Author's Note:
I am so, so sorry for the long delay between chapters! All I can say is that endings are hard... Thank you all for your patience and for sticking with this story, and thank you to everyone who has reviewed. Starscape91, InsaneKnight, Fading into the Background, Snowkid, Nova Alexandria, rainbowpixie2112, you are all awesome!
And now, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 36: One Day More
As the last droplets of Nanao's strength ran out, the doom beasts took that choice out of their hands. Vizards and shinigami scattered as the monsters leapt into action, but they weren't trying to attack. Instead, half dove for the shimmering portal in the corner, while the other half streaked past the assembled combatants and bolted for freedom. Juushiro yanked Nanao's unconscious body out of the way, dropping his swords in the process, while Shunsui swore vehemently. His curses were echoed by the vizards, who gaped in shock at the disappearing doom beasts.
"Where'd that come from?" Kensei demanded, jabbing a finger at the portal.
Urahara frowned. "Fascinating…" He took several steps towards the fading shimmer hanging in the air, head cocked to one side. "It looks like an attempt to create a senkaimon…"
Shinji rolled his eyes. "No time to study it now." His eyes raked around the room. "We'll catch the ones that fled. Shunsui, Juushiro, can you go after the ones that went into that?" When the shinigami nodded, he barked, "Vizards, move out!"
They sprinted from the room, following the dim crashes as the doom beasts bulled through the walls of Szayel's fortress. Urahara looked after them for a second, then tipped his hat down. "Yoruichi and I will go with you; you'll need backup if you're chasing them through the Soul Society. Tessai?"
The kido master blinked slowly. "I'll watch the kids and the shop, boss."
"Fair enough." Urahara turned back to the shinigami. "You can leave Nanao-san with Tessai, if you want," he offered.
Juushiro glanced down at the slender body in his arms. She was breathing easily, but her reiatsu was practically nonexistent. "I think that'd be a good…" he began.
"No." The faint whisper may have been barely audible, but the tone was pure steel. Nanao's eyes drifted open as she struggled to lift her head, glaring as fiercely as she could at the assembled shinigami.
"Nanao-chan…" Shunsui started.
She transferred her glare to him, and he quickly shut his mouth. "I'm fine." None of them looked convinced, and she sighed. "To be more precise, I will be fine. But I'm seeing this through to the end." Using Juushiro's shoulder as a crutch, she levered herself to her feet and picked up Kajishizu, who had reverted to tanto form. Juushiro and Shunsui watched warily as she sheathed the blade, wobbling slightly as she fought to stand without help. She sighed again. "Seriously, I'll be fine. I promise to stay out of direct combat – how's that?" Her tone suggested that that was the most compromise they were going to get from her.
Juushiro bit his lip, then rested a hand on her shoulder. He didn't like the colorless state of her skin or the beads of sweat on her forehead, much less the echoing emptiness of her reiatsu reserves. While the former two could only be fixed by plenty of liquids and several days of rest, he could certainly help repair the latter.
Nanao shivered as Juushiro poured more reiatsu into her, replenishing some of her energy. As the emerald power flowed through her body, she stood up straighter and wiped a hand across her face. "Thanks," she murmured, offering Juushiro a sweet smile. He smiled back, and she tipped her head to the side, brushing it against his hand. Then her smile sharpened noticeably as she turned to face Shunsui. "So, is that acceptable?"
Shunsui groaned, muttering something about stubbornness. "You're one to talk," Juushiro teased.
Shunsui glared at him. "Fine. But you're not allowed to get hurt, alright?" Nanao nodded, eyes bright, and threw her arms around him; his expression softened. "Please, Nanao-chan, I mean it. Don't overexert yourself," he murmured into her hair. He would never forgive himself if she was injured – or worse, died – because he had given into her demands.
She laughed lightly. "Not a chance of that. I'm the sensible one, remember?"
"Present events seem to indicate otherwise," he muttered. Her smile gained a few more edges, and he grinned. Unable to resist teasing her a little more, he pointed out, "I seem to recall you chasing after Yama-jii… That doesn't count as very sensible either." Nanao glared at him, and he recoiled, hands raised. "Alright, alright, you're the sensible one! Totally sensible!" His lips twitched in a badly-concealed smile, glad to see the strength in her reaction.
Nanao's hands twitched as though she wanted to hit him for teasing her, but, without a book or fan in sight, she refrained. Disengaging from Shunsui's embrace, she eyed the shrunken group of shinigami. "Well, are we going to stand around here all day, or are we going to get moving?"
The inside of the portal was both similar and disturbingly dissimilar to a typical senkaimon. Nanao grimaced as its energies washed over her, grating against her bones like a melody tuned a half-step too high. Maybe it was due to her exhaustion – Shunsui may have been right to worry, though she refused to tell him that – but the simple act of stepping into the portal sent waves of dizziness through her body.
It tastes funny, Kajishizu complained. Nanao got the sense that the zanpakuto spirit was hiding from the malformed power emanating from the walls, and she couldn't blame her. If it had been in her power, she would have hid, too.
Unfortunately, that wasn't an option; her hell butterfly was already fluttering away. So she drew herself up, ramrod straight, and tried to pretend that every footstep through the dark tunnel didn't send flares of agony up her legs. It would be a shame to show weakness now, after they'd already agreed to let her accompany them.
They hadn't been walking for very long when Shunsui asked, "You know, does anyone have any idea where this lets out?" His tone was casual, as though he was simply asking about the weather.
Urahara shrugged cheerfully. "Not a clue."
He didn't sound bothered by that, but Nanao grimaced. "So you mean we could end up in the middle of the ocean or in some underground catacomb in the middle of nowhere?" Her voice spiked on the last word as she stumbled over a lump in the uneven path, and she swore under her breath.
"Oh, no, don't worry about that," Urahara reassured her. "It's impossible to build a senkaimon over the ocean."
"This isn't exactly a traditional senkaimon," Nanao growled, flinging a sardonic look over her shoulder.
"Nanao-chan, are you sure you're okay?" Shunsui asked gently.
Nanao opened her mouth to snap back, then paused. Heat, thankfully invisible in the darkness, flooded her cheeks, and she sighed. "I'm a bit tired," she admitted. "Sorry." If she was honest with herself, she was more than a bit tired, but that wasn't the main issue. Her temples were throbbing in reaction to her overuse of reiatsu, and little sparkles danced across her vision at irregular intervals. Maybe insisting on coming was a mistake…
But she hated the thought of abandoning the battlefield before the fight was finished. I want Shunsui to see me as an equal, dammit, and fainting like a damsel in distress is pretty much the worst way possible to accomplish that. While she was 99% sure that he wouldn't actually see it that way, that last 1% nagged at her like an itch she couldn't scratch. Even if her captain didn't consciously view her as one of his dainty conquests, it would reinforce his desire to protect her.
Nanao smiled to herself. And maybe I'm just stubborn. She hadn't let anything stand in her way on her journey to lieutenant, and she wasn't going to let a little bit of pain stop her now.
Another uneven bit of ground sent shockwaves through her bones, and she winced. Okay, maybe it's a bit more than a little bit of pain… Still, I'm not giving up when we're this close. They'd already been walking for over fifteen minutes; the exit had to be approaching soon.
She frowned. Actually, they should be able to see the light from it by now, but there was nothing. Only endless blackness stretching on as far as the eye could see. "Um, Urahara-san? Shouldn't we, well, be there by now?"
The eccentric scientist coughed. "Ah, yes, about that… it seems that this senkaimon may be a bit… faulty."
"Faulty?" she asked acidly.
"Well, yes… It's nothing to worry about, though; I'm sure we'll arrive eventually."
Yoruichi drove a fist into Urahara's shoulder. "Eventually isn't good enough. Those doom beasts could be out there already, wreaking havoc!" She sighed and murmured a few words, sending a ball of light to hover above the group. The hell butterflies drew to a halt as she rolled her eyes. "Now, I think we'd all like to know where we're going, and how long it will take to get there. Care to explain?"
Urahara waited for her to gesture towards him before taking the floor. "I'm afraid I can't answer that precisely, but at the moment the portal is perfectly stable."
"At the moment?" Shunsui muttered skeptically.
Urahara ignored him. "I know this is taking longer than usual, but that's truly nothing to worry about. Without sufficient power, the senkaimon – or, more appropriately, portal – is unable to fully control the time-dilation effects of the Dangai. That's all it is."
Nanao held out her hand, letting her hell butterfly settle down onto her fingers. "I thought these were supposed to prevent that?" The butterfly flapped its wings, as if to concur.
"In an ordinary senkaimon, they do," Urahara explained, assuming a lecturing tone. "But this is not an ordinary senkaimon. I believe that the hell butterflies are still having a beneficial effect, but I would have to do more tests to make sure. Anyone want to volunteer to enter the portal without a hell butterfly?" Yoruichi punched him again, and he smiled flippantly at her. "Just kidding."
"You wouldn't be if any of them took you up on it," she muttered under her breath. Urahara's lips quirked, and she glared at him. "Come on then, let's get out of here before the thing collapses on us." Without waiting for a response, she tossed her hell butterfly into the air and strode away, taking the light with her.
Nanao stifled a groan as she followed, cursing her uncooperative body as more sparks darted across her vision. Yoruichi's ball of light had acquired a scintillating rainbow halo which she was fairly sure did not exist in the real world, and her vision kept switching in and out of the physical plane. The surrounding captains kept their reiatsu well-contained, but that didn't prevent her from wincing every time she caught a glimpse of their spirit energy – in the darkness of the Dangai, it was painfully bright.
At least Kajishizu kept her own powers under control. With her nerves scraped raw, Nanao knew she wouldn't be able to handle any sort of emotional flux without breaking into tears. And I really don't want to do that in front of my captain…
It'll all be okay, Kajishizu soothed, sending her waves of reassurance and happiness. See? We're almost out.
Her zanpakuto was right. Nanao could spot a faint glow at the end of the tunnel, heralding the exit. It appeared to be miles away, but swiftly grew bigger and bigger as the group trotted towards it. The light was warm and inviting, the sort of soft golden glow common around sunrise and sunset. Nanao heaved a sigh of relief. I really hope we're not too late…
They stumbled out of the portal into the gray, thin light of a cloudy Soul Society dawn. Shunsui drew in a breath of clean, crisp air and beamed at the world, throwing his arm around Juushiro's shoulders and laughing merrily. Juushiro smiled softly and hugged him back. The living world was fun to visit, but nothing quite matched up to their home. Even Urahara and Yoruichi had small smiles on their faces, though both did their best to hide it.
Unfortunately, Nanao didn't look quite as happy. The joy was there, but it was overshadowed by the pain creasing the corners of her eyes and wrinkling her forehead. Shunsui relinquished his grip on Juushiro and slid his arm around her waist, pulling her in to his chest. She sagged gratefully against him, too tired to worry about appearances.
Then a scream split the air and she bolted upright. "Dammit!" Shunsui cast a worried look at her, and she shook her head. "You all go; I'll catch up."
Juushiro nodded crisply. "Be careful." Unsheathing his swords, which had remained in shikai form, he launched himself into shunpo. Urahara followed on his heels; Yoruichi had already disappeared.
Shunsui glanced after them, hesitated, then yanked Nanao into a quick kiss. "Don't you dare get hurt," he threatened, running his fingers through her hair.
She smiled up at him. "I won't. Now get going! I'll be right behind you."
She would be lucky if she could manage more than two shunpo steps without falling over, and Shunsui knew it, but he also knew that protesting was useless. So he gave her another kiss, pulled Katen Kyokotsu out of his sash, and vanished.
It only took him a few seconds to home in on the unmistakable fury of clashing reiatsu, but by the time he arrived the battle was already in full swing. Seven doom beasts lumbered through the forest, swinging blindly as Juushiro, Urahara, and Yoruichi darted around them. Claws whistled through the air, teeth clashed, but the shinigami were always one step ahead. Yoruichi, Goddess of Flash, was easily the fastest, but Urahara and Juushiro weren't far behind.
Shunsui felt his heart start to pound faster as he watched his lover dance through the battlefield, moving in perfect synchronicity with the two former captains. With his white hair streaming behind him, clad only in a black shihakusho, he was utterly gorgeous. Shunsui grinned. Of course, I might be a bit biased there. But it had been decades since he'd had the chance to watch Juushiro fight properly, and he'd forgotten how mesmerizing it was. Every move was perfectly timed; every cut was perfectly placed.
"Are you planning on helping, or just watching?"
Shunsui stuck his tongue out at Yoruichi, who smirked. "Just admiring your beauty," he teased.
She tossed her hair out of her eyes, then backflipped out of the way of a doom beast's lunge. "I know exactly who you were watching, and it wasn't me." A quick shunpo step sent her out of the way of a second doom beast, which collided with the first with a roar. "Hey, Juushiro, tell your lover to get his mind out of the gutter!"
Shunsui laughed delightedly as pink stained Juushiro's cheeks. "Shunsui…" He flashed over to Shunsui's side. "Fight now, flirt later, alright?"
Shunsui desperately wanted to kiss him then, but the imminent arrival of yet another doom beast forestalled that plan. Both of them flashed out of the way, and it barreled into the thick trunk of an oak tree. It survived; the tree wasn't so lucky. "Whatever you say, my love!" he called, sending both of Katen Kyokotsu's blades slicing through the monster's head. "For what could give me greater pleasure than obeying you?" Juushiro's blush intensified, and Shunsui grinned. He loved teasing his partner, especially at the most inopportune times. Captains' meetings were the best, but in the midst of battle was a close second.
"Just shut up and fight," Juushiro muttered, spinning out of the way of a charging doom beast. Another followed hot on its heels, and he tossed a fireball into its face. The resulting explosion sent both creatures tumbling, soot staining their bone-covered hides.
Unfortunately for Juushiro, a third doom beast managed to avoid the blast. As the smoke dissipated, it lunged for the pale captain with claws outstretched and jaw gaping. He dodged out of the way, but it pivoted to follow, nicking him with one jagged claw. Shunsui swore and threw himself at the monster, which snarled as it whirled to face him. Juushiro seized the opening, plunging Sogyo no Kotowari's blades into the doom beast's back just as Shunsui impaled it from the front. It yelped piteously.
"Now this looks like fun," a voice commented from above. Both Shunsui and Juushiro looked up to see Captain Zaraki, feet planted firmly at treetop level, grinning fiercely as he watched the chaos. Ikkaku and Yumichika stood behind him – the former bore an identical bloodthirsty grin, while the latter just looked bored. "You always make life interesting, don't you, Kyoraku?"
Shunsui chuckled, then hastily glanced back down at the doom beast, which was writhing away from his blades. Impaling it more firmly, he called back, "Come to help, or just watch?"
Yumichika heaved a put-upon sigh. "Well, we were informed of a disturbance out here, but it looks like you four have it well in hand." Rolling his eyes, he muttered, "I can't believe I had to interrupt my beauty sleep for this; you clearly don't need any help."
Shunsui was too busy fending off the sudden attack of two more doom beasts to reply. As he yanked Katen Kyokotsu out of the doom beast in front of him, it spun and lashed out at Juushiro, who blocked and leapt backwards. Yoruichi flew past in a blur of shunpo, chased by another pair of doom beasts, and Shunsui lost sight of Juushiro for a moment. Then both of his doom beasts lunged at him, and he was too busy fending them off to search for his lover.
"Or… maybe they do," Ikkaku drawled, swinging his zanpakuto off of his shoulder. "Besides, we can't let them have all the fun. Extend, Hozukimaru!" As his katana lengthened into its spear form, he dove into the fray.
Yumichika rolled his eyes again. "Fine. These creatures are incredibly ugly; it'll be a service to the world to get rid of them." He ran his hand over his own zanpakuto, splitting it into four sickle-shaped blades, before following Ikkaku downwards.
Zaraki didn't bother with any of that. Shunsui blinked as one of the doom beasts attacking him was abruptly yanked away and hurled into a nearby tree, smashing through it as well as the trees behind it. The other doom beast stared after its companion for a brief second, then resumed its attack with redoubled ferocity. Shunsui sliced open its gut, then slashed across its face, but it just kept coming.
Zaraki grunted. "Damn, these things really don't die easy, do they?" He shrugged. "Well, more fun for me!"
Shunsui stepped back as Zaraki, with a feral grin splitting his face, lunged into the battle. The arrival of the three members of the eleventh division had evened out the numbers, giving their side a bit of breathing room, but it wasn't helping as much as he might have hoped. Juushiro was now leading a doom beast on a helter-skelter chase through the battlefield, frustrating it and injuring it every time it turned around, but the injuries healed as fast as he could inflict them. Urahara and Yoruichi were tag-teaming another pair of doom beasts, switching between them rapidly enough to make any sane shinigami dizzy, while Ikkaku and Yumichika sparred with their own opponents. Zaraki had taken on both of the ones that Shunsui had been fighting, and was gleefully using their own strength against them – neither could lay a claw on him.
However, he couldn't hurt them either. His reiatsu swirled around him in a furious golden maelstrom, flattening the surrounding foliage and whipping the air into a frenzy, but the doom beasts bulled right through it, absorbing it as they went. Shunsui grimaced and took a prudent step backwards. In terms of raw power, Zaraki was easily the strongest of the captains; if he couldn't touch the doom beasts, they were all in serious trouble.
In fact, it looked like his immense strength was working against him – the doom beasts facing him were perceptibly faster than the others, and a gentle yellow haze glowed around their muzzles. He had far too much spirit energy to notice the minor drain, but it would become an issue sooner or later. They had to end this soon, before the doom beasts realized what a feast they had stumbled across. The air of the Soul Society alone could provide them enough energy to live virtually forever – add in a half-dozen captain-level fighters, and only kami knew how strong they could get.
Katen Kyokotsu snickered. The peacock says he has a solution to that, but his master won't let him come out and play.
Shunsui blinked in shock. The peacock? he asked silently. His zanpakuto sounded unusually eager to help, with no trace of the moodiness that often marred her abilities. While he didn't fully trust such sudden helpfulness, he wasn't about to turn down possible aid.
Yes, the peacock. He dislikes the doom beasts, as you call them; their abilities are ugly copies of his own, and he can't stand that. Katen Kyokotsu's mental voice sounded vaguely supercilious; Shunsui got the feeling that she didn't particularly like the peacock, whoever he was. Unfortunately, that didn't help him identify the peacock – Katen Kyokotsu disliked nearly everyone.
Shunsui frowned. Who is… Then something clicked in his head. You mean Ayasegawa's zanpakuto?
When he sent Katen Kyokotsu a mental image of Yumichika, she nodded. He says he wants to be released, and he won't stop nagging everyone around him.
Shunsui's lips quirked at her petulant tone. No wonder she was willing to convey the peacock's message – she wanted some peace and quiet. That was more like her.
A dull roar heralded the arrival of one of the doom beasts Zaraki had been fighting. It tumbled uncontrollably through the air, apparently hurled aside by the eleventh division captain. Shunsui slashed through its neck and belly, then hastily backpedaled as it snapped at his arm. Was it just his imagination, or had its fangs grown even longer and sharper? He dodged to the side to get a better look, then swore as the doom beast's spiked tail crashed into his thigh. Searing pain scorched down his leg as he threw himself out of range.
Focus, you idiot! Katen Kyokotsu snapped. And heal yourself; you're bleeding like a stuck pig.
Shunsui grimaced and clapped a hand over the wound, hastily summoning a basic healing kido as he dodged the doom beast's attacks. It had definitely gotten faster; it was nearly as fast as he was. We've clearly got no time to waste… But how to convince Yumichika to release his true shikai?
Zaraki took the question out of his hands. "Hey, Yumichika, get your head out of your ass and use your damn powers already!"
Yumichika froze. "Captain?"
Zaraki rolled his eyes, negligently sending a doom beast flying with a flick of his sword. "You know what I'm talking about; did you think they wouldn't tell me?"
Fear flickered into Yumichika's eyes, only to be quickly replaced by resignation. "Yes, captain." He took a deep breath. "Tear in frenzy, Ruri'iro Kujaku."
The fight ended quickly after that. Ruri'iro Kujaku's tendrils enveloped the seven doom beasts in the blink of an eye, draining them dry before any of them could react. A satisfied smile played about Yumichika's lips as the husks collapsed into dust one by one, though he kept shooting worried glances at Zaraki and Ikkaku. Neither appeared particularly surprised or annoyed, however.
Finally Zaraki clapped him on the shoulder. "Good job."
A faint blush bloomed on Yumichika's cheeks as he tossed his hair over his shoulder. "You… I mean, of course, captain. It was rather beautiful, wasn't it?"
Ikkaku snorted. "Sure. It was beautiful. Happy?"
A brilliant smile broke out across Yumichika's face. "That…" he began. Then he stumbled backwards as Nanao materialized out of shunpo and narrowly avoided crashing into him. "What the…?"
Juushiro flashed over to Nanao's side; Shunsui was right on his heels. The slender lieutenant's face was pasty white and sweat dripped down her brow; her reiatsu was little more than an ember. Nevertheless, she struggled to stand upright, waving off the help of the captains. "I'll be…" She coughed. "Fine."
As she started listing to the side, Shunsui wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back upright. "Sure you will," he promised. "After you get plenty of rest." He smoothed her hair away from her forehead and sighed. "What were you thinking, travelling so fast?" He hadn't expected to see her for another ten minutes – she had to have pushed herself past her limits to arrive so quickly.
She shrugged jerkily, then relaxed as Juushiro rested his hands on her shoulders. "I wanted to make sure you were all okay," she muttered sheepishly.
"Sweetheart, I'm fine; we're all fine," Shunsui reassured her.
Her eyes narrowed. "You're bleeding."
He glanced down to see that she was right; the wound in his thigh had opened up again. "Ah, well, about that…"
Nanao smacked his shoulder, and he winced, though the blow had almost no force behind it. "Bleeding is not fine." A flicker of kido danced around her fingers before vanishing into smoke, and she grimaced.
"Here, let me," Juushiro offered.
His healing spell was both more powerful and faster than Shunsui's; the relief from pain was immediate. Shunsui grinned. "Now I know why I love you so much!" He pulled Juushiro into a bear hug, folding Nanao into the middle. She squeaked, protesting something about public dignity, but made no move to disengage from the three-way embrace. Shunsui sighed happily.
A quiet cough from Urahara recalled him to his surroundings. "I hate to interrupt, but…" He held out a hell butterfly. "You need to hear this."
Juushiro reached out and lifted the hell butterfly off of Urahara's palm. "This is Captain Ukitake. Speak," he ordered.
"Captain Ukitake. Captain Kyoraku. Lieutenant Ise. You are hereby ordered to report to the interim council immediately upon receipt of this message, without delay or deviance of any kind. Be prepared to tender a report on your actions of the past month, as well as any interactions you may have had with the so-called vizards. Please also be prepared for a formal evaluation of your respective powers and abilities." The voice paused for a second, then added, "We hope this message finds you well." Another short pause. "This message was sent by the order of Lord Nishimura, acting head of the interim council."
Shunsui and Juushiro exchanged glances. "Well, this doesn't sound good," Juushiro murmured.
Zaraki rolled his eyes. "The new council is a pain in the ass, trying to tell us what to do every minute of the day."
"They're hardly beautiful," Yumichika chimed in.
Shunsui heaved a sigh. "Well, looks like this day is far from over." He slung one arm around Juushiro's waist and the other around Nanao's shoulders. "Come on then; let's go see what our new overlords want with us. But…" He paused and held up a finger. "After we deal with them, though, I want a full day of relaxation with nothing to do. No paperwork, no crises to deal with, just sake and sunlight and you two."
Nanao smiled softly. "It's a date."