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Chapter Five - Strange Occurrences

Captain Hitsugaya was growing wearier with each step that he took however he was determined to keep going until he tracked down the enemy that had once been his mother. She still hadn't made another appearance, the young captain had been periodically checking his communicator and had even gone so far as to program her reiatsu signal into the device, however there was still no trace of her.

Hitsugaya grabbed his head with his hand, unable to believe the horror that he now found himself involved in. The intruder who was now attempting to force their way into Soul Society had once been his mother, although Midori was a completely different being now.

"What the hell happened?"

Midori glanced up at the sound of the man's voice however the expression on her face remained haughty. She wanted to make sure that the man knew that she was only listening to him in order to further her own goals. She needed his help to succeed so she put up with his arrogant nature. "It's a little more difficult to breech the barrier than you told me it would be. It's going to take a little more time."

"We don't have more time." The man's voice contained a slight note of harshness barely concealed by the calm and his features probably mirrored this harshness however Midori couldn't be sure because his face was completely obscured by a mask. Unlike the partial Hollow mask that she wore perched on the side of her black hair the man to whom she reported had a complete mask. And yet for some reason he was far more rational than a Hollow should be.

This she had never understood.

"What about the boy?"

Midori's heart skipped a beat as she thought about the white haired Shinigami boy that she had seen. The child had been sent to prevent her from breeching the barrier that divided Soul Society from the world of the living, of this she was certain.

"He won't be a problem," Midori said, a confidence in her voice that she didn't completely feel.

"So you can kill him?"

Midori's mind flashed back to herself holding a small, black-haired child pinned to the ground while she slit his wrists. Shaking her head she forced her mind away from that day and back to the present. "No. Killing him was not part of our agreement. I will infiltrate Soul Society and break the seal and that is all that I will do."

Midori expected the man to express anger however as always he remained calm. "I'll check in on your progress at a later date."

Midori nodded and watched as the man disappeared. She didn't really like being in league with the strange man however she realized that she owed him for everything that he had done for her. Without him she would never have been able to track down the seal nor would she be in possession of her current powers.

Fingering the piece of Hollow mask that was perched on the side of her head Midori thought back to the moment that she had first laid eyes on the white-haired Shinigami child. Except for the white hair he was the spitting image of HIM.

"Could it really be him?" she thought to herself as she planned her next move.

Once he and his vice-captain arrived back at the Squad Twelve barracks Captain Kurotsuchi quickly made his way down the corridor to his laboratory so that he could analyze the sample that he had collected from the tree. Sitting down he went to work, leaving Nemu to watch him in silence, curious about what he was doing but afraid to ask. She would just have to wait until her captain saw fit to let her into the loop, if he ever decided to share his information with her.

Hitsugaya was leaning up against a tree, his eyes closed in an attempt to get a moment's rest, when the communicator that was tucked within the folds of his shihakusho began to issue a series of obnoxious beeping noises. Groaning slightly the young captain forced his heavy eyes open and pulled out the communicator. Flipping the device open he glanced down at it, expecting to see traces of some random Hollow, however he cursed as his gaze fell upon the information on the screen.

Jumping to his feet the young captain used his flash-step.

Midori was standing in the air, her hands held out in front of her, however she was forced to abandon her attempts to breech the barrier when she felt a sudden increase in reiatsu. Whirling around she saw the white haired child standing in the air a couple of yards away from her position.

"You. . ." she murmured as she gazed at Hitsugaya, her eyes widening in recognition and understanding. She had been curious the first time that she laid eyes on him, even though that meeting had been extremely brief, but now she was one hundred percent sure. This was the child whose life she had ended so long ago, the son of the man that she had loved with all of her heart and still mourned to this day.

Forcing himself to block the memories that fought to assault his mind Hitsugaya reached back and clutched the hilt of Hyourinmaru. In one fluid motion he pulled the sword free from the sheath that he always wore secured across his back and held the blade out in front of him. As he held up his zanpaktou Hitsugaya found himself wishing that Midori wouldn't speak. That voice brought back so many memories, none of which he was willing to face.

Turning toward the boy Midori gazed at him in an appraising kind of way. She remained silent as the boy raised his sword as though preparing to attack, choosing to simply stare at him. Hitsugaya pointed the tip of his sword toward the sky, forcing himself to remember that this woman was attempting to attack Soul Society and had to be stopped.

Hitsugaya made a move to attack however the woman pulled something from the folds of her white kimono and tossed it in the air in front of the young captain. The small ball exploded and covered the area in thick, black smoke. Then, when the smoke cleared, Midori was gone. Completely vanished without even leaving a trace of her reiatsu.

"Dammit!" Hitsugaya swore as he sheathed his sword. He couldn't believe that he had let her escape yet again and vaguely wondered if it was a psychological issue. After all he'd had plenty of time to attack but he'd briefly hesitated.

He didn't really want to fight her.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" Hitsugaya thought to himself as he once again pulled his communicator from the fold of his shihakusho, flipped it open and gazed down at the screen. As expected the screen was completely blank. Midori must have learned a way to completely shield her reiatsu from detection. "I shouldn't have any hesitancy in fighting her. I mean she killed me and yet. . ."

Growling low in his throat Hitsugaya returned to the ground and prepared to wait for Midori to make another appearance. He knew that it was only a matter of time before she made yet another attempt to breech the barrier and the young captain vowed that the next time he would stop her.

Back in Soul Society Captain Kurotsuchi had made some startling discoveries and was now making his way to the Squad One barracks so that he could share this newly acquired information with the Head Captain. If his theory was correct, and he was one hundred percent certain that it was, District 63 of the Rukongai would require an around the clock guard until this matter was resolved.

Walking down the corridor, with Nemu followed along closely behind him, Kurotsuchi would appear to the casual observer as a man on a mission. His steps were filled with purpose and his eyes held a determined look. The news that he had to deliver could shake Soul Society to it's foundation and he felt that something needed to be done immediately.

When Kurotsuchi arrived at the Head Captain's office he knocked on the door. "Captain of Squad Twelve and Head of the Technology Development Bureau Mayuri Kurotsuchi reporting."

"Enter," a gruff voice called out.

Sliding the door of the office open Kurotsuchi stepped inside the office. Head Captain Yamamoto was seated at his desk, with his vice-captain standing guard behind him. "Captain Kurotsuchi," the old man said as the Squad Twelve Captain came to a stop in front of his desk.

"The Seal is threatened."

Those four simple words were all that it took for him to completely gain the Head Captain's attention. Yamamoto gazed at the Squad Twelve Captain, his eyes narrowed. "Threatened how?"

"It is my belief that the person attempting to breech the barrier between our two worlds is after the Seal," Kurotsuchi informed the Head Captain. "I have no idea if they have a connection but the tree has awakened and is now surrounded by reiatsu."

Head Captain Yamamoto whirled around to face his vice-captain. "Send word to all of the captains. We will hold an emergency meeting within the hour and with the exception of Captain Hitsugaya attendance is mandatory."

"Yes sir!"

A/N - and the plot thickens. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and tell me what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.