The Karakura Group made their way through the clusters of small houses. The group was a loose circle. Orihime was the center with Uryû to the rear. Ichigo was on point. Yuu was to the right of the group with Kakuchū no Ryū extended. Chad was on the left. The whole group was rigid with tense energy. Though there were houses there were no people.
"Mr. Yoruichi where are we going?" Orihime asked.
"To the Seireitei. That is where the Soul Reapers live. It is where we'll find Rukia."
""How will we get in?" That question was Yuu's.
"There is a gate. We will have to fight the gate keeper."
"So let me get this straight. We are invading the place where the Soul Reapers live and we are using the front door," Uryû seemed skeptical
"That is the easiest and the fastest way."
Chad interrupted, "There's the gate."
The group paused and fanned out into their line. In front of them stood the biggest man they had ever seen. They were far enough away that they didn't have to crane their necks to see all of him.
"We should introduce ourselves." Orihime was cheerful and almost infectious
Uryû nodded at Yuu. "You should do it. You're nice and you can defend yourself in case things get ugly."
Ichigo agreed. "If things get messy I'll be right behind you."
Yuu smiled. She skipped forward so she wouldn't have to shout. At that distance she had to crane her neck to look at the man."
"Hello I'm Yuu."
"Hello Interloper I am Jidanbō."
"Why did you call me Interloper?"
"You came here without a Soul Reaper escort. That makes you a criminal."
"Oh. Well you see I need to get into the Seireitei."
"I can't let you in and you are a criminal."
The giant swung his twin axes down. Yuu stretched out the ribbon of her Zanpakutō and the axes came down on top of it. Yuu's knees bent under the sudden weight but the ribbon didn't snap. Yuu loved her ribbon it made a nice shield in a pinch. It was durable and yet flexible. In the next moment Yuu saw Zangetsu slam down on top of the axes. Yuu pushed up with all the force she could muster and the axes shattered. Yuu dropped as fast as she could but she kept the ribbon up. Ichigo landed on his feet and pushed back up. Yuu landed on her back; she flipped over and pushed herself up. She turned to look at the gate keeper. Ichigo landed next to her. Yuu fell in to her attack position: Left foot forward, Kakuchū no Ryū in her left hand, right hand on her left wrist.
The gate keeper looked at them shock. "I have lost."
There was a brief conversation and Jidanbō lifted the gate to let them in. On the other side there was a man with silver hair wearing a basic black Soul Reaper uniform and a white overcoat.
"Well this is no good. A gatekeeper is not supposed to open the gate."
Yuu shook. The mystery man's voice sent horrifying shivers down her spine.
Uryû leaned over the whisper in her ear, "I got the same feeling from his voice that I get when I make eye contact with you and you are angry."
Yuu whispered back, "I'll try to stop."
Jidanbō was speaking, "I lost. When a gate keeper loses it is expected he open the gate."
"No, when a gatekeeper loses what is expected is death."
Next thing Yuu realized was that Jidanbō's left arm was cut off. Ichigo stepped forward ranting about attacking an unarmed man.
Yoruichi shout an order, "Stop Ichigo. He's a captain. We'll retreat for now."
Yuu, however, knew the look on her 'cousin's' face. She flashed Uryû a look and then moved into attack position. The Quincy did the same.
"So you're Ichigo Kurosaki."
"You know me?"
"All the more reason to keep you out." The man would be looking at Yuu if his eyes were open. He began to walk away from the gate.
Uryû let out a shout as the man got into an attack position. Ichigo asked if the man if he was planning on throwing his sword. Yuu watched in a kind abject haze.
"Shot to kill, Shinsō!"
Several things happened at once at that point. The captain's sword extended with the man's closed eyes still on Yuu. Ichigo swung up his Zanpakutō to use as a shield. Uryû leapt backwards. Yuu very suddenly felt a sharp stabbing in her temples, heart and, strangely, her hands. She fought the urge the stumble and fall. Ichigo and Jidanbō were pushed back behind the gate. Yuu let out a shriek.
"Fire Aka no Ryū!" The blast sent her backwards though the gate. The gate was almost closed. Aka no Ryū homed in on its target. If Yuu didn't hurry who knew what would happen to Aka no Ryū. "Abort Aka no Ryū!" The Dragon started to fly back to her. It must have been Yuu's imagination but she thought that she saw the man mouth the words "proud of you" at her. She also thought she saw the fox faced captain's sword hold the gate open just long enough for Aka no Ryū to reach a safe spot. Then the gate slammed closed. Yuu lost the battle to stay upright and fell to her knees.
Chad voiced what the rest of them were thinking, "We were extremely lucky."
**Scene Change**
Shūhei Hisagi, lieutenant of Ninth Division, knew about the trespassers from the World of the Living. Every officer had listened to the report via Hell Butterfly. Each of them were of one of three opinions: Most thought it an annoyance, some (Mostly the officers of Eleventh division) were eager for the challenge. The last of them didn't give the intruders a second thought. Shūhei was not thinking any of these things.
He had known something was different a few minutes before the Hell Butterfly appeared to deliver the report. He felt something like he found a piece of his heart he hadn't known was missing. The feeling was connected to noon skies turning to ice and a pale, yet, vibrant pink. He wanted to know where the feeling was coming from. It was almost comparable to joy but a sad joy. Like a choice had been taken from him but he didn't care. He decided to take a walk.
**Scene Change**
Yuu felt the vibration of the cannon as Kūkaku Shiba finished the incantation to launch them towards the Seireitei. She locked eyes with Ichigo and he matched her breathing patterns. He was nervous about his lack of control over his spiritual pressure. Yuu didn't help last night when she formed her cannonball in to a variety of shapes including but not limited to: a sphere, a cube and, a pyramid. Yuu felt her stomach drop as they were flung into the sky. Yuu missed the rest of the journey until they crashed into something. The cannonball began to waver. There was a lot of yelling and the next thing Yuu realized was that she was falling away from the group.
Uryû and Orihime were falling in another direction. Ichigo and Ganju Shiba were falling away from her. Yuu reached out to Ichigo and they grasped each other hands. Yuu looked around for Chad. He was falling as well but in an entirely new direction. Yuu yanked her attention to falling on her feet.
"Seppa!" Ganju moved his hand in a gesture. The ground beneath them to sand and the trio fell into the sand pit.
Yuu managed to land on her feet. She was glad she picked out boots with decent traction.
"Lucky!" Yuu looked at the speaker. It was a male Soul Reaper. He was bald with some kind of red eye shadow at the outside corners of his eyes. Yuu noted that he wasn't wearing socks.
She looked over to the man's friend. He had black chin length hair. There seemed to be feathers coming from his right eye. In addition to his uniform he was wearing and orange neck piece connected to a sleeve made out of the same material on his right arm.
She turned back to the speaker who was now doing some kind of dance. She looked on in confusion. She gave her head a shake and climbed out of the hole. She removed her hair tie and attempted to fix the mess her hair was in. Ichigo came up to join her.
"Yuu what are you doing?" He asked.
"Fixing my hair. The fall wrecked it. I wish I had a comb."
"Why is your hair important?"
"Ichigo you are a guy. I am a girl. We both speak different languages that no bond can translate. I say I need to fix my hair just go with."
The man had finished his dance but it was his friend was the one who spoke. "Now you young lady are the very definition of beauty."
"Thank you. Do you have a comb I can borrow?"
"Unfortunately no."
Ganju interrupted their pre-battle banter. "Do you not feel their spiritual pressure? We need to run." He then proceeded to do just that.
The Soul Reaper with hair asked his bald friend a question: "Do you want me to go after him for you?"
"Yes I want to fight this Soul Reaper."
The Soul Reaper with hair ran after Ganju. Yuu swapped looks with Ichigo and flew after them. Neither of the males were using Shunpo so Yuu caught up with the Soul Reaper easy. She darted in front of the man. He skidded to a stop. Yuu's face spilt into a grin.
"Hi I'm Yuu Katsu. I'm here to rescue a friend. You are?"
"Yumichika Ayasegawa and I have to destroy you. It is such a shame. You are a work of art."
"Compliments will not make me go easy on you."
"Oh I adore beauty in all of its forms. It is an honor to do battle with you."
Yuu drew her Zanpakutō. She considered activating her Shi Kai but then thought better of it. Just then the ground beneath her feet crumbled to sand. She stumbled and fell. Ganju stood over her. He grabbed her by her collar and tossed her over the nearest roof.
Yumichika groaned "Why do I have to fight someone so ugly?"
**Scene Change**
Yuu landed in a half crouch. "Damnit! I did not ask for a rescue." She took a moment to look around. She was in some kind of alley. That might be better for her. Yuu could handle herself in a fight that was true. But she had other methods for getting what she want, methods she preferred. She was almost invisible at school. If you wanted to know something Yuu either knew it or could find it out. Her Zanpakutō was an extension of that.
"Prepare to fire Kakuchū no Ryū." A whisper latter Yuu had her revolver in hand. She pointed the barrel at her feet. "Fire Kiiro no Ryū." A yellow (an interesting modest yellow) dragon which was more like a serpent followed the path Yuu made with the barrel of the revolver. Yuu made the manifestation spiral around her. Soon the Dragon was facing Yuu.
"I need to be a Soul Reaper. Make my spiritual pressure that of a full blooded Soul Reaper."
The Dragon nodded and sank into Yuu's skin. Yuu waited a moment. She wasn't sure that it had worked. She had never tried this trick before.
She fired again. "Fire Daidaiiro no Ryū." The orange dragon came to hover in front of her. "Find Rukia Kuchiki. Be careful; don't get caught. Send me a buzz every hour. I'm going to make my way to that white tower. I'll be able to see more from there." Daidaiiro no Ryū nodded and flew off.
Yuu started to the tower. She kept to back alleys. She may have felt like a Soul Reaper but she didn't look like one.
Author's Note: Hello back again. Did you miss me? Good news: I have a beta. Less than stellar news: this chapter has not been beta'd. I sent all of the chapters I have written, past, present and future, to them. As the chapters become polished and I fix inconsistencies I'll replace the old chapters. On another note, for a change I am ahead by 1 and an half chapters. I was going to wait to post this one until I was a little more a head but someone new likes Yuu Thank ninjakitty12 for this chapter. Now I am about to do something slightly evil. I am going to post the next chapter on the seventh of September. I promise that. Unless someone reviews. I mean a real review, what they like, don't like, suggestions for becoming a better writer. If I get a real review the latest y'all we have the next chapter is 12 hours later. Take that as you will. Goodbye for now. Love LadyAnnaLee.
Btw: I don't own Bleach but I did think up Yuu and her Kakuchū no Ryū
