Diosa Arc: Death's Scent on the Wind

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shikaku's job? Keeping a leash on him.

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

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

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

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

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

"And if I refuse?"

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

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

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

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

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

And that wouldn't teach him the lesson needed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A moment of silence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Sure."

POP!

Tomahawk had taken the shot.

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

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

Grinning in satisfaction, Tomahawk prepared to get up--

WHAM!

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

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

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

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

CLANG!

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

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

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

To anyone else, it might've worked.

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

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

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

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

Miharu grumbled.

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

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

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

"Huh?"

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

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

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

"Oh...."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"MIHARU!!!"

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

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

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

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

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

"!!!"

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

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

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

"Oh, no...."

Her fears were confirmed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CLANG!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She didn't see it coming.

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

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

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

"But that was an even worse move!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Megami noticed it completely.

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

But how?

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

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

"What the hell?" Grimmjow hissed.

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

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

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

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

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

"Sorry...." Megami said lightly. "But I'm taken." Laughing inwardly at her own joke, she immediately moved her sword hand, as well as her body, in a rather elegant manner. The waves of water, with each an every movement, were summoned back up to her. She launched it forward, the waves of water racing back towards Aaroniero.

In one easy cut, Aaroniero sliced the wave in half, and began to walk, water swirling around him and whipping around the trident he held. He held out of a hand. "Cero." He launched his blue Cero at the woman, and right after he fired the beam, he launched a wave of water that moved like a snake.

Grimmjow easily cut through Ahatake's Cero, and then cut his hand. "Try this Visored." He said, charging a massive blue Cero that charged differently than a normal Cero. "This is a Cero that only the Espada can use!"

Ahatake frowned inside his mask. A new type of Cero he had yet to see. This would be fun. He braced himself.

"Gran Rey Cero!" The Espada fired the Cero at Ahatake, and it flew wildly and uncontrolled, it's razors edge seeming to tear the air. The blast collided into Ahatake with a boom.

Instinctively, Megami took her eyes off of her opponent, having been shocked by the attack on her husband.

Unfortunately, that itself was an error.

Instantly, she realized her mistake, and she attempted to avoid the attack onto her person, the Cero connected with her and enveloped her within its light.

It didn't stop there, the blast of water still heading straight toward her. He didn't let up, sending a bullet of water flying across the air after her as well.

Smoke was rising up from Ahatake as he was revealed to have been scarred by that attack, his mask had been halved. His eyes shifted to Megami. Was she ok?

'''"Now that..." He panted. "That was a Cero. But why don't we try one of mine on for size?" He cut his hand, just like Grimmjow, and charged up a Cero.

"You're joking. You can't possibly pull off a Cero like mine!"'''

Ahatake's mask regenerated as he glared.

"Try me." He let the Cero loose, and it hit Grimmjow dead on, like his had just a few minutes ago.

Megami dropped down, a ferocious blow having been taken to her person. But the water only sped up her descent, slamming into her body and sending her careening into the ground. Pain shot through her, and smoke billowed around where she had connected. It hurt everywhere.... but she had to stand! She forced herself up to her hands and knees, breathing hitched by the blows delivered upon her.

Aaroniero sighed. "And yet you continue to stand. You can't win like this. Just give up."

Megami shook her head fervently. "I....I can't do that...." She managed to whisper.

"I see." Aaroniero raised his trident, and water began to swirl up around him like a massive tornado. "Then you will fall you know."

Megami's eyes narrowed. She forced herself up to a kneeling position, her sword once again materializing in her hand. "I was taught to be able to sacrifice myself for the sake of others in the extent that it proves necessary...." She said. "If you're trying to scare me, then stop now!"

"I see." Aaroniero held his trident fast. "Then, it was nice knowing you!" He vanished with Shunpo, appeared next to her. Instead of attack with his trident however, and swung his fist up to meet her face.

Grimmjow fell from the air, smoking from all around his body. "Damn you." He growled, as Ahatake descended, wounded but not incapable of battle.

WHACK!

Megami's free hand lifted, stopping the fist from hitting her face. She winced, but a smile crossed her face. Her fingers closed around his hand, a vice grip being applied to it. "You don't have the right to declare victory so soon...." She chided the Espada, focusing her energy into the next attack. "Tsuzuri Raiden!" The electricity seemed from her palm, spreading into his body and sending volts of lightning power through his nervous system.

He let out a gurgling scream as the electricity pulsed through his body. His body started shaking violently, yet his grip on his trident seemed to tighten. He shakily raised his hand. "Sō-Sōkatsui!" He fired the spell from his palm at her.

Thanks to the shaking, the aim was drastically off.

Letting go of his hand, she lunged to the side in order to avoid the strike. However, she hissed at the pain that the movement created. With those last blows he had gotten on her, fighting to full effectiveness would be extremely difficult. She swung her good arm as she lunged, the blade shifting into a water whip and racing straight towards her target simultaneously.

The whip hit, cutting into the Arrancar's skin. As the lightning spell wore off, he was able to jump back, shaking only slightly from the residual electricity coursing through his body. He pointed a finger at her and began to chant. "Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle! Hadō #63. Raikōhō." Fully incantated, the spell was ready to go. Aaroniero launched a massive concentrated strike of energy at Megami.

'''"Getting frustrated, Grimmjow?" Ahatake asked. "Getting scared?"

In an effort to keep from straining herself, Megami didn't opt to use Flash Step this time. Instead, she used a physical leap in order to push herself out of the way of the blast.

Aaroniero used Shunpo to appear behind Megami, twirling the trident. "Let's end this here." He said, swinging the water-covered weapon down at Megami.

Grimmjow was getting up, his sword gripped in his hand. "Let's take this up a notch, Visored." Grimmjow's sword began to glow. "Grind...Pantera!"

However, once again, Megami raised her own sword to block. She gritted her teeth, having to put her sword behind her in order to intercept what would've been a dangerous attack. "I don't think so!" She retorted, twirling around and unleashing a flurry of strikes on his person.

Aaroniero began moving quickly, raising his trident to block her strikes, using the handle as his shield. Even wounded, she was powerful.

Before Grimmjow's transformation could begin however a hand fell onto his shoulder.

"I think it's time to end this little game, don't you agree?"

Shikaku stood behind Grimmjow, hand promptly resting on his shoulder. Immediately, upon sensing the pressure, Megami instantly recoiled back from the Novena and jumped away. Her eyes fell upon the man, clearly surprised at his appearance. "What...?!"

Grimmjow immediately spoke her thoughts. "What?!" He asked incredulously. "Geezer, get the hell out of here! We're doing fine!"

Aaroniero looked at Shikaku coldly, but descended from the air nonetheless, his Shikai disappointing. "Did Diosa send you hear, Shikaku-san?"

"She did." Shikaku replied, keeping his hand on Grimmjow's shoulder. He didn't trust the rebellious Arrancar's behavior, and would keep it there for restraining purposes. "It's time we headed back."

"I figured as much. Is it safe to say our performance did not meet her standards?" Aaroniero asked.

The elder Arrancar merely shrugged. "You'll find out when we head back there." He replied dismissively, his eyes directing themselves towards Aaroniero. "Now say your good-byes and let's get out of here." The last sentence was said in a rather joking remark, but retained its serious tone.

Grimmjow shook the old Arrancar's hand off. "Get your withered paws off me." He muttered.

Ahatake's mask cracked. "Old geezer! Who are you and what did these two want with us?"

At his enemy's voice, Shikaku merely smirked, his eyes drifting over towards Ahatake. "That's for us to know and you to find out, you runt." He retorted, folding his arms within his sleeves.

"Runt?" A vein throbbed in Ahatake's head. "You know geezer, I just decided you're not making it out of here." He held up hand. "Die." He let loose a large Cero that flew towards Shikaku, Grimmjow, and Aaroniero.

What a way to go.

Smiling in clear amusement, Shikaku slowly extended his hand out, his body moving in the direction of the Cero's path. He didn't allow himself to move at all, his stance like that of a stone wall. The Cero itself slammed into his palm, enveloping him in its light.... but nothing else. The energy itself stopped right there at his palm. Without hesitation, he tossed the Cero away like a ball.

"Wh...what the hell?" Ahatake was stunned, seeing his Cero so easily shrugged off.

"Well....?" Shikaku's voice was directed towards the two Espada, still conversational. "Do you want me to hold your hands and carry you across the street to where Diosa is?"

"Stuff it already geezer and just open the damn Garganta." Grimmjow snapped.

"Hmph. So I guess I do." Frowning in disdain, the elder Arrancar raised his hand and flicked his wrist, summoning the massive Garganta portal.

Aaroniero and Grimmjow stepped into the Garganta, and walked off calmly into it, not bothering to wait for Shikaku. The last Arrancar himself was quick to follow, his mind swirling with thoughts.

As the Garganta closed, Ahatake appeared next to Megami, looking at her arm. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"I've...."

However, as Megami willed herself to speak, she found even her voice licking at her body's pain. "I've....definitely felt better...." She groaned, her sword dissipating under her will. She clutched one of her arms, sitting down on the earth with one eye closed and one eye open. "Though I'm surprised....I'm still alive.... I wonder why they....Gah...! Left all of a sudden...."

"I heard your opponent guess that someone named "Diosa" didn't like how they were fairing." Ahatake answered. "Are you able to heal yourself with your Kidō?"

Megami managed to shake her head. "Uh uh. I can only do that on other people...." She answered wearily. "It'll take a few days... but this won't be enough to keep me out for long."

"Alright. Let's get you home and patched up. Feeling up to flaming? It'll get us back quicker."

"Oh, no... please don't, you know how I hate that!"

"You may lose too much blood if we go back normally." Ahatake replied, gesturing around. "We're on an island far away from civilization." Ahatake chuckled. "If you weren't injured, this place would be ideal..."

"I'm not going to bleed out...." Megami managed to insist, head tilting to the side for a moment. Her neck was getting tired from holding it up. "The majority of my wounds come from burns and results of blunt force trauma, nothing serious. We-- I'll be fine.... all right?" She managed a weak smile in his direction in order to emphasize.

Ahatake sighed. "Alright." He sheathed his sword and picked her up, bridal style. "But, do you have any objections to me carrying you back?"

A slight blush crossed her cheeks, but she ignored it. She wrapped her arms around Ahatake's neck for support. "Of course not." She said lowly. "There's nothing wrong with being a gentleman and helping out a lady, right?" In his arms, she could practically feel her pain dissipate, if only for a moment. She rested her head against his shoulder, making herself comfortable as she could.

Ahatake chuckled, and took off, running as fast as possible through the air, across the raging sea. The sea spray was actually refreshing, but he barely had time to feel it as he moved. The sun began to become visible again as they neared the mainland, and Ahatake skidded to a stop on the beach for a split second, before taking off once again, dodging around people who yelped at the blur that raced among them. He skidded to a final stop on the yard, and looked down to see if Megami looked normal.

And in the midst of it....

Megami had immediately fallen asleep, her eyes closed. She wasn't able to help herself; his arms were so warm and comfortable, even in the speed he was going at. Now, her grip on his neck and shoulders was light, and her breathing patterns had returned to normal.

Ahatake chuckled, and walked into the house, placing her on the couch. He flamed away and into the bathroom to get some bandages. He was no expert with medicine, so he'd just have to make do. If only Akiko was around. He flamed back into the family room, and dabbed what was labeled as a soothing salve onto the burn marks on her arms, and began to wrap them in the bandages.

At the pain of her wounds being touched in such a manner, Megami's body slightly flinched a little at first. However, it soon relaxed, and she remained undisturbed from her slumber, her breathing light. She looked quite peaceful and beautiful, and it would've seemed like some sort of children's fairy tale if one looked at the situation closely.

Report
Ahatake sighed. "Well, she's out like a light." He thought. "Perhaps I should tell His Highness about this. Might as well give his soldiers something to do." Ahatake wrote a note explaining where he was heading, and, turning on his heel, vanished in a burst of flame, reappearing right inside the throne room.

It was empty.

There was no King, or Chidori. On his desk, there were papers lying in a stack and all marked with his signature. It seemed that the man had taken a leave somewhere else for the moment. However, the door was still open, and the palace was still filled with activity. He hadn't left the building.... but he was somewhere else.

Ahatake frowned. Walking out of the office. He flagged down the first solder he saw. "Hey you, do you know where His Highness is?"

"Huh?" The soldier was leaning against the wall when Ahatake had spoke up to him, craning his head in the Kurosaki's direction. "Your Majesty is in a meeting with the Major, who seemed awfully flustered about something. You can turn right at the next corner you find and get to the spot were he and a couple other squadron leaders are talking it out, but I doubt you'll get in. The shit's busy as a hive."

"I can get in with no problem." Ahatake said confidently. "Thanks."

"Sure, no problem."

Ahatake began to feel for the King's spiritual pressure, and it was quite simple to catch on to it. "There." He turned on his heel and vanished, reappearing in a room where two people were rapidly conversing, one easily recognizable as the King.

The one he was conversing with was a man dressed similar to the other soldiers. However, the mask was gone, and the face of a middle-aged man could be seen. His face was set in anger, and he was fixing a glare at Juushin as he spoke, while the King himself remained calm with a furrowed eyebrow look. The voice of the Major was quite brutal, and was causing him to tense up a little just by hearing it.

"....sending more troops in would be the same as lining them up on a wall and...." The Major immediately stopped his sentence, eyes immediately focusing on the man who had just appeared. His eyes narrowed, and he immediately lowered his hand to his waist. Then, with quickdraw speed, he yanked his pistol out and aimed it at Ahatake, finally starting the King's calm facade. "And just who in the hell are you?" He spoke coldly, voice showing obvious displeasure at the unexpected entrance.

"Major! What are you doing?!" Juushin demanded.

Ahatake looked over at him. "Put that toy away before you hurt yourself." He said, brushing the Major off like it was nothing. "Jūshin, I am sorry for flaming in unannounced, but I have news for you."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jūshin saw the Major's scowl go deep, and his grip only tightened on the pistol. He didn't dare even lower it a millimeter, the barrel still aimed at the Kurosaki's head. "Whatever it is, it can wait." The soldier said dismissively. "Your Highness and I are discussing important matters."

Ahatake glared. "I'm pretty sure what I have to say takes precedence."

The Major simply returned his glare full-force, finger tightening on the trigger a bit more. "And I'm pretty sure you're standing on unauthorized territory, civilian. Step quickly or--"

"Enough!"

Juushin's harsh voice had silenced the man immediately, his expression showing slight surprise.

"That will be enough of that, major." Juushin said firmly. "It's true that his entrance was.... intrusive. But we do not treat the common people like this." His eyes drifted back towards Ahatake. Knowing that there was an unspoken order in his words, the Major himself lowered the pistol, albeit reluctantly. "Go ahead and say what you need to say, Kurosaki-san. But only if it's important."

"Thank you." Ahatake cleared his throat. "We have Arrancar loose in the city. They came after my wife and myself. Two powerful Arrancar, former Espada. Their names were Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez and Aaroniero Arruruerie. Though you oughtta know."

There was a moment of silence, as the words processed within both of their minds.

Then, the Major spoke, annoyance gracing his tone. "You came this way and barged into this discussion just to tell us that?" He asked incredulously. "What do you think my forces have been out doing all of this time? We've been looking into this ever since the first murder! Our intel-gathering have been working non-stop. We are certainly not Damian's troops anymore!"

"One more word from you and I will give you a one way ticket straight to Hell." Ahatake hissed in the direction of the Major. "You've been annoying me since I first barged in. It's a good thing to know you've been searching since the first murder, but I did not know that. I came here to give what I thought was useful information."

"Ahatake...." Jūshin said warningly, his eyes even at the man. "As obvious as your dislike of Major Ginji is.... I can't have you threaten military personnel. You understand me?"

"Of course." Ahatake said apologetically. "But it wouldn't hurt for you to control him better."

"He does not need any." Jūshin answered firmly, his glare now directed towards Ginji who flinched a little. "He is an experienced soldier. Control should've been already taught to him.... right, Major?"

"Yes, sir...." Ginji muttered, his powerful tone having been effectively quelled by the superior.

"Anyway, that's all the information I really have." Ahatake sighed.

"Then you may leave now, Ahatake." The King said promptly. "So that we may continue our discussion on what to do."

Ahatake glared coldly at the Major, his eye Hollowfying, before turning on his heel and vanishing in a burst of flames, reappearing next to Megami.

The woman had still not awakened from her slumber.... at least, until her husband's entrance.

Upon the sound of the teleportation, her shut eyes wavered for a moment before slowly opening to a half-lidded position. "Mmmmh....?" She groaned, raising the back of her hand in order to shield her eyes for a moment. "What...." She slowly forced her body up to a sitting position, faintly feeling her husband's spiritual energy."That you, Ahatake....?"

"Yeah." Ahatake replied. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better than I was, that was for sure...." She managed to answer back, putting on a smile with one eye open and one eye closed. "How long was I out?"

"Not long, about less than twenty minutes. I had to pay our dear King as visit, to tell him about what happened." He sighed. "Nearly got shot by his damn Major."

"Nearly got shot--" That immediately brought up Megami's full attention to him, startled by the revelation. "What happened?" She nearly demanded, more than asked. Her husband had surely done nothing wrong! Why did such a figure of authority put him at risk like that?

"I flamed into the room where they were having a meeting, unannounced of course. He wanted to shoot me for barging in." Ahatake chuckled. "Should have shattered his gun. And his bones along with it."

The alarm faded, and Megami closed her eyes. Her mouth let out a sigh, and her body fell back onto the couch. "See, that's the problem...." She said softly. "Of course the Major's going to act into a forceful manner if you just suddenly barge in a meeting... with Your Majesty, of all people! I know you're friends with him, but you still should realize your and his social positions. Please don't go doing something like that again...."

"I'll think about it." Ahatake replied. "So, what should we do? The King has been notified. Should we find and tell Rukia?"

"If you think about it the wrong way.... don't say I didn't warn you...."

Of course, if her husband ever got himself into trouble, it would be up to her to bail him out. She wouldn't mind doing that, but it would be so troublesome! She slapped a palm to her face, Rukia's face flashing within her head. "Yeah.... though, she'll probably be annoyed at me for saying that we were going to keep out of this. It'll make me look like a liar...." She moaned. "Why did those Espada have to come after us?! We never did anything wrong!!"

"People know about us. They said they came for our heads. Perhaps there's a bounty on us that we just don't know about?" Ahatake suggested.

"Ugh!" This caused Megami to slap her palm to the uncovered side of her face. "Who would want to put a bounty on me? I'm just an everyday mother, for crying out loud!"

"Everyday mothers don't exactly have Zanpakutō." Ahatake replied.

"Shut up." Megami puffed out one of her cheeks in a poutish expression, folding her arms across her chest as she stood back up. "Let's just go and inform Rukia-san before anything else happens. At the very least, she has to be informed before the soldiers start mobilizing themselves in order to find those Espada."

"We'll be having funerals for those soldiers before the week is out." Ahatake said knowingly. "Those Espada will spend their time walking through their bullets."

"I'm...sure that won't happen...."

"So, are you coming along to find Rukia?" Ahatake asked.

"...." Megami fixed a raise of an eyebrow at him, smirking. "What do you think I've been standing here readying up for?" She asnwered back. "Of course I'm coming. I wouldn't have gotten up if I didn't."

"Can we flame this time?" He asked, chuckling.

Megami rolled her eyes and sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "All right, hothead." She remarked, giving a chuckle of her own. "We can flame this time." She lowered her arms, waiting for him to come into close contact with her in order to do so.

Ahatake wrapped his arms around her, and began to search for Rukia's energy. "There." The couple was enveloped in flames, and the familiar feeling of being compressed and shot through a tube ensued as they traveled to Rukia's location, and the feeling of relief as they uncompressed came, appearing next to a meditating Rukia inside her room.

With Ahatake's arms wrapped around her midsection, Megami promptly placed her hands (and partially her forearms) on his chest, turned to Rukia, and decided to wake her from her trance. "Hey there~!" She chirped, loud enough to be heard but not enough to hurt her husband's eardrums.

Rukia opened her eyes slowly and looked up at the two. "Oh, Megami, Ahatake, nice to see you. What brings you two here?"

Gently, Megami pried herself from her husband's grip and turned to face Rukia, folding her hands across her chest. She bowed respectfully. "I'm really sorry to have to bother you, Rukia-san...." She said softly, her tone growing serious quickly. "But it's quite important. The former Novena and Sexta Espadas' presence have been revealed within the city. The troops are mobilizing to begin the hunt, even as we speak."

"What?" Rukia asked, surprised. "The Novena?" Rukia remembered a clear as day the moment she had struck Aaroniero down. Unfortunately, she had nearly died as well.

"They attacked us. They said they were after our heads." Ahatake explained. "Unfortunately, they got away, along with a third Arrancar."

"A third?" Rukia repeated. "This isn't good... this isn't good at all."

"Rukia-san. I really must apologize for deceiving you like that." Megami added, eyes even with Rukia's. "But I'm afraid we're going to have to be involved in this matter, now that it's us that are being targeted. We'll help in any way we can."

Rukia smiled. "It wasn't deception Megami. You honestly thought that you wouldn't have to get involved. You didn't know they'd attack you. And please, do away with the honorific."

Megami nodded in acknowledgement. "All right. Can't say I can make promises on that, it's a habit...." She admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

Ahatake scratched the back of his head. "So, what exactly do we do now?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. If it's you two they're after, they're bound to attack again." Rukia answered. "But do you really want to wait until they come after you, quite possibly with reinforcements?"