Fanon Canon: Rampant Rangers

The Hunter Strikes Again
Deja vu.

Karakura Town's atmosphere was beginning to darken once again, as it had done several days prior. Sure there were cars and trucks moving up and down the streets at regular intervals, but they seemed hasty in their routes, and only occasionally did a person or two walk down the city sidewalks, and they seemed just as hasty as the vehicles. Darkness was beginning to cover the horizon, a darkness that was sinister, sick... and very foreboding. One individual calmly walked down one of the sidewalks from the local Middle School towards a nearby neighborhood. She appeared to be in her young teens, and wore a white and blue school uniform, with a book bag hanging by a long strap over her shoulder.

She looked around at her quickly desolating surroundings with wonder. "Geez, why is everyone so hell bent on going home this early?" she muttered to herself quietly as she continued her trek home. As big of a place as Karakura Town was, it was highly unusual, scary even, for it to seem so deserted like this. "Well hey there sis!" a voice snapped her back into reality, originating from someone several feet in front of her. When she looked up, she saw that the voice came from her older sister, Naoto. "Oh, hey." she responded, with a slightly underwhelmed or even dreadful tone. Her sister was almost the complete opposite of herself, being very upbeat and active, whereas Hinawa was more reserved and quiet, only really speaking to those in her direct circle of friends, which wasn't at all very large. She just couldn't stand being around people like Naoto, even if she was her sister.

"Kinda odd is it not?" Naoto asked with a tilt of her head. She was standing right outside a small but tidy looking house, hers presumably, and was also next to a small white car as well. "Everyone's just really desperate to get home, and it's only six o'clock right now. You're the first person I've seen come up the sidewalk in like, twenty minutes or so." she continued. Hinawa's attention perked slightly at the mention of this. "Really? I noticed that there weren't many other people around town but, I figured it was because of weather or somethin'." Naoto shook her head in response. "Nah, the forecast says that the night's supposed to be pretty clear. Eh, maybe the others just aren't feeling like staying out tonight or something. I dunno." She then walked over to the passenger's side of the vehicle, opening the door and beckoning for Hinawa to get there quickly. "C'mon. We gotta get a few things from the store and I want you to drive."

Hinawa's blood slightly boiled at the request. Her sister knew that she hated driving; it felt lazy and rushed, she like walking as opposed to driving so that she could take in her environments and atmosphere. Driving was just annoying to her, and she hated when her sister coaxed her into driving in her place. "C'mon sis, really?" she sighed, getting to the car but not getting inside of it just yet. "This isn't one of your driving lessons y'know, can't we just walk? I looked this morning and we aren't out of that much stuff, just a couple of armloads of stuff..." she said, rolling her eyes. Naoto huffed in response. "Hinawa, you're sixteen and all of your classmates are out driving and having a good time. If you're going to get anywhere in life, you need to be able to drive something. Now c'mon, daylight is going away and I don't want to be out in this dark for too long."

"Fine." Hinawa sighed, getting into the driver's side door and setting her book bag into the back seat. Naoto got into the passenger's seat and strapped her seatbelt on before looking over at her younger sister. "Got your permit on you? If you get a ticket it's gonna be on me..." she started before Hinawa groaned, reaching back to get her bag and pulling out her wallet. Looking straight ahead with a pouting expression, she held out the wallet towards Naoto and part of it unfolded, showing her permit, but something else slipped out of the same compartment, which forced Hinawa's attention to snap towards said item and pick it back up. It was a picture of her when she was younger, along with her sister and two older people standing behind them, all four of them smiling widely. Hinawa's pout became an earnest frown as she looked at the picture, and Naoto's expression dropped as well.

"I've been looking for that picture for a while now... hoping we could put it on the wall or something like that." Naoto started, her glance occasionally switching from the picture to her sister. It wasn't a very comfortable subject for either of them, the death of their parents, but as the older sibling, she learned to take it better, but for one as isolated as Hinawa, it wasn't such an easy task. "But if you want to keep it-" she started before Hinawa put the picture on the top of Naoto's hands, still not looking at her as she cranked the car up. "It's fine, take it. I'm tired of carrying it around anyway." she said with a slight gruff, driving the car forward and down the road towards the city.

The mood was now somewhat uncomfortable now that the picture had been revealed, but she had to lighten things up as best as she could. "You know... you've got a birthday coming up soon, remember?" she said with a slight smile, occasionally glancing to the road to make sure her sister was abiding by laws. "We can go somewhere really nice, and don't worry, I'll drive this time." she continued, but she noticed that Hinawa's demeanor wasn't changing. "That's great." the younger sister replied, both of her hands on the steering wheel and her eyes focused straight forward. "Yeah... that sounds good to me..." she muttered quietly. Naoto sighed, not out of annoyance, but of sadness as she tried her best to comfort her sister. Hinawa's eyes were slightly red now, and Naoto began to worry that Hinawa would start crying.

"Here, park right over at that street light and I'll drive. You've done good getting this far at least." she said with another smile, but Hinawa simply parked in the mentioned spot and the two of them swapped seats, with Naoto sitting straight in the driver's side and Hinawa curling up slightly in her passenger's side; the reminder of what happened to their parents had truly ruined her mood, and she clearly wanted to have some quiet time to herself. Naoto then assumed the task of driving to the store, the trip now somewhat felt pretty drab and uneventful, now that Hinawa had no interest in talking. She continued driving until she made a turn towards the bigger part of the city, where there was a long straight road with several red lights, but when she stopped at the first one, she noticed something odd, standing under the street light ahead of the one she stopped at.

It was a tall, hooded figure, with a long and ragged trench coat.

"Huh?" Naoto said to herself quietly, though doing so was enough to get Hinawa's attention to divert to the figure as well. "That's weird. First guy we've seen since we left the house and he looks like a total creep." Naoto said, her attention still focused on the figure. By this point, the red light had turned green, but Naoto hesitated to move the car forward, as the being in front of them hadn't budged. "Go on. He'll move when we start going towards him." Hinawa gruffed, crossing her arms as she stopped looking at the figure and towards her sister. Naoto then pressed the gas lightly, and while the engine could be heard gaining traction, the car itself wasn't budging. "What the?" Naoto said with frustration and alarm, stepping on the gas pedal repeatedly to make the car move, but to no avail. It was here that the two of them noticed what was going wrong: from the bottom of the figure's feet emerged a darkness that covered all of the streets and sidewalks around him, and it had gone right under their car. Like a fly in a sticky trap, the two of them were stuck in place.

This was when the hooded man began to walk towards the two of them, causing Naoto's heartbeat rate to spike. Getting out of the car and running away would have been an even worse idea as their feet would surely be caught in the black shadow material below them. Their options were rapidly decreasing, and the figure was only getting closer and closer, and while Hinawa herself was becoming more and more frightened with each passing step, Naoto's cheery and naive demeanor seemed to diminish almost entirely. In place of the goofy girl she was used to living with, Naoto was now stone-faced serious, and her tone more dry and straightforward. "Hinawa." she started, putting both of her hands on the steering wheel and gripping it tightly, her gaze now one of strictness rather than fear. "What I'm about to do is something that you can never repeat to anyone. I'm not even going to ask you; you're just going to do it, alright?" she started, her eyes glancing over to the obviously confused and frightened sister. "Not a word, to anyone."

What happened next made Hinawa wonder if she were dreaming.

Naoto stomped her foot into the floor of the car just past the gas pedal, and the sole's of her shoe began to glow with a bright blue light. Intricate blue lines began to course all throughout the interior of the vehicle, before seemingly diverging towards the sections where the tires of the car were located. On the outside, the black tires were quickly covered in a thick blue energy, one that, as soon as it reached around the tire's bottoms, cleared a small space around each of them from the shadows. Cleared from their previously stuck position, Naoto quickly put the car in reverse and slammed the gas pedal, not caring in the slightest if it ended up breaking. With a loud roar, the car raced backwards, Naoto's attention having to divert from both her rear and the being in front of them. Hinawa's heart seemed to stop almost entirely when she witnessed what had just transpired in a manner of seconds. Her sister had powers!

The hooded man stopped in his trek when the car had managed to clear it's way out of his trap. "Hm." he mused to himself in a low and pleasantly surprised tone, tilting his head slightly at the same time. But this was the only word he spoke before he raised his arms up slowly to his sides, causing the shadows along the roads to converge to his location. As they gathered, the shadows began to slowly envelop his legs and eventually covered his body up to his waistline, and once there, the shadows began to elevate him into the air, whilst still being connected to the ground. Now at the height of a small building, the hooded man threw his arms behind him and pointed his body forward, and the shadow spire he was connected to began to quickly move towards the direction of the fleeing vehicle, using the shadows on the streets below as a catalyst for his movement.

"What's going on?!" Hinawa screamed, her back pressed hard against her seat and her hands tightly gripping the hand bar of both the passenger's door and the arm rest of her seat. "How are we moving!? What's with the shadows and the blue lights!?" she continued as tears began to stream down her eyes. Naoto initially didn't respond, focusing more on moving as fast as she could force the vehicle to go and also making sure that they were still a good distance away from their pursuer. "Naoto!!!?" Hinawa screamed at her sister one more time, causing the latter to finally address her. "Stop screaming!" she yelled without looking at Hinawa, continuing to look behind and in front of the vehicle. "I can't focus when you do that!! I'll explain everything to you when our lives aren't in mortal danger, alright!?" she continued, but Hinawa wouldn't get a chance to respond as the two sisters saw the being in front of them once again, coming around the corner of a building a few meters ahead of them. This time he was high in the air, his waist down covered in shadows that connected down to the ground. His head was lowered and his arms were curling at his sides menacingly.

Almost immediately, Naoto jerked the steering wheel to the left, which quickly moved the vehicle deeper into the city and give the figure less room to maneuver, or at least she hoped. The motion caused their stomachs to pull and the two of them both groaned as the car pulled itself out of harms way for a few seconds longer. But sure enough, the figure rounded the same bend as they did, and the shadows were causing him to move much faster than their measly little vehicle. Although Naoto couldn't see it, the figure leaped from the shadow spire that he was connected to in order to land several meters in front of the car once again, and this time, Naoto wouldn't be able to react fast enough. The being shot his left arm up into the air, and in that same motion, a blade-like collection of shadows materialized only a few feet in front of Naoto's speeding car, and as soon as it did, the car hit it full force. The blade cleanly cutting the vehicle in two almost flawlessly, and causing both sides of the car to zoom past the hooded man, who merely watched as the two sides skidded to a halt, with Hinawa's crashing into a corner of a brick building and Naoto's skidding to a stop quite a distance away from him.

Hinawa was incapacitated; while the impact wasn't fatal, it had certainly done it's damage. Her head now had a large cut on it, causing generous amounts of blood to stream down her face along with her tears, and her head was hanging low towards her knees. Naoto had faired much better, the collision and the skidding having only caused her to hit her now bleeding nose; she was also rather dazed from the impact, unsurprisingly. Staggering out of her now bifurcated car, she held onto her head and moaned lowly as she tried to get her bearings. She fell to her knees after a few seconds of trying to keep her balance, and her blurry vision turned up to see the wreckage where her unconscious sister lay. "Hi... Hinawa..." she muttered, doing her best to get back up to her feet.

While she was doing this, the hooded figure was moving towards Hinawa's wreckage as well, but his intentions were clearly far from helpful. His left arm in particular, at least from what Naoto could tell, had a rather unholy series of markings on it, and he was holding it out towards her sister's location. She had to hurry and stop him, but her head was swimming too much for her to stand for more than a few seconds. The hooded man's left arm was beginning to glow with a bright orange light, but the black markings were becoming even more clear as a result. When he made his way to her section of the ruined car, his left arm grabbed hold of the girl's arm, and his arm's aura began to flare like fire, while Hinawa's own body was beginning to glow with a blue light. This lasted for a few seconds before both lights dissipated, and the figure released his hold of Hinawa's arm, which dropped back down to her side, still unconscious.

That's when the figure turned his attention towards Naoto, who was still on the ground. His left arm was outstretched once again, ready to inflict whatever he had done to Hinawa onto Naoto....

The Death God's Gathering
So the time had come after all. He'd been waiting for this day for what felt like forever. Truth be told, Kazuya had never been to the human world, but he didn't consider it problematic, it couldn't really be that different from Soul Society could it? He was standing in the middle of Yōkōgoten, the first of the northern Rukongai districts, in front of a pair of massive red gates leading into the large edo-style castle which had given the district it's name. The Red Court was so known due to the immense castle that took up most of it's space, and the perfectly aligned houses that surrounded it, all of it belonged to one man, Shigenaga Arma. After the fall of Yamamoto, and the chaos after the war, the wealthy merchant had made the district his own empire, few knew anything about what occurred in the Red Court - and busy with it's own matters, the Gotei 13 had largely been unable to put a stop to the activities, Kazuya wasn't the only worried about Shigenaga, far from it, or for that matter, the actions of his rivals. For Shigenaga was a part of the Four Heavenly Kings, four individuals of exceptional political power, wealth and influence that had all but divided the Rukongai in four pieces between them, as they fought over the left overs.

A gentle breeze played across his face, and ruffled his disheveled hair. He'd chosen to wear nothing more than the ordinary Shihakushō for this mission, he wouldn't give their opponent advance warning of his capabilities as a Captain, so his white haori had been left behind. He'd likewise removed the Kenseikan from his hair, it was difficult for him not to wear them, they meant so much to his clan, but his duty as a Captain had to come first, Byakuya would surely understand. With his standard Shinigami garments and unruly black hair, Kazuya hoped that he wouldn't be recognized by their enemy, even if they'd done research on him. If they believed him a simple seated officer, he'd likely be able to take them out in one fell swoop by relying on the advantage of surprise.

Kazuya turned around as the massive gates behind him opened fully to reveal three figures walking towards him, he knew that one of them was Shigenaga himself, but the other two seemed to be simple maids, set to escort their master and remain at his side. He'd really have preferred not to involve him, but he was a friend of Kurama, and according to his former mentor, he was invested in the human world as well, and had access to intelligence which most others would be unable to produce. Shigenaga was going to provide lodging, food and a contact - he had also agreed to monitor the area and have his contacts gather intelligence in the meantime, all this would've been amazing if it weren't for one thing that constantly grated on Kazuya's mind: Shigenaga had yet to name his price.

He'd never before met Shigenaga in person, he was dressed in fine clothing, crimson silk adorned with golden thread. Upon his fingers gleamed three bands of woven gold, inlaid with various jewels. He fought back a frown, what a garish misuse of wealth, the nobleman in him sneered. The Heavenly King appeared friendly enough, his face was warm and welcoming, his lips curved into what seemed like a genuine smile. He appeared so affable that most people would've neglected to look at the whole picture, but Kazuya focused intently on his eyes. Shigenaga's hazel eyes were warm in color, but they appeared wholly detached from the rest of his expression, they were cold and calculating, appraising him silently, judging his worth and mettle.

He has the same eyes as Kurama.

They exchanged formal greetings, Shigenaga bowed to show his respect to Kazuya's superior bearing and rank, and the Captain accepted the gesture politely. The small ritual was completed in the proper manner, he'd grown used to things like this. He knew that Shigenaga likely wished to converse more, he was a Kuchiki after all, and a worthy contact for him to have - he avoided any further conversation by greeting his maids, each of whom seemed to carry around several gift baskets, very peculiar. However, when they looked up to greet him in turn, he felt his breath catch in his throat, there, in front of him, stood the two most beautiful women he'd ever seen in his life, their radiance was overwhelming, their lips lush and perfect, their hair long and wavy, and their forms exquisite. A blush crept across his face and he reflexively stepped away from them, trying to calm his beating heart.

Fighting to regain his composure, he turned around towards the Seireitei, hoping that his subordinates would arrive soon. A dark chuckle behind him made him wary of Shigenaga's presence.

"You needn't worry yourself, Kuchiki-dono. These flowers are not of this world"

It was showtime now. Normally, entry into the Human World would never be granted no matter how many times he would request due to the prohibition that his division is given. However, Ichimaru would finally get a chance to see it. He had none other than Captain Kazuya Kuchiki to thank for such an intriguing opportunity. His studies on the different worlds lead him to want to experience them firsthand. Of course, places like the Dangai and Hueco Mundo provided some risk factors but the Human World has such valuable intel that Ichimaru would not pass up a great chance like this one. From his quarters in the Sōgō Kyūgo Tsumeshō, he prepared himself to rendezvous with his commanding officer for the mission at hand. He could see the great distance he needed to cover in order to locate the Kuchiki heir. Ichimaru secured his zanpakutō to his back before departing.

Using his outstanding Shunpō prowess, Ichimaru set off towards the first district in Rukongai with the wind flying in his face. His choice of attire was that of his usual Shinigami apparel: a black umanori hakama, haori, and tekkō with a white and blue kimono over it. His lieutenant badge was concealed beneath his kimono, on a black obi around his waist. Logically, his mission would require him to conceal his true level of power in order to have the element of surprise. His neatly kept, dark blue hair tied in a ponytail billowed behind him, reaching his waist. His indigo eyes narrowed as his destination came into view.

Without as much as an elevated heartbeat, Ichimaru sped through a good distance between his barracks and Yōkōgoten. In the center, he spotted his commanding officer, Kazuya, waiting with complacent look along with a rather unnerving man standing near him with two women. Ichimaru guessed that these two were serfs of some kind as he walked toward Kazuya. With a short inhale, Ichimaru spoke to greet the noble clan heir. He bowed respectfully before speaking.

"Greetings, Captain Kuchiki." He said sternly and with a stiff voice. He tried not to use his normal Kansai dialect in favor of sounding more formal and distinguished. The last thing he wanted was to leave a bad impression on such an influential individual. Turning to Shigenaga, Ichimaru subconsciously bowed to him as well. This was not out of respect but out of a certain distress, as though the man had some great power that could be incurred easily. Finally, he greeted the two maids without realizing their angelic beauty. His face slowly heated as he turned away from them. His had leapt so quickly that it felt as though it were in his throat. After a couple seconds, Ichimaru turned towards the Seireitei, an eyesight to be marveled. The time for his mission's beginning was at hand.

Leaving his room within the Ninth Division, Nisshō Ichijōji made his way tot he Rukongai. He was excited, as he hadn't had time to return to the Human World for quite sometime after his death. He was still very much a kid at heart as he used his powerful legs to launch himself through the districts to meet his captain.

He was for once wearing his standard Shinigami attire, however due to his appearance he was a bit apprehensive about returning to the world of the living, even if it was with his Captain. "I hope I don't draw too much attention to myself," he muttered under his breath as he landed on a building and took in his surroundings as to not get lost. "Alright its that way," he said as he used Hohō to leap towards his captains large spiritual energy signature. Landing next to his captain, he smirked before taking a bow out of respect. "Good day Kuchiki-taichō, Fuyutama-Sama," he said before bowing to Shigenaga Arma. "Good day Lord Shigenaga."

Aiken Kuchiki rested on a small bench that stood on the outskirts of the infamous palatial estate and its rose gardens. Before him was a gardener, plowing away at his trade, trimming and grooming the precious red flowers that created a beautiful crimson ocean around Shigenaga's castle. The gardener had been making idle chatter with Aiken for the past while, simple things like business, their respective jobs, and why Aiken's hair was so oddly dyed blue on the sides. He had regaled the man with a tale of misspent youth, though a glance from his wizened eyes showed the glint of silver in his hands. Their talks continued even as the old Kuchiki watched two other Shinigami brazenly enter the castle. All he could do was shake his head. Do they have no regard for their station? he wondered.

Aiken had been hear a while, long enough for the stone beneath him to have turned warm from his presence, long enough to have become well acquainted with the man in front of him, and long enough to know that one did not simply wander into the home of Shigenaga Arma unprepared. There had been a messenger from the 's Inner Court Troop that had given Aiken all he needed to know about his most recent assignment. They had been told to prepare for an excursion to the Human World, an investigation of events surrounding the, and without the typical aid of spiritual outposts, or the elusive , their leader for this assignment, Kazuya, Aiken's very own great-grandson, was forced to seek outside aid to procure their necessary equipment. Supplies, lodging, necessities that the Seireitei did not have at current. The message had also made it clear that no one besides Kazuya should have been involved with meeting the likes of one of Soul Society's Four Heavenly Kings. It wasn't hard to see why the elderly Shinigami was frustrated enough to let out a bitter sigh.

"Y'alright there Azuki-san?", asked the gardener. Okay, so it would have been hard for the gardener to know his intent.

"Heheh, fine, fine, just realizing how carefree children are today", Aiken replied, casting his weary eyes over a group of nearby children playing nearby the castle. Likely those children of the innumerable servants under Shigenaga's employ.

"Peace'is only jus' comin' back t'these parts, after what dem Quincy brought", remarked the gardener with parts regret and elation in his tone.

"Yes, let's just hope it stays that way".

Takashi had been overseeing a Zanjutsu training session for his division’s new recruits when he had received the notice of his conscription to the task force. They had been given a day to make any necessary preparations before the departure, and Takashi had spent his time attending to a myriad of last-minute tasks, ensuring his division would be able to function completely as normal without a Lieutenant. He had not even mentioned the assignment to his Captain except to say that command had been transferred to the Third Seat. Byakuya had been at the Captain’s meeting, and it had been at his silent approval that Takashi was now on his way to the World of the Living. There was no need to say anything more, and to question the decision would have been a slight to both him and his Captain. But still, he wondered why it had been him who was among those chosen. He had been assigned to the Human World a few times before, to be sure, but those had usually involved routine konsō rituals or Hollow exterminations. He was by no means an expert, and considering the gravity of the situation Takashi was concerned that his limited knowledge regarding both the Human World and the Visored would hinder the investigation. But there was nothing to be done now.

Now Takashi was gliding through the sky above the North Rukongai. He had left early that morning so Kohaku could hunt before heading towards the 1st District. She was more peevish than usual as she had been unsuccessful. Takashi had given her a bit of deer jerky but she was still unsatisfied, angry at what she called her own ineptitude. As he approached Yōkōgoten Takashi began to grow more and more uneasy. The entire district served as the palatial grounds for Shigenaga Arma, one of the “Four Heavenly Kings” of the Rukongai. When he landed and began to walk towards one of the Crimson Court’s many gates he saw for himself that rumors of Shigenaga’s wealth were not exaggerated. The place was immense. The outermost walls of tamped earth and tightly fitted-stone rose up from the hill the castle sat on, and thorny dark vines of roses clung to the cracks in the stone. But as Takashi made his way through the small village that sat outside the servant’s gate he could not help but notice the haunted look to the residents. They were well fed, well clothed, and certainly lacked for nothing, but there was either a wary or empty look to their faces, their eyes darting back and forth nervously or glazed over in a trance-like state. They were not overly friendly, and it unnerved Takashi that he could pass through them with hardly a second glance, even as an officer in the Gotei 13. He was wearing his Lieutenant’s armband for the mission as usual, as not only did it denote his rank, but it could also serve to draw enemy fire away from any less experienced Soul Reapers accompanying him, serving as a secondary means of protection. To remove it would be to fault in his duty to those he served.

Although it was against protocol, Takashi climbed the long stairway that led to the castle proper and entered through the servant’s gate. He did not want to draw attention to himself and supposed it was the best way to enter. The wide, double doors were open, and he blended in with the steady, thin stream of passerby traveling in and out on their chores and errands. The inside of the castle was of course more lavish than the outside. Dark red lacquer support beams and wooden verandas, along with the gently sloping black tile roofs accentuated the red stone walls; it was extravagantly rich. At least it isn’t as monotone as the Seireitei. Takashi shrugged. Kohaku paused from preening herself, took one look at the place, and then continued to run her beak through her feathers. Garish. She said firmly.

Takashi made his way to the front part of the courtyard and found the doorkeeper in the gatehouse.

“Excuse me sir.” he said with a small bow. The man looked up from his desk and nodded.

“We’ve been expecting you.” he said flatly. The man was middle aged and bald, and blinked at him behind a pair of thick spectacles. The effect reminded Takashi of a mole.

“Has anyone else from the Seireitei arrived yet?” Takashi asked. “Ah yes, someone from the 9th Division.” The man stood up and walked past Takashi. He seemed to remember him suddenly and stopped, motioning for him to follow.

“Come this way.” he told him. Takashi obliged, and was led through a series of corridors and courtyards until they came to a shaded, open-aired anteroom. A small, circular doorway led to a paved court that sat just in front of the main tower.

“Wait here.” the gatekeeper said before shuffling off. Takashi stood at attention and waited. A few moments later a servant appeared, followed by none other than Kazuya Kuchiki. He was not wearing a Captain’s Haori or the distinctive hair pieces of his clan, and Takashi could only assume it was because he wished to keep his identity undisclosed. He bowed as Kazuya passed him, but showed no more deference than he would have to an equal. Kazuya nodded and continued on into the courtyard wordlessly. Takashi would wait at the door. Another man from the Ninth Division is here. Kohaku noted. Takashi closed his eyes and concentrated. Sure enough, there was a faint presence of another Shinigami in the area. Aiken Kuchiki. Kohaku continued. I believe we met him once. Takashi nodded. He remembered the noble, wrinkled old Kuchiki, and was glad the man was here. They would be in need of his wisdom and experience, to be sure. After a moment’s thought, Takashi told Kohaku to fly up to the roof and perch somewhere out of sight, which she did swiftly and silently. He himself remained by the doorway, but from Kohaku’s position he could see the courtyard where Kazuya stood. Are you hidden? Takashi asked Kohaku as he saw through her eyes. Of course. She replied, somewhat offended. At that moment Shigenaga himself entered, striding out from an impressive set of carved doors with no small degree of confident arrogance. He was accompanied by two female servants, who carried various baskets with them. Strange. Takashi thought. The two men exchanged greetings before they were joined, suddenly, by Ichimaru Fuyutama of the 4th Division and Nisshō Ichijōji of the 9th. Takashi was shocked by their abrupt appearance, but Kazuya seemed to accept their presence easily. What are you doing? He growled inwardly. If Kazuya had wanted to remain relatively unknown to Shigenaga, or at least alone, that leverage was now gone. It looks like Shigenaga is about to say something important. Kohaku pointed out, and Takashi focused on the conversation at hand.

Shigenaga lead the assembly into his castle. Towering pillars of red wood supported the roof, and lavish carpets decorated the floor. Ascending a massive staircaise, they were guided down a long corridor, with paintings, art pieces and vases containing roses lining the walls. As they walked, Kazuya silently cast the spell upon himself and his subordinates, the spell was perfectly executed, and empowered with his extraordinary magical ability, there was no need for words, thought would suffice. Clearing his mind, Kazuya focused upon the spiritual energy of his allies, weaving their minds together with his own for a while, enough to deliver a warning.

"Don't make an attempt to reply to this, but as you know we're currently in the castle of one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Shigenaga Arma. Some of my colleagues might object to me telling you this, but as you're all seated officers, I think it important to put this into the open. Soul Society is currently having economical troubles, it's been expensive to rebuild, moreso than we'd at first surmised. In order to do this, we've been in need of resources, and Shigenaga, and the rest of his ilk, are the only ones who have the means to stabilize Seireitei as we know it. With this in mind, there's a few things we need to go over, both for the continued safety of the Seireitei, and for your sake."

Soundlessly, Kazuya wove a few signs in the air, making sure to cover up the gesture as best he could. He was a fairly talented actor, that's what happened if you were born into a noble family. Shigenaga himself merely walked along, it didn't appear as though he'd noticed. He strengthened his spell somewhat.

"Firstly, if you wish to speak up, do so, but make sure that you remain respectful. Angering Shigenaga is an act ill-advised, not only for your sake, but for the sake of Seireitei itself, we can't afford to lose his support at this point in time. Secondly, keep your eyes downcast and don't meet his gaze directly. He's got ways of controlling people, don't invite the attempt. Lastly, never, under any circumstance are you to use your full name while interacting with him. Use only your given name if possible, if he asks you to sign something, keep your name safe by deliberately using different kanji. If you fail in this, it's possible for him to steal your name, identity and sense of self, erasing your current life and have you spend the rest of your life working for him."

Wait, there was something strange about this, he felt as though two of his teammates were missing, turning around quickly, he noticed that Nisshō and Ichimaru, who he'd assigned to the rear were strangely absent! Kazuya did his best to conceal just how angered he was by this undermining of his authority, he could only assume they'd misunderstood something and gone off on their own. Ichimaru wasn't used to being in teams like this, he supposed he could afford to be lenient with him just this once, he likely didn't know proper protocol. Apparently that sort of thing was unnecessary for a Lieutenant of the 4th Division. He'd have to talk it over with Captain Ukitake, he was her direct subordinate after all, he dreaded the visit, talking to her always made him uncomfortable.

But this was no time to worry about walruses. Gathering his thoughts and calming his already frayed nerves, this would be a long mission, Kazuya turned to the only officers who'd thus far respected his authority. Clearing his voice, he made his first command.

"Right. It seems as though 3rd Seat Ichijōji and Vice-Captain Fuyutama have taken the liberty of travelling to the Human world without my explicit permission. Aiken Kuchiki, you are to take Vice-Captain Sakuma with you to the Human world while I settle matters here with Shigenaga. The two of you will also bring with you the gift-baskets that the maids were carrying. There's one for each of us, they contain everything we might require in the human world, including, pills, one  in each, so that we might communicate with Soul Society, and various other items we might need. Don't lose them!"

Curtsying to the Shinigami officers, the mentioned maids presented the gift baskets with a lovely smile on their faces. "Enjoy! Shihōin-sama said everyone loved gift baskets!"

With the arrival of all the members of the task force, Ichimaru was assigned to the rear of the group alongside Nisshō Ichijōji. He saw Captain Kazuya stroll along with Shigenaga and move toward the latter's grandiose citadel. The decorations were exquisite and certainly were expensive-looking. To think that in a time like this, one could be living so improvidently. It annoyed Ichimaru somewhat to see how well off Shigenaga was compared to the rest of the Seireitei and even the higher districts of Rukongai. Seeing as how he had little idea as to why he would be accompanying Shigenaga to this proliferate abode, Ichimaru rationalized that he should put his primary task ahead of his commander's plans. He knew that it may cause trouble later on but he told himself that he could deal with repercussions later.

Diverging off from the group, the Fourth Division lieutenant found himself staring down a large corridor, separate from the one they had previously came through. His hand moved for his Zanpakutō and unsheathed it, holding out in front of himself. With a ninety degree twist clockwise followed by a counterclockwise turn off ninety degrees, Ichimaru had warped the space in front him by using his blade.

"Open." Ichimaru uttered. The resulting effect was a red, vertical line followed by the doors opening. Beyond them was the other set of doors that released four midnight black creatures that would guide them into the Human World. One of them flew a few circles behind Ichimaru before settling behind him and trailing him as he walked through the gate, sheathing his Zanpakutō. While walking through, he could feel the standard seal being placed on his body. The crease of a door soon appeared in the sky above Karakura Town. At that moment, the voice of Kazuya spoke out in his head. The captain laid out the grounds as to how critical Shigenaga is and why they were accompanying him. Ichimaru only shook his head, knowing that he would not have to worry about Shigenaga. He continued forward and the door to the Human World was made accessible.

As it opened, Ichimaru walked forward and out, standing in the air. A flash of images came to Ichimaru's mind when he looked at the streets and buildings below. However, he shook his head to clear it and ignore the sudden vision. It was then that he glanced at his ring on impulse for a split second. The area felt very familiar though he knew that he had never been there before. Looking around he saw the calm and quiet city, nearly devoid of activity.

"There is something strange here." He said with an inquisitive tone. From what he read on the current Human World, Ichimaru expected to see bustling crowds and mobile machines on wheels. What was before him was an area with little to no activity, a sharp contrast to what he knew. Ichimaru lowered himself to the top of a medium-sized building with a large neon kanji sign that read "Open 24/7". He wondered briefly how a human could work for so long without rest, but dismissed the thought and focused on the task at hand.

"Captain Kuchiki, I don't think this is our spot. Our objective must be elsewhere. Perhaps we should-" He cut himself off as he realized that he could not communicate back with Kazuya. Exactly then, Ichimaru felt something so horrid and disturbing that it made his body tense and his heart race, adrenaline filling his nerves. On instinct, he moved towards the source at a moderate speed in order to keep his presence concealed. After all, anything with this level power is without a doubt spiritually aware. "This must be a significant target, if not our main objective. There's no way this power is of a simple human.

Having noticed that Ichimaru had left the group, he decided to follow the Vice-Captain of the 4th Division. Walking down the corridor he lightly tread trying to conceal his presence from Ichimaru. Coming up to the Senkaimon, he witnessed Ichimaru open the gate and enter the world of the living. He decided to follow the officer, with the thought of returning to the World of the Living overcoming the fear of his captain. Walking into the Senkaimon, he felt the wind blowing against his fur and he was at ease.

Looking around he immediately felt a wave of nostalgia. However this was cut short as he looked down and noticed Ichimaru's shift in demeanor, causing him to sniff the air. On instinct, Nisshō followed after Ichimaru, as he too had sensed the presence of a spiritually aware being. "I wonder what that is," he said as it felt similar as well as foreign.

"As it is commanded", Aiken replied flatly to the words of their Captain, though he would deny ever being perturbed by the events that had just transpired, the ruffling of his brow was a clear indicator to any who knew him, his face almost looked like a pineapple at the creasing of his wrinkled visage intensified. It didn't last though and he quickly cast it aside for a more neutral expression by the time the maids presented the offered gifts.

"They are most delightful, thank you", he replied donning a smile, faked but seemingly authentic in the eyes of most. It was a cold smile, that bore some warmth to it, an element to aid in the facade Aiken would not say. With a whisk of his hand, a brief glow of light overtook each of the gift baskets. A wordlessly casted spell of his own making, a developmental deviation from that allowed the singularly limbed man to do the work of several men, assuming he sought a job as a stockroom assistant at any rate. It would also free up his associate for the time they would spend together. Speaking of which...

"Lieutenant Sakuma, would you lead the way?" he asked, several delicately wrapped gift baskets now floating around him absently.

Takashi noted the tense lines around Aiken's eyes, and shared his quiet distress. For a subordinate to show such impudence... he sighed and shook his head.

"Of course," he turned and bowed briefly to Kazuya, "sir," and then the two took their leave. As they emerged outside into the courtyard once more Takashi peered at the floating baskets and wondered what was inside. He reached out and opened the lid. The contents, as Kazuya had stated, appeared to be various tools they would need in the Human World, as well as a folded Gigai, its face smashed and contorted in a dead scream, with a complexion of pasty squid. He shivered and slammed the lid shut.

"To the Senkaimon then?" he asked Aiken. Kohaku flew from the balcony and landed on Takashi's shoulder. Is that where we're off to now? She added. Yes, and from there the World of the Living. He replied. Aiken nodded, and with a flash the two Shinigami had disappeared, taking to the skies to travel as quickly as possible. Time was of the essence, but Takashi did not mind leaving Ichimaru and Nisshō to fend on their own for a while, let them flounder a bit. Still, he hoped that they would not compromise the mission. He narrowed his eyes as they approached the Seireitei, peering into the distance to spot the towering gates of the Senkaimon. Aiken took the lead, and Takashi followed him as he slowed his speed before finally coming to land in front of the gate. A member from the Kidō Corps ran out across the courtyard to meet them. "Lieutenant Sakuma, 5th Seat Kuchiki!" she called out as she ran.

"Requesting immediate transport to the World of the Living." Takashi stated, dispensing with formalities.

"Yes sir," she said, panting slightly. She knelt in front of the gate and placed her hands on the ground. After a brief Kidō incantation there was a flash of blue light around her hands, and the gate began to swing open. A crack of white light split and expanded as they doors opened, and Takashi blinked against the light to stare inside, into the Dangai. Two black Hell Butterflies on silent, silky wings emerged to trail behind him and Aiken. It was the only safe way to travel between the worlds, to traverse the black void.

The Kidō Corps member stood and bowed slightly as they walked past her.

"Best of luck," she said.

As soon as Takashi stepped into the gateway he felt the automatic limitation seal appear on his chest. Aiken received one as well, due to his high Reiatsu. The elderly man looked it over, it felt strange, but not unfamiliar to be engraved with that seal again.

"Reminds you of old times, doesn't it?" Takashi grinned.

"Very much so", Aiken replied.

As the gates closed behind them Takashi activated a Kidō spell, a small yellow orb of glowing light to illuminate their path. They took off at a fast, even pace, treading over the uneven floors of the Dangai which appeared to them as little more than a single tunnel leading to their eventual destination. "You do wonder why they took off so damn fast." Takashi called over his shoulder.

"They barged into the palace of an unknown element that could very well have killed them with a thought, I don't need to wonder about their stupidity, lad", Aiken replied breathlessly, clearly still annoyed even if his face stopped showing it. Takashi laughed, the sound echoing off the walls in the tunnel.

"I'll be sure to let you do the honors of disciplining them when we get there." Aiken nodded at that, a respectful gesture.

The two continued on in silence, until at last the white wall that stood at the end of the Dangai seemed to appear suddenly from the darkness: the opening to the Human World. Truthfully, Takashi was a little more than nervous at entering the unfamiliar territory. He had expected Captain Kuchiki to accompany them, but the unforeseen turn of events had left them without a commanding officer. All he hoped to do now was to gain some reconnaissance and prevent another massacre.

For Aiken, traversing that last part of the Dangai was an old sensation, strange, but welcoming. He squinted his eyes in preparation, knowing all too well the effects that were to be had by stepping into that all-consuming white light ahead of them. He carried himself with his usual confidence, but it was held up with an earnest desire to see the Human World that he'd been away from for so many years. That, and his desire to be of assistance to the young leaders of the Kuchiki clan. He was there to provide the experience that weighed on his very bones, and he would provide it even if his fellows were seemingly too rash to heed him.

The light swallowed them, pouring into them and forcefully tearing their bodies away from the emptiness that was the Dangai. They emerged in mid-air, their momentum carrying them a few steps before they stopped. For a moment they were utterly still, those first few breaths serving to acclimate them to their new surroundings. It was night here, and heavy clouds blocked what little moonlight there was. Beneath their feet the lights of the city shone dimly, casting a silvery glow across the sky. For a moment Takashi entered Kohaku's mind and saw through her eyes. All the minute movements and sounds humming around them became clear to him, filtering through their senses like so much constant static. The living sounds of thousands, the distinct presence of humans. So many souls. Kohaku breathed.

Takashi turned to Aiken, and was once more in the mindset of an officer on duty.

"Kuchiki-sama, what do you suggest for our plan of action?" he asked. Of course, as the higher ranking of the two, he reserved the authority to make any final decisions. But Kuchiki was more experienced than he was, and if his social status was considered far out-classed him as a noble. For now, at least, he would defer to Aiken's authority.

The old man looked at him with weathered eyes, before closing them. It wasn't an answer to the question, instead he was absorbing what he has perceived. The stark difference in architecture alone was almost overwhelming. Last he'd seen were wooden hovels and large stone castles, the great flats and rows of stone housing were a great change, both to what he'd seen last in the Human World and to anything he could note in Soul Society. He shook himself of the desire to sit and gaze at everything; he had a job to do.

"We should find those two immediately, without the supplies that we have they are woefully underprepared for whatever may come", he stated.

"Understood." Takashi held out his wrist and, with avid excitement, Kohaku leaped onto his arm-guard, preparing to launch herself off into the air. You understand the objective? He asked her. ''Naturally. I already have a sense of their Reiatsu, they should not be difficult to track.'' She replied calmly, although her very feathers quivered with electric tension. Very well. He said. With that she sprang from his arm and, with a few powerful strokes of her wings, flew off into the distance.

"My hawk has already detected their presence in the area, she can lead us to their location." Takashi said to Aiken.

"We should follow your friend", Aiken responded. "We need not keep pace with her, but we should remain in view".

"Of course." Takashi said. He could still see a faint moving point where Kohaku was gliding over the lights of the buildings, but just barely. We will be following you. He told her. Don't fall behind. She teased.

"Then we should move now." Takashi said. He noted the baskets that Aiken still kept floating around him. "Would you like me to take some of those off your hands?" he asked.

"I believe you would rather your sword arm free, if the time comes", he remarked severely. He didn't relish the idea of a conflict coming to pass, but he was wary, and would be prepared for it.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Takashi said, and meant it.

With that, the two Shinigami vanished, barely anything more than the flickering of black shadows where their forms had once stood.

For sure, there was something very sinister afoot here, and it wouldn't just be in the form of absent crowds.

Thick shadows were rapidly encompassing the streets and sidewalks within the city below them all, and they were no ordinary shadows. Thick, eery, and feeling like freezing cold tar, these shadows neatly covered every inch of the city streets, and at a first glance it would appear as if the entire city had been completely deserted. But then, Takashi Sakuma would both feel a warm and very uncomfortable aura sweep over them smoothly, like a warm desert devoid of water. But it was in this same moment that activity in the city, at least from their point of view, would start to bustle with activity.

But it wouldn't be the activity that they would expect.

Screams of women, from their early teens to late forties, began to shatter the silence that had swept over the area, paralleled at the same time by the angry howls and snarls of men who were in the same age group as the women. Girls in their pajamas began mad sprints out of their houses and apartments, screaming and crying as both older boys and men chased after them like wild animals, but their escapes were halted when they stepped foot in the shadows. Like quicksand, they were stuck in place, and their only solace was the fact that their lust-filled pursuers were also caught in the shadows as well. It faired no better for the older women as well, with some of their silhouettes visible in the windows of the buildings and houses. Silhouettes of men tackled them, dragged them out of view by their hair, and even more terrifying: some were even pushing their prey out of the windows and down to their deaths in the darkness-covered streets below, only for their pursuer's to leap out of the windows in hopeless pursuit.

It seemed as if the entire town was slowly starting to go mad.

I’ve spotted them. The news flashed into Takashi’s mind suddenly. He could see the two Shinigami in the distance from Kohaku’s location. Excellent.

“She’s located our target.” Takashi told Aiken. They came into eye’s sight for a brief moment to take another stride, and at that moment felt a sudden blast of Reiatsu. It was not overwhelming or stifling in anyway, but it was altogether too smooth and too warm. Instantly they could sense the sinister intention behind its emitter, and Takashi began to feel uncomfortable. It seemed inhuman, unnatural, and he could not identify what it belonged to.

Something was not right.

As if in echo to his thoughts, screams soon began to fill the air. Looking down from their position, they could see thick, low-lying black shadows filling the streets.

“What the hell is that?” Takashi asked. Aiken did not reply, solemn and tense. With his sharp eyesight Takashi spotted a human figure plummeting from a window, and his stomach clenched as they disappeared into the pavement. “You follow the others, I’m going down.” Before he could rush off there was sudden, intense grip on his arm and he was spun around to face the old Kuchiki directly.

"Suppress your Reiatsu as best you can", he advised. One may have expected Aiken to try and prevent such a rash decision, but his words didn't fit with that sort of approach. "We don't yet know what's down there, but if it has a face, then we want whatever advantage we can get, make it think you're weak until it is time to strike", Aiken continued on, his words hurried, clearly attempting to be quick. At the same time his feet moved, creating a growing gap between himself and Takashi. "I'll catch up as soon as possible", they were already in motion, and in the step of a single flash both disappeared.

With a flickering appearance Takashi stopped above the street, crouching on a telephone pole as he observed the chaos around him. Some were crying hysterically, dragging themselves along pitifully while others snarled and foamed at the mouth like rabid animals. He closed his eyes for a moment. “The lives of mortals are not our priority,” he could picture his Captain, placid as ever say. At the same instant he heard glass shatter and looked up. From the building across the street he spotted a man pushing a girl out of a window. “Screw priorities,” he said, gritting his teeth.

The girl hardly realized what was happening to her. She felt sharp pain as pieces of glass tore across her arms and back, and then there was no more resistance. There was no more of anything. She was falling, incredibly fast it seemed. There was no time to consider what was about to occur, yet she felt it instinctively and panicked. Her body, divorced from her mind, resisted her inevitable fate while she could not even comprehend it, her vision blinded with tears.

Then there was a collision, but not the one expected. Somehow, she was being carried upwards. She twisted around, eyes wide, and stared as the ground shrank away and, finally, she felt something under her feet. It was the gravel of the roof. Her body welcomed her salvation and she collapsed in a limp huddle, unconscious.

To Takashi, it seemed he was suddenly thinking much clearer. Adrenaline began to flow through his veins, though his heart still beat evenly and calmly. Saving all of them would be impossible, but he had saved one. Now, to prevent as much death as possible, he would find the source of this madness and stop it. He had to. It was his duty.

He sprang from the roof and gained some distance above the streets, following them like shadow-choked arteries to lead him to the heart. It seemed to become thicker and darker the further he went, with human bodies writhing and struggling in the black shroud, unable to escape he assumed. Here and there, a few small, glowing figures of blue could be seen, dotting the sides of the street. Already there were ghosts, grasping hopelessly at the snapped chains in their chests. He focused on finding the source of the sickly Reiatsu, and wished Kohaku were here with her keener senses. She would be tracking him now, no doubt, trying to find him in the tangle of buildings.

But he did not need the senses of a hawk to detect what came next…

Without so much as a warning, Ichimaru was hit with the sight that no individual should be damned enough to watch. A horrifying darkness was strewn as far as Ichimaru could see, with humans engulfed in it. Innocent pluses also found themselves plunged within it as well, hopelessly fighting to escape their inevitable fate. Ichimaru wanted to help them with all his heart, to save them from the hell that was the consuming darkness. He turned away knowing that he could not deviate from his task at hand: finding the source of this mayhem. He pressed forward with newfound drive. Seeing something so violent and sickening made him furious at who or what had been causing this. The thought of discovering this disturbance was something his own captain put into his head. Being a renowned healer as leader of the 4th Division, Rikuri finds every soul that enters the Sōgō Kyūgo Tsumesho to be a top priority and thus, cares deeply for all. This compassion influenced Ichimaru even though he was not the type to get emotional. After the death of the Visored Hiyori Sarugaki, Ichimaru felt a certain sadness. He had never known Sarugaki personally before her admission to the medical facility. However, his shared compassion for patients with his captain made him want to find Sarugaki's killer.

At that moment, he could see more people going to their deaths screaming out in terror. That was enough to light a fire in Ichimaru. He held his palm out towards the flames and furrowed his brow. His mouth opened to speak as tiny fragments of spirit energy began clumping near his hand.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!" He recited, a red ball of energy launching from his palm into the darkness. His thought was that if he could get the darkness to disperse from the light, the people and souls trapped within it would be free and also draw out the source.

Appearing to his left, Nisshō watched as the ball of red light flew towards the darkness. He went to reach back for his Zanpakutō as if this didn't work, he could possibly use his Shikai to enable them to escape. "Fuyutama-sama, what is with this fog?" he asked the superior officer.

On One Front
As the impending ball of red flames erupted into the desired target, as Ichimaru intended, an explosion rocked the air as the black tar-like darkness splattered around like ink. Normally, doing such a thing in front of humans would be unthinkable, but given the present state of things, supernatural phenomena would be the least of their worries. Even with Shakkahō, however, the black tar only continued to seep about like a stubborn thick fog.

"...That was never going to work, sweetness." spoke an ominous voice coming from the vicinity where the spell had made contact.

Out of the darkness, a shape began to rise from its almost liquid confines, becoming more and more recognizable as the figure took more shape. It was a female from what could be ascertained from her facial and bodily structure, her hair long and dark as the night sky itself, with piercing green eyes like a beast, and finally showing her hands which were like the claws of a vicious tiger. The darkness surrounded the woman's body and slowly formed clothing; black attire that symbolized that of Shinigami garb, though it was significantly different.

Rising from the darkness, her entire body now free from its inky confines — assuming she had merely risen from within rather than the more eery fact that the black tar actually created this frightening creature — as a malicious cackle emanated from her. "Isn't that just like you lot~ Firin' spells like the dickens!" the woman mused, once more cackling with a creepy screech that filled the air together with the screams of the innocent mortals surrounding the location; her eyes glaring directly at Ichimaru and Nisshō.

Nisshō stared at this strange woman and tightened his grip on his sword hilt. "What are your orders?" he asked Ichimaru as he was of a lower rank and didn't want to anger anymore upper tier officers as he felt that his Captain was most decidedly miffed that he left without permission. He scanned the environment and mentally decided the best Shikai ability to utilize in this fight. "Tatsugiri may work, maybe if I can get close enough to her..." he thought waiting for a plan of attack.

Ichimaru furrowed his brow, staring at the woman in black. Her appearance was certainly frightful and even more so was her laugh. The lieutenant forced himself not to resort to his base instinct and reach for his Zanpakutō. He knew he had to tread carefully in this minefield. Charging at her with reckless abandon was not an option. He looked over to his left as Nisshō asked for his plan.

"Seeing as how my Shakkahō did virtually nothing, we can assume that Kidō won't be effective." He analyzed. "Also, she came from that darkness. That means she's likely in her own element and though we outnumber her, she outmatches us." Ichimaru slowly moved to grab his Zanpakutō and unsheathed it.

''If we get too close, that darkness may cause problems. If we stay too far, we won't be able to deal damage. I can't release my Shikai without making further ripples. All these setbacks and not a single viable advantage. If we can use Shunpo to distract her, maybe we can find an opening and work from there.'' Ichimaru thought while firmly gripping his Zapakutō in his right hand.

"Ichijōji-san, we're going to have flank her. Use Shunpo and look for an opening." Ichimaru ordered as he seemingly vanished from view. Already he was dashing in circles, leaving behind afterimages that were identical to his outer appearance. With his sword drawn, he searched for any opening no matter how small.

Unsheathing his sword, he stated softly. "Turn the Page, Sasshi," before his blade dissolved into thin air and became a moderately sized book. He then pulled out the bookmark to reveal a sword similar in appearance to his sealed blade before causing the book to shrink and be placed on the rack created by his sheath after the release. He used Shunpo to dash to the right, trying to flank the strange woman before uttering "Sasshi: Tatsugiri," which caused his blade to hum slightly. He then scattered pages from his book which created the area in which she could be sealed. He didn't want to spill his plan so he hoped Fuyutama would notice the ring.

This woman — aptly named Kavika — merely cackled at the movements of Nisshō as she rose her arms up high above her head. Large amounts of the black tar-like substance began to ripple about as several large watery pillars began erupting high into the skies above them; before subtlety raining down on the area around her and the two officers she confronted. With such close proximity and the large amount of black rain falling, it would be almost impossible to avoid getting rained upon by Kavika's tar. Surely, this was for some sort of nefarious purpose.

In mid-step, Ichimaru changed his foot placement to where he would jump backwards from the woman. He exchanged brief eye contact with Nisshō, knowing that he would take care of the rest. However, the woman was not so easily intimidated. The dark matter asking both Shinigami gurgled and took shape. Ichimaru looked up and saw the thick, black, rain. It seemed like the weather of hell was appearing in the Human World. The lieutenant wasted no time and sprang into action. Seems like I have no choice.

"Caress, Sōji no Jihi!" He called out. His longsword changed form, becoming longer and turned black. The former single edge became two and the guard became a crescent shape. The handle elongated to the length of Ichimaru's forearm with a pommel as a counterbalance. With his Shikai activated, Ichimaru slashed aggressively upwards towards the impending rain and released an expansive wave of spirit energy to stop the black matter.

Slicing the air itself, Nisshō cut out a section of space itself and removed it and the black substance from his general area long enough to use Shunpo to get far enough away from it. Looking to the right and then to the left, he tapped his true shikai, the book on his hip, which scattered more pages to which he attempted to widen the area of his Tatsugiri. However he changed the form of his bookmark from a sword to a pair of clawed gauntlets to better match his hakuda prowess. "I will rip this creature apart..."

On Another Front
In another area of the city, as Takashi had been desperately looking for some way to handle the supernatural massacre continuously occurring right in front of his eyes, it was then that a figure slowly began to seep out from the darkness behind the officer. There, another woman similar to the one that appeared elsewhere before Nisshō and Ichimaru, though with remarkably different features along with snow white hair, who reached out at an incredible speed for the distracted officer; hoping to slash his neck clean through in that moment of convenience.

The murderous intent behind the strike was tangible. He could not identify the Reiatsu signature, he had not even seen his attacker, but he reacted on instinct. In an instant his sword sprang from its scabbard, singing through the air as he drew it upwards across his body. The sudden impact as the blow contacted steel sent him skidding backwards through the air, and he barely had time to react, turning the blade and cutting towards the throat of his enemy in one swift counterattack. But he had been too shallow, he had missed. Momentum carried the two of them some distance apart, and his gaze finally made contact with hers.

Her eyes were wide, with pupils barely more than thin slits. Her body and hair were smooth and white, with strange, rounded markings drawn across her skin. Her figure was humanoid, distinctively female, but she was certainly not a human. On the other hand, she did not appear to be a Hollow either. There were no mask fragments, no void in her chest, and her Reiatsu was entirely alien to him. He had never encountered one of her kind before, of that he was certain. Already he was formulating strategies, attempting to analyze his enemy from what little he had seen of her. She was fast, undeniably so. Takashi could feel a thin trickle of blood running down his neck from where her hand had brushed past, the strike having been redirected by his sword. He was certain that speed was not the only thing he would need to account for. This one was dangerous. Takashi could feel Kohaku reaching for his mind, searching for him and fearing for his safety. She was approaching their location swiftly, and Takashi allowed his concentration to slip for a moment as he contacted her. Stay away. He told her firmly. I want you to find the source of the black matter, leave this one to me. He sensed as Kohaku altered her course of flight, obeying him without question. She knew as well as he that he could in no way lose his focus here.

Below him the blanket of darkness still crept through the streets, and he heard sirens blaring in the distance. Time was short, and he could not waste any of it in dealing with this… thing. His brow knitted in a deep frown, and he leveled his sword at his attacker. Whatever she was, she was most likely connected to or directly responsible for the rampant chaos in the city.

“Who are you, and what is your purpose here?” he demanded.

The pale girl known as Skanda merely stood a ways away from Takashi — maintaining an eery silence — before holding up both of her hands up toward the officer. "......" she uttered in a monotone mutter as her hands lit up with a bright red flame. Suddenly, a huge ball of fire erupted from her hands, roughly half of her height, moving at a high speed directly for Takashi.

Impossible. His eyes widened as the orb of red light materialized in front of her hands and shot towards him. His body seemed to move without his consent, and with one step of Shunpo he evaded the attack, reappearing a short ways aside. There had been no other recourse available to him, the distance and had been too short, leaving no opportunity to counter it directly. But an instant after he dodged it he regretted doing so. The Shakkahō exploded into the side of the building below him, no doubt causing uncountable damage and sending bits of shrapnel flying in their direction. She can use Kidō? Takashi did not wait for another attack, instead climbing higher into the sky with brief, flashing steps. He needed distance. Something to give him an edge. More importantly, he needed to draw her fire away from the human-filled city beneath them. Takashi turned as he travelled upwards, raising both his sword hand and empty hand above his head.

“Bakudō, number four, .” he threw the Kidō spell down towards his opponent, whom he knew would be following him closely behind. The yellow light crawled through the air, reaching out to ensnare his enemy. At the same time he released his Shikai with a simple command, “Plunge into flesh, Aka no Tsume.” He remembered Aiken’s words as the old Kuchiki had wisely told him to suppress his Reiatsu and “fight on the weak side,” but speed was now a crucial factor, outweighing reservation. Still, he would not fight at full strength, the Gentei Reīn on his chest would make sure of that. At any rate, his was not an ostentatious Shikai, and for now would actually aid him in compressing his Reiatsu into the cutting edge of the blade, which glowed with a soft crimson light. Only a few seconds had passed since he had cast the Kidō spell, and he stopped, widening his stance and preparing to strike. His opponent could cast Kidō spells—he wondered how she had responded to his own attack.

One Other Front
Without a doubt, Aiken was most likely in close enough proximity to be aware of the presence creeping up on Takashi, but before he would be able to even consider moving to assist him, several strange strands of a thick white substance had almost instantaneously appeared; surrounding him as though it were... a spider's web.

"I hope you don't plan on doing anything reckless, cutie~" spoke a feminine voice from above the web of strands, a black-haired maiden sat there with an eery smirk plastered onto her face.

Cutie? What had stopped the elderly figure from his prior advance was not the the silk entrapment he found himself in, but the words that hung on his ears. He was more prune than man, that Aiken, and to hear words like that were rare, if not utterly strange to him. He looked to regard this woman that had called out to him, as close as he was to being caught in her web.

"You do me too much credit, my lady", he replied with the lightest bow of his head, a heed of caution given his current predicament. "I am but an old fool, would your time not be better spent on someone who can grow to appreciate your words?", his words stopped matching his actions as his wakizashi came free from its sheath, a flutter of embers trailing behind it.

In the wake of the embers brought forth by the man's unsheathing action, more of Dhanya's webs could be perceived. And there inlaid the trouble. Several humans were tightly imprisoned in the webs that surrounded Aiken — some were screaming, others muttering what could only be considered gibberish, while the rest merely laid there as though they were in a deep sleep. Whatever the case, it was clear that they were Dhanya's prisoners, and now hostages that would prevent Aiken from enacting too much damage. A couple of the embers managed to catch onto a small part of the webs due to their reckless fluttering, and once they did, more screaming from the trapped slumbering humans could be heard; possibly inferring that damaging these webs would lead to killing these poor unfortunate humans.

"Nonsense... Even an old man can be cute, especially in his final moments." Dhanya shot him a vicious grin. Which was returned with a look of seriousness, though Aiken's expression was aloof, cold, there was an obvious aggression welling up behind his eyes. He motioned to return his sword to its sheath in order to flatly utter the command: "Enkindle, Dōshōkira...".

The sword and its scabbard began to glow in unison, a blinding white luminosity that quickly ebbed away after a few seconds. Aiken swung his blade forward, revealing its newly lengthened and blackened form while also casting another bout of embers into the open air. They fluttered brazenly in the breeze all around the area, but most notably seemed to congregate near the trapped Humans. There were a set of small torches attached to Aiken's newly transformed Zanpakutō which flickered out for just a second as he traced a returning motion with his hand, then those embers all rapidly expanded, exploding into a great burning wave. They swept over the imprisoned, crying Humans. Their screams, their calls for help, for a brief time it intensified.

It hung on Aiken's ears clearly until they died out, drowned in the loud roar of the flames, by the time they had fallen silent, the clamour of the fire was all he could hear. He looked to Dhanya once more as a new batch of embers flooded into the air from that cruel, black sword of his. "A Shinigami's duty is to protect the balance of souls", he began. "It is inevitable that Humans will die and pass on, and it is impossible, necessary even, that we cannot, do not, save them all", he explained in a clear monotone, seemingly unphased by the callousness of his own actions.

He drew into a stance, a posture resembling a fencer. "I have undoubtedly tipped the scales, however slightly, but I may still fix that by slaying you".