Bleach: Shihai no Tsumi: Countdown to the End

Starter
The sun was rising over the Yūrei Ōkoku, which was a signal for the energetic Miharu to wake up. Her eyes shot open, and she sat bolt upright. It was time to face the day again. She slid her feet into her slippers and went into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. Since her father had been "abducted" by Kisuke, it had been quiet around her. Her mother was still herself, but without Ahatake around, she seemed slightly quieter. Aoi was like a ghost, appearing and disappearing at random, with no explanation was to where she was. While Miharu had Daiyaku around to keep her company, it was definitely different from having the whole family around.

She gargled, and spit out the toothpaste, and ran to the stairs, sliding down the railing once again, only this time, she slid right into Daiyaku, who, evidently, was waiting there for her, and they collapsed onto the ground.

"Owww..." He rubbed his hand as he tried to sit up, Miharu sprawled over him. She noticed he had shrunk. He'd reverted to child form.

"Daiyaku?" She was wide-eyed. "How'd you get on the ground?"

"I was waiting for you." He said, groaning. "Your mother asked me to make sure you didn't get hurt sliding down the railing, since she figured you wouldn't listen to her again." She got up and helped him up.

"Where is she anyway?" Miharu asked curiously.

"In the kitchen, where else?"

Miharu ran into the kitchen to see her mother busy at the stove. She looked at the wall. The message Kisuke had left had since been cleaned, but there was still red "steak" marks Megami hadn't been able to remove.

"Good morning, Kā-chan." Miharu said, brightly.

"Good morning, dear...."

Megami was a bit too focused on what she was doing in order to give a whole-hearted greeting right back to her daughter. She continued to monitor the progress of the breakfast, giving a rather whistling tune as she did so.

Miharu was about to ask something, but Aoi entered the room, and on the tip of her finger was a Jigokuchō, slowly flapping it's wings. Miharu looked at it curiously.

"What's that?" Miharu asked. Aoi silently shrugged.

"Kā-chan, Aoi has something weird." Miharu said, almost in a childish, tattletale tone. "A black butterfly."

That stopped Megami immediately.

For a brief moment, she turned off the oven as well as other kitchen technology for the moment so that she could turn around. Her eyes stared with a slightly dumbfounded curiosity at the butterfly. Steadily, she walked towards it, continuing to give it an even stare. "A Hell Butterfly...." She whispered, slowly nodding her head in realization. "Where exactly did you find this, Aoi?"

Aoi pointed out the window, to the tree that Daiyaku had fallen from. "There..." She said simply. She handed it to Megami.

"What's it do?" Miharu asked, staring at it. She soon found out though. From the butterfly, Rukia's voice poured out of it, loud, and it sounded similar to a tape recorder.

"Megami Kurosaki, and everyone currently present. After a certain event, the Soul Society is now under watch. A Hollow, one I know to be dead, attacked a Gate Guardian. Before and after this, the Head Captain will not heed our warnings, so we must wait for Takahashi's arrival before anything can happen. We think he is behind the attack on the Gate Guardian, and due to this, I expect he will be making his assault. I ask that you all prepare and make the journey here as soon as possible."

Miharu, Aoi and Daiyaku didn't parts of it, mainly the mention of a "Gate Guardian" and "Head Captain", but Megami, who was from the Seireitei, understood it.

What a great time for Ahatake to not be here.

Megami's eyes narrowed in a steely manner, and she lowered her finger with the butterfly perched on it. Then, she thrust it out a little, forcing it to go back into the air. "We don't have time to wait for Ahatake to come back. Rukia's at the Seireitei and she needs our help." She explained, taking in a deep breath. "Does anyone of you happen to know if any one else can come?"

"What about Onē-chan and Kibō?" Miharu suggested. "They're strong, aren't they?"

"I hope they aren't busy...." Megami added, placing her hands onto her hips and walking away towards the door. "By the way Rukia spoke... the situation seems really bad. I don't want to take any chances on this, so we'll need every person that's able and willing to help us out." She grasped the doorknob. "All that's left is for the method of transportation...."

"I can do that." Miharu said excitedly. She put a hand on her Zanpakutō. "Or rather, Kyūmu can take care of it."

"Thank you, Mi-cha--"

Anything that she was about to say was stopped short the moment she opened the door.

WHAM!

Before she even realized it, a blur of fur and muscle slammed into her body. It felt like a sledgehammer had connected with every inner organ in her torso. The pain was so immense, she couldn't even bring herself to scream. She was knocked down onto her back, her jolting eyes meeting those of what looked like a dog-like creature. It bared its teeth at her, a fearsome growl erupting at the back of its throat. Her heart beat frantically within her chest, and she attempted to throw the thing off of her. But due to the tackle, she found her body unable to move itself. It opened its mouth, lunging straight for the woman's throat.

In a flash of purple, the beasts' head was blasted off, and the body slumped down off Megami to the side. Miharu and Daiyaku turned to see Aoi's hand smoking. She'd killed it.

"Um..." Miharu was nervous for a second. "What was that?"

Weakly, Megami jerked her head upwards, using her elbows to prop herself up. Then, her eyes widened at what she saw outside. "I don't care what that was...." She managed to say, blood trickling down her chin. "What I want to know is...."

What she was staring at was the page right out of some sort of survival horror movie.

"....what happened here?"

Several of the creatures were prowling the street, running around and standing over several mutilated corpses. Blood stained the street and sidewalk, and there seemed to be no end to the creatures' numbers. The sky was cloudy, and rain was pouring on the dead bodies. In the distance, the sound of screams could be heard as the continuation of a massacre proceeded out of their view. Weakly, Megami pulled herself into a sitting position, gritting her teeth and wincing at the considerable damage dealt to her. She held her side with one hand, letting out shuddering breaths. "Nnngh....!"

Miharu walked over to the door, to look at what her mother was talking about. She immediately jumped back, hiding behind her mother.

"W-what's going on!?" She all but shrieked. "They're everywhere!" Daiyaku looked out the door as well, and his eyes widened.

"That does not look good." He murmured. Aoi looked upon the seen quietly, though her hand twitched as if she itched to fire more Bala.

"What do we do?" Miharu's voice came from behind Megami.

At the moment, Megami wouldn't be a very good hiding place due to the half-sitting, half-lying position she was in. However, she did manage to answer. "Th...they don't notice us yet... and we're obviously in their view." She wheezed, slowly standing up. "We.... we try to head towards Midoriko and Kibou without attracting their attention. Just stay calm, and do anything stupid...." She forced herself to stand, although having to put her hands onto her knees. Her head hung, her breath heavy.

Aoi grabbed what looked like a white fur coat, and put it on, as well as a fur hat.

"What do we do if they notice us?" Miharu asks.

"Then we'll have to fight them off.... c'mon.... let's go...."

That being said, Megami was the first one to take the first wary steps out the door, still clutching her side. Under her feet, she felt the stains of blood touch their tops due to the blood being so deep. That was when she stopped immediately, disgust running through her. "Watch your steps.... the blood's about foot-deep, and there's bodies everywhere....."

Miharu stood close to Daiyaku as they walked out of the house, Aoi coming in last, closing the door. Her eyes kept looking over the area, her hand crackling quietly with energy. One wrong move from these creatures and heads would be rolling.

For the most part, the dogs seemed to ignore them, more interested in carving out pieces of their meal with their teeth and claws. However, some of them seemed to react to Aoi's energy. The ones that did turned to face them, growling menacingly, barking, and standing defensively to protect their kills from being stolen. However, they did not attack - something which greatly relieved Megami. She pressed a hand to her side, willingly summoning the Kidō necessary in healing herself. She would need everything to be optimal in the event that the dogs decided to become aggressive....

Miharu, while staying as close to Daiyaku as she could, tried to inch themselves closer to Megami. She wanted to feel as protected as possible. Aoi kept her silence, keeping herself on alert towards these animals? Why did her aunt and "uncle-in-law", at least, that's what Kibō was for all intents and purposes, have to live so far from them. She'd never complained when Kyui's was around, but the walk seemed less enjoyable without her, especially with these dogs lurking around.

"I'm sensing two clashing presences to the left of us.... right where we need to go." Megami reported lowly, stopping at a corner of the street. "Stay here, I'm going to check it out..." She immediately jerked herself close to the wall, keeping herself hidden from what was on their left. "There's one passive.... and it's slightly weakened....."

"Clashing presences?" Aoi thought to herself. "What is going on around here?"

"Do they feel like Onē-chan and Kibō?" Miharu asked worriedly in a carrying voice.

"Far from it...."

Megami peered out the side.

In the road which was clear of wolves, there were two presences engaged in a close-quarters battle. One figure was leaping away, while the other was in pursuit. They were racing across the rooftops, continuing to fiercely engage each other in what looked like a deadly game of fisticuffs. As they moved, they could see their features: one of them was that of the King's assistant, a determined look crossing her features. The second was that of what only Daiyaku would've recognized, his red and long hair flowing as he defended himself against the woman's attacks. The third presence, however, was still yet to be seen.

Daiyaku moved next to Megami, curious as to what she was seeing. His eyes widened at what he saw. "That's Shou." He hissed, almost angrily. "I could have sworn Rukia took him in for interrogation a few days ago!" Maybe Shou's escape was responsible for these wolves.

"You're goin' down!"

The next moment, Chidori launched a ferocious kick to the side of Shou. However, her eyes widened as she found her leg caught between Shou's arms in a form of interception. With a grit of his teeth and a grunt, he yanked her towards him in order to catch her off-balance. Grasping her within his arms, he pulled her over her shoulders and begin spinning, much to her angered chagrin. However, she could do nothing but yell out of surprise as he spun her around and around.

Then, he ducked, releasing his hold for a split second.... only to move out of the way and grab her leg. From then on, he continued the ferocious spinning, both of their long hair whipping around in their faces. Once he gained momentum, he released his hold, sending her flying towards the building just above them....

WHAM!!

She collided through the building, slamming brutally onto the other side on her back. The result was smoke and debris covering that building, slight dust falling on the group. Megami's eyes widened in shock as she stared at the towering form of Shou, who stood so confidently on the rooftop above.

Miharu, much like her mother, was wide-eyed. Daiyaku's face was a mix of shock and, surprisingly, anger. Aoi's was completely blank.

"What do we do now?" Miharu asked, putting emphasis on the now.

The snarls of several wolves sounded around them.

"Oh, no...." Megami whispered, looking around. To her horror, there were several of the wolves now surrounding them, all glaring at them with murderous and hungry-looking eyes. One tackle had been enough to severely damage her, and it had nearly been able to kill her within seconds. Now, a whole pack was surrounding them, ready to tear them to shreds. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shou jump down from the building and land on his feet, fists clenched at his sides as he stared at the group.

Aoi raised her hand, energy crackling around it. Without warning she fired multiple Bala blasts, one for as many wolves as she could see. Daiyaku turned his attention to Shou, returning Shou's stares with something more like a glare.

"Shou, wasn't it?" He asked, his tone far from polite. "Why are you here? Didn't we take you in already? And are you responsible for these...dogs?"

The Bala didn't connect.

For a brief second, the wolves vanished from their view, only to re-appear once the Bala had hit in the same spot. A ghost of a smile came across Shou's face, his person undaunted by the harsh stare his enemy was giving him. "Ah, yes.... the fragile boy." He remarked, his tone mostly dry. "I'm surprised you're still standing after I nearly blew a hole through your body. I suppose you're not as weak as I thought you were, hm?"

Aoi's eyes widened. They'd dodged her Bala?!?

A vein throbbed in Daiyaku's head. He was aching to rip this guy to shreds. "That doesn't answer my question Shou. Why are you here?"

"To seal the fate of Yūrei...." Shou answered simply, placing one of his hands to his forehead. "I'm sure you've realized at least a part of that by now. You must be quite eager to know that I was brutally interrogated by military forces.... and then cruelly executed." He lifted the hair covering his forehead, revealing something that would've never been shown by a living person with the same affliction.

A bullet hole, straight through the forehead. Upon the touch, a trickle of blood flowed down his forehead. "Death came for me, and what a cold mistress it was..." He remarked, the smile fading away to a more serene look.

Miharu nearly vomitted at the sight of this, and she tore her eyes away to look at the wolves.

"Oh my God he's a zombie." Daiyaku's jaw nearly dropped. "How in the name of Hell are you walking, talking, and, well, killing?"

"It was a failsafe implanted by my boss.... effectively saving my life." Shou said, lowering his hand and hiding the bullet hole. "To ensure that I would serve as the agent that would infiltrate and destroy this city from the inside out.... now, here I stand before you, having nearly completed that goal. It was quite easy killing the Yūrei soldiers that attempted to cross me. They tried.... some even escaped.... but nonetheless, they proved to be no match for the hunger of my wolves. Now... you will suffer their fate."

"Megami!"

Immediately, the said woman's eyes snapped up. Chidori had leaped to stand in the hole that was created in the building, panting heavily with her fists clenched. A relieved smile came across Megami's face. "Chidori!" She shouted back. "Good to see you're OK!" In response, the assistant smirked and jerked her gaze towards Shou, who was staring with a mixture of cold calculation and curiosity.

"It's going to take more than a little human toss to kill me...."

Daiyaku cracked his knuckles, and tilted his neck to the side. The horror they had passed along the streets. Shou was responsible for it all.

"Shou, I'm going to make sure you don't leave here in one piece." Daiyaku said angrily. "I'm not sure if killing you is a possibility since you seem to be some sort of undead, but ripping you limb from limb will be good enough."

"Let me in on this!" Chidori called down, balling her fists and glaring down at the red-haired man. "This guy hurt Jūshin, and I don't let something like that get by me so easily!" For emphasis, she jumped down and landed right beside Daiyaku, settling into a bare-handed stance once more. This caused Shou's smile to widen, and he held his hands out to his sides in a motion signaling them to attack.

"Then, by all means, come." He challenged confidently, standing tall. "Your deaths will bring this city one step closer to its demise."



"Shindō #2, Raikiri!" Daiyaku formed a large spear of light in his hands, and move quickly towards Shou, a look of determination in his eyes. When he was inches from him, he let the powerful light spear fly towards it's intended target.

A long-range attack.... at close range.

Shou raised a slight eyebrow, but he simply allowed himself to tilt his body. The spear barely missed him, continuing on to collide straight into a building. He couldn't see, but the sounds of the building collapsing behind him signaled the extent of the damage. The radiating energy was a sign, too - the power was blowing his hair in front of him, obscuring his vision. It didn't matter - he could still sense their presences! Acting on that instinct, he raised his right fist forward and swung it for the boy's face--

However, his eyes widened when he sensed the second presence.

Grasping his shoulder and using it as a crutch, Chidori supported herself on him and spun around as if she was on a pole (in a sense). Before his fist struck, her leg caught him in the face. The strength forced him to the side, his feet skidding in the ground as he struggled to keep himself from flying away. As she landed onto her feet, she turned towards Daiyaku with a grin.

"Let me give you a boost, kid."

With that, she grabbed his wrists and purposefully threw herself on her back, taking Daiyaku with her. However, her legs once again lifted, using themselves as a boost to launch the boy like a missile towards the recovering Shou.

Megami and the group would not get the chance to relax.

As the fight progressed, the wolves decided it was time to stop staring at their quarry. With vicious snarls, they attacked, lunging at their targets quickly.

As Daiyaku neared Shou, his right hand and arm became enveloped in dark red fire. "Shindō #17, Kagehaken." He thrust his fist out, attacking Shou with a punch as powerful as an impact from a tank.

The moment Aoi saw the wolves move, she jumped into action, firing a Cero from her palm, seemingly aimed at one wolf, but then she used it as a sweeping beam, aiming to take out as many wolves as she could.

Miharu decided to use this as a chance to test the Kidō she'd been learning from her mother. She levitated her Zanpakutō, and lightly hit the hilt, causing it to spin like a fan. She stopped it, and called out the name of the spell. "Hadō #58, Tenran!" She fired a widening tornado-like blast at the nearest oncoming wolf.

Another Shunpo, and the wolves vanished. Their speed was incredible; one moment, they were moving. The next, they were back and snarling defensively. Megami silently took note of this, even as she summoned her Zanpakutō to her side. It seemed that they were acting intelligently, tactically even.... but.... how? She didn't have time to think about it. Instead, she started running away from the fight, looking over her shoulder. "Don't worry about taking them out head-on!" She shouted. "Just fight our way through! I sense Midoriko and Kibō nearby!"