Diosa Arc: Death's Scent on the Wind

It was quiet. Night had long since fallen, the full moon floating high in the heavens. No one at all would expect what was about to happen.

"AAAAAGGHHH!" A bloodcurdling scream split the night, and slashing sounds were heard. Blood splattered onto the ground, and the blood's former owner fell to the ground with a thump. The silhouette of a man was visible, sheathing his sword.

"It's been far too long..." He thought.

The calm, stern voice of another sounded in his ears.

"Are you having fun going a little rogue, Grimmjow?"

It was the voice of Shikaku, his figure standing a few ways off from behind him. He had his arms folded within his sleeves. Through his glasses, his eyes were leveled in a glare towards the Arrancar's direction. Slowly, he began to step forward, keeping his stare leveled at Grimmjow. As he got closer, the wind seemed to pick up, seeming to awaken upon his actions. Or... was that his spiritual pressure? Was it exerting itself in a manner that made it seem so natural? One thing was for sure, though; it radiated of a growing irritation.

Grimmjow's job had been only to monitor the situation.

Shikaku's job? Keeping a leash on him.

"Oh, it's you old man." Grimmjow looked away from his kill to look at the "older" Arrancar. "I thought I ditched you sometime back."

"You know very well Diosa wouldn't set you loose just like that...." Shikaku answered calmly, turning to walk past Grimmjow and towards the corpse. He bent down to a squatting level, inspecting it. "Do you have any idea what you've just done? I blame this poor fool for being out so late, but you had no business in his demise. You were supposed to be scouting this area, not murdering anyone you please!"

"He was...in the way." Grimmjow sad lightly. "Besides, as long as I'm out, I'll do as I please. Diosa said scout the area. She never said I couldn't enjoy myself while I was at it."

Ugh.... why did she have to pick this man, of all people?

Shikaku stood back up. "Enjoy yourself? Well, this little bout of fun is over." He answered, turning away from the body to fix his gaze back onto the former Sexta. "You can start cleaning up this little mess."

"And if I refuse?"

Defiant to the core. Shikaku had to give him credit for his stubborn nature. But did he not realize who he was talking to? He extended a hand towards the man. His face was now contorted with a a mild exasperation, tired of the man's defiance. "Punishment, of course. But, as of now, I'll only have to give you a... small... fraction of what's to come if you refuse to follow my orders." All he had to do was close his eyes....

...and focus that spiritual pressure carried within his body upon Grimmjow's.

Grimmjow's eyes squinted for a second, and a grunt escaped him under the force of the spiritual energy. But this was nothing compared to what Aizen's had been before. He hissed. "You're going to have to do better than that geezer." His tone was defiant, despite the apparent strain the spiritual pressure was putting on him.

"You've got nothing to fear, you brat. I'm just getting started...."

With that, Shikaku continued to increase the pressure on him, his spiritual pressure becoming even more prominent. The increase was only just slow enough to be considered torturous, even to Grimmjow's Hierro-hardened body. At his will, the Sexta could be completely crushed, his organs flattened, and his body nothing but crushed skin, blood, and bone. It would be like steel plates being pressed onto a trapped victim's chest, the torture method of pressing all over again.... but Diosa would possibly be angered at him for killing one of her tools....

And that wouldn't teach him the lesson needed.

In order for his insubordinate to learn it, he had to remain alive.

"Shi.." But before the spiritual pressure could take it's intended effect, Diosa herself appeared, in the middle of the two of them.

"May I ask, what is going on?" Her tone was cold.

A frown came across Shikaku's face. "A lesson for this violent adolescent." He answered smoothly, letting up onto the pressure completely in order to concentrate on Diosa. His gaze remained even. "He committed an unauthorized killing, and refuses to destroy the evidence after I clearly ordered him to. The boy just doesn't learn when one asks nicely..."

Diosa looked over at the body Grimmjow had mutilated. "I see." She sighed. "While Grimmjow was definitely out of line, but I can't have you destroying his body yet Shikaku. I need him for this task."

"Oh, rest assured, I intended not to destroy." Shikaku simply folded his arms within his sleeves, his eyes drifting towards the fallen Grimmjow. "But, very well."

"Bastard." Grimmjow hissed, forcing himself to his feet. "I'll rip you to shreds."

Diosa tsked. "Not now Grimmjow. The both of you can settle this later. Now, I have to ask you, is this the first time you've done this since I sent you on patrol?"

"No." Grimmjow replied. "This is the second kill I've made."

A moment of silence.

Then, Shikaku promptly pulled out a hand from his sleeve to slap to his face. "Second....?" He repeated, the aggravation clear in his voice. A low growl resonated within his throat. "You are walking on thin ice, boy!!" Had Diosa not been there, he would've gladly taken his sword and ended his life right then and there. But, as she said, he had a purpose.... though he could only imagine what...

A distance away.... a little spy was keeping watch.

A soldier, lying prone on his stomach and hidden on the roof of a nearby building, was keeping a close watch onto the three. He was using the scope of his sniper rifle in order to record every action and movement, and a piece of his equipment were amplifying the sounds they made so that he could hear them clearly. He raised a hand to click onto his earpiece. "This is Tomahawk reporting in to the Commander, do you read?"

"I read you loud and clear...." A voice from the other end said. "You've got the targets?"

"Roger. They're at section D4 of the city." Tomahawk reported. "And they're standing right by a fresh kill....they don't look too happy about somethin', either...."

Diosa sighed. "The second? I see..." She frowned. "If that's the case, and you didn't destroy the evidence, they could very well know that we, or at least you, are here. That could prove to be problematic."

"Yeah..." Tomahawk continued to speak into the headphone. "It sounds like the white-haired girl and that old man're calling the shots here... nearly got my ass crushed by all of that pressure they were exerting."

"That's why we're choosing not to engage them head-on, and why you're not performing an execution mission instead of a scouting mission. If those two are the leaders, then they're going to be your targets. Aim for one of your choice and plant a tracker." This caused the sniper to nod, bringing his eye to look down the scope of the rifle in order to aim.

"Grimmjow, you will be punished for this, but not is certainly not the time." Diosa said, her hand in her hair. "And, Shikaku, kindly refrain from injuring the troopers until the operation is over."

Shikaku huffed, promptly turning away from Grimmjow to look upon Diosa once more. "As long as you wish, he will be spared pain." He answered. "Hopefully by then, he will know his place..."

Grimmjow growled, but Diosa held up a hand to silence him. She flicked her finger towards the body Grimmjow had killed, completely erasing it. "Shikaku, Grimmmjow and I will be leaving. If you don't mind, could you clean up the rest of the trash?"

"Sure."

POP!

Tomahawk had taken the shot.

Pulling the trigger, he discharged what looked like a small orb heading at bullet-speed towards the girl. It landed within her arm, immediately sinking towards the surface. "Got 'er." He whispered.

"Good job. Head back to the rondevous point."

Grinning in satisfaction, Tomahawk prepared to get up--

WHAM!

Before he knew it, a weight slammed into the side, cracking several of his ribs. He lost ahold of his rifle, eyes widening in shock and in pain as he tumbled alongside the ground only to crash into one of the house walls. "G...gah!!!" Instincts kicking in, he attempted to force himself to stand, only for his attacker to pounce on him. Grabbing him by the neck, the strange figure raised a fist in the air and swung it into the man's head.

His world went black, and red splattered the ground once again.

Headline text
The sound of blades clashing was ringing throughout the area, causing some people to look over at the source of the sound. Of course, it would be the Kurosaki mansion. Outside on the lawn, two women seemed to be doing battle. It was Miharu and Megami, locked in a sparring session.

Miharu was once again wielding her saw-like ice blade. It seemed to be becoming her weapon of choice. Despite the fact that the blade was connected to her arm, she was wielding it easily. She ducked to dodge an oncoming attack from her mother, and swung her blade up at her.

CLANG!

Megami, of course, was able to hold her own against the girl with natural ease. Her sword acted as an effective barrier, blocking and warding off the strikes that her daughter delivered to her. However, she had to put a bit of effort in warding off the girl's strength, her own having slightly declined in the time that she had been away from the Gotei 13. The progress was slow... but every time that she struck, Miharu was getting a little bit better.

Ahatake was watching them go at it and grinned. Miharu training out in the yard with her mother sure beat her solo training that destroyed the basement. Granted, it was his fault she had done that. Boy had he caught hell for that one.

Two of the "teeth" on Miharu's blade snapped off on impact with her mother's own blade and Miharu jumped back. Growing them back easily, she continued her assault, speeding towards her mother, but, right when she was in front of her, she vanished, appearing behind her, and striking up.

To anyone else, it might've worked.

But to Megami, it was one of the oldest tricks in the book - a feint.

Relying on her spiritual senses as well as her eyes, Megami drooped forward, the saw blade being avoided within a millimeter of her person. She whipped around, her arm bringing her own blade back in an elegant swing of her own. The blade was level with Miharu's head.

Surprised, Miharu leaned back, dodging the blade, though she saw a few strands of her hair fly up into the sky, showing just how close her mother had been to redecorating her face. She jumped back, frowning. "Kā-chan, you just cut some of my off."

"Oops!" Megami took one of her hands off of her hilt in order to place on her mouth to express false surprise. "That wasn't supposed to happen! Sorry, dear...."

Miharu grumbled.

Ahatake laughed. "Why don't you two take a break? You've been at it for a good hour anyway."

"That sounds just about fair...." Megami lowered her blade to her side, twisting it around for a bit before sheathing it in its respective holster. "We're done for today, Miharu. You've made quite an improvement on your sword skills, I noticed...." She briefed her daughter.

Miharu smiled. "Thanks, Kā-chan. I try my best." There was a large red flash from the roof, and a large beam of red light shot from it, straight into the air, before dissipating. The process then repeated,

"Huh?"

Immediately, Megami's head snapped towards it, instincts kicking in. "Uh...." She muttered, slightly nervous. "You don't suppose that would've been something the family did, would it....?"

Ahatake looked up at the light. "Yeah. It's Aoi. That's her Cero. I'm not sure exactly why she's been doing that, I can only assume it's training."

The Cero split into several "strands" of light, shooting down to earth like meteors.

"Oh...."

This caused Megami to sigh in relief, closing her eyes. "I....I thought it was something actually happening..."

"Let's hope not." Ahatake sighed. "You've got to give her credit. Even I can't bend my Cero like that."

"So, Kā-chan, Tō-san, what's on today's To-Do-List?" Miharu asked.

When it came to Megami, Miharu was simply asking the wrong person. The woman in question folded her arms across her chest and gave her daughter a rather questioning look. What would she do to pass the time?

"I have no idea." Ahatake replied. "Work's done for the day, but without the boy and Kyūi around, things have really become slow." He sighed. "Why don't you just go for a walk? You never know what you'll find when you're walking."

"Alright." Miharu's sword returned to it's normal state, and she took off, jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

Ahatake sighed. "I hope that whatever she finds, it isn't what you and Aoi found."

"For that...." Megami remarked softly, her eyes staring at the girl's retreating form. "It's something we can only do... hope."

As Miharu was moving she suddenly felt something collide with her throat. The impact sent her flying back, right back to where she had come from.

"MIHARU!!!"

The movement was sudden, swift, and shocking to the mother. One second, her daughter had been running recklessly. But, in the next fleeting moment, her body had suddenly jerked and flew back in the direction of the two parents. Immediately, she ran forth, an alarmed expression on her face. She swiftly extended her arms, breaking the young girl's fall and catching her, though she fell on her knees in the process. "Are you all right?" She asked immediately.

Miharu looked up. "Yeah Kā-chan. Thanks." She said, rubbing her throat. "What was that? It was like that wall you get to in a video game where think you get through a level but a wall is there throwing you back. All that is missing is that voice saying "There are still more enemies in this area!"." She kept rubbing her throat even as her mother put her down to stand up.

"You two, do you feel that?" Ahatake asked.

A confused look appeared on Megami's face, and she looked up at Ahatake. "W...what is it?!" She managed to say, still a bit alarmed about her daughter being swung in that way.

"Spiritual Pressure." Ahatake replied. "And it's huge."

"!!!"

With the re-assurance that Miharu was fine, Megami immediately helped Miharu up onto her feet and stood up, eyes looking of the direction of where Miharu had been forced from. Judging by Miharu's words, it seemed like someone was either blocking out access to them, or they were being blocked in themselves. And the spiritual pressure.... she could feel it now, her senses activated. Immediately, her body stiffened, her hand automatically reaching for her sword.

"Damn, I thought that would have killed her." A male voice muttered, walking into the clear view of the Kurosaki's. "Such a pity."

"Grimmjow," A deep voice began. "You need more self-control." A higher pitched voice finished the sentence. "Now they know we're here."

"Oh, no...."

Her fears were confirmed.

Immediately, Megami whipped out her sword and leveled it at her enemies, eyes evened with theirs. "Who are you?!" She demanded, ready to defend herself at a moment's notice. She knew what the two were: Arrancar. And the name that the foreign one had mentioned.... Rukia had said it before. Apprehension filled her.

The Sexta Espada, the one Rukia had warned them about, was right in front of them.... and he wasn't alone.

"Former Sexta Espada, Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez!" The former Espada introduced himself, grinning all the while.

"Aaroniero Arruruerie, the former Noveno Espada." The other, masked one replied, it's voice altering between high and low pitch.

"Espada?" Ahatake thought, his hand on the hilt of his blade. "But Rukia only mentioned one."

Megami closed her eyes, trying a more rational approach to them. "Whatever you're here for, we don't have it." She said firmly, in an effort to negotiate. "And we're not taking the part against you this time. Please leave at once!"

"We can't do that." Grimmjow replied. "You see, we're here for your heads."

Ahatake drew his sword this time. He was ready for who made the first move.

Knowing that there was no alternative now, Megami settled herself into a stance, blade readied and waiting to strike. Her eyes hardened, and her mind was locked in concentration, in mental preparation for what was to happen. The scowl was ever so present on her face. "I don't care about myself, truthfully. But I won't allow you to touch a hair on my daughter's head!"

"Miharu, get to the rooftop." Ahatake ordered. The girl nodded, vanishing with a quick shunpo.

"Care for a change of venue?" Ahatake asked, cracking his neck.

"That's not a problem." Aaroniero replied. "I was going to suggest the same thing myself." Ahatake vanished with Shunpo, nodding for Megami to follow as Grimmjow and Aarioniero vanished along with him.

With a solemn gaze and a nod, Megami immediately followed after them. It seemed like, even against their will, they were going to have to be involved in this matter. She hoped Rukia wouldn't feel like she was misled about the situation....

As they took off, it was clear that that were heading outside the Yūrei Ōkoku. This was a first for Ahatake to lead them somewhere that wasn't the beach. They were running over the ocean, and as they moved, it seemed to get darker. Soon, they reached a little island, where the sunlight was completely obscured. Aaroniero took the lead to stop them.

"This is good." He said. "We'll do battle here." Instead of the high-pitched voice, this time, it was a different, male voice. Aaroniero took off his mask, revealing the face of Kaien Shiba. "Now, are you both ready?"

Megami refused to honor him with an answer. Instead, she remained silent, her sword still at the ready. Either way, it would've meant that she was fully prepared to fight alongside her husband.

"So, you're after our heads eh?" Ahatake asked, grinning. "Let's just see how long you last!" He vanished using Sonído, appearing above Grimmjow, a Cero in his palm.

"I guess that's our cue." Aaroniero said, drawing his own sword. He launched himself towards Megami with Sonído, swinging his sword in a manner to decapitate her as soon as he was within range.

CLANG!

Megami's reflexes kicked into gear, her blade clashing with Aaroniero's as soon as it came close to her neck. "The Noveno Espada...." She thought to herself, keeping one hand on her blade in order to maximize her defense. "Just how many more that Rukia didn't know of....?"

Grimmjow raise his hand up, charging his own Cero. Both he and Ahatake released their Cero blasts and the collided with each other, letting loose energy bursts and flashes of red. Aaorniero was using his strength to try and push Megami back, apparently in the direction of the raging sea.

However, Megami didn't allow herself to falter in her own defense. She stood firmly as he pushed against her, refusing to give even an inch of ground to him. However, against the strength, she eventually had to release her defense, shoving his sword back so that she could unleash her own attack against him. She made multiple swipes in an effort to drive him back.

Aaroniero swung his own blade at hers, blocking each strike. They were in a virtual stalemate, blades clashing but neither opponent giving any ground to the other.

Grimmjow raised his other hand, letting loose another Cero to supplement his own, and try to overpower Ahatake's. Ahatake grinned, dissipating his Cero and vanishing as Grimmjow's Cero shot up. Ahatake appeared next to Grimmjow, and landed a kick that sent him skidding along the ground.

"Get up." Ahatake ordered. "I know you're not hurt. Not from an attack like that."

"Don't just talk to him-- Eeeek!" In an effort to get her husband to finish him off quickly, Megami nearly missed getting cut by Aaroniero's sword. "Finish him off before he can get up!"

Ahatake sighed. "Fine." He extended a hand, and shot several blasts of a Cero at the fallen Espada. "You should focus on your own freak on nature Megami." The Espada has gotten up however and dodged the Cero. "Nice try, but you're not going to get anyway like that!" He launched himself towards Ahatake again, and they began to match of what seemed to be hand-to-hand combat. These two were of similar types. This battle was to them what a new video game is to a child.

Aaroniero took the opening that had been creating from his sword swipe, brining his knee up in a kick towards Miharu's face.

She didn't see it coming.

His leg connected with her jaw, and her body was propelled off to the side, her vision exploding in temporary, but merciless pain. She closed eye and winced as she went skidding across the ground. Thankfully, the friction was enough to slow her speed... but it left her with a rather skinned left arm. She hissed at the pain as she attempted to stand. "That....was a bad move...."

Aaroniero raised his gloved hand, and began to charge a blue Cero. He let it fire.

Ahatake and Grimmjow were both getting bruised from their own battle, but it was going a way to show Ahatake's strength to be able to hit Grimmjow through his Hierro.

"But that was an even worse move!"

Immediately, Megami raised her hand out. "Dankū!" The barrier immediately appeared, and the Cero collided with it. It wasn't much, but it was only enough to allow her to roll out of the way and back onto her feet again.

"Kido.." Aaroniero murmured. "Alright." He vanished, appearing above Megami, descending with his blade poised to pierce, laughing all the way down.

Grimmjow and Ahatake were now in a stalemate, and Ahatake slammed his head into Grimmjow's knocking the Arrancar back, but also stunning Ahatake a bit. He placed a hand over his face. "Let's take it up a notch." He said, ripping his hand over his face to pull on his Hollow Mask.

Grimmjow growled. "You're another one. Just like those two before." He was obviously remembering Shinji and Ichigo. "What do you call yourselves?"

"Visoreds." Ahatake replied simply. "Now draw your sword Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez. And let's let the real fun start!" Grimmjow did as was requested of him, drawing his Zanpakutō and Ahatake drew his own.

"He's laughing?!" Megami couldn't help but feel a little indignant at this, but she didn't allow herself to react. Immediately, she backed off a step, barely avoiding the blade as it swung towards her. She lifted her arms up in order to deliever a powerful kendo strike, but due to the pain in her arm, the damage done would considerably reduced.

The blade hit it's mark, cutting into the Arrancar's skin, but, due to the weakness the damage to Megami had caused the strike to indeed weaken. Aaronerio pushed the blade away, blood dripping from it. "I expected better." He said, looking at the wound. "Rankle the seas and the heavens, Nejibana." He gripped his blade, holding it down and began to twirl it in his hands as it glew, transforming it into a cross between a trident and a ji with a crystalline appearance.

Ahatake and Grimmjow's blades clashed, and Ahatake chuckled. "So, Espada. I wonder if you're friend over there is feeling the heat. He's already gone and released his Zanpakutō."

"Idiot. Don't you notice anything odd about his manner of release?" Grimmjow asked.

Ahatake turned his attention over to Aaroniero for a second, wondering what Grimmjow could have meant.

And that was all it took for the former Espada to make a strike at Ahatake's midsection.

Megami noticed it completely.

The Espada's Resurrecion was supposed to cause the Arrancar to shift back into their former selves, at least for a short while. It could've been anything - a beast-like animal, or a mutated version of a human. However, as Aaronerio's form had not changed. Instead, he had stayed the same as he was, while the weapon he was using shifted forms. It was just like a Shinigami's Shikai.

But how?

Aaroniero was twirling the trident above his head, water swirling around it dangerously. He looked serious now. Swinging the trident, water rushed in Megami's direction.

Ahatake's eyes widened as the blade came his way. But then, flames erupted, stopping the blade in it's tracks.

"What the hell?" Grimmjow hissed.

Ahatake chuckled. "Thanks." Then, he sent a wave of flames at Grimmjow.

With her unwounded arm, Megami immediately summoned her Shikai to her aid. Then, she swung, the blade itself turning into a water whip that was extending in both length and width. The element was the same of course. But the force would be enough to cancel out the attacks.... for at least a few seconds, at least.

"I see. So you can use water elements." Aaroniero was surprised. "I was not expecting that." Perhaps you should be feasted upon by my Glotoneria..."

The flames enveloped Grimmjow, but he shook them off. "Like those pitiful flames will do anything to me."

"Then let's try this." Ahatake said, launching a devastating Cero from his hand.