7: Lack of Perception

"I'm in trouble because I'm normal and slightly arrogant. A lot of people don't like themselves and I happen to be in love with myself."

-Unknown

There was a static, dizzying nature to the pressure that erupted around the trio. Ishida settled a hand on the doorframe while all Byakuya gave the storm of spiritual energy was a raised eyebrow…Kagome blinked a little as she looked around, something about it seemed sinisterly recognizable.

"An arrancar..." The captain said quietly. "I'll deal with it…watch her."

He was used to giving orders and started to head away.

"Why would one be coming here?" Ishida frowned a little at the implications. "Has the barrier to keep them in the mirrored copy of Karakura Town broken? Is that why Byakuya is here now in the mortal world?"

"What's an Arrancar?" She blinked a couple times, glancing between the two. "Where's he going? Shouldn't we help?"

"Mom!" She called back to the kitchen. "We'll just pick something up to eat, sorry…something came up!"

She took off out the door after the soul reaper captain, though she didn't make it far before Ishida pulled her to a stop.

"Wait." He was blinking a few times at the girl in front of him. "Aren't you one of the new transfers at the school?"

"How could I have missed spiritual power like this?" Ishida pondered. "How does this city draw so many freaks anyway?"

"Yes, I've seen you in the class across the hall a couple times." That was enough to make her hesitate her pursuit of Byakuya to a fast walk as opposed to a sprint. "You are involved in all of this…spirit ghost stuff?"

"Yes." He frowned a little at that. "Quincy are naturally gifted with spiritual energy."

"You are a Quincy?" She smiled to him and he found it was a little difficult to be cross with her, however the crude way she put things had offended him. "That's what Kuchiki-kun thought I was…but you don't have a bow."

"I always have a bow." He returned. "Is she serious? My father and I…aren't we the last of the Quincy?"

"Just what do you think you can accomplish by following him? He's a high ranking soul reaper." Ishida continued to run with her but was getting the feeling she was about as useful in battle as Orihime tended to be. Though if she was believed to be Quincy then perhaps not…

"We can't just let him wander off alone." Kagome shrugged. "When I found him he was horribly injured, he can't be fully healed already."

"There is no way." She assured herself, distracted a little by Ishida. "even Inuyasha and most other demons didn't recovery in a single day. What is with this blue haired guy anyway?"

"It's an Arrancar…" Ishida blinked a little. "They're exceptionally powerful compared to any other type of hollow…many of the captains fell to them in the war…it'd probably be safer if we didn't get closer. I'm surprised you can stand the level of reiastsu flying around but it'll only get worse when they start to battle. Byakuya won't be able to fully hold in his own spiritual energy…"

"But…" She glanced toward where the pressure only seemed to be emanating. "I…I can help if I have a bow. Can I borrow yours? You said you had one."

Ishida shook his head lightly. "Mine isn't something I can let you borrow. Miss, I appreciate that you want to try to help but I don't think you completely understand the level of powers you are dealing with here."

That made Kagome's lip curl a little on one side, wavering into a sort of amused half-smile. "This guy probably wouldn't have understood meeting Naraku at all."

"I understand that you are concerned…but I can't just let him go it alone." She shook her head. "It's not my way…I have to go and do something…even if I'm just stuck watching."

Ishida was having trouble continuing through the force of energy raging around him and Kagome seemed as if she was barely bothered by it, as if she noticed it but it didn't affect her at all. When a second force of reaitsu released itself into the air as Byakuya met whatever force was ahead of them he couldn't move forward anymore.

"Just what is this girl?" He thought as he stopped, leaning on a building as he tried to catch his breath. She still didn't even seem stopped by it so much as his pause.

"If you plan on going then I can't stop you, but I can't keep going from here…I need to return regardless and let Rukia know her brother is still alive and well." He explained between breaths, the air was so thick with energy he was having trouble breathing.

He knew that the captain would be irritated he'd left the woman but she seemed capable of taking care of herself and he wasn't sure how long he could stand to stay even this close to the nearby battle. It was something he hated to admit was beyond his own capabilities. And with that grating thought he swept himself back away from the ongoing fight and toward Urahara's shop…he would have to speak to Kagome later at school if they all survived the weekend.

"Oh…" She blinked at the retreating figure, but didn't have time to do much more. The clashing wills raging around her instead made her dash forward again toward the battle at hand.

ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo

Byakuya paused his dash to consider his new enemy. The creature had just finished feasting on a plus soul the way a normal hollow might, though as opposed to it turning into a hollow itself as might commonly occur it seemed instead to cease to exist.

"Choosing to take on the weakest of opponents." Byakuya chided the creature he was walking toward in a superior tone. "It seems you are no different from the rest of your brethren."

That got it to turn around, a tall man with a lingering trace of bone over the top of his skull. He had a long black braid tied into a tight tail though didn't seem to have any hair underneath the skullcap and no eyebrows; apparently bald save for the controlled braid that fell about four inches from his chin.

He had a fairly average completion and facial structure and other than the floating piece of bone he would have appeared nearly fully human except for one other attribute; his eyes were a kaleidoscope of colors and activity. He wore colors similar to those of the rest of the arrancar within Aizen's command in the shape of robes that resembled that of a priest of some nature. His whole form had a certain proper straightforwardness to it. He had a gentle smile on his face when he turned around, though it held a glint of menacing mischievousness.

"I was under the impression that everyone of your court of souls was currently preoccupied." It's voice also held a soothing quality even when his words turned mocking. "Are you lost my son? Shall I lead you to a greater place?"

"Is that what you told that poor soul?" Byakuya asked, shaking his head once as he held his sword out in front of him. "I will not be so easily distracted with such lies. You however should feel flattered that I would show you my blade. Shatter, Zenbonzakura."

The sword broke apart, true to it's name it splinted into countless pieces that seemed to reflect like the flower petals of a cherry blossom. Blowing prettily into the wind it only made the calm arrancar stare for a moment.

"It is lovely, I am honored that much." It commented, watching the shards of the blade as they danced in the air. "Though I have heard of your powers Captain Kuchiki and while I can greatly appreciate the beauty inherit within your technique's you'll find them less effective on one such as myself. How about we let each other pass ways? I don't care much for battle and it isn't as if Aizen would really know, you are rumored to be dead after all."

The thousands of miniscule blades cut across the Arrancar at once, or would have but he seemed to have simply vanished and appeared next to them, with a hand extended into the flow of the weapon. As he withdrew the thin appendage it was covered in blood from the hundreds of tiny cuts and scrapes it'd received.

The sudden reappearance made Byakuya raise a brow but he called his sword back to him…it's hilt reforming as he watched yet another bizarre creature show surprising ability. "I am not the wisest man to so ridicule."

"Am I being ridiculing?" He seemed more to be questioning himself before he let out a light sigh. "I am serious captain…I would hate to see such an artful warrior as you fall in battle. And what is this? A human woman that can see us? Just whom are you?"

Kagome approached more carefully once she'd come into view, they didn't seem to be openly fighting but as Byakuya still had his sword drawn and she'd felt the two's energies colliding she knew she had to be wary. "Are you all right?"

"You shouldn't be here." Byakuya replied coldly, this human woman was proving to be more trouble than her saving his life might be worth…and where did that Quincy go? "Get back, you'll only put yourself in danger here."

"But…" Kagome backed away a little, staring at him with a frown. "I was just worried…"

"That is adorable." The priestly arrancar commented with his same smile. "I wasn't aware the captains of soul society were allowed to have mortal fans. I do believe she likes you Captain."

"What?" Kagome blinked at the older seeming man-monster, she didn't totally understand what was happening but seriously, that was the best he could offer? "Are you stupid?"

That gained her a small glare, though it filtered back into a calmer face after a moment. "The captain is right, you shouldn't be here, if he falls it's your soul I'll be absorbing next."

He turned from her then, the mortal girl could wait until his current issue was finished. "How polite of you Captain, you waited for me to be ready when you could have attacked me."

"Do you think I need to exploit such an opening?" Byakuya asked, disappearing from sight and appearing behind the creature, his blade sticking through it's shoulder. "For the likes of vermin such as yourself? You do put yourself on quite the pedestal."

It flickered much as Byakuya had and appeared a distance away, examining the hole in it's shoulder only a moment before each of them sped toward each other again. Though the offensive was more on Byakuya's side, the priestly creature continued mostly to block or dodge. "I really would prefer not to fight you but if you insist we can do this."

The world flickered and Byakuya faltered a moment, his eyes suddenly blurry as his vision began to leave him. He was then forced to reverse rolls, defending away strikes of a long-dagger the arrancar had drawn and began to use. It's own eyes had turned a blacker coloring and it was gaining small strikes here and there on the suddenly blinded soul reaper.

He was about to exploit a further opening when it was struck on the head by a small rock. It didn't do any damage to the monster but it did get him to turn and regard Kagome. "Did she just throw a rock at me?"

"If you wish to be absorbed before I kill your friend here then I can…" His words broke off as he heard Byakuya behind him.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura…" His blade broke apart for the second time into the thousands of miniature blades and he held some of them near him but set them after the arrancar with such fervor that he was forced to ignore Kagome and concentrate on the captain. Blinded or not he was a horrific foe. "Girl, escape from here before you are injured."

Kagome started to reply but then blinked and dropped to her knees and her hands, gasping for breath, a third creature with massive reaitsu was nearby and the combination of all three of them had gotten to her as suddenly as if she'd been dropped into a pool in the heart of winter.

"No Kagome, you need to help…he can't see…there's no way he could fight a second one." She yelled at herself, still staring at the dirt of the ground between her hands. Yet it seemed to be taking everything she had to not lay down and let herself sleep right there. She was exhausted and dizzy and it was so disorienting she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep the contents of her stomach even if she did manage to stand. "Just what is happening to me now?"

She did manage to raise her head so she could watch what was happening. "He is amazing…how can he possibly continue to defend and attack when he can't even see and his opponent can?"

Part of her was reminded of when Inuyasha fell blind to Sesshomaru's poison. "Is it like that then? Does he perceive his enemy with senses other than sight as it's been taken from him? That easily…?"

She should have had some wood to knock on, she wouldn't be able to do much to help him at all…though she had managed to distract the creature once even if she was standing another rock wouldn't do more than a mosquito might. They were talking, though she couldn't hear them, whatever else was approaching was coming fast and it was too much for her to keep holding her head up to watch, she felt so horribly tired and dizzy…

End Chapter

Thanks for all the reviews sense my last post, they're why I actually sucked up some of my time to finish this chapter much sooner than I'd originally planned to. Hope you continue to enjoy my strange story and remember, there are reasons for stuffs that are happening you just gotta wait.

-Aura

P.S. Ls-girl; who is Emo-kid? Just sorta curious.