Chapter 13

We had decided meet at Urahara's to leave in the morning and we soon departed ways. The night was quiet and I felt tingly as I rubbed my gut. I'd never fought like that before and I must say, it was fun.

It took me a lot longer to get back to my house but I got there and did the normal things I would normally do; have dinner, have a shower, and go to bed. My head was felling light and I fell unconscious as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I opened my eyes to see a beautiful garden with butterflies and snowflakes slowly falling but never actually reaching the ground. The petals were just frosted and it made the garden only that much more magical.

"Wh-where am I?" I asked myself.

"We're in your inner world." A sultry voice said and I turned around to see a man with white hair that fell in his face. He wore a black suit that superbly set off his height and he held a bleach white skeleton with two pale pink roses tied to a thick silver chain around its neck (the neck part of the spine anyway) .

"My... inner world?"

"Of course. A fine mind for a fine girl, if I do say so myself."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Akuma no Pureitaimu. You'll know who I am when you see me, Seika." He informed and got the skeleton to help me to my feet before he started dancing around the garden.

"Why are you here?" I demanded.

"I'm here because I've come to tell you that you're making a choice that is right for others but wrong for you. You will lose one of the people you love in order for this battle to turn in your favour. Your power is growing stronger and stronger but it still won't be enough to defeat Kane."

"How would you know? I don't even know who you are."

"Call it instinct. You're heading down a path that you can't return from and one of your brothers have already suffered the price."

"Kyouhei is a traitorous–"

"I wasn't talking about the brunette. In fact, I was talking about the eldest. He's willing to risk his life for you and you're just discarding it like a tissue."

"I'm going because I will save him!" I snarled and my hand grabbed around his throat with incredible speed. "I'll save all of them and I will find out why Kyouhei betrayed us all!"

"Then be prepared before you get there. Once you're in the Soul Society, Kane can just touch you and you'll fall straight into his hands so be careful."

"Those are certainly some big words, Akuma." I said and he shrugged.

"Cutting my name short doesn't tell me that your calm about what I tell you. I can see you're tense about the truth. Some people will betray you and others will learn to love you. One already has but you're so caught up in this mess, you fail to see it," he explained.

"God, this is so weird. What are you talking about?" I muttered and rubbed my eyes.

"Not weird enough. Not until you find me. The next time we meet, we'll be drawing blood... together," Akuma explained and the snow began to get thicker as it whirled around me, cutting him from my vision.

I sat up from my bed and put my face in my hands. That was the weirdest dream. And who the hell is Akuma no Pureitaimu?

I checked my alarm clock to see that I still had two hours until we left. I kicked my legs out from my covers and pulled my shirt over my head before I shuffled into the bathroom and screamed when the cold water hit me, waking me up instantly.

After the cold shower. I trudged around in the kitchen, naked and wet (couldn't be bothered to do anything just yet) in search for something to eat. I stuck to leftover beef and potatoes and ate that all before even considering getting dressed.

I dressed into a short white strapless dress with the skirt falling on an angle to my knees and a black strip going down the middle of my chest with white ribbon criss-crossing over it as well as a black belt, a black leather jacket, and black thigh high socks with black knee high boots. I tucked my daggers into my belt and admired all the memories in my room before grabbing the photos and tucking them into my jacket.

"Mizu o..." I trailed off. Kyouhei told me to use that word. And I'd never heard him use it.

Time to find out why.

I cleared my mind and concentrated my spiritual energy before I tried doing a weaker version of Altering and it began to work but the white light had a blue tinge. It enveloped me before being absorbed into my skin with the same tingly feeling as when I used the word.

I leapt out of my window and landing quietly on the roof across the street before I began to follow Ichigo's spiritual pressure. He may be strong and good looking and only a substitute Soul Reaper but he had no clue how to keep control of his spiritual energy.

Urahara, Ichigo and Rukia (both in their Soul Reaper forms)were waiting for me as I dropped gently to the ground in front of them, my pale blue hair slowly falling around me.

"I see we've got our little team?" Urahara asked and I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You got that right. I'm going to wipe out Kane and then kick my brother's ass." I smirked and Ichigo gave me a small smile.

"Let's hope luck's on our side," he said and I rubbed his orange head.

"We don't need luck. We need a miracle."

Rukia pulled out her Zanpakuto and thrusted it in front of her as the top half of the blade disappeared.

"Open!" She called and twisted her Zanpakuto before putting it back into its sheath as old paper doors appeared as they opened to reveal three black butterflies fluttering out from the blackness. Rukia turned back to us. "Let's go."

The butterflies each took their places in front of us and led us through the darkness which Rukia explained was the Dangai precipice world. The path behind us caved in as the door to the Soul Society shone brightly and we went to it like moths to flame.

We stepped out into the beautiful sunlight and it took me a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the brightness before I could feel more than just Rukia's and Ichigo's spiritual energy. My eyes opened to see several Soul Reapers around us with their hands firmly on the hilts of their Zanpakuto.

"Was this expected?" I whispered to Rukia as she shrugged.

"In a way. But I was expecting my captain as well." Rukia informed as the group advanced on us.

"Lieutenant Kuchiki. Move aside," a man said as he walked out from behind the crowd. He had black hair and three scars on the right side of his face with tattoos on the left.

"It's okay, Lieutenant Hisagi. We have urgent news for Captain Yamamoto." Rukia explained as her arm lowered so Ichigo and I could move forward.

"As much as I have trust for you, Lieutenant, and a certain amount for the substitute. This girl is considered a threat."

"The threat was already here before we arrived," I pouted and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Who are you?" Lieutenant Hisagi demanded.

"My name is Seika Kimura. I'm from the four families of the Darksiders," I announced proudly and the other Soul Reapers backed up a bit. "We need to prepare before things get worse."

"What do you mean?"

"We need to speak with Captain Yamamoto immediately." I said sternly and Hisagi stood straighter.

"I don't take orders from people like you." He snapped.

"You won't be able to take orders from anybody soon if we don't see him right–"

"Seika!" Rukia said sharply and I retreated quickly. "Please, it's urgent. The Soul Society is in danger."

"Fine. You can go see but I doubt he'll listen to anything you say." Hisagi stated and I blew the hair from my face as I looked down at my hands.

"He'll listen. I may be young but I'm anything but a push over."

We had walked into the main hall of the first squad barracks where we waited until the Captain of squad 1 and Head Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squad, Captain Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

He was an old man with a long beard and scars over his bald head. Rukia had knelt down with her head brushing the floor but Ichigo and I remained standing.

"What is your name, child?" He boomed and I stood forward.

"Seika Kimura. I'm from the four families of the Darksiders. I appreciate you talking with us."

"I didn't know your kind still existed."

"Only my family line is left but it may become just me if we don't take action now," I explained and his eyes opened slightly.

"Enlighten me of the matter."

I walked forward some more. "The very first Darksider has come to the Soul Society in order to recreate all of the worlds. But he needs a person with the exact same amount of spiritual energy. If the spirit energy of the other person is somewhat greater or weaker, the balance will be tipped and who knows what will happen afterwards."

"So you know who this person is?"

"Me. He needs me and I know I'm playing into his hands but he's got a group of my friends and my brothers captive and I can't just stand around and do nothing."

"And what do you plan to do?" Yamamoto questioned.

"Whatever it takes to make sure no one else is hurt."

"Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for others?"

"You don't need to ask me twice."

"I will place the Seireitei into wartime orders but no one will accompany you on your mission. We will be the last line of defence if you do not succeed. Do you understand me, Darksider?"

"That's all I wanted. Thank you." I said and walked out with Ichigo and Rukia behind me.

"What are we doing?" Ichigo asked as we walked down the path.

"You'll be here. I'm going by myself."

"But you–"

"Dammit, Ichigo!" I whipped around and he ran into me. "This is my fight and it's got nothing to do with you. All I needed was someone to bring me here. Now that I am here, I'm going to rescue my friends and my brothers. Even if I die."

I turned back around and noticed that Rukia had gone.

"I guess you're stuck with me," he informed and I sighed.

"You get in my way, I'll kill you."

"Is that a joke or your hormones talking?" He laughed hesitantly.

"A bit of both."