Bleach – The Heart of the Matter

By Tayla Drago

What are Bounts? Remembers that from the last saga...Let's put the stories together to make it short of the details before we hear Rosa's story on what really happen to her for Yamamoto and Sonia wanted to learn all about it. Even for Kiwi too. Anyways...

Bounts:

Bounts are spiritually aware beings that were artificially created due an experimental accident that occurred in the Soul Society. Scientists, including Ran'Tao and her team were trying to investigate a way to achieve eternal life and decided to create artificial Souls in order to do so. Due to the questionable ethics in using Human Souls, the scientists used their own Souls and those of fellow Shinigami as a base in order to create these artificial beings. However, during the experiment, there was an accident that caused an explosion and traces of the experiment were flung far and wide. The remnants of these artificial Souls combined with Human Souls that were in the process of being reborn into the World of the Living and when these beings were born, the Bounts were brought into existence.

Bounts are beings that were born of Humans but due to their creation, have special powers that ensure they experience lives quite different to their peers around them. Due to originating as experiments involving Shinigami Souls, the Bounts have many abilities that other Humans around them do not.

Soul Absorption: A basic ability of the Bounts is that they are able to absorb or consume the Souls of other beings around them. They usually live by a rule of only absorbing Souls of deceased Humans but they can also absorb the Souls of living Humans which provides them even greater strength as well.

Immortality: As long as a Bount is able to consume Souls, they can use them to extend their lives and effectively live forever.

Empowerment: By consuming the Soul of a living Human, Bounts gain a massive boost in strength that further enhances their unique abilities.

Humans often created myths about "Vampires" often mistaking the Bounts for them.

Throughout history, the attacks of Bounts on Humans, and their ability to stay young forever has led to myths being created about them. A common myth that is often attributed to them is the tale of "Vampires" that has resulted from the presence of these supernatural beings among Human society. Bounts were often persecuted by the people around them when they noticed they were not aging and thus they sought to access Soul Society as they felt it was their true home. This led to conflict with the Quincy and many Bounts were eliminated with the help of Shinigami that were sent to take advantage of the situation. In the present day, due to previous genocides and their inability to procreate has led to Bount numbers being greatly reduced until only a small tribe remained.

History:

Centuries before Ichigo Kurosaki was born, an organization of scientists that prelude the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, was working on an experiment to try and achieve immortality. The leader of this group was Ran'Tao. They were using the slow-aging souls of Shinigami as a base for these experiments and encompassing them with Human Souls in an attempt to succeed in their objective. They created a base of artificial souls and were experimenting on these with power generated by the Jōkaishō however, one of these exploded causing massive devastation, destroying a tenth of the Seireitei. As a result of the explosion, the artificial souls were dispersed and affected the Souls that were in the process of being reborn into the World of the Living.

The Souls that were affected were thus born as into the Human world as Humans with very special abilities These were the Bounts and some of them were almost clones of the Shinigami whose Souls were partially used as the base in the experiments, like Yoshino Sōma was the counterpart of Ran'Tao herself. The Bounts tried to live among the Humans in the World of the Living but this didn't last long due to persecution resulting from the fear of their powers. When people began to realize that the Bounts did not age, they would persecute them, like Yoshino was hunted as a witch by residents of the village she grew up in.

The Seireitei heard reports of increased births of Humans with special abilities in the World of the Living. Shinigami like Ran'Tao were sent to investigate these reports and when she seen the Bounts suffer discrimination she felt guilty due to causing their predicament. She decided to help them and brought them together in hidden communities built into mountains so they could hide from those that hunted them. She did this hoping that the Seireitei would agree to help them although she was sure that it would take years to convince them to do so. She convinced the Bounts to stay together in the communities she created for them and gained their trust in her endeavor. The Bounts happily worked together to build a new home for themselves as they waited for protection from the Seireitei.

When Ran'Tao returned to the Seireitei, she was immediately summoned to by Central 46 in order to hear judgment on her previous experiments. Considering the Bounts to be abominations, Central 46 decided that they wanted to eliminate and bury all evidence of the experiments that Ran'Tao and her colleagues worked on and this included the Bounts. Stunned, Ran'Tao argued against this decision, that as their creators, they should be protecting the Bounts not abandoning them. Central 46 highlights that due to having powers, the Bounts may become a danger to the Souls in the World of the Living and it is their duty to protect the balance of those Souls and Ran'Tao realized that rather than just hide the existence of Bounts, they intended to exterminate them. To her further horror, she realized she had inadvertently made this job easier by gathering many of the Bounts together, in one place, making them an easier target.

Despite the ruling of Central 46, Ran'Tao felt she had a responsibility towards the Bounts and, without permission, returned to Human World in order to save them. At this point, the orders of Central 46 were already being carried out and her hideout was in the midst of being attacked by Shinigami. Many of the Bounts were cut down due to this surprise attack and by the time that Ran'Tao arrived, most had died or had fled. She managed to find one young Bount called Eugene Currier and fled from the Shinigami with him on her back. She gave him an amulet to help draw out the dormant powers within himself and sent him to flee with other survivors while she drew the attention of those pursuing them. Her Shinigami powers were sealed for this treachery and she was exiled as well but she worked secretly for years, in hops of one day helping the Bounts.

The Bounts that escaped from the genocide committed by the Shinigami wandered aimlessly with nowhere to call home, living like vagabonds. This life was dangerous for them as their Reiatsu would attract Hollows and they were frequently attacked as a result. It was during one such attack that Eugene's anger and panic caused Ran'Tao's amulet to activate, helping him to summon his Doll Messer and to merge with it at the same time. He fought alongside his fellow Bounts who had the ability to create the own Dolls naturally, defending his people from the Hollow attacks as he grew older. But a divide had happened between the Bounts and he began to be viewed with suspicion and fear by his fellow Bounts but he stayed with them regardless of this growing divide.

Finally, the majority of the Bounts decided to gain the help of the Quincy in order to gain access to the Soul Society. Most of them felt that remaining in the Human World was futile as they were a irregularity there and thus living in the Soul Society would be the best option for them. Others, like Eugene, opposed this decision, believing that they would become subservient to the Shinigami should they go to the Soul Society but they were overruled. The Bounts had the ability to use their seals and create Senkaimon that led to the Soul Society but they lacked the ability to manipulate Reishi and thus their portal would not convert their bodies into spirit particles upon entry. They needed the help of Quincy to do this and thus it was decided to seek out their aid.

The Quincy refused to help the Bounts and a conflict broke out as a result of their disagreements. They had many battles, that resulted in the loss of many Bounts. The Seireitei saw this conflict as an opportunity to finally destroy the Bounts once and for all. They joined the battle on the side of the Quincy and slaughtered many of the Bounts involved. Eugene was injured during this ad had to helplessly watch as his comrades were massacred in front of him. Eugene lamented the loss of the weak Bounts and then abandoned his idea of using his powers to create a paradise. He took the name Jin Kariya and decided to focus all his efforts on the idea of gathering all strong Bounts together and destroying the Soul Society for causing their creation and all the misery in their lives.

The first step in his plan was to help those Bounts who had not yet summoned a Doll. Due to their creation involving an accident with artificial souls based on Shinigami, all Bounts had abilities similar to Shinigami in that a Doll was a extension of their own powers, much like a Zanpakutō. Some Dolls could be summoned naturally, usually by older Bounts, but some required aid as in the case with Kariya who had originally used the amulet given to him by Ran'Tao to summon and merge with his Doll. Thus, Kariya knew there was a way to help Bounts summon their Dolls and he worked extensively with Ugaki in order to establish a sure way for Bounts to call forth their own Dolls. He used this method to sort the weak Bounts from the strong although he still felt sadness when some Bounts were destroyed after their Dolls deemed them to weak to be their master.

Despite his setbacks, Kariya managed to gather the remaining Bounts to him with the promise of power and strength. Those who followed him had managed to master and control their Dolls so had proven themselves able for the task at hand which was to invade the Soul Society and destroy it in revenge against those responsible for their centuries of suffering.

Powers & Abilities:

Due to their origins and their consumption of souls, Bounts of sufficient power were able to use a multitude of different special abilities that extended beyond their immortality. There were also drawbacks to consuming souls and it seemed to render them infertile as a species as only Yoshino was able to reproduce of all the Bounts. Additionally, consuming the soul of a living person, while greatly expanding their abilities, also had the side affect of aging them at higher rate. Still, many Bounts decided they could live with this drawback as the powers it granted them enabled them to complete their goals.

Bount Seals: These seals are called Hankyō Hyuraizā and often appear on items that empower the Bounts in various ways. The seals often appeared on items that contained a Bount's Doll in its sealed state. The seals can also be used in powerful spells that can complete a ritual or open doorways to the Soul Society. Jin Kariya made much use of this technique. His first one was the birth of the Bitto. The following Bount seals:

Zeige Dich, Noin Raven meaning Pursue the Plan, Noin Raven.

Zeige Dich!, German for Show yourself, is used by all the Bounts to summon their Doll from the object that the seal appears on. This seal resembles the Bount Crest.

Space Manipulation: The Bounts are able to manipulate space after they have sucked a number of souls. Jin Kariya was said to have long had this ability, while Gō Koga had recently gained the ability. The following Spacial Commands are:

Andere Welt anschliessende Port, tauch' dich sofort auf!, incorrect German meaning The portal which connects to another world, appear now!. This opens a Senkaimon.

Mache sogleich das Tor fuer unsere Bounto auf!, German phrase meaning Open at once the gate for our Bounts. This allows the Bounts' souls to pass through the Senkaimon. In order for the portal to open faster, it needs a Quincy arrow to be shot through the portal.

Dolls:

A Doll is a representation of the power within a Bount similar to how a Zanpakutō is the physical representation of the power within a Shinigami but with many differences. This is due to the original experiment, that resulted in the accident that caused the creation of Bounts, using Shinigami Souls as a base for creation of artificial Souls. Initially, the Doll is dormant inside the Bount and can only be summoned and then controlled when they are ready to wield the Dolls powers. Some Dolls were naturally manifested by their owners while others had to be summoned using either a special ritual or a special amulet designed by Ran'Tao. When not in use or in combat, each Doll is usually sealed within a specific object that is often unique to the individual wielding it. When a Bount calls upon its Doll to release its power, they use the phrase "Zeige Dich" which is a German phrase meaning "Show yourself" and then call out their respective Doll's name.

Each Doll is unique to its user and has its own unique seal depending on the Bount that wields it. Some Bounts, if powerful enough, have the ability to merge with their Dolls thus turning themselves into the seal for their Doll. Doing so, drastically changes the appearance of the Bount in question but also greatly enhances the ability of both the Bount and the Doll by creating a stronger being. While many Dolls are dormant in their sealed state, some are never fully sealed and their nature allows them to remain functional while not actively utilizing their special abilities in combat. Most Dolls act and attack independently of their Bount masters but some are quite versatile in that, despite being able to do this, they can morph themselves into weapons, and shields, that can be used by their masters in combat. Some Dolls exist as specialized weapons and must rely on their Bount counterpart in order to wield them in combat or initiate any special abilities that they may possess.

Bounts and their Dolls mostly have a relationship that is akin to masters and their slaves but the relationship is tenuous at best. If the Doll that has been summoned senses that its creator is not strong enough to wield its power then it will turn on the Bount and kill them. Also, if a Bount is severely injured or weakened, a Doll can turn on them and destroy both their masters and themselves during a battle. This is also true if the Doll is injured enough in battle as well, they can go berserk and attack their masters, killing both of them in the process. When the seal of the Doll is destroyed it can kill both the Doll and the Bount that controls it so in a sense, both Doll and Bount are reliant on one another. However, some Bounts and their Dolls have developed a deeper level of respect for each other than most and even when either party is injured greatly, will continue to fight on, together, despite their injuries, even if their seal is destroyed.

Bitto:

Jin Kariya and Ugaki were also able to create a unique form of Doll known as the Bitto. They are mosquito-like beings which drain the souls from humans and condense the energy into a purified liquid for the Bounts to drink. They even produce a useful vial in their sacs to store the elixir (which takes the form of a red, blood-like liquid). After the soul elixir has been ingested, the Bount who took it immediately experiences the effects, with veins popping from their skin. However, should the soul not be consumed, the liquid would turn rancid and become like poison. Kariya created the Bitto by sacrificing Yoshino Sōma, the only Bount capable of reproduction, in an elaborate ritual, producing a large swarm of them.

Members:

Count Dracula/Dracula Vlad Ţepeş – (His Doll - Wicked)

Jin Kariya - (His Doll - Messer)

Sawatari – (His Doll - Baura)

Yoshi – (Her Doll – Nieder)

Go Koga – (His Doll - Dalk)

Yoshino Sōma – (Her Doll – Gothe) - – She was a good Bount

Ugaki – (His Doll - Gesell)

Hō and Ban – (Their Doll - Guhl and Günther)

Mabashi – (His Doll - Ritz)

Ryō Utagawa – (His Doll - Fried)

Cain – (His Doll – Waineton) – An old one who made a mistake from long ago

Ex-Soul Reaper member from Squad 11 - Maki Ichinose [His Zanpakto - Shine Brightly! Nijigasumi (Rainbow Mist!)]

And that's it. Other than we learn about the old captain from Squad Nine Shinjero Inkia on his background story to bring back Dracula somehow, things is getting way out of hand...Its time we learn more about the last and first Bounts to be as Rosa was a witness for Sonia, Yamamoto, and Kiwi to hear on what happened during the time before this woman fell in love to start a family; and then when they thought Sonia was dead 'but really she wasn't' that cause Rosa to leave Yamamoto's older brother, three sons, and the Soul Society in the first place.

"Sonia!" Kiwi flies to Sonia arms.

"Kiwi." she wanted to hear some answers from her own mother. "Rosa, if you really are my mother, then tells us why you left Father, my brothers, and everyone else in the Soul Society. Please..."

For Sonia beg of her real mother to tell her everything, even for Yamamoto wanted to know more about it the most.

"If you wish for us to believe in you, Rosa, then you shall tell us your reasons why you left us. Or so help me, I won't hold back just because you're my sister-in law."

"Uncle Moto..." Sonia tells her uncle to stand down.

"I will not kill her yet, Sonia Dear." he said. "I'm only making a good point. A very good one at that."

Ah, okay...? I guess Yamamoto does have a good point 'even if he's not threatening someone with a sword near your neck type of point'. And with that, Rosa tells Sonia and Yamamoto of her story for us to finally know what happened to her before and afterwards. Also on why she was helping her daughter a lot.

"Very well, I will tell you everything on what happened. For his sake...Sonia, I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me on what I'm about to tell you. I'm so sorry to leave you and your Father to end up dying because of me...If Dracula...!" she says that to her daughter and then to Yamamoto. "And you too, Genryusai, I don't care if you hate me forever, but I do have a very good reason why I ran away when I became a vampire from the very beginning before I had a family and a life once."

Tayla: And now it's time for me to step in to explain the story of Rosa the best I can make it out to be...Rosa was a lovely country girl to work on a farms to support her family from the late 1800's before the 1900's began; for she was a the most beautiful girl in the village for men were upset with her beauty of kindness, a hard working woman during the time, and so much to make plants for everyone else to keep them happy. She had many friends, but no man that she love to still care for all of them of course. That's when one year a deadly plague 'with no cure from back then' was taken affect throughout the village to kill everyone even for her family to be nothing to save them, Rosa would give anything to save them even offer her soul to the devil. Well, that didn't happen...but instead Death and Dracula made a deal with Rosa – become a vampire to join him to lift the plague in time to saving everyone; as she take the deal with her own blood she saves all of the villagers and her parents in the time the next day. However, at the coast of slowly becoming a vampire 'like Sonia was but much different'. Because of the price for saving everyone in the village, all of them and her own family sees Rosa as no longer human, but a vampire to try chasing her out of her own home without realizing it was really her. How sad...Feeling like she should take her life since she couldn't get out of Dracula's deal, she would rather run away from him to never finding her; for a Soul Reaper saves the girl from a Hollow to take her in at the Soul Society to have a brand new home 'since she has powers to see and hear spirits on the day she was born'. Yamamoto's older brother was head captain of Squad One falls in love with Rosa for them to start a new life together, get married, had kids of three boys and one girl, and keep the whole vampire of Rosa and still a human thing a secret for only her children, Yamamoto, and his brother know all about it, and no one else did. To have a good life over the years to go by quickly...Also, the whole Bount thing from Rao Tao and Inkia went down during the time to be top secret for word didn't get out so much just so you all know about that part. And from there as Sonia Yamamoto was getting older of soon becoming a Soul Reaper like her three elder brothers were, that's when it happen of the flood that took her away...Only to be transported into the World of the Living to start a new life and forgotten her memories due to her powers. Thought they've loss her forever, Rosa tried to do something to find Sonia with her powers...it gets worse when Death threatens her life 'by Dracula's orders after Inkia was sentence to death from his crimes', Rao was banned out of the Seireitei, the Bount project was destroyed 'or so they thought'. He wanted Rosa to come back to work for Dracula to soon be brought back to life, if not...let her husband suffer from a powerful pledge that he made to force Rosa to leave. For her boys to leave as Soul Reapers to worry about their sick father and their mother to be at her breaking point; she had no other choice to give something for Death's master to come back somehow; to make a run for it after that, but not without putting her own husband out of his misery – by drinking his blood to make it look like he has died in his sleep from the illness. Not becoming a vampire to have a strong will to know what Rosa was really doing, in the end to look at his wife to embrace with a hug and kiss, he was gone for good. Sad, huh? Leaving Rosa upset to mess with the plans of Dracula to be brought back to life for another century to pass 'which it did' only to leave some parts out to still staying as a vampire...she flees the Soul Society again to live on her own for years taking care of herself and villages to aid form time to time for a kind hearted person she is, and with luck to sense Sonia was alive to wait around seventeen to eighteen years later to return one day, somehow to train for the event one day when Dracula comes back, which she was right to predict it would happen soon enough. While Rosa was training to control her vampire curse to its powers for good to have some human from within her, Yamamoto wanted to find her to be question to alert the Soul Reapers to keep an eye on her if that day ever happen. So he doesn't want her kill or arrested, he just wanted answers to help out Rosa 'for his brother's sake'. Who knew...I guess he just angry to have Rosa leave without an answer. And from then on for Rosa to feel out on what Dracula's been doing since he was brought back again to see that Sonia become a Belmont to come back home and re-awaken her Zanpakto and such whole fighting off the curse with a strong will, sadly it wasn't strong enough to save Rosa's humanity to lose it more since she thought she loss her daughter, and in the end she didn't. Only to aid her a lot more to seeing her a lot until the time was right to tell her everything, and that time was right now...And that's it.

Now back to our story...With Rosa told Yamamoto, Sonia, and Kiwi on everything that I've described from her words on what really happened, they understand it now. All of it. Sad as it was to finally be told to see that Rosa was against Dracula to left curse through the rest of her life to still be alive today. That is very sad. With Kiwi left crying with tears coming out of his big two eyes to show emotion than his true form does of Eichikiba, Sonia believes in every word from Rosa to prove that that was her mother, her real one.

"Rosa...I mean, Mom, is that all true?" she asked. "(Then that means...)" Sonia felt something familiar to have a rose crest on her hand like Rosa to have one on her neck down from her bite mark. "That rose crest on your neck, its a symbol of the Yamamoto royal family to have to those who are born in it, or..."

Sonia saying that part, Rosa says the rest on the other thing when someone falls in love with a member of the Yamamoto family.

"For someone to have it when they get married to one, just like I did. As you can plainly see..." Rosa shows Sonia her rose crest too. "You are my only daughter in the family, and I am your only mother who still loves you. Me."

It was there for Sonia to remember everything back from her past: herself when she was young before becoming a Belmont, her mother, brothers, father, uncle, other things that happened before she loss her memories...everything to make her cry in a good way to for a mother and daughter to hug for them to both be crying. Rosa and Sonia make this family moment count.

"(I remember...I remember everything...)" Sonia hugs Rosa. "Oh, Mom!"

Sweet and touching, wouldn't you say? A mother and daughter bounding for them to reunite at long last for a hug and knowing the whole truth now. For Yamamoto to see that his sister-in-law Rosa was telling the truth for Sonia to believe in every word to not blame the woman at first to now know about everything. The truth that Dracula has done the whole mess from the very beginning.

"So, that's why you never came back...Damn that Count Dracula...! If it wasn't for him, none of this entire mess wouldn't be happening in the first place! If only I would've stopped him."

"Uncle Moto, its alright." said Sonia. "Look, we heard from Rosa...Sorry, I mean my Mom to learn the whole truth. None of us didn't know about it, but now we do. And with her help, we can still win this war yet."

Now he knows to take back everything he said about Rosa to try to apologizing to the sad victim of Dracula next after sighing.

"I see that I may have mistaken from misjudging you, Rosa, and I should've thought better. But I didn't. Hearing her side of the story, I now know the truth." he walks over to Rosa to be forgiven. "Rosa, will you ever forgive me?"

Seeing that Yamamoto didn't mean no harm to protect Sonia to forgive the man on that part for Rosa to reach her hand out to the Head Captain himself.

"Well, if you say so, Genryusai, however..." she then pulls out her sword to point it next to Yamamoto to catch him off guard. "Prove to me that you mean it."

Now she's turning against Yamamoto? What was going on? Leaving Sonia to be confused from seeing this part happening, she tries talking to her mother to stop her 'thinking that she was being controlled by Dracula'.

"Mom? (What's she doing?)"

I think she was being serious right now, and not because of Rosa was being controlled by Dracula at all. Nope, it was far from it. It was like she wants to put Yamamoto to the test.

"I'm sorry, Sonia, but I have a reason that I must fight with my brother-in-law. And no, I've fought off Dracula's curse but to become a full flesh vampire only. I must prove in combat that I can be more than a trouble since I was a victim of Dracula's for you to understand. And I will take you on, Genryusai, so take out your Zanpakto and fight me."

"But you'll end up getting killed...both of you!" she said to Rosa to then trying to talk to her uncle. "Uncle Moto, stop her-!" but Sonia sees that Yamamoto was going to fight after all. "(He's really going to do this.)"

And not just because of Rosa looking like a bad guy, nope. At least Yamamoto wasn't as dumb as he looks so old from the leader of the Thirteen Court Guard Squad...for he knew that combat would be the best choice to prove on who was right and wrong in a sword to sword battle.

"Sonia Dear, its alright. I know what Rosa wants. In order to prove if someone's telling the truth, only by fighting will show them the whole thing than just words." he said. "I have to do this."

"Then I'm going to help you fight too, Uncle Moto." Sonia joins in to aid her uncle. "Mom, I'm sorry about this, but I want to prove to you that I can fight this curse. I did and I won't let it get out ever again after what Dracula has done for to my friends. Please..."

Looks like Sonia was in to aid Yamamoto for he allows it.

"Very well, Sonia Dear. Then prove to me on the training that you've done from becoming a Soul Reaper. Don't hold anything back just because she's your only mother."

Seems like Sonia knows about that part to give it her all for she and Yamamoto were ready to fight. First Rosa takes her Zanpakto out to be strong since it was only in Shikai form since she's still a Soul Reaper and a human who has become a vampire.

"(Sonia, you've grown. Good.) Very well, you two. Come at me and give it your all. For one wrong move, then I might end up killing you two. Think of me as one of Dracula's servant. Give it your all. Sonia. Genryusai. I want to see what you two have got." she releases her Zanpakto. "Slash and Hack into Pieces! Ketsueki (Blood!)"

In combat, Rosa wields a rapier, which she will use to occasionally attempt to slice her opponent. She also has a variety of demonic related abilities, such as mid air hovering and summoning fire roses. She can also create a small shock wave centered around herself, which expands outwards. If caught unprepared, Rosa can easily overwhelm an opponent. Recently vampirized woman with a death wish. She can spit fireballs, hurl thorns and cause sonic explosions; if the hero is far away, she'll use her sword for a spinning slash. Kind of cool that I cam up with that Zanpakto thing name and such, what did you guys think? For Rosa can create flowers like roses, fireball attacks, thorns that explodes, and her sword to make blood come out very deadly-like. And next was Sonia and Yamamoto's turn to release their Zanpakto.

"Show Them No Mercy! Eichikiba!"

And its Yamamoto's turn to release his.

"All Things of this World, Turn to Ashes! Ryujin Jakka (Flowing Blade Young Flame)!" he was all fired up to be ready to go all out. "Come, Sonia Dear. Lets show Rosa what we both got in a family battle."

By the way, here's details about Yamamoto's Zanpakto on what it does: Yamamoto's Zanpakutō is the oldest and most powerful fire-type Zanpakutō, and has greater offensive power than all other Zanpakutō in Soul Society. In its sealed form, Ryūjin Jakka usually takes the appearance of a harmless wooden staff, which can be used like a spear. At any time, Yamamoto can remove this disguise by peeling off the wood, revealing its true form of a standard katana, with a dark purple handle and a circular hand guard. Its power is so great, even the strongest of Shinigami are afraid of it, even in its sealed form. After Yamamoto was killed, Ryūjin Jakka, now scorched and shattered, was returned to the 1st Division barracks. That sounds hot to really get burn from it, ouch. Anyways, time for the Yamamoto family to give it their all – Rosa vs. Sonia and Yamamoto.

"Good, now put your backs to withstand my attacks. Here I come!" she charges at the two.

No holding anything back, huh? Here we go! A daughter and uncle battle against the mother of Sonia's and wife of the late Yamamoto's older brother starts right now. From swinging her sword to send out powerful water-like blood to try trapping or blinding the two as Yamamoto almost gets stuck, for Sonia to use her chains to free her uncle in time to cut the rest down in seconds; but with incoming thorns for Yamamoto to burn them in time before it exploded to save his niece next, but not a lot of fireballs to avoid as Sonia does the same to blow them away by using her fan really fast to create powerful dust of wind. It did put them out, only to have Sonia to get distracted form lots of blood to move like some type of liquid, in a freaky way. Trapping her and blinding Yamamoto for her to use her powers of a vampire to strike back at them as Kiwi cheers them on to win this, even though Rosa was on their side. But still, they can't lose...

"Go, Sonia! Me know you can win with uncle! Fight mother!" he said to move around in the air. "Go! Go! Win! Win-! AAAH!" Kiwi freaks out to almost getting hit by a thorn bomb to move away in time. "Too close for Kiwi...Now win, Sonia! Win for Kiwi!"

From fire against other fire and ying and yang 'light and darkness mix in to one' for Sonia and Yamamoto don't hold anything back against Rosa. From sword clashing, power, fighting for the uncle and niece don't hold anything back against the mother of the Yamamoto family from her curse as a vampire to be that powerful. From bomb throwing to fire power to be too much for Yamamoto to almost lose it, only for Sonia's powers from half dark and light 'for Kiwi to witness everything with his own eyes' that this fight will not end – at least to be prove a lesson on who to trust or not to trust. Soon enough – Ukitake sense something for him to rush to Sonia's side right away. Shunsui, Nanao, Momo, Kiyone, and Sentaro follow him to know that something was going on with Sonia to feel her out.

"Jushiro, hey. What's the rush?" Shunsui asks his friend.

"Captain?" confused both Sentaro and Kiyone.

The others catch up with their speed to see what was on Ukitake's mind.

"If you wish to join with me, Shunsui, then you may. And everyone else in fact." he explains. "Something's going on with Yamamoto Sensei and Sonia to be fighting with someone."

"What do you mean?" ask Nanao.

"They're both fighting with a vampire."

Once Ukitake said that part, they all knew that they had to hurry right away for the other five to join with Ukitake. Even for Momo to join with them to worry about her best friend the most like Ukitake was with the love of his life.

"(Wait...Ms. Sonia's fighting with another vampire?)" she felt worried.

With the six rushing over...Kiwi hopes for his friend Sonia to win against her own mother Rosa to seem to have the upper hand from her skills to absorb all the fire from Yamamoto's Zanpakto to trapping him to destroying it in time from Sonia's Zanpakto to finish the job. As well as combining with her uncle's powers to fire at once once Yamamoto makes Rosa lose her sword with his Kido move.

"(Wait...When did he-?!)" shock Rosa. "(He's too fast!)"

"Bakuto! Number twenty-one! Sekienton (Red Smoke Escape)!"

From one weapon down, Yamamoto using Rosa's own bomb attack against her to explode, and then a smoke bomb type of move to go off for her to go down. This also allows Sonia to finish the job for Kiwi to say that out loud himself.

"Do it, Sonia! Do it!"

"You know what to do, Sonia Dear!" shouted her uncle.

And so, Sonia does it to use her Zanpakto move of Eichikiba and fires her attack just not to kill Rosa of course 'since she wasn't evil', just a little power move to show her mother in person.

"(Thanks, Uncle Moto.)" she fires away. "In the name of the Belmont Clan! Holy Cross, I now Bathe ties the Evil. Be…Gone!"

Firing off a attack to destroy the thorns from the grounds and pushing Rosa's sword back to her, looks like Sonia and Yamamoto has won this round to prove a point to see that this fight was serious. For Rosa was on their side to see that they were ready to stop Dracula no matter what happens now; and getting all of the help they can get like her to prove her powers were strong enough to end the whole curse thing and the war for good.

"My goodness...Such power..." Rosa was left speechless. "Sonia, your powers of a human and a Soul Reaper."

"Now you see that I won't become a vampire anytime soon, Mom." she helps her mother back on her feet. "Here. You've put up a good fight." Sonia sees Kiwi coming down to hugging her best friend. "Ah, Kiwi, you watched us? I hope this wasn't a lot to scare you."

Kiwi nodded his head a no there to getting patted by Rosa to be loving it too.

"I see that this is your Zanpakto half spirit form of his good self, amazing."

"Hello, Sonia's mommy!" he said to be flying around with joy. "Hello!"

As Rosa was smiling to also feel something else out from Sonia besides her Zanpakto's spirit of Eichikiba as Kiwi, something far more to be a good thing and not a bad one that her daughter or anyone else were aware of 'yet'.

"Ah, Mom?" Sonia checks on Rosa. "Is there's something bothering you?"

But she drops it to talk about the fight they just did.

"Huh? Oh, nothing, Sonia, nothing at all. Again, I'm just surprise from the fight we just had. It looks like you can withstand the curse after all to get cured soon."

"That I am, Mom." said Sonia. "Dracula's my enemy as of yours as well to stop him and live on since he has cursed you the most. Dude Mayuri, the captain of Squad Twelve is helping me get a cure from this cursed, while the captain from Squad Four, Retsu and her other members are checking on me. I'm not alone in this battle to still have the Belmont powers to give them power."

Rosa has heard a lot about the powers from her husband from long ago.

"So I've heard, yes." she said. "In any case, keep at it since they're helping and giving you things to stay alive." Rosa then tells Yamamoto something next. "Genryusai, now do you see that I'm on your side and have always have to leave with a reason?"

Yamamoto does to finally get it from words and fighting for the Head Captain of Squad One misjudge Rosa a lot to learn that he was wrong, for he was happy that she was the victim of Dracula's. And not the enemy.

"Yes, I now know everything. I was wrong about you, Rosa. I see that my Brother never gave up on you. Kaito Yamamoto." he said to shake hands with Rosa. "Apologize accepted. We welcome you back to the Soul Society. And more on the formality later once this war is over."

So, Kaito Yamamoto as his older brothers' name, huh? For the brother-in-law and the sister-in-law are understandable to one another to make Kiwi happy, its good to have another friend on the team, huh? For Sonia was happy to finally see and knowing about her real mother on what happened...the other six finally show up. Ukitake, Shunsui, Nanao, Momo, Kiyone, and Sentaro to check on things and if everything was well 'and it was'.

"Yo! Old Man Yamamoto? You still breathing?"

"Captain!" Nanao got mad at her captain. "So rude...!"

Shunsui laughs to really care for his teacher/head captain.

"Come now, Little Nanao, I was just teasing. And he's still standing, see?" he shows her lieutenant and then waves to Sonia to see that she was doing well. "Oh, hi Sonia."

So they notice for everyone was happy to see that no one was killed and Rosa was not their enemy. For she gets that a lot to be use to it by now.

"Shunsui? Nanao? Kiyo? Sen? Momo? Jushiro? What are you guys doing here?" ask Sonia.

"Hello!" Kiwi said hi.

Soon enough, both Kiyone and Sentaro move up a bit too close to Sonia to check on her on how she was doing. Saying things like: 'how are you feeling?', 'are you hurt?', 'what happened?', and so on over and over again. And then they started to argue of course for Momo to break them up.

"Sentaro! Kiyone! Please!" she said. "Give Ms. Sonia some space."

But the two pointed fingers at each other to blame for nothing again.

"But its not my fault! Its his!" said Kiyone.

"No! Its Kiyone's fault here!" and then Sentaro.

For them to be glaring and argue by yelling at each other again.

"Huh? No, it wasn't me! It was you! Knock it off!"

As always, those two will never change to fight and love each other a lot for Kiwi to move around in both Kiyone and Sentaro's faces to calm them down for Sonia to speak up next.

"Okay, you two. Just calm down. Uncle Moto, Kiwi, and I are just fine. See?" she said to introduce them all to her mother. "Also, this woman...She's a friend who's a vampire but who has been cursed like me, but she has avoid becoming evil. Rosa, these are my friends and my boyfriend Jushiro Ukitake, captain of Squad Thirteen. And everyone, my real mother Rosa."

For them to be seeing Rosa in person to know that she was a friend to all of them.

"Ah, hello friends of Sonia. And Captain Ukitake." she shakes hands with Ukitake. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter. You two make a wonderful couple."

"Oh, yes. Thank you..." Ukitake smiles. "Sonia, your mother's beautiful."

Momo sees her as well.

"Wow, Ms. Sonia. Your mother's a human, Soul Reaper, and vampire? But she's against Dracula?" said the speechless Momo. "Amazing... (They look so different to be mother and daughter, but their powers are almost the same for some strange reason.)"

Rosa shakes hands with Momo next.

"A friend to Sonia's I see, a lieutenant from Squad Five, Momo Hinamori, correct? I'm Rosa, Sonia's mother. Nice to meet with you." she said.

"Oh!" Momo bows to Rosa. "Nice to meet with you too."

"I think she's cute-!" Shunsui gets hit by his lieutenant. "Ow! Nanao!"

She wasn't too happen even if Shunsui was commenting Rosa and playing around to be a lady's man.

"Don't even think about it, Captain...!"

Yamamoto then uses his staff to tap the grounds to get everyone else's their attention to listen in.

"Excuse me!" he clears his throat. "There's a lot to talk about Rosa. To make the story short...She's a vampire victim of Dracula to run away, gain control from the curse, and fight back on our side. She has proven that she's trustworthy to leave my older brother because of that monster, well not anymore! With the help from the Ryoka, Ferryman, Richard Belmont, Master Liberian, Yoruichi Shihoin, the Shiba family, and Ichigo Kurosaki with the others to have them set free real soon. I think we have a chance to finally win-!"

Before Yamamoto could say anything else, both Sonia and Rosa sense something big to feel it to be really strong. So did Kiwi to move around and flying to feel the danger to be drawing near...within the Soul Society to show up that was pure evil.

"Ah! Sonia! Red alert! Red alert!"

"What is the meaning of this?" Yamamoto demanded to know.

As Momo was surprised to feel it out, with both Kiyone and Sentaro to hold each other in fear, and everyone else trying to find out what was going on.

"Captain?" Nanao was lost.

"I know, I sense it too." he said. "And you, Jushiro?"

For him to be holding Sonia, it doesn't look good at all.

"That I do, Shunsui, and its bad." he answers back.

It was from there, that deep within the grounds, a building appears to show itself...huh? A castle of some kind? Wait...It was Dracula's Castle! From the old looks, how big and tall it was, with dark energy surrounding the entire area of an empty valley for the animals to flee in time or get killed, ad such by Dracula's doing; as he, Deku, Alucard, Chainsaw Killer, Death, Shaft, the rest of the remaining monsters, and vampires were al ready to go into war. For the entire skies turn to darkness of black and red colors for the vampires to roam freely with the sun being blocked off. And that was really bad. For Yamamoto, Sonia, Rosa, Kiwi, Sentaro, Kiyone, Momo, Nanao, Shunsui, and Ukitake to see this happening and they weren't the only ones either.

So was Uryu and Hayame were seeing it all as well, George and Ferio as well while still trying to say Ichigo and the others without stopping. As Richard and Yoruichi were recovering...For Ganju, his four friends, Jidanbo, Koga, Shiro, Kuukaku, and both Carrie and Ayame were also seeing this, so was Go Koga from far away. Hey, he's still around! But what about Rao Tao? Hmm...Well let's not also forget about the others to also see the terror – Chojiro, Soi Fon, Omaeda, Izuru, Retsu, Isane, Hanataro, Iemura, Byakuya, Sajin, Iba, Hisagi, Hitsugaya, Rangiku, Kenpachi, Yachiru, Yumichika, Ikkaku, Makizo, Mayuri, Nemu, and the other Soul Reapers with the villagers fearing the worse to be going down. Not good at all...Kiwi sits on Sonia's shoulder to know that they all have to be ready for anything that's about to come.

"Sonia, tell me. Do you feel him?" Rosa asks her daughter.

"I do, Mom, Dracula and his army has arrive." she answers back. "From the darkness spreading from the World of the Living, and the now the Soul Society. (All to get to me and hurt the ones I truly care about. I can't let this happen...! I won't.)"

Momo stands by her best friend's side.

"Ms. Sonia, he's coming, isn't he? (Dracula...)"

"Dracula's here?!" shock both Kiyone and Sentaro.

Looks like it, and who else was seeing this through the crystal ball than Alucard to get a first glimpse on what will soon be happening? Even for Sonia to know that she had to get her next answer about him soon enough.

"This looks bad...!" Yamamoto tells everyone on what they have to do next. "Quickly, everyone to the Sereitei. This is a life or death crisis situation that has turn to the worse! We must hurry!"

Well, you heard the old man, everyone! Get going! And they do...Looks like everyone must be ready to fight back somehow to have a talk before doing so 'with Rosa tagging along. With Dracula arriving with his army and the castle to be his strong hold – can Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, Rukia, Renji, Kon, Ririn, Kurodo, Noba, Urahara, Tessai, Jinta, Ururu, Maria, and Howey be free from Shaft's curse to join with the others? Can Sonia be free from her curse? Which side was Alucard really on? What was on both Mayuri and Rosa's minds to know that Sonia was far more than a human mix Soul Reaper who was cursed as a vampire? Lots to talk about and so much from the event to start off next time. The showdown against Count Dracula himself.