Bleach: Ketsurui: Undisputed Defeat

Illusion
Senmei turned. "My my my. It seems you've arrived. Ukitake-taichō, Shunsui-taichō, and Kuchiki Rukia."

Shunsui and Ukitake remained silent, the night winds blowing against their bodies. It was a stand-off, with the three members of the Gotei 13 on one side, and the criminals on the other. Though they questioned the fact of a seemingly dead woman standing before them, it didn't matter. Right now, they had to focus on taking their enemies down. Shunsui's hand rose to grip the hilt of his sheathed tanto, while Ukitake did the same with his own lone sword.

Mercy would not be an option here.

Before Rukia could even reach for her sword, Senmei had vanished, delivering a swift kick to her neck, knocking her unconscious. "So weak..." Senmei murmured, distaste in her soulless eyes as Kuchiki fell.

This immediately got a reaction from Ukitake, who's eyes widened at the second-lasting felling of his subordinate. Not only was he surprised at the frightening speed that Senmei had developed, but he was also shocked at Rukia falling so easily. "Kuchiki-san!" He said, whipping around and unsheathing his sword within an instant. However, Aku wasn't one to stand and watch. With her own speed, she re-appeared behind Ukitake, smiling in a falsely warm manner.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Then, she raised her scythe up, and was capable of cutting the Captain in two when...

CLANG!

It was fortunate that Rukia had not been Ukitake's only comrade. Just in time, Shunsui managed to intercept with his longer blade, stopping the scythe inches from its target. "You should be more alert, Ukitake..." He chided, smiling a little. "But at least you've got me to watch your back. You know what to do..." With that, he forced Aku away, who was looking at him with a rather impressed expression. His white-haired friend nodded, moving quickly. With the Shunpo that signaled his years as a Shinigami Captain, he grabbed Rukia in his arms, vanished a safer distance from the area, set Rukia down, and re-appeared back in seconds.

Senmei frowned. "We'll end this right now. What if..." She murmured.

The sun was rising, and the Kurosaki home was bustiling again. Ahatake was sitting in front of the televsion, watching the Yūrei news, while Megami was busy over the stove, Aoi and Kyūi helping as best they could. Taiki and Adela were at work, and Midoriko was...well you know where she is.

Ahatake sighed. "I wish Jūshirō would give us an O.K, so we'd have something to do. I'm beginning to get impatient."

"Maybe he's handling it..." Megami suggested calmly over her shoulder, even as she worked hard. Aoi and Kyuui were doing their own jobs well, providing good assistance. "They are senior Captains. For the most part, they'll have the criminals rounded up and taken care of. He probably won't need an OK to give us."

Ahatake sighed. "True, but that means I got hyped up over nothing."

"I'm with Ahatake Ojii-chan." Aoi said, setting down a spice container. "I was hoping for some fun."

"Then again...." Megami commented, thinking for a moment. "If it takes too long, he might call us. Rukia-san did say that these two had the power to threaten Soul Society, after all.."

"Then we should keep our hopes up." Aoi said as Ahatake turned up the news.

The reporter's voice rang out. "It is our deepest regret to report a brutal attack along Avenue. Two men and a young woman are lying in the street, bleeding profusely. Paramedics are currently on their way."

"Hm?"

That made Megami stop for a moment, as well as her silver-haired assistant, eyes widening at the words. Immediately, they rushed over to where Ahatake was sitting, eyes fixed on the screen. It zoomed in on the three wounded personnel, at first making it seem like they were just random civilians. However, as the screen fixed itself to display clearly, they could be seen in detail. The two men were both dressed in Shinigami Captain uniforms, swords clutched tightly in their hands. Compared to the woman, their wounds were far more severe, their coats stained with their own blood.

Ukitake.

Shunsui.

Rukia.

All three of them... had been defeated.

Ahatake was speechless for only a moment before shuttingt he TV up and getting up quickly. He turned to Megami. "Megami, how skilled are you in healing Kidō?"

By this time, Megami had turned pale, clearly stunned at the supposedly superior powers being so easily beaten. "I...my skill should be decent enough..." She managed to say, hoping that her words were right.

"Aoi, Kyuui! We're going to get them!" Ahatake's voice was strong as he spoke. "Megami, prepare a place for them in one of the guest rooms please."

"Right..." With a nod, Megami rushed off, leaving Kyuui to stand at her grandfather's attention. With her friends in severe danger, she knew what she was doing was important.

"We have to get there as fast as possible, before the paremedics do." Ahatake muttered. "Sorry you two, but this may feel uncomfortable." He gripped their arms and vanished in a burst of flame. As usual it was accompanied by the feeling of being compressed and launched out of a cautapault, and they reappeared on the scene next to the bodies.

Kyuui was far beyond caring at this point. She rushed over towards the nearest body she could find - Rukia. She leaned over to pick her up, her short stature capable of being handled. "This is terrible..." She lamented, unhappy of seeing the bloody sight. "How could this have happened...?"

Aoi appeared next to Shunsui and lifted him up, despite being much smaller than he was. Ahatake heaved Jūshirō over his shoulder. "We'll be able to ask them when we revive them kiddo." Ahatake said. "Grab onto me each of you." Aoi gripped Ahatake's robe. Kyuui did the same with her remaining hand.

Once again, they vanished in a burst of flame, leaving a surprised group of onlookers, and reappeared in the Kurosaki house. "Let's get them into the guestroom." Ahatake urged and they ran into the room, opening the door, and finding that Megami had succedduly prepared a suitable recovery area. They proceeded to lay each injured body down on seperate beds and Ahatake sighed, turning to Megami. "Megami, can you begin healing as soon as possible?"

"Yes..."

Immediately, Megami moved over to the nearest person - Shunsui - raised her hands over his chest, and summoned the Kido to her aid in order to begin healing the man. Her eyes were set in concentration, and her palms were glowing faintly.

Ahatake frowned. "Who?" He murmured. "Who is powerful enough that they could bring down Shunsui-san and Jūshirō-san?"

"Ungh...."

Thankfully, Shunsui possessed immense durability. As Megami healed him, he slowly opened his eyes, slowly lifting a hand to place on one hand of his face. "Hoo, boy..." He grumbled, exhaustion coming over his mind like a tsunami. "Feels like I got hit by a truck..." Despite herself, Kyuui brought herself to smile a little, at his little "joke" as well as the fact that he was going to live. Ukitake, however, didn't stir just yet.

"Shunsui-san, you're conscious." Ahatake said, relieved.

Shunsui's eyes widened a little at the familiar voice, and he looked past his healer towards Ahatake. "Oh...so that's what happened..." He muttered, smiling a little. "Disappointed that we didn't get to call you in time?" He had been informed by Ukitake of the need for assistance over the radio, and he knew Ahatake would've been a bit eager for combat - a reminder of his colleague Kenpachi.

"Yeah I am to be honest." Ahatake said, mock hurt in his voice. "Pretty sure I'd have been of some use if I was there though."

That wiped the smile off of Shunsui's face, and he lowered his hand to his side once more. "Sorry, but I don't think that you would've made a difference." He commented. "From the moment we encountered them, we fell right into their trap. It was like fighting Aizen again - under an illusion, and swinging blind. One kept attacking us with illusions, while the other was striking while we were distracted. Their teamwork was flawless, and had it not been for quick thinking, we wouldn't be alive right now."

"Illusions?" Ahatake frowned. "Great. Just what we needed."

"Yeah.... a shame, isn't it?" Shunsui commented. "It's going to be a toughie now, even more so if there's more of them working together."

Ahatake sighed. "Well, Jūshin should be notified of this. Not good to keep the king oblivious to what's happening."

Megami, after deciding Shunsui was healed good enough, moved over to the next worst patient - Ukitake. She pressed his hands onto his chest, putting her healing energy into him. However, she let out a short gasp after discovering that there was far more damage that hadn't been caused by the wounds.

"Megami, what happened?" Ahatake asked, concerned.

"I don't know...." She answered hesitantly. "Why's his lung's so--"

"Oh..." Shunsui managed to prop himself up on his elbows, looking over in her direction. "That's just his own illness. It hasn't been too kind on him, but he's held up well after so many years. It's nothing to worry about, at least for now."

"Oh, I remember that." Ahatake said, flashing back to the time of the Sight Jacker. Ukitake's illness had inconvienced him back then as well.

"Megami Obaa-chan, would you be able to reverse some of the damage his illness has done to him?" Aoi asked curiously.

"I could try.... but I can't guarantee it'll be permanent...."

With that, Megami focused on the areas where Ukitake's tuberculosis had hit hardest. It was difficult, attempting to fix internal organs. Slowly, she was progressing. Even Shunsui looked on with an impressed eye. "Even though her skills aren't the best, they're still with potential...." He thought to himself. "Even Unohana couldn't do that..."

Aoi grinned. "Shiro-chan's getting medical treatment without the bill."

"This is going to take a while..." Megami murmured. "How could he ever fight like this?"

This time, after finding that the majority of his injuries were fine enough for him to move, Shunsui switched up to a sitting position on the bed. "Over time, it's gotten better enough for him to fight for a longer period of time... back then, he was much worse, and couldn't execute a few swings before he got bit by the disease..." He explained. "Now, he's had more time to use his swords."

"I applaud him fighting even when he was sick." Ahatake said. "People could learn from him."

"Nnnngh...." This time, Ukitake groaned, raising both hands to his face. Immediately, Megami focused on the wounds that he had sustained during the battle, concentrating hard. Shunsui cocked an eyebrow over at his white-haired friend. "You OK, Ukitake?" He asked.

"Well.... I'm alive...." He muttered hesitantly. "Does that count?"

"Jūshirō, nice to see you back among the living." Ahatake said, grinning.

"....you took us out of there...?" Ukitake managed to say, voice weak due to the pain of his injuries. "What happened...?"

"We got beaten, Ukitake...." Shunsui replied calmly, shaking his head slightly. "If Ahatake and his family hadn't saved us, we'd be good as dead. Well...." He looked over at the unconscious Rukia. "At least the two of us, anyway. Thankfully, you took Rukia to a safer distance so she wouldn't be as hurt. She'll be easier to heal..."

"Oh good." Aoi said. "Cute girls can't die."

After she was done with Ukitake, Megami finally moved on to Rukia. It took a bit more effort, considering her energy exerted on the captains. In fact, there were beads of sweat coming down her face at the rate, but she continued to put up with it as she focused on healing the last patient.

"What happened to Rukia?" Ahatake asked Shunsui. "She isn't bloodied up like you two."

"At the start of the fight, all she recieved was a kick to the back of her neck to knock her out.... Ukitake had to grab her and take her away from the area to keep her from being harmed. We were the ones that were doing the fighting."

"Oh? Pretty sure that'd knock out just about anyone." Ahatake said, imagining that kind of blow being inflicted on himself. "Though I'd probably keep going through sheer stubborness."

"Either way...." Shunsui's eyes drifted towards Rukia. "That's how it happened. But.... now, we're back at square 1. They've ran off, and we donno where they are..."

Rukia's eyes fluttered open, and she groaned. "W-where am I?" She murmured, not quite sitting up.

"We're back at the Kurosaki home..." Ukitake supplied, managing to find his voice once again. "They managed to find us after the two managed to escape from the area. You got knocked unconscious right away.... and, Shunsui and I didn't fare much better." He admitted, slightly sheepish. It was almost comical, that expression of his. It would fit if he could scratch the back of his head, but he was allowing himself to recover.

"I got knocked out immeditately?" Rukia asked, feeling disgraced. "I'm sorry Ukitake-taichō. I'll be on my guard next time."

"We'll all have to be... even if you had been with us..." Ukitake muttered, expression turning serious immediately. He closed his eyes. "I don't think you would've had anything to fight against illusions."

"Illusions?" Rukia asked. Just what had she missed when she was uncoscious.

"When we were fighting against Yokoshima and her partner, we kept being trapped by the illusions that the partner was casting, while Yokoshima herself chose to attack us directly. We managed to fight it off at first... then after the long period of fighting, my disease got to me... Yokoshima struck me down first, then Kyoraku as he attempted to shake her off."

"I see." Rukia sighed, easily invisioning it all in her mind. If she had only kept up her guard, she could have been of some use.

Ahatake groaned. "Illusions. That's not going to make this easy." He frowned and put a finger to his chin. "Now that I know you guys are still alive, I'm going out for a moment. I really should tell the king about this." He turned on his heel and walked out, and it was silent.

"If these people are strong enough to take out Shunsui-san and Jūshirō-san, then something must be wrong here. Illusions? Bah. Shinigami liekt hem should be able to resist illusions to even some extent. There has to be something more to this!" He vanished in a burst of flames before he even reached the front door, and reappeared in front of the castle, and pushed open the doors. "Jūshin, I have a matter of importance to discuss!" Ahatake called out, passing by the guards and throwing open the door to the throne room.

"Hm?"

It was here that Juushin looked up from his seat at his desk, with Chidori standing beside him. He looked at the man in puzzlement. "What are you talking about, barging in here all of a suddden?" He commented calmly. "I thought you'd know better than that..." He set the papers down, heading out of his seat. Chidori herself stayed behind.

"Normally, I'd announce myself." Ahatake replied in an apologetic tone. "But we've got some serious problems on our hands, and I figured you, as King, should be aware of them."

"Very well...." The man moved in front of his old acquaintance. "What is it?"

Ahatake began speaking urgently. "Yūrei is under attack again. By two powerful individuals called Hiraishin and Aku Yokoshima. Shunsui Kyōraku, Jūshirō Ukitake, and Rukai Kuchiki are here in Yūrei persuing them, but they were defeated earlier. From what Shunsui said, they attacked them with illuions, but I'm not sure if that's all they can do, or just a small preview."

At first, Juushin's face was noticeably one of surprise. However, he quickly turned serious, closing his eyes and nodding. "I've already heard of it..." He said solemnly. "As we speak, we're having this city searched by the police force, and security's going to be tightened. I don't know how these strangers were able to infiltrate Yuurei, but they won't be getting back in or out any time soon." He raised an eyebrow. "...do you know whether they're in Yuurei now?"

"We can only assume so." Ahatake replied, surprised to see that the King had already taken action. "We found the defeated Shinigami in the Yūrei streets, so we can only assume they are still here."

"Good.... then how about doing me a favor?" Juushin said, folding his arms across his chest. "Once the Shinigami have recovered, you take them as well as anyone else you need to and try to help my forces find them. Since they're now trapped in the city, it shouldn't be too difficult."

"I already intended to go after them." Ahatake replied, grinning. "I'm not letting a possible challenge get out of my sights."

"Good to hear.... is that all?"

"Yeah." Ahatake replied. He decided to ask something that Aoi had been spreading around. "By the way you two, when's the wedding?"

This immediately snapped Chidori to attention, as she was clearly shocked. "H....what?" She managed to say in an intelligent manner, staring dumbfounded at Ahatake. Juushin raised an eyebrow. "What makes you ask...?" He questioned, though he was just about ready to deny.

"My granddaughter is spreading a rumour around town that the King and his female assistant are getting married." Ahatake said, chuckling. "I decided I should ask if it was true, and then decide the appropriate reaction for you not inviting me."

"Eh... it's just a rumor..." Juushin denied casually, waving a hand dismissively. "We aren't getting married."

"Well, then I'll have to find out exactly where Aoi is getting her information." Ahatake said, though he himself sounded dissapointed. "Well, I'll be taking my leave now."

"I wish you good luck on your search." Juushin replied calmly.

"Thanks." Ahatake said, giving a miniature salute to Juushin before vanishing in a burst of flames, reappearing back in the Kurosaki household, and walked into the guest room where the three Shinigami were. "I told the King, and he said he's already got people on the lookout for them, but he requests that once you've recovered that I search with you."

"The king?" Shunsui commented, smiling a little. "Then I guess we'd better do what he says..." He allowed himself to stand on his two feet, one hand in his upper shirt, and the other securing his trademark hat. "I believe I'll be fine, but Ukitake might need to stay a little longer. While we wait, how about we start working our way up again? Search for these two, and whoever else that could be working with them."

"Searching for them won't be easy though." Rukia sighed. "They're spiritual pressure is quite often masked by something, what I can only assume is a barrier. With that barrier up, I can't get a clear read on them."

"A barrier?" Ahatake sighed. "That will be a problem..."

"....out of your family..." Ukitake allowed himself to speak, looking over at Ahatake. "Is there anyone who could negate such an effect? It would make things much easier on the search..."

"None that I can find immediately." Ahatake replied sadly. "My father or sister probably could. But I don't know where they are."

"It's best that you try looking for them first, if you're able...." Ukitake suggested. "We'll use the clues from the murder in order to figure out Yokoshima and Senmei's location."

"Looking for them is the problem." Ahatake replied. "They could be anywhere. It's times like this I wish Kaa-san was alive...she'd have a solution for something like this."

This caused Shunsui himself to sigh heavily, shaking his head. "What a pity..." He sighed. "And just when we had the chance to find them, they slipped from us again... guess we'll have to just stick to your plan, Ukitake..." That made Ukitake look thoughtful for a moment, folding his arms across his chest.

"Did they even leave any clues from the murder?" Ahatake asked, puzzled.

"Ah, as a matter of fact, they did..." Shunsui nodded, grinning. "The smallest details don't go by us."

"Wish I could say the same for me." Ahatake grinned back. "Care to tell me what you know?"

"Yeah...." Shunsui lowered his head for a moment to think about it. Then, he looked over at Ahatake again thoughtfully. "Considering you can use Hollow-based techniques, I'm sure you're aware of the technique Bala." He explained, folding his arms within his sleeves. "It focuses on concentrating and hardening spiritual energy before firing it at the target. Well.... this thing we've managed to find out revolved around the same concept, but for a different purpose. It's crystallized spiritual energy, a material that's a toughie to find."

"Crystallized...Spiritual Energy?" Ahatake was surprised to hear of such a thing. "Show me."

However, Shunsui closed his eyes, chuckling a little. "If we had it with us, we wouldn't be having this discussion about it. We'd be looking for the two right now. But we do have a few test samples in the hands of the 12th Division. Our connections should allow for a little gift-giving from them, don't you agree...Ukitake?" Ukitake nodded, smiling a little at his friend's humored reference.

Ahatake frowned. "Oh, so you can get it from them?" Ahatake asked.

"Mhm."

"How soon?"

"Well.... maybe right now would be good.... if everyone's ready..."

"I assume you'll have to go all the way back to the Seireitei?" Ahatake asked.

"Yeah... so it's going to take some time..." Shunsui acknowledged. Once again, he looked over to Ukitake, was slowly beginning to stand in order to ready himself. "Don't strain yourself, Ukitake..." He warned calmly. "Don't want your wounds opening up again, do you?"

"Sorry..." Ukitake muttered, managing to get himself up to his feet. "I'll try not to overdo it..."

"Jūshirō-san, is it necessary for all three of you to go?" Ahatake asked. "You of all people should rest for longer."

"Hmmm....don't worry, Ukitake...." Shunsui re-assured the white-haired Captain, in agreement with Ahatake. "The least we'll only need for this is one. I believe I'm fine enough...." This caused Ukitake to tense slightly out of hesitation, but then he opted to sit back down on the bed. "Understood..." He muttered.

Ahatake sighed. "Here's hoping for a quick trip."

With that, Shunsui immediately vanished, leaving Ukitake and Rukia in the Kurosaki's care.

"Without being able to feel for their energy, there really isn't much we can do now..." He lamented. "I hate this feeling of being able to do absolutely nothing."