Bleach: Dark Intentions Arc: Through the Looking Glass II

Critical Information
"I managed to get what I needed from Aoi.... or at least, what I hope we'll need."

''Megami sat in her chair, hands on her knees and eyes level with her family members. "According to her..." She explained. "The only way that our Ahatake can wake up is if the energy that the Ahatake from Kan'na stole from him is taken back. But the process is difficult, even for those who can adeptly control their energy."

Miharu was sitting on the very same sofa now, alone. She was going over those same words in her head, the memory of just a few hours ago. Her mother had gone out to get the information she needed from the libarian, and come home quite late, Miharu having gotten rather impatient. The moment her mother had gotten home, she demanded the information. Now she was thinking it over. Lost in her thoughts as she was, she did not notice the sun was rising and her mother coming downstairs.

"Miharu....?" Megami's gentle voice spoke out to her ears, and her figure walked into the living room, her eyes gazing upon the girl curiously.

Miharu looked up. "Oh. Good morning Ka-chan." She said, flashing a forced smile. "Did you sleep at all?"

"I slept fine...." Megami's mouth curled downward, and she stared a bit quizzically at the girl. "But you seem troubled about something.... what is it?"

"Well..." She frowned, producing her Zanpakutō from the side of the sofa. "I was thinking about how draining the other Ahatake's energy is the way to revive Tō-san. You said it's not easy. But...my Zanpakutō can almost do anything. So... I think I should be the one to get Tō-san's energy back."

"Oh....well...." Megami's expression turned to one of confusion. "I really don't see anything wrong with that. After all, I was planning on taking you along with me for that reason...."

Miharu's face brightened slightly. "That's a relief..." She murmured. "I was worried you'd say no."

"Oh! Was all that was it? If you were to go alone, I think I would've went that way, too...." Megami allowed herself to walk over, sitting herself right beside Miharu. "But, as it is, I'm in a position to help you this time. So I'm going to use every chance I get in order to get us through this."

Miharu smiled. The fact that her mother wanted to help watch out for her really made her feel good. "Alright. Then we'll work hard to save Tō-san together."

"Well this is nice." A voice came from the stairs, and Miharu and Megami. "Nice to know it's all settled. Would you mind if I tagged along though?"

Megami's eyes widened at the sound of the voice, and she snapped her head towards the source. It was none other than the figure of Daiyaku at the head of the stairs. "Are you sure...?" She questioned. "I don't want to drag you into this unnecessarily...."

"Uncessary?" Daiyaku looked at her, sounding both amused and a little offended. "If Miharu is going someplace possibly dangerous, I can assure you I will be coming with. Besides, you all are like family to me now. I want to help Ahatake-san."

This made Megami smile in gratitude. "Thank you, Daiyaku...." She said softly. "That means a lot...."

Daiyaku smiled. "Of course. Which reminds me, Akiko is staying behind to watch your husband."

The woman nodded appropriately. Akiko would be the one most suited to watch over Ahatake in his comatose state. With her proficiency in the demon, she would hopefully find away to lessen the disease that was within his body. It was funny that the woman's effectiveness did not show up before. But, then again, she had rarely encountered Akiko in past times...

"So when do we leave?" Miharu asked.

"Whenever we're ready...."

To emphasize this statement, Megami allowed herself to stand, dusting herself off a little. "I'm not going to lie, you two...." She said to the both of them. "I'm no novice when it comes to heading into combat. But with everything we know, I might as well be running blind here. We're going to have to go to the Kan'na universe, and it makes me afraid to be unaware of what exactly awaits us on the other side. So I hope you're prepared to rely on yourselves as much as each other, all right?"

They each nodded, Miharu looking determined. "I'll open the portal." She drew her blade. "Improvise, Kyūmu! Lead us to Kan'na!" She swung it, and it looked as if she sliced the very air in half as her own Mediō. As normal, the cold rushed out. "Is this what the portal looks like?" Miharu asked.

A slow nod was Megami's response as she instinctively moved out of the way, not wanting to feel its effects directly. "This is it...." She confirmed.

"Then we're going in." Miharu said, jumping in with a determined look washing over her face. She made a wide leap, landing on the pre-made path in the portal. Her mother followed, with Daiyaku taking up the rear. They ran as fast as possible, but as they moved, Miharu thought she noticed something.

For a brief moment, the stranger had flashed in front of her before disappearing again, like nothing more than an image of illusion....

"Tch..." Miharu thought. "So that thing is following. It this it's wierd form of entertainment?" She shook her head. It was keeping her father alive, so she couldn't express too much distaste about it. She turned to her mother. "Any idea how long this thing goes on for?" She asked. "I can't stand being inside this place for too long."

"Honey, if I could make this trip faster, I would...." Megami answered quickly. "But you have to be patient...."

"Sorry." She replied, keeping her eyes forward. The more distance she could put between herself and the hooden man however, the better. "So what do we do once we get there?" Miharu decided to keep conversation going. "Do we formulate some sort of plan, or do we just run around searching?"

"Miharu, I'm not your father here...."

"So does that mean we plan?" Miharu asked. She sounded disappointed. It seemed one of the things she'd inherited from Ahatake was a lack of planning for....well, anything.

"Yes, dear, we plan." Megami answered calmly.

"Oh boy..." Miharu thought to herself. "I guess I'll leave the actual planning to you. I'm not cut out for it."

....had she intended to come here on her own without a plan?

It was a good thing that Megami had decided to intervene, then.

Megami remained silent on her words, continuing to make her way down the path. Inwardly, she too wanted to leave this place as fast as possible. The chilling aura was enough to freeze her very bones, and the aura was killing her resolve. It felt as if the entire tunnel was suppressing her will, as if it was a living entity was telling her to turn back. That only made even more unease creep within her heart.

They kept running, Miharu adjusting much easier to the cold, clammy feeling caused by the portal. Daisuke, if it was affecting him, hadn't bothered to mention. From how he hadn't spoken at all, perhaps he thought it was better to keep his mouth shut.

After a few more minutes of running, Miharu called back. "I think I see something! The exit perhaps?"

"We'll find out, won't we....?" Megami muttered to herself.

They increased running speed, and Miharu found it was indeed an exit...to what looked like Hell on Earth. Megami and Daiyaku soon followed after her out of the exist, Daiyaku wobbling briefly before fixing stunned eyes on the destroyed city around them.

Miharu was taking time to take it all in. The sky...it was obviously night, the cool temperature told her that. But the moon was hidden behind thick, purple clouds of...Miharu didn't know what it was. Buildings were lying in rubbled heaps, nothing at all was standing. And the Hollows...their roars could be hard, their prescense merely added to the chill over the area.

"Did he do all this...?" She muttered, still looking around.

Megami was used to the destroyed buildings. The civil war that had torn their own city apart was still fresh in her mind, despite it happening years ago. Her wary eyes drifted towards the distant Hollows. Their presence seemed to overtake everything, blotting out the sky with their numbers. "I don't think even he would be capable of this...." She said quietly, her billowing in the winds.

Miharu frowned as Daisuke eyed the Hollows. This was like Hueco Mundo.

"Since we're not going in without a plan..." Miharu said, twirling her hair. "What's the plan?"

"....guess we start looking around."

"I could make it easier than that." Miharu suggested. "I could use Kyūmu to "search" for Tō-san's Spiritual Energy. Sound good?"

A heavy sigh escaped Megami's lips, and she closed her eyes. "Miharu, you don't need my approval for things like that..."

"Oh yeah..." She chuckled before drawing her sword. "Improvise...Kyūmu!" As soon as she said these words, a large wave of energy from released in sphere on all sides moving as far away from them as possible. As soon as it got a far enough distance away Miharu shuddered.

"I think I feel something." She said, sounding uncertain. "It's like something is messing with the reception, but I can just feel it."

"What is it?" Megami questioned her.

"I was searching for Tō-san's spiritual energy. And I think I picked up it's signal. But it's muffled. Like something is messing with my senses. A barrier, maybe."

"Another one?" Megami sighed heavily, pressing a palm to her face. "One would've thought such obvious barricades would be a problem...." She lowered her hand again, looking over her daughter. "Can you find the direction?"

"Yeah that's not a problem. Now that's I felt the spiritual energy, however muffled it is, I will be able to find it." Miharu nodded. "Shall I lead you there, or are we "planning first?" She put about as much distaste around the word as she could muster. Daiyaku couldn't help but chuckle.

"Lead us." Megami said calmly.

Miharu took off, Daiyaku and Megami following. The journey was slightly long, due to the interruption of several Hollows, all of which were killed off. Then, Miharu held out a hand to stop them, they were in front of what looks like a continuing of the rubble. There didn't seem to be anything there.

"We're here." Miharu said.

"All right.... stand back....."

Slowly, Megami walked over to the barrier and raised a hand to press on it.

However, when her palm reached, her eyes widened at it slipping through the barrier. "....ok....?" She muttered hesitantly. "I guess this is some sort of detecting barrier, then. Miharu, is there anything around us that happened to set their eyes on us right now?"

"Not really." Miharu shook her head. "I can still feel the spiritual pressure, and nothing's changed. He hasn't tensed up or anything. I think we'd have to fully step into the barrier before anything actually happens."

"Well...." Megami pulled her hand out, studying the barrier in front of her for a split-second. "There has to be a way to get through this without triggering the alarm. The last thing I want is to end up pinned to the ground again by one of those spells...."

"Improvise, Kyūmu." Miharu murmured, and her sword began to glow a light blue. As it did so, each one of them felt like they had something cold trickling down their backs. "That should do it." She said, smiling. "I've cloaked us. Our spiritual energies cannot be sensed, we cannot be seen, heard, or smelt. It's as if we don't exist."

"Convienient...." Megami cocked an eyebrow at the declaration, but didn't complain on it. "All right. Let's go in. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can leave and go home." She allowed herself to step through the barrier.

Miharu and Daiyaku followed suit. The sight was an amazing one. It was as if they'd walked into water, but they were dry. It seemed to be the inside of a building, and it was certainly the most unique thing in Kan'na. Fish were swimming through the water that filled the area, and when Miharu spoke to one of them to scare it, bubbles issued from her mouth in conjuction with her speech. Several orbs of light were floating as well, attracting Daiyaku's attention moreso than Miharu's. Despite the beauty of the area however, the most noticeable thing was the giant tree. Resting on it's roots was Ahatake, looking out upon the hideout he created.

"...." Megami's eyes were now focused on Ahatake, expression solemn. She stood still, raising a hand for the other two to stop. "He doesn't notice us...." She said. "Now we can subdue him without him alerting the others. Any suggestions on how to do it?" She could use the water around them in order to freeze him.... but it was a rather risk move, and she wasn't sure if he would be able to counter it. Thus, the other two came in.

Before any of them could suggest anything to her, Ahatake stood up. He picked his sword up, placing them at his side next to, the three saw with a jolt of pain, Sonoma Ahatake's own two blades. Ahatake yawned. "Megami!" He called. "I'm about to go out. It's time to begin the extermination!"

Megami's voice came from the same level that the other three were in. "Have fun!" She called out, almost in a rather indifferent manner.

Ahatake couldn't surpress a chuckle. The woman really had no interest in the plight of the humans.

Miharu frowned. "This may sound odd...but I want to see what he's going to do." She said to Daiyaku and her mother.

"Miharu, we're here to get your father's powers back, not turn his actions into a spectacle...." Megami reminded her immediately, her hands raising themselves up towards the man.

Ahatake was already on the move however, walking right out of the wall.

"Now we have no choice do we?" Miharu said, smiling. Daiyaku sighed. Strange how this girl usually got her way. "So, can we go watch?"

"....this always seems to happen...."

Megami decided to say nothing in response to Miharu's statement, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath before exhaling. It was a frustrating move. "Miharu.... when we get back, I think I'm going to also show you how to decide what's important in a critical situation and what's not." She said in a lightly peeved manner. "Let's go watch...."

Miharu chuckled as they pursued Ahatake who was already far ahead. They ran in silence, neither Ahatake nor the Hollows around noticing the three pursuers.

"Not sure where he's going..." Miharu thought to herself. "But I feel a mass reiatsu up there. And each of...is a powerful Hollow."

Her hunch was soon proved to be right. Ahatake soon came to a stop overlooking what seemed to be a large cliff. Miharu, Megami and Daiyaku soon stopped to, not so much because they'd seem him stop, but due to the overpowering feeling of Hollow reiatsu coming from below the cliff.

"Wow...." Megami immediately came to a stop, the immense spiritual energy causing her to freeze in place out of bewilderment. "I never would've thought that the Vasto Lorde would be in one place together. Their spiritual energy is....horrible....!!"

"I know..." Daiyaku murmured. "Why would he come all the way out here..?"

To their shock, Ahatake jumped from the cliff face, drawing his sword and he landed neatly on the bottom, where the Vasto Lordes of different designs and power were gathered. Bodies of several humans were visible, even the bodies of other Hollows. Miharu, Megami and Daiyaku went to look, not bothering to go down yet.

"I think he's suicidal." Daiyaku murmured.

One of the Hollows who had been sitting still as a statue looked up at Ahatake. It was the largest Hollow there, and apparently the leader of the group.

"Human." It murmured, rousing the attention of the other Hollows. "No....Shinigami." It stood up. "What are you doing here?"

"Why ask?" One of the Hollows piped up. "Let's just kill him. His soul smells too good to pass up anyway." The others Hollows murmured their agreement. Ahatake's eyes narrowed.

"I think he's angry." One of them said, laughing. It stood up. "Don't worry kid, soon you won't feel anythiiiiiiiiiiing!" It charged at him, clawed hand outstretched. Ahatake moved in, drawing his sword and slicing it in half. His new spiritual energy was rising, everyone could feel it.

The effects were immediate.

The disruption of the energy from Ahatake's body had sent wind shockwaves outward in all directions. Megami had to turn her face away for a moment at the initial hit, wincing at the contact. However, she immediately understood what was going on now. The power increase had not been for simple, selfish gain. The bodies of Pluses, the overwhelming presences of the Hollows.... it was all clear now. Ahatake was attempting to save this dimension from destruction.

All of a sudden, Megami felt a bit more guilty for her own motives...

"What the...!?" One of the Hollows jumped back as it's friend was killed.

Ahatake turned to the rest of them. "It's time for you all to say good-bye."

"Cocky brat!" One of the Hollows opened it's mouth to fire a Cero at Ahatake.

"Fools..." Ahatake placed one hand over his face, gathering reishi over it. Ripping his hand away from it, he summoned his Hollow mask. He raised his hand and caught the Cero, shocking the Hollow that fired it. The Cero then burst as he fired his own white Cero through it towards the Hollow that had attacked, destroying it. He kept a tight grip on his sword. "It's over for all of you." He said, rushing towards them with Shunpo. He then leapt into the air, and utilized the Bringer Lights to increase his speed still further, ripping easily through several of the Hollows. The Vasto Lordes class of Hollow was falling to him.

Miharu looked on at this in awe. "So...this is why he wanted Tō-san's power..." She looked at her mother. "I want Tō-san back, but now I'm wondering. He's obviously trying to help his dimension. If we kill him to get Tō-san's powers back, doesn't that make us the bad guys in a way?"

"No one said we had to kill him, Mi-chan...." Megami reminded her, eyes still gazing at Ahatake as he continued to strike down the opposition.

Pink light illuminated the area as red and white Ceros clashed. "True, but aren't we still dooming this dimension to be overrun with Hollows?" She asked.

Megami remained silent, her eyes closed. She couldn't answer that question, remaining silent instead. However, there was conflict in herself, about what to do. Submit to her selfish desires and give her own husband at life? Allow a future for the dying populace here? It was now a difficult decision, and the guilt was growing.

Ahatake had already trimmed their numbers down by half, and any sense of the cockiness the Hollows had before was gone.

"Are you all going to run?" He asked as they backed away. "Feel free. I'll even give you a 5 second head start." The Hollows did not hesitate, taking off, leaving behind only one foolish straggler.

"I'm not going anywhere kid!" It jabbed it's thumb at it's mask. "You're merely playing at being Hollow. YOU CAN'T BEAT THE GENUINE ARTICLE!" It charged at him, ready to rip him apart.

"You're companions at least knew what they should do..." Ahatake said, raising his finger towards it. "You all will never see the Soul Society..." From the tip of his finger burst a large white Cero, annihilating the Hollow attacking him, the Hollows fleeing, and a large portion of the landscape. He raised a hand to his face, and his mask cracked and fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. "Vermin..."

"I'm thinking two things." Daiyaku murmured. "One, if we go up against this guy, we are screwed. Two, if we somehow beat him and get Ahatake's energy back, this dimension is screwed. Any thoughts, anyone?"

Megami remained silent. She really had nothing to say at the moment. This was a nonverbal and inactive movement to hand the decision over to her daughter. Because her desire to pursue the man who had stolen S. Ahatake's power had been as strong as her own, it was only logical. Her eyes drifted towards her Miharu, wondering what the young girl would say.

Miharu frowned. "I think we'll have to go through with it." She sighed. "These two dimensions must exist as they do for a reason, which means that leaving him to pursue his cause, even if it's a noble one, will just screw things up in the end."

"...and, our Ahatake will die." Megami added grimly as an afterthought, a reminder of their situation.

"Bingo." Miharu said. "So, should we begin now? If we can take him by surprise, we may have a chance. Unfortunately, the moment we make a move to attack, the cloaking will cease."

Megami shifted her gaze towards Ahatake. "If we're going to strike, we're going to have to get as close to him as we can so that he'll have little time to react...."

"Then let's go now. Simply moving won't break the cloak."

Ahatake sighed. "It's almost time to destroy the next wave." He thought to himself. "With these new powers, this living Hell will end."

Daiyaku, Miharu, and Megami each jumped down from the cliff. To what seemed like a convenience, Ahatake was standing still for a moment. He drew S. Ahatake's knife. "I'll try this next time around."

Each of them took a place around Ahatake, close enough that he couldn't get away, but not so close to mess themselves up in a combined attack.

"On your count Kā-chan." Miharu whispered.

"On three... one.... two..."

Megami braced herself, as she spoke the final word. "THREE!!!"

Miharu and Megami made similar movements, lunging forward, her sword pointed directly at Ahatake. Daiyaku had immersed himself in lightning aiming a reinforced punch at Ahatake. It was as Miharu had said. The moment they made a move to attack, the cloaking was lifted and their spiritual pressure washed over him like a violent waterfall. It served as just the alarm he needed. With his increased power, his speed enabled him to escape in the only direction they hadn't guard.

Up.

Due to his surprise escape, each of the trio's attacks collided with each other, forcing them back in a different direction. Ahatake looked down on them with a look like irritation.

"You all followed, did you?"

Megami shifted her attention to the man, her sword fully materialized in her hands. She stood, stance taken and sword raised. Her eyes were staring intensely at the man, and she was ready to attack once more. She made sure to take a position in which she and her allies were still surrounding him.