Ambie's Note: Hiya, hiya! Here's Chapter Eleven! In this chapter we learn a bit about the people in Katashi's Group: their personalities towards each other, their sexual preferences, etc.! So…enjoy the reading adventure!
Disclaimer: Bleach does not belong to me, but all the unfamiliar characters belong to me and my dear friends!
~*~*~*~
Katashi quickly stood up from within his chair with a silent breath and looked out of the nearby window with a glare. He had felt a sudden wave of spiritual pressure from some unknown, careless Soul Reaper. "This means…" He said to himself and growled angrily; he exited his Gigai quickly and the rest of his group busted into the room all in Soul Form saving him the trip to go and find them.
"Katashi, Katashi!" Aiko chanted enthusiastically. "Is that them?"
He scanned over the Spiritual Pressure once again, but still did not recognize it. "I dunno. It's not familiar to me, but I don't expect Kohaku to be that careless. And if she brought a group with her…I'm willing to bet they'll also be careful as well."
"Meaning?" Ren questioned as he twirled a bit of his blonde hair like a bemused High School girl.
"Lord Katashi, does this mean that we're gonna confront them anyways?" Ikiru asked and Ren's face lit up at the sound of his voice. Tsukiyomi and the others remained quiet, awaiting a direct answer.
Katashi thought it over a moment. If they were to fight them, they may be at risk of becoming fatigued, and he expected that Kohaku would arrive any day now. If the group was fatigued when they faced the girl and her team it would end terribly. However if they were to confront them and it turned out to be the right people they would have the upper hand.
Katashi ran a hand through his black hair with a sigh. "I'm only gonna send two or three of you to investigate." He said and saw everybody nod, except for Aiko who gasped happily, her blue eyes sparkling.
"Hey, hey! Katashi can I go?" She asked. "If we're not gonna fight it wouldn't hurt would it?"
"Aiko…" Katashi started in slight worry. "If it is Kohaku and whoever else she brought once they sense you they'll—"
"Allow me my Lord." Ken'ichi said simply, surprising everybody. The entire group stared at him in shock. The guy never talked and now he just randomly decided to volunteer himself? A shock, but not too much so.
"You'll protect Aiko Ken'ichi?" Katashi asked and the silent one of the group nodded without a word and Katashi sighed. "Ok…but if she has a single scratch on her you'll be in deep shit! Got it!?" Ken'ichi silently nodded once again. "Alright…I'll send Ikiru to go with him. Is that ok?"
Ikiru nodded and bowed with a smile on his face. "Of course, whatever you say Lord Katashi. I'll gladly do my part in protecting Aiko from harm."
Katashi was about to speak, but Ren's shocked gasp interrupted him. "Pardon my rudeness Lord Katashi, but I don't think Ikiru should fight!" He said in worry and Ikiru stood up straight and threw the blonde man an unhappy look.
"And why not?"
Ikiru nodded in agreement. "Seriously!? Why not Ren!?"
Ren's eyes were wide and he held his hands close to his chest. "I just don't want you to get hurt Iki! I'd be terribly devastated if something were to happen."
Ikiru raised an eyebrow. "'Iki?'" He shook his head and dismissed the nickname he was used to Aiko calling him. "Anyways! It's just investigation, we're not gonna be hurt. If so we'll return before it gets too dangerous…if it gets dangerous. Remember Ken'ichi will be there with me, he's strong enough."
Ren's wide-eyed expression turned into a glare and he placed his hands on his hips. "Oh, so it's Ken'ichi is it!? I always knew you wanted him!" He turned his head from Ikiru. "I see how it is!"
Aiko giggled happily. "I knew too! Iki likes Ken-Ken!" She exclaimed and danced around. Ken'ichi did not speak, but his eyes widened slightly and he took a large step away from Ikiru.
Ikiru gasped in shock. "No! How could you think that!? My heart belongs to only one person!" His green eyes fell upon Katashi.
The leader sighed in embarrassment. "I've sadly been aware of this." He said and walked to stand next to Tsukiyomi who had yet to speak. "I'm sorry Ikiru, you and Tsukiyomi like the same person, but sadly that person doesn't like either of you like that."
Ikiru smirked and shrugged. "Oh well, I have my fantasies." He said and bowed to Katashi. "Are you still—" He was cut off by a slap in the face.
"YOU HAVE FANTASIES ABOUT OUR LEADER!?" Ren questioned in shock and stomped away soon after.
Ikiru rubbed the now red spot on his cheek. "Ow!" He exclaimed and turned back to the leader. "Am I still going with Ken'ichi and Aiko Lord Katashi?"
The black-haired man nodded. "Yeah. Leave ASAP, ok?" He ordered and Ken'ichi, Aiko and Ikiru all nodded and disappeared from sight. When they were gone Katashi turned to Tsukiyomi who wore a puzzled look on her face. "I never knew the group was so drama-filled…"
Tsukiyomi smiled slightly and nodded. "You haven't the faintest idea." She said with an annoyed sigh. "Ren is the one who starts it all…and Ikiru just ignores him which makes him even worse."
"Wow." Katashi stated and shook his head. "Listen: I think that we're gonna be 'ambushed' tonight. According to the insight I've received from the Seireitei—I have people on my side placed there—Kohaku has been training really hard and she assembled a meeting today. Chances are she's planning to get to me before I get to her, but if everything goes smoothly we'll still have the upper hand. Just be ready for anything."
Tsukiyomi nodded and looked up at Katashi seriously. "Tell me something Katashi," she started and Katashi looked down at her, "do you really believe that you love that girl?" Katashi was shocked by the sudden question and did not respond. "If you do, I am willing to assume you will not be able to finish her off once given the chance." She explained and looked down. "Do not hesitate to ask for help. You know as well as I do that if you wish to make your vision a reality, it is best if Kohaku is killed. If you love her…then you will most certainly have problems with her death." With that Tsukiyomi disappeared from sight.
Katashi stood alone in the middle of the meeting room, just absorbing what Tsukiyomi had told him. The woman was right, it was best if Kohaku were to be killed. She was quite possibly the only one who stood a chance against his abilities, like her grandfather had before her. "It's true." He said to himself remembering why Kentoki's death was necessary in more ways than one. "The Tetsukago family are the only ones with the ability to seal me away. I can't allow it, but I…" He looked down and shook his head and said no more.
~*~*~*~
The gates opened slowly under the orders of Squad 10, Hana watching the group closely. "You all know your mission!" She explained and received nods from the entire group. "Ok! Be careful and look out for each other! You know the drill!" Everyone in the group nodded as the gates opened completely. The whole group rushed out of the Soul Society.
Once the majority of the group was within the gates, Hana gave the signal to everybody else that now was their chance. Kohaku nodded and turned to the group she had assembled. "Ok. This is the real deal! It's not training anymore from here on out everything that happens is real!" She said and received everyone's nods. "Let's go before the gates close!" Once again everyone nodded and they all flash stepped into the closing gate with Hana following closely.
Moments later the six of them were in the World of the Living; the gates closed when they made it to the other side. "I cannot believe I allowed this." Amaya growled angrily.
Kohaku laughed lightly and pat Amaya's head. "I know, but it is for the Seireitei's safety. Katashi's nothing but bad news! Just ask Amaterasu."
The Squad 11 Member nodded slowly. "It's true. Although he only seemed to have his sights set on Kohaku and—"
"Heh-heh…ok Amaterasu!" Kohaku said, interrupting her friend. "Thanks for your insight!" She looked around the wooded area they had ended up in and searched the area for anything out of the ordinary. Her eyes moved to see within the tall trees that surrounded them, but she did not notice anything except for the dark, clouded sky; it looked as though it could storm any second. She dismissed the weather situation and, after noting nothing out of the ordinary, she nodded and began to head towards the nearest town: Karakura.
"Question!" Raquarah chimed in. "Where is this guy you're looking for? Do you have any clues?"
Kohaku scanned her mind for any sort of clue she might have gathered, but she stopped when she realized she knew nothing about Katashi. "Uh…well you see…I, um, just thought—"
Hana crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "You haven't planned anything out." She stated and sighed when Kohaku laughed awkwardly. "I shoulda figured…"
Amaterasu's eyes widened. "You mean to tell me that you just waltzed right into the human world without knowing what you were looking for!?"
"And you brought us along on top of that?" Amaya added.
Renji turned to Kohaku with a puzzled look. "You told me that—"
"That I have a plan. I do, trust me!" She exclaimed suddenly. "While Katashi was in the Seireitei I memorized the feeling of his spiritual pressure. It's really different than any other I've ever felt; it won't be difficult to track. I promise!"
Raquarah sighed and ran her fingers through her brown hair. "I shouldn't have taken that bribe. Damn it Kohaku!" She complained.
Kohaku raised an eyebrow. "What bribe? You're the one who volunteered to come along simply because Renji would be here!"
Raquarah nodded and laughed embarrassedly. "Heh-heh…oh yeah, that's right!" She said. "I just thought that—" Her voice cut off when Kohaku removed Aoiaroshi from her sheath and disappeared from sight, leaving the others behind.
She did not run too far before she reached the place she had felt the presence coming from. It was an area hidden behind a tall, old tree that was not too far from the area where everybody was talking. When she reached the tree she carefully concealed her spiritual pressure and approached cautiously. She only took a few steps before she could easily make out a person's form. She nodded to herself and revealed her presence, laying Aoiaroshi's blade upon a brown haired guy's shoulder.
"None of you better think of running!" Kohaku warned and a big man with blue eyes and white hair looked up at her, a small black haired girl on his shoulder and a white bandage across his nose. "Now who are you and why are you spying on us? EXPLAIN!"
The brown haired guy turned to face her. For a moment she was shocked by just how good looking he was; shaggy brown hair and soft green eyes. But even as she was taking in his features she calmed. "Who's spying on who?" The guy asked in a smooth voice. The white haired man just grunted in response.
Kohaku glared. "Don't play dumb! I know when I'm being closely evaluated by the enemy!" She exclaimed angrily. Not even a second later all the others; Hana, Raquarah, Amaya, Renji and Amaterasu surrounded the group of three, all of their blades threatening them. "Where's Katashi?"
The little girl peaked from behind the tall man, but then she hid herself again. The brown haired man smirked. "Hmph. So does this mean you're Kohaku?" He asked, but it was obvious that he knew. "You're not all that great. I don't understand what Lord Katashi sees in you, I honestly don't." He said and stood up.
"Who are you!?" Renji questioned angrily.
Amaterasu glared. "We have no time for games! Tell us!" Hana, Raquarah, and Amaya all glared and moved in closer with their Zanpakuto.
The brown haired guy looked Renji up and down with a raised eyebrow. "Hmm…you're not bad." He said flirtatiously. "Although tattoos aren't really a turn on for me." Even as he was speaking, he quickly grabbed his Zanpakuto and rushed at Renji, surprising the Squad 6 lieutenant.
He would have been pierced through his stomach if Kohaku had not used Aoiaroshi's blade to block the attack; Renji did not move. "Who do you think you are!?" She growled angrily. "First you hit on him then you almost kill him!?" Kohaku managed to knock the sword out of the guy's hand. "I don't like that." She said and held Aoiaroshi's blade to his neck, his green eyes wide.
After a moment of shock, the guy smirked and casually pushed away the blade. "Aren't you a member of Squad 4 Kohaku?" He asked calmly. "Why aren't you in the Hospital? Isn't that where you should be?"
Kohaku narrowed her eyes and once again held the sword's blade to his neck. "That's not the point here! I asked once, but I'll ask again, and this time I expect a straight answer from you!" She yelled and got closer to the guy's face. "Where is Katashi? TELL ME!"
He laughed with closed lips curved up into a smile. "Do you honestly think you can get answers from me so easily?" He questioned and disappeared from sight. Not even a second later, he appeared behind Kohaku and held her close to him in a threatening manner. The blade of his Zanpakuto was pressed against her throat, he held the hilt with his right hand and he held the blade with his left one. The way they were positioned his arms went around her shoulders. "I think not." He taunted.
Obvious anger played across Renji's face. "Let her go!" He commanded and raised Zabimaru, but the guy did not react. Kohaku growled angrily about getting herself 'taken hostage,' and at the guy for managing to fool her.
She readied her free hand to perform a Kido spell, but right as she was about to release the Shakkahou spell she heard Raquarah's voice. "Scream out: Kagekaki!" She commanded and from the blade of her Zanpakuto a blast of Shadow and Fire consumed the guy. The surprise of the attack caused him to release Kohaku.
The Squad 4 member back-flipped out of his reach and pointed two fingers at the man. "Hado 31: Shakkahou!" She called out as she was still flipping and a ball of red energy fired at the man who was still trapped within the shadow and fire attack after she had landed. Thanks to Raquarah, the attack managed to make contact.
From within the shadow and fire, an aggravated sigh was heard, followed by a growl. "Take aim and fire: Chichoumari!" He yelled and in a split second, the attack Raquarah had launched was dispersed and hundreds of butterflies surrounded the man. Although he acted fine, his appearance showed that both the Kido spell and the Shikai attack had made contact with him. He turned to Raquarah with a glare. "I'm Ikiru Suboki, and the next time we meet I'm taking you down!" He threatened and disappeared from sight.
It was by that point that Kohaku and the rest of the group realized that the two others with Ikiru disappeared. Amaterasu, Hana, and Amaya stared at the empty spot in disbelief. "No way!" Hana exclaimed.
"I know they were there during the attack Raquarah launched." Amaterasu stated in disbelief.
"They were!" Amaya agreed. "How did they manage to sneak by the three of us?"
Kohaku closed her mix matched eyes and searched for the three's spiritual pressure. She smiled when she realized that Ikiru was careless enough not to conceal his. She opened her eyes and smirked. "Thanks to Butterfly Man, I know where they are." She explained. "They actually aren't too far from here. Keep up and we may be able to get back at the same time the rest of the team returns." She said keeping the smirk on her face. "Come on!" Everybody nodded and followed Kohaku closely.
~*~*~*~
Katashi waited in the abandon factory building that he had made the group's hide-out (In case you're wondering, their hide-out has always been here…I don't think I've ever pointed that out). Moments ago he had felt an unfamiliar presence attacking Ikiru. From what he gathered out of that, he strongly believed that Aiko was ok, but he could not help but worry. The attack was powerful enough to get Ikiru to release his Zanpakuto, but it was not too much of a threat. "It has to be her." Katashi said to himself. "Why else would Ikiru be attacked?"
After a few seconds of nothing, Ken'ichi and Aiko entered the room. Ken'ichi bowed to him and Aiko just waved happily. "Hiya, hiya!" The energetic little girl greeted happily, and Katashi was relieved that she was fine. "Kohaku's here along with a few others!" She explained and Ken'ichi silently nodded. "They attacked Ikiru…so we just left him behind and let him fight his own battle!"
"Neither side won, and Ikiru is just fine." Katashi said with a sigh. "The only thing that concerns me is the fact that he isn't masking his spiritual pressure and he's leading Kohaku and the rest of her group straight to us." He looked out the window and saw Ikiru had returned and sighed. "Tell Tsukiyomi and Ren to prepare for battle Aiko."
"Okie dokie Lord Katashi!" She said and saluted happily; she rushed out of the room leaving Ken'ichi and Katashi alone.
Katashi turned to the second strongest fighter of the group. "Ken'ichi I have a personal favor to ask of you." He said and the white haired man looked at him silently, urging him to continue. "I need you to pick out the strongest fighter besides Kohaku and battle them yourself. Do what you have to with that person, but be sure that Kohaku gets to me."
Ken'ichi nodded again. "Yes sir." He said in his surprisingly smooth voice. "I'll do what I can."
Katashi smirked and nodded. "Good." He stated simply. "Once you defeat them be sure to rejoin me, alright?" He said and Ken'ichi nodded silently and exited the room, leaving Katashi by himself. For a few moments he watched nothing happen outside the window, but soon after he saw a group of six Soul Reapers approach the abandoned factory, led by Kohaku. Among the group he recognized the girl from Squad 11 that had interfered with his plans when he first entered the Seireitei. "Hopefully Ken'ichi battles her, no way she'd be able to win." With a smile to himself, Katashi made his way to the middle of the factory and waited patiently for Kohaku to make an appearance.
~*~*~*~
Ambie's Second Note: The end of this chapter! So yeah…Ren and Ikiru aren't actually a couple, Ren just REALLY likes Ikiru, but Ikiru loves Katashi! Ok…hopefully that cleared up a few questions you may or may not have had! Anyways, tell me what you think in a review; it'll brighten my day!
