Bleach: Dark Intentions Arc: Smoldering

Breaking Dawn
It was peaceful, the sun rising over the Yūrei Ōkoku. Several months had passed since the events in the Soul Society of Aether, and life was seemingly normal for the Kurosakis. Aoi, Kyūi and Taiki were still not back, but life was moving on. Adela was currently dating the parking attendant who worked at the hotel, so she was out of the house often. Midoriko rarely came home anymore, so it was just Miharu, Megami, Ahatake and Daisuke.

Oh, and Haiji.

"Meow." The grey cat was slinking through the house, slipping into Ahatake's room. It looked at Ahatake, who was asleep with his arms wrapped around Megami. The father of her master was an idiot. Haiji crouched, and then sprung, jumping towards the bed. He landed, sinking his claws into Ahatake's face.

Ahatake's roar of pain filled the room, as well as several streams of curses that issued from his mouth as he ripped the cat from his face, leaving several claw marks as the cat his the ground. Almost swearing he could see the cat snicker, it slunk out of the room. He turned to Megami, sure his shout of pain had awakened her from her slumber.

"Dah!"

A startled yelp came from Megami, and she immediately shot up in her bed. However, she immediately calmed down upon awakening, seeing as there was nothing really there. "What.... what happened?" She managed to ask wearily, rubbing her eyelids tiredly.

"The cat! That bloody cat!" Ahatake hissed, touching the claw marks on his face. "When Midoriko visits again, I am making sure she takes it. Or I'm killing it!"

"I think it understood you calling it insane...." Megami said tiredly, a sweatdrop forming on the back of her head. "Here...." She lightly reached over and touched the wounds. Healing Kidō flowed into the wound, and because of its lack of severity, the injuries were healed almost instantly.

"Thanks." Ahatake said, and he got up from out of the bed, wearing boxers and a T-shirt. Walking into the bathroom, he was grumbling, and as soon as he vanished, Haiji slinked back in, looking up at Megami.

Megami herself slowly got out of her own bed. She was wearing a purple night-gown, accustomed to doing so before going to sleep. She bent her knees, stooping down to Haiji's level. "You know that wasn't very nice...." She whispered chidingly.

The cat almost looks as if it was smiling; it's eyes were twinkling anyway. It turned and walked jauntily away. Ahatake sighed as he walked out of the bathroom, toothbrush in his mouth, and now wearing jeans and a faded black shirt. "That cat still lurking around?" He said thickly.

"No, it's gone...." Megami assured him, slowly standing back up and putting her hands on her hips. "And I'm gone too, straight to prepare for the day...."

"Alright." Ahatake said, walking back into the bathroom to spit out the toothpaste and gargle. "It's a weekend, so I'm free from work, thank the gods." He yawned. "Now I just have to figure out how to kill time today."

No sooner had he said this than he heard a crash downstairs, as well as the meow of the cat.

"Oh damn." He muttered. He might as well go check it. He dashed down the stairs to see Midoriko standing next to Haiji, and a broken lamp. Haiji was sitting perfectly still, almost like a statue.

"Midoriko?" Ahatake was surprised to see his eldest daughter. "Why are you here?"

"I came to visit, and when I walked in Haiji jumped and shattered the lamp.

"What's wrong with the beast now." Ahatake asked, looking at the statue like cat. At that moment, a figure entered the room, long red hair, and wearing a white shirt and jeans, similar to the outfit Ahatake was wearing.

"I'm not sure." Midoriko murmured. "It's like he senses an earthquake or a dark force or" She turned her to head to see the new arrival. "Hello Akiko, a vortex of evil."

Ahatake was even more surprised to see this woman. "Hello Akiko." He said, looking at his younger sister.

"G'morning Onī-chan." She said rather cheerfully. Ahatake frowned and dashed back up the stairs. He hoped Megami hadn't turned on the shower or something. He ran into the room and burst into the bathroom, speaking very fast.

"Megami, surprising news. Both Midoriko and my sister are here, and look at that it's not even 9:30 yet."

"Ehi!!"

He had simply burst in at the wrong time. The woman had already unclothed herself, sitting on the tub edge with her arms covering her chest. Her legs were crossed, and her limbs were in a position that Ahatake wouldn't see much. A red blush came across her cheeks, and she stared with surprise at her husband's sudden entrance. "O-ok, but... was it really so urgent for you to barge in like that?!" She exclaimed, unable to keep the dumbfounded tone from seeping into her voice.

Ahatake's face turned beet red and he coughed. "Um... sorry Megami. When you get out though, this would be a great chance for you to meet my sister." He quietly exited the room, making a mental note to apologize to her when she came downstairs. As he walked back downstairs, he saw Akiko throwing the lamp remains into the rubbish bin. He motioned her and his daughter to sit in the sitting room, he himself taking a seat on his favorite armchair.

"So, Akiko, what is it that brings you down here?" He asked, eyes on Haiji who was now staring at Akiko as though ready to pounce.

Akiko took a seat on the sofa, and crossed her legs. "Well, Echo's been out for awhile, and I sent Chūnori to a fancy little boarding school, so I've had alot of time to myself lately. So I decided to drop on in and see how you and Tereya are doing."

Ahatake chuckled, trying to imagine his nephew at a boarding school. Poor kid. "Well, I'm sorry to have to tell you this Akiko, but Tereya and I...divorced sometime ago." It hadn't exactly been a divorce so much as it had been a furious, flee-from-the-house-I-will-never-see-you-again kind of thing.

"I see." She murmured. "I'm sorry." She didn't sound it. On the contrary she sounded amused, something that was not missed by Ahatake.

"How do you know if Echo hasn't left you?" He started looking for things to pick at in a teasing manner. It had been so long since he'd seen his sister.

"W-what do you mean?" She asked, surprised, and they spent the next half hour bickering, Midoriko enjoying the sight of her father and aunt arguing. They only began to stop when Megami reached the bottom step.

"Hello everyone!" The red-haired woman exclaimed, giving everyone a respectful bow and a smile. "Nice to see some new faces of the family!"

Akiko turned to look at Megami. "Pretty woman, nice, long red hair." She turned to Ahatake. "Who is she Onī-chan?" She asked, though she already knew - or rather, guessed.

"My wife." Ahatake said, rather proudly. His eyes flashed an apologetic look to his wife, obviously apologzing for the earlier bathroom mishap. "Megami Kurosaki. Megami, this is my younger sister, Akiko Ichimaru."

"Hi." She said, smiling, though Haiji now hissed at her.

"Good to see you, ma'am...." After directing an acknowledging nod towards her husband, Megami immediately walked over towards Akiko and extended her hand to indicate that she wanted a handhsake. "And even nicer to meet you!"

Akiko smiled, shaking Megami's hand before rather quickly. Then she started to walk around Megami, as if inspecting her.

"....huh?"

Immediately, Megami was looking at her in confusion, only allowing her eyes to follow the woman. She let out a startled yelp when she felt the other woman's hands exploring her red hair. "W-what are you doing, Akiko-san?" She asked in a hesitant manner. Was she some sort of doctor who acted out on-the-job habits like this? Why wasn't Ahatake saying anything?!

After a few minutes, which included Akiko feeling Megami's hair, checking her eyes, and other actions, all of which could be considered a severe invasion of privacy, she turned to her brother.

"Onī-chan, I like her much better than the old one."

Ahatake chuckled. "Um...thanks?" He said, not sure how to respond to that exactly.

An unfortunate Megami was now a good distance away from Akiko, hand pressed to her heart, hand low, and a flush spread over her cheeks. That was far unneeded, even if she might have been some sort of doctor! "Is.... that how you greet all the people you first meet....?" She managed to ask, voice not being able to work straight due to the embarrassment she was just put through. After all, she was felt up.... right in front of her husband!

Akiko let out a low chuckle. "No, just people I'm especially interested in." She was obviously not concerned that her actions had seemed to make the woman uncomfortable.

Midoriko could see her step-mother was getting a bit "freaked" by her aunts actions, and the sword on Midoriko's waist emitted a faint glow, before a feeling of calm swept though the room. Midoriko was doing this in an effort to calm her step-mother down.

Ahatake looked at his daughter for a brief moment, and then to Akiko. "Akiko, you really shouldn't be so...so..."

"Forward?" The red-head supplied.

"Yes, that."

It was here that Megami's eyes caught the faint glow of her Zanpakuto. At a rate quicker than would've been anticipated, her heart began slowing down, her body temperature cooled, and her breathing steadied again. The flush dissipated from her face. "Woah.... whatever she's doing, it's working...." She thought to herself, looking over towards the girl to give her a slight nod and smile of appreciation.

Midoriko flashed her a smile back.

Akiko sighed. "So, did you guys have anything planned at all? I've got nowhere to go, and all day to get there."

Ahatake frowned. "Honestly, I don't have much planned. I'd like to just sit here, seeing as it is a weekend." He thought of something. "Megami, I hate to ask this of you, especially considering my little sister's recent actions, but would you mind showing her around the city?"

Megami sweatdropped. "As long as she keeps her hands off of me and to herself." She answered, giving a lopsided smile over at Akiko. "Oh.... and as long as she's not too much trouble."

Ahatake eyed his sister. "Will you behave?" He asked, eyes narrowed.

"Yes Onī-chan." Akiko replied, rolling her eyes. "Besides, what will you do to me if I don't? Tell Tō-san?"

"It's not a bad idea." Ahatake muttered.

"All right, Akiko...." Megami started to walk away in the direction of the door, stopping when she pressed her hand on it. She turned her head to give Akiko another smile, only this time it was more genuine. "Whenever you're ready, we'll be going."

Akiko walked towards her sister-in-law. "Alright then, let's get going." She said cheerfully, and they walked out of the door. They walked in silence for a few moments before Akiko spoke up.

"So, Megami-chan? What is it you like about my brother?" She asked curiously. It was disturbing to note that as they walked, birds began to take flight from the trees.

"Well...." As she walked, Megami turned her head towards Akiko. Her hands were folded behind her back. "He's pretty cute. He has his moments of lapse.... but in the end, he's really devoted and strong. I like that in a guy, y'know?"

Akiko looked thoughtful. "Yeah, I know. You could say I feel the same about Echo, though there's something else besides his looks and strength. I'm not sure what though." She frowned deeper, and the calls of fleeing birds became more animated. Was anyone noticing this? "D'you have any kiddies?"

"....?"

Megami looked for a moment at the cries of the birds before she looked at Akiko again, not able to help the strange look in her eye. "Well.... yes, we have a daughter. Her name's Miharu."

"Oh?" Akiko's face lit up. "Is she-" She stopped herself. She had been about to ask "Is she taken?" but then remembered her promise to behave. "Is she more like you or Onī-chan?"

Megami chuckled, smiling toothily. "You should know by now how kids are! She's got a little bit of both of us...."

"Oh?" Akiko's eyes lit up again. She'd have to meet the girl when she went back. "So, Megami-chan, what is there to see in this place? It looks more like the World of the Living than the Soul Society."

Megami nodded, directing her gaze around. She motioned with her hands. "Yeah.... it's pretty much an after-life version of the World of the Living. It's one of the more modern civilizations existing, so that's why it possesses much more advanced technology. I'm not sure how far it stretches, but this is just the capital city."

"I see." Akiko was looking around, not paying attention to stray dogs which were now forming into packs and running as she approached. "Hmm. I wonder though, why is it that people are more commonly sent to the Rukongai then?" She asked the question as if she really hadn't noticed the dogs. "Is anyone naturally sent here, or do they move here?"

"They're naturally sent here, bound by the Soul Societies of their nationality." Megami explained.

"Oh, I know that much." Akiko replied. "But, aren't the Japanese normally sent to the Rukongai? Everyone here seems to be from the Japanese section of the World of the Living as well."