Bleach: Dark Intentions Arc: Running Current

Waiting for the damn fight to start already
It had been a long morning. Ever since their stake-out from last night, Ahatake had been feeling very tired. To make matters worse, when he got home, right before he went to sleep, he had the nagging feeling people have when they know they've missed out on something.

He figured he knew what it was.

He had missed out on the enemy he, his wife, and his sister had been waiting up all night for. As soon as they had left, he was sure he had shown his face. He sighed as the air blew over him while he was on the roof, looking over the Yūrei Ōkoku. Despite all this, his city looked normal. Would all that change soon?

He felt hands reach around and clasp onto his shoulders, fingers working into the muscle in a gentle massage, their source moving a bit close to him. "You really should be asleep...." Came a gentle, chiding voice in conjunction with the touch. He could easily recognize it as none other than his wife (probably no one else would've had the gall in order to do something like that to him, anyway).

Ahatake chuckled. "Don't worry about me, I'm wide awake." He lied. "Besides, with my thoughts, sleep wouldn't be possible right now." He breathed in. "Which reminds me, I need to apologize yesterday for waking you up with the lie of us being attacked. It just seemed easiest." He thought for a moment. "I'll get you a car after all this is said and done."

Megami could easily tell that he was lying.

"Listen, you really shouldn't stress yourself over this...." She spoke softly, her head directing up at the sky. "Keep it up, and even you won't have the ability needed when the problem actually comes to us again...."

Ahatake sighed. "True, true. But, as I said, I cannot sleep either way, so I might as well stay awake, no?"

Miharu suddenly appeared on the roof, having jumped up from the bottom. She looked slightly tired, still in her pajamas, and her hair was tousled. Her expression was rather surprised and she made a small hand gesture behind her back that was missed by both parents. "Good morning." She said cheerfully. "How come you guys are up here?"

"Young lady, you should be asleep, too!" Megami took both of her hands off of Ahatake and folded her arms across her chest as she gently scolded Miharu. However, her expression was quick to lighten up. "Did we wake you up?"

"No, Daisuke's tossing and turning woke me up." She said, lying much more smoothly than her father had. "I came up for some fresh air."

"....." Megami let out a rather tired sigh, hinting her exhaustion of the situation. She put on a more firm face, closing her eyes. "Is it a customary to start lying whenever one feels like it?" She asked. Her tone was gentle, but one could hear the potential scathing flair within. "You already had the gall to lie to me about you and Daiyaku."

Miharu didn't know what to say to this, so she settled for looking politely puzzled.

"Did you really think that I would believe having Daiyaku carry you up to your room was a result of a decision to read a book? Not to mention that I know my own daughter well enough to know when she's lying and when she isn't."

"We actually did read that book." Miharu replied, smiling toothily. "Just because Daiyaku-kun was carrying me doesn't mean anything. Perhaps I'd gotten tired on the way home and he decided to carry me the rest of the way?"

"She's got you there." Ahatake murmured and Miharu chuckled appreciatively.

"....come with me."

Not leaving room for argument, Megami reached out and grabbed Miharu by the ear, then proceed to pull her back inside of the house. "We are going to have a little chat, RIGHT now. Mother and daughter!" The rather uppity tone the girl was taking with her was just too frustrating to deal with. It was as if she believed that all she had to do was be cute and everything would be fine! That was one of the things that had grown to be Megami's pet peeves; being taken advantage of.

Right now, she felt that Miharu was doing just that. And she didn't like it.

"Ow!" Miharu wined, pulling at her mother's hand, but all this did was caused more pain. "Leggo!!"

"Oh my..." Ahatake said as the girl was dragged back into the house. Ahatake sighed. "This is definitely going to be an interesting start to the day."

It wasn't long until Megami had dragged Miharu into a secluded part of the house; the mother's room.

Shutting the door behind her, Megami promptly released Miharu's ear and went over to sit on her bed. She folded her arms across her chest and crossed her legs. "Before we start, I'm going to let you know that this isn't funny. At all. So don't even try and slip in any jokes or stupid comments, got it?"

Miharu smiled, flashing her teeth. "Of course, of course. I'm on a tight schedule, so can we move along?" She didn't know what made her say it. Maybe it was lack of sleep?

It was that very sentence that triggered a seemingly unintentional action.

The girl was hit with an aura of a livid and enraged nature, all cocky attitude and sleepiness zapped away and replaced by a body awakened and manipulated by fear. Megami's eyes were leveled at her, pupils shrunken and eyebrows narrowed in a quiet fury. She had a scowl on her face, teeth almost gritted together. She rarely showed this side to anyone, much less her own daughter, if she could help it. The way the girl was acting towards her was nothing short of indifference. Ahatake had not done anything about it, so it was up to her to make sure discipline was enforced.

"Maybe I didn't explain clearly enough...." Megami said vindictively. "Allow me to repeat myself. This. Is. NOT. funny. In fact, it's come to bring me to the very end of my patience. I've gone to great lengths to respect your wishes, but now I'm starting to regret allowing Daiyaku and you to come together in the first place. What makes you think you can do whatever you please all of a sudden?"

"Well, you can't really regret it." Miharu said slowly, her smile fading due to the anger she could feel from her mother. "He's polite, you like him, and he only says nice things about you. He saved me from being killed by Grimmjow, I hope you haven't forgotten that." She took a deep breath and continued. "Besides, and I cannot stress this enough, you know I love you Kā-chan, but you are the overreaction type. It's easier to lie to you and get a calmer reaction than one would if they told the truth. And we did read that book, though we never finished it." She finished, breathing again. She had never said so much in one breath.

"And that makes it OK to lie?" Megami asked, allowing a bit of frustration to show through her voice. "Apparently, that's one thing you haven't learned. The truth hurts, but this is one of the cases in where telling something other than what's happening causes repercussions in the long run." She placed both hands where her heart should be, a slightly pleading look on her face. "Yes, I know I overreact about things like this, but it's only because even I am not someone who agrees with everything. If you told me about it early on, we could've had a nice, civil discussion about it - you, me, and Daiyaku."

Miharu gave her mother a martyred expression. "That would be embarrassing."

That was enough to make Megami's serious expression break away immediately, and she waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, no, not about that!" She re-assured her, believing her thoughts directed towards their "activities". "I'm talking about what your future for the two of you is. You see, you and Daiyaku seem to be quite inseparable nowadays, the bond's going to grow into something deeper than what you have. But that's something I'll discuss with you two later. What's more important as of now is this...."

She gave her daughter a level gaze. "I know I haven't been the best mother as of recently...." She began, hesitant in what she was going to say. "But.... you know you can trust me with anything, right?"

Miharu smiled. "I know, Kā-chan." She said, her smile widening until her ultrawhite teeth were visible. "I'll try to bear that in mind now, and stop the lying. I'm sorry for my attitude as of recently too."

Getting up, Megami walked over to place her hands on her daughter's shoulders, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "That's what I want to see...." She said softly, a bit of pride in her voice. "You can go on back to sleep now, dear...."

"Nah." Miharu said, smiling. "I'm wide awake now." She looked at the window. "I can see the sun rising. I'll make breakfast, since I'm sure I disturbed your discussion with Tō-san."

"All right, dear. Thank you very much...."

"Mhm." Miharu said, walking into the kitchen, tying her hair up as she walked.

The sun really was rising as Megami resumed her place on the roof with her husband.

"Sooo..." He asked tentatively. "How did that discussion go?"

"It's something we'll go over later on in the day." Megami said, her eyes closed and smiling. She once again took up a position behind him, fingers working on his shoulders. "We'll be going downstairs soon. Miharu's preparing breakfast..."

Ahatake eyed his wife warily. Miharu was fond of experimenting with her cooking, and not all of her creations were edible. "Are you sure that's wise?"

This made Megami's smile all the wider. "I think it won't kill us." She said amusedly, staring innocently into his cautious countenance.

He chuckled as he stood up, picking up his wife bridal style to jump off the roof. Landing neatly on his feet, he set her down. "Well, let's try and enjoy a normal family breakfast, since I have a bad feeling about today."

As soon as she touched down onto her feet, Megami folded her arms across her chest and gave Ahatake a chiding look. "I told you not to stress yourself over it!" She insisted, although her voice was playful in nature. "We've got you covered!"

Ahatake chuckled as they walked into the house. As soon as they opened the door, they were assaulted by the smell of miso soup and fish. Ahatake could detect the scent of rice as well.

"Seems like she's making something normal."

"Looks can be decieving."

With a wink, Megami stepped towards her seat. It wasn't much to choose from, considering the lack of...well....choice. However, who was she to complain about it? She promptly sat down in her seat, clapping her hands together for a moment and saying a silent prayer over her head.

Ahatake took a seat next to her as Akiko began to come down the stairs, followed by Daiyaku. They were having a rather animated chat in low voices, but stopped as they reached the stairs.

"Good morning Onī-chan!" She said cheerfully, squeezing her brother so her chest hit him up against the head before she sat down.

"Good morning to you as well Akiko." Ahatake said, rubbing his arm.

"Good morning Ahatake-san, Megami-san." Daiyaku said, flashing them each a smile. "Mornin' Mi-chan." He called into the kitchen.

"Good morning Daiyaku-kun." The girl called back.

"Good morning, Daiyaku." Megami said, eyes still closed as she set her hands down. "You, Miharu, and I are going to have a talk this evening at 5."

Daiyaku's eyes widened, and everyone heard Miharu's slight hiss, though it could have been the stove. "Why? Is something the matter?"

"It's about you and my daughter." Megami answered, leaving the rest up to his imagination.

His eyes widened for a moment, but then his expression became unreadable. "Alright. 5:00 it is." He said, smiling for a moment as Miharu brought in the good, laden with trays. He stood up to help her, and they began to set out the food. There were several dishes; broiled fish, steamed rice, tamagoyaki, natto, etc.

....ok. Perhaps she was a tad bit wrong on the "lack of selection" concept.

Megami's eyes widened at the sigh of the food being brought in. "Miharu, I've overworked you!" She exclaimed jokingly. It was more like they were being served in a restaurant than anything else!

"It smells great and looks good too." Ahatake said, grinning. "More than I can say for most of the things you make..." He murmured under his breath.

Miharu merely chuckled as all the food platters were set down, and she was able to take her seat next to Daiyaku. "Think nothing of it Kā-chan." She said, smiling again. "Let's just all enjoy breakfast."

"Right...."

They ate breakfast quietly, and it wasn't long after that they'd finished.

"That was actually good." Ahatake said, grinning.

"Thanks Tō-san." Miharu said, she and Daiyaku picking up plates to carry in the kitchen. "I'll be on cleaning duty."

"Are you really sure, Miharu? I can do that myself!" Megami called out, standing up and pushing in her chair. She didn't hesitate to grab plates of her own and follow them in order to put the dishes up.

"I'll help out." Miharu insisted, as she set the plates on the sink for rinsing.

Ahatake chuckled as he walked into the kitchen. "You can't count me out of cleaning duty, but I'm going to take a walk Megami. Take in some scenery, get some air."

"All right, honey!" Megami said, peering out from the kitchen doorway. "But, do be careful, will you?"

"Of course." Ahatake nodded. "I'm not in the mood to die yet." He walked upstairs and grabbed two things. His sword and his Riyūhōchō. He'd need them in case he was attacked. As he walked to the door, he called "Be back in a bit." and exited.

Ambush
He walked slowly down the street. It was still early, so it wasn't too busy. Ahatake breathed in the morning air. He had the whole day ahead of him. He could use this as time to investigate. His geet began to glow as those very thoughts crossed his mind and he took off down the street. That portal was still openable. What if he could traverse it? He could find out where these new foes were coming from. It would be worth it. It was strange though. He could feel a spiritual pressure in the area. He could place it's exact location, but it felt vaguely familiar. He shook his head.

Not something to worry about.

Sure enough....

...keeping herself hidden was none other than the girl who had recently come out of the portal. She had long, black hair tied in a ponytail which hung on her back. She had a rather curious look on her face as she waited, sensing his presence approaching. Truth be told, she disliked these kinds of missions, as they involved getting the drop on someone without honor. However, at the same time, she knew it was helping her in the long run. She held no personal hostility against the target, but he had a purpose to serve for them.

She could hold no regret for what she was going to do.

So she simply waited for him to come to her, waiting for her opportunity to make it clear....

Ahatake continued to tear through, making a broad leap into the air and accelerating by Fullbringing it. His goal was the forest where he found the portal. This, however, was where Senkai lurked. He made it to the forest quickly enough, and jumped onto a tree branch, using Fullbring to stick to it, and surveying the area upside down.

"Seems empty enough." He murmured and swung up, pushing himself from branch to branch like a monkey particularly skilled with it's feet. Little did he know he was being followed.

Her heart was racing within her chest as she pursued him, keeping her spiritual energy hidden from him as she gave chase. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she observed him. It seemed as if he utilized an ability that differed from the standard Zanpakutō. But what had it been called? She remembered it being mentioned before.... but she just couldn't remember what. But she was sure to find out. She would have to wait until he stopped again before making her first move. Every action counted for and against her in this. She could only hope for the best and that things would be in her favor.

He made a wide-leap and Fullbrought the air to accelerate himself down. He landed neatly, in the area where the portal was. His hand began to glow as he felt for it again.

"Bingo." He thought as his hand vanished. He turned it like a key, and, in a matter of seconds, opened the Meidō.

"I see you found my ride."

A casual voice of a female sounded a distance behind him. The ponytail-haired girl was leaning against a tree, arms folded across her chest. She had a polite smile directed towards him, her gray eyes gazing him over. There was a sword that was holstered to her waist, yet she made no move to pull it out just yet. She simply waited for him to respond to her.

Ahatake turned quickly, his hand flying wildly towards his own sword. This spiritual pressure was the one that was familiar.

"Senkaku?" He murmured. "No... you're a girl." Her spiritual pressure felt remarkably like Senkaku's. "So, this portal is yours?"

"Mhm!" The girl nodded earnestly. "Though it's better than nothing, I can't help but complain that the travel's too cold." She felt her heart begin to relax a little under the conversation. If this target could be eased into reason, then she wouldn't have to resort to any underhanded methods. "Then again, you've felt its energy for yourself, haven't you?"

"Yeah." Ahatake said, surprised by how civil she seemed. "But, being part demon, I've adjusted to it well. Care to tell me where it leads by any chance?" He asked as politely as he could, thinking along the same lines as her. He wasn't a fan of fighting women anyway, so if he could just get her to talk...

The girl shrugged. "It takes you over to the Kan'na dimension."

"Kan'na?" Ahatake asked, confused. "What is that?"

"It's a dimension opposite from this one." The girl explained, folding her arms behind her back. "I usually think of it as a big old Hueco Mundo, what with all of the Hollows and Arrancar dominating the area...."

"Sounds like an interesting place." Ahatake said, thinking more to himself than actually speaking to her. "A place where Hollows run free..." He sounded more pleased than terrified by the thought.

"Say."

The girl looked at him curiously, tilting her head to the side. "You mentioned "Senkaku" just now. How come?"

"Oh?" Ahatake was happy to see this conversation had not turned into violence yet. "He's an Arrancar I fought sometime back. Damn bastard. If I remember right, I just barely won. Or did I lose and manage to escape?" He thought about it. "Bah. It was a century or so ago anyway, I'm not expected to remember."

"But.... how come you mentioned his name? He's not here, is he?" The girl looked at him in a confused.

"Your spiritual pressure." Ahatake replied. "It's similar to his, but altered in a way." He shrugged. "Maybe I'm getting old."

"....oh!" Immediately, the girl's expression brightened up in realization, and she clapped her hands together in an expression of excitement. "You must've ran into my Sonoma counterpart, didn't you? It was always a wonder to me about why we shared similar names. But now that you've told me that, I know now!"

"Sonoma...?" He tilted his head questioningly. "That's what this dimension is called?"

"Mhm!"

"You seem very eager to talk." Ahatake said, eyes narrowing. "Not at all like the Senkaku of this world." He now decided to ask her the question that needed asking.

"So... why are you here?"

The girl lowered her hands and folded them across her back. For a moment, a bit of apprehension came over her face before she took in a deep breath in order to prepare herself. Then, she smiled again, eyes squinted shut. "Why, that's simple, really. I came here in order to fight you, in order to see how strong you truly are."

Ahatake groaned. This was what he wanted to avoid, fighting a woman. And she was rather cute to. He frowned. If she was serious, he'd make sure he at least didn't damage her face. He pulled his sword, complete in sheath, out from where it was holstered. He'd use this.

"Alright." He said, looking right at her. "I'm ready when you are."

The only did she did in return was lower her hands, her gaze level as she curled her fingers into her palms. Then, she settled into a stable stance, her muscles tensing at the movements. She wouldn't have to go all out with this one unless it proved necessary; after all she was only testing him, and she did not want to draw too much attention to herself. Mentally, she cleared away any hesitations, focusing on nothing but attack and defense.

She pushed off with her legs.

WOOSH!

She rocketed towards him, her ponytail whipping behind her. As she closed in on him, she brought one of her fists back and swung in conjunction with the momentum she had brought with her.

With great speed, Ahatake drew his blade, swinging his durable sheath up to meet her fist. Next, backing it with all the strength he could muster, he swung his blade upwards towards her unused arm.

Silently taking in the action, the girl raised her free arm and bent it in front of her, lowering her other arm. Once the blade clashed with it, it skidded across the surface of her skin, sparks flying as it slid off. However, the force was considerable, and the pressure in the attack was strong enough for her to have to use force in order to keep her arm propped up. A smile crossed her face once again.

"He's definitely a lot stronger than I anticipated...."

When the tip of his blade was about to slide off of her arm, the female fighter took a few charging steps forward to get closer to Ahatake and under his guard. Then, she raised her leg up in a horizontal kick towards his ribs.

At that moment, Ahatake's feet let off a flickering glow, and he vanished on the spot, appearing behind her, his own leg raised, swinging it towards her face with his own kick. Her had decided not to damage her face, but she had that Hierro going for her.

She could only manage to turn around just in time to see his foot collide with her jaw.

Although she was forced back upon the force of the blow, she did not express any pain, and there was virtually no damage done to her person. However, her eyes were widened considerably in surprise as she flew back. Her body was quick to react, landing and launching back at Ahatake again.

Ahatake retaliated by launching himself towards her, his hair whipping back behind him. He raised his blade and sheath. The moment he was an instant from her, he swung down the sheath. Right before it was to make any contact with her, the sheath immediately changed, becoming a sword, and glowing with electricity.

"!!!!"

Immediately, The girl stopped her own forward direction and stepped back just in time to keep herself from being electrocuted. Strong as it was, her Hierro would not be able to stop the current that would force itself through her body. She performed a retreat in order to gain distance between her opponent, performing backflips in order to avoid any following-up attacks made from the Kurosaki.

Ahatake stood up, holding the newly created blade in his hands. His other sword, the one that he'd had before the sheath transformed into one, was also immersed in flowing electricity, and they seemed connected now by a long rope of electricity.

Ahatake was smirking now, as the lightning aura expanded with weaker ferocity around his entire body.

"Still ready to continue?"

This made her smile. The man surely knew how to utilize his energy, and he held considerable power within him. The fact that he seemed to be enjoying himself lessened the regret in fighting him; if he didn't mind, that was all well and great! Deciding to up the ante, she grabbed her own blade and swung it from her sheath, standing in a comfortable stance. "Ready when you are." She answered readily, bracing herself.

"Good." Ahatake gripped one of his blades and threw it towards her, the lighting covered tip ready to pierce. As it flew, Ahatake kept tight hold on the other blade, and the lightning "rope" extended as it flew towards the girl.

She moved to evade them, trying to keep out of their range. At the same time, she lifted a hand out towards him. Dozens of Bala spheres came from her palms and shot towards her opponent in the form of a volley.