False Utopia: Unnerving

New beginning
Miharu's eyes shot open and she sat bolt upright. She was sweating and panting as if she had just run 100 miles. But she had been asleep. She slipped into her slippers, wiping her face. Why did she feel so off today? After showering to wash off the sweat, she walked downstairs instead of sliding down as was her normal routine, the smell of breakfast catching her nose.

"I see you've taken my advice."

The one to greet her first was her mother. However, the tone, despite the words, was not one of teasing, but rather one of worry. It was out of her motherly instincts that she was concerned from the girl; one look at her figure and expression could tell a thousand words. "Are you all right....?" She asked softly. "You look as if you've been through a horrible nightmare."

"I'm fine Kaa-san." She said, though she did not sound it. "I didn't have...any sort of dream."

"All right, dear...." Though Megami was less than convinced with the response, she was willing to let it go for the moment. She placed a hand on Megami's shoulder for support. "Don't hesitate to speak to me for support if you're feeling unwell, all right? I've already made breakfast and set it on the table...."

Miharu walked over to the table, and began eating as soon as she sat. Why did she feel so off today? What was she missing?"

It wasn't long, before everyone else began to come to the table.

Kyuui and Aoi were the first ones to come to the table. Had they been several years younger, they would've raced to the table and sat down. However, their gait, at least Kyuui's, were calm. The white-haired girl herself was taking the lead, stopping for a moment to greet Megami. "Good morning!" She said happily, giving a little wave. Megami did the same in return, with a response of "It's good to see you two up. How are you feeling?"

"I feel like I've been hit on the head with a mallet." Aoi whined.

Ahatake, who had just arrived, chuckled. "Why's that?"

"I rolled over in bed and my head slammed right into Kyuui's."

"You did?" This made Kyuui blink a little, placing a finger to her mouth in thought. "That's funny.... I didn't feel a thing!" If she did, then Aoi had probably knocked her into amnesia! She must've had a really hard head!

"Oh damn my head hurts.." Aoi groaned. "This Christmas, I'm going to have Mom buy you some sort of soft head covering."

"Don't curse around the breakfast table." Megami scolded Aoi, allowing herself to sit down. "I won't hear such coming from my granddaughter's mouth..."

"Blame Tereya Obā-chan." Aoi replied. "It rubs off after being around her for so long."

"Well, do try to keep it to a minimum...."

As they talked, Kyuui shifted her gaze towards her grandfather. "So, Ojii... how are you feeling this morning?" She asked politely, in order to start up a conversation with the man. Mornings could be quite slow and dull, after all! It was best to get the blood flowing as soon as possible!

"I'm good Kyuui." Ahatake replied, as he began eating. "I restart work today. Boy was that one loooong sabbatical."

"Sabbatical....?" Kyuui had never heard such a word before, and thus she decided to question the man of its meaning. She raised an eyebrow as she did so, but commenced to eating - she didn't want her food eaten cold, after all.

"It's a long vacation from work." Adela said, before Ahatake could answer. "Something I need desperately."

"Ah..."

"I don't even remember your father." Adela sighed. "He left before you all were even born, but he was never around enough anyway. So I do most of the work around here, especially since Ahatake-san was taking a break. But now he can go back to work, and I can take my own break."

"You're quite willing to talk about such a depressing thing in the morning...." Megami commented, puffing up one cheek in a rather poutish expression. "At least wait until later, Adela-san!" Though, she did feel a slight bit of sympathy for Adela. Whoever the woman married was a selfish jerk! Who else would abandon their own children in order for their own personal gain?

"Try not to think of him." Ahatake replied, standing up. "Seems I must be getting off to work. Man saying that sounds weird."

"Ah...." Megami smiled warmly, walking over to place a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "I'm sure it's quite normal after a vacation such as yours. I'm sure you'll adjust in time, won't you, dear?"

"Of course." Ahatake replied, fastening a cuff on his suit. "Miharu, behave for your mother while I'm out."

"Of course Tō-san." Miharu replied.

Ahatake waved before vanishing in a burst of flames. Miharu yawned. "Sooo, Kā-chan, what would you like help with today?"

"Well.... honestly, I wasn't planning on doing much today...." Megami answered honestly, looking around the household. It was true - she had spent most of her time cleaning up the place (having a strong dislike of dirt), and she really had nothing else to do for the day. "I don't see what you could help with...."

"True, you keep this house so spotless it's rather ridiculous." Miharu said, rubbing her finger on the desk and no dust or dirt came off. "Don't they have awards for things like this?"

This made Megami giggle softly. "I'm afraid not, though I wish they did....."

Price for Perfection
Miharu yawned as she walked outside. No school today, father out to work, a mother with an abnormally clean house. Life seemed normal. Yet she still felt...off. She frowned. What was she missing? What was it? She picked up a pebble, and water began to collect on it, until it formed a sphere around the rock. She loved to do this. She did it whenever she was bothered by something. She let the ball go, and it flew across the lawn, landing right on someone's head.

"Hey!" The man called out, obviously annoyed. He walked up to Miharu. "Watch where you're throwing things girl!"

"H-hey, it was an accident." Miharu exclaimed, backing away slowly.

Elsewhere, a group of people were watching this display. It was Sesshōmaru and company. Lynterria sighed.

"Taiki-chan, it looks like we WILL have to show you that "other part" of the plan."

"I was expecting this to happen." Sesshōmaru murmured. He waved a hand and the man who was yelling at Miharu just... disappeared.

"....huh?"

This made the silver-haired man, who was sitting cross-legged as he watched it all, blink in surprise. One second, the man had been screaming at his sister. And the next.... he vanished? It was almost as if he had been a simple illusion. There was nothing left, nothing to trace, and nothing to search for. He had simply ceased to exist. In a dumbfounded manner, he looked towards Sesshōmaru for an explanation. "Sess? What'd you just do?"

"It's part of the spell. You can do it to. Our spell is creates a Utopia, where evil, and conflict do not exist. However, if someone creates conflict, they need to be eliminated. So we...erase them. No one will remember them. It will be as if they never existed."

For a moment, Taiki raised a hand to his face, studying the palm as if it had been something new to him all along. So, Sesshōmaru had been trusting enough to give him such a power? No.... there had to be some sort of limit to it. What he.... what they now wielded was a power that was giving them control over someone else's existence. He felt a sudden curiosity, to see if Sesshōmaru thought so far as he had just done. A smile crossed his face, out of amusement...

...before he turned his torso towards Sesshōmaru, waving a swinging hand in his direction in order to execute the spell on him.

Nothing happened.

Sesshōmaru chuckled. "Seriously Taiki? I created that spell. You actually thought it would work on me?"

"I had my doubts...." Taiki admitted, lowering his hand. "But I wanted to make sure you were covering all of your fronts." He turned back to watch his sister in order to observe the results that the spell would have on her. "It sounds like such a ridiculous power, I figured there would be at least some sort of limit to its use. If there wasn't.... not only could that power be abused, but the enemy could take advantage of it. It's a fundamental thing when using powers such as that.

"You pegged it right." Sesshōmaru replied as Lynterria giggled when he said "pegged". "So, how does it feel to be detached from family?"

For a moment, Taiki looked on at the world, pondering the right words in order to reply to the leader. Now that his existance was forgotten, his family would never have to worry about having to watch their backs out of the fear that their own flesh and blood could turn traitor. They could live a life without hostility and tension, as they would've always wanted it to be. As for him, he would never have to look at his ignorant father, as a... father, ever again, nor would he have to deal with that cur of a wife. He could freely start over again, and walk on his own path...

However, he only said one thing.

"Satisfying."

It would describe all of those feelings with just that one word, because he felt like he didn't need to say anything else.

"Really? Am I to assume you don't miss your children at all?"

Ah, yes.... his two daughters.

Throughout their life, he was always determined to pull out their full potential, to build them up to face the strongest of obstacles. They were the love of his life, and he treasured them as much as a pirate would with a buried chest full of gold. It would be unfortunate that he had to separate himself from them under these set of circumstances... but they were old enough to rely on themselves. He had his faith in them.

And thus, he said:

"Not at all."

Sesshōmaru smiled. "I expected that." He turned back to pay attention to the orb where they were viewing the outside world. "Taiki. I have a task for you."

"Mmm...?" This caused Taiki to crane his head over his shoulder, looking at the man expectantly. And now he was handing out a mission... "What would that be?"

"Seiryoku seems to be on the move. And he's headed in the direction of your family. I'd like you to go and head him off. Kill him if need be."

So the old enemy was at it again? Of course he would be. One like him would not sit still in such a situation. Slowly, the white-haired man stood up, dusting himself off. A grin crossed his face - one of amusement. "Oh, him again? Where exactly would he be approaching from?" He asked, turning his attention to the orb.

"He's approaching from the beach. It shouldn't take you long to find him."

"Very well....this shouldn't take too long, then...." Taiki's tone was rather non-chalant about it, and so was the way he acted, almost as if he wasn't dealing with a threat at all. Stuffing his hands within his pockets, he turned on his heel and walked off for a few steps. "See ya when I see ya!" He called from behind him, before his figure abruptly vanished into thin air.

"Hey, Sesshōmaru?" Lynterria asked. "Do you ever think Taiki will agree to marry me?"

"Not a chance kid." He replied.

Twin Silver
Seiryoku was indeed heading towards the Kurosaki Mansion, coming up from the beach. He was too late, he knew that. Those bastards had initiated their spell. But if had the countermeasure for it. If he could just reach the Kurosaki's and snap them out of it!

It was just like a game of cat and mouse.

Even in such a large city, the Kurosaki mansion would be hard to find in the jumble of buildings, cars, and other city obstacles in the way. One could get easily distracted by the near-identical buildings, some only slightly out of place. By pinpointing Seiryoku's location, Taiki could intercept him and not have to worry about time against him. However, in the case that Seiryoku managed to slip past him, he had set up a little trap. Seiryoku would obviously see it.... but the trap itself would be very hidden. Several scenarios were possible, but most of what Taiki saw would be in his own favor. If he escaped, then his attempt at establishing contact with the Kurosaki would fail, and he would be successfully isolated. However, if he chose to proceed....

A rather malicious smile crossed his face, and he moved in, nearing ever so closer to Seiryoku's location.

Seiryoku sighed. Running would take forever, and he wasn't so sure he had time on his hands. "Glisten..." He murmured. "Kōshi." Nothing happened, though his eyes did indeed glisten. Suddenly, there was a ripping and cracking noise, and crystal wings sprouted from his back. And he kicked off, literally flying down the street, a decent ways above it, but not so much that he'd have a bird's-eye view.

He knew where to stop him.

Taking a position, Taiki allowed himself to hide behind one of the buildings. In perception of Seiryoku's flight path, he had went up ahead in order to set up an ambush. With the man's speed, he was nearing ever so closer to his location. All he had to do was lean out, point a finger, and say the Kidō's command.

"Rikujōkōrō."

With that, seven rods of light came from within the air, surrounded the speeding demon, and slammed into his mid-section, halting further movement. "Now, shouldn't you be more careful in order to preserve yourself?" The white-haired man asked casually, stepping into view. "It's going to be troublesome for you if you just run wild and out in the open, especially with authorities in possibly plain view...."

"Rikujōkōrō?" Seiryoku looked at the spell that bound him. "A useful spell, though not at all permanently binding." He placed his hand on one of the light rods, and shattered it. He turned around. "Taiki Kurosaki. So you aren't still bound in front of that cave with my crystals. A pity."

"A pity?" Taiki repeated, in what was a mockingly incredulous tone. Then, he chuckled - a rather amused, sadistic, and gleeful chuckle. "I think you misunderstand, Seiryoku-san! You see, what is a pity... is you. You're running about, trying to find some sort of cure for this oh-so-wonderous utopia that your supposed...." He snickered again. "enemies? Brought to this world, if not this region... what's a pity is that you're trying to stop what is already done! For the sake of keeping reputation.... just turn back.... give up now, while our weapons are still holstered!" Throughout this time, his tone had been mockingly conversational, just to agitate the man a little bit more.

"This "Utopia" comes at a price, a price I'm sure you've seen. Anyone who creates "conflict" no matter how small, is erased. This "Utopia" effectively creates a loss of free will. You have to conform to it or you're erased."

This seemed to take Taiki by surprise. "Loss of free will....? I'm not sure what you mean...."

"With the spell Sesshōmaru designed, you have to conform to the manner of thinking this Utopia was meant to create. One act of evil, and you're erased. While I'm not saying the lack of evil isn't a good thing, the way Sesshōmaru goes about it is wrong." Seiryoku's eyes glistened. "And as you are in my way, I'm going to have to eliminate you." He said, appearing behind Taiki, his hand on the man's back. "Die." He unleashed a barrage of crystals at point blank range.

"Hmm....."

The crystals enveloped him completely in what seemed like a mobile grater, obscuring the view of him. Even as this happened, his mind raced: so that flaw was obvious not to him, but to the very enemy as well? That proved to be a heavy disappointment - he had been sure that Sesshōmaru had thought this out all of the way! Or.... maybe he did, but was just hiding it from him? He highly doubted that - if this man was still able to cause trouble, then it only proved how effective his allies were being. A pity...

Now here, he completely defied death, re-appearing right above Seiryoku in the middle of a self-catapult. One hand was pressed against the top of the man's head, serving as leverage. However, as he alligned his body up with Seiryoku's, he uttered yet another Kidō command: "Sōkatsui!" The lightning-like burst of energy, as with Seiryoku's own method, was at point-blank range, resulting in the damaging of the ground underneath them.

Seiryoku shattered into many glinting emeralds upon contact with that spell, and the real boy emerged some feet behind Taiki. "Shindō Art 2. Sentana." He waved his hands in a circling motion, and thousands of circles emerged. From these, thousands knives emerged and they all shot at Taiki like a machine gun firing bullets.

"Dankū!"

Taiki didn't have to move in order to summon the next spell, as a barrier formed between him and the knives. As they came within his range, they harmlessly bounced off of the barrier created. Taiki allowed it to dissolve once the attack was over and done with. "If that's the case.... then listen, you bastard!" He called out, a little vehemently. "Don't mess this up for us.... we are on the same path of righteousness!"

"Righteousness?" Seiryoku repeated. "Don't make me laugh." He raised his hands up and several emerald pillars erupted out from the ground, shattering the Dankū and proceeding towards Taiki. "Sesshōmaru and his group are forcing people to conform to what they think is right. Do you think yourselves gods?"

"Hup!"

Immediately, Taiki took this time to demonstrate his acrobatics. Leaping high, he landed on the side of one pillar, then backflipped onto another, and so forth, and so forth. He was using only his hands and feet in order to avoid being crushed and maneuvering through the pillars, while still keeping himself in the air. As he reached the top, he allowed his feet to rest there. "Maybe I do.... maybe I don't." He replied, this time keeping a calmer edge to his voice. Non-chalantly, he shrugged. "And I have yet to realize what Sesshōmaru and his comrades think of themselves, as well. But, what I do know is...."

However, he stopped himself. "Oh.... forgive me, but I can't reveal that bit of information just yet...." With that, he leaped off the pillar and descended on Seiryoku. "Ōkasen!" Putting his palms out in front of him, he unleashed a wide, yellow arc of spiritual energy to destroy Seiryoku.

He clicked his fingers, and a large emerald wall erupted in front of him, wisthanding the Ōkasen long enough for Seiryoku to jump out of the way. Clapping his hands together, he moved them apart, revealing a sticky green "syrup". Flying towards Taiki, he launched the syrup at his feet.

"That won't work!"

Immediately, while still in mid-air, Taiki veered himself out of the way in order to avoid getting stuck by the syrup. Now.... what in the blazes was that? First they drink blood, now they ooze.... crap? This seemed more and more like a bad horror film or something! However, he did keep that in record - it might be of use later...

"Hm...I was counting on that to immobilize him." He sighed. "Pity. I may need to finish you off the old fashioned way." He stanced himself.

This time, Taiki allowed himself to land on his own two feet, one hand already on the hilt of his Zanpakutō. "Like you could ever finish me off...." He said tauntingly, drawing the blade from its sheath unceremoniously. Then, he settled into his own stance, sword pointed at a 20-degree angle towards the ground. His free hand was positioned directly above the palm of the hilt, ready to grab at any second. "....with those ridiculous powers of yours."

Seiryoku snapped his fingers, causing crystal cuffs to appear on Taiki's arms, binding them together. The crystal seeped farther, covering the man's hands and began to cover his blade as well. "It's time to turn you into my next meal." Seiryoku appeared behind Taiki, the crystal wings wrapping around the silver-hair man to make it difficult to escape. I'll give your powers decent use in the future." He said, baring his fangs that moved closer to Taiki's neck.

"Utsusemi."

However, Taiki allowed the man to see another surprise.

Where he had been.... only his coat had remained.

Now, he was standing directly behind Seiryoku, his hands positioned in the same stance as before. Then, his blade flashed, raising in three quick, precise, and lethal strikes meant to end his opponent's life right then and there. The strength and speed would ensure that the blade would slice through his flesh.

Or almost. As much as it was a shock for Seiryoku to see the Utsusemi technique used by a Shinigami who had never entered the 2nd Squad, much less the Gotei 13, the attack of Taiki's did not pierce all the way through. It encountered the crystal winds on the boy's back, and shattered them completely, before making light cuts into the flesh, which forced Seiryoku to jump back.

"Damn.." He muttered. "I was..too confident. But this body is not doing me any good. I can't fight on part with suppressed energy."

"How can a Shinigami like myself use ''Utsusemi.... I bet that's what you're thinking right now!"

In order to unfaze him a little more, Taiki attacked him verbally. His grin was ever so apparent, fox-like in nature. "Well, you'd be right. I didn't learn this formally.... however, I've fought someone who did know the skill. All it took was a little thinking on how it worked.... Utsusemi is nothing but another technique to be used as a weapon. All I did was take it, study how it worked, and tried it out a few times till I got it down. It's that simple." His eyes looked over the man's form.

"So.... you still feelin' that you can finish me off?" Seiryoku began to be enveloped in smoke, and his spiritual pressure was rising. "Yes." He said, behind the smoke. "I think I can." He jumped out from inside the smoke, now bearing the appearance of someone Taiki's age or a bit older.

For a moment, Taiki looked on at the new form with idle curiosity, even as he remained in his stance. For a moment, the grin faded as he sensed the rise of his opponent's spiritual pressure. So he still had a weapon in back-up? He should've known.... after all, he hadn't even bothered to release his Zanpakutō just yet against this sort of foe. Still, he wasn't quite ready to fall to temptation just yet. He wanted to drag out Seiryoku's full potential, to see what limit they both could go to before they were forced to use more and more of what they had....

It was a thrill, pushing each other like this.

"Good...." He answered, chuckling sinisterly. "Because I'm far from done."

Seiryoku clapped his hands together, gathering spiritual energy in bewteen them and hardening it into crystal. He extended his hands in an arc, revealing a large, crystal spear. "Die." He said before letting the spear fly.

Why was Seiryoku attempting to fight so recklessly?

Was it out of desperation? Was it because he was aware of the odds? If it was... then it was obvious that maybe even he couldn't hope to stop them. It was a bit of a disappointment... however, even as Taiki raised his sword up and swung, he thought of what he had said before - they were on the same path of righteousness. As the blade flashed, the wake of the cut was enough to slice through the large crystal into two pieces. With loud crashing noises, they collapsed into the road, uprooting gravel and concrete as it did so.

Seiryoku showed no shock at all as he began to prepare his next move. He formed a sword of crystal in his hand. Perhaps it was time for a little swordplay. He launched himself towards Taiki, emerald blade glinting. Once he closed in, he swung it down on Taiki.

CLANG!

Once their swords clashed, Taiki went - in a sense - berserk.

His blade was flashing with each and every swing, his movements barely registrable as he unleashed his assault on Seiryoku. His movements were fast, to the point of where his entire body was blurred with motion. For every second that passed by, six or seven swings had been skillfully executed. One hand, two hands - it was difficult to tell how Taiki was wielding his sword anymore, only that he was swinging it at his opponent with the fury of a newborn tornado.

Seiryoku was barely keeping up, blocking multiple strikes, but being cut by many others. Quickly, he formed a second sword, and began blocking the extra strikes. He was able to keep up with two swords, but he wasn't able to attack Taiki. This was turning into a problem.

"And this was the foe only Daiyaku could fight with? I was expecting more....!"

After clashing swords with Seiryoku one final time, Taiki allowed himself to take a step back, allowing Seiryoku's retreat as a means to gain distance. Then, he pulled his sword back, the sword tip pointed straight at his opponent.

"Kokuhyōshūha."

Upon his command, he thrust the blade forward, and a massive amount of purple spiritual energy came in the form of a tsunami-sized, vertical wave. Everything was enveloped in its wide and lengthy radius. Buildings were annihilated, cars in the street were disintegrated, and the sky itself seemed to be enveloped in the purple light. In fact, as a result of this spell, a large segment of Yūrei Oukoku would not live to see the aftermath. A massive part of the fabulous city would look like it had been wrecked by a war and abandoned completely.

Such was the cost of it all, he assumed.

Now.... as the smoke cloud billowed above the city, he waited ever so patiently.

"What kind of spell was that?" Seiryoku thought, inside a crystal dome he had erected. The crystal was durable enough to withstand the spell that Taiki had thrown at him, and then the crystal shattered, rising into the air before turning invisible. "That was like...reiatsu acid." He thought, looking around. But it was almost time. He standed himself. "Shindō Art 5, Assaiki Kyū." He formed a ball of reishi in his palm with four points spiraling around it.

Beads of sweat could be seen on Taiki's face. Though he was able to keep his composure, that spell obviously had taken a cost of his own spiritual reserves. His eyes were wavering a little as he stood, preparing himself for Seiryoku's next attack. He had been able to withstand such a high level spell? And his reflexes.... most impressive. He stanced himself, settling into the consistent stance he had taken in the duration of the battle.

Seiryoku dashed towards Taiki, the swirling orb in hand. He raised it up. If this hit, Taiki would be severly damaged. As he ran, he coated his arm in crystal. Otherwise, Taiki might lop it straight off. He thrust his arm out, the orb spiraling dangerously as he neared Taiki.

Pretty good...

...but there was still room for improvement.

Noting the coating of the crystals, Taiki used a side-step to avoid the attack by a hair. Then, freeing up one of his hands, he grasped the crystal-coated wrist, using momentum to his advantage. With that, he forced Seiryoku's hand straight down, smashing the orb into the ground. With something to collide in, the technique forcefully dispersed under "completion" of its task. "Tsuzuri Raiden!" Electricity swarmed through Seiryoku's body from Taiki's own.

However, Seiryoku faded on contact with the electricty. "That was Shindō Art number 30, Kage Bunretsu." His voice sounded from the left of Taiki. He looked tired. "I'm running out of spiritual energy. I was foolish, I've been pulling off too many big moves." And yet he still had one more to pull.

Slowly, Taiki stood up, lifting his sword blade to place onto his shoulder. He turned in a slow pivot, a rather tired expression of his own. However, it wasn't due to exhaustion - it was out of exasperation. "And we come to the end of this chapter...." He said dryly, using his free hand as a visual aid of emphasizing. He paced in front of Seiryoku, keeping his idle stance. "Strangely.... after all that Sesshōmaru said, I was expecting a lot more from you. Yet, for someone only one of the Taishoku Kokumin was capable of handling, you bring so little to the table... I guess, in the end, you too are nothing more than a failure, aren't you?" Chuckling humorlessly, he raised his sword blade and lowered it, the tip pointing at Seiryoku. However, his arm was still at his side.

"I'll give you one more chance to run. As I said before, we are on the same path of righteousness... and despite your shortcomings, there's still so much you can do... I don't want to waste that. So retreat... if you refuse, I'll simply cut you down here and now."

"You're always welcome to try." Seiryoku replied. He beckoned Taiki towards him.

Taiki sighed, pressing a palm to his face. "Why must I get the difficult ones? Very well.... in the case of with or without you.... without will be the choice I have to take. Since you're the one without energy... and I only to keep you away from your destination... you shouldn't be the one to be taunting me."

"You talk more than that Aizen fellow." Seiryoku sighed. He raised his hand. "It's time to die." Up in the air, behind, and to the left and right of Taiki were large crystal spears. "This is among the last of my spiritual energy. There's no way you can escape, Taiki Kurosaki." He clapped his hands together, and the spears began to spin. They shot at Taiki, aiming to kill him four different ways.

Even in the face of certain death, Taiki allowed himself to sheathe his sword and close his eyes. It seemed like a mental preparation for death. He stood stock still, waiting so patiently for the spears to impale him, and for his world to go black. His body had stopped all resistance to Seiryoku, as if he was now willing to surrender to his tenacity. He waited...

...and spoke these words.

"Sotokonsekisho."

All of those spears - aimed to murder - had been harmlessly deflected by the barrier he had put up.... and the man himself had been left unharmed. Once the last spear fell, he lurched forward, pouncing at Seiryoku with the intent of finishing the fight. His sword drew itself from his scabbard, ready to deliever the killing strike to his enemy and end the final resistance that his allies would have to put up with.

"I wasn't expecting that. Let's try this one." He placed his hand in front of him. "I've got one more go." From his hand's emerged a particularly large emerald spear. This really was the last of his energy. If this didn't at least graze him, he couldn't say he had done anything at all. The spear spiraled straight towards Taiki.

It was for naught.

SLASH!

With the grace expected from a master swordsman, Taiki used his power to crush the remainder of Seiryoku's strength. It was all due to a serious miscalculation - in the time that Seiryoku used to form the crystal and speak those words, Taiki had used it to close the distance between himself and his opponent without haste. As a result, it didn't have time to get fully formed before it was shattered. The weak spiritual energy proved to be a useless defense, and the blade cut cleanly through his chest cavity. It had meant to be a killing blow - but even in such circumstances, Taiki doubted it to end in such a manner....

But, it was very obvious the fight was in his favor.

Seiryoku fell to the ground, in shock. He was actually losing this fight. Had he underestimated his own power this much? Was he unable to stop this man?

His final decision had been to resist.

Therefore, Taiki's final decision was to kill him.

He paused for a moment to sling the blood off of his blade, a grimly bored expression donning his face. Idly, he wondered if he should simply take this man prisoner. He could be used for other tests - particularly how long could he withstand extreme amounts of pain before having his sanity lost... how many organs he could remove before he died.... the possibilities were endless! But he was getting tired of dragging this out. He would cut off the man's head! And then feed it to the old man. Raising his blade up in the air, he swung down to deliver the final blow.

However, Seiryoku jumped to the side, standing up. Just a second ago, he had been bleeding and on the ground in defeat. But now...he was back up and spiritual energy rising fast. His eyes were glistening a light green. "I'm not going to lose...not without accomplishing something here."

Again?!

He was starting to lose his patience.

"So, the failure still has some energy left in him...." Taiki muttered dully, lowering his sword blade to his side. "Maybe this was the reason why Sesshōmaru had so much trouble with you.... you just refuse to die." He was losing his own motivation to fight - this was becoming more and more of a losing battle than an actual fight! Was it worth putting effort into this anymore?

Seiryoku sighed. This was a one time thing. He wouldn't be able to kill Taiki he knew that. But he would have to be able to wound him. He launched himself towards Taiki at great speed, appearing in front of him before he could do anything. He had only this one shot. Placing his hand where Taiki's stomach would be, he launched a crystal spear at close range right into Taiki's gut. At the moment he did this, the energy that was building up dispersed, and he began to bleed again. This was over for him. He had to get out now, and heal himself. He began to move away, stumbling. Perhaps that would wound distract him long enough for him to get away.

And it was that same lack of motivation that shut off his mental defenses.

He hadn't seen it coming.

His eyes widened as he felt the hand press against his stomach, but could not do a thing to stop himself from harm's way. The spear tore cleanly through him, rocketing out through his back. For a moment, his vision went black - he staggered back, wheezing in pain at the spear wound and the sudden irregularity in breathing. He had to hang his head down, for blood was oozing out of his mouth. He fell to his knees, his sword acting as his crutch as he stabbed the blade into the ground. Through his hazy vision, he could see the man stumbling away....

Rage overtook him.

"H...how dare he!!!!"

He had only retreated after inflicting a wound on him?! And now he was walking away as if he accomplished something....! Such arrogance...!

However, he wasn't in a condition to do much of anything, as of now.... he gritted his teeth, narrowed slits of eyes overshadowed by his silver bangs.

Seiryoku began to float, and thus he was moving quicker, unhindered by his own wound. "I'll see you again, Taiki Kurosaki. And I will kill you the next time we meet."

"BASTARD......!!!"

Now Taiki's eyes were widened, and he shouted at his opponent with unrestrained fury. "COWARD!!! GET BACK HERE AND DIE LIKE THE DOG YOU ARE!!!!" Forgetting his wound for a moment, he lunged forward in an attempt to swing his sword again. However, he only got one step - and pain overtook him. He gasped as he fell forward on his face, his eyes shutting in agony and frustration. Even as he opened his eyes, all he saw was his vision growing dark...

"Coward....."

They lost their light.

"Come back....and fi...."

They closed.

Seiryoku vanished as Taiki fell. No sooner had he fallen than Lynterria appeared next to Taiki, catching him before he managed to fall. She frowned, surprised to see that he had fallen, before teleporting quickly back to Sesshōmaru and co. who were still watching the orb, and by extension, the entire Soul Society. As she arrived, she slapped Taiki's face lightly to try and wake him up.

Sesshōmaru looked over, and whistled for a moment. "Stomach wound, looks like stomach acid seeping out. Damn that's gotta hurt."

Taiki didn't stir. His eyes were a bit pained, but otherwise his expression was quite neutral. His hand was still clutching his blade tightly, indicating that he was possibly still alive - either that, or rigor mortis had already set in... there was one clear sign - and a good one at that - his chest heaving up and down.

Jōchō sighed. "None of us can heal either. Pity."

Shinsetsu spoke up. "Can't you shift through his memories? Use your ability Jōchō-san. There's got to be someone in there who's got healing powers."

"True. Why didn't I think of that?" Jōchō walked over to Taiki, placing a hand on the man's forehead. He breathed slowly, shifting through various memories of the man's past. It was quiet for a few minutes while he searched back. "Ah..there's one." He walked away from Taiki, and formed a ball of energy in his hands. He let it fly, and it settled in front of Taiki, forming into Akiko Ichimaru. It was a copy, and her eyes were blank. Nothing more than a puppet.

"Heal him." Jōchō ordered and the fake Akiko extended her hands, and Taiki was wrapped in a yellow aura. Immediately, the healing began, his stomach wound closing up.

"....n...."

This allowed the silver-haired man to stir, eyes slowly adjusting to the world around him. However, he kept them closed, one of his hands immediately reaching up to his forehead. He could feel his stomach wound close back up, but his mind was rather hazy.... what was going on? This wasn't the street... that was where he had last collapsed... he didn't allow himself to rise, but granted the permission for the false Akiko to heal him.

The healing process continued, the stomach would fully healing, and any blood Taiki had lost being replinished, before she put her hands down, and just sat.

"Nice to see you're alive." Sesshōmaru said, looking at Taiki. "Feel like a new man?"

"That supposed to be funny....?" Was the rather irritant reply. It was all coming back to him now.... and he didn't like what he remembered. The man had only retreated when he had delivered that stomach wound - what a prideful cur. It was absolutely disgusting! He decided to lay there for the time being.... wasn't like he could do anything else and stay in there at the same time....

Lynterria placed her arms around Taiki, while Sesshōmaru was still smiling. "Either way, you managed to wound Seiryoku, no matter the injuries you sustained. He should soon die from those wounds of his."

"He better hope he dies...." The silver-haired man muttered vehemently, allowing himself to sit up for the moment. His body leaned against Lynterria's embrace, using it as a support. "Or at least, he better hope he doesn't face me as an opponent in the future." However, from Seiryoku's last words, he doubted the man would die just like that. A pest for sure.... but more of a mosquito bite than anything to his plans.

"You're something else." Sesshōmaru said, his voice sounding impressed. "Vast knowledge of Kidō, and to be able to use them at such power without an incantation."

"It's just the way I was born...."

Taiki allowed himself to sit up, gently pulling himself up from Lynerria's embrace. He raised his hand to scratch the back of his head. Of course, even that had to be a journey taken early - nearly all of his life, he had immersed himself in the ways of warfare and combat. Anywhere he could get knowledge from - books, archives, and even other people - he gladly took the plunge. However, he wasn't about to start spilling his life story to Sesshōmaru any time soon. Instead, now he was focused on what he should be doing. The spell had cleared all resistance away for him.

Now, what was there to do?

"Han for your thoughts?" Lynterria asked.

"No, I'm fine...."

She sulked, but didn't push the matter.

"Now...to observe."

Meanwhile, Seiryoku had stopped to rest by a tree. The bleeding wouldn't stop, no matter how much spiritual energy he applied to the wound. Apparently, self healing just wasn't something he could do.

Maybe he would die.

Taiki stood up, walking over towards the orb that was now focusing on his wounded enemy. Seemingly curious, but in-reality uncaring eyes looked over the gashes that had been delivered, the blood that was now staining his opponent's body. Had what he said before was nothing more than an empty threat? A small smile, expressing the feelings of sadism, came across his countenance as he watched Seiryoku suffer. It was a shame for him, too - because he had been working alone, there would be no one to save him. It would be even more so due to the spell in effect: no one would care about his life slipping away, the very thread that had held it cut to nothing.

No one would care when he would breathe his last breath and tear away from existence.

Just the way he wanted it.

There was a crunching of leaves in the forest and Seiryoku turned his head slowly. Miharu Kurosaki was standing there. Ezra hadn't come to play today, so she decided to go around the forest. She rushed over to him, completely shocked to see the wounds he had.

"He;s cut up pretty bad! This isn't good." She bent down and picked him up. He had long since returned to his child form. "Maybe I can get Mom to patch him up."

"...!!!!"

All thoughts stopped. Completely.

Immediately, Taiki's eyes widened in surprise, and he was stunned to see the girl before him. What in the world was this?! He rounded on Sesshōmaru. "That's funny...." He remarked, keeping a non-chalant tone in his voice as he spoke. "I thought this spell was supposed to effect everyone.... why exactly is my sister showing concern for this man?" That was not how it was supposed to work! She was supposed to not care about him! Why in the world was she....?!

"I'm not sure.." Sesshōmaru said. He was puzzled about this as well. "Perhaps it was because she was unconscious when the spell activated, so it's effect on her is not as binding as it is on others. This was unexpected.."

For a moment, Taiki remained silent, watchful as he observed Miharu. He thought back to the rest of his family.... they had been conscious, surely. What would happen if one who cared came across someone who didn't? Their requests would be refused. Seiryoku still had a chance of dying from his wounds if the family rejected his help. But he had to make sure it was an absolute fact before he could do anything else. "So the rest of my family are under the spell, then...." He concluded. "Exactly what will happen if my sister reaches them?"

"If they are under the effect of the spell to it's fullest extent, they should disregard it. But I was watching them earlier. Aside from forgetting you, they do not seemed to have changed. Let's hope it was a delayed reaction."

"One problem." Shinsetsu whispered. "Seiryoku invented countermeasures to your spell Onī-san. If they manage to keep him alive long enough for him to snap them out of the spell, it could pose a problem."

For a moment, Taiki remained silent, slowly allowing the information to sink in. Because he was turned away from everyone else there, they couldn't see his expression. Therefore, they were unable to see the disdainful frown that had seemed onto his face. However, even that lasted for a brief moment. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped." He said calmly, turning on his heel and walking away from the group. One hand rested itself onto its sheath. "There's no choice but to clean up this little mess. I'll silence her before she ever has a chance to get to them."

"Good luck with that." Jōchō said, kicking back in a chair. "That girl is still capable of using her powers, which basically whatever she wants. Don't worry though, I'll pop for your funeral."

Taiki stopped.

"I would really care to watch your mouth, if I were you, Jōchō-san...." He spoke, his usually calm voice laced with a bit of malevolence. "I've managed to make the opponent you couldn't defeat look like nothing more than a joke. His action of the "last stand" already ignited the fire, and this little careless slip-up in this utopia spell has spread it. Now, would you like yourself to be the first one incinerated....?"

"I couldn't defeat?" Jōchō seemed visually annoyed by that. "I never bothered to fight him. But if you like, I can search through your memory and have you torn into unrecognizable pieces."

"Oho!" Taiki let out a mocking laugh in reply, blatantly ignoring the threat made in his direction. "You never bothered to fight him?! I'm glad to see that all of us are putting forth our best efforts in this today, despite all the trouble the man has caused to you all!" His voice was openly challenging, daring, goading Jōchō into a fight. After all, it was obvious their slip-up had cost them all vital points in this. Now there would be direct resistance to Seiryoku's plan, and he, as well as they, was now forced onto a time limit.

"Cool it Taiki." Sesshōmaru said warningly. "Jōchō is the newest addition to our group, after you. He hasn't bothered to fight Seiryoku because he hasn't been int he group long enough to encounter him often. If you wish to go back into battle, feel free. But your wound has just recently closed. Don't stress it."

"Second newest, and yet the first newest had gotten to fight him first? What bullshit."

However, he didn't voice these thoughts out loud. Instead, he let out an aggravated sigh, the frown returning to his face. "I've lost interest." He said finally, walking away from his "allies", but in a direction opposite from the cave exit. "I might as well sit back and let this bastard of a wound heal completely before I do anything else.... it's the least I can do for preparation." With that, the man vanished into thin air, with many thoughts into his mind.

Sesshōmaru's plan was faltering quickly.

His sentimental views were disgusting.

....

....

....

....

Sooner or later, he would have to dispose of him.

Miharu reached her house, she burst straight through the door. "Kā-chan, are you here?" She called out.

"W-what is it, dear-- Oh, God...!"

Immediately, whatever Megami was going to say was instantly cut off at the sight of the bloodied boy she was carrying. "Why are you standing there for!" She demanded, urgently ushering Miharu into the living rooms. "Quick, get him laid out! Those wounds look quite nasty!" No one even needed to ask her to do it, and already she was eager to help him out just because he was severely wounded.

Seiryoku was partially conscious. It seemed the spell wasn't fully affecting the Kurosaki's. This would turn out to be fortunate. Miharu set the boy down on the table, which she was sure her mother would make a mental note to scrub down later.