended badly was not up to her, surely you realize that."

"If it ends in death of any kind, then it is my duty to call her actions to attention!" Yoshiro retorted. "If she wont take responsibility for it herself, then I will make her!"

Kie narrowed her eyes and peered at Yoshiro through her peripheral vision. "I wonder just how much you know about what really happened, Captain Royichi. For someone such as yourself to be so ill informed, you would have to be very out of the loop."

Yoshiro shot her a disgusted look. "What did you just-"

"Cease this at once!"

All eyes turned to the Head Captain.

"I have no tolerance for this. You are Captains, for heaven's sake! Act like it!" she shouted. She turned an agitated eye to Yoshiro. "You," she spoke, pointing at him with her staff, "You need to stop insinuating this nonsense. You are in no position to argue with them, and they are in no position to argue with you. You are a captain, and I expect more than this kind of behavior, especially considering that you haven't ever acted like this before. Learn to think before you speak and listen to others for a change," She chastised him. She turned to all of them. "If each one of you continues to act like a simpleton, then you will be reduced to a simpleton." She narrowed her eyes. "I am tired of having to baby each and every one of you - it's as though you are all a bunch of children fighting over lost toys." She shook her head. "None, and I mean none of this is Kie's fault. These things happen, and as unfortunate as that is, we cannot dwell on it. Accept that they are gone, and move on from it."

"Is that clear?" she asked.

They all nodded aside from Yoshiro, who muttered something under his breath.

Senya glared at Yoshiro, but decided not to press the matter further. "Good. You are dismissed. And until you know you can get along with everyone," she paused and looked to Yoshiro, Livius and Akarui, "don't come back to another meeting." She sat back in her chair as they all looked to their feet. "Get out of my sight."

[Pessimism Takes Root]

While the silence that now seemed to grasp the room seemed like a welcome reprieve, every person in the room knew that at some point the conversation would pick up again eventually. None were however sure on the direction said conversation would take, nor who would say the first word. This sense of trepidation seemed to hang in the air, causing a few anxious glances from different people around the room.

Needless to say when Kyobo began to speak, the heavy trepidation that plagued the air lifted and was replaced with a mix of surprise and intrigue in the point he inevitably brought up.

"I have a question for every single one of you in here. This is something I've been mulling over a lot while I was recovering."

"Well how about you stop beating around the bush and get to it! I for one have no time for any more of the shit that seems to come from your mouth every time it opens." The outburst came from Jisano. But was ignored by nearly everyone to his annoyance. It was clear most of the captain's were interested in what Kyobo was going to say, bar three. Elizabeth who was clearly attempting to ignore Kyobo after their earlier arguments, Tomoyo who seemed too caught up in her self pity to even notice Kyobo was speaking and Sumiko. Every Captain in the room knew the two of them were probably discussing this subject area before they even arrived.

"Like I was saying. What I've been thinking about is will we win this war?" The room went eerily quiet at this question. It was obvious not a single one of them had even pondered this question.

Yvon was the first to speak up. "Why would ask us such a blatantly stupid question? It's obvious that..."

"It's not though, is it? Think for a second. While sure we have had great success against the Gotei 13, from removing Squad 4 to eliminating four of their captains. Two by removing their spiritual pressure and two killed." He glanced at Akihiko and gave him a quick reassuring smile. "The fact is we have not managed to eliminate them as a whole in our two attempts. I've concluded that we might be able to reduce them to a pitiful excuse for a Shinigami Nation, we will not be able to conquer their nation."

Yvon quickly jumped to his feet again, redirecting his anger at another target. "What you are saying is not only insulting to every captain here but insulting to our entire nation."

Kyobo rose to his feet with a pained grimace but quickly suppressed it, matching the volume of Yvon's angered shouts. "I couldn't give two shits about you being insulted by what I believe to be an accurate assumption of what the wars outcome will be. We have killed only four of the enemy captains despite our near flawless planning, our overwhelming skill and strength, and our kido superiority. Whatever way we look at it we are not dominating them like we should be and I'm taking into account their past battles. They survived against a hollow incursion, the likes of which we have not seen since Aizen and they survived for a long time against a nation that were even superior to us in the Shirubs. The Gotei 13 thrive on survival and no matter how we look at it, they are still surviving."

Akumu got to her feet angrily. "They are nothing compared to us, Kyobo. You have admitted as much many a time. So why now are you suddenly beginning to change your mind?"

"Because he has realised what we all fail to realise, Shimo." Akumu turned to look at Sumiko who sat with her eyes closed, relaxed and calm. "They will never give up. Everyone here has seen their mentality to fight to their deaths. The sad thing is even our prized fighter Akihiko didn't emerge unscathed from either of his fights."

"He was holding back though..."

"And that is precisely why I am saying what I am saying." Kyobo took over from Sumiko. "We are far too arrogant. I am, Akihkio is, you are, Jisano...." He looked over at the sadistically smiling man "Let's not go there. At the end of the day we do not treat them as a threat, like every other enemy they have had has done. And look how they ended up, dead or in Sekhmet's case sealed. We continue on the path we are on and they will ultimately either kill us or drive us out entirely. Neither option is good."

Akihiko kept his head bowed in contemplation, however was the next to answer Kyobo. "You might be correct Kyobo." Every eye in the room turned to him, Akumu with a look of dismay on her face. "We can no longer treat them like an ant hill, easily destroyed. They are tenacious fighters. That is probably the most praise I will them but the fact remains that unless we meet them with full force, they will not fall. Those captain are far too stubborn for that."

Elizabeth then interjected into the conversation. "I do not understand why you seem to find it necessary to give our enemy such credit that you find it appropriate to say that we would lose against them." Kyobo knew that this was directed at him just as much as it was at Akihiko. "Unlike you pathetic excuses for captains, I came out of my fight with only superficial injuries. Though Kyobo in both your fights you came off badly injured. The most recent of which nearly killed you. Since we've established that, I don't find it suitable for a captain clearly weaker than I am who also has the ideals of a pacifist to..."

Kyobo turned to her, his face contorted in rage and was quickly restrained by Yvon and Sumiko who both noticed that he would not just use words. Kyobo spoke calmly despite his demeanor that signaled a wave of worried looks in his direction. Jisano however looked on in glee. "If you utter one more venomous word out of that toxic orifice you call a mouth again while we are in this room, I will make sure you never open it again, do you understand?"

"Empty threats from a cowardly..."

Yvon gave Elizabeth a pleading look. "Please Elizabeth, stop."

"What? You think I have to listen to someone who is even lower than Captain Meibatsu." She strode forward proudly until she was within a meter of Kyobo. "What I want to know is how a pathtic creature like him can still be a captain? A coward who is obviously weaker than every single Captain in this room and a man who is a murder to boot?"

Jisano gleefully cackled at this statement. "Hahaha. It's been so long I nearly forgot about that. I find it amusing how a man such as yourself Kyobo can preach peace and nonviolence when you yourself are in charge of the vanguard unit and have killed nearly as many people as I have." Kyobo's furious eyes then seemed to burn into Jisano's own, managing to force him to look away but still with a large smile plastered on his face. "Ah that look. It sent shivers up my spine. Hahahahahaha. It seems the old Kyobo is back people. I think the odds have just gone back into our favour. What was that about us losing this war, Aki?"

"Do not misquote me Captain Meibatsu. I never said once that we would lose the war. What I am saying is in light of what Kyobo has rightly said, we need to rid ourselves of this arrogant mindset of superiority. No matter what our aim is, to kill or rid them of their reiastu, we need to stop holding ourselves back. I can guarantee this is one thing the Head Captain will make clear in the Captains meeting. I have a feeling Elder Healer will to."

"Ah fuck the Head Captaain." Both Jisano and Kyobo said this at the same time, though Kyobo's tone was more aggressive than Jisano's.

Kyobo finally thought he could get some closure. "I am sick of her ordering us to do something and berating us every time we fail. I am tired of her failing sanity. I HATE her!" He forcefully shrugged off both Yvon and Akumu and walked towards his seat again. "It is about time she stepped down or just fucking keeled over and died!" He punched the wall hard, creating a very large dent in it.

"Kyobo, we all know you don't exactly like following her leadership and many of us agree, if not all. But do not say such treasonous things under this roof. Keep those thoughts to yourself." Yvon reprimanded him though his tone did not seem to reinforce what he said.

Akumu then interjected into the conversation "I actually wonder if she's telling us everything. After all the the Reiteki Rōjin could not even be contacting her. She could just have gone power mad."

"I doubt that. If she did this of her own volition, she would have been eradicated by them by now." Sumiko disagreed. "No we're getting orders from them to do this. Will they uphold their word however is a different matter."

Jisano seemed intrigued by this statement. "What do you mean, science geek?"

The insult slid off of Sumiko as she answered without rising to him. "What I mean is will they genuinely let our nation be after we eliminate the Gotei 13? What is to stop them wiping us out afterwards?"

"We do not know." All eyes fell upon Akihiko as he spoke. "For all we know that could be what they intend. But because we do not have the means to find out if they do, we have to place our faith in the fact they will uphold their end of the deal if we uphold ours. But you do bring to light a very worrying and very real possibility that we might be killing off a nation for nothing."

A glum silence fell over the Captains, just as they felt the two spiritual pressures not far from the door. In a matter of moments the last two people required for the captains meeting would arrive and they might have their answers or more questions. Either way though, every captain in the room was thinking deeply as unsettling thoughts began entering their minds.

Opportunist - Ready, set, wait. - (For my lack of content concerning the war in the last post, I shall make up for it with a small series of posts concerning Kie and her information gathering)

Kie was the first Captain out the door. She hadn't allowed herself as much freedom to speak as she would have liked, but she was not going to stoop to that level of impudence, no matter how hurtful the words of accusation may have been. She sighed as the others passed her by, many of them throwing her a sympathetic look, while Livius simply snorted and Yoshiro was restrained by Aexus as he walked by. When they were far enough away and Aexus had released him, he looked back and sneered at her before snapping his head back around. As the doors began to close, Kie slipped in quietly and walked briskly up to Senya.

"Kie?" Senya sat up in her chair slightly, having been previously slouching quite a bit, and straightened her posture. "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing is wrong per se, but I do have something I would like to say."

The Head Captain immediately relaxed and rested her staff gently against the wall. "Then speak," she replied gently.

Kie nodded and took a deep breath. "It is unfortunate that Shen is not able to be here with us," she began hesitantly. "I do indeed feel responsible for his death, and I also feel as though I should be held accountable for the deaths of the others and for the condition that Reiji is currently in. My mistakes had a profound effect on the outcome of all of this," she said as she hung her head slightly.

Senya's gaze softened. "It is not your fault. You could have never predicted the outcome of all of this. You did what you could to save them, and if you can even save a single person then your efforts are not in vain." Senya became troubled when Kie didn't look up. "What I think you need to hear is this : Fate. It is woven in the very thread of time and space, and cannot be changed. I know as well as you do that what happened cannot be changed, and that is Fate. You should not feel responsible for something that was ultimately caused by our enemies."

She slowly lifted her head. "I know, Head Captain," she replied.

"Please, when we are alone you can feel free to call me by my name."

Kie cracked a small smile, "I fought hard to make sure that as many shinigami could be saved as possible, and yet so many still died. I don't understand it myself, but a strong and intense feeling of regret is beginning to settle in my gut." She fidgeted a bit before continuing. "I must redeem myself in the faces of the others. I wont be able to work properly until I have."

Senya sat back. "You've never concerned yourself with their opinions before, Kie. That's not like you," she pointed out, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Why?"

"It's a personal vendetta. Ever since I made the mistake of sending Livius away, It's been one blunder after another. Not only this, but each mistake has had an effect on their trust in me and the outcome of the battles." Kie looked Senya in the eye. "I wish to protect them. But I cannot do it like this."

The Head Captain, in all of her years knowing Kie, had never heard the woman before her plead for anything. Even when they both had been in Shino Academy together. Senya even smirked as she remembered the moment when she was chosen to be the Head Captain in place of Kie, who had previously, and rather boldly, refused the offer in favor of her. Senya owed much to Kie, and the least she could do was hear what she had to say. "Very well. What did you have in mind?"

Kie smiled. "Thank you," she responded kindly. After sneaking small glances around the room, she reached in to her shihakusho and pulled out a stack of documents and stepped up the small incline to hand them to Senya. The Head Captain took them carefully and began reading the information it outlined.

When Senya looked up, Kie explained. "It is an outline of the abilities that our opponents so far have displayed. I have also taken the liberty of recording their physical traits and prowess, as well as the appearance of their clothing and those masks that they seem so fond of wearing. I've also recorded those who I think are most dangerous based upon this analysis - Akihiko Seinosuke, Jisano Meibatsu, Sumiko Anenokoji, Kyobo Sodo, and Tomoyo Daidoji."

She looked back at the papers. "So I assume you interviewed the Captains to get this information?"

Kie nodded.

"Although," Senya began worriedly. "It seems to be missing information on one of them."

"Yes," Kie sighed. "Well, Akihiko is a tricky man, from what I can tell. He killed Hiramakku and I presume Sero, and Yoshiro will not tell me anything about him."

"He wont share the information with you?" Senya repeated, raising an eyebrow as she continued to read the document.

"Right. He's still bitter over the loss, and bitter over the deaths of the Captains. He wont speak directly to me unless it is an insult." Kie ran her fingers through her hair.

"Hm." The Head Captain sighed after a moment, setting the papers down in her lap. "I suppose I should speak with him. This kind of troublesome behavior shouldn't be tolerated. Again, I must apologize for the hateful comments, Kie."

She shook her head. "That is nothing. Such trivial matters do not effect me in the slightest. Whether or not their personal opinions of me are unblemished is not my concern and it never has been." Kie finished her statement with a reassuring smile, which Senya gladly returned. "My only concern now is making sure that I do everything I can to keep others from dying."

"In that case, a detailed strategy is needed," Senya replied.

"I have one, although it is still in the early stages. I do think I have finally figured out who should battle whom, based upon the abilities each of them wields," she explained. "It's only fair we should plan such a thing. After all, they did attempt to trap us all in separate locations upon the first encounter. Each one of their opponents was predetermined, so doing the same to them shouldn't be too difficult, now that we have pushed most of them past the point of release."

Nodding her head, Senya raised a question. "But, as you said before, the information on Akihiko is missing. How do you intend to match him up with an opponent if you don't understand his abilities?"

Kie hesitated a moment. "I had planned upon studying the outcome of the battles he had been involved in. I should be able to garner something from that, at the very least a style of fighting. Until then choosing an opponent for him would be sentencing them to death."

"Is this what you had planned to bring up during the meeting?"

"Yes," Kie answered.

She sighed. "What a missed opportunity that was. If that bickering hadn't happened to get in the way, we could have made some very good progress."

Kie nodded. "I suppose," she replied, almost seeming indifferent. There was something in her voice that stopped Senya from pursuing the subject further.

The Head Captain smiled. "Judging from your tone, there is something else you wished to ask me. Am I wrong?"

Kie chuckled a bit. "I need to speak with a certain person, however permission from you is needed. She has information that could be vital to the outcome of this war."

Senya raised a single brow. "Really? And who is this person you wish to speak to?"

"Elliot."

Senya sat up slowly, setting the papers down in her lap and gazing at Kie, searching for any clue she could garner from the elder shinigami. She stared intently into Kie's eyes, seeing only determination. "Why Elliot?" she asked after a long moment of quiet. "What could she possibly know that pertains to the task at hand?"

"Ah, Senya," Kie replied quietly. "She knows much more than you or I ever will."

The Head Captain sat back in her chair slightly. "If what you say is true, then by all means, permission is granted. But, shouldn't you already be able to go there, even without consent? After all you were-"

The twelfth division Captain grimaced. "Please don't bring that up. I'd rather not think about it."

Realizing her mistake, Senya withdrew. "Ah, yes. Please forgive me, Kie." The woman in turn nodded to her. "In any case," she continued. "Here is my seal. Take it to the gate. You know the procedure." She handed Kie a small slip of paper.

"Thank you," she replied quickly. She folded the paper and placed it in a small pocket of her shihakusho. Nodding to her superior, she began to make her way towards the door.

Depending on what she tells me, this could end very well, or it could get us nowhere, Kie thought. I just hope I'm right about this. As she reached the large set of double doors she stopped.

"Senya," she suddenly called. The Head Captain looked at her, prompting her to continue. "Please, don't tell the others about this. I know they will feel the fluctuations when the gate is opened, but I would rather not have them know."

"Why?"

She slowly turned back to the entrance and began to push a single door from her path, the light from the outside pouring onto the floorboards in beautiful swathes of orange and yellow, signaling the late evening. "It would only rile them up. They would only ask why they aren't coming to help us."

"They wouldn't be foolish enough to ask the reason for that, they know they can't interfere with our affairs," Senya replied.

"I'm aware of that," Kie said as she stepped closer to the door. "But it will take me some time to get there and to return. I am, to be honest, only working on a hunch. If I am correct however, we may potentially be able to fight back against the Juzo Hosho. Although, it will still be quite the ordeal."

Senya sighed. "Very well. If they ask, I will come up with something."

"That would be wonderful," Kie said as she stepped out into the evening light. "Oh! Senya?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you," she said, smiling back at the Head Captain. Senya smiled in return and offered a small wave as the door was shut once again and Kie was gone.

[Walking on thin Ice]

It has been a day since Kie freed most of the squad four members. But before Aisumasutā could meet up with her, he received news that she left for a meeting. This was both good, and bad. For even if he did meet up with her he would not know what to say. Sorry I left? Forgive my betrayal? I’m sorry for leveeing?
“No…none of those will do.” He sighed to himself. “Guess I’m still terrible at words as I was back then.” He remembered how he used to flash-step away every time someone tried to talk to him…unless they were a captain that needed him. “Guess words are my weakness.” He looked down at his zanpakotu. “Right Kōri-ō.”

"And you call yourself a king still." Aisumasutā chuckled at his zanpakotu’s privet joke. It is true that his named meant “master of ice” however he did not live up to it until he left from the Gotei 13 for his 100 years of training. Just remember…now you have the power live up to your name…your true name.

“I will never say that name again…for he failed. You know this Kōri-ō.” The memory of his failure now passed over his mind, but quickly faded. “No…I will only speak that name when I have finally repent for that crime. But for now I will try to live up to my current name…the name she gave me.” Aisumasutā sighed and started walking to his room.

His original barracks was taken by a new soul-reaper, and all of his personal affects where lost over the year. But then again he did not have much to begin with…well nothing he really cared about. All he really cared about was his arm band…the last gift he was give…just before his crime. But now he had gained a new room in the Academy.

Aisumasutā was glad to have the room…even if was little more then a broom closet with a bed. However he was used to things like this…he even preferred it. A sort of self-punishment for the past. "You don’t have to keep doing this to yourself. Move on from the past, it was not your fault to begin with!"

“That is where you are wrong Kōri-o. It was my fault…I should have controlled my power.” He replied to his zanpakotu as he opened the door to his room…which was a mess. Aisumasutā looked at it for a moment and quickly realized why. “Someone was in here.” This did not surprise Aisumasutā as he knew on his return many would not trust him, either because they did not know him or worst…they did. He sighed and then something caught his eye. He turned to the left and saw someone watching him from behind a corner. The figure quickly ran down the hall. “Stop!” Aisumasutā called as he gave chase.

The figure was fast and gave Aisumasutā a run for his money. But finally the figure took a wrong turn and hit a dead end. Aisumasutā stood at the only way out and raised his hands. But before he could speak the figure made it’s move.

“Bakudo number 21:Senkienton!” The red smoke filled the small space, but Aisumasutā was ready.

“Bakudo number 99: Kin!” Even as he could not see, he knew form the sound of a painful grunt that his target was caught. “Now then, Hado number 58: Tenran!” He raised his right and let the wind clear the smoke. As the smoke cleared he could see a woman being hold down by two black straps with a large number of weights. He now raised he arm and wiped sweat from his brawl. “Phew, I don’t know who you are…but you sure are fast.” He walked over closer to the woman and saw who it was. “Lieutenant Kira of squad twelve!” Kira looked up at him with a look of hate, one that he received from many of the Gotei 13 newer members.

“Let me go! My captain will hear about this!” Kira demanded…almost screamed.

“Frist tell me, do you know of the one who has raided my room? Or am I to assume it was you?”

“How DARE YOU! I would never do such a thing!” Aisumasutā could tell by the way her voiced raised that she knew something.

“Then tell me who would if not you? And if you are not guilty, why did you run when I saw you?” Kira tried to say something but stuttered. “Maybe I should just report this little act to the punishment force. If I recall, the captain in charge owes me a favor.”

“Why you…you…devil! I’m not going to tell you anything until you release me!” Kira and Aisumasutā locked eyes for a moment the Aisumasutā sighed. He snapped his fingers and the bakudo disappeared. Now he watched as Kira stood up and brushed herself of the little dust that was on her kimono. She turned to him with a look the sighed. “From what I’ve seen, a few of the lower ranked members of squad three is to blame. From what I hear…their captain does not trust you.” Aisumasutā thought for a moment then h nodded.

“Thank you for the information and…” He bowed. “Sorry for the trouble.” Kira stood for a moment then Aisumasutā rose.

“Don’t worry about it…I was the one at fault for running…please forgive me.” Kira bowed as low as Aisumasutā did the rose. “Let just say this never happened?”

“Agreed.” They nodded to each other and Aisumasutā started walking back to his room. He closed the door behind him and locked it. He turned and sat on his bed and started to talk to himself. “Now let me think…squad three’s captain… Yoishiro I believe.” He looked down at his zanpakotu. “Yes…I hear about him…he is the newest and youngest of the captins if I’m not mistaken. However what could he want with me?”

"Is it not obvious?" Answered Kōri-o. Either he does not trust you, or just his men don’t trust you. Either way someone around here does not like you.

“I already knew that! Kōri-o, but right now the question is who?” Aisumasutā sighed and looked at his arm band. The snowflake pattern on it relaxed him and helped cleared his mind. “Well, even if he did
send his men to raid my room…it does not matter.”

Oh? Was is that?

“One, there is nothing here. Two, I can’t just accuse a captain of something without proof. Even if he is new. And there, I do not care to begin with.” He looked down at his floor. “If only they had the decency to clean up afterwards.”

"*sigh* You are too easy going Aisumasutā."

“Well then how about some training?” He stood up and flash-stepped to the training grounds.
Aisumasutā had few ways to help the Gotei 13, because of his lack of healing powers and most of the buildings were well on their way to full repair. However he did start training the lower ranks in kido…his
favorite fighting style.

Aisumasutā appeared are the front of the training ground and watch for a moment as two squad members began a kido match. From the way the two fighters used kido told Aisumasutā, that they would prefer their swords. Aisumasutā chuckled as one of the combatants Shakkaho attack backfired. The one
who used it was sent flying backwards and nearly went through a wall.

“HEY! You Aisumasutā right?” He turned to face a man he did not know.

“And if I am?” The man grined in a way the made Aisumasutā’s stomach turn over.

“Name’s Kento Cusota! And I hear by challenge you to a duel, traitor!” From the look of the man, he was not part of a squad just yet, perhaps just joined one? “Well your response?” Aisumasutā looked around and saw many of the lower ranks where now look at the two of them, this made Kento’s smile grow! Aisumasutā straighten himself and smiled.

“Very well I accept your challenge on one condition. I choose the place of combat.”

“Yes very well, I’ll fight you anywhere you like traitor!” Guess this man is just trying to make a name for himself…and he is about to regret it. Aisumasutā thought to himself with a cold smile.

“Well then fallow me…and all of you can come and watch as well.” Aisumasutā turned to the others watching him then they all flashed-stepped to the battle location.

They all soon appeared in front of a lake out in the middle of the woods. Far from the barracks, but too far as to be in danger of attack. Here Aisumasuta stood at the base of the water line and faced Kento and the crowed.

“This is the place you have chosen? HA! This will end quickly!” Kento drew his blade and ready himself.

“Hold yourself a moment Kento, we are not on the field of battle yet.” Kento looked at him in confusion. Now Aisumasutā drew his blade and placed the edge on the water. “Let your frozen tears fall…Kōri-o!” His zanpakotu turned into it’s shiki form and the crowed gasped at the large release of spirit energy. “Now then…Kesshō.” Another gasp from the crowed as the lake froze and turned into a ring of ice, covered with large ice sickles. Aisumasutā smiled and jumped back into the center of the ring. “This is the battle field…walk onto the lake if you still want to fight.” Kento looked at him for a moment the slow made his way onto the lake.

“You left your zanpakotu back at the edge.”

“Yes and?” Kento stood shocked as he looked back at the zanpakotu and then to Aisumasutā.

“Aren’t you going to fight with it?”

“No…now shall we begin?” Kento nodded and stood ready. Aisumasuta rose one hand and aimed it at Kento. “Now then…Hado number 31:Shakkaho.” A red sphere shot form the plam of his hand and went flying at Kento. Kento easily moved out of the way.

“HA! You’re going to regret leaving your zanpakotu behind!” He charged at Aisumasutā, who only smiled.
“I don’t think so.” Suddenly the shakkaho attack that Kento dodged came back and hit him in the side.
“What! How did you…? You only fired one!” Kento cried as he grabed his arm in pain.

“Yes I did only fired one…this is one of the powers of my zanpakotu.” Aisumasutā aimed his hand off to the right. “Now watch and learn. Hado number 31:Shakkho!” Kento watched as the blast flew off and hit a ice sickle. However instead of shattering the ice sickle, the attack rebounded and started to fly wildly around the arena, hitting and bouncing off the ice sickles. Soon the attack came flying at Kento. He quickly rose his blade and blocked the attack, but instead of taking a small amount of damage, he went fly back from the force. Kento landed on his back and slowly stood up, already looking like he lost. “My zanpakotu’s strongest power, reflection. When an enemy or myself use his spirit energy to hit one of this sickles, it rebounds and increases in power. Making even the weakness of kido attacks far stronger.” Kento face filled with fear as he realized what he just walked into…a trap. “You see now, here in this place my spirit energy is used to fill the ice around us. This allows the rebound to happen. Once the attack is infused with my spirit energy it becomes stronger. The moment you walked onto this ring was to moment you lost all chances to win. And now…” Aisumasutā raised his hand and aimed it at Kento. “You lose…Hado number 33: Sokatsui!” The blast of energy exploded at Kento, an when it hit he went flying into the crowd.

Aisumasutā slowly walked to the front of the lake and drew is sword from the ground. It reverted to it’s sealed form as he sheathed it.

“How? How can you be so stronge…your spirit energy is so small...so weak.” Aisumasutā turned to face Kento as two others helped him to his feet.

“That…is my little secret. Now…don’t just go and challenge people like that without knowing their basic abilities, understood?” Kento nodded and then was carried off. Soon once the crowed left Aisumasutā heard clamping. He turned to face man he did not know.

“Well done there. I sent Kento over to be a test to see if your even worth the trouble. But I must say, your not as weak as the records say.” Aisumasutā quickly saw the number three make on the white kimono
the man was wearing.

“You are captain Yoishiro Roychi? I heard you did not approve of me.”

“Yes and what of it?” Aisumasutā stood to face Yoishiro with equal standing.

“Next time you want something come to directly.” He turned to leave, but stopped for a moment. “Oh and one more thing…insult Kie one more time and you will see my full power.” Aisumasutā raised his spirit energy enough to frost the ground and nearby trees. Then he flashed-stepped back to the academy.

Yoishiro stood there a moment and smiled. “So he is the so called ‘King of ice’. And all the reports said he was one of the weakest soul-reapers to join the Gotei 13. Captain Kie maybe out of the reach of justice at the moment. But…I’ll make her pay for her actions…and you just might be the way to do it Aisumasutā…just wait.” With that he turned and started his way back to his barracks.

Sorry that this one is so long.

Crazie, I'm not saying we make him a spy or anything like that. I was just thinking about how the others would have reacted to him as he returned to the Gotei 13. So it would stand to reason some may not say he is a spy, but many will say he is a traitor. This fact is what I'll base some of the dialog on my next post. However you you feel that I am dragging the topic too far just inform me.

Well, Ive been reading the posts, and I may post soon. If that's ok with everyone. I have an idea, to be honest. Also Yoishiro tries to hide his true feelings most of the time. The captains meeting was a good place for him to show how he really felt, but still, I don't think he would want personal revenge against Kie, at least until analyzing the situation more thorough. He is a very cold man, and aslo tries to be very noble most of the time, even if his feelings arent in accord with it.

Opportunist - The Bloody Truth

Kie reached the top of the stairs after what felt like, and probably had been, days. She took a deep breath, her exhaustion evident in her slackened posture, and leaned on one of the support beams to the traditional gateway that had led her into a place only a very select few were ever allowed to go. The palace that stretched out before her was large, beyond even her own comprehension. It's massive paved walkways and beautiful gardens only served to heighten the sense of magnificence she felt just from standing in the area. She hadn't even taken a step into the realm of the Royal Guard and she was already marveling at how much it had changed since her last visit. Shaking herself out of her stupor, she began to walk forward.

After moments of continuing on the straight path, she suddenly veered off to the left, causing a flight of metallic and iridescent stairs to appear before her. Without a second thought she began to climb those stairs. They twisted and wound in a large spiral, resembling a spring as she ascended higher and higher above the palace.. She climbed at a steady pace until she finally crossed the threshold and a large building appeared before her. A second japanese palace that was residing in the air above the first was waiting for her, surrounded by a large number of other traditional buildings that spread out far and wide.

She stepped onto the property and was greeted immediately by a Hell Butterfly, followed by many more of them. She smiled as they fluttered past. Continuing forward, she was let through the doors just as she approached them. She entered into a large foyer with eight separate chandeliers lining the ceiling, windows that spanned entire walls, and a traditional matted floor. There at the top of a grand staircase that led into the foyer area was a single woman that Kie had not noticed before. She was turned away from the Captain, facing another large window that was as tall as the high ceiling above. The window offered a view of the zen garden just outside, with two pyres that rose from the sand like strobe trees. The woman's black tresses flowed as though they were silk. Kie instinctually reached up to her Haori, which was worn in the same fashion as the woman who stood before her, with the left sleeve worn around the right shoulder and tied off with a royal purple ribbon around her upper bicep and a sash of the same color around her waist. The right sleeve of the haori that the woman was wearing was shorter, however, revealing a modified white shihakusho sleeve that was slimmer and pinned to her ring finger at its end. Kie frowned a bit, but her expression lit up as she realized that she had turned to face her.

Those same intense, pale green eyes made contact with her own. Her pale cheeks bunched slightly as she smiled to Kie. "Welcome, my friend."

Kie bowed almost instantly. "Hello, Elliot," she replied.

Elliot laughed. "Please, don't stoop to formalities, Kie. You may call me by your chosen nickname if you like, I have no qualms with it."

Kie stood straight again and followed Elliot as she began to ascend the stairs. "Very well then, Ellie."

The two of them remained quiet for some time as Kie was led all the way up and into a second area, which seemed to be the same size as the foyer. This area was completely empty, and the sounds of their footsteps echoed through it as they made their way to the other side of the room.

They had arrived in the zen garden, the sand perfectly patterned with complete patience. It formed intricate swirls and shapes, which Kie marveled at. Moments later she noticed that Elliot had perched atop one of the two spires of stone and was chuckling. "Come," she said. "It's a much better view from up here."

Kie flash stepped to the top of the pyre and sat upon it, cautiously looking over the edge. "You were right," she deadpanned. "It does look better from here."

Elliot took the moment to laugh again. "Now then, what was your purpose in coming here?"

Kie looked at her, the smile she had been previously sporting dropping from her face. She grimaced before speaking. "I assumed you know about what has been going on?"

Elliot nodded solemnly. "Yes. It is unfortunate that we are not allowed to intervene, but you know the rule, Kie, better than the other Captains."

Kie looked at her. "Yes, I remember it quite well. Though I was only here for a short time, not seeing my friends for such a long time took it's toll. I was glad when they asked me to reclaim a position as Captain."

Elliot smiled. "And you have obviously been busy," she remarked. "Yes, Kie, I now understand why you are here."

Kie looked up. "I thought you might. And you know what I want to ask?"

She nodded. "You wish to know more about them, the Juzo Hosho, I mean." When Kie nodded, she continued. "Well, there is something else you must know first. When they approached you, they mentioned a high council called the Reiteki Rojin, did they not?"

"How did you-"

Elliot held up her hand. "I am very old, although I do not look the part, Kie. Before I was a Captain of the Gotei Thirteen, I was a nomad. As a young shinigami I had indeed attended Shino Academy, but left in favor of a free life. It was on this journey that I first encountered them."

Kie looked bewildered. "You encountered them personally?"

She shook her head. "I encountered their influence. Stories of total eradication, the ultimate punishment. Stories that had carried over to other soul reaping nations, such as the Shirubaraito. What I heard of them was none too lovely. I listened to retellings of their former dealings from shinigami who were far older than myself at the time, about the age I am now, and I read many manuscripts on the subject."

Kie placed a finger on her chin. "So, what exactly can you tell me about them?"

Elliot sighed. "I will tell you all that I know. But be warned, Kie. They have eyes and ears everywhere."

Kie reinforced her willingness to listen by pulling out a notebook from within her shihakusho and a small pencil. She looked the older of the two in the eye, willing her to continue. Elliot nodded and took another deep breath.

"The Reiteki Rojin are older than most other Shinigami live to be - with each member being at least seven thousand years of age. Their past stretches to the times when all of the Soul Reaping Nations could live in peace with one another, and before there were even prominent nations with governing bodies aside from the council itself. Because of their sheer age, they possess wisdom beyond what we can comprehend. Even more prominent about the council, is that over the millennia they have been feared. Feared not because of cruelty or ruthlessness, but because they upheld the law, no matter what the case. They always followed the methods they believed to be the most effective - and unfortunately those methods were sometimes violent." She paused only to see Kie writing notes, jotting down the most important points. She raised her head when she heard Elliot stop speaking. She took that as her cue. "Over the course of many centuries, their methods became increasingly savage and violent and their reputation was stained with the blood of many. When the nations began to organize themselves and become independent of one another, their involvement was much less needed and their services were not called upon as often as they used to be. Many millennia passed and their once looming presence had faded into nothing but a memory. The passage of time had brought with it new soul reapers, who brought with them new ideas. The years in which they became less involved were ultimately the years in which they had been forgotten, and people began to view them as a myth. A simple fable, a tale used to manage the nations morale."

"Fascinating," Kie whispered.

"Indeed it is," Elliot murmured in response. "From what I remember reading in the scrolls and documents I had managed to get my hands upon, there were records of many other nations, not just the Shirub or the Juzo Hosho. There were tales of nations being wiped out, not a single shinigami surviving the councils massive act of judgement."

Kie was about to ask a question, but Elliot held up her hand.

"You will soon understand."

Kie nodded and looked back down at her papers.

"As they isolated themselves from the nations, so too did they isolate their power. They no longer had the authority to pass judgement upon them. Their methods had aged just as they had, and were considered ineffective as the times changed. In their desperation, they created a force that is wielded exclusively by them. This force, unknown to the world of the living, was used to pass final judgement on those who refused to obey the commands of the council. This force - which no person has ever been privileged enough to record in detail - has the ability to destroy an entire nation, leaving not a single Soul Reaper standing. This force, an entity without a name that could be remembered, only brought with it destruction, and ultimately annihilation. The reason that no record of this entity exists is because nobody has ever survived its reach. Few people have ever been able to traverse an area that was afflicted by this force, describing it as something akin to "absolute extinction", a term befitting of such annihilation. In truth, I do not have the knowledge to be able to place a name or a form to this destructive force, but I do know one thing - it is the final trump card of the Reiteki Rojin."

She heard Kie's breath hitch and saw her shiver slightly. Elliot watched her intently for a few moments. "That sounds dreadful," Kie said. "Absolute extinction… I cannot believe this."

"You should believe it," Elliot chastised lightly. "Because that was the only method that they used to punish those who would not follow them, earning them their reputation of bloodshed and savagery. What I do not understand is why it was not used on the Soul Society."

Kie shot her a questioning look.

"Do you remember the attempted genocide of the Shirubaraito? By law, the nations were forbidden to interact with one another. It was also supposed to be impossible for one nation to communicate directly with another, and even more so for a shinigami from another nation to visit a nation apart from their own. When the Seireitei invaded them and attempted to wipe them out, they caught the attention of the council. After Sekhmet's attempt at revenge and the inability of the Gotei Thirteen to defend themselves without the help of the Juzo Hosho, they are sicking the latter upon you like dogs. This does not make sense. If the force is used as the ultimate punishment, and what the Soul Society did was deserving of it, why isn't it being used?" Kie opened her mouth to say something but seemed to be at a loss or words. She looked back down at her papers again and Elliot resumed speaking. "The fact that the council is not eradicating the Gotei Thirteen, or has not already done so, can only mean one of two things. The first thing is that this "force" is a myth and has never actually been real. The second thing is that the Juzo Hosho have struck some kind of deal or agreement with the council, which is completely unheard of. Never have I, nor any other Shinigami who has told me tales of the Reiteki Rojin, heard of them making a deal with someone. I have never understood them to such a thing."

Kie shifts from her position uncomfortably. It was obvious to Elliot that she was beginning to worry about the information as she was presented with it. Unfortunately, Elliot had more stress to pour upon Kie's shoulders, because she was far from done.

"I have heard many tales of their use of the so-called "force", but that is exactly what they are - tales, myths and stories. There is no hard evidence that this "force" exists. but if it does and they are not using it, it can only leave us to wonder if they've struck a deal with the Juzo Hosho, or perhaps if they've threatened them with the force. Don't let yourselves become complacent, however. The council is revered for their brutality, and if provoked they can still eradicate you."

Kie frowned. "How would they know?"

"Because they see everything," Elliot answered simply. "The council is rumored to have six members, but there is no record surviving that can confirm this. They remain omnipresent, yet nobody knows how. They remain hidden, and yet nobody knows where. If they are omnipresent, then they obviously know of the Juzo Hosho's failure to fulfill the request given to them, and they are most likely fuming about it. If their past is any indication of what the council will do to them if they do not succeed, then the Juzo Hosho's approach is going to become more frequent, and likely more ferocious. If you encounter them, it is likely they will not hesitate to attempt to kill you."

"But that's just it," Kie began. "I know about the genocide, I was there when it happened. If what you say is true and the Juzo Hosho have some kind of deal with them, then what would the Juzo Hosho get out of it?"

Elliot pondered this for a moment. "You bring up a good point. That isn't a question that others would readily ask if they didn't have the information that you do. But to answer it - there is a large possibility that the force does indeed exist and that they are simply manipulating the Juzo Hosho. But there is no evidence to either support or disprove that. The Juzo Hosho are likely doing it simply so that they can survive."

"But then they must have known that we would fight back."

"Of course they did. It's in our nature as humans turned soul reapers to turn and fight should our survival be threatened," she replied steadily. "There is a prime example of this hidden within the past of many different nations. In the centuries just before my birth here as a soul reaper, the nations worked together quite well, having good relations and being able to freely travel between them. But some nations had disagreements which lead to war with one another, and the Reiteki Rojin began to pay attention to this particularly after the great wars had begun. The most notable war was a bloodbath that lasted for two-hundred years, and was between ten different nations, the names of which have been lost over time. This war was so devastating and destructive that it threatened the balance between all of the soul reaping nations. Because of this, the Reiteki Rojin had apparently used the force to wipe out many of the nations involved. With seven destroyed only three remained - The Soul Society, Ukishima Rakuen and Shirubaraito."

A look of utter shock registers upon Kie's face. "The two nations that either have tried to destroy us or are currently trying are the ones who survived?"

"Yes. But you must remember that the Soul Society actually deserves this kind of punishment for their actions towards the Shirubs, although I wouldn't go so far as to completely annihilate you," Elliot murmured. "But you misunderstand, Kie. Our relationship with those two nations travels back very far. Our history with them is one that runs very deep into the roots of what is currently happening. Deeper than you understand. I know that you knew of the distress beacon that was sent out during the encounter with Sekhmet."

Kie nodded slowly.

"It was no coincidence that the Juzo Hosho intercepted that Beacon and later responded in kind." Elliot watched as her friends expression shifted momentarily as that registered in her mind. "This is because, before any of you younglings in the Soul Society were brought here, or even existed for that matter, the two nations were allied with one another, quite strongly I might add. The bond that they shared was not easily broken, even by the passage of time. That is why the signal had somehow reached them and they responded by helping you. It was also not a coincidence that the Soul Society knew about the Shirubaraito, for the technique they were famous for, the Jisshi Taiyo, had helped win many battles."

Kie grimaced. "Using it against us, no doubt?"

"No, actually. We were allied with them as well. As I said before, the relations between the three nations run deep. Their roots are tangled together like three trees that grew in close proximity to one another. But after the war, feuds arose among them. After the fighting had been resolved due to the intervention of the council, every nation in existence feared what they could do with it. Because of this war and its outcome, they erected the ultimate form of protection, called the "Seal of Infinity." This seal was symbolic of the divide that would now forever be between the nations, placing each of them into their own pocket in space. But it was also an entity in and of itself. Every nation was given a key that would allow them to pass from their own dimension into the human world, as was its sole purpose. The Seal of Infinity was, indefinitely, meant to keep the nations from communicating with one another, allying, and most importantly warring. This was spawned from the belief that if they were separated from one another, they would not fight and would no longer give the council a reason to interfere., effectively sparing them from any further wrath that would have been dispensed by the Reiteki Rojin."

"That must not have lasted long," Kie commented.

Elliot shook her head. "Unfortunately it did not. You see, bonds like the ones shared between the Soul Society and the Shirubs and Ukira are not easily broken, much like the bonds between friends. The Shirubs discovered that, if they allowed it, they would be able to communicate via Hell Butterfly in between nations in order to grant another being from a different nations permission to enter theirs. This was how they ended up bypassing the Seal that had been set in place, by using their own key along with the key that the Soul Society possessed, allowing them to cross the bridge between nations. Sadly, one of their own betrayed them one day. The Soul Society feared the force that had helped them win so many battles, so many wars - the Jisshi Taiyo - and so they invaded and attempted to destroy them."

"Horrible…" was the only word that Kie could mutter. Her eyes were wide with shock and her mouth hung ajar as she took all of it in.

"It is truly unfortunate for every party involved." Elliot paused. "While it is true that friendships can transcend lifetimes, the same can be said for feelings of fear, envy and greed. This is ultimately the reason that the Reiteki Rojin wish for you to be destroyed. Because the Soul Society was foolish enough to let such emotions blind them and taint their actions."

Kie furrowed her brow, looking from Elliot down to the notes she had written. It had taken up the whole notebook just to write the words that Elliot had spoken to her. Sighing and slipping the pencil into the spiral of the notebook, she stood atop her stone perch and looked to her friend.

"Thank you, Ellie," she smiled gratefully. "This information will be of great use to us. I will gladly put it to work as soon as I return to the Seireitei."

"It was no trouble," she responded whilst waving her hand.

Kie looked around the garden one last time before sighing tiredly. "I suppose I should be going." Elliot looked up at the sky and was surprised to find that her speech had taken nearly the whole day, as the sun had cast a deep, crimson glow about the place. The sound of Kie's voice caused her to turn her head again. "The Soul Society will need this information as soon as possible, so I hope you don't mind if I take my leave," she stated before bowing politely to Elliot. Moments later, she had made it to the edge of the property and crossed the threshold back into the main palace.

Elliot remained rooted to the spot, simply staring at the rock across from her as she pondered. Yes indeed. The Soul Society has a long and brutal struggle ahead of them. I can only hope that they are able to defend themselves. This was the thought that frequently came to her as she simply sat in her zen garden and gazed at the empty stone and the sand that surrounded it, which were bathed in an eerie red light, and she couldn't help but think that it looked slightly like blood.

{Dem Feels2}

Aexus wasn’t even aware he was in his quarters until his Lieutenant, Ghelon Kahiho, slid open the door and sat down in front of him; he reasoned that his mind must have lapsed after leaving the Captain’s meeting. He hadn’t been his usual self at all since his most recent clash with Sumiko Anenokoji.
But it was Ghelon that was most concerned with his Captain’s recent behavioural changes; Aexus was… different? He was more proactive, more impatient, more irritable and a lot bolder; all things the usual Aexus wasn’t, at least when he wasn’t in battle. It just didn’t seem right, at least for him anyway. Ghelon had seen his Captain get seriously riled and stressed many times before, but Aexus had always remained his usual lax self when getting over it. Even after his first encounter with the Jūzō Hoshō, Ghelon had noticed that Aexus hadn’t been affected too much. Sure Aexus had realised the differences in power that time, but his core nature hadn’t changed as a result. Had his Jūzō Hoshō opponent broken him that badly this time?

Ghelon Kahiho: Do you have a minute?

Aexus Gingumaru: (His gaze is unfocused and it seems he is looking right through his Lieutenant) What do you want Lieutenant?

Ghelon Kahiho: (He narrows his dark blue eyes in concern but keeps them trained on his Captain’s face) Aexus, what’s going on?

Aexus Gingumaru: (He focuses his vision and attempts to look into Ghelon’s eyes) Nothing. (He quickly averts his gaze)

Ghelon Kahiho: *his voice is tranquil but the concern is still evident* It’s clearly far from nothing… you’ve been acting differently ever since you woke up from your battle with the Jūzō Hoshō Captain.

Aexus Gingumaru: I am the same person as before Lieutenant; nothing has changed.

Ghelon Kahiho: *deadpan* When have you ever referred to me by my position title? (Aexus opens his mouth to reply) Don’t bother. I’ve known you longer than you can remember; I almost find it insulting when you try to bullshit me.

Aexus Gingumaru: (His face hardens in frustration and he heatedly exhales audibly) Okay… it’s Captain Roychi. I don’t like his attitude of late.

Ghelon Kahiho: Oh?

Aexus Gingumaru: Yes. His inexperience is getting the better of him and the cracks are beginning to show.

Ghelon Kahiho: *deadpan* Bullshit.

Aexus Gingumaru: *subdued surprised* Excuse me?

Ghelon Kahiho: (His glare does not leave Aexus) Bullshit. What’s really eating at you Aexus?

Aexus Gingumaru: (He tenses, visibly uncomfortable, and clenches his jaw in frustrated reluctance) …

Ghelon Kahiho: *his tone is sinister yet comforting* What happened Aexus? What did she do? (Aexus gets to his feet and begins to walk past him and towards the door; with unprecedented speed he tightly grabs Aexus’ wrist) Why are you binding your tongue?

Aexus Gingumaru: (He pushes away the Ghelon’s hand, walks to the door and slides it open) *ashamedly* My mortality was called into question… I realised I fear death more than anything. (He takes a step outside of his quarters) *sickly* I can’t even fix my spiritual energy properly anymore… (He flash steps away)

Ghelon sighed and got to his feet. He’d managed to get some information out of Aexus, but he knew well enough that there were still things left to discern. He stepped outside of his Captain’s quarters, making sure to slide the door shut behind him, and quickly flash stepped after him.

{Memories of One Dead Soul}

Within his Captain’s quarters in the 11th Division barracks, Livius sat in a meditative position, his zanpakutō settled on his lap, as he prepared to enter Jinzen. A satisfied smirk was painted on his face as he opened his eyes to find himself in his inner world.

South Rukongai, 66th District. The area where he was from and the form his inner world took. Livius’ inner world Rukongai was largely deserted and heavily destroyed from previous battles with his zanpakutō spirit. But, unlike most other inner worlds, his was populated. Not by other souls or fragments of his zanpakutō spirit, but by the stolen essences of every person he had used Honshitsu Kyūshū on; to be exact the ‘essences’ were the memories of his victims taking on the form they had immediately prior to death, damage and all. There were hundreds of them dotted around his inner world but, despite them taking on human-like forms, they did not speak, breathe, move or even blink; instead just stood, open-eyed and motionless, like a statue.
Livius looked around his empty-looking inner world until his eyes settled on a point on one of the many roofs of the shacks. His zanpakutō spirit, Shishōmen, was manifesting. It took less than a second for it to morph from a wispy shadow into its hooded, ghost-like form. Its cloak covered its seemingly very bony body and stopped just above its feet, revealing exposed skeletal extremities, and its hood aptly covered its head leaving only one of its glowing mauve-coloured eyes visible from within the murky darkness.

Shishōmen: *its voice is deep, dry and masculine* Whose essence are you here for?

Livius Abel: (His smirk turns into a devilish grin) Harimakku Sojan’s. I saw someone in his memory that piqued my interest and I need to observe them in more detail.

Shishōmen: (Although nothing but darkness can be seen from the inside of Shishōmen’s hood, Livius could swear he saw Shishōmen grinning devilishly too) Come.

The two slowly traversed through the Captain’s inner world, passing many stationary essences along the way. Eventually Shishōmen reached a beaten up shack and entered with Livius following suit. Inside was the essence of the former 8th Division Captain.

Livius Abel: (He grunts haughtily as he looks at Sojan’s desecrated body as it appeared just before he died, but the devilish grin remains on his face)*disgusted* What a mess.

Shishōmen: (He stands in between Livius and Sojan’s essence) Are you ready? (Livius nods and lets a small chuckles loose from his lips)

Shishōmen put one hand on Livius’ head and the other on the head of Sojan’s essence and when Livius next blinked he found himself somewhere near the 1st Division barracks. He was moving very quickly and he could see two Jūzō Hoshō Captains in his sights. Livius was now inside of Sojan’s memory and was experiencing everything Sojan did and could feel everything Sojan’s body had felt. In the memory Sojan’s body was also Livius’ body, except that Livius was merely an observant.


<From this point everything in italics is part of Sojan’s memory playing out, anything that is not in italics is Livius speaking his thoughts>

Harimakku Sojan: (He silently launches Kongōbaku at the two Jūzō Hoshō Captains, which the two evade) Breathe, Ryū Ken!

Akihiko Seinosuke: (He swivels expertly on his toe and blocks the large blade of Sojan with apparent ease) *coldly* You must be the Gotei br-

Harimakku Sojan: (He thrusts his palm in Akihiko’s direction) Sōkatsui!

Akihiko Seinosuke: (He grunts derisively as he hastily flash steps out of the way of the point-blank kidō attack) How impertinent…

So this is Jūzō Hoshō Captain Akihiko Seinosuke? Just as I saw before…

Akihiko put some distance between himself and his offender and observed Sojan's appearance. Yushi flash stepped beside Akihiko and glancingly looked at his comrade. Sojan could see the two Captains conversing before one flash stepped away and sat on a roof.

Akihiko Seinosuke: You are another new Captain aren’t you? The fear in your reiatsu is evident…

The fear coursing through this body is sickening… *derisively* anyone would notice it. (His vision blurs as he fast-forwards the memory)

Sojan gaped at his opponent, chilled by his cold, icy stare, but thawed by the heat resonating from the density of his spiritual pressure, as he stepped out from beneath the shards of the vanquished Bakudō. Breaking out of a full-powered, level 90 bakudō spell? (He grunts indifferently) He couldn’t fathom how Akihiko managed to thwart such kidō, especially after having fought another Captain, not even moments before. He briefly relived the moments before he confronted Akihiko, his mind filled will reels of information. *irritated* Why does this Shinigami think about such meaningless memories? His attention returns, staring directly into the eyes of a man that preaches non-violence. This same man now possesses an aura of tremendous fury. He suddenly steps backwards, as though his body was retreating involuntarily. His instinct to escape harm had broken through his confidence and become passive, like that of his breath. Sojan, you pathetic piece of shit…

Akihiko Seinosuke: I’m aware there are obvious dangers for any soul reaper, but when my life becomes genuinely threatened, especially by the likes of you, I find myself descending into a dark place. I still possess the composure and concentration necessary to deal with you quickly, but my compassion subsides. What I find even less acceptable… is your reasoning for confronting me. You stand before me, not as a noble warrior or even a concerned comrade, but as a weak-minded man that hopes to prove himself as mighty. When I look into your eyes, I clearly see your intention for battling me. And it’s repugnant.

With those words Akihiko dashed at Sojan, reciting his release command and enabling his sword to turn into energy and split into two. It manifested as two separate blades, one in each hand, as he descended upon his opponent. His swift movements no longer possessed the restraint. His movements are lethal, precise, and, above all else, unyielding. *interested* So his zanpakutō is named Kiwamete? And he is a dual wielder. Hm. Sojan narrowly evaded his opponent’s swing, choosing to follow with a more defensive strategy. He attempted to vanish from sight with his speed, but he soon discovered, no matter how effectively he utilized shunpo, he couldn’t escape his opponent’s onslaught. He rapidly moved across the ground, sliding next to the side of a nearby building. He leapt onto the wall, flashing from sight and landing above. His footwork was agile, as he glided across the building, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. His feet landed firmly on the subsequent building, putting an end to his evasive strategy. His eyes met Akihiko’s, a chill slowly overtaking his body.

(He closely and intensely observes Akihiko’s movements) Hm, impressive. (The blurred vision comes back as he fast-forwards the memory a little)

Akihiko Seinosuke: (His arms fall to his side, like lead) Bankai… Hijiiri Kiwamete.

*excitedly* Bankai? (He surveys the two long, pure white nodachi with the left possessing rings that line the neck of the blade) What can it do?

Sojan’s sight focused beyond his skilfully summoned kidō, still barrelling toward Akihiko, to the magnificent light summoned by the release of his Bankai. His body felt the weight of his opponent’s spiritual energy as his release asserts itself into the present. He watches as his attack is peculiarly neutralized, leaving him to wonder the means behind Akihiko’s defence. Before he can withdraw from his posture responsible for releasing his kidō, he is assaulted, as Akihiko’s blade sliced his hand, severing two fingers. Sojan quickly retreated, clutching his hand as blood poured between his knuckles. He raised his head and scowled, as Akihiko definitely and leisurely advanced.

Akihiko Seinosuke: (He steps over Sojan’s fingers, never disconnecting his gaze and directs his attention to his opponent’s injury, glancing at this only briefly) You’re likely already feeling the magnitude of difference between us. Your mind is feverishly searching for answers, hoping to stumble upon a solution to your very lethal encumbrance. You can’t determine how or why your hand is no longer functional, but you know kidō, no matter how useful, is not an effective method for thwarting me.


(Livius continues to observe Akihiko dominate Sojan, carefully and ardently scrutinizing the Jūzō Hoshō Captain’s every sword stroke, foot step and muscle movement, but pays extra close attention when Sojan is nearing death)


Akihiko Seinosuke: And now, you will experience first-hand the consequences of such unrelenting disregard…

Akihiko pulled his blades back, fluidly advancing his strategy. He slammed his foot into Sojan’s ankle, bringing him to the ground. As the Gotei 13 Captain collided with the soil, Akihiko’s left nodachi pierced his broad-sword, pinning it to the ground. With lightning fast reflexes he rotated his right nodachi in his hand and struck the same region with his other blade, rendering a large fracture along the neck of the broad-sword. Sojan leapt to his feet, kicking Akihiko in the chest and leaping backwards. He darted towards him swinging his blade, only to have it shattered with a single swing of Akihiko’s nodachi. His eyes widened as the pieces fell to the ground, leaving behind a blunt, tapered segment of the blade. His eyes widened in paralyzing awe, as his greatest weapon was shattered before his eyes.

(He chuckles in contempt at Sojan’s apparent weakness, silently pitying the rush of emotions running through man’s mind)

Akihiko Seinosuke: As a shinigami weakens, over-working their reiryoku, so too does the zanpakutō. The longer you utilize your Bankai, the less robust the blade will be, due in part to the depletion of your spiritual energy. Of course, if it weren’t for our severe gap in strength, I may not have been able to shatter it with such ease, but my suspicions were confirmed. You’re much weaker than I had previously anticipated.

Sojan stood before his fractured blade, watching as it continued to crumble beneath his feet. His mortality was becoming evident, though it had escaped him for centuries due to his strength as a Shinigami. His eyes wandered across his blade as the clouds above slowly gathered around the dimly lit moon. Akihiko watched as the clouds swelled, breaking under the pressure. Rain began descending from above, drenching the landscape. Akihiko looked at his hand for a moment, as the rain washed away Sojan’s blood from his wrist. His lip began to slump, finding displeasure in the cleansing quality of the rain. He raised his head and glared at Sojan, watching as the rain purified his bloodied body. The bloodied water drained down Sojan’s body, seeping into the soil, leaving little evidence of bloodshed.

Akihiko Seinosuke: This just won’t do, I’m afraid.

Harimakku Sojan: (He maintains a steady gaze, his eyes pulsating as his opponent’s expression remains indiscernible) What are you blathering about?

Akihiko Seinosuke: I cannot allow the rain to wash away your shame, which would be far too honourable for a man such as yourself. No, you must remain broken, so when your body is found by the others, you won’t have a modicum of pride remaining. Like your veins, you will have been emptied of such luxuries. Your blood-stained body would have been a testament to your profound defeat, demonstrating your inadequacy and shaming your title as a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. If I allowed the rain to mask you as merely a victim, well, this whole struggle would have been for naught. And if your blood no longer depicts your shame, then I must find a more creative method for doing so.

Akihiko’s eye contact with Sojan does not waiver as he ominously steps forward, prompting the Gotei Captain to raise his shattered blade. (He laughs cruelly as he listens to Sojan’s inner thoughts) Then, the two Captains launched themselves at each other…

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE… (Livius’ eyes widen in sadistic contentment as he just manages to view Akihiko’s incredible strength and Hohō allow the Jūzō Hoshō Captain to majestically cleave through Sojan with one swing of the nodachi in his right hand) *sadistically sneering* Brutal… AND GRIPPING SILENCE…

Sojan held his jagged, shattered blade forward, his expression loosening and his eyes becoming tremulous; his body remained stiff, muscles tight and resistant. Then, his muscles relaxed in a simultaneous exhale of the body; his eyes ceased the tremors and his expression dulled, his eyes losing their vitality and pupils expanding. His right arm, flush to his side, abruptly detached just below the elbow, landing clumsily on the ground; his left arm stationary in the air, his shattered blade in hand, began to withdraw, but only in effect to his shifting torso. A bloodied splintering erupted horizontally across his waist, angled enough where his entire torso slid off his body and landed awkwardly behind his feet; his cheek was pressed firmly into the ground, conveniently positioning his eyes evenly with Akihiko’s feet. *disgusted* The miserable excuse for a Gotei 13 Captain deserved nothing less. *satisfied* Shishōmen I have seen enough.

<Sojan’s memory is over; normal writing format resumes from this point>


In his next few blinks of his eyes Livius found himself first back in his inner world and then back to reality. Harimakku Sojan’s memories had served him better than he thought they would; the Jūzō Hoshō Captain known as Akihiko Seinosuke had provided him with valuable insight into how the Jūzō Hoshō fought and only sweetened the Kenpachi’s desire to steal his essences. But first he would have to crush his corresponding Captain, Elizabeth Renoir. His internal bloodlust swelled as he imagined obliterating her from existence; violent vengeance would be sweet.




The night was dark and muggy and the SRDI and 12th Division barracks were relatively unguarded, much to Livius’ pleasure. Suppressing his reiatsu and innate murderous intent as best he could, Livius made his way towards Captain Geißt’s quarters, making sure he wasn’t seen along the way. Eventually he reached the entrance and silently slipped inside her quarters. Nothing looked or felt different about her room; it was still as cluttered as he remembered and, fortunately for him, Kie Geißt was nowhere to be found. He walked over to her desk and, with an ominously devious grin, placed a report on to it. His personal task completed, he flash stepped away, wickedly pleased with his actions.

Aisumasutā, now done with regular practice with the lower ranks, may his way to the squad seven’s ground. A place that used to seem isolated from most of the soul society. A place just like him…in a way. He remembered that the past captain in charge of squad seven was a very active man…but his replacement was just the opposite…as far has he heard.

The grounds where quiet, peaceful…but the smell of war and blood could still be smelled, even in an isolated place like this. He stopped to look over at a cherry tree, just now blossoming. This bought a smile to Aisumasutā’s lips, a smile rarely seen by others.

???: “HAaaaa…this hits the spot, I'm starting to feel better.” Aisumasuta stiff up for a moment. As the manly voice came from the other side of the tree. Carefully with one hand on his sword he walked around to the side of the tree. “Ahhh…now if this war would end, then this would be perfect.” The man that was sitting on the over side had black hair covering his eyes. From the side, he saw that his ear was priced and that he had a captain’s robe. The man looked up to show is deep red eyes and sighed. “Don’t tell me you here for a fight.” Now he turned back down. “I just started to drink my wine.” Aisumasutā quickly relaxed his hand and bowed.

“My apologies, I did not think anyone else would be here at the moment.” The man looked up again and shrugged.

“Naw…I had a little time, so I went walking then I found this tree. So I went back to the barracks got some wine and came back.” He took a drink from the gored and smiled. “Ahh…so why you here…Aisumasutā.”

“You know me?”

“Just as much as the next guy. From the records your pretty weak, but I heard about the fight with Kento.
You are not as week as people believe.” Aisumasutā stood for a moment then sighed.

“Minded if I joined you? I need a second to clear my head.” The man nodded and Aisumasutā sat down.

“So you heard about me?” The man nodded.

“Your rank is sixth seat of 12, I believe. You have white hair down little past your shoulders. And everywhere you walk, things just get a little colder.” Aisumasutā was surprised by what the man knew. “Oh…and you always have that snow pattern arm band on. That is what really sets you apart.” Aisumasutā looked down on his arm. “Other than that, you seem to be the average Joe…so to speak.”
“Hmm…not bad, I must say your well informed. But I prefer for people to know very little of me.” The man shrugged.

“Fair enough, after all you know little of me at the moment.”

“Oh…right, where are my manners, may I ask your name?”

“Aexus, Aexus Gingumaru captain of squad seven.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Ah…have a drink and we good. You look like you could use it too.” Aexus handed the gored to Aisumasutā, and he took it. Aisumasuta looked down at it for a moment then to a drink. The wine was on the sweeter side, but not bad. He sighed and pasted it back to Aexus.

“Thanks, I need that.” Aexus nodded and took a drink himself. “Sorry for asking this, but you be a battle ageist the Juzo right?”

“Yay…why?”

“I would like to know how they are able to steal spirit energy form us.” Aexus looked at him and thought for a moment.

“I don’t know. The only ones who might have a clue is Reach and development. Captain Kie I think may know more if you can meet up with her.”

“Uh…thank you. But I prefer not to see Kie…she and I have, a mixed history.” Aexus raised an eyebrow then shrugged.

“Well it’s her or next to no one. Good luck Aisu.” Aisumasuta stood up and bowed.

“Thanks for the drink.” Now he started his way to the squad twelve barracks where he hoped to find Kie, even throw he still did not know what to say.

{A frozen tear falls.}

Aisumasutā spent many hours in the reach labs, checking and rechecking data on the Juzo Hosho. Sadly the data was thin, all the files that could answer his questions seemed to be with Kie. And he still was not ready to see her…not just yet anyway.

After his seventh…or eighth hour of checking the files, Aisumasutā decided to switch from skills in kido, to zanpakotu. However, this prove to be just another dead end. So he nearly gave up, when one file came up on the terminal screen. The display show two names, the way he was promoted and one sentence of information.

“Captain Livius Able. Zanpakotu: Shishomen. Way to captain stats: Killed pervious captain in front of 200 squad members. As such he is current kenpachi. Any father information is unknown.” Aisumasutā look over his past searches over the current captain’s zanpakotu. All of which show at least their shiki powers, about three showed banki. However, this Livius, showed next to nothing. This was not surprising. Aisumasutā heard rumors about the captain when he was helping with repairs. From what he overheard, Livius is two things. The kenpachi, and rumored demon.

“Have you found what you’re looking for sir?” Aisumasutā turned to face one of the reach care takers. The man was thin and weak look, almost exactly what you would except from a reasher, not fit to fight.

“I’m just about to leave, thank you for the notes.” He bowed to the reacher the started making his way to squad 11 barracks. A place with some…funny and yet painful memories.
-----------------------------------------­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­---­-
After a half hour Aisumasutā made it to the squad 11 barracks, home to the most blood thirsty of the Gotei 13. Even now, one hundred years later, he could still smell his spilled blood from the last kenpachi. He turned and looked over at the gate and saw a very small spot of discoloration, where his blood land hounded years ago. Even now that kenpachi still lived, in one of his many nightmares.
Slowly Aisumasutā walked down the familiar path of the barracks. On his way he turned to look at two squad members sparing, smiling as their blades kept getting closer to flesh with each swing. Something’s never change, no matter how many years pass. Slowly Aisumasutā made his way over to the two combatants. He raised one hand and the two stopped their match to turn to him.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your match, but I’m looking for captain kenpachi Livius. Know where I can find him.” The two looked at each other and laughed. “I’m serious.” The two stopped laughing, but kept smiling.

Member 1 “You must be joking? What, are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Member 2 “Even if you find him, he won’t talk to you.”

“Why is that?” Ask Aisumasutā.

Member 1 “He doesn’t talk to weaklings. And, by the look of your spirit energy…your very weak. And besides you don’t know how to speak our langue.” Aisumasutā sighed and slowly started to draw his sword.

Member 2 “Well now, he does knows how to speak our langue.”

Member 1 “Well then, let’s see if he can walk the walk then!” The two changed at Aisumasutā at once, not going for blood, but not going to just let him walk. Aisumasutā knew that this would mostly likely happen and was prepared. He threw his sword straight up and drew the squad members attain way from his hands.

“Bakudo 62: Hyapporankan.” Aisumasutā quickly lined his hands up, and watched as the hexagonal beams of light shot at the two. The first one was token down almost too easily, the other had enough sense to flash-step out of the way.

Member 2 “You missed me!” Aisumasutā looked up above him and saw the second member coming down at him, but he still was not surprised.

“Bakudo 63: Sajo Sabaku.” The chains of light wrapped around the attacking member and flung him to the ground with ease. Now Aisumasutā turned to the two and made his last move. “Bakudo 73: Tozansho.” Two boxes of light appeared, tapping the combatants inside. With that down Aisumasutā raised his hand and caught his sword by the handle as it had finally fallen. He sheathed his sword and looked at the two. “Now that formalities are out of the way, where can I find Kenpachi Livius?” The two looked at each other and chuckled, then one of them pointed.

Member 2 “Right behind you!” Aisumasutā quickly turned as he felt a sudden rise of spirit energy. There standing behind him stood a man covered with burn scares. His sword by his side, and a flame in his eyes. Aisumasutā now knew why some called him…a demon.
The man stood their looking down at Aisumasutā for a moment then turned to the two squad members. Now he looked down at Aisumasutā again, with a dark look in his eye.

“You took on both of them and won? Let them go…now.” Even with his low tone, Aisumasutā could feel blood lust in the man’s voice. Aisumasutā snapped his fingers and the kidos he cast vanished. The man turned to the squad members and snarled. “Get lost weaklings.”

“YES SIR!” Said the two as the flash-stepped away, leaving Aisumasutā alone with the demon looking man.

“Now then, you were looking for me? You waste of space.” Aisumasutā know had his senses back and straighten himself, making sure to keep a respectful pose.

“Captain Livius, I’m here to ask you a few questions about yourself, mostly about your zanpakotu.”

“Go to hell.” Aisumasutā could feel the power in Livius’s voice and near turned to run, the reason he didn’t was the cold touch of his zanpakotu’s spirit energy. He stood there for a moment then spoke again.

“I’m under orders to reach the Juzo Hosho. And when I reached a dead end, I started looking up the new captains.” Livius looked at him for a moment the turned to look at Aisumasutā’s arm band.

“Oh…yeah…your that bastard that high tailed it hounded years ago.” Aisumasutā nodded in a shameful way. “Good…now get lost. I have no time for cowards like you.” Livius walked past Aisumasuta and started heading to the barrak’s building. Aisumasutā turned quickly for one last try to stop the man.

“But sir, my orders are to---“

“You have nothing to do with me!” Call Livius without turning. “Or with anyone else of the Gotei 13 for that matter! You cowered out right before the fighting started! You have no right standing on this grounds! No…you don’t even have the right to breath within a thousand miles of here!” Livius turned to face Aisumasutā. “Now, I don’t care who you were back then. Or how strong you are now. In my eyes, your just a piece of shit that needs to be cleaned up a thrown out before someone steps in it.” He turned his back to Aisumasutā. “Now, I’m in a pretty decent mood right now, so I’ll let you off with that, that is if you leave now. And don’t let me catch you near my barracks again.” Aisumasutā watched as Livius walked through the doors into the barrack building. He stood there for a moment then flash-stepped away.
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After an hour or so, Aisumasutā stopped at a small waterfall. He found a rock and sat down, placing his zanpakotu on the ground as he did so. He sat there alone, remembering his past.

“He’s right, I was just a coward…I don’t have the right be here. Not when he found me. Not when I pasted the tests. And not even when I got that name!” Aisumasutā said, almost yelling, to himself. “But…I’ll prove him wrong one day. One day, I’ll finally be able to speak my turn name…then maybe I’ll finally forgive myself.” A tear formed in his eye and he wiped it away. He watched as the tear froze as it fell. Now Aisumasutā stood up and picked up his sword. “No…I will not let him break me. I will not fail this time…this time...the one I care about will not be harmed.” With that Aisumasutā started his way to Kie’s barracks. And as he left, the frozen tear grew the shape of a flower, sadly it will melt before anyone could see it.

[Internal Dissension]

Yushi, after the rigorous few days previous, had decided to continue training. It was a great day for it. One of those days where it was nice and clear, no clouds in the sky and a gentle breeze brushing through the trees on the border of the training grounds. It was a great day for it, because, it was perfect for him to meditate and hone his skills, at least, his sensory skills. His senses were attuned at the moment, he likely would have been able to hear a pin drop a mile away - the breeze was loud in itself and he could hear it rustling the leaves of trees close by... and, by no means were any of these noises quiet. Another was his ability to sense spirit energy. He knew exactly where the other Captains were, being able to easily sense their presence, even among the massive area of Ukishima Rakuen. They were like bright beacons of spiritual energy strands. Of course, only one man was more difficult to sense than the others, and he had already disappeared from Yushi's scope. Yes, as he had always maintained, the man was an enigma.

So, Nanu, you still won't respond to me?

Nothing. Again. She was being particularly anti-social this time, not even bothering to explain anything to him, nor say when she might decide to respond to him, as a Zanpakuto. At this rate, he would be useless in the next fight with the Shinigami. Of course, if she wanted him to fight without her and get them both killed, then that was her choice. However, he would avoid that. It's not like he was flaring with bloodthirst, or any such primitive notions, like that brute would be right now. Thinking of him just made Yushi sick to his stomach and his mind began to waver. He opened his eyes and exited from the meditative state.

'Curse you, Meibatsu. You are so repulsive, I can't even meditate when I think of all your shortcomings. Why did I have to go and think of something so damn repugnant?' Yushi said to himself, uninterested in anyone else hearing him.

He closed his eyes again and slowly, but surely, began to attune to the world around him. Life was so fascinating. Spirit energy, reiryoku, was interesting. The network of energy, and how it was interconnected and attuned, with most spiritual beings was also interesting. If he hadn't become the Captain of Stealth and Assassination, he would have considered becoming a biologist in his own right and would have studied the world around him. He would have found peace of mind that way. Instead, he was the leader of the Assassination and Stealth Corps and was probably going to be fighting the Shinigami again, in the near future. Oh, how he would love to give that all up and just study life around him.

'Captain!' one of his men called out, from fairly close by.

Yushi opened his eyes, the unwelcome interruption irritating him slightly, especially when he was attuned so well and was thinking about such calming thoughts. 'What?! What is it? You know better than to interrupt me when I'm meditating...'

The man sighed. He was an unseated member of his squad, but a good man, nonetheless and a fearsome fighter. 'Sorry, Captain, but I was asked to come and give you a message... I told him it would be best not to interrupt you while you were meditating, but he insisted and said it was extremely important that you respond immediately...'

'Who are you referring to, when you say 'him'?'

'Oh, Captain Sodo, sir. He was it was imperative that you respond right away... or go along and meet him right now. He's waiting outside the training grounds.'

Yushi realised the man was right, as he sensed Kyobo Sodo waiting outside the training grounds. Funny, he hadn't sensed him prior to him arriving, and there had been a gap of at least five minutes where he hadn't sensed him at all.

Kyobo Sodo, you are much better at holding back your reiatsu than most people would give you credit for, I think...

Yushi nodded at the man, withdrew his head in thanks, then disappeared from the training grounds, right above where Kyobo was standing, his arms folded and a somewhat impatient look upon his face.

'Well... took you long enough, Yushi Kenronri. I see your flash step is as impressive as ever...'

Yushi grinned. 'I was meditating... surely you can understand that the awakening from such a state requires a moment to allow thoughts to gather? I see you have gotten better at hiding your reiatsu...'

Kyobo didn't grin, but kept the serious look on his face. 'You're an interesting man, Yushi Kenronri, however, I have a request for you and I'm not exactly in a joking mood at the moment... let's go somewhere private, where we won't be overheard.'

Wouldn't be overheard... hmmm... interesting... what would it be, important to the extent that no-one could overhear and required his immediate assistance... well, he'd dearly love to find out and he knew a good place...

'Actually, I have a spot, in the forest, where no-one else goes. It is my private thinking spot, when I don't wish to meditate at the training grounds... just follow me, Captain Sodo.'

Kyobo nodded and they both flash-stepped away, in the direction of the forest. This particular forest was on the borders of the slums... which were beyond the main city of Ukishima Rakuen. However, in order to make it to where the Chisai lived, they had to descend from the main islands of the Mujuryoku Seiiki. Not that it was a difficult task for two Captains of the Juzo Hosho. Bypassing the usual entry process, they flash-stepped the distance, both being Captains and possessing a Mastery over the flash-step technique, and appeared outside the forest Yushi spoke of.

'All this way, huh?'

Yushi grimaced. 'You did say it was important that we aren't overheard... this is a good place for that to not happen... plus, from where will be in a moment, I will be able to sense almost anyone coming, from a mile away.'

'What about if it was Akihiko Seinosuke?'

Yushi's eyes widened. Where on earth had that come from. Had Kyobo always been this direct, or was there some kind of meaning behind this. 'Whatever do you mean, Captain Sodo?'

'You know what I mean, Captain Kenronri. Can you sense Akihiko Seinosuke's reiatsu when you focus?'

Yushi relaxed. Just a question. 'Of course not. That man is an enigma. I doubt any Soul Reaper could, besides the Head Captain.'

'Speaking of the devil... let's get to that spot now, Kenronri. I haven't got all day to explain this to you. Let's go.'

Yushi nodded and lead Kyobo to the spot, which wasn't as far away as one might have thought. 'Here we are. We'll be away from unwarranted listening in where we are... I'll know if anyone comes close, unless - well, you know.'

'Yeah. All right, this is the deal. I suspect that something is not right with the Head Captain. From what we know, she has been meeting with the Reiteki Rojin. I want to know what is going on between the Head Captain and the Reiteki Rojin. The questions that were asked during that Captains meeting, well, they've been on my mind, too. What do the Reiteki Rojin have planned for us? Are they going to just let us alone, after we decimate the Juzo Hosho, or will we be next?'

His breath caught, as he realised he'd been thinking as much, too. 'I understand. I feel the same way, as it happens... do you have a plan?

'Yes. But it isn't much. I was thinking that we could ask Captain Anenokoji to assist us in the matter of spying on the Head Captain. I don't know if it is possible, but I may as well try. I was going to ask Jisano to help me with this, but decided that it wasn't such a good idea. So, I figured I'd ask you. You seem to be of the same mindset as myself... I can imagine you pondering such questions... I can't imagine Meibatsu doing such a thing - more likely he'd be thinking of the next person he wants to destroy in some brutal manner. So, would you help me, Captain Kenronri?'

This seemed like a good opportunity to assert himself to a point. 'I shall. I, too, would like to know about the Head Captains intentions, but especially the Reiteki Rojin. It was said as much during the meeting - clearly we do know what their plans are for us after this fight is over. Perhaps it would be best if we knew more about what was going on.'

Kyobo grinned slightly. 'Exactly. I couldn't agree more. So, here's the plan - we visit Captain Anenokoji and ask her if she knows of any way to listen in on the Head Captain's 'meetings' with the Reiteki Rojin.'

'Why don't we do it now?'

'Sure. Why not? At least we can try our luck. If anyone was going to find a way to do such a thing, it would be Sumiko Anenokoji... technology is, no doubt, a viable option for us now.'

'Then, let's go.'

Kyobo and Yushi made their way back to the Mujuryoku Seiiki, not wasting any time they could use for this plan. They had to visit Captain Anenokoji in her office, or somewhere amongst the place where she completed any research for the Juzo Hosho. The Technology Sector. Bypassing the stairs, they shunpoed and eventually found their way around the ridiculously large building. It was not unlike a maze, with such corridors and so many passages leading to and from the many rooms. They finally found Sumiko Anenokoji.

'Captains Sodo and Kenronri. To what do I owe this pleasure...? I wasn't aware of either of you requiring anything from me. So?'

Kyobo spoke. 'Captain Anenokoji. I have a request. I would like your assistance in a certain matter. Tell me, are you happy with what is currently taking place with the Juzo Hosho... I mean, the war?'

'Such trivial matters are irrelevant to me. This war is, as you said, currently taking place... I see no reason why my opinion on it should change. We all follow the laws of the Juzo Hosho, the Kengen and the Reiteki Rojin. Should I assume you two are currently engaging in something you shouldn't?'

'I want you to give us something that can help us spy on the Head Captain. Please.'

Sumiko stared at him, enlightenment dawning upon her. 'Oh, I see. So, that is your goal, Captain Sodo. Well, I'm afraid that I cannot help you.'

My post is coming along quite nicely, and I should have it up soon! In other news, today is my birthday!

Also a (belated or early)Happy Birthday to anyone on the forum who's birthday we missed or has yet to come!

[Shadows of the Mind]

Kyobo was baffled at Sumiko's rather blunt response. A response that did not suit the character of Sumiko, a person who would seek to gather any information at any cost, and in the case of Aexus Gingumaru would put her life on the line to acquire. He sighed despondently. And looked up at her with a look of appealing to her.

"You can't help me? We both know that is a lot of bullshit. The correct answer to our question is you won't help us and I 'm very interested in the reason why you won't help me do something to gain information we all deserve to know."

Sumiko shook her head, clasping her hands together and placing them gently on the wooden desk that separated her from the two would-be spies. "Your words fall on deaf ears Captain Sodo. While I might be a true seeker of information, I do not go back on any agreements I have made. That is the only reason preventing me from helping you at this moment in time."

Kyobo slammed his fist onto her table, while making Yushi jump slightly, not expecting such a reaction from two firm friends, Sumiko remained unmoving, just returning the stare that Kyobo was giving her. "I don't think you understand...."

Sumiko rose to her feet, a vein pulsed in her temple as a look of annoyance crossed her face "No Kyobo I do understand and despite your intentions I can not hep in any way at this moment in time! Now if you insist on wasting my time and arguing over a matter that you do not have the authority to overrule then I suggest you leave or I will have escorted from the building!"

Kyobo opened his mouth to say something but closed it almost immediately and curled his hand into a fist out of frustration. "Thank you for your time Captain Anenokoji." Kyobo said through gritted teeth and turned to leave, Yushi quickly bowing respectfully before he followed Kyobo out of the office, leaving Sumiko sighing sadly.

After they emerged from the Technology Sector with much of there hopes dashed in finding out what was going on between the Head Captain and the Reiteki Rojin. Kyobo paced back and forth ideas going through his rather disgruntled mind, making wilder and crazier attempts to find out what is going on.

"That could...No that won't work at all. We can't do that either.....AH FUCK!!!!" He screamed to the heavens out of pure frustration.

"Calm down Captain Sodo." Yushi said in a vain effort to reassure the enraged man. "Captain Anenokoji's refusal to help was to be expected, but it is only a small bump in the road. I'm sure there is another way for us to spy on the Head Captain."

Kyobo rounded on Yushi, covering the distance between the two quickly, remaining only a mere few centimeters from Yushi. "Well then what's your big idea then? I'd love to here what possible way we can eavesdrop on the Head Captain without her sensing our presence. We don't even know what happens when she gets visited by them"

"Well I cannot promise that we will not be sensed by her but I definitely know she has not left her office apart from when we have had captains meetings. However she makes contact with the Reiteki Rojin it would have been done from that room and as Captain of the Stealth and Assassination Unit, I know the easiest route to her room that will get us there quickly."

Kyobo's fierce body language subsided and he took a couple of deep breathes to calm his boiling blood. He stepped away from Yushi. "Well why did you not say so sooner Yushi, lead on."

Yuahi flashed a quick smile at Kyobo before he flash stepped into the distance, Kyobo following quickly after.

They arrived outside the head captains office in a very short space of time. They quickly crept to the door, treading lightly less they made any noise through the wooden floor creaking beneath their feet. When they quietly placed their ears against the double doors of the Head Captain's office, they heard her sit down in her chair and her breathing slowed gradually.

Yushi looked at Kyobo briefly before opening the door slightly to peer through, surprised that he Head Captain had not noticed their presence yet. He looked upon her form, siting in her chair with a device attached to her head, however the slim crack he was peering through did not allow him to see any details. He was about to open the door wider and take a better look before she took it off again, her brow suddenly sweaty and her breathing was heavier and faster almost as if she had been terrified by something, but she had not placed that thing on her head for longer than a second or two.

The Head Captain slowly got up from her chair, grabbing her walking stick and began pacing slowly, muttering under her breath just loudly enough for the two eavesdroppers to catch the odd word. "So that is what they want....not that much of a problem.....losing one...unduly hurt....Hosho..." She stopped and turned to the door which Yushi had the sense to shut before she fully turned around and gestured to Kyobo to stand up.

"You two get in here now!" She shouted at the door. Both Yushi and Kyobo quickly emerged through the double doors, taking quick glances around the room, their eyes briefly landing on the machine but not staying there to prevent the Captain from noticing. "What were the two of you doing outside of my office doors."

Kyobo stepped forward and bowed his head out of forced respect. "We were just coming to see if there was anything you needed for us to do before the next Captains meeting, Head Captain. We jut didn't announce our presence right away as we could here you were thinking through the door and did not want to disturb you."

The Head Captain's widened noticeably, her voice became low. "How much did you hear"

Yushi took his turn to speak. "We didn't here anything legible Head Captain, you were muttering too quietly to make out any words." Yushi's tone would have received more questions from a more sane person, but the Head Captain seemed relieved my his statement.

"Well I do not need anything from either of you at this moment in time. Just wait until the Captains meeting for your instructions. Now please leave my office." She said as she walked back to her chair while the two eavesdroppers left the room quickly and walked outside of the Squad 1 barracks.

"What the hell was that machine she was using?" Kyobo asked Yushi but knew full well that he would not have a response for him.

"I have no clue. I know she must have talked to the Reiteki Rojin but when? When did she? She couldn't have done it within a second or two." Yushi questioned, ruffling his hair uncomfortably.

"Well we've only got one choice now." Kyobo said with a heavy sigh. "We've got to go back and ask Sumiko what she knows again."

"But she won't tell us anything..."

"No. This time she will. I don't care if she refuses this time. This isn't about some agreement she might have with the Head Captain. This is about our Nation."

Just want to see how many of us are still in the land of the living. Sound off!

To answer BP's question, we will be engaging in one of our final action sequences, leading up to the conclusion of this arc. It will gradually transition into the next. Sorry for my absence, my hard drive on my computer died and I had to wait a couple weeks for my new computer, due to the chaotic weather both here and throughout the country. I'm back, however. I will be posting shortly.

[Eyes Wide Open]

(The dimly lit halls of Sumiko’s forbidden research facility drape effortlessly from the base of the floating island that is Ukishima Rakuen. The massive, inverted pyramid stretches from the rocky underbelly, glistening as the sunlight strikes its obsidian glass shell. Four feet quickly work their way toward the entrance on the surface of the island. They are, of course, met with countless resistance. No one simply enters Captain Anenokoji’s domicile. They are granted entry by her and her alone. The ground behind them begins to quake as a circular platform slowly opens, revealing a series of stairs. They descend into the dark stairwell, only to be confronted by an isolated platform. The moment they place their bodies on the platform walls form around them and they begin descending rapidly)

“She certainly has her way of orchestrating a grand entrance,” Kyobo comments quietly.

Yushi observes their moving prison and raises his brow,” Yes, she certainly does. Too bad we’re the ones she is affording that grand entrance. Why all this nonsense?”

“It isn’t nonsense, not to her. It is important that she keep certain things secret. After all, it isn’t everyday one gets to visit the black diamond,” Kyobo explains happily.

“The black diamond? What is that,” Yushi asks?

“To the casual observer it would appear that the surface holds a pyramid-shaped laboratory, where she conducts all her research and holds countless secrets. But for those fortunate enough to travel below the surface, they will discover a place where even more secrets resides.” They reach the depths of the island and the walls around them vanish. Yushi stares out into the distance, witnessing the splendor and grandeur of the black diamond. His viewed is expanded exponentially as he is able to see the sky and city below the island.

“The black diamond is the whole structure. This is quite impressive. How did no one ever see this,” Yushi asked quizzically?

“She generally leaves it cloaked, so most know not of its presence. And who would honestly believe those below the island?”

“Indeed. So the two halves create a black diamond and this half is hidden from the rest of us. How sneaky and how expected,” Yushi says with a coy smile. The elevator suddenly jolts and they swerve to the right and then rocket backwards. The machine abruptly stops, forcing them to brace themselves on the railing. They look up to see Sumiko casually greeting them with a smile.

“You’ve been seeking me, so I decided not to prolong the anticipation any longer. Honestly, you would have found yourselves lost if you had entered my lab on the surface.”
“It is has been a while since I was able to see this masterpiece. It is nice to be back,” Kyobo says with a delightful grin.

Sumiko responds with a derisive chuckle. “Hah. Yes, of course. Well, follow me.”
Yushi stands idle for a moment, staring around peculiarly. “Uhm…you know why we are here?”

Sumiko glances back at him, raising her brow.” What an absurd question. There isn’t much that happens that I do not know about. It’d be more product for you to dispose with formalities and simply ask me what you’re looking for.”

Kyobo laughs, but is halted by the overwhelming significance of the moment. “Ahem. Sorry, but we need your help on a rather important matter.”

“Yes, yes, I know. How is it you’re the one asking for a favor, but I am the one who is already ten steps ahead.” Her words sting, but the need for aid is what takes precedence.

“We need you to find a way to accommodate our…” Kyobo interrupted by an inpatient Yushi.

“… We need you to break into the head-captains log. Can you do it or not?”

She laughs as she walks down the hallway, leaving the two to stare at one another blankly. “I’ve created almost every piece of technology utilized in this nation, so it isn’t a matter of “breaking in” as it is turning on my monitor. The head-captains requests were incredibly specific. She wanted me to create a device that could both record and store audio and video files and keep prying eyes and ears from snooping. It was simple, really. I simply made a generic device and equipped it with advanced molecular disruptors, which nullify the ability of someone to hear her while she recorded.”

“We couldn’t see her really, either…” Yushi barks.

“If you didn’t interrupt, you’d find I wasn’t finished. And I added a retinal jammer, which made it almost impossible for prying eyes. The science is irrelevant, though. So, you want to know what she is recording, eh? Hoping it is pertinent to the council,” she questions while grinning devilishly?

“Yes,” they both say in unison.

“Alright. It is done. You simply need to select the messages you wish to view.”
Yushi clumsily collapses into a nearby seat, staring at the screen with overwhelming shock. Kyobo rubs his head and raises his brow, baffled by the simplicity of their request. “How’d you do that so quickly?”

“Do you really think I’d complete such a request without placing modifications for just this reason? I value my safety, too, boys.”

“Select this one,” Kyobo remarks decisely. The computer processes the request instantaneously, prompting an automated voice to caption their pursuits.

“Entry 56. Date of submission, one month. Selection length, 12 minutes.” They suddenly see the head-captain, staring blankly into the recorder before her pupils retract and her expression hardens. Her eyes scan the room and she glares directly into the screen.

“It appears I have once again been summoned by those wretched councilmen. I can still feel their grasp, holding tightly onto my body. When they summon me it feels like my brain is be compacted and my soul is being smothered. I’m uncertain their mode of transportation, but I can only assume it is an ancient and powerful form of kido. Regardless, their demands have become more strenuous.” She closes her eyes and rubs her temple, her lip raising slightly into a grin. “Well, it isn’t as difficult as it may seem, rather. I have no qualms about forfeiting one or even two of my captains, as they request, but I do mind if they take my more capable ones. It would be useful if I could modify this predicament to my advantage. My more blind followers are still of use, but Captain Meibatsu and his wicked tongue need to be silenced. It won’t be long until the others are drawn in by his more elaborate displays of defiance. If I could convince the council that he is the more appropriate selection, I could eliminate two threats in one fell swoop. They recognize the strength of Captain Tomoyo and Akihiko, too, however. It is unsettling. I would much rather have Jisano be their choice. Akihiko and Tomoyo are so easily molded. They would never dream of defying my authority. Then there is Akumu. She’s weak compared to Meibatsu, but she is equally troublesome. She’s always questioning things. If only her tongue could be silenced without sacrificing her. Regardless, the council wants a live sacrifice. I’m honestly not certain why, but for some reason they want my most powerful warrior, or two. My new task is to convince them it is Captain Meibatsu. I can’t manage to lose the others. Those meddling members of the council…threatening me…threatening my power and position. And their threats while mysterious seem rather efficient. I’ve been managed to procure documents spanning back a thousand years, of which were buried in millennia old ruins of nations past. It wasn’t until they threatened me with this “power” that I began to wonder what it could be. I knew that if this power was formidable, it would have touched the past and made its mark. And I was right. It took me almost a year, but I found small amounts of documentation that described a force that wiped out nations. None of these documents reported first-hand experience, nor could they provide a description or analysis of the enemy. They simply referred to them as some force that obliterated whatever confronted them. I would much rather avoid this odd entity, whatever it may be, and sacrifice a couple captains. Now that I consider it, I would sacrifice them all to avoid destruction. Captains are easy to come by, but my power was something I spent millennia shaping. Wait…” She stares at shreds of paper, before glaring into the camera with a satisfying glare. Of course! I remember now. This isn’t a myth. The stories are very real. I remember them. When I was a child they called them…” She abruptly turns her head and deactivates the device.

“It appears something interrupted her. You two, perhaps,” Sumiko adds amusingly?

“Indeed…” Kyobo stares at Yushi, grinding his teeth in frustration. “This is bad, very bad. This doesn’t just affect us, Sumiko. You are not excluded.”

“I acknowledge the risks, but I choose not to become paralyzed by it. I will continue to monitor her files. Discontinue your reconnaissance, for now. You’re no good at it and it would be best if she went uninterrupted. That way I could get a complete thought from her.”

Yushi stares at the both, contemplating their position. “We need to inform the others. We cannot keep this secret.”

“I agree, but there are certain captains I hesitate to include,” Kyobo remarks with worry.

“The brute, Meibatsu, of course. He’ll likely, “spill the beans,” as you would say, Kyobo.”

Yushi calmly considers the idea. “Yes, I must agree. We need to truly find the appropriate time to include him, as we cannot exclude him permanently. “

“Let’s report to Akihiko, Tomoyo, Akumu, Gerard, and the others immediately,” Kyobo says persistently.

Who is able to contribute to the upcoming end-of-arc events and the following arc?

Now that most people are available, I think we should continue forward. You may collaborate and choose battle partners, announcing it on here, or it can be first-come, first serve. That would require people to read posts prior to posting, so they know if their desired opponent has already been taken. I believe that would be interesting and the spontaneity would be somewhat refreshing. The Juzo Hosho will converge on the Soul Society and the battle will begin once K0V and BP write the meeting that explains the head-captains plans.

The battles can be anything you'd like. It will be somewhat of a free-for-all. There will be a surprise event that will hopefully make everyone excited. Individual responses are welcome. And by that I mean everyone should channel their character and respond as they genuinely would. :) This next arc will be quite the doozy, I promise. And the end of this arc will lead nicely into it. Many surprises await.

Since Zord has gone missing and I can't find him, I'd like to permanently take control of his character, link (at least until he returns... if he ever returns... he's not coming back is he...)
Also I have a zanpakuto I think would suit her very well, which I could incorporate since he never elaborated on the one he gave her.

Would everyone be alright with that ?



Here is her revised bio (don't worry there aren't many changes):

Name: Senya Tatami
Affiliation: Gotei 13
Rank: Captain-Commander; Captain of 1st Division
Gender: Female

Appearance: Senya is a young looking, beautiful woman with long, black hair that boasts a silver highlight in the bang that falls down to cover half of her forehead and a portion of her left eye. The rest drapes down to her lower back. She has a slight tan and green eyes. Her apparel consists of the regular shihakushō beneath the 1st Division's haori. She also wears a dark blue sash around her chest, resting on top of her left shoulder and going around to her right hip. This sash keeps her sealed Zanpakutō fastened to her person.

Personality: Senya is a born leader. Through most situations, she can maintain a calm disposition. She cares immensely for her people and is incredibly understanding. That being said, she values efficiency; "Take action in the present and mourn in the future" is one of the many disciplines she lives by. Senya can quickly judge a person's capabilities, intentions and mindset, being able to coax words from the most resolute of mouths. She hates fighting in general and, in a conflict, would much rather resolve the issue orally. That being said, she is a very deadly force to be reckoned with.

Combat Prowess: Senya wields the sealed form of her zanpakutō with an immense prowess, being able to cause significant damage with either of its forms. She prefers to stay on the defensive during a battle, relying heavily on reversing the enemy's momentum. While she is extremely proficient in the use of her released zanpakutō’s abilities, her level of swordsmanship is nothing special, though she is still very skilled. However as her preferred method of combat, she is a dangerous kidō master, capable of using the highest of spells to great effect, without incantation. She finely blends kidō and her zanpakutō abilities in battle. She will often move in ways that are nearly impossible to put rhythm to, making it difficult to judge what how she will move next. This style is especially deadly when employed by her, due to her incredible speed and skill in hohō.


Zanpakutō: Gōtōishi (Volition Larceny)
Sealed appearance: Usually it takes the form of a long, silver stave. However, at any time, Senya can remove this disguise by peeling away the stave (Ryūjin Jakka style), revealing its true form underneath of a standard nodachi with a gold octagonal guard, royal purple hilt-wrapping and a royal purple sheathe.
Release command: Reign

If you like spoilers you can find the full zanpakutō link.

Link: Do you remember what we organized in relation to Sumiko and Kie, considering her clone? I'm hoping to explore that in the next action sequence. :)

K0V: You and I can write the post regarding the information we discovered. Would that be more suitable than waiting for BP? I vote yes. I am hoping to have that done by the weekend, so we can move in the interest of the others.

Silver: I have a special use for one of your characters.He or she will be playing a pivotal role, at least initially.

Imperceptibility

Kie arrived through the gate with her notes in hand, rushing past the sentry's and flash stepping away before they could even attempt to speak. She was in a hurry, that much would have been obvious to any passersby. She had to give these notes to the Head Captain - and fast. This information could save lives, perhaps even keep them from losing any more in their encounters with the Juzo Hosho. The speed at which she was traveling surprised even her, as she ended up in her barracks within minutes.

She stepped into her room and sighed, setting her notebook on top of her desk and sitting tiredly in the center of the room. She placed her head in her hands for a moment, unable to believe the things she had heard from Elliot. Madness…

She lifted her head suddenly, realizing the presence of something that hadn't been there when she left. She rose slowly and noticed the file on her desk. It was simply titled, "Akihiko." She rose one brow and picked it up, opened it and began reading its contents. By the time she was finished with the first paragraph she had both brows raised and her mouth hung slack. She closed the folder and tucked it under her arm, grabbed her notebook, and opened the sliding door, immediately coming face to face with her lieutenant.

"Kira," Kie greeted. The younger woman bowed to her respectfully.

"Captain." They stood for a moment before she spoke again, "I came to investigate the spiritual pressure I felt here not too long ago. I knew it wasn't your own, so I thought I would make sure there wasn't anything there that would harm us. I guess there's nothing, then?"

Kie nodded quietly. "How astute of you, Kira. Yes, after reading this," she gestured to the report hidden in the crook of her arm, "it is clear to me just who dropped it off in my office. I'm surprised that you were able to feel his spiritual pressure when he had practically hidden it."

Kira beamed at this. "Thank you, Captain. You're too kind."

Kie smiled in return. "There is no such thing," she replied modestly. "Now, please walk with me."

Kira narrowed her eyes questioningly but obliged nonetheless. "Whatever for?" she asked quietly.

"I need to deliver this report to the Head Captain, along with these notes I took."

Kira looked at her, confused. "Why not just flash step to her quarters? It's faster," she pointed out matter-of-factly.

Kie let out a light laugh. "While I'm sure I most certainly should hurry, I'd rather not tire myself further. I have just returned from a long journey, the second half of which I was hurrying to return here and construct an official report. In the time it would take me to do so, we could walk to her barracks. Better to have her think that's what I was doing, rather than taking a small breather."

"Everyone needs rest sometimes, Captain," Kira pointed out.

"Not at a time like this," she responded quickly. "Never at a time like this."

They remained silent for quite some time after that. Kira walked awkwardly just behind her captain, watching her back as the older woman trudged along before her. On the other hand, Kie was thinking over her options. How should she tell the head captain exactly? Simply handing her the notes and report and telling her to read them wouldn't be enough. She'd have to thoroughly explain what she found to the others, and that was going to be the difficult part. With the way things were, it was unlikely that anybody, especially Royichi would be willing to listen to her. Even though they had defended her, she was still responsible for the deaths of their comrades. That was something that couldn't exactly be ignored. She knew quite well how it felt to have a close friend die because of the mistake of a trusted comrade. She sighed. Gaining their trust again is going to be difficult.

"Captain, I'm afraid I must leave you here." Kie turned at the sound of Kira's voice. "We're at the barracks, and I don't want to intrude. Whatever you have planned is likely none of my concern at this point, at least not until a plan takes shape."

Kie looked at the ground for a moment before answering. "Yes, perhaps that would be best. I will speak with you later then, when this is all over, Kira."

Kira smiled understandingly, and the turned on her heel and began making her way back to the squad twelve barracks. Kie watched her back for a moment, then turning and opening the large door before her.

Kie walked into the barracks and a sudden feeling of cold pervaded her, causing a noticeable shiver to wrack her body. She took another step inside and the doors were closed behind her by the guards. Senya was perched just above her, atop the last step of the staircase before her. Kie took a breath and began ascending the steps.

"I take it the encounter went well?"

Kie stopped just short of Senya, watching as the woman turned to slowly face her. "Very well."

"Oh? I take it that the notebook full of writing is supposed to be your 'official report?'" she asked with a smirk on her face.

Kie stiffened. Senya laughed and placed a light hand on her shoulder. "I'm only kidding. We could use a little lighthearted fun in times like these, even if it's only a little joke."

She relaxed immediately, smiling along with Senya. "Please, just read the notes," she said with mock exasperation.

Senya held up her hands in defense. "Alright, little miss bossy-scientist, hand it over then."

Kie practically shoved the notebook into her hands, chuckling as she did so. Senya's smile widened slightly and she shook her head as she returned to her seat and began to read. The squad twelve captain stood for a moment, still smiling, before her expression swiftly changed to troubled as she once again felt the weight of the report tucked between her arm and torso. She sighed and slowly returned to Senya's side, plopping herself down on the floor. She opened the cover of the file and began to skim through it, reading and rereading many pieces of information. Her expression was changed many times, from complete shock to utter disgust as she finally understood just what Akihiko Seinosuke was truly like. When she was finished, she cast a glance towards Senya, only to find that her face bore a similar expression.

"This is…" Kie winced as Senya found herself at a loss of words. "…insane."

"That is the term I would use to describe it, yes," Kie agreed. "They were certainly brutal, weren't they?"

"Unbelieveably so," Senya replied. "Is this really what we're up against?"

"It appears so. I didn't think that we could win before, honestly, but now…" Kie trailed off. She took a deep breath. "I have an idea, Senya."

Senya raised a brow and gestured for her to continue. Kie suddenly rose from her sitting position and to her feet, bringing herself around to the front of Senya. She threw her hands out in a grand gesture.

"The Juzo Hosho are just as afraid as we are. It's like that man said to Majo, they are also afraid of eradication. It is more than likely that not only have they struck a deal with the Juzo Hosho that only the Head Captain knows about, but that they have also threatened them with death should they fail. If that is the case, then the fact that they have previously been thwarted has left them desperate to complete the task assigned to them. They will become more incompetent. They will become more lenient. They will become more vulnerable."

Senya smirked and adjusted her posture in her seat, placing her chin in one of her hands.

"If we were to treat them as pawns, as they once did to us, then we could possibly defeat them. We wouldn't repeat what they did, but what I have in mind may be quite useful."

Senya's smile grew. "Do tell, Kie. Do tell."

Kie smiled as well. "I believe the best way to relay this information to you and the others is to hold another Captains meeting."

Senya raised a brow at her, surprised. "After what happened at the last one, I never thought you would be the one to suggest that."

"I don't plan on letting them get a word in edgewise," Kie replied.

******** ******** ******** ********

Kira returned to her barracks shortly after her walk with Kie, opening the door to her captains quarters and stepping inside. She moved the futon to the side and opened the hatch, descending into the lab with haste.

Her true captain remained within an incubation tube in the back of a secluded room, while that ditzy clone walked around above ground and organized solutions for problems she it knew nothing about. She just wished the woman in the tube would wake up already.

The thought of just killing the clone had crossed her mind more than once. It seemed more than likely the clone would be defeated in combat anyway, should the Juzo Hosho make another move before the true Kie awoke.

When in battle, it would be obvious that it wasn't the real Kie. The clone wasn't meant to be in a combat situation. First of all, the clone had no blood. If injured, it would not bleed, just react with a flinch or a wince. Secondly, the zanpakuto that the clone wielded, which were merely a copy of the original as well, were much weaker. Surely, if the clone fought Sumiko, it would be discovered right away.

Kira stood in front of the incubation tube, wondering what to do. It was possible that her captain would never actually wake up again, and that thought left her with a heavy heart. What could she do then? Continue developing clones of a long incapacitated captain? No, she would be found out eventually. She sighed frustratedly, placing her forehead against the glass and watched Kie intently. She prayed for signs of life, but knew she would see none. After a moment she turned away and walked swiftly to the controls.

She hit the same button she had been hitting for weeks, and watched as the liquid from inside drained out and the tube was opened. A light fog was released from inside that spilled across the floor and into the walls. She walked towards it and routinely removed the limp body of her captain from inside of it. She lay the bare captain upon a table and began her self-imposed duties of keeping her commanding officer clean and presentable.

For thirty minutes she meticulously cleaned the body of the comatose captain, making sure to dry her off in the process. Although the motion was pointless - as she would be going back into the tube very soon - she did it anyway. It was all ritual to her now, almost as though it was a preprogrammed disposition. If her captain awoke, she wanted her to at least be clean. If nothing else, then she supposed it would teach herself a thing or two about keeping her own body in shape.

When she was finished, she draped a linen cloth over the woman who lay motionless save for the shallow breaths she took from time to time. Kira sat at the table for many long moments, staring blankly ahead at nothing in particular.

She finally sighed and turned around, grabbing one of the many books that lay on the table near her captains head. She turned her back to the table and opened the reading material, immediately getting lost in the words as they weaved scenes before her eyes. She'd always loved to read. It was something she had enjoyed since she was very young, and she had a feeling she liked it in her human life as well. Reading was a way for her to escape, to ignore the reality that had taken shape before her, even if only for a short while. It allowed her to be a part of her own little world.

This is exactly why she happened to miss the very small, almost imperceptible twitch of Kie's fingertips.

Alright guys. I'll have the post up later tonight. Around 12 GMT. It's a bit on the late side but better then than sometime next week huh?

[Loss of Trust]

After the initial discovery of the Head Captain's deal with the Reiteki Rojin, Kyobo and Yushi were focusing more on the actual problem than the one that could threaten to end the sound structure of the Juzo Hosho. After leaving the Black Diamond in an impulsive hurry to relate what they had found out to the other Captains, bar one noticeable exception, they completely let the weight of the information they now carried hamper their judgement. They flash stepped to the location they had decided would be best to relate the information, away from the prying eyes of any who would expose the coming meeting. The same location that Yushi had shown Kyobo when they first discussed the idea or spying on the Head Captain.

Yushi and Kyobo both sat as they prepared to send messages to gather the captains.

"Yushi we need to get the other Captain's here as soon as possible, but how we do that without alerting the Head Captain or some of her more loyal followers is completely beyond me." Kyobo muttered irritably as he closed his eyes trying to concentrate on a solution to the problem.

Yushi however was more perturbed by a more severe problem. "Kyobo..."

"Unless you've thought of a way to get a message to the others without alerting anyone which I doubt from your tone, don't say anything." Kyobo interjected with hints of aggression in his voice.

"No I have not had an idea, but you're overlooking a more serious problem." Yushi answered with the same aggravated tone.

"Oh and that is?" Kyobo asked looking up at Yushi.

"We have not even considered how to tell the others." Yushi answered, "I do not think us just blurting out the Head Captain's plan's would do us any good. They will either just put it down to having an overactive imagination, you concocting stories for us to turn against her or worse than that, they will dissolve into anger and try to attack the Head Captain which would destablise the Juzo Hosho and ultimately lose us the war against the Gotei 13."

"The war doesn't matter Yushi." Kyobo said as he heaved a great sigh. "We have fought against a long time ally of ours on the orders of an authority who were going to double cross us anyway." He looked to the sky in contemplation. "However you look at it we are royally screwed." He sighed again. "This is royally fucked up."

Yushi leaned back against a tree in the forest clearing and looked around at the spot he had so often came to seek peace with himself, feeling a panging sense of guilt overriding the serenity he now wished to seek. He focused his eyes on some purple flowers that grew on a branch above Kyobo. "I would not have put it so crassly myself but I agree with you." Yushi also heaved a sigh. "But this doesn't change the fact that we need to tell the others."

Kyobo rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah we do and you're definitely right, we need to tell them properly."

Yushi closed his eyes and pondered, allowing the sounds from around him to envelop his senses as he thought deeply about the problem.

Minutes passed before Yushi came up with anything feasible, minutes after Kyobo had thought of a way to get the message out safely without anyone else knowing.

[Elsewhere]

Akihiko Seinosuke was busy writing out reports at his desk, neatly stacking each individual sheet neatly into a pile to his left as the pile to his right shrunk by small increments. His calm eyes moved from the paper infront of him as he finished off yet another report before they returned and fell upon a hell butterfly that calmly sat in front of him as if it had always been there. Akihiko calmly held out his finger and the butterfly flapped it's wings and gently perched upon the outstretched digit. At the point of contact Akihiko became aware of the message.

"Captain Seinosuke, this is Captain Sodo. Captain Kenronri and myself have found information that must come to light immediately. This is a very serious matter and one that must take place under the utmost secrecy. We are gathering the other Captains in the forest on the edge of the slums beyond Ukishima Rakuen. The other captains will have received a similar message. Please meet us at dusk and let no one follow you."

At that moment the hell butterfly flapped its wings and elegantly flew out of the window after which Akihiko resumed his paperwork with a less than focused mind.

[At the Academy]

Akumu was busy drilling a class of students through the use of kido. There were some students who seemed to excel at a rate far beyond everyone else while others were struggling to perfect even the simplest of kido. She chuckled to herself as the memories flooded back of her youth spent practicing tirelessly to perfect her skills.

"Ooff!" One of her students groaned as a byakurai sent him flying backwards into the wall behind him. Akumu paced over to the fallen student who was breathing shallowly as his lungs tried to re-inflate after having the wind forcefully driven from them.

"Okay that sounded slightly painful," She said as she lifted the student up by the collar of his uniform. "Alright get back over there and try again." She said with authority ringing throughout her voice. The student did as he was asked and took his position aiming his finger at the target and consequently fired another shot which went wide of it's mark.

Akumu shook her head as she walked over to the student. "Well you're not going to hit the target like that now, are you?" She said in a rather reprimanding tone. "Here let me show you how to fire of a decent byakurai."

Akumu held out her finger tips and fired the byakurai after muttering a quick incantation, blowing a small hole in the target to the polite applause of her students. But before she relaxed her outstretched fingers a hell butterfly appeared almost out of thin air, perched lightly upon her slender fingers. Almost immediately a voice appeared in her head.

"Captain Shimo, this is Captain Sodo. Captain Kenronri and myself have found information that must come to light immediately. This is a very serious matter and one that must take place under the utmost secrecy. We are gathering the other Captains in the forest on the edge of the slums beyond Ukishima Rakuen. The other captains will have received a similar message. Please meet us at dusk and let no one follow you."

The hell butterfly then quickly departed. She tried to compose herself as a student asked her "Is everything alright ma'am?"

"Everything's fine. Now get on with your drills. I want the basic kido at a suitable standard before your lunch break."

[In the Squad 5 Barracks]

Tomoyo Diadoji was sitting in her barracks, her eyes dejectedly downcast as Yvon sat on the other side of her desk. They both sat in an awkward silence that was every now and then punctuated with a muttered apology from Tomoyo to the vein popping annoyance of Yvon.

"Captain Diadoji, I'm beginning to become concerned with your demeanor as of late. A Captain of such regard and standing in our ranks should not be seen acting in such a shameful way." He berated her with concern genuinely in his voice. "What sort of effect on your subordinates moral do you think this will have?"

"...sorry..." She muttered almost incoherently. She seemed to close up her entire person as Yvon talked.

"Stop with the empty apologies." He said with more irritation permeating his speech. "Sumiko was definitely right about something. Despite Akihiko's rather heartwarming defense, if you keep up this self pity and almost suicidal pacifism then we will surely lose our faith in you, especially on the battlefield."

"I'm...sorry...I..." Tomoyo looked as if she was on the verge of tears.

"There is just no helping you. This is beyond a mere character defect, huh?" Yvon said coldly as he stood up and walked towards the door. As his hand reached for the handle a hell butterfly landed on it as if it had just appeared from the air itself. He looked around finding Tomoyo had a similar one on her own hand.

"Captain Daidoji, this is Captain Sodo. Captain Kenronri and myself have found information that must come to light immediately. This is a very serious matter and one that must take place under the utmost secrecy. We are gathering the other Captains in the forest on the edge of the slums beyond Ukishima Rakuen. The other captains will have received a similar message. Please meet us at dusk and let no one follow you."

"Captain Gerard, this is Captain Sodo. Captain Kenronri and myself have found information that must come to light immediately. This is a very serious matter and one that must take place under the utmost secrecy. We are gathering the other Captains in the forest on the edge of the slums beyond Ukishima Rakuen. The other captains will have received a similar message. Please meet us at dusk and let no one follow you."

The hell butterflies promptly left leaving the confused captains in a rather confused silence.

[The Squad 11 Barracks]

Elizabeth Renoir was busy sifting through her paperwork. Her pride would not allow her to have any flaw that the other Captains could pick her apart on. She carried on with her work, before throwing away her pen in a fit of frustration at herself for listening to Sumiko in the first place.

As she stood up to leave the oppressive atmosphere when, like the others, a hell butterfly appeared, gracefully landing on her hand. The instant the hell butterfly's fragile feet touched her skin, the message it contained sprung into her head.

"Captain Renoir, this is Captain Kenronri. I have managed to discover information that impacts the entirety of our squads. We are gathering the other captains in the forest outside the slums at dusk and require your presence. This must remain hidden from your squad and the Head Captain. This is an urgent matter."

The hell butterfly left as quickly as it came. Leaving the Captain in a some what confused state although her faced neglected to show it.

[The Black Diamond]

Sumiko was still busily sifting through the various recordings, her usual jovial persona overridden with a pressing determination to find what other harmful dealings the Head Captain had made with their mysterious overlords. Her frantically typing fingers suddenly came to a very swift halt as the hell butterfly landed on her hand. She smiled slightly as her gave fell upon the fragile insect.

"It's about time." She mumbled to herself as the message on it began to play in her mind.

"Sumiko, it's Kyobo. I know you must be busy searching through those recordings but we need your presence at the forest outside the slums. You know the place Yushi meditates...What am I saying of course you do. We need you to collaborate our story otherwise I doubt we'll be able to have the others fully believe us. We have arranged to meet at dusk. Hope to see you there."

The hell butterfly departed, leaving that same smile on Sumiko's face.


[At Dusk]

Yushi and Kyobo had waited until the sun began to set, sending combinations of orange, red and dark blues across the sky punctuated by the first stars that slowly creeps into the slowly darkening sky. They released a steady trickle of spiritual pressure from themselves to allow the other captains to find them with ease yet not enough to give away where they were to anyone else either at a distance or any low level shinigami who may have been wandering around.

The captains arrived right on time, which was a good sign for the two as it gave them hope that the others took this seriously. They all found a place in the clearing to stand or sit and made sure no one was out of their sight line.

Akihiko was the first to speak out of the new arrivals. "Well we are all here Captain Sodo so what ever was so important for you to tell us out here, could you please be quick about it. I am rather busy."

"As am I. I have reports to draft amongst other things." Akumu said irritably.

"And I for one would rather not be here had I known that the trash was obviously in on this little discovery." Elizabeth said rather indifferently though her words said otherwise.

Yushi held up his hands to quell any further disputes or bickering that might have started. "We would not have brought this up if it was not important." He said in a reassuring voice. "This involves all of us.

Kyobo stepped forward making his presence known. "What we need right now is for you to listen. We can deal with your opinions later, they are relatively unimportant as are the obligations you might have in the next five minutes compared to what we need to tell you."

"So tell us already, stop beating about the bush." Yvon protested angrily.

"Yes I want to know what's so important?" Akumu said impatiently.

"Alright well..." Kyobo took a deep breath. "It appears that the Head Captain has made a deal with the Reiteki Rojin."

"We know this already get to the point you blithering idiot." Elizabeth said monotonously.

"Wait are we not going to wait for Jisano?" Akihiko asked.

"Okay, please do not interrupt again." Kyobo sighed in exasperation. "And Akihiko," Yushi and Kyobo looked at each other briefly before Kyobo continued. "We thought it'd be best for secrecy's sake to leave out of the loop for now." Akihiko merely nodded in agreement.

"So anyway," Kyobo continued "The Head Captain made a deal with the Reiteki Rojin that would spare our nation in return for wiping out the Gotei 13. This we all know but what we didn't was there was another part to the deal that none of us were ever filled in on."

Yvon's interest obviously piqued at this point. "What was this side deal she was cutting?"

Yushi shook his head. "This was no side deal, it was the other stipulation to their bargain." He paused, looking around cautiously before proceeding. "The Reiteki Rojin plan on taking one or two of us as an additional price to remain in servitude to them for the rest of their days." He looked around at their faces, it being clear that they were still trying to process the information.

Kyobo however carried on where Yushi left off. "They were planning on taking Akihiko as a certainty." Akihiko's face became gravely paler as Kyobo uttered his name. "And were considering Tomoyo as a second option." Tomoyo visibly shrank as Kyobo mentioned her name. "However our conniving Head Captain is going to try and give up the captains who cause her problems and openly stand against her. The names mentioned were Jisano primarily." Everyone in the circle nodded knowing that he'd definitely be the first choice. "And the second name mentioned was Akumu." Both Akihiko and Akumu looked at Kyobo in shock, both there hands clenching into fists.

"This must be some kind of sick joke, right? I mean I know she's bat shot crazy but the Head Captain isn't that far off her rocker, right?" Akumu said as she clung to whatever hope still remained in her.

"Unfortunately, I can confirm that they are telling the truth, Akumu." Sumiko said sadly. "I hate to say it but every word they have said thus far has been entirely true as hard to believe as it is." They all looked at Sumiko as the three present who were mentioned seemed to pale even more. "I made her a recording device to record herself in privacy which allowed her to keep a record of each encounter she had with the Reiteki Rojin. I have access to all the files and I along with Kyobo and Yushi have all seen the recording in which all this was said."

"Well this is great!" Yvon said in controlled anger. "Our own leader was going to stab us in the back!"

"How could someone we have placed so much faith in simply turn around and do this to us?" Akihiko asked rhetorically.

"Pretty easily it seems. But even I didn't expect her to go so far as to do this to hang on to her own pathetic leadership." Kyobo spat.

"...no....no....this....can't....hap­pen­...­.&q­uot­; Tomoyo cried as tears of fear and sadness began to well in her eyes.

"Well at least I'm in the clear," Elizabeth said in confident relief.

"Not necessarily Elizabeth," Yushi said sharply. "She could easily put you in their place. But more to the point how about you get off that high horse of yours and start showing you are worthy of calling yourself a Juzo Hosho Captain by showing some damn compassion." Yushi growled in anger.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Akumu shouted as she angrily punched a tree, smashing a large chunk of bark and wood out of it. "That rotten bitch! I should take my blade to her and end her scheming ways."

"That won't help matters, will it?" Sumiko sighed.

"THEN WHAT THE FUCK DO WE DO?!" Akumu screamed.

"That's the question," Kyobo said leaning against a tree. "What can we do?"

They all slumped down in the clearing. Some leaned against trees, others sat at the bases of other whilst Akumu lay spread eagle in the middle itself. All of them remained in quiet contemplation as the sky grew darker and the night grew longer.

[Assemble at the Horizon]

Following the confusion and tribulation surrounding the news that their head-captain was auctioning their bodies like weapons, each member of the Juzo Hosho was contemplating their position in this war. They quietly leave the assembly hall, after having been instructed to finally do-away with the Gotei 13. The head-captain, in a sudden shift of morals, authorized the use of deadly force. “By any means necessary,” echoed the head-captains voice as the captains slowly made their way to the gateway. Despite the recent discovery, it has burgeoned a new sense of desperation in each of them. Their motivation was livelier and concentration sharp as a blades edge. Having said nothing, they all understood the gravity of their situation and were prepared to engage the Gotei 13 in a final battle, determining the fate of their nation. They understood either way, the Gotei 13 would be annihilated, but they could save themselves if they were successful. The captains assembled, their resolve emanating from their bodies. They headed through the gate, each wearing their captain mask, prepared to encounter whatever lies on the other side.

“Let our bodies be strong, strong enough to withstand the resistance that will very crash upon us upon exiting,” Tomoyo says softly. “They will likely be prepared, having known that this day would arrive.”

Captain Meibatsu stares sternly into the precipice world, as they collectively begin their voyage to the Soul Society. “I will tear my enemies to pieces, so let them approach with however much preparation. They will fall,” Jisano asserts with a downturned lip and narrowed eyes.

“I suspect they will have developed a sterner resolve in our absence,” Gerard comments.

“They may have, but since the very beginning, ours has subjugated their own,” Akihiko retorts quickly.

“Let’s not underestimate them, however. We must remain vigilant,” Yushi plainly states.

Elizabeth combs her hair back with her fingers, walking confidently through the precipice world. “While I am not willing to participate in any negative self-talk, I will say that these shinigami will be ready this time. I can feel it.”

Sumiko casually walks through the precipice world, adjusting her mask as she glances at the others. “They’ve been scrambling, especially once they discovered multiple of my drones. Even so, I predict mayhem upon arrival. This will not simply be the chaos that ensues in any standard confrontation. No, it will be on a scale unlike any of our previous encounters. They have been training and scheming. And for once, we are arriving with nothing prepared or ready to spring into deployment. We will arrive and they’ll expect traps, but little do they know…”

“…we will simply eradicate them,” Yvon inserts.

Akihiko glares at Yvon, underwhelmed by his brutality. “No, we will do nothing of the sort. While our directive was to subdue them by any means necessary, we will remain true to the values held by all Juzo Hosho captains. We will attempt to do so by utilizing immobilizing techniques.”

“Oh, is that how you subdued that other captain, Captain Seinosuke,” Jisano retorts with a tinge of humor in his voice?

“Akihiko is right. We mustn’t let our savagery get the best of us. While I understand that it will be difficult, considering the circumstances, let’s try our very best to subdue them with the least amount of casualties,” Tomoyo adds with her delicate gesturing.

“I don’t think they’re going to be as compliant as you are hoping, Tomoyo,” Akumu stubbornly adds. “Let’s face it, they are going to come at us like blood thirsty animals. It will be hard to honor our code with a blade sliding through us.”

“Not everything in life is simple, “Yushi explained to the energetic Akumu.

“We’re almost there. Ready yourselves,” Elizabeth says with a steadied tone.

Kyobo tenses his muscles and squints, “I sense calamity on the other side of this gate.”

Akumu scowls, “Don’t be so obnoxious. We’re going to dominate these fools.”

Yushi glances at everyone, “Let’s end this now. If not…”

“We die…” Sumiko states matter-of-factly.
The doors of the Senkaimon abruptly open and the light bursts through the darkness and the all casually step out from the Senkaimon. They stop onto the grassy, but rocky terrain and stare into the sunny Seireitei.

{First Blood}

Ghelon made his way through the 7th Division barracks, heading towards his Captain’s room. The Lieutenant was understandably tense, as he knew he should be expecting the next invasion in the very near future. He had already briefed the seated officers of his Division to protect their section of Seireitei with their lives and was now on his way to drag his Captain’s sorry arse from the sand. He was still sour that the Jūzō Hoshō Captain had done something to put his dear friend in such a state, but sometimes one had to sort themselves out before condemning another.

He eventually reached the door and slid it open to find Aexus not there. He sighed exasperatedly; Aexus could really be a pain sometimes. His Captain was supposed to be at the rendezvous point with the other Captains, but was evidently not there. Thus Ghelon decided; this would be the last time he would clean up his Captain’s mess.




A little later on...

Ghelon waited patiently, concealed by Captain Ajibana’s kidō, at the predetermined rendezvous point. It had been a hassle trying to explain why Aexus still wasn’t present, with the other Captains being quite annoyed at his seeming inability to grasp the gravitas of their current predicament. Certain Captains were more vocal than others, but the general displease could be felt from each and every one of them. That being said, Aexus wasn’t the only one missing, but Captain Geißt had her reasons for not being present.
But now, the area was silent, and all that could be perceived was the gentle wind playfully blowing through the environment. All of the veiled Gotei officers stood by in their respective positions, each anticipating the coming confrontation with different feelings and emotions flowing through their bodies. Then, a Senkaimon appeared and the Jūzō Hoshō Captains casually strolled out and stopped on the grassy, rocky terrain.

Ghelon Kahiho: (A single bead of sweat forms on his brow) They’re here. (He turns to take one look at Sumiko Anenokoji before unsheathing his zanpakutō, a kodachi with a thin cross guard and dark blue hilt-wrapping; he twirls the blade between his fingers as his reiatsu subtly builds) Orbit, Kaesu Kaiten. (The twirling kodachi transforms into a bladed chakram and a pair of blue and silver metal-clad gloves form over his hands) [Inner monologue: I’m sorry Aexus, but I guess this is how it’s going to be.]

Leaving no time to spare, the Captains rushed out in a flurry, to the Jūzō Hoshō’s immense surprise. In the ensuing chaos, Ghelon quickly hurled his zanpakutō in the direction of the masked Captain he believed to be Sumiko Anenokoji, a determined resolve shining in his experienced dark blue eyes. The chakram rotated at stupid speeds as it curled on its path towards her neck. Sumiko merely glanced in its direction before the spinning chakram was deflected by the drawn blade of another masked Captain.

Firmly locking eyes with the Gotei Lieutenant, who was shocked by the swiftness of Captain’s block, the masked Captain rapidly flash stepped towards Ghelon and delivered a warning cut to his lower torso.

???: A mere Lieutenant attacking a Captain? You must be joking. Are the Gotei 13 mocking us? (The Captain’s chrome-coloured eyes twitches slightly)

Ghelon Kahiho: (As the chakram returns to his gloved hand he checks the small cut to his torso before confidently looking at his opponent) If we have, it was by no means intentional… Mr. Captain.

???: I am Yvon Gerard, Captain of the 3rd Division. (His hawk-like gaze unnerves Ghelon) Gotei Lieutenant, I will say this once and only once. *threateningly* Wilfully concede or lose your life as a Shinigami.

Ghelon Kahiho: *respectfully* Ghelon Kahiho, Lieutenant of the 7th Division. (He lets off a quiet grunt) And, I’m afraid I cannot concede, Captain Gerard.

Leaving no time to spare Ghelon flash stepped away from the chaos of the other combatants and into the nearby expanse of dense trees, his movements tracked coolly by Yvon’s gaze. Ghelon stopped on a branch and was about to turn to see where Yvon had moved to until he realised his cheek and neck were bleeding. His eyes widened in shock as Yvon then suddenly appeared in front of him his blade moving rapidly towards his sword arm. Letting his body fall backwards, he lifted up the chakram to meet the blade edge and barely parried the strike, the strength from the hit greatly surprising him. It was only as he was falling to the ground that he noticed his opponent only had one of his two blades drawn.

Yvon Gerard: (He is perched on a higher branch watching as Ghelon rights his body and lands on his feet) Gotei Lieutenant, you’re a thousand years too old to be fighting me. (He coolly takes in Ghelon’s appearance; olive skin, greying short dark brown hair, graceful wrinkles, a well kempt short boxed beard and framed glasses that aptly complimented his face) Yes far too old.

Ghelon Kahiho: (He smiles, intimidated, before pointing his finger at Yvon) Bakudō #61 Rikujōkōrō. (He leaps backwards as Yvon makes no attempt to move, allowing the Bakudō to hit, and hurls his chakram in Yvon’s direction) Mie Kage!

At that the rotating chakram suddenly split into three identical chakrams, each making different swerving pathways to Yvon’s location. Yvon narrowed his eyes and, just before the three chakrams were about to hit, Yvon nonchalantly broke free from the kidō and struck one with his blade, sending it ricocheting away and causing the other two to disappear in a puff of smoke. Before Ghelon knew it, he felt the sensation of a blade slicing through his left shoulder. Blood spurted from the wound as he turned to see Yvon land several tens of metres behind him, his blade already being lowered from the strike.

Yvon Gerard: (He does not turn to face Ghelon while speaking) I would strongly advise you to cease fighting. Did you think that your simple-to-discern technique would work? Two of them were obviously intangible clones of the original. The difference between us should be crystal clear old man.

Ghelon Kahiho: (He lets out a small chuckle) It seems so… I guess I can’t hold back then. (His reiatsu steadily begins to build, his deep blue spiritual energy becoming visible, and he begins to twirl Kaesu Kaiten on his index finger; Yvon barely turns his head, allowing him to see enough in his peripheral) Bankai, Nijū Kaitenga.

The bladed chakram glowed intensely with spiritual energy and then split into two, one in each hand, with each growing a single curved ‘fang’ from the outside part of the blade; the left chakram had a dark blue edge and the right chakram had a light blue edge. His blue and silver metal-clad gloves extended into blue and silver gauntlets on each arm.

Yvon Gerard: Hold back? Bankai? Lieutenant, it won’t be enough. Give up.

Ghelon ignored the Captain’s request and hurled the two rapidly rotating chakrams in his direction, using his hands to manipulate their trajectories. Yvon lazily moved out of the way but was briefly surprised by the massive increase in their velocities, forcing him to parry the incoming left chakram with his drawn blade. The other chakram came hurtling behind him and he instinctively drew his other blade to deflect it, sending the razor disk flying through an adjacent tree. Yvon grunted in dismay for having unsheathed both blades and flash stepped directly at Ghelon, aiming a cute slash towards his injured shoulder with one blade and a low flying slash aimed at his torso. Ghelon grimaced in effort as he arched backwards to avoid being bisected and pulled back his right chakram to his hand to hurriedly avert the brunt of the strike to his shoulder. Seeing his attacks blocked, Yvon evasively flash stepped away as the left chakram zoomed by where he was previously positioned, before Ghelon quickly caught it again. Yvon then feinted with a heavy downwards chop, only to flash step behind him and deliver a heavy cut across his back.

Ghelon Kahiho: (He winces from the strike and attempts to flash step away, using the dense trees as a cover, before proceeding to throw both chakrams at Yvon simultaneously) Kōgo no Nijūga!

The two chakrams aligned themselves, one directly a centimetre above the other, and hurtled straight at the following Yvon, destructively tearing through the trees in its path as it did so. The Jūzō Hoshō Captain viciously parried the incoming chakrams with both blades, causing the two chakrams to separate and ricochet violently out of sight. Closing the gap between them in a second, Yvon quickly flanked Ghelon and thrust one of his blades through Ghelon’s right shoulder.

Yvon Gerard: *tinge of annoyance in his voice* Your inability to understand your powerlessness, contrasts with your seemingly astute appearance.

Ghelon Kahiho: (He lets out a short satisfied laugh) Shūsoku Kage.

As the words are spoken a multitude of chakrams appeared from the surrounding trees and began to erratically converge on Yvon’s position. Yvon irritatedly grit his teeth as he pulled out the blade from Ghelon’s shoulder and skilfully manoeuvred around and sliced through many of the intangible airborne chakrams. In the briefest of moments and an even briefer lapse of concentration, he noticed Ghelon launching the right chakram at him, the left one among the fakes flying about. His natural instinct made him move his head to the side as the chakram flew harmlessly past him. Yvon was about to remark, when a long cut appeared on the side of his neck, seeping fresh blood.

Ghelon Kahiho: (He doesn’t smile, but he has a glint in his eye) Looks like I’ve finally cut you. (The intangible clone chakrams disappear in a puff of smoke as the two real chakrams return to his hands) Only a thousand more cuts to go.

Yvon narrowed his eyes disapprovingly at his opponent, as he felt the blood seep slowly from the cut, and raised his reiatsu as a result.

Yvon Gerard: Gotei Lieutenant I’ve had enough. I’ve actually given you multiple chances to surrender. So bear with me, I’ll only keep you from the afterlife a little longer. (He holds his dual blades up) Cascade, Gin’iro Ya.

The dual katana radiantly glowed with his spiritual energy as they transformed into silver tools similar in shape to a blade, which even though they looked fully capable of cutting, they seemed to lack a defined edge and had no distinct handles. Forming on Yvon’s back was an upright shaft filled with short arrows and forming diagonally across the back of his hip was a shaft of much longer arrows.

Yvon Gerard: You should have surrendered when you had the chance.

*****************************************­***­***­***­***­***­***­***­**
Aexus could feel the reiatsu from the Gotei 13 Captains fighting the Jūzō Hoshō Captains quite easily. His mind was elsewhere however and for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to go. Wallowing in self pity. He felt ashamed to call himself a Captain. Then, all of a sudden, his eyes widened in horror as he felt the reiatsu of the one person he would never have thought would be in the thick of battle.

Aexus Gingumaru: *worriedly* Ghelon…??

I'm back again. Apologies for not getting back to anyone. I am ready for anything, essentially. I have a new computer, so I won't be going anywhere again for a long time... it also means that I can write a post whenever I want (outside of work hours). So, yeah, I'm ready for some action!

[Unceremoniously Honored]

Aexus Gingumaru frowned darkly as he continued to amble forward, his mind in a daze. He was certain that the spiritual pressure he felt was his vice captain’s—there was no mistaking it. He’d even gone as far as to release his bankai to face off against some foreign enemy. Aexus didn’t properly think through his own actions or what he planned to do; he simply continued forward to see what was going on.

Despite his slow, hesitant pace, he managed to reach the site where he felt Ghelon Kahiho’s presence, still a good enough distance away that he would not be in view of any of the invaders.

What met his gaze was a shower of bullets and spurting blood.

The number of arrows was innumerable. Aexus was forced to stumble back due to the shock of the many deadly arrows that sailed through the air, taking up so much room, one could not see through the space between them for more than a fraction of a second. Dodging those deadly weapons wasn’t even possible. Who could be fool enough to stand against such overwhelming and deadly numbers?

A foolish question. He already knew the answer to that.

“GHELON!”

A sudden surge of energy filled Aexus’ chest, causing him to yell as he saw the puncture body of his elderly lieutenant as he faced the approaching wall of arrows. Various broken shafts stuck in his body and his black shuhakusho was covered in his own blood, but the look on his face was firm as he raised his two chakrams and threw them with all of his might. They flew straight toward the many arrows and literally parted the vast majority with the force of their spinning, sending broken shafts flying in all directions, allowing Ghelon to escape with relatively few injuries, though several of the arrows that he hadn’t managed to block embedded themselves in his body.

Ghelon winced in pain and gritted his teeth as he hopped away, landing on the ground nearby. His opponent was already waiting on the ground, holding his bladed bow in one hand as he looked directly at Ghelon.

“What a fierce expression of resolve.” Yvon nodded with those words of praise, though his sharp expression didn’t change. “I intended to let you escape with your life if you surrendered, but at this point, holding back would be nothing more than an insult. Do you still refuse to lay down your arms?”

“You keep asking over and over again.” Ghelon smiled dryly, though it faltered as his throat clogged up with blood. He coughed to clear it, spitting on the ground. “I won’t give way to my enemy. Even if it costs my life. It’s my duty, after all.”

“Well said.” Yvon nodded once more with approval. “You are a man truly worthy of that bankai. However…”

Yvon’s eyes shifted suddenly toward Aexus, who gave a start after being seen. Yvon’s eyes narrowed slightly as he noted this reaction.

“What was that sudden shout, captain? This is your lieutenant, I’m guessing? Were you shouting out of concern for his well-being? Were you surprised to see him standing? Do not tell me that you meant that to be a tone of encouragement; I mistook you for a female subordinate who’d wandered onto a battlefield.”

“C-Captain?!” Ghelon’s eyes widened as he, too, spotted Aexus. “You’re here…but…”

Ghelon observed his captain’s expression for a long moment before grimacing, his grip on his zanpakutou tightening.

“Don’t worry, Captain. I have no intention of shaming our squad’s name. I’ll take down our opponent before he can wreak any havoc. There’s no need for you to bother yourself with this man.”

“Ghelon…wait…don’t—”

“SILENCE YOURSELF, GOTEI 13 CAPTAIN!”

Yvon sudden yelled without warning, a less than pleased expression on his face as he glared directly at Aexus. His grip on his bow had tightened considerably, as if threatening to snap it in two.

“Do you plan to order your lieutenant to retreat? Your spinelessness is giving you quite a bit a nerve, isn’t it? Your eyes say it all; you don’t intend to take his spot, do you? Unless you intend to fight to protect your loyal subordinate who values duty over his own life, stand back and watch. Do no trample over his resolve!”

Strange words, coming from an enemy, but Aexus had no way to respond. He felt numb. Just by feeling the difference in spiritual pressure, he could see the result. But even so, he couldn’t make himself step forward. His legs felt as if they were as heavy as lead. He could only watch as Ghelon throw his chakrams once more, hiding them amid a flurry of fakes, and surrounding Yvon. Yvon easily side stepped through the many chakrams, regardless of which was real and which was fake, and quickly closed the distance between him and Ghelon. Ghelon met him halfway, chanting under his breath as he held both of his palms out, sending a heavy raikohou out to strike Yvon the moment he shifted his weight to avoid one of the charkrams. But to his misfortune, Yvon was slightly faster; his foot came down just in time to allow him to flash step and completely avoid the kido spell, getting behind Ghelon in an instant.

Ghelon took a deep breath with a slight grimace as he closed his hands on the chakrams that returned to him just on time. He immediately flicked his wrists back and sent them flying behind him at full speed, aiming to strike Yvon at close range. Yvon did a back bend to completely evade the chakrams, drawing an arrow from the long quiver hanging from his hip. The two chakrams changed trajectory instantly, aiming to fly straight down at Yvon while his hands were occupied.

But Ghelon underestimated Yvon’s speed. Yvon twisted his body, pivoting on one foot, to evade the chakrams once more. They cut right through the sleeve of one of his arms, creating a shallow cut before embedding themselves in the ground where he’d been a moment before. Yvon’s foot slammed right into Ghelon’s open chest, knocking the air out of him and knocking the vice-captain to the ground mercilessly as Yvon pressed him down firmly.

Yvon drew the long tekkoudan arrow taut and aimed it directly down at Ghelon below, at what was practically point blank. Yvon then paused, holding the arrow still as his sharp eyes narrowed slightly.

“Two injuries against a significantly stronger opponent. Your experience precedes your skill. However, let’s see if luck is on your side as well. Slim as the chances are, I pray that your find a way to survive.”

Ghelon didn’t have to energy to retort, barely able to draw in any breath as Yvon mercilessly fired the long armor piercing arrow straight through Ghelon’s chest, opening a large hole straight through that displayed the hole in the earth below as it made way for the unblockable arrow that travelled straight down.

Yvon sighed heavily as he lifted his foot and bowed his head silently for a single moment before turning his gaze to the person staring at him with an expression somewhere between broken shock and misery. Hopefully, that would transform into something that would illicit action.

“Wipe that pathetic look off of your face, captain! Your vice-captain’s death will not be prevented by your self-loathing and misery! Your opponent still stands and is aiming for your head next! What will you do? Flee? Cry? Beg for forgiveness? Surrender? I’m afraid to say that I will not forgive any of those options. Letting you off with only losing your spiritual power after watching your own loyal subordinate die will deny the morals I’ve held dear throughout my entire life. Find your resolve now, or so help me, I will empty every last arrow of my Tooriame into that empty cask you call a body!”

[Fake Blood, False Promises]

The wind is quickly occupied by the instrumental sounds of war. Fire crackles as it burns the soil and the wind whistles as it fearfully spreads to avoid the clashing swords. A flicker of white and black grazes the eye, allowing for a brief moment of insight. The bodies move quickly, blade flailing and hands erupting with fantastical power. As the battles rage on, Captain GeiBt watches from the distance. She slows her gait, hoping to avoid being caught in the conflict. She recognizes an opponent lies in wait, but she is unable to follow the chaos that has erupted.

Aisumasuta stands confidently beside his captain, Kira leering from behind. “Captain, what exactly should we do?”

Kira pushes her way between Kie and Aisumasuta, acquiring a clearer scope of the battlefield. “We’re stronger in numbers. It would give us a distinct advantage.”

Kie stares calmly into chaos, struggling to subdue the voices plaguing her concentration. Her honor seethes at the very thought of combing efforts to eliminate a single captain, but she understands the consequences of such honor. “It cannot be avoided, I’m afraid. We will wait for the most optimal moment and deal a deadly blow to one of Juzo Hosho captains. Their original opponent can then dispose of them accordingly.”

Aisumasuta stares curiously at Kie before releasing a stilted response of approval. “ I…I…suppose that is… all we can do. I trust your judgment, Captain.”

“The spirit energy occupying this area is tremendous. The other captains are fiercely engaged in combat,” she comments with a worried expression blanketing her face.

“It is awfully bright over here…” Aisumasuta covers his eyes, as the sun beats down on the battle field.

“It is almost blinding, the amount of light refracting in this area,” Kira adds. Kira cuffs her hands, shielding her eyes, so to clearly visualize the battles. Her eyes volley as she struggles to maintain sight of the fast-moving captains. She feels a tremendous pain spreading through her body. In an instant, the feels the winds chilly breathe upon stomach.”

Aisumasuta and Kie stare simultaneously in Kira’s direction. They both witness as blood spouts from her mysterious wound. The blood glistens as it glides through the air, dampening the ground as it lands. Without glancing down, she locates a mischievously grinning Captain Anenokoji. She carefully scans the Juzo Hosho captain, her eyes slowly moving the length of her arm. Her eyes reach the hilt of her blade, realizing a portion of the blade is missing. Her hands slowly creep to her abdomen, and with her fingers she explores the blade protruding from her. The blade abruptly vanishes, leaving Kira to fall to her knees in unparalleled anguish. “Kira,” they both scream loudly!

“Kira, Kira,” Kie recites in desperation. She leans down and cuffs Kira’s body in her arms, blood pooling in her palms. Her expression hardens and her mouth quivers as rage begins to build from beneath her calm disposition. Her head violently rises, glaring at a grinning Sumiko as she casually wipes Kira’s blood from her blade.

Gratified by the fatal wound dealt by her Zanpakuto, Sumiko cheerfully proceeds to wipe her blade clean. She is silent for a moment longer, before slowly raising her gaze toward the concerned Kie and Aisumasuta. “I’m sure neither of you are as filled with regret as she is during this delicate moment. After all, to die burdened with secrets is an unsavory ending.”

Captain GeiBt and Kira share a disconcerting glare, though their gazes express different fears. Aisumasuta quickly derails their gaze, unsheathing his blade and declaring war upon Sumiko. “Aisumasuta, don’t be foolish. She’s a captain of the Juzo Hosho and even I wound up at her mercy,” Kie exclaims furiously!

“She caught you off guard, is what I heard. She is a coward who uses tricks to overwhelm her opponent. She will be taught a lesson by a true warrior, one who will not let her tricks distract from the goal,” Aisumasuta claims boldly.

Sumiko unfalteringly concentrates on Kie, observing her every movement. She stares at Kie with an honest fascination. Her eyes curiously scale her body, as she slides her finger across her lips. Her intrigue is evident by her particularly seductive glare and trance-like focus.

Kira clutches her wound tightly before speaking, “It appears she is unfazed by your threats, Aisumasuta.”

“It is better that way. From what I have learned, and after talking to Aexus, you do not want her to develop an interest in you.” There is palpable concern lacing each word, but she confidently rises from the ground despite her worry. “Aisumasuta I want you to care for Kira. This is not a fight you’re capable of winning. Get her medical attention. Once you have done so, you may join me in battle. I will not ask you to hide, but I am ordering you to care for Kira first.” Kie’s stanch determination resonates in every word. She unsheathes her blade and stands tall, prepared to punish an enemy that almost killed her during their last encounter.

Sumiko combs her hand through the base of her hair, taunting her opponents with her casual demeanor. She grins softly and begins addressing Kie’s objection. “Let the boy battle alongside you, though it won’t make much of a difference. The real Captain GeiBt would have recognized both that and the quality of her lieutenant’s wound. While you may not know, I purposely avoided important organs, so not to deal a fatal lesion. Though, I suspect the imperfect duplication process affected your overall cognitive faculties. You’re identical in every way, but there are just some things your lieutenant could not master under the circumstances.” Sumiko leisurely reveals the truth, though the ambiguity of her approach leaves Kie and Aisumasuta unsure of her statements.

Aisumasuta stares peculiarly at Sumiko, and then Kie. “Captain, what is she talking about?”

“She isn’t the one you should be questioning, isn’t that right, Lieutenant,” Sumiko asks?

Kira is exposed to the persistent gaze of Aisumasuta and Captain GeiBt. A faint green energy begins emanating from her hand, as she looks at Sumiko angrily. “How did you know,” she demands loudly?!

Sumiko smirks as her blade erupts from the ground slicing into Kie’s foot. Kie leaps off the ground, allowing Sumiko to confirm her hypothesis. “How could I not know, lieutenant? My blade and I have an intimate relationship with Captain GeiBt, and so I can feel a difference when my blade cuts. And it feels very different indeed.

“Know what,” Kie asks desperately?!

“Captain, she is just...” Kira is interrupted by Sumiko’s soft laughter.

Sumiko covers her mouth while she laughs, her eyes peering over her hand with unwavering focus. Her eyes villainously connect with Kira. “It’s alright, lieutenant. I understand your reservations. This can stay between us girls. I’m a marvel at keeping secrets, you know?” A beam of energy abruptly soars past Sumiko’s head, searing strands of her hair. Sumiko’s grin melts away, as her eyes narrow. She directs a contemptuous scowl in Aisumasuta’s direction.

Still holding his hand out, he speaks defiantly in Sumiko’s direction. “I won’t purposely miss the next time.”

“You shouldn’t have wasted that opportunity,” she says with an ominous softness. “You’ll soon discover that when someone is in the position you’re in, it is unwise to be righteous.” She observes Kira’s efforts to mend her wound. “Where are you keeping the authentic version, lieutenant?”

Kira grimaces, recoiling at the thought of Sumiko discovering Kie’s body. “I find your fascination with this fairytale a bit absurd.”

Sumiko adopts a soured expression before stepping forward. Kie immediately jumps in front of Kira and brandishes her blade. “What are you expecting to do with that blade, Captain? You believe it will protect the lieutenant and your ill-advised subordinate? It may provide them some cover…some time to scurry to the nearest vacancy. But aren’t you worried? I mean, it certainly can’t protect everyone,” Sumiko explains with a matter-of-fact expression.

“Captain, allow me to teach this woman a lesson,” Aisumasuta asks with indignation.

Sumiko points her finger at Kie’s zanpakuto. “While you’re protecting the others, who will be protecting you, “she questions with the mischievous baring of her teeth?

“She’s acting like she knows something I don’t. What is she going on about, Kira?”

“How is she supposed to know, Captain? This woman…”

“Kira, she has been directing so many things at you. Did you interact with her while I was in a coma?”

“My doing, I suppose,” Sumiko states with a satisfying smile. The others look at her briefly. Her eyes widen as she waves her hand dismissingly. “Don’t mind me. Continue your impromptu inquisition. I’m rather interested to hear what she says myself.”

Kira looks up at Kie in quiet desperation. “I had been hoping to keep this from you. It would one day come that I would come face-to-face with the inevitability of your demise.”

Kie’s expression becomes tense as listens carefully to her lieutenant. “Go on! I’m listening…”

“In your last encounter, Captain Anenokoji had injured you so badly that you were rendered comatose. Nothing waked you, not even the squad four’s most proficient healers were any help. And, as you know, the captain of division four was not present. And in my despairing moments, I devised a way to resuscitate you. Of course…this method would do so in the most unorthodox manner.”

“That doesn’t explain what she is talking about. You brought me back. That is wonderful. I am here, but…”

“…I did more than that.” Kira dolefully stares at the ground, contemplating her explanation. She now understands that there is no more hiding this secret. She worries further, however, unsure as to how this will affect the current Kie. <i> “She will need to know,” Kira says to herself, “that once the real Kie awakes, she will have to vanish.” Kira continues to run scenarios in her mind. The difficulty resides in after Kie acknowledges the conflict. “Captain…I…” The moment is abruptly halted when a blade erupts from Kira’s stomach. The blade violently rips through her and travels vertically through her torso.

“KIRA!!!” Kie leaps to her lieutenant’s side.

“I changed my mind,” she says, head tilted to the side. “I’d rather keep you in the dark.” Her speech is ominous, but cheerful. His appearance strongly contrasts the present scene. With her head titled, Sumiko bares a broad smile, exposing her teeth. Her eyes are barely parted during this delighted exchange, her cheeks mounding on her face.

Aisumasuta looks at Sumiko and in uncontrollably enraged by her cheerful expression. He observes her face as she fondly watches Kira’s mortal wounds collapse her body. He flash-steps in her directly, only to be dealt a surprising reaction. His body is flung through the air, striking a nearby tree. He is held there by a powerful bakudo. He struggles to free himself, but realizes he’s at the mercy of his opponent.

“Don’t worry, I couldn’t care less about you. You stay there while use ladies chat.” She turns her attention to Kie who stands with her blade firmly gripped in her right hand. “I’m not sure whether that Zanpakuto will aid you too well. Something about it tells me it is lacking something it had pre-coma.” She laughs joyfully at her comment, watching as Kie shatters her bakudo.

“Aisumasuta I want you to get help for Kira. NOW! Do not make me make you collateral damage. Do as I say!”

“But captain…”

“I said do it!!! I’ll handle smiley.”

Aisumasuta leaps to Kira’s side. “I can easily find someone to help her and help you!”

Kira reaches out to Kie, but she is weakened from the attack. She struggles to speak, while she glances at Aisumasuta. “Sumiko coated the ground with something. It allows her to perform her blade technique. Her zanpakuto…it isn’t the real one and may be…” She coughs up copious amounts of blood, halting her sentence.

“GET HER HELP! NOW!!!”

“Yes, she does look a bit peaked.” Sumiko grins and swings her blade playfully at her side. “Come on now. What are you waiting for? I know you’re eager to carve me up.”

{Second Blood, First Wind}

Livius watched in keyed up anticipation as his fellow Gotei 13 Captains flash stepped out of their hiding places to assault their unsuspecting opponents. He felt himself above hiding and had decided to reveal his location openly as soon as the other battles had begun. He didn’t need to challenge them, they had to challenge him. Releasing an overt burst of reiatsu, he crossed his arms haughtily and waited for a Jūzō Hoshō Captain to approach him, silently eager that the Captain he had in mind would bite.
As Livius was advertising, he began to sense the reiatsu of the significant beings around him. Ten Gotei officers. Nine enemies. Grunting indifferently at their superior number of officers, Livius soon felt the presence of the 7th Division Lieutenant already engaging an opponent unfamiliar to him; the little worm of that was the Lieutenant’s Captain was a no-show after all. Elsewhere another unfamiliar reiatsu signature was fast closing in on the location of the 12th Division Captain. His eyes then darted to the side as he felt the noticeable reiatsu of another foe. He exhaled deviously as he noted the dangerous Captain’s movements; was it two or maybe three Gotei Captains he had already dispatched? Livius barely cared to remember. He would take Akihiko Seinosuke’s head soon enough.
It was then that he felt the Captain he had been waiting for, her reiatsu raised in answer to his own. Livius grinned devilishly. Finally it would be time to crush his corresponding 11th Division Captain, Elizabeth Renoir. He unsheathed his zanpakutō keenly in wait, when he suddenly sensed the presence of yet another unfamiliar presence coming from behind him. He turned to see a blonde masked Jūzō Hoshō Captain walking towards him, her dual blades already unsheathed and her posture tall and proud.

Livius: (He scornfully notes the gender of the incoming Captain) *irritatedly* Who are you?

Akumu: Captain of the 7th Division, Akumu Shimo. But I already know who you are, Kenpachi Abel.

Livius: *mockingly* Another woman decides to fight me? (A smug, derisive smirk creeps across his face) Oh, I see. Your fellow Captain is too scared to come herself?

Akumu: (She ignores his disrespectful tone completely and raises her own reiatsu in warning) *calmly* It would more beneficial for all involved if I put you down instead, mongrel.

Livius: (He chuckles sardonically) Fine, I’ll kill you first. Then I’ll carve up the other bitch afterwards. (He raises his right hand) Kongōbaku!

A huge fireball-like energy shot towards Akumu as Livius flash stepped behind her his blade flying towards her torso. To his surprise, she had already twirled and met his strike with her left blade with her right blade quickly flying round to cleave him. With a hurried movement, he flash stepped backwards as she halted the incoming Hadō with a quickly erected Kidō barrier. Livius looked down at his shihakushō in disbelief. It was cut and so too was his skin. Superficial as it was, it was still a cut.

Livius growled and fired himself powerfully in her direction his body poised to chop her in two. His two-handed swing was parried with one hand allowing Akumu to retaliate with a sharp stab, which Livius edgingly avoided. Livius continued to press ferociously but each and every time his physical assaults were comfortably rebuffed by his opponent.
Livius: [Inner monologue: What is this familiar feeling? Am I being overpowered by a woman again?!]

Akumu: (She draws him into a strike and then cracks him in the chest with her knee, sending him staggering backwards) Why the face? Shocked that a ‘woman’ could be so powerful?

The irritation emanating from the Kenpachi was clear to see. Livius powered towards her again and thrust his blade straight for her neck, which she parried to the side with her left blade and swung towards his wrist with her other blade. Following the movement of his parried blade, Livius tilted his body to the right to evade the slash and brought his left leg swinging around to strike her midriff. He connected briefly put hastily withdrew before her incoming left blade could stab through his foot. He tutted agitatedly and resumed his offensive with a combination of hakuda and zanjutsu. Livius quickly noted that while she did not move much, her reflexes made up for it. Despite being superior in speed, she was overwhelming him with strength. That, did not resonate well with him.

Livius: (His flurry of rapid strikes enables him to create a brief opening and he strikes her with a Shō-reinforced lariat sending her crashing into the trees; Akumu almost instantly gets to her feet just as he claps his hands together) Hadō #83 Kotaihakushu!

Two large blue glowing hands suddenly erupted from the ground, either side of Akumu, and violently clapped together with her in between. Barely a moment later, various slice marks appeared from the energy hands and the kidō shattered, revealing an upright Jūzō Hoshō Captain whose only mark of damage seemed to be a crack in her mask.

Akumu: (She looks to the west for a moment before returning her gaze to Livius) *her tone is scornful* It looks like one of yours has fallen already Kenpachi.

Livius: I couldn’t care less…

Akumu: No compassion? Do you think you can do better, mongrel? *obnoxiously* I hope you notice that you’ve barely put a scratch on me, yet you are showing a few yourself.

Livius: (His eye twitches in annoyance) I’ve had enough with the games, you are getting in my way. (His reiatsu increases as he prepares to release) Bring me their essence, Shishōmen.

His zanpakutō lengthened slightly with six semi-circular indentations forming along the back edge of the blade and a downward-curved pronged extension forming near the tip of the blade. He glances in Akumu’s direction as information begins to flood his mind. Akumu smirked underneath her mask and began running full speed towards him. A hungry grin formed on Livius’ face as he sped full pelt towards her. They clashed heavily, sparks flying and a nasty shockwave flattening the surrounding trees.
He could see it all; her movements, her timings, her breathing patterns, all of it. With the new information on Akumu feeding him, Livius was slowly beginning to find ways around her enormous strength. Still, she made it incredibly difficult to land anything with her sharp, yet heavy sword strokes.
Pulling back for a moment, he flash stepped above Akumu and fired off a Raikōhō which she countered with a Sōren Sōkatsui creating a large explosion which clouded the area with smoke and dust. Using it as a cover, Livius flash stepped down again and attacked with a low slash to the base of her spine. Akumu swiftly pirouetted and met the strike with her right blade, but to her surprise another blade was already swooping down to dismember her left arm. Readjusting rapidly she arched her neck to the side and brought her left blade upwards to block the strike. It was just as she felt her left blade connect that her eyes widened as a third blade hurtled towards her head in an upwards sweeping motion. Exerting as much force as she could, her feet cratering beneath her, Akumu tilted her head back just enough to avoid a fatal blow.

Livius: (He lands a few tens of metres behind her, in the process of lowering his raised blade after using such a Hohō technique) Way of Onmitsu, 6th of the Shihō, Buyō Mitsugo.

A clean slice forms diagonally across Akumu’s mask and promptly falls away from her face, with a light cut forming across the bridge of her nose and part of her forehead soon after.

Livius: *his tone is degrading* I’m surprised you survived that one, woman.

Akumu: (Blood slowly seeps from the superficial wound and snails down the middle of her face; she exhales distastefully) Well then, I should get serious. (Her reiatsu begins to build and her blades glow with spiritual energy) Slay the resistors, Yoru Karitori. (Her dual zanpakutō immediately turn a dark purple, almost black colour)

Livius: (He turns his head and glances at Akumu’s released zanpakutō) Hm… Shishōmen has shown me what your zanpakutō can do. (He smirks arrogantly) I just have to avoid being cut and I’ll be fine.

Akumu: *poisonously* Let’s see what you try to say after I’ve rent that egotistical mouth from your face…

*****************************************­***­***­***­***­***­***­***­***­**

Aexus’ eyes were fixated only upon Ghelon’s lifeless form as he lay on the ground in a puddle of his own blood. Whether unintentional or otherwise, he was taking no notice of his opponent standing directly above his Lieutenant’s corpse. Aexus’ body language slowly took on a deflated stance as he blinked rapidly, tears beginning to stream down his face. Despite the reality staring him so bluntly in the face, Aexus refused to believe what he saw. Ghelon Kahiho, his closest companion, his Lieutenant, dead? Not a chance…
He unsuccessfully tried to erase the painful memories that were flashing vividly through his head but, his mind had gone numb. His body had gone numb. His reiatsu had gone numb. Pathetic.
Yvon curled his lip in disappointment at the form of the Captain before him.

Yvon: Do you still refuse to accept facts Captain? (He sighs with displeasure as he receives no response) I see… (He raises the bow in his hand, aims directly at Aexus’ head and pulls a Tooriame arrow taut) Then die.

Yvon released the arrow, sending it hurtling towards Aexus as it quickly split into a mass of arrows. It took until the incoming arrows were milliseconds from hitting him for Aexus to briefly snap back into focus and flash step away to avoid taking fatal damage. His reaction was sluggish however as he felt two arrows embed themselves into his right shoulder and lower left side of his torso. He stopped beside a tree as a dull pain ebbed weakly from his injuries.

Aexus: (He looks at Yvon uttering words, but they don’t reach his ears; he robotically removes the arrows from his body but his unfocused gaze does not leave Yvon’s mask) [Inner monologue: All they do is torture and kill… all those Jūzō Hoshō Captains do, is make me suffer!]

Suddenly Aexus’ body began shaking violently, his jaw tightened and he unsteadily withdrew his zanpakutō with his left hand causing Yvon to narrow his eyes expectantly at the development. In a flurry of moments, Aexus’ eyes widened, his body tensed and he screeched furiously, his reiatsu spiking erratically as he did so, eliciting a quick response by Yvon, who instantly aimed and fired a Tekkoudan in Aexus’ direction. To his brief surprise his arrow missed its mark and tore through the trees behind, with Aexus nowhere in sight. Yvon’s keen senses served him well as he quickly ducked forward, evading a wild low-flying slash behind him, and retaliated with a roundhouse kick to the stomach, sending Aexus flying backwards.
Hearing his opponent animalistically roar in anger, Yvon flash stepped higher into the sky, above the trees, and rained down a barrage of arrows on Aexus’ location. Sensing his enemy’s evasion of Tooriame, he quickly spun on the balls of his feet and met the incoming Captain’s heavy strike with the broad of his bow. Aexus continued to press Yvon in close quarters, attacking with wild swings, his emotions dominating his movements. Yvon carefully parried each assault, before cleverly repelling him backwards with a well timed Shō to the chest.
Aexus ground his teeth together frustratedly as he silently released his zanpakutō and faded from his opponent’s sight. Yvon narrowed his eyes, as he attempted to discern his opponent’s whereabouts using his regular senses alone; that was all that was needed according to Sumiko’s information. Had something changed?
His head quickly turned to the side as he somersaulted backwards in response to the incoming feeling of raging reiatsu behind him. He landed back on his feet and fired volleys of Tooriame in various direction around him, aiming to catch the perfectly camouflaged Gotei Captain who was now flash stepping around evasively to avoid taking damage. Despite being unable to sense him normally, Yvon could feel Aexus’ wildly fluctuating reiatsu as easily as he could breathe; it would only be a matter of seconds before he struck his target.

Yvon: *coolly* There. (He suddenly aims to his lower right and fires a Tekkoudan through the air; he smirks as he sees an Enkōsen suddenly erect itself with Aexus quickly fading back into view; the Bakudō shatters as it deflects the Tekkoudan arrow just enough to allow Aexus to safely dodge it) Your reiatsu is all over the place Captain, even a lowly officer would find you like that.

Aexus gritted his teeth in fury. He would not hear such words from the man who had mercilessly killed his closest friend. Yvon raised an eyebrow in subdued wonder as Aexus suddenly put his free hand over his face and his reiatsu began to build haphazardly. It barely took Yvon a second to notice that his reiatsu was fluctuating even more violently than before. Then the realisation hit him.

Yvon: I get it now. You can’t fix your reiatsu properly can you. (He stares at Aexus pitifully) Sumiko messed you up good, didn’t she?

Aexus did not listen to Yvon’s words but winced at the sound of her name. As the red mist quickly descended yet again as he took away his hand from his face and screamed indignantly, veins pulsing on his temple. Why couldn’t he release his bankai? What had these Captains done to him now? With only frustration and fury filling his mind, rational cognized thought escaped him once more.
Yvon smirked and flash stepped below a distracted Aexus before unleashing a huge volley of Tooriame in his direction. Aexus hurriedly deflected the initial arrows with a rushed Tenran and followed suit by firing off Hadō #87 Sentan Nenshō, which roared through the previous Hadō and incinerated the rest of the arrows in its path. The roaring fire-like energy arrowhead soared towards Yvon, but he effortlessly dodged the Hadō and flash stepped towards Aexus, a Tekkoudan arrow already pulled taut.

Aexus: (The dodged Hadō explodes below him while he activates Kyomusuke’s ability and begins to fade from view once more) Bakudō #26 Kyokkō!

Yvon noticing his actions, rapidly fired the Tekkoudan which, to his chagrin, seemingly struck nothing. He clicked his tongue in minor agitation as he strained to sense Aexus’ location when several Byakurai began to fire at him. His trained reflexes, skilful agility and mastery of Hohō allowed him to nimbly avoid taking damage whilst simultaneously firing off arrows in the direction the attacks came from. Still his arrows hit nothing. The area suddenly went silent and nothing stirred, with Yvon continuing to discern where his opponent was. Just then, his eyes widened and he rapidly swivelled left to block the heavy slash, aimed for his neck, with the broad of his bow. The sudden attack pushed him backwards from the force but he quickly managed to retain his form regardless.

Yvon: *matter-of-factly* You think I wouldn’t notice such killing intent? You’re going to have to try harder than that. (He raises his bow as Aexus heatedly charges at him as he fades from view) *deadpan* How pitiful that your Vice-Captain put up a better fight than you did.

If only Conviction were Real

Majo stood by Akarui and squeezed her hand as they both waited behind Senato's kido. They both looked straight ahead with fire in their eyes as they waited patiently for the Juzo Hosho to arrive. Kie, being ever determined to gather what information she could on the enemy, was in her lab watching the effects of her new device. Miraculously, every captain had agreed to hear what she had to say at the Captains meeting, and had agreed to her plan. She wasn't even surprised when Kie handed them all a small double-edged tanto, short sword, each sharpened to perfection.

Majo was ready for some kind of insane plot to use one of their old tricks against them, but was instead met with a surprisingly simple idea - to create a device that was capable of detecting even the smallest of fluctuations in the area, giving them a fair warning of the Juzo Hosho's arrival. Several minutes ago, the device had warned them of a senkaimon that would be opening above the flatter area of the Seireitei, rocks and grass abound. They both waited quietly, though Majo was less antsy than her companion.

Akarui would not sit still. She was fidgeting ever couple of seconds, likely itching to receive some action. Majo squeezed her hand again.

"Calm down," she whispered lightly. "You'll get your justice soon enough."

Akarui frowned. "I'm not interested in the Priestess. It's the scientist I want to decapitate."

Majo sighed. "We already agreed not to engage Sumiko Anenokoji. You and I gave that privilege to Kie. Besides, it is likely that she, even with her obsession over Captain Gingumaru, will engage Kie."

Akarui's frown deepened. Her brows furrowed even further as she chewed on the side of her cheek. "I know Kie can handle her this time around, but it has been bothering me lately. She doesn't seem herself. I know this is absurd, but I wouldn't trust her in battle, the way she is now."

"You're over thinking it,"Majo replied swiftly. She shot Akarui a gentle glare. "You know better than anyone that Kie won't fail this time. She is prepared to face Sumiko."

Akarui sighed again but remained quiet. She tightened her grip on Majo's hand when she saw a shape appear not far from their own position, and a Senkaimon opened. The first of them to emerge was the one called Akihiko. Two others followed him, the ones known as Jisano and Yushi. Majo felt herself tense involuntarily at his presence, but she didn't move from her position. When three other Captains emerged from the light of the gateway, Tomoyo Daidoji, Elizabeth Renoir, and Akumu Shimo, Majo began to take deeper breaths to hold herself together.

Eventually all of the captains of the Juzo Hosho were out in the open. Majo had here eyes only on their target - Kyobo Sodo. Her fingers were trembling in Akarui's hand, and her friend proceeded to tighten her grip. Majo was suddenly as antsy as her friend, wanting more than anything to be let loose from behind the kido. Despite this, she waited patiently for Kie's order.

The Juzo Hosho Captains stood still for a moment before they seemed to realize that their adversary's were no where in sight. The moment Majo saw Sumiko tense in realization was also the same moment that Kie's voice was heard through the earpiece they all wore.

"Go," she'd said steadily.

Every one of the captains emerged from behind the kido and with tremendous speed made their way towards the targets. A flurry of different Hado and Bakudo were fired off by each captain, many of them missing their targets completely. But that was the point. Create as much chaos as possible and cause confusion within their ranks. Majo herself fired off the 88th hado straight into the ground behind one of the Juzo Hosho, causing her to jump in fright and glare right into Majos eyes. In the very next moment Majo was faced with two of them on either side of her. She quickly ducked underneath their swipes and watched as both swords clashed mere inches above her own face. Akarui appeared in the next instant and split her legs to either side, one heel digging into the throat of the first, whom Majo recognized as Akihiko, and the heel catching the collarbone of their true target, Kyobo.

Majo twisted her body horizontally and brought her blade around, attempting to catch Kyobo's ankle. Her aim to hinder his movement was thwarted by his own sword, which was promptly ran along the length of her own. She quickly shoved him away and watched as Akarui slammed both of her swords into his own with a vertical strike. He flinched under the strength of her strike and let out an audible grunt as he was forced from his midair perch and thrown to the grassy fields below. Majo took the initiative and fired off a shakkaho, the red flames crashing into the ground and throwing dirt high into the sky. She and Akarui quickly rushed into the dust, but were both stopped by a massive Raikoho. They both sidestepped the blast, promptly returning to each others sides only to be separated again by a powerful one handed strike from Kyobo. Akarui blocked the strike as best she could, but was unable to stop the tremor that wracked her body. She knelt before the Juzo Hosho captain, partially incapacitated. Majo was ready to leap into action but soon found that it was unneeded. Akarui fired off a powerful byakurai that narrowly missed the mans head. She watched as her comrade sheathed her second blade and pulled a short tanto from her haori within the same motion. Kyobo, on the other hand, was paying attention to her katana, which was arcing directly towards his shoulder. He raised his own weapon to block it successfully and was quickly surprised to find the small tanto in her left hand embedded in his own right. Majo watched with a slight smirk.

Kyobo flinched back, taking the tanto with him and quickly ripping it from his palm and glaring at the both of them.

"I hope you don't plan on using this underhanded tactic over the entire course of our battle," Kyobo said, sighing as he turned to Majo. He seemed to be deliberately ignoring the woman who had injured him, who now stood at her friends side. "I fought you before and you hardly seemed the type to actually do this sort of thing, fighting two to one…"

"If it offends you, then I do apologize. But you must understand," Majo said, appearing directly behind Kyobo. "we have to win, by whatever means necessary." She placed emphasis on her words by using her own zanpakuto to pierce his flank before he knocked her away with his brute force. Even though she could no longer see, the body language of the shadow before he made it evident that he was regretful of their last encounter. It was even more surprising to hear remorse in his voice when he spoke.

"I see you have learned to cope well with your blindness," he pointed out wryly. He casually blocked both of Akarui's strikes as he kept his gaze firmly locked onto Majo. Akarui hissed in annoyance.

"Sight is a trivial matter for me. I lost my eyes because of my own incompetence, and something like that won't happen again," she replied. She held her hand up, palm facing Kyobo. Akarui did the same from her position, a scowl making her dislike of the man evident.

"Fushibi!"

Kyobo's eyes widened slightly as he was wrapped in the webs of fire-branded kido, but he merely watched as Majo and Akarui made their own way out of the net quickly. Akarui then smirked from her spot to Majo's right.

"Shakkaho!"

******** ******** ********

Kie fought a hard, internal battle for a moment. Her expression remained neutral, but inside her emotions were thrashing about like a dying animal fighting for it's life. Oh how right you are, Sumiko Anenokoji. I would very much like to do so. It took everything she had not to tear her smug face off. She wanted nothing more than to crush that woman's superiority complex with the palm of her own hand, to crush the mask she wore with the heel of her foot. She wanted to make this woman feel the same way she had felt - helpless. But she wouldn't stoop to levels such as that. No, she would not be beaten. Even if she was physically rent into nothingness, she would at least carry the same ideals with her, the same ones she had upheld for centuries. She glared at Sumiko again, contemplating firing a flurry of Hado and Bakudo, which would all inevitably be avoided, toward the Juzo Hosho Captain.

Instead she simply gripped her zanpakuto harder, switching it to her left hand. She shifted her weight to her right foot before suddenly springing forward and making an attempt at Sumiko's head. The strike was parried without the woman even moving any part of her body. Kie simply retreated to her spot and huffed. It baffled her that Sumiko wasn't making any moves of her own. Perhaps she liked the spot she was standing in too much.

"You know you will have to move from there eventually," Kie pointed out rather impatiently. "You might as well do it now."

Sumiko barely smirked. "Why would I do that? I obviously have the advantage here," she said as she made her point clear, her blade suddenly appearing lodged in Kie's leg.

The Captain flinched back as the blade was removed forcefully. Taking no time to examine the wound she lunged for her opponent once again, only to have her assault halted by the same presence striking her yet again, but this time it was situated in the center of her chest. Unlike the previous wounds to her feet and leg, this one came with a sharp and distinguishable pain. Her breath hitched in her throat.

"As I thought," Sumiko stated flatly, though the beginnings of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "It seems that hitting you in the same area has triggered a reaction. Because you are created from the same substance, the authentic's wounds would be disturbed as well if I were to hit you in the same places…"

Kie jerked away from her. "You won't have my head, Sumiko. I can promise you that much!"

Complete chaos followed her words. Her own attempts at injuring the Juzo Hosho captain were thwarted by the same trick as before, but her own awareness and increasingly speedy footwork had kept her from being injured for a third time. She fired off many a hado - Shakkaho, Fushibi, Sokatsui, Raikoho, Oukasen, Byakurai - but not a single one of them hit her. Attempting the same tactic with bakudo didn't offer a different outcome. Kie became frustrated by her sudden inability to aim, but noticed a small opening. Sumiko had left her lower left side unguarded for the most part. Kie fired off many smaller hado, continuing her pointless ranged attack pattern before she finally shifted into another technique. She suddenly disappeared from sight, flash stepping around Sumiko so quickly that multiple images of her appeared. Wherever the Captain looked, Kie was there. She was, apparently, finding it frustratingly hard to locate the true Kie. Kie knew better that that, however, and as a precaution fired off several more Byakurai from different locations. When Sumiko moved to dodge them, she took her chance. Appearing directly behind the captain, she took a vicious swing at her left side, ripping straight through the flesh. As Sumiko turned and growled at her assailant Kie appeared and slid to a halt several meters from her.

"I'm impressed," she said with barely disguised disdain. "that a mere copy could manage to land a stinging blow."

Kie held her chin a bit higher, which didn't go unnoticed by the woman who stood her opposite. "I don't understand what you're going on about, but if you're going to speak then do it loudly enough to be heard. If you insist on talking then do it now, before my patience wears thin."

Sumiko let out a loud and undignified laugh. "Your patience? You don't even have a shred of the composure of my former adversary. You are next to nothing when compared to who I fought the last time, and even then you were still weak," she paused for a moment and seemed to contemplate her words. She shook her head. "No, not you," she corrected herself with a chuckled.

Kie sighed. "You really are a piece of work," she said, almost under her breath. The comment didn't go unheard, however, and Sumiko responded with a scoff.

"I should be saying the same of you and your lieutenant!"

Kie bristled at the mention of Kira, her grip on the arming blade to her left side tightening considerably.

"She is a crafty one, wouldn't you agree?" Sumiko asked. It took Kie a moment to realize that she had phrased it as a question. She opened her mouth to respond but was perplexed to find that she had no response to that. Kira brought me back. For whatever reason, and through whatever method, she managed to wake me up. I have to admit, that is quite crafty. But what could she mean…?

Kie only continued to stare in the direction of her enemy and narrow her eyes. Rather than agreeing with her outright she simply opted for another question. "What makes you say that?" she asked dryly.

Sumiko clicked her tongue against her teeth, swinging her head back and forth in disapproval. "I honestly thought you would have been more observant, Kie."

All of a sudden, the emphasis placed on her own name was making her feel uncomfortable.

Sumiko laughed a hollow, decisive laugh. "Really. You have as much sense as a toddler. Did you honestly think that not checking your wounds would give you a form of invincibility? You really should have looked the first time."

At this, Kie couldn't help but wonder just what it was that she was talking about. She looked down, her face paling as soon as she did.

There was no blood.

She felt the area that the blade had pierced her chest, feeling only the hole that had been left there. Nothing else was present. How?! This can't be… This isn't possible-

Her own thoughts were interrupted by the rush of spiritual pressure that approached them both rapidly. Kie didn't even need to turn her head to know who had cast the spell. The eighty-eighth hado streaked past Kie and nearly slammed into Sumiko, who had been busy laughing until she finally opened her eyes. She easily sidestepped the attack and threw and uncharacteristic grin in their direction.

Aisumasuta landed at her side with his blade unsheathed and a snarl twisting his features. "Kira is in the care of the remaining fourth squad members, Captain, and they are currently tending to her in the makeshift healing area." He continued to remain in his battle posture, left foot slightly forward with his blade drawn back behind him, until he realized that the woman by his side had said nothing. He glanced in her direction, immediately concerned by her pale complexion and slowly widening eyes.

There's no blood. There's no blood. There's no blood.

Sumiko continued to grin, although it became slightly less intimidating and more and more content as she watched the elusive answer to the question dawn on the Captain before her.

This can't be right. We all have blood. We were all human once. We all have blood.. Suddenly, another realization dawned on her. She said she had stabbed me there once before. But I don't… remember that. Regardless… that blow should have killed me. Why? Why didn't it?[i] Kie dropped her sword to the ground and placed her hands on either side of her head. [i]I… I don't… but that would mean that I'm… not…

Sumiko watched with horribly concealed glee as the woman crumpled to the dirt, holding her head in her hands whilst she screamed into the ground. Her eyes were wide with panic and only grew wider as she continued to cry out in emotional agony.

Aisumasuta seemed to be at a complete loss. He had no idea what he was to do in a situation like this. He gazed at her, concerned, but he quickly moved his eyes to Sumiko and glared hatefully. "What have you done?!" he shouted.

"I have done nothing," she responded, her fingers twitching ever so slightly around the grip of her katana. "I simply revealed the truth to her. Or rather," she paused again, "she seems to have figured it out." She finished her statement just as Kie looked up.

Truth be told, Sumiko had actually appeared slightly surprised by the emptiness in her eyes.

Kie was hollow. What was once a happy, spritely, yet very strict woman, was a husk. A shell. Nothing. Aisumasuta stood by her side, shocked.

I'm not real.

She rocketed forward, blade clashing with Sumiko's. The shockwave that was released as a result was staggering, knocking her sixth seat flat on her back and leveling many a structure in the area.

I'm not real.

She remained expressionless as she drove her knee forward, yet failed to strike the Juzo Hosho Captain. She placed her right foot on the ground and swung the other leg around, attempting to catch her with a roundhouse. Sumiko simply ducked.

I'm not real.

Kie wasn't surprised to find Sumiko's blade once again stuck in her body, but she ignored it. She once again swung dumbly in her adversary's general direction. When Sumiko jerked herself backwards to avoid the haphazard attempt at an attack, Kie suddenly grabbed the woman's wrist and yanked her forward. She unsheathed the small blade that hung at her lower back and drove it through Sumiko's shoulder. She ripped it out, leaving a ragged hole behind. She didn't move again, even as the sword was withdrawn from her abdomen. She simply stood, face and body expressionless, her right hand coated in blood and still clutching the small blade, albeit loosely.

I'm not real.

The thought left her feeling numb.

But if I'm not real then why can I feel emotions…?

She grimaced, only narrowing her eyes further.

But, even so. I'm not real, am I?

Her internal conflict continued to rage on while Aisumasuta and Sumiko each stood watching her carefully. She was so deep in thought that she barely registered her sixth seat speaking to Sumiko.

"What is the meaning of this?!" he had shouted. "You've done something to her, haven't you!"

Sumiko held up her hands in defense, obviously unbothered by her trivial wounds. "I have done nothing. She has done this to herself."

Aisumasuta froze. Slowly turning his eyes back to his Captain he noticed something.

There was no blood.

The realization hit him a little too late as he watched Sumiko approach Kie, soundlessly raising her zanpakuto above her head and bringing it down in a large and wide arc. The blade cleaved through the captains chest cavity, effectively slicing the pseudo-heart in two and bringing her bodily functions to a halt. He couldn't help the immediate and almost inhuman screech that was torn from his throat as he watched her body fall limply to the ground in a heap of pale skin and even paler hair. She was slumped over herself, down on her knees with her head hanging limply before her. He could still see her face, twisted in the most heart wrenching of expressions as she finally realized what she was.

A fake.

The two weapons she had wielded clattered to the ground as the last of her spiritual pressure died off into nothing and her fingers uncurled.

He couldn't help but feel sick at the sight, although the body was fabricated and there was no blood, innards or anything of the sort. Seeing something that so closely resembled his own captain slumped over on the ground was frightening to him. Even more frightening was the sudden spike in spiritual pressure that he felt from almost every other Captain, particularly Majo and Akarui. They had felt it. And they were angry.

Their anger must have reached him, because he suddenly found himself locking blades with her, staring maliciously into her eyes, wanting nothing more than to render them sightless.

"You're making a mistake, boy," she spat, easily brandishing her blade against his with a single hand, and apparently her non-dominant one at that.

"You will pay," he hissed through bared teeth, seething.

She's still in a coma. And this is the woman who did it to her.

Of course he was going to make her pay.

********* ******** ********

The walls seemed eerie from where she was. She could hardly remember a thing.

Pain

It suddenly lanced through her chest as though she had been impaled.

She remembered. What did she remember?

Loathing

She could feel it all around her. The lights from above were bright and she felt that if she opened her eyes too far they would be ripped apart.

Self-doubt

Was it her fault? Had she allowed this to happen? How many? Just how many…

Regret

She unconsciously clenched her fists. That's right. That's what had happened. She had made a wrong decision. It had… caused many problems.

Determination

And suddenly she was facing the floor. She stared through the grate of the cage-like floors beneath her shaking body, watching the greenish liquid swish and foam under her. She coughed and spluttered, unable to fill her lungs enough to relax. She was painfully aware of the temperature in the room - far colder than she would have liked. She felt the remaining substance on her body, whatever it may have been, begin to freeze over. This prompted her to grope around blindly for a cloth of some sort. She slowly got to her feet after she had managed to pull one off of a nearby counter and wrap it around her bare body. She opened her eyes slowly and found the light not nearly as bad as before, although her head was still throbbing.

If one had seen her face, they would have fooled them into thinking she was completely calm. She was the opposite. She had felt every spike of her comrades power, and every fall as well. What had been the most out of place was that she had actually felt her own spiritual pressure. Even if only for a short while, she had felt it flare, die down, spike again and then die out. Even now she felt her strength returning to her. What had that been?

She once again looked around the room, seeing everything neat and orderly. She even found a spare set of her own clothing with her Zanpakuto laid neatly on top. A small note appeared to be taped to it's scabbard.

She walked over to it curiously, fishing for the small white paper beneath the straps of the belts and sheathes. She brought it closer to her eyes and unfolded the small paper.

Captain,

Because of the mechanism on the incubation tube, it is set to automatically drain the fluids if a consciousness is detected within it's confines.
I have decided to leave this note in case you wake up without me in the laboratory with you. Although at this point that is unlikely, I wish to make the best of the current situation. I have set an outfit here for you so that you won't remain bare for too long. Hopefully I can be there to support you through the recovery, but if not, then this note may also be a form of goodbye. The coming conflicts have proven fatal for many a soul reaper, and I may be one of them next time. If that is the case, which I sincerely hope it won't be, then this is goodbye. If not, then I do hope to see you well someday,

Your Lieutenant.

She felt her fingers begin to tremble at the prospect of saying goodbye. Could it be that…?

Another sudden fluctuation of her comrades spiritual pressure confirmed her fears. Another battle had ensued. But she narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brow when she noticed a lone spiritual pressure was weakening.

Good god…

Kira.

She was fully clothed in seconds and sprinting for the ladder with blades in hand, praying to whomever was listening that she was not too late. She could feel her heart leap into her throat as she felt her friend becoming weaker. "God no," she whispered to herself. "Not you too."

As she flash stepped to her Lieutenants location within the barracks of her own squad, she felt her control over her emotions wavering. As she reached the door she hesitated, taking a moment to make sure her expression was neutral before she slid it to the side.

She was horrified. Blood coated the matted floor from end to end and she watched as it pooled near the members of the Fourth Squad who so diligently worked on her comrade. She peered past them and immediately regretted it.

The sight of Kira's body was enough for her emotionless mask to drop completely out of place. Her eyes darkened and her head hung slack, her shoulders tensed and fingers curling, ever so slowly, into fists. She felt her long suppressed rage begin to rise to the surface once more.

She could feel it. Shen. Reiji. Sero. Hiramakku. They were gone.

Somehow she knew. She knew it was her fault - and now Kira, one of the only friends she had within her own squad, was at deaths door.

And she knew who had done it, too. The residual spiritual pressure that was latent in her wounds was telltale enough, and she was out the door within moments. She simply stood in the crisp air of outside, trying her hardest to maintain her composure.

Sumiko doesn't deserve your composure, she thought.

Her spiritual pressure spiked violently, yet she did not move. She did not dare move, for something was holding her back. "I must…" she choked on her own words. Even when they were barely whispered they seethed with rage and anger. "I must right this wrong." She was fixed to the spot. Rooted to it. No matter how hard she tried, she was unable to move her body.

Why?

She had no snawer.

Sorry for the long wait, I've been rather busy but I'm trying to allocate more time to writing so as to reduce the waiting time between posts in the future.
Also I don't think this one is as good as others have been but I can't find a way to change it much :\
Either way, enjoy :P

<A Dull Blade>

Senato and Shiho watched as the enemy arrived. The other captains charged excluding Livius, Kei and Aexus, whom wasn’t even there. Senato took a few moments to identify the enemy captains before he too would follow in persuit.

He saw Captain Daidoji and immediately was reminded of the barrier and the death of captain Tsukubashi, which she had helped come to pass. He charged at her, his mind filled with anger though very little was shown on his face. He drew his sword as she directed her view to him, but his line of sight was immediately cut off by a figure unknown to him. The figure drew his sword and the clashed, stopping Senato’s advance. Senato grunted as he recoiled from his opponents block.

“Who are you?” Senato grunted with annoyance.

The figure looked at him, “Judging from your appearance, you must be Captain Senato Ajibana, correct?” He questioned him

Senato stared at him, “I asked you a question. I thought you Juzo Hosho understood common courtesy...”

“I am Captain Akihiko Seinosuke.” He answered indifferently.

Senato remembered that name, “You’re the monster that murdered Sojan.” He spoke through gritted teeth, tightened his grip and charged forward striking at Akihiko.

Akihiko parried the strike with ease and prepared to counter, but was forced to flash step away as Shiho came charging in from the side. “This must be your lieutenant.” He stated, “Quite a brave one, charging into a battle between Captains. Though you spent most of your previous battle watching, correct?”

“Tch.” Shiho focused his gaze and charged in with a full powered strike, aiming to slice right into Akihiko’s torso. Akihiko was forced to block instead of parry because out of surprise from the speed of the strike. Senato charged in from the side planning to pierce his blade straight through his torso though Akihiko simply flash-stepped around Senato planning to strike him from behind.

Holding his blade in his right hand, Senato placed his left palm on the ground and used it to flip is body forwards, evading Akihiko’s attack with only a rip on the bottom of his robes. While mid flip Senato aimed his blade at Akihiko, “Hado #58 Tenran!” The spinning winds reached Akihiko quickly from such a close distance, though he was easily able to erect a barrier to protect himself before they struck. Senato used the recoil to make distance between him and Akihiko before completing his flip and landing correctly on the ground.

Senato swung his blade from left to right as he starred at Akihiko, “Hado #54 Haien!” A ball of red energy shot towards him, Akihiko easily side stepped it. He noticed multiple more coming towards him. He dodged them, one after the next closing the distance between himself and Senato.

“His attacks are imprecise and done at random. This doesn’t match with Tomoyo’s report.” He thought to himself. “I can also sense suppressed killing intent. It seems that Tomoyo’s information cannot be used against him in his current state.”

The fact that the information he had was of no use did not faze Akihiko, he would simply have to figure out his own way to counter his opponent. Akihiko struck horizontally from the left, Senato parried it and thrust his blade forward in an attempt to pierce Akihiko’s chest. Akihiko swung his blade upwards, deflecting Senato’s blade, leaving him wide open. He prepared to take advantage of this and stuck downwards towards Senato’s chest but was forced away by a flurry of sword strikes from Shiho.

“This is the second time that your lieutenant has had to cover your mistakes, Captain Ajibana.” Akihiko commented as he continued blocking Shiho’s numerous strikes, “It seems that two on one, won’t be as much of a challenge as I thought.”

“You shouldn’t underestimate our abilities.” Shiho smirked, “We have fought together for so long that we don’t even need to speak in order to coordinate.”

“Hado #47 Jōshō chikyū!” Senato shouted as he placed his hand on the ground in front of him, suddenly multiple spikes of earth pierced outwards from the ground towards Akihiko, he easily dodged a few and sliced apart the ones he could not dodge, all the while using the new spikes to cut himself off from Shiho’s flurry of attacks.

“He’s quite agile. Even though he doesn’t boast it, it’s obvious that he has a lot of battle prowess.” Senato noted to himself, “he’s well aware of what happens around him so even though we have the advantage in numbers, he’s still holding strong and even able to go on the offensive.” Senato focused his gaze on Akihiko, “I will NOT lose this fight.” He reminded himself.

Senato began closing the gap between himself and Akihiko all the while using blasts of kido in an attempt to pin him down. They stood for a moment and stared into one another’s eyes as their blades clashed. From their Senato sprung upwards, pressing his blade against Akihiko’s to help him gain altitude. At the same time Shiho charged forward taking a slice at Akihiko’s side. Akihiko side-stepped to minimize the area that would get cut but the strike, then let loose of his blade with one hand and slammed that hand into Senato’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him a decent few meters back.

Shiho quickly went to Senato’s side as he lifted himself from the ground. Whilst Akihiko took a quick look at the new shallow cut on his right side. “It took this much only to give him a shallow wound?” Shiho sighed, “This is gonna be a loooong fight isn’t it?” Senato remained silent, and simply watched his opponent. “He’s not acting like he normally would.” Shiho thought. “It’s making it a lot harder for me to coordinate with him if he’s acting different and remaining silent.”

Senato held his blade vertically with both hands, pointing upwards in front of him. Shiho immediately noticed and reacted with holding his blade horizontally in front of him, still in reversed grip. The tip of the blade was pointing to his captain whom was to the right of him. They both began speaking in unison.

“Sabaku, Shinjitsu no tsukaite!”

“Sekai o keihatsu, Tenshi no Hoshi!”

A white light shone, in the rough form of an orb, from where Senato stood whilst a black orb of shadowy smoke formed and began to dissipate where Shiho stood. Before the orbs had dissipated, Shiho charged full speed out of the shadowy smoke towards Akihiko, scythe in hand. He began spinning the scythe in his hands as he neared Akihiko. With a loud clang and a small shockwave, one of the blades of Shiho’s scythe clashed with Akihiko’s blade. Shiho Immediately spun the scythe, making attempting to strike with the three blades at the bottom end of the scythe. Akihiko dodged backwards and raised his blade again as Shiho began unleashing strike after strike against him.

“His defence is minimal yet his attacks are fast enough that with one sword it is actually difficult to counter him.” Akihiko thought as he frowned slightly, “This lieutenant is stronger than an average lieutenant. I’ll give him that much.”

As he continued to block Shiho’s attacks he noticed an unusually bright light in the sky, he quickly noticed nine shining orbs in a star like pattern.

“Hitosuji no Hikari!” Senato shouted. Shiho dodged backwards as a beam fired down from the centre of the formation, though the blast was off target striking too far to the right, which allowed Akihiko to evade it easily. “Try evading this then!” Senato thought to himself as he sent 2 stars flying towards Akihiko, one from either side.

Akihiko jumped back and swung his sword around him striking both the stars and sending them flying backwards. Immediately Shiho sprung back in and continued striking at Akihiko. “Something is wrong,” Shiho thought to himself, “Senato’s attacks are weaker than they should be and they are imprecise... this has never happened before. Either way I’ll have to do my best to make up for Senato’s disadvantage. This opponent has a lot of power and I’ve only been able to scratch the surface with Uchigawa no shinjitsu. I just hope he'll snap out of it soon."

[Fake Blood; False Promises: Frenzied]

Sumiko gazes deeply into her opponent’s eyes, closely examining his killing intent. She can feel the desperation emanating from his body. “You’re eager to slice into me, aren’t you, officer? I have to say, however, it won’t be a simple task,” she remarks with a cold sophistication.

Aisumasuta pushes against her, forcing her back. He swiftly begins a maneuver, gliding across the ground. Her eyes follow him as he appears to her left and then darts in her direction. His blade collides with hers. He loosens his grip and frees his left hand. The energy collecting at his palm erupts, striking her stomach with tremendous force. She is rocketed backwards, only to be assaulted while attempting to collect her orientation. She surprises the confident Aisumasuta by flash-stepping from his sight. She descends from above, forcefully bringing her sword down upon his. The shock wave sends debris in the air and places an immense pressure on his body. He reaches up and grabs her tightly, pulling her to the ground. He attempts to impale her on the ground, but she quickly outmaneuvers his crude strategy. She rolls to the side, swinging her feet, building momentum, and rotating her body. She allows her feet to collide with the back of his knee, weakening his posture. He falls to the ground as she lands on her feet. She swings her blade, but it is immediately stopped by his swift spin of his blade.

Sumiko is thrown off with the sweeping of his blade, but she questions his methods. “You’re playing it close to the vest, aren’t you? You’re eager to remain close, but close can be deadly.”

“Not as deadly as far away, I hear. Keeping you close is how I prefer it,” he quickly shouts before crossing blades with her.

“Oh, I should have known. Aexus told you about our battle. And his information helped inform your strategy. How convenient.” She thrusts her weight in his direction and leaps back, flash-stepping to a better distance. He attempts to follow, but the close he gets, the farther she seems to be.

“Quite perplexing, isn’t it? No matter how quickly or how forcefully you charge in my direction, you never seem to make any ground. I don’t know why,” she explains with a wicked grin,” but I enjoy watching my opponents struggle. There is something rather delightful about the varying degree of eagerness one has to reach me that I find so intriguing. Aexus, well, he was somewhat of a disappointment. He was like an ant to water, with no real talent. He soon discovered my secret. Did he happen to share that with you?”

“He did,” Aisumasuta replied. “In fact, he shared a great deal with the captains, which trickled down to me.”

“How convenient that even the rabble has an opportunity to benefit from a captain’s wisdom.” Sumiko squints her eyes and bears her teeth. “Oh, I see you’ve already erected a barrier. How clever, using your time spent taking Kira to the medic to create a system for nullifying my ability.” She leers behind her, taking note of the shimmering air. “Yes, quite the obvious barrier. Only a captain possesses the prowess to erect a barrier with the sophistication of secrecy. That’s something you just don’t have…”

Aisumasuta suddenly feels a sharp, piercing pain, as her blade slides through his calf like liquid. He quickly pulls himself off the blade, and stumbles forward.

“Sometimes I feel as though I was cheated. I was born with such a dreadfully difficult Zanpakuto. I should have spent more time developing my combat technique, and then maybe it wouldn’t be such a handicap. I manage to get by, though. I mean, legs are important, too, right?” She amusingly observes Aisumasuta, enjoying his moment of suffering.

Aisumasuta stares viciously in her direction, contemplating his options. “Even without her one ability and the others liminitations, I am having trouble injuring her. She’s clever, which makes battling her difficult. If I could simply work weakness to my advantage. I GOT IT!!!”

Sumiko watches as his expression softens. He begins to smile before adjusting his posture. “What could you possibly have to smile about?”

Without a word he rockets in her direction. He slams his blade against hers and then flash-steps above her and behind her. She swings her blade back, safely defending against his. She swings her body around, sweeping her blade through the air. He leans back, avoiding decapitation before flash-stepping in the air. He takes his sword and swings it before pointing it directly at her. “Kongobaku!!!” The massive blazing sphere collides with the soil, erupting in a sea of churning fire.

Sumiko speeds to her left, running from the flames, which seem to seek her. “Dreadful man, trying to set me ablaze! Two can play this game!” She runs across the ground, leaps into the air and spins around. As she does so, she slides her hand across her blade, causing it to illuminate brightly. “Garasu no jūdan” She swings the blade horizonally as she lands and slides across the ground. It creates a barrage of small, speeding particles, which quickly forced Aisumasuta to take evasive action.

Aisumasuta rapidly flash-stepped to avoid the quick-moving bullets. One managed to strike his shoulder, throwing him off-balance. The bullets struck his body, forcing him from the sky like a clipped bird. He descended, crashing in the ground, only to find Sumiko prepared to capitalize on this opportunity. He watched her closely as she slid her blade into the air and it dematerialized. “Now is my chance!”
Sumiko’s blade rockets from the ground below, but Aisumasuta was preared. He rolled to the side, quickly returned to his feet and swung his blade toward the ground “KONGOBAKU!!!” The hellish sphere struck the ground, searing it heavily with its mighty, roaring flames.

Sumiko watched in bemusement as the flames spread across the ground. She thought to herself, “what could this fool be doing? Does he expect to injure my blade with his puny kido? How audacious and equally absurd.” She proceeds to pull her blade from its position, but is unexpectedly halted. She tugs defiantly on her Zanpakuto, quickly escalating into a feverish struggle. “What the hell…?” She continues to pull on her blade, but cannot unearth it from the air in front of her. She raises her head quickly and stares foward, Aisumasuta reflecting in her eyes. Blood pools on the ground, as she stumbles backwards, her hands clutching her chest and abdomen. Blood soaks her clothing as she fearfully stares at Aisumasuta. Her eyes quiver as she is with no weapon.

Aisumasuta gazes into her doleful eyes, steadying his blade in preparation from another strike. “You should have expected such a weakness of your own Zanpakuto. It wasn’t until just recently that I noticed it, but for someone who has such intimate knowledge of its abilities, should have seen this coming. I gather from your questioning expression that the circumstances allude you still. You’re searching for possible reasons why you cannot unearth your blade from what seems to be thin air. It just sits there…” He touches the hilt with his hand as he marches forward. “You have no other options. And to think, you mocked me earlier, only to find that I was more of an opponent than you expected. It was that hubris that helped win me this battle.”

Aisumasuta continues to approach Sumiko, her face swirling with reservations. She suddenly lowers her head, concealing a devious smirk. Her smirk becomes broader, wrinkling her cheeks in delight. Her hair falls over her face, further obscuring her expression. “You’re quite the curious fellow. I’m almost tempted to explore you more, but affection still remains with another.” She slowly lifts her head, allowing her maddening gaze to peek from beneath her hair. Her eyes focus on Aisumasuta, widening as the situation becomes increasingly eerie. Aisumasuta leaps at her, both hands gripping his blade and prepared to impale her. “ Hado 57, Kokutsu Ninijizi.” Suddenly an eddy of sparkling green dust envelops their immediate area. The swirling dust focuses on Aisumasuta, latching onto his skin and preventing him from breathing.

Aisumasuta flash-steps haphazardly, swinging his sword and shielding his face as the onslaught continues. The dust dances around him, sweeping across his body and tearing his flesh from him. In appearance, the dust is majestic and beautiful, but it harbors a heinous nature, one of which is carving Aisumasuta’s body. He releases a surge of spirit energy.

“Once they begin their attack, they are not easily thwarted until you are nothing but a pile of blood and bone,” Sumiko explains with a devilish look on her face. She averts her attention to her blade, which she has not recognized is lodged due to the surface being stripped of its reflective qualities. “Such a wretched pest, dismantling my technique. She reaches into her pockets and throws the remaining pellets on the ground, creating a glossy, reflective surface. It rejuvenates the area, allowing her to pull her sword from the previously charred area. She clutches the hilt and angrily pulls it from the air. She looks forward and realizes her opponent has banished her technique. “Oh, managed to thwart the Sage Leaves? You’re craftier than I had anticipated, but you’re still playing with toys while the master’s mold their reality.”

Aisumasuta gasps for air, heaving mighty breathes, in and out, in and out. He adjusts his posture, finding it difficult to ignore the sharp pains surging throughout his body. “You managed to free your blade. How?”

“The same way I converted the ground into a more reflective surface. I figured you’d notice eventually. That leaves me no other choice, I’m afraid. It’s time for Seichi to wake from his slumber, rubs those eyes, and look upon the world once again.”

Aisumasuta projects a disgusted look in Sumiko’s direction, taking notice to her odd behavior. “You’re so strange…”

“Says the man who has not yet recognized he is about to die.” She smiles coyly, accompanies with a solid gaze. “Bankai… Seichi Fujunji,” she voices with a calm and steady tone. Energy begins to swirl around her, as her blade emits a soft glow. She places her hand on the blade and pulls from it a beam of energy. It slowly takes shape and becomes a separate blade. “ōkiku mihiraite.” She pauses for a brief moment before staring him directly in the eye and with another devious grin, “ We’ve got you in our sights.”

[Epoch of Kiwamete]

Akihiko inspects his wound, sliding his finger through his torn garment. He lifts his head, locking eyes with Captain Ajibana’s lieutenant. “You two have an unshakable bond. That much is clear from battling you. And yet, I sense a shift in the continuity of your relationship. I suspect you’re having difficulty pinpointing it, too. That is, if you are perceptive enough to notice it.”

Shiho stared incredulously at Akihiko, attempting to discern the root to his composure. “I’m surprised, Captain Seinosuke. While I understand you to be of a stoic nature, you seem more calm than I would expect, considering the circumstances. I cannot detect even the slightest flux in your spirit energy. Either you’re well-trained in hiding such fear or you’re completely foolish.”

“Those are bold words from a lieutenant, but I suspect you become more daring when you have Captain Ajibana standing confidently behind you.” Akihiko’s calm demeanor continues to upset Shiho, for reasons unknown to even him. Akihiko takes note of Shiho’s silent upset, “you appear to be more worried than your captain. One might hypothesize that your worry stems from a place of reason. Ergo, you enter every battle with the understanding that death is a possibility. And yet, I find myself more convinced by an alternative hypothesis.” Akihiko directs his attention to the lieutenant’s Zanpakuto, eyeing it closely before returning his gaze to Shiho himself. “That blade is likely more to blame than any unexplained sense you may be tapping.”

Shiho tries to mask his disbelief, but he is completely baffled by his opponent’s keen observations. “No,” he thinks to himself, “he obviously has inside information. Yes, that has to be the explanation. How else would he know of my Zanpakuto.”

“Shiho,” Senato utters from behind him. “Don’t allow him to pollute your thoughts and lead you astray. He’s simply attempting to distract you from your true goal. He’s nothing but a bluff.”

Shiho simply cannot accept his captain’s words. Shinjitsu no Tsukaite is able to see beyond his opponent’s words, but Shiko understands perfectly what his opponent is implying. He is perceptive enough without his Zanpakuto to recognize this. “Captain Seinosuke, you are formidable, I will grant you that, but you’re not insuperable. “

“I do not fear you because you cannot rival me,” Akihiko says plainly.

Shiho inhales deeply before brandishing his blade in Akihiko’s direction. “You are too confident, Captain Seinosuke. Captain…” The two warriors instantly commence another non-verbalized pattern of attack. They sync their abilities so beautifully, hoping to capitalize on their numbers.

Senato quickly recites his Zanpakuto’s technique, “Hitosuji no Hikari.” The spheres quickly align, releasing a surge of energy that tears into the ground. Senato watches as Akihiko quickly maneuvers across the battlefield.

The energy strikes the ground, shredding everything in its path. Akihiko glides across the ground and with astounding reflexes, leaps off the ground on one foot. His legs glide through the air as he flips over the beam of energy. He extends his arm and from his fingertips releases a brightly colored energy. “Horin,” he says calmly, as the energy surges from his fingers and glides around the energy beam. It successfully reaches the orbs, arranged in three.

Senato takes note of his Bakudo’s advance and quickly summons his other stars to help dispel the snake-like technique. Shiho comes in from the left, closely hugging the ground with his body as he rockets toward Akihiko. He lifts off the ground, wielding his scythe in preparation to slice off Akihiko’s arm. Senato shouts, “Shiho, don’t!”

Akhiko turns his sights to Shiho, still mid-air. His other hand is already pointed at Shiho, having anticipated his movements. He stairs into Shiho’s eyes as his finger erupts with energy, hurtling straight for the unsuspecting lieutenant. A fraction of a second from striking Shiho, Senato’s orbs collide with the beam of energy, deflecting it. Akihiko lands on his feet and lunges at Shiho, but is again thwarted by Senato’s beams of energy. He flash-steps from sight and appears meters away. “You should take this as an opportunity to thank your captain, lieutenant. If it had not been for his swift-moving Zanpakuto, you would have been gravely injured. “

Senato orbs encircle him, as he directs his attention to a somewhat unnerved Shiho. “Shiho let’s take another approach to this battle. Our earlier formations aren’t exactly working. He’s still able to out-maneuver us. That bakudo was just a distraction for me. You intended to measure the speed of my orbs by placing my lieutenant in a comprising position. You’re clever,” Senato says with a hint of disdain.

“Keenly observed, Captain. It was also an opportunity to witness these formations Captain Daidoji spoke of,” Akihiko explained politely.”

“He knows of your Zanpakuto, too, Captain.”

“It was to be expected. I came in knowing this. It won’t change anything, though. Your fellow captain had difficulty battling me, despite her knowledge of my Zanpakuto, “Senato remarked defiantly.

“You captains and your simplicity never ceases to amaze me. At one point or another, every captain I have encountered has stood before me boasting the same defiance. Can you pin-point the one thing that each one of them has had in common?”

“You, of course,” Senato remarks boldly.

“Precisely, Captain Ajibana. I cannot speak to my fellow captains’ competencies nor do I care to boast in their absence. I can simply speak for myself and the magnitude of difference between us. Every opponent I have faced, Captain and other, has fallen. I don’t require data to overwhelm you or your peers in battle. The blade I hold firmly in my hand is evidence enough. So, you may scoff or employ well-practiced formations with your lieutenant, but I implore you, do not rely on petty insolence.”

Senato paused for a moment, staring calmly at Akihiko’s stoic expression. “I am confident that today will be unlike your other battles, Captain Seinosuke.”

“Your composure is respectable, Captain, but misguided. It is true I have trained my entire life, crafting my abilities to perfection and strengthening myself for battle. However, my Zanpakuto affords me a distinct advantage in battle. In the several millennia that this blade has been wielded, it has never experienced defeat. I hold in my hand over 7,000 years of experience and power. And I speak to you in earnest, you will experience tremendous suffering on this day. And that suffering with have been brought upon by the collective stubbornness of the Gotei 13 and your inability to recognize when you are outclasses. Your lieutenant, however, he senses it, but fears giving it a voice.” Akihiko holds out his blade, staring intently at his opponents. “Normally, I would attempt to subdue you with as little force as necessary, but circumstances have left me in a precarious position. I stepped upon your soil with few options and even less patience.” Akihiko pauses for a moment, closing his eyes in a moment of deep contemplation. He lets his hand drop to his side before reciting, “ Bankai… Hijiiri Kiwamete ” Spirit energy erupts from Akihiko, creating torrents that slice into the ground and paint the sky in a greenish-hue. He begins twirling his sword in his hand, as he raises his arms. He continues to twirl the blade in the air, as his left hand nears his twirling fingers. Suddenly, the energy he twirls bleeds into his second hand, creating two twirling forces. As he lowers his arms they begin to solidify.

Shiho stares curiously at his opponent’s Zanpakuto, basking in his Bankai’s release. He watches as they take shape, but is surprised. “These are not how they have been described. Captain…”
“Yes, I see them, Shiho. These are not nodachi.” He observes Akihiko’s duel-wielding Zanpakuto, observing the double-sided appearance of each.

“You’ve taken notice, have you? It is much different than when I previously released to deal with Captain Harimakku. In our absence, I decided to recommit to my Bankai. In doing so, I managed to learn more about Hijiiri Kiwamete. Unlike its previous form, with one blade being a nodachi and the other a broad-sword, their natures have combined allowing me both for each blade. My left and ride blade have a nodachi side and a broad-sword side.”

“I’m certain the abilities have remained the same, one having dominion over the spirit and the other the body,” Senato hypothesizes with a calm fascination.

“Again, keenly observed, Captain Ajibana.” Without warning, Akihiko flash-steps in Shiho’s direction, flailing his blades like twin propellers. Shiho swiftly dodges the blade, but is quickly overwhelmed by his opponent’s speed. He rotates his scythe, catching both of Akihiko’s blades. Akihiko presses against the lieutenant, staring deeply, with a cold determination.”

Shiho can feel his Zanpakuto creeping into Akihiko’s mind, gathering valuable information. The information seeps into him, but it jolts his body. His mind is left tremulous, as he pulls away, to his own surprise.

“You sensed it, didn’t you, lieutenant,” Akihiko inquires calmly? Akihiko is forced to defend himself, as several orbs collide with the ground. He leaps to several locations, dodging the spherical bullets that blemish the ground with craters. “Those spheres certainly do more than discharge energy. They possess quite the destructive power as individuals, even without those formations. The larger the odd number, the powerful the projectile, am I correct, captain?

Senato dismisses Akihiko’s comment, silently condemning Tomoyo. “Wouldn’t you much rather witness it yourself?” The orbs suddenly take on a formation of 7, fire a powerful beam of energy in Akihiko’s direction.

Akihiko leaps directly at the incoming energy, but Shiho is prepared to thwart Akihiko’s obvious efforts. To Shiho’s surprise, Akihiko is adept at dealing with multiple opponents. He whirls his left blade, generating a massive pool of vibrant crimson energy. “ Hado 63: Ekusutoraiku. ” He rotates his arm, simultaneously rotating the blade in his hand and hurtling toward Senato’s attack. Dozens upon dozens of individual streams of energy flare from his blade. Shiho attempts to navigate these speeding strings of energy, but their numbers are vastly overwhelming. He is forced to retreat, soaring backwards and landing on the ground. Simultaneously, Akihiko uses his left blade to cleave through Senato’s technique. As his blade slices into the torrent of energy, the torrent itself implodes and dissipates.

Shiho speedily evades the streams of roaring energy, as they strike the ground. To his surprise, the energy recoils off the surface and continues to seek him. As they continue to strike the ground around him, they sequentially bounce from within the crater they generate and strike at his current position. The strings of whipping energy are beginning to corner him, arriving from every direction and continuing their pursuit. He glides across the ground, watching as several beams collide with the ground. As he moves back, they leap from the ground and collectively strike the ground where he stands. The force of the explosion catches him, searing his arm and clothing. He flash-steps with desperation, attempting to escape this wicked hado. Finally the beams of energy calm and dissipate, having defaced the ground in a devastating manner. He pants heavily, attempting to catch his breath, but is halted by Akihiko’s persistence.

Senato rockets toward Akihiko, motioning his orbs to seek Akhiko. Senato is abruptly halted by his lieutenant, “CAPTAIN STOP!!!!” His typical playful attitude has dissipated, and his voice expresses genuine concern.

Akihiko is unrelenting, however, attacking Shiho with his right blade. The broad-end of his right blade slices into his chest. “You sacrificed your safety to prevent your captain from making any more foolish choices. How valiant of you, lieutenant,” Akihiko comments with a sobering tone. He watches as Shiho falls backwards, catching himself with his scythe and quickly retaliating. “His reflexes are impressive, “Akihiko thought as he parried his opponent. Suddenly a beam of energy comes rocketing toward Akihiko. This allows Shiho time to flash-step back to his Captain’s side. “Another noble sacrifice,” Akihiko noted as he sliced through the fiery comet. “Your Zanpakuto is marvelously unique. Under normal circumstances, I would have been able to capture the entire technique. However, the variation by which you perform that technique create a dichotomy. I was only able to secure formation seven and now one. It appears I have four more to capture. “

Senato glared at Akihiko with little emotion, but he couldn’t fathom what Akihiko was talking about. He quickly directs his attention to Shiho, “You allowed yourself to get injured. Why,” he demanded sternly?”

Shiho’s natural humor had all but vanished as he looked staidly into his captain’s eyes. “Did you not read about his Zanpakuto?”

“There wasn’t much to be said about it,” he replied anxiously.

“Captain you weren’t at the Captains meeting because we were trapped in that dimension, but it was discovered that his Zanpakuto can seal techniques.”

“Shiho, I know this.” His eyes widen, for despite his genius, he failed to consider the other possibilities of Akihiko’s power. “My stars…you’re worried about them.”

“He was very active in his efforts to thwart me taking them. You should be thankful that you have such a dutiful lieutenant, Captain Ajibana,” Akihiko comments.

Senato glares at Akihiko before directing his attention to his lieutenant. “He won’t be stealing them, I promise you.”

“Don’t be foolish, Captain Ajibana. You cannot promise such a thing and it would be unwise to enter battling convinced you can. You are at a distinct disadvantage with your Zanpakuto, mind you. It possesses few melee qualities, and is very much dependent on Kido-based techniques, even serving to augment them. As such, you your ‘stars’ are just as vulnerable as the techniques they produce. Unfortunately, there is an advantage to having so many. Not a large enough advantage to win you this battle, however. And it certainly won’t prevent what is about to transpire.”

Shiho stood and listened to Akihiko provide a scrutinizing analysis of his captains Zanpakuto. He was right, though it pained him to admit it. And despite his strength, he worried that he might not be able to help his captain to the extent he desired. His mind briefly flashed back to the moment his blade locked with Akihiko’s Bankai. “He was right,” Shiho thought. “Uchigawa no Shinjitsu had complete access to him. It is as though he knew I was reading him and complied willingly.” Shiho acknowledged that this opponent was in a league unlike his previous battles.

“You ready, Shiho?”

“Yes,” Shiho says with building hesitation. “We need to be careful, though.”

“If I will it, it shall be,” Senato replies boldly. “My will is strong and he won’t be capture my stars. He can’t.”

Akihiko flash-steps, appearing behind them. He swings his blades, crashing into Shiho.

“He’s coming for me! Why?! Why is he focusing on me,” he thought wildly?!

Akihiko’s blade slam into his scythe, but Shiho quickly parries. He rotates his blade, catching Akihiko’s blade in the nook of his scythe’s tooth. He pulls, hoping to separate Akihiko from his spirit-blade. While distracted, Senato sends his stars hurtling toward Akihiko. They strike his back, as Shiho spins to the left. The force pushes Akihiko forward, and he loses grip of his blade. Shiho smiles proudly as he pulls the blade from Akihiko’s grip, but to his dismay, Akihiko has bluffed. Akihiko quickly spins his body around, despite the pain caused by Senato’s stars and thrusts his blade. They both watch as his blade impales the star, causing it to implode and dissipate. Akihiko quickly releases an energy from from his finger, clutching his other blade and drawing it to his side.

Senato quickly calls his stars to his side, taking note of Akihiko’s victory. “We need to regroup, Shiho. The strategy we have now is not working.”

Akihiko glares in their direction, with a downturned lip. “Trust me, captain, nothing you do will prevent what is about to happen, especially considering you now only have 11 stars.

[Fading Remorse]

The Shakkaho flew straight and true, soaring towards the still bound Kyobo, who writhed uselessly in the web of kido, trying his best to block out the searing pain that started to ebb through his skin. AS the Shakkaho came closer, time seemed to slow for Kyobo who decided at this point to close his eyes and relax, allowing his spiritual pressure to surge from his body to soften the blow he was about to receive.

In their elation of scoring a hit on the seemingly helpless Juzo Hosho Captain, both Majo and Akarui did not notice this rise on spiritual pressure until the kido impacted with Kyobo. Akarui's eyes honed in on the smoke that rose from the area around him, along with small amounts of earth and rock that were thrown up by the minor explosion. When the two Gotei 13 captains finally realised that Kyobo was still standing amidst the smoke, they gripped their zanpakuto tightly as they both rushed in from either side of him again making use of their number advantage to overwhelm him. Kyobo however readied his zanpakuto, holding it tightly in both hands, his eyes slowly turning from the eyes of a remorseful fighter, to the eyes of a wrathful soldier. As Majo thrust her zanpakuto forward towards Kyobo's heart from his right, he side stepped the strike moving towards her as he did, flipping the blade so that when he struck her abdomen the flat of the blade made contact before she could even think about dodging the attack. Akarui looked on as Kyobo then drilled a thunderous kick to the back of her head, forcing her to flip over his blade and land heavily on her back.

He then turned his attention to Akarui, and parried her first strike which was aimed at his lower left hand side and then swiftly moved his blade over to block the strike from her left hand which would have sent the tanto into the right of his chest. He quickly responded to her attacks by bringing his sword down with tremendous force, forcing Akarui to leap back to avoid getting cleaved in two.

Kyobo span as Majo attempted to attack his exposed back for a second time, while still trying to shake the dizziness plaguing her after the kick she received, and managed to deflect the blow past him just as Akarui flash stepped to take advantage of his now exposed back and narrowly avoided getting her shoulder skewered by Majo's blade as she swung her sword towards Kyobo.

Kyobo gritted his teeth as the strike sliced into his right shoulder but not before he grabbed Majo by the Haori and threw her into Akarui, sending them both backwards in a heap and flash stepped back to give him some time to ready himself against the two.

Akarui grunted as she got to her feet, helping Majo up as she did. "He's one resilient bastard, isn't he?"

Majo nodded as she focused her sightless eyes on Kyobo. "That he is and he has not even released his zanpakuto yet."

"Neither have we though and the two of us are more than a match for him." Akarui responded in fierce determination.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves," Kyobo said as he relaxed his posture, placing his sword onto his shoulder. "And while we're at it, how about you stop nattering away with each other and start fighting or am I going to have to come over there and continue?"

Majo gripped her blade tightly "You're going to regret saying that."

She flash stepped forward, leaving Akarui behind in a cloud of dust as she slashed at the relaxed Kyobo a split second later. Kyobo lazily deflected the attack to his left and immediately sent his left hand flying straight into her abdomen, driving the wind out of her, before sending his sword forward, striking her between the eyes with the lower half of the handle making her stumble backwards in a daze. Akarui flash stepped towards Kyobo, closing the distance quickly and aimed a slash across his midriff with her tanto. Kyobo back tracked and sucked in his gut, resulting in his skin only being nicked by the blade as it went past, before side stepping to Akarui's right as she stabbed her katana forward, impaling the space his head was a moment before. As he raised his blade to strike, he was made to back of again as Akarui's tanto whizzed passed his head, or he thought that was the case until a trickle of blood ended up into his eye from a cut just above his eyebrow.

Akarui rushed forward again, slashing her blades at Kyobo in what seemed like a wild frenzy but where actually strikes precisely aimed at his vital points. Kyobo however in renewed determination, parried the blows as they came, making his long and heavy blade seem like it was as easy to wield as a vegetable knife. This went on for a few seconds before Majo appeared behind him and stabbed her blade at his back forcing him to spin away from her blade while trying to counter Akarui's fatal attacks.

In that instant both attacked in a simultaneous stab with their zanpakuto both aiming for Kyobo's chest while Akarui's tanto was aimed for his neck.

"I've had enough of this nonsense!" Kyobo shouted as he surged forward, skillfully zipping through in between their blades and as they noticed he had left his zanpakuto impaled in the ground behind him, they were met with an incredibly strong punch each. Akarui getting the worse as Kyobo's stronger right hand, connected with her face, sending her shooting backwards digging a trench in the ground as she did while Majo took an open handed strike to the chest from Kyobo's left hand knocking her clean off her feet and as Kyobo maintained contact he shot his hand down, slamming her heavily into the earth, cratering the ground with Majo's body.

He calming stood up and walked back to his zanpakuto, unearthing the blade in one single move, and placed it back onto his shoulder as his habit dictated, watching both captains twitch in pain as they tried to get to their feet, Majo coughing and spluttering as she held her ribs which she definitely knew were cracked and Akarui holding her nose as blood began to trickle from it.

"We can still beat him Majo. He's only man and the Gotei 13 has never fallen to one man." Akarui said in confident defiance.

"That we can and that we will. I don't care how strong he thinks he is, he's just as mortal as us and will die just as our comrades have." Majo responded in equal levels of defiance and confidence.

They both looked up as Kyobo angrily ground his teeth. "I cannot stand this level of plain ignorance anymore! You'll beat me? Yeah, that's going well for you, isn't it?" The Gotei 13 captain's gritted their teeth in annoyance. "You lack the strength, and the skill to kill me. You would not even be alive right now, if it wasn't for me humoring you." He watched their faces contort in a vivid mix of anger and shock at his statement. "What have you done to me so far? A couple of scratches and a stab wound which wasn't even serious enough to warrant any worry from me and you "stand" there and insult me by still thinking you can beat me? Well I've had enough of this seemingly infectious level of ignorance and ineptitude that all of you Gotei 13 captains seem to share." He closed his eyes and allowed his spirit energy to surge forth. " Numb the Pain, Masui Heishi!" His zanpakuto glowed and transformed into a large battle axe and the strands of energy attached themselves to him, relieving him of the pain that was pricking at his body.

"That's the zanpakuto you were informing us about?" Akarui asked quickly.

"Yes and now his battle has just become increasingly more difficult." Majo said calmly.

"Difficult?" Kyobo said as he removed his mask, dropping it on the ground and stomping on it in anger, smashing the thing to pieces. "I'm not leaving until I've taken both your fucking heads!"

(Frozen Blade, Brings Cold Blood)

Blood covered the ground and is kimono as the blades cut threw his chest. Not a fatal wound, but it will make standing much harder. Aisumasutā fell to one knee ad used his sword for support. The sound of laughter brought his head up to stare at his opponent.

“You see? Just as I said…the master molds the reality while the child is brought to his knees.” Aisumasutā’s anger grew as Anenokoji stood there smirking at him. With this anger he stood, with a great deal of pain as he did so. “Oh? So you can still stand? I can fix that.” Aisumasutā swung his blade to the side then turned it so the point aimed at the ground. “Don’t know what you’re doing but it won’t help.” Anenokoji swung her sword and it vanished.

Aisumasutā whispers “Let your frozen tears fall…” Anenokoji’s blade appeared at his shoulder, but did not cut. “Kori-o” Aisumasutā spook loud enough so his Anenokoji could hear.

Anenokoji stood there shocked as see looked upon her blade, it just barely cut the skin. She turned her attention to her opponents blades as it changed into a sword of ice that froze over his hand. She quickly pulled her blade back and stood ready with both. “So that’s your zanpakotu? Well it still will not save you!” She sung both blades and they vanished.

Aisumasutā did not have to look to know where they would appear. One at the back, and the other at his uninjured leg. Both are meant to bring him down so he can’t stand. He smiled as the blades cut his skin then they stopped. He looked up at his opponent. “That makes two times I have stopped your blades.

"Still don’t know what’s going on do you?” The smile on his face grew has he watched Anenokoji
struggled to pull her blades free this time. “Would you like for me to tell you?” Anenokoji stopped pulling her blades and stood there waiting. “Furosuto…one of my zanpakotu’s unique powers. Unlike other ice tapes, mine uses my own blood to form a shield of ice…and by the looks of it. It has proven more then capable to stop your blades in their tracks.” Aisumasutā suong his blade back then brought it forward. “I think it’s time I take control of this battle, wouldn't you agree?” He stabbed the grow. “Kessho” The ground forzo over and began to grow in to man sized ice sickles. They grew forward at Anenokoij with the intent of impaling her. Anenokoij saw this and quickly jumped to the side to avoid the attack leaving her swords stuck in midair. Aisumasutā drew his blade from the ground the reached back and pulled the two blades free from his skin. “I like to fight fair so…I’ll wait for you to regain your blades before I attack again.” Anenokoij stood there confused at Aisumasutā’s actions…right has he had the advantage he gave it up.

“Are you mocking me? Do you really think I would believe you?” She rose her hands and fired a byakurai. Aisumasutā jumped over to the side so now the wall of ice sickles stood between them. Then something odd happened. As Aisumasutā glazed over at her zanpakotu…they were gone. He quickly looked back at his opponent and saw they have returned to her hands, and were now at his back. He felt the blades far too late to stop them. He bent forward a little as the cut deep into his back. “Looks like you let your guard down. I though even the lower rank knew better then to let your guard down in the middle of a battle.” Aenokoij’s grin returned to her face as Aisumasutā’s blood kept dripping.

“You’re a very skilled fighter…but I will not lose…not after what you did!” He stabbed the ground.
“Kessho!” This time as the sickles formed they did not go forward but instead around him, forming a sort of wall with many hols. “Now then…your blade are usless here. The ground I’m on is no longer refletive and you can use the ice as a replacement. In this ring of ice I’m safe from your zanpakotu.”

“But not from kido!” Anenokoij dropped her blades then raised her hands. “Hado # four byakurai!” She smiled has the attack went charging at the ice the serounded Aisumasutā…wait for it to shatter. But almost as soon as the hado struck it’s target it rebounded and came flying back at her. She rolled to the side, grabing her blades as she did so. When she was safe from the blast he turned and looked back at her enemy…the ring of ice was untouched. “What in the hell could reflect a kido attack!” She snarled as the sound of cold laughter came to answer her.

“You don’t know all the aspects of my zanpakotu…so of course it would appear surprising. There is only a few zanpakotu in history that are able to catch or revers such attack as kido. Mine is one of them.” Anenokoij stood up as Aisumasutā spoke. “I’ll gift you with this information. My zanpakotu’s ice is able to reflect energy based attacks. Things like kido will not scratch it. And now that I’m on ground that is not reflective I have the advantage.”

Inner monologue of Anenokoij “How…how could such a powerful zanpakotu belong to just a seated officer? Wait…is he really a…?”

“Who are you?” Aisumasutā’s samiled faded then he sighed.

“I am Aisumasutā…former six seat of squad twelve. Athough I have yet to be placed back into a rank…the captains and over members of the Gotei 13 begon calling me by my past rank.” Anenokoij stood still as the word former repeated in her mind over and over again.

Inner monologue of Anenokoij” Former? A former six seat…how interesting.” Anenokoij began to laugh in a way that made Aisumasutā’s blood grow colder. “Well…you finally done it! Now I’m going to have to look into you deeper. You finally peaked my interest.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out three silver spheres. “And I’ll start by finding a weakness to your zanpakotu shielding ability!” She threw them into the air and they stopped in midair. Soon they turned into flat dices and flew off.

Aisumasutā quickly looked around but was to late, the dices were already around him. The first attack was to his shoulder, the second into his back and the third into his leg. None of them fatal, but he could no longer stand. As the blades retracted he fell to his knees then back onto his ice wall. With the sound of laughter echoing in his ears he whispered. “For give me…captain.” He closed his eyes and fell into darkness.

[Fake Blood, False Promises: Odious treachery]

Sumiko carefully watches her opponent, unfazed by his swift recovery from her attack. She observes as he struggles to destroy the various mirrors floating beside him. “You have quite the Zanpakuto, but you are so naïve.”

Aisumasuta glares at her while smashing the last mirror. He leans his head on his shoulder tightens his grip on his blade. “Why do you say that?”

“You honestly don’t recognize the gravity of your circumstances, officer. The nameless, titleless man has no way of seeing his own demise. The humor is it is all around you. Everywhere you look, you’ll see your demise. It stares at you, waiting for the opportunity to snuff you out.” She continues to speak in riddles, as she stares cheerfully at her opponent. She smiles widely, puffing-up her cheeks and squinting her eyes. She tilts her head and says nothing.

“Enough of these games, Captain Anenokoji,” he shouts violently. He charges in her direction, swinging his blade in her direction. “Hahen!” His ice-covered arm fires several shards of ice in her direction, but she continues the same monstrous smile. As the blades reach her, she flesh-steps from sight. He hurriedly turns his body, searching for her whereabouts. “Where are you, witch?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m over here!”

Aisumasuta catches her from his periphery and dashes at her, slicing into her body. He abruptly crashes through the side of a building, freezing the structure upon contact. He removes himself from the rubble and rockets from the decimated structure. He spots her once more, firing Hehen in her direction. As soon as the ice strikes her, he feels a blade slice across his back. He sweeps his blade horizontally, hoping to slice his opponent in half. He spots her in the distance, darting in her direction. He slams his blade into the ground, generating a torrent of ice. It surges across the ground, striking Sumiko. He smiles confidently before realizing she stands behind him, sliding her blades into his back. His ability freezes his body, halting the blades.

Sumiko scowls, pulling her blades from his back and sliding beneath him as he swings his blade in her direction. She slides across the ground and vanishes, appearing meters away. “What a peculiar Zanpakuto. While it doesn’t boast monstrous power, it does manage well as a pest.”

Aisumasuta ignores her insults, instead flash-stepping in her direction. “I want to know why you’re toying with me?!”

Sumiko grins, fending off his blade with her own. “What makes you think I’m not applying my best effort?”

“There is no way you are so limited, having no new abilities. I see, though, that your ability to disrupt my senses has become more advanced. The barrier no longer contains you.”

“That’s true. It does augment that ability upon releasing Bankai. However, you’ve placed me in a precarious position, you know. I can’t fire kido.” With those words she points her hand, releasing a Sokatsui. The blue flames erupt from her palm, scorching and tearing the battlefield, but leaving Aisumasuta unharmed. It merely strikes him and ricochets. “And my blades, while they injure you, have a tendency to be somewhat fruitless. I’m out of options. I feel like forfeiting. You’re just too mighty, I concede.” She kneels on the ground and lowers her head.

Aisumasuta watches her carefully, puzzled both by her sudden shift in attitude and Bankai. “How does one have a Bankai with such non-utility,” he questions in his mind. As he contemplates his opponent, an agonizing throbbing localizes on his back. Energy begins rising from his wound, hissing and glowing. He almost keels over from the searing pain, noticing Sumiko slowly walking in his direction.

“Ding! I believe my recipe just finished baking.”

Aisumasuta falls to his knees, clutching his body tightly, attempting to fend off the gut-wrenching pain.

“I’m certain this is a most uncomfortable experience. Excruciatingly painful, would better describe it, right? At this precise moment, it feels as though your body is being torn asunder. Your limbs feel as fragile as paper as the energy surges throughout your body. Those now fragile limbs feel as though they are being plucked ever-so-slowing from you torso, not unlike slowly pulling the wings off a fly. You’re in so much agony, you can barely hear my words. It is true, your Zanpakuto has the remarkable ability to deflect Hado. It occurred to me, though, your Zanpakuto affords you a layer of protection from outside sources of harm. It is unfathomable to think something would be harming you from the inside, and so you are weakest there. It didn’t take long to feed your body energy the appropriate hado. Kakudai Suru…to be exact. Try deflecting that one, “she comments as his body thrusts off the ground and explodes with a torrent of energy. The energy rockets into the sky, creating a magnificent display. As the commotion settles, she watches the badly injured Aisumasuta crawl from inside a small crater. Ice begins forming on his hand, as he stares at her with his soot covered face.
Aisumasuta climbs to his feel, but she immediately lunges at him, prepared to slice into his body. He stabs the ground and mutters “Bankai… Eien no tōketsu kōri no ō.” The entire area is bathed in ice and snow, creating a chilly-solemn battlefield.

Sumiko leaps into the air, barely escaping the monstrous explosion of ice. She watches it spread, encasing everything with layers of thick ice. She places her hand through her hair and releases an exasperating sigh. “Your determination under normal circumstances would be intriguing, but I find it to be more of a nuisance. I didn’t come here to deal with rabble. Where is Captain Gingumaru or Captain GeiBt. I would much rather they be my opponent,” she explains with increasing irritation.

Aisumasuta stands and raises his hand slowly, “Chō shādo.” One of the ice pillars shatters, exploding into a massive flood of icy shards.

Sumiko’s eyes widen as the shards zoom through the air, following her every pattern of movement. He narrowly dodges them, as they strike another pillar. The second pillar erupts, creating an even large pool of icy shards. She stands back and rotates the tip of her blade. “Hado 74, Moeru Yona! The volcanic eruption of fire strikes the icy shards, but to Sumiko’s dismay, it rampages through her attack. It causes her attack to deflect in her direction, among others. “Danku,” she shouts desperately! The barrier thwarts the raging flames, causing them to flow to either direction. The ice strikes the Bakudo, forming a pillar of ice around it. “Tch, “she mutters with disgust as she flash-steps from site.

Aisumasuta smiles fondly from below, delighting in her struggles. “I told you, do not underestimate me simply because I am not Captain GeiBt. Now then, shall we finish this? You’re out of options and barely escaped my Chō shādo the first time. I doubt you’ll survive a second. I don’t blame you, however. It is an overwhelming technique, which most people don’t survive long after release.”

She clicks her tongue, dismissing him with a wave. “You silly, silly boy. You’re far too confident. I meant what I said earlier, about you being nameless. Do you think the title of captain is an empty honor? It symbolizes far more than you realize. It isn’t just a position, it is recognition for something much greater. To become a captain in the Juzo Hosho, the criteria is far different than that of you Gotei 13. You must offer something of substantial value and tremendous might. It must be unique. All of the other captains hold their positions because they demonstrated not only superior power, but a quality that exceeded anyone alive at that time. They boasted an attribute so unique, it propelled them beyond just their use of strength. It is true, I am the weaker of the Juzo Hosho captains, but I didn’t get to where I am because of my strength alone.

Aisumasuta stares at her peculiarly, but quickly grimaces at her sudden smile. “Enough, Captain. I’ve grown tired of your speeches.”
“Funny, I was thinking I was tired of you.” She snaps her finger and suddenly his pillars darken and lose their lustrous appearance. “Didn’t you find it odd that this entire time I never utilized the reflective surfaces of your ice? Don’t be fooled. It wasn’t because your abilities stopped me, I simply chose not to. I wanted you to release your Bankai. And after seeing it, I find that it pales in comparison to Captain Gingumarus.” She watches as he attempts to shatter his pillars, flicking his hands violently. “Don’t bother. Each of the pillars are coated with an adhesive agent, preventing the molecules from separating, which means they are going to stay solid ice.” She smiles boldly as Aisumasuta slowly ascends, matching her height.

Aisumasuta continues to utilize his technique, but she has successfully tampered with his pillars. “I’m not surprised you were able to commit something so clever. So, where is your real power? Huh? You can’t possibly be limited to just tricks, or perhaps that is all your Bankai can do.

Sumuko shrugs her shoulders while flipping her hair to the side. She tilts her head and smiles brightly, gazing into Aisumasuta’s eyes with a hint of flirtation. “Would you like to know a secret,” she questions flirtatiously? “While mastering my Shikai, it became increasingly apparent that it wasn’t all that useful. Being bound to reflective surfaces was quite the restriction. It wasn’t until I mastered Bankai did I realize that my Zanpakuto possessed quite the sense of humor. I was no longer limited by natural reflective surfaces, I could freely generate my own. Even better, I could utilize multiple surfaces simultaneously.

Aisumasuta’s eyes widen as he absorbs her words, using this time to consider options for regaining access to his pillars.

“It was a rather peculiar benefit for a Bankai. From an observer’s vantage point, it was unique and formidable. For me, however, I felt the same weight of those restrictions. Reflective surfaces are difficult to come by, especially in thin-air. And then I thought to myself, it makes sense for me to have such an eccentric Zanpakuto, one that forces me to push the boundaries of my imagination. And so I did. I combined my intellect and Zanpakuto, creating a rather ambitious system. It wasn’t until Captain Gingumaru that I had the opportunity to utilize my newest ideas. I’m sure he told my little secret, did he not? She lets out a satisfying exhale, her eyes sparkling as she speaks proudly. “My looking glass prototype was both ingenious and flawed. I created a surface that, while reflective, was easily compromised by the opponent. And then something peculiar happened. …It began to rain! It was kismet! And in that moment, the idea pierced my brain like a hot skewer.” In that moment, Sumiko slides both blades forward in the air, each blade vanishing as they proceed.

A tide of blood blankets the ground below, as Aisumasuta’s body is mockingly gripped by an icy chill. His body is paralyzed, though he feels almost entirely exposed to the elements. The seething sensations begin to occupy his awareness, creeping over his entire body. The warmth begins to cover him, and he feels a heaviness in his clothing before unbearable and agonizing pain slithers throughout his body. He feels tearing and ripping, cutting and severing as these foreign objects slide forcefully, but slowly into his warm flesh. He feels the tip of each, burrowing into him as it rips him open. His eyes loosen and begin frantically wondering, taking notice to the vast number of floating, gelatinous disks, each a portal for the blades. The blades abruptly exit his body, leaving him with 40 plus wounds.

“I’m sure you know the feeling,” Sumiko venomously asserts as the blades fill his body. “I call them my mirror masters. Inspired idea, isn’t it? A purely reflective surface, with none of the fragile drawbacks of glass. It is a completely malleable material.” Sumiko’s sinister expression brightens as she pulls her blade from his body, watching him plummet to the ground like a bloody comet. They exit his stomach, chest, arms, palms, legs, feet, thighs, back, and neck. He suddenly feels nothing, as the environment becomes a blur, his body hurtling to the ground below. He falls from the sky, a trail of blood following. He strikes the ground, his body oozing blood. It pools beneath him, as the ice on his arm shatters and melts away and the pillars burst into water.

“Well, now with you out of the way, I can go on a little scavenger hunt to find the real Captain GeiBt. I’m sure she’s incubating somewhere, safe from prying eyes. That’s the humor within this entire scenario. With Seichi Fujunjii’s eyes wide-open, there is no where she can hide.” She stares at the the grievously wounded Aisumasuta, “I’m going to find our sleeping princess and take her back as a souvenir. She’ll be best served in the name of science. Unless she struggles, then I can’t guarantee her survival, “she explains with a hearty laugh.

The Science of it All

As Sumiko finished her last word, releasing a satisfied chuckle, she was abruptly struck by a force so powerful it completely emptied her lungs of air. She felt the force and a sudden tightening of her body, as Kie’s fist struck her face. The attack was so potent, it forced her several hundred meters across the icy ground. Her body rolled and slid across the ground uncontrollably, the force of Kie’s attack leaving Sumiko unable to recover. She finally struck a nearby wall, but before she could gain her bearings, her body was pinned tightly by Kie.

Kie placed her hands together, however when she separated them energy appeared in the space between. She held firmly onto the energy beam and aggressively fired it like a lance. “Bakudo 62, Hyapporankan!” The beams multiplied and nailed her opponent to the sturdy structure. Kie bolted toward Sumiko with an unrelenting fury and rage, striking her in the stomach with unparalleled force. The blow reverberated through Sumiko’s body, causing her to spew blood from her mouth. Kie began her onslaught, striking Sumiko with steely punches, landing blows to her face, stomach, chest, and shoulders. Sumiko was merely thrashed around by the might of Kie’s scolding attacks. Kie’s movements slowly lost their speed and strength and she backed away from Sumiko, looking upon the bloodied and bruised Juzo Hosho captain.

Sumiko’s face was cast towards the ground, her hair covering her bloodied face. “Feels good, doesn’t it? You’re able to release all that frustration and exact the revenge you’ve likely been dreaming of all these months.” Sumiko’s breathy laughs taunt Kie. She proceeded to strike Sumiko again, but Sumiko was eerily cheerful as she struggled to catch her breath. “Your blood lust was so blinding you didn’t bother to take notice of the gift I left you.” She motioned in Aisumasuta’s direction with a nudge of her head, blood dripping from her mouth and her body covered in bruises and lacerations. She trembled as she coughed, dying the ground with crimson. She lifted her head and casually glanced at Aisumasuta’s body. “The blood's certainly flowing, isn’t it,” she questioned with a sickly cough and blood-stained smile. "He may as well be bathing in it!” Sumiko releaseed a labored laugh before Kie quickly silences her again with another swift hit. Kie quickly converged on Aisumasuta, leaving Sumiko to scheme. Sumiko watched with a wide-grin as Kie rushed to her officer. Sumiko’s grin soon dissolved into an odious grimace. “Shakkaho…” she said softly. The hado sliced through the building, freeing her hands. She quickly used her hands to shatter the fragments of Kie’s Bakudo. She flash-stepped, landing beside her scattered blades, clutching them and quickly flash-stepping from sight. Kie watched her appear in the distance, attempting to collect her composure.

She let out a hefty sigh through her nostrils as she turned her head to once again peer at Aisumasutā. Rage boiled in her heart, but she held it back. Fighting with blind rage would get her nowhere, especially when it came to this woman.

She stole another glance at Sumiko. The Juzo Hosho captain was simply standing, waiting for her high above. She narrowed her eyes and turned her attention to her sixth seat, slipping her arms beneath his frail body. He groaned unconsciously as his captain carried him out of harms way, laying him in the grass of the fields below, rather than let him lay in the unforgiving atmosphere of a battlefield. As she watched his labored breathing she contemplated, perhaps, simply releasing her bankai then and there. It would solve so many problems. But she refused to let this woman get off that easily.

She faced Sumiko, who was not far from her now, still kneeling in front of her incapacitated friend. The Juzo Hosho Captain took a few more steps before coming to a complete halt before Kie, who eyed her with complete disdain, her frown growing even deeper.

"Come now," Sumiko said, sounding particularly pleased with herself. "Don't look at me like that, Captain Geißt." When Kie said nothing, she frowned slightly. "I had indeed hoped that I would be able to take you back with me. To see what makes you tic." Kie's eye twitched at the tone of her voice - complete, unabashed honesty. It made her sick. "You really are interesting," she almost whispered, her eyes narrowing as she grinned.

If she hadn't known better, Kie probably would have mistaken it for a genuine smile. But she did - she did know, and she was going to make this woman pay.

"I wonder if your Lieutenant is feeling any better," she continued with a wicked smile.

Kie tried hard to suppress the feral growl that rose in the back of her throat, refusing to show agitation at the woman's taunts, yet Sumiko heard it anyway.

"My, my. Why don't you just come and bite me, then?" Sumiko laughed. When she opened her eyes again, she was face to face with Kie. Her smile fell from her lips and her eyes widened slightly. Kie's narrowed eyes met her own and She felt her finger twitch. Kie could feel the blood raging her her ears and decided that it was time. She was not going to allow Sumiko the chance to get away with what she had done.

Kie quickly unsheathed her left-handed blade, nearly managing to cleave Sumiko's arm off before the strike was parried. Sumiko lifted her own sword and attempted to skewer Kie through the chest like she had previously done, but was thwarted by Kie's foot, which had collided with her abdomen and sent her careening into the same building she had been pinned to before. She flew through the walls before emerging on the other side. She attempted to right herself in midair, but was hit again from behind. Kie shot after her, following the Captain as she was flung higher into the sky. She flash stepped directly above Sumiko and twisted her body, driving her right leg savagely into her chest and sending her flying back to the ground. Dirt was raised several meters as the Juzo Hosho Captain collided with the ground. Kie descended upon the woman, landing with a knee on either side of her. She brought her sword down in an arc, meaning with all truth to end it then and there.

Sumiko reacted quickly and crossed her blades, blocking the strike. With Kie's blade merely an inch from her neck, Sumiko was obviously feeling the pressure. Kie could tell that the woman's strength was faltering, and she wasn't surprised when she her blade was soon met with only dirt as Sumiko escaped her grasp. Kie stood, quickly sidestepping a Byakurai. She turned to narrow her eyes at the Captain. She tightened her grip on the sword until her knuckles were white.

"I can see your tense body, Captain Geißt. You seem jumpy today. Worried I'll carve you up like I did last time?" Sumiko's words rang in her ears, yet she refused to speak.

Whatever happens, do not respond to her petty words, she told herself.

Kie relaxed her fingers and shot forward, bringing her empty fist into Sumiko's exposed sternum, only feeling a slight twinge of satisfaction when she felt it break. Sumiko was flung from her hand and into the ground several hundred meters from her, skidding to a halt. As she stood again, Kie rushed forward and, having sheathed her zanpakuto, reached for Sumiko's right arm. As she caught it, she used her momentum to yank the arm behind her, bringing her right leg behind her enemy's and sliding it backwards, causing the Juzo Hosho woman to lose her footing. Kie brought her right hand forward and placed it upon her collar bone, bringing Sumiko to the ground with great force. Sumiko grunted as Kie slammed her foot into her side, and rolled away from her attacker.

"You are quite violent today," Sumiko remarked through grit teeth. She stood, letting out a hiss of pain as she did so.

Kie stood, watching her with her right hand resting on the scabbard of the blade at her side, her left hand gripping it loosely. She watched as Sumiko tensed ever so slowly, her muscles tightening as she realized what Kie was about to do.

Or what she thought she was about to do.

Instead, Kie fired off round after round of Hado. Byakurai's, Raikoho's, Okasen, and others as well. "Shakkaho," she said calmly with her palm facing Sumiko. The Juzo Hosho Captain easily dodged it with a simply sidestep. "Sokatsui," Kie again recited the name of the attack monotonously. The blue flames nearly hit Sumiko, but she recovered quickly, firing off her own Hado.

"Okasen!" Sumiko recited as she appeared behind Kie. Kie slowly turned her head, unfazed.

"Danku." The barrier shined with an iridescent light as it was struck by the Hado. As the smoke cleared and the barrier disappeared, Kie and Sumiko both stood still.

Kie shot forward, her left hand once again gripping the handle of her sheathed blade. Sumiko scoffed and slid her blades into the air before her and they shot out of the soaked stones beneath them. Kie expertly dodged the first as it appeared beneath her feet, sliding her feet behind Sumiko and pivoting on her right heel. As the second blade extended towards the right side of her chest, she brought her right palm out to stop it, hardly flinching as it entered her hand with a rather unpleasant squelch. It stopped in its tracks. As she brought her left foot down to brace herself, she unsheathed the blade and swiped it across Sumiko's exposed back. She jerked forward and removed her blades from the space before her, turning on Kie and attempting to behead her. Kie quickly sheathed her left-handed blade and unsheathed Kōtei, using the separate sword to block the two handed strike. They locked eyes for a brief moment, Sumiko's eyes shining with unrelenting interest and anger, Kie's shining with nothing but hatred.

Kie was the first to back away, flash stepping a good distance from Sumiko and appearing beside Aisumasuta's unmoving body. She slowly sheathed her sword once again and sighed heavily.

"You still haven't responded to me," Sumiko stated flatly. When Kie said nothing once again, Sumiko took notice of her right hand and the blood that coated it. She trained her eyes on the puncture in the center of Kie's palm and let out a stoic chuckle. "For some reason, injuring you brings me satisfaction. I don't know why, but I feel as though I've accomplished something, no matter how small the wound." She stood still for a moment. "You know, it's rude to ignore others," she said as she sunk her blades into the the thin air around her.

Kie felt her eyes widen as not two, but many blades began protruding from the ground under her feet. She clicked her tongue distastefully and backpedaled several feet before she finally gave up and flash stepped behind Sumiko who whirled around immediately.

"Gochutekkan," Kie spoke dryly. Sumiko dashed back in time to avoid the giant pillars as they slammed ino the ground where she had been moments before. "Hyapporankan." Kie thrust her arm forward as the bakudo appeared in her hand, letting it fly - albeit not at Sumiko. She had deliberately aimed the bakudo at the ground that separated the two of them, throwing dust and dirt into the sky. "Hiryugekizokushintenraiho!" Sumiko heard from high above. She turned her eyes to the sky and managed to avoid the eighty-eighth hado as it crashed into the dirt, sending more into the surrounding air.

Sumiko couldn't help the tensing of her muscles as she waited for the dust around her to settle. Why is she deliberately missing her mark? She's up to something… Her question was answered when a lone voice was heard above the silence, ringing throughout the field as Sumiko immediately put up her guard, readying the ninety-first Hado.

"Assume Command, Sōtoku."

A large wave of spiritual pressure was released and Sumiko was only offered a brief glimpse of Kie and her halberd before she was set upon by the woman and her shikai, a rusty, old and decrepit halberd. She fired off the Hado as she approached, watching in slight astonishment as Kie refused to change her course.

She was completely astonished however, when Kie, without even stopping her own movement, used the blade of her halberd to deflect the Kido completely, setting it on a course completely perpendicular to before. It crashed into the side of a hill, the impact sending shockwaves throughout the area, and Sumiko watched with bafflement as Kie continued her speedy approach.

[Regret! The Man Who Lost A Friend]

The Soul Society appeared again, blue skies and puffy, white clouds to accompany the light-blue colour. It looked the same as last time, though the circumstances were different now. Last time, even his blood had been up, even more so than ever before - he'd wanted to destroy Majo Shin... he'd wanted to make her pay for him not being able to defeat her, even though he had felt that way, he'd still repressed those feelings, so that only he knew of them, along with Her. Nanjuu No Sonoshi Kokoro had seen right through his lie and he'd had to be honest with her, though the lie ended up with her not talking to him until, literally, an hour ago, when he had been in amongst his Inner World, talking with her; pleading with her - she'd decided not to respond to him, as a Zanpakuto and, as they were in the middle of a war, he'd had to make things right with her and get her to respond to him in battle, at least, for the duration of his time in the Soul Society. He wasn't exactly thrilled about being here, though. After the shocking news that he and Kyobo had discovered, he was more interested in remaining alive, rather than killing off the Shinigami, who'd seemed to have gotten the raw end of the deal. It just showed how truly sadistic the Reiteki Rojin could be.

-An hour ago-

'Hey, come on. I have to go and fight, otherwise I'll be in for a bollocking from the Head-Captain... she won't tolerate any insubordination, which is what she'll consider me not fighting to be. Please, Nan-chan, allow me this time to prove that I can use your abilities to their full extent. If you must know, I didn't, because I didn't wish to kill that woman. I don't wish to kill anyone. Just to survive and for us, the Juzo Hosho, to prosper, as we were before the Reiteki Rojin made their intervention and ordered us to destroy, or detain, the Gotei 13.'

Nan-chan appeared, wearing the same outfit as last time and showing the same curves as last time. In fact, she looked pretty damn good, though he'd never say anything like that to her... she'd probably never speak to him again if he did.

'Oh, look who came crawling back, eh... what do you want, Yushi?' she said bluntly, clearly uninterested in his presence, nor feeling very caring at all.

'You weren't listening before? I need you. I need to fight in this war... if I don't go, the Head Captain will literally have my head. So, please, Nan-chan... allow me this. I need to fight with the others. I don't want to die in such an unfulfilling way and I'm sure you'd rather not disappear with me. Can I count on you?'

She sighed, rolled her eyes, then glared at him. 'Fine. I berated you last time for being so uncaring about your life, so I'd be a hypocrite to get you in trouble with the Head Captain and lose it anyway. Take more care, this time, will you?'

'I will. I want to live to see the Juzo Hosho propser. I want to live and see the Shinigami survive. I now know that we were used by the Reiteki Rojin... the Shinigami did nothing wrong, just suffered for past mistakes and we were the ones to inflict the punishment. I feel terrible about it, but it's in the past now. After this fight, we can hope that they will still survive. I won't kill anyone. I refuse to.'

Nan-chan smiled. 'At last... I figured it was about time that you would express your true feelings. I think I can rely on you now, now that I know you have a true will to live and that you understand why you are fighting and why you wish that you weren't. I understand.'

'...Nan-chan... thank you... I appreciate this. I'll be back.'

The Inner World disappeared and Ukishima Rakuen came back into view. He now knew what he had to do.

Yushi discovered a lone spiritual signature, of someone who wasn't currently fighting. Why he wasn't, Yushi had no idea, but it didn't matter, as long as he could engage an opponent and pretend like he was mixed up in a fight for a while, at least, until the others had finished up, then he could go back and claim that he hadn't been able to quite kill his opponent, but deal severe damage to him. All of this was being thought, while Yushi was speeding towards the opponent, his spiritual energy completely masked for the time being. Then, finally, he reached his destination. Right in front of him, was the man whose reiatsu he had sensed. He had long, brown hair, tied back into a ponytail and was wearing a set of golden armor over the top of his shihakusho, with his Zanpakuto strapped to his back. He looked around instantly, as Yushi allowed his reiatsu to be felt weakly.

'Hello there.'

'Who are you?' the Shinigami Captain demanded.

Yushi laughed. 'You should know what I am, at least. If I recall correctly, you were the one who recognised the others as Juzo Hosho when they delivered the decree for your surrender. As to who I am, I believe that is a pretty abrupt question for you to ask. I only just got here after all.'

The Shinigami stared at him. 'How did you hide your spiritual pressure like that? You didn't exist, until the moment you allowed it to be felt, right behind me. Another question, why are you here?'

'It comes as a force of habit - that's just results of my particular way of training, as well as to suit the ideals of my squad. Why am I here? You seem to ask a lot of pointless questions... why else would I be here, if not to fight you?'

The Shinigami seemed to ponder momentarily, before answering. 'I asked, because you don't seem to have any resolve to fight... your reiatsu seems to say that you'd rather not be fighting... if you were that intent on a fight, then you would have raised it much higher to begin with. At the moment, you're probably releasing less than 5% of your spiritual energy. That doesn't seem right to me. Besides, I didn't want to fight you, at least, till you opened your mouth. You've interrupted an intimate moment, where I was lamenting the loss of a former Captain and friend, who was lost you you Juzo Hosho. Not only that, but now you proclaim you want to fight me, when it seems like you really don't. I don't like you. I don't like people like you - you have no honor. Where's the honor in fighting when you don't seem to feel like you wish to fight someone?'

Yushi sighed, then glared at the Captain. 'You know what? You were right. I didn't really want to fight you - I don't want to fight you Gotei 13 any more... you've experienced enough loss already. However, I cannot be absent to this fighting - my Head Captain would take off my head. I just wanted to fight someone until the others were done, so that I wouldn't be guilty of insubordination. However, you just annoyed me. All that blather for nothing. Honor? Honor is to understand your opponent and to respect them, even if they are your enemy. Your idea of honor is simply one facet to a whole gem... no, I will show you what honor in battle is, I'll defeat you, yet I won't kill you, for the sake of not destroying whats left of the Gotei 13.'

'You just incurred my hatred, Juzo Hosho. Honor is to die in battle, if that is what it takes. I'd never allow myself to be left alive, not against someone like you. Draw your sword and face me in battle.'

'Okay. Now, I'm gonna ask a question... do you really believe that? There's nothing honorable about dying in battle for your comrades... if anything, it's the opposite. I'm sure they'd rather you lived... besides, it's really a waste of life. You don't seem like an idiot, so my guess is that you live by your philosophy and are a stubborn man... fine... at least, indulge me with your name. I'll respond in kind.'

'Yes, I believe it. A man should die for his beliefs, if he has to. If it will allow his beliefs to take hold, then I absolutely believe it. Clearly we have differing opinions on 'honor'... I shall teach you mine, by taking your life to fulfill my philosophy and to protect my home and comrades. I am Yani Kohei, of squad 13.'

'I am Yushi Kenronri, of the Stealth and Assassination squad, which is of the same numerals as yourself, Captain. Ready yourself, because I won't hold back now.'

Yushi waited, as Yani shunpoed, appearing, then flipping himself forwards, with a deadly looking down stroke with his blade. Yushi dodged it easily, though his speed was certainly admirable - just as fast as Ms. Shin. Yushi parried another powerful attack, which bounced off his Zanpakuto, then was brought around in another strike. Yushi countered this one, too, then shunpoed and attacked with one of his own atttacks. This one was beautifully dodged by the Captain and then another powerful attack thrown at Yushi, a forward thrust, which lead through and was dodged, but Yani feinted as Yushi dodged and, even his speed wasn't enough to allow him to dodge the powerful kick that Yani delivered to his side. Yushi landed in a heap, then picked himself up, still analysing his opponent.

Well, he seems to use a lot of martial art inspired attacks, rolling, flipping and then incorporating that to his melee attacks, all the while, having a strong use of hakuda. He's no weakling, though he's probably unsuited to fighting me, as he seems to have less understanding of spiritual senses, than his powerful fighting style. Well, I can just avoid him for now. When he finally releases, which I will push him to do, I can then begin analysis on his Zanpkutou's abilities and decide what my tactics will be... for now, I will simply avoid his attacks, take as little damage as possible, while still attempting to get a few good hits in there - it won't do to let him away without any damage...

[Wounded Lion]

Just as Livius readied his stance after Akumu released her blades, Akumu shot forward slamming her blades into Livius's own, sending jarring shock waves up his arms as the attack made contact, again finding it difficult to counter her moves. As her blades lost their purchase on his he thrust his blade forward, forcing Akumu to sidestep out of the blades path and mistakenly lined herself up in front of the tip of the zanpakuto which Livius drove towards her, forcing her again to sidestep the attack but this time resulting in a cut to her left shoulder. Akumu however undeterred by the wound, swept her right blade down towards Livius's back while her left made contact with Shishomen, preventing any counters from him. This forced Livius to reel forward in order to avoid the blow that would have opened his back, but in doing so, he left his back open again, allowing Akumu to pirouette, slamming her right sword onto Livius's and her left cleaved around as she span, opening up a shallow cut across Livius's back which Akumu followed with a roundhouse kick to his side, knocking him sideways and taking him clean off of his feet.

Livius rolled as Akumu's blades stabbed downwards, impaling the earth where his body once was and rose quickly to his feet and lunged towards her, blade outstretched. He was met with Akumu's feet as she drop kicked him in the chest, knocking him backwards. She fired a quick Sokatsui at him, unearthing her blades swiftly as she did, using the kido as a mere distraction, however upon turning to face her foe, she found that Livius had flash stepped within an inch of her, his blade whistling through the air has it came swinging to her right shoulder. In a desperate move, Akumu span her body, the blade only just missing her and thrust her left arm forward, forcing Livius to perform the same move, spinning to avoid the oncoming stab by mere millimeters.

They both turned to face each other again, but Akumu sneakily placed one of her blades behind her back and drew across herself, creating an incision on her lower back, exactly where she had cut Livius.

"Ah Fuck!" Livius shouted in pain as his wound suddenly opened up and deepened to match that of Akumu's.

"Don't get cut and you'll be fine," She said smiling. "Isn't that what you said?"

"Shut up bitch!" Livius shouted in utter disgust, noticing the more than displeased expression that overcame Akumu's face.

"Watch your tongue and I will not have to cut it out from that orifice you call a mouth." She said back in chilling calmness. "I'm definitely not someone you want to piss off, it gets rather painful when you do."

"Just try me!" Livius responded with an evil smile gracing his lips.

Again the two combatants sprung into action. Akumu viciously slicing away at Livius who seemed to be finding his rhythm with her attacks, finding ways to slip past her blades. While Akumu was deflecting Livius's blade as its seeking point threaten to open her up with every strike. Both kept up this fierce barrage of attacks, each looking for any opening the other might leave for any attack.

Akumu managed to parry an oncoming blow and create an opening for herself, sending her blade into Livius's right shoulder and kicked Livius in the chest, viciously ripping her left sword from his shoulder, watching the grimace of pain cross his face in a demented glee. She then quickly stamped her foot into the crook of his left knee forcing him to kneel in front of her before slamming her right blade down into his now knelt leg, effectively pinning him to the ground before flash stepping away and holding out her right hand with her palm out facing towards him.

"Sokatsui!" She shouted above the clamor of battle noise surrounding them and watched as the blue flames left her hand and crashed into the Gotei 13 captain. But as her face started to light up in a smile, she looked on in shock as Livius rose, ripping the blade from both knee and earth, sending blood flying from the wound almost dramatically and threw Akumu's sword aside in angered disgust.

"I'm going to make you pay for that!" He said, his eyes lighting up in fury as he expelled his spiritual pressure threateningly. "I'm going to kill you slowly bitch and I'M GOING TO ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF IT!"

"Just try it you psychotic bastard!" She responded in the same level of anger, pushing aside her earlier shock and released her own spiritual pressure, matching Livius's own easily. "You are going to die today, a person like you is not deserving of the mercy we show."