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"Rukia" – Normal Speech
'Ichigo' – Thoughts
*Kaien-dono* - Zanpakutō speech/thoughts
"Bankai!" – Spiritual Technique
Chapter 11: Hajike, Tobiume!
Sewer System, Beneath the Seireitei
Hinamori Momo glared at the masked Soul Reaper in front of her. How dare she talk to her like that?!
"My name is Hinamori Momo, Lieutenant of Squad 5." She snapped at Kokken Asa, "And I'm here to take you down for what you did to Abarai-kun!"
Kokken tilted her helmeted head to one side in a manner that conveyed mild bafflement somehow. "So you're angry for me kicking him in the face?"
"What?" Momo was momentarily taken aback at this.
"That's all I did to him." the masked Soul Reaper explained, "Everything else was done by Kurosaki-san, Ishida-san and Chad-kun over there."
The Lieutenant noticed for the first time the group of Ryoka sitting over to the side, with the fugitive Kuchiki Rukia sitting in amongst them. Her eyes widened as she felt the roiling Reiatsu emanating from the orange-haired boy with the stupidly large Zanpakutō on his back.
'He…he's captain-class!' she thought in disbelief, 'This isn't good. Gah, I can't believe I was so reckless as to run off like this! Shiro-kun is going to get mad at me again…'
"Now that you realise the situation you are in, kindly stand down." Kokken said, drawing her attention, "As you have discovered our location, it would be…inconvenient for you to expose it until we're safely out of the Seireitei, so I must take you into custody temporarily."
Momo's eyes hardened at that. "No you won't. Bakudō #21, Sekienton! (Way of Binding Number Twenty-One, Red Smoke Escape!)"
Red smoke exploded from around her, obscuring the petite Soul Reaper from sight as she turned and fled. Kokken cocked her head to the side slightly before vanishing in a Shunpo.
"What the heck was that?" Ichigo asked.
"One of the Bakudō, or Binding Way, of Kidō, one of the basic skills of the Soul Reapers." Yoruichi explained, "I'm going to go watch Kokken-chan fight. This ought to be fun!"
Then Yoruichi also vanished in a Shunpo, leaving Ganju to shake his head.
"Jeez, she just can't help herself, can she?" the Shiba Clan Scion muttered, "She's just like how Nee-chan described her."
"Whadya mean?" Ichigo asked.
"She likes ta throw her apprentices in the deep end to see if they sink or swim." Ganju explained, "If I'm right, then Kokken must be about equal or more in terms of Reiatsu with Lieutenant Hinamori. Yoruichi-sama must want to see how Kokken does against someone of equal power and more experience."
"In the middle of the enemy stronghold? How reckless." Ishida sniffed as he adjusted his glasses.
"Wait…Yoruichi…you don't mean Shihōin Yoruichi do you?!" Rukia gaped, "She was exiled a hundred years ago!"
"She was set up by the same person who set you up, Kuchiki." Ganju replied with a sneer, "Let's get somethin' straight here. The only reason I ain't tryin' ta kill you right now is that Kokken told me that ya hadn't a choice in what happened. Somehow she knows exactly what went down in that forest, dunno how. So just shaddap and sit down."
A subdued Rukia slumped down with a frown on her face. Kokken knew the details of what happened in that forest forty years ago? How? Her ability to sense the Reiatsu of others hadn't been as sensitive as it was now, but she was pretty certain she would have felt someone in the area where that had happened…unless she had been wearing one of those damned Reiatsu-suppressing cloaks.
"Kokken-sensei's really mysterious, isn't she Chad-kun?" Orihime said brightly, "When she was training us, she never took off her cloak or helmet. I wonder why?"
"Sensei will have her reasons." The Mexican youth rumbled.
The bubbly girl wasn't put off by that. "Kuchiki-san, what do you know about Kokken-sensei?"
"I have never encountered her before Ichigo received my powers." The black-haired girl replied, "That isn't exactly unusual, though. With how many Soul Reapers there are, even leaving out the Kidō Corps and the various subdivisions of the Onmitsukidō, it isn't hard for someone in one squad to be unknown by Soul Reapers from any of the others."
"She's a nag." Ichigo grumbled.
"The only reason you say that is because she stopped you from running into combat with a Captain-class Soul Reaper." Ishida sniped at Ichigo, who glowered at him.
"What's so special about Captains anyway?" the Deathberry demanded, "No one's ever explained anything about that."
"A Captain has three times the Reiatsu that even Renji has." Rukia replied, "This is because they have achieved the final release of their Zanpakutō, Bankai."
"Wait, I thought the Zanpakutō could change one and that was called Shikai. There's something beyond that?" Ishida demanded.
Rukia nodded. "A Zanpakutō's Shikai form is its true form and is powerful, but Bankai is beyond even that. It is essentially an expanded version of the Shikai with enhanced abilities. Just achieving Bankai multiplies the Reiatsu of the user, and they have to have massive reservoirs of Reiatsu to achieve Bankai in the first place, though I don't know the details."
This was a lie on Rukia's part, as she knew that if she admitted to knowing how to achieve Bankai, Ichigo would try and badger it out of her. He had already gained a significant amount of Reiatsu since regaining his powers (how he did that was beyond her) and there was a chance that he could actually draw his Zanpakutō out of his Inner World. He would be crushed by the fact that it took decades to achieve Bankai, so she was trying to spare his feelings.
"Huh. Is that why Kokken's so deferential to Yoruichi-san? Because she's far more powerful than her?" Ishida asked.
"In a manner of speaking." Rukia replied, "A Lieutenant attacked by a hundred Unseated Soul Reapers will win ten times out of ten. Judging by how she was able to raise her Reiatsu to counter Renji's own Reiatsu, she must be at least as strong as he is Reiatsu-wise. In this case, even if a hundred lieutenants ganged up on a single captain, they would have almost no chance of victory. Whatever Kokken did, Shihōin Yoruichi could and would bury her without even having to try. That's the way it has always been in in the Goteijūsantai; the strong lead the weak."
"That system kinda sucks." Ichigo commented, "What if someone gets in power that isn't on the level?"
"Then Yamamoto-sōtaichō would take them down himself." Rukia said with conviction, "No Soul Reaper born in the last two millennia has been able to match him. None of the current Captains could stand against him for very long, not even his two students, the Captains of the Eighth and Thirteenth Squads respectively."
"That's true." Ganju acknowledged begrudgingly, "Even Ukitake-taichō wouldn't stand a chance. Kaien-nii told me once that he stood no chance against Ukitake-taichō in a basic spar with sealed swords. Even his Nejibana's Shikai form stood no chance against that of Sōgyo no Kotowari (Truth of Pisces)."
Rukia nodded sagely. "Ukitake-taichō is one of the candidates to replace Yamamoto-sōtaichō if he ever steps down, so that isn't a surprise."
With Kirika
Appearing in front of Hinamori, the masked Soul Reaper 'tsk'd' lightly at her prey. "Running away is rude, Peach-chan."
"My name is Momo! Hinamori Momo!" the Lieutenant of Squad 5 snapped at her again, "Move!"
She drew her sword and stuck at Kirika, who lazily blocked the strike. It wasn't a bad attack, just much too freaking slow to have any chance at bypassing her defences. Was Hinamori underestimating her?
"If that's the best you can do, I am not impressed." She remarked aloud, which made Hinamori even angrier. Disengaging, the brunette launched several more sword strikes, each faster than the other.
"Finally taking me seriously? About time." Kirika commented as she idly parried another strike, "Seriously though, your Zanjutsu isn't your strong point, is it? You're competent, but nothing to write home about. How about your Hakuda and Hohō?"
She disengaged and sheathed her sword before charging in with just her fists, taking the Lieutenant off guard. Unsurprising really, as she had been taught to use Hakuda as a backup for if she somehow lost her Zanpakutō, like most of the Gotei 13. The only ones who weren't taught that were the Onmitsukidō, who only used their Zanpakutō when Hakuda proved to be ineffective.
Hinamori yelped in pain as her Zanpakutō was knocked from her hands before a foot connected solidly with her sternum, sending her flying back into the tunnel's wall with a yell of pain. Scrambling to her feet, Hinamori started to exchange blows with Kirika. Her skill with Hakuda actually wasn't too bad; certainly better than her skill with the sword.
"OK, you should definitely use Hakuda for close combat; it's much better than your Zanjutsu." She commented.
"Who are you?!" Hinamori growled, evidently frustrated with her inability to break through Kirika's guard, "No exile aside from the Captain and Lieutenant-class Soul Reapers from a hundred years ago should have this sort of skill!"
"Either that or you suck." Kirika jibed at her. Angry people made mistakes. It wasn't one of Kirika's favourite strategies, but 'Kokken Asa' had used it before on Ganju, so it would be expected of her. Keeping up a false persona was tough as hell, especially with her brother and their friends floating around. She couldn't risk breaking character, even here.
"Take that back!" the petite girl was practically hopping in fury, "Aizen-taichō selected me for the position of Squad 5 Lieutenant! I do not suck!"
A feral snarl started to build up in Kirika's throat as the girl said the name of her tormentor with such awe and reverence that it made the redhead sick. Hurriedly burying the instinct, Kirika said, "Ah yes. Aizen Sōsuke. I don't like him all. Taking his Lieutenant prisoner ought to be a fine way to irritate him."
With a snarl, Hinamori vanished in the blur of a Shunpo, with Kirika following her lead. The two blurred back into existence above Hinamori's Zanpakutō, exchanging kicks before once again blurring out of sight. This was repeated several times as the two Soul Reapers attempted to outdo one another with their speed. Here, Hinamori found that while she was still outclassed, it wasn't as large a gap as her Zanjutsu or Hakuda.
"Enough!" She snarled, "Hadō # 31: Shakkahō!"
As she fired the red sphere of the Hadō, Kirika raised her own hand and fired one as well…without incantation. The two spells clashed in the air, detonating in a flash of crimson red light and smoke. Hinamori flashed over to her Zanpakutō and grabbed it, hefting it up before bringing it down to point at her enemy.
"Hajike, Tobiume! (Snap, Flying Plum Tree!)" She cried out, the blade of her sword glowing red as she invoked her Shikai. When the red energy faded, there was actually very little difference from how it was before, aside from two Jutte-like prongs, one on either side of the blade, making it resemble a Shichishitō (Seven-Branched Sword).
"Interesting Shikai." Kirika remarked, "The prongs look too delicate to be used for close combat, so a Kidō or Illusion type of some sort I'm guessing?"
"See for yourself!" Hinamori said with a vicious look on her face as she swung her blade at Kirika from a distance, unleashing a fireball that soared towards her at a high speed.
"Bakudō #81: Dankū!" the masked Soul Reaper snapped out, the transparent rectangle snapping into place in front of her just before the fireball reached her. Although the defence stopped the attack, the lack of incantation meant that it shattered after blocking it.
'Again…she used a high-level Bakudō Eishōhaki.' Hinamori thought in shock, 'I'm one of the most proficient Lieutenants in the Gotei 13 at Kidō and I can't do that! Is she some sort of prodigy at Kidō or something? I have learned a few Bakudō and Hadō Eishōhaki and those are all below the forties. I haven't even attempted to use one of the high-level Kidō in practice, never mind actual combat!'
This time, Kirika attacked. "Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"
The amount of blue flames that were disgorged from her hand clearly startled Hinamori, as they enveloped the thin tunnel in a wave of blue fire that surged towards her like a tidal wave. She muttered frantically under her breath before casting Dankū to protect herself from the flames.
'Such power with a Kidō in the thirties…I've only seen Captains pull this kind of power from a low-rank Kidō before and that's because they load it with a ton of Reiryoku.' Momo thought in disbelief as she saw her pale shield crack under the assault of flames. Dankū, when cast properly, was supposed to be able to block every Hadō below level eighty with ease. The fact that this woman had managed to crack a fully-incanted Dankū with a low mid-level Kidō like Sōkatsui spoke volumes for her puissance with the Demon Way.
"Oops. Really have to throttle that one in confined spaces." Kirika said with a shrug as she advanced slowly. The fact that Hinamori knew the incantation to Dankū and was able to cast it so quickly without using it Eishōhaki was very impressive. Still, she was a Soul Reaper and was resilient to damage, so she could have retreated and accepted the risk of getting harmed slightly in exchange for launching a counterattack through the flames of the Sōkatsui.
"You…!" the petite brunette growled and started to chant, her hand glowing yellow as she moved it in a triangle.
"Sanhonbashira, ten no hikari, teki o kōgeki. Keimusho no shu, seinaru sanmiittai o tokihanase! Bakudō #30, Shitotsu Sansen! (Three pillars, light of heaven, attack the enemy. Lord of prisons, let loose the sacred trinity! Way of Binding Number Thirty, Break-Piercing Triple Beam!)"
From the three points of the triangle, three beak-shaped spikes shot out at Kirika. She hadn't learned that one, but it was a common binding spell used by those more than passively familiar with the Demon Way. Yoruichi-sensei was fond of using it when against two opponents simultaneously or if against a single opponent and thus had used it against her more than once. Fortunately for Kirika, the counter was rather simple.
She loaded Nejibana with more Reiryoku and slashed down, shattering two of them as they reached her whilst dodging out of the way of the third, which slammed into the wall.
"Shitotsu Sansen is to be used when the enemy is off guard." She remarked as she shattered the last spike with a slice of her sword, "Using it when the enemy isn't distracted or otherwise engaged isn't wise, as the spikes are vulnerable to external strikes with sufficient spiritual force behind them."
"Stop talking down to me, Ryoka!" Hinamori snarled, "Shakkahō!"
This time, rather than a single burst of fire, two streams of crimson fire erupted from the Lieutenant's outstretched hand, even as she swung her Shikai at Kirika, adding the much more powerful deep-red fireball to the blood-red fire of the Hadō.
'Two blasts from the same spell?! Tessai-sensei has never even mentioned that such a thing was possible!' Kirika thought incredulously. Her body moved without her mind's knowledge as she absorbed the fact that Tessai hadn't told her about this being a possibility. She sped into a Shunpo to avoid the powerful blast from Tobiume, leaving her with the rivers of crimson flames encroaching on her.
"Shakkahō!" she called out, launching her own powerful version of the flame-type Kidō from her hand. She had never been more thankful for her affinity for fire-type Kidō, as that was the sole reason she was able to fire off a Shakkahō powerful enough to combat two regular-strength versions at once. She couldn't risk alerting people that a battle was taking place down here, so she couldn't simply overwhelm the Lieutenant with a barrage of Kidō spells.
As the Shakkahō collided in a small explosion, Hinamori had a look of concentration on her face.
'That does it. She has to have an affinity for fire-type Kidō.' Momo decided, 'I may not be able to sense her Reiatsu or Reiryoku, but putting enough Reiryoku into that Shakkahō in order to counter both of mine at once would have made anyone below the strength of a Captain take a noticeable hit to their Reiatsu, even staggering them physically momentarily. She didn't stagger at all. She's also been using either non-elemental or fire type Kidō this whole time. Makes sense to stick to her best arts, but now that I know that, I can counter it.'
What set Hinamori Momo apart from her peers wasn't her skill with a blade, her speed, her skill at unarmed combat or even the powers of her Zanpakutō. At the heart of her abilities, she was a Kidō specialist and tactician, using her small size and wide knowledge of the Demon Way in conjunction with her sharp mind and Kidō-type Zanpakutō to defeat her foes.
"Jeez, that Zanpakutō of yours combined with regular Kidō is quite the deadly combination." Kirika said as she strode through the dust and smoke left over from the collision of Kidō, "I apologise for underestimating you. I have never heard of someone firing two blasts from the same Kidō. What do you call that technique?"
"It's the Baizō Eishō (Double Incantation) Technique." Hinamori replied, "Unlike Eishōhaki, which abandons incantations altogether, or Nijū Eishō, which strings two different Kidō together, Baizō Eishō allows you to cast the same Kidō twice with only a slight delay in cast times. I am surprised someone who can use Kidō as skilfully as you hasn't heard of it."
"Well, my education has been somewhat…rushed in regards to Kidō." Kirika admitted as she rested the dull side of her Zanpakutō on her shoulder, "I count myself lucky that I seem to have high potential in that department. It's also a good thing that you're fighting me…you actually have a chance at defeating me, as opposed to Kurosaki-san. He has the potential to become Captain-class."
"Him?" Hinamori tilted her head to one side as she brought up the mental image of the orange-haired Ryoka before scoffing.
"Only members of the Nobility have ever become Captains the proper way."
"Tōsen Kaname, Ichimaru Gin, Aizen Sōsuke, Hitsugaya Tōshirō, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Komamura Sajin." Kirika listed off, "All of these Captains either passed the Captain's Proficiency Test or were Recommended to the post. One thing that all of them have in common is that none of them are Nobility. The Nobles do not hold the monopoly on Reiryoku; they merely have a better chance due to the high-purity of the Reiryoku inside the Seireitei, where almost all of them reside. Kurosaki-san lives in one of the most spiritually dense areas of the World of the Living, plus the amount of combat he's been in since entering the Court of Pure Souls means that it's only a matter of time before he achieves the level of spiritual awareness to materialise his Zanpakutō Spirit."
"Please add '–taichō' to the end of their names; you do not have their consent for Yobisute." Hinamori scolded her, even although she regularly referred to the Captain of the Tenth as 'Shiro-chan' or 'Tōshirō' more often than not.
"I'm a Ryoka, Peach-chan." Kirika shrugged, "I have never been a part of your little club here, so I am not obligated to show respect to anyone in your chain of command. Now shall we continue?"
"Yes, we should." Hinamori agreed, "And I will win. Underestimating me was foolish as I now have had more than adequate time to learn your capabilities."
"By all means then…bring it." Kirika challenged with a laugh, "I have never fought a battle before coming to the Soul Society that I could win. Fight after fight with nothing but 'survive as long as possible' being my goal, and against Captain-class Soul Reapers fighting on my level to boot. If you really think you can do better than that, by all means, prove it."
Hinamori's eyes widened at that. Receiving one-on-one training from a Captain was a rare privilege granted only to Seated Officers at their Captain's discretion. Even she had only had a handful of training sessions with Aizen since she was made his Lieutenant, and this woman had them constantly?!
Taking advantage of the distraction, Kirika vanished in a Shunpo and appeared behind Hinamori, her sword raised high.
"Bakudō #4, Hainawa! (Way of Binding Number 4, Crawling Rope!)" The brunette snapped out, casting the spell quickly, without the build-up action that some Soul Reapers needed to activate it. The yellow rope of Reishi flew from the hand Momo used to generate it and wound around Kirika like a snake. It was a weak binding spell, one that could be broken by pure physical force if need be, but that would take tens of seconds to do, leaving Kirika completely open to attack.
"Damn it…! This little trick!" the masked Soul Reaper grunted as she fought the rope. She jerked back when a fireball sailed past her head and struck the wall to her side, cracking the stone.
Hinamori, who had fired the blast, pointed a finger at Kirika and chanted, "Raimei no basha, itoguruma no kangeki, hikari mote kore o mutsu ni wakatsu! Bakudō #61, Rikujōkōrō! (Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Way of Binding Number Sixty-One, Six Rods Prison of Light!)"
The Hainawa, previously losing its light due to Kirika's attempts to break it, regained its glow anew before shooting out from her, reforming into six rods that then slammed into place around her waist, making her look like the hub of a wheel. Kirika gritted her teeth and started to raise her own Reiatsu in an attempt to break the binding spell. There were no visible signs of it, thanks to her cloak and the effect of Rikujōkōrō, which fully bound her entire body. It was a much more powerful Kidō, but still one that she could break given enough time.
'Thank Kami it isn't #63.' Was all Kirika could think as she furiously raised her Reiatsu as high as it could go.
"Now I have you." Hinamori said proudly. The petite brunette was smirking, thinking that she had won.
"It isn't over until the fat lady sings!" Kirika snarled and pushed her Reiatsu as high as it would go, further than she had ever tried to push it before. Such was the force of the spiritual pressure, her cloak started to flap in a non-existent storm and all of the rods keeping her imprisoned started to show cracks lacing across their surface.
"Wha-?! So quickly?" Hinamori gaped.
'Only a Lieutenant or higher can erode a fully-incanted Rikujōkōrō so quickly…don't tell me she's on my level or higher?!' she thought in worry, before something occurred to her, 'Hang on…if she is on my level, she should have unleashed her Shikai right after I did.'
To an experienced Soul Reaper, it was correct logic. Releasing Shikai was a sign that the wielder was taking you seriously, much as Bankai was a declaration that the wielder was going to give their all to your defeat. As such, it was prudent and polite to reciprocate by releasing Shikai in return. Otherwise, it was a sign that they were either not taking you seriously or felt you were weak enough to not need their Shikai.
"Are you still looking down on me?!" Hinamori snapped at Kirika angrily, "Why haven't you released your Shikai? You have to be Lieutenant-level at the rate you're eroding that Rikujōkōrō, so you must have attained it!"
"Due to various circumstances, I am prohibited from releasing it at the moment." Kirika replied as more cracks appeared in the Kidō binding her, "It's somewhat inconvenient and my Zanpakutō is put out by the restriction, but it's a good test of my ability to manage solely on the basic Zankensoki. It is no snub on you, Peach-chan, but it's simply a stipulation of my sadistic sensei."
Coincidentally, three people sneezed simultaneously; one in the Soul Society and two in the World of the Living.
"Now then…let's get back to it!" the Masked Soul Reaper as she once more flexed her Reiatsu and shattered the binding Kidō into pieces.
Kirika had lied, to a degree. While Yoruichi, Urahara and Tessai hadn't expressly forbidden her from using Nejibana's Shikai, they had strongly advised her to not use it until and unless there was no other choice. If random Soul Reapers or even worse, Seated Officers saw Nejibana, there would be all sorts of uncomfortable questions that she didn't want to have to deal with quite yet.
"I'll just have to lock you in stronger bindings!" Hinamori said determinedly as she pointed Tobiume at the Masked Soul Reaper.
"That won't happen." Kirika shot back, "This is the last round, girl, and I am the San-Dan here."
Hinamori looked puzzled here, but Kirika was referring to the fact that she was a 3rd Dan in Kendo. Ordinarily, she would have to be sixteen to gain that status, but Yoruichi had found a couple of loopholes that let her take the test a full six months before she should have been able to. She would still have to wait until she was eighteen to take the 4th Dan test though, dammit.
The reason Yoruichi had done that was because she honestly found it repulsive that her student was underrated to such a degree. As she was, Kirika could easily beat a 7th Dan during randori. The advantages of training with freakishly powerful sword masters almost every day for a decade.
The battle recommenced, with fireballs and lightning being flung around by the two combatants. Hinamori pointed her Zanpakutō at Kirika and fired a fireball shortly followed by a short chant.
"Hyōga Seiran! (Glacier Vapour Storm!)" she shouted, unleashing a wave of ice and water at Kirika, who replied with an Unincanted blast of Sōkatsui, the blue fire clashing with the Hyōga Seiran with an eruption of steam that shrouded the area like a blanket.
In conventional Soul Reaper battles, Kidō was considered a distraction at best, mostly due to the Hohō abilities that all graduates of the Shinōreijutsuin possessed, as well as the resilience to damage that all Soul Reapers possessed. As Kirika stated earlier, they were best employed either as a distraction or as a follow up to the enemy being distracted or dropping their guard. In a battle of misdirection that the two women were engaged in, however, Kidō was a vital part of the offence and defence on both sides and the first one to gain a distinct advantage over the other would win.
In the mist, Kirika made her move.
Hinamori fired a Byakurai at a shape moving in the steam and blinked in surprise when it vanished when the weak lightning Kidō struck it. What the…?
Suddenly, two masked figures charged out of the steam and slashed their swords at her, forcing the girl to backpedal out of the way. Then, in an instant, they vanished,
"What the…clones?" Momo muttered before a sharp blow struck the back of her neck and darkness filled her eyes as she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Kirika looked down at the Lieutenant with a small glare. Forcing her to use the Shunbunshin of all things! She could only create three clones of herself with it, which was pathetic. Yoruichi could create at least twenty of the things when she wasn't even trying. Soi Fon could even do better than Kirika could; creating ten or twelve if she pushed it.
"I need to train more." She sighed as she set about tying up the girl she had just defeated using some restraints she had taken from Rukia's jailors earlier, just in case this kind of thing happened.
"Nah, you did very well." Yoruichi said as she strolled out of the side tunnel she had been observing the fight from, making Kirika jump and start to charge up a Byakurai on instinct before she realised who it was.
"Sensei, don't startle me like that!" she scolded the werecat, "I'm still on a combat high!"
"Meh. If you did hit me with a Byakurai, I'd give you a golden star for being the first one to do that." The dark-skinned woman said easily, "Not even Bya-kun can do that. So this is the peach you plucked? Cute."
"Not my type." Kirika shrugged indifferently, "Let's get her back to the others so we can get Rukia's collar off her and onto this one. I think Kaien's deactivation code is still valid."
"Knowing the inertia of the Soul Society, that's all too likely." Yoruichi agreed with a snort as she picked up Tobiume in its sealed form –by the blade of course- and slid it into its sheath, "Let's go before that idiot Ichigo starts stomping around to look for you."
As it so happened, Ichigo had been about to set out to find them, so their timing was good.
"What took you so long?" the carrot-top grumbled, "She wasn't that strong."
"Her skill is rather high, Kurosaki-san." Kirika answered dryly, "Unlike you, I cannot simply force my way through every fight with a whole lot of power and next to no finesse. Lieutenant Hinamori is a similar type of fighter to me, so overcoming her was not easy. Doubtless she would have run rings around you before you got in a lucky blow that would have immobilised her, so my way was better. Now hold still please, Kuchiki-san."
Kirika hated sounding so indifferent to her brother, but she couldn't risk him or her friends discovering her identity yet. She wasn't looking forward to that conversation when it came and was only too happy to push it to one side, despite the inexorable inevitability of it happening.
The Masked Soul Reaper touched the red collar around Rukia's neck and muttered a short chant followed by a twist, resulting in the red collar snapping off the ravenette's neck in her hand. Rukia touched her throat with trembling hand, her eyes wide as she could once more felt her Reiryoku, as pitiful as it was, and could feel Sode no Shirayuki stirring in the back of her mind.
"Thank you…" she whispered.
"Don't mention it." Kirika replied as she snapped the collar around Hinamori's neck, rendering her as helpless as Rukia had just been, "Now, we should move away from her so we can avoid the inevitable investigation party that will arrive. Sensei, do you want your Zanpakutō?"
"Not for the moment; tomorrow, perhaps." The purple-haired woman replied with a shake of her head.
"Why don't you have your Zanpakutō with you?" Rukia asked, her left hand pressed to her hip where her sword should be, "I know that if I got an Asauchi and bonded with it again, I wouldn't let Sode no Shirayuki away from my side for a good decade."
"Being devoid of a part of your soul will do that." Yoruichi nodded sympathetically, "The reason is that when I transform into my cat form, I have to be completely naked, meaning no sword."
"Speaking of, why is it that she still retains her weapon?" Ishida asked stiffly as he gestured at Hinamori.
"She's unconscious and bound with a collar that restrains all of her Reiryoku, Ishida-san." The masked girl said dryly, "As Kuchiki-san can testify, it is highly effective at rendering its wearer helpless. Well, you still have to worry about Hakuda, but it's still far less effective than it could be with her Reiryoku sealed. Besides, her arms and legs are bound also."
"So we're going to carry her with us?" Ichigo said with a scowl.
"We can't very well let her report in about our various capabilities and plans, can we?" Yoruichi asked rhetorically, "Especially my presence."
"Why? Who are you to the Soul Reapers?" Ishida asked suspiciously.
"She's the former Head of the Shihōin Clan, one of the Four Great Noble Families of the Seireitei, as well as the former Commander of the Onmitsukidō and the former Captain of Squad 2." Kirika replied, "Shihōin Yoruichi, the Goddess of Flash. Exiled a hundred years ago by the machinations of the same person behind railroading Kuchiki Rukia here."
"What do you mean? I was arrested on the orders of the Central 46." Rukia frowned.
"Those senile old men couldn't care less if an Inuzuri brat gave her powers to a human, even if you are adopted into the Kuchiki Clan. It would just give them the excuse to throw you out of the Clan." Kirika snorted, "No, I suspect that the Central 46 are all dead, truly dead, right now. You can see where I'm going with this."
Rukia, paling rapidly, could indeed. "O-Only Captains and Lieutenants are permitted an audience with the Central 46…you can't seriously be suggesting what I think you're suggesting!"
"She is." Yoruichi said seriously, "One or more of the Captains of the Goteijūsantai have murdered the Central 46 and secretly seized power…all to get their hands on you."
"You both knew this the whole time." Ichigo stated angrily, his eyes boring into the other two Soul Reapers.
"Kokken had no choice." Yoruichi placed a supportive hand on Kirika's shoulder and squeezed softly, "She argued that we should be more supportive and open with you all, but Kisuke overruled her every time and Tessai and I went along with it. A Sixth Seat can't very well oppose three Captains, although she tried."
"And got cut to pieces by Benihime for my troubles." Kirika grumbled, "And trained into the ground by a certain sadistic werecat. And got blasted by various Kidō spells by Tessai-sensei. Thank kami for Kaidō."
"You fought three Captains?!" Rukia gaped in horror.
"No; three Captains took the time to lower themselves to my level and righteously kicked the living shit out of me." Kirika corrected her sourly, "One-on-One training sounds good but with no one else to distract them, they are drill sergeants from hell, let me tell you."
"The main point being," aforementioned drill sergeant from hell said, punching Kirika on the arm lightly, "that Kokken here did what little she could to help you all out when you were all in the World of the Living and occasionally went against orders to do more, like when she went around killing Hollows during the Hollow Bait incident. She also interceded with Bya-kun and Abarai before Kisuke gave her permission to."
"Bya…you call Onii-sama Bya-kun?!" Rukia was positively agape at this point.
"I'm the one who taught Bya-kun how to really use Shunpo when he was a snot-nosed, wet-behind-the-ears brat waving a bokken around the Kuchiki family compound in front of his grandfather, Ginrei." Yoruichi snorted, "He was such a short tempered brat."
"Why do you think I refer to him and Soi Fon with '-sempai' rather than '-san', Kuchiki-san?" Kirika asked archly, "We're sibling disciples, taught by the same person. Soi Fon-sempai is going to be really angry for multiple reasons when she finds out though."
"I said I'd handle her, Kokken." The former Captain pouted, "Don't you believe me?"
"No, I have a bad feeling that Murphy's Law is going to apply to this mission even more so now that we've got Kuchiki-san." The masked Soul Reaper sighed, "We have to be prepared for anything to go wrong from here on out. Hanatarō-san, could you give Kuchiki-san a once over to make certain that she's not got anything wrong with her and perhaps adding something to her Reiryoku reserves. She's barely there as far as I can sense."
"Hai." The Squad 4 medic nodded timidly and moved over next to Rukia, his hands glowing green with the healing Kidō.
"Once Hanatarō-san is finished, we'll move elsewhere." Yoruichi advised the rest of the group, "Get some rest while you can."
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Next Chapter: Captain's Meeting
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