Chapter Fifteen

Steve sat on the edge of a building, staring at his finger as he tried, and failed, to charge a cero.

It had been half an hour since Caro left, but Steve couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he had just barely escaped death. It was, as he categorized it, an instinctive feeling, like a predator had cornered him and posed to strike, then turned around and wandered off.

It troubled him, how easily he had been intimidated. How powerless he had felt.

"I was the Eighth Espada," he whispered to himself, trying again to charge his cero. "I shouldn't be so easily cowed."

He felt someone approaching, and let his feeble cero die again. He looked up just as Sanseki alighted on the edge of the building nearby. The Second Division officer looked around suspiciously.

"Is everything under control here? Did you find the Arrancar" he said, and Steve shrugged.

"Yeah, about thirty minutes ago. Where were you?"

"A Shinigami in purple and red, I think one of Caro's minions, was skulking around the hospital," Sanseki replied. "I felt something going on here and at the headquarters, but by the time I defeated my guy, you all seemed to be done. I just finished a quick recon, seeing if there were anymore of these Dioses Muerte around."

"Caro showed up," said Steve grimly. "With some minions."

Sanseki was quiet for a moment. Then, "Oh. Did you defeat him?"

"He retreated. I'm not entirely sure why, he said something had changed in Seireitei and needed to postpone the attack here for a bit. We can expect another assault though, at any time."

Sanseki nodded, taking a deep breath. "I'll do a bit more scouting, more thorough this time. Most of your companions were already heading for the headquarters when I finished up, but if that disturbance isn't dealt with by the time I finish, I'll go straight there." He paused for another moment, then prompted, "Why haven't you gone to see what's going on?"

"I'm not really sure," Steve said quietly. "I guess I'm just... a bit shaken."

He hated himself for saying it immediately after the words came out of his mouth. He had just been trying to convince himself that he wasn't scared, now the Second Division, of all Divisions, would think the Special Forces leadership was weak. He looked up, meaning to correct himself somehow, but Sanseki didn't look scornful at all. Even, maybe, just the slightest bit understanding.

"You're too young to be leading," he said bluntly. "Of course you are. But at least you have the good sense to be shaken when faced with a dangerous foe – Seireitei has had leaders who weren't, and paid dearly for it." He nodded firmly, and just like that vanished, Shunpoing away to do his scouting.

Steve sighed, turning back to his weak cero practice. There was still that weak reminder in the back of his senses that something was going on at Headquarters... but he ignored it.

Everyone else was there right now. And he needed to think.

.

Ryohime wasn't sure what exactly she was bursting into, but the gravity of the situation was immediately obvious upon entering the cellar. Edward and Yylfordt stood in ready combat stances over an unconscious Kitsune, while a black whirlwind of reiatsu advanced on them from deeper inside.

A Hollow... no, not quite. Ryohime jumped down to land at Yylfordt's side and, squinting against the flurry of sand, could faintly make out a torn white suit hanging raggedly over a half-Hollow form.

"Is that... Dikayumi?" she asked, aghast. Yylfordt nodded grimly, not taking his eyes off the Hollowfying Quincy.

"We were here training when he came in, and we noticed pretty quickly when he started losing control. Kitsune tried to contain him when things started getting worse, but he expended too much spiritual energy trying to do a level eighty Bakudo and nearly killed himself in the process."

"It's about time you guys got here," Edward added tensely. "Erina, you and Ryohime can do something about this, right?"

"I don't know, I don't actually know that many Bakudos," Erina replied anxiously with a quick glance at Ryohime. "Do you-?"

"Not anything more powerful then what Kitsune could do." Ryohime drew her Zanpakuto, though her leg still twinged with pain from the earlier encounter. "Does anyone remember what we're supposed to do in this situation?"

Edward shook his head. "He's losing an inward battle, I think. What can we do? Nothing, just keep him from killing anyone until either he suppresses the Hollow or..."

"Succumbs to it, and we have no choice but to kill him," finished Herald grimly, hopping down on Erina's other side. "And here half of us are already worn out from the battle upstairs." Lilynette, answering his silent call, appeared again at his side.

"I'm afraid you're right," Erina said quietly, then whirled around and knelt at Kitsune's side. "Someone cover me, I'm going to try and get Kitsune back into fighting condition. Between the three of us, we could probably manage to put up a better containment then any of us individually."

Herald nodded, glancing at Edward and Yylfordt. "We'll take the fight to him, try and keep him as far from the girls as possible." At Ryohime's indignant huff, he added, "We're going to need a barrier at full power, and you're already worn out. Jump into another battle and you might just faint before Erina finishes. Just stay back here, alright?"

Ryohime couldn't argue. "But I'm calling Muramasa," she said immediately as the others started forward, and Herald just grunt-sighed at her stubbornness before following Edward. "Whisper, Muramasa."

Not... why do you call... -hime?

She looked around, confused. Who was talking to her? She didn't recognize that voice at all. Muramasa?

... not my name! THAT'S NOT MY NAME!

She jerked backwards in shock, dropping her Zanpakuto to the ground. It was a voice inside her head, a stranger's voice inside her head! "Muramasa!" she called again, frantic now. Where was he? Why wasn't he coming?

"Are you alright?" asked Erina worriedly, looking up from Kitsune. Ryohime looked at her, eyes wide with worry.

"Muramasa isn't answering!"

Even as she said it, she heard the click of her Zanpakuto's long fingernails, and then he was behind her, putting a hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

"I did answer," he said, though when Ryohime looked at him... there was a shadow in his voice, and darkening his eyes.

"Dikayumi needs us," she said, trying to bring herself back to the now. "Help Herald and the others?"

Muramasa nodded and vanished again, this time phasing through the air to the battle beyond. Ryohime sat down, suddenly feeling weak at the knees.

Who was that?