Chapter 14

"Can you feel them?" Ichigo asked as I perched myself into one of the trees. We were far from the Seireitei and it seemed to be annoying Ichigo that we haven't found them yet.

"Be quiet. It's bad enough with you leaking spirit energy everywhere, I can barely sense them." I snapped as he stood next to me. We exchanged annoyed looks before I dropped from the thirty foot high branch and absorbed the impact as I knelt down to the ground and then stood up. Ichigo was a little hesitant at first but decided to drop as well.

"Can you feel them now?" Ichigo asked and I knocked him into a bush as a massive explosion erupted right where Ichigo had been.

"Yes, Ichigo. I can feel them now. Be quiet."

"Did you get him?" Kori asked as his sister walked out from the smoke, dusting her dress off.

"If I had got him, Kori, you wouldn't be asking that question, now would you?" She replied sarcastically. "What do you think happened?"

"I reckon that she pushed him out of the way and is currently watching us. Would you like to hear Kane's proposition, Seika? It'll only take a minute."

"Then enlighten me!" I called, my voice echoing through the trees.

"Look for her," Kori explained and I snorted.

"Look for me and we're leaving. Stay where you both are and tell me this proposition."

"If that's what you want. Kane will return all of your friends and your brothers, including the traitor if you take their place instead. At the moment, he's thinking whether or not to use your red headed brother's blood just to get things started."

"Monster," I hissed and Kasai laughed.

"If you hand yourself in now, I'll even spare the orange brat since you cherish him so dearly," Kasai giggled and Ichigo went to stand when I kicked his shin and stood up from the bushes.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" I asked as I walked forward. Kasai flanked around me until she was behind me and Kori was in front.

"You don't." Kori said and Kasai kicked the inside of my knees, making me kneel in front of Kori as Ichigo raced out, pulling out his Zanpakuto.

"Seika!" He yelled and I heard Kasai's whip crack.

"Ichigo, don't do anything." I snapped and turned around to see him and Kasai glaring at each other.

"But–"

"Ichigo, listen to me just this once. Leave," I said and Kori grabbed my hair before yanking me to my feet.

"Just to let you know. Your loved ones were taken back to the World of the Living when you entered the Soul Society." Kori snickered and I didn't have enough time to do anything before something hard and heavy hit the back of my head and everything went black.

Ichigo

Seika's body slumped in Kori's arms as his icy hammer shattered to reveal his pale hand.

"Seika!" I yelled and tried to get past Kasai but she cracked her whip again, sending another spiral of fire across my path.

"I'm true to my word when I said that I'd spare you. However, Kasai never said anything like it." Kori explained and flicked his white hair from his face. His exposed chest seemed to become paler against Seika's lightly tanned skin and his hair almost made him look like a ghost. "Finish him, sister. I've got business to finish."

"With pleasure, brother," Kasai purred as she cracked her whip again. It wrapped around my ankle and she pulled, dropping me to the ground before she cracked another spiral of fire directly at me. I rolled out of the destruction and pulled Zangetsu from my back, slicing through her next attack. "What's the matter? Am I too slow? Do you want me to speed up?"

She disappeared from sight and I looked up to see her whip fly out and wrap around my neck. She pulled me up before her whip let go and I hit a nearby tree. I didn't have enough time to move before her whip came at me again. It coiled around Zangetsu's blade before I flicked it away, cutting off the tip of the whip much to Kasai's dismay.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" I yelled and swung Zangetsu, shooting a large wave of my spiritual energy towards her, completely destroying her whip. She screamed as she dropped to the ground, clutching what was left of her hand close to her chest.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. Damn that hurts." She muttered and slowly got back to her feet. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve as well."

I watched as the ground around her erupted into fire. Her hand healed up in seconds as the back of her dress exploded outwards as two huge wings made from the fire erupted from her back. Her hands became long taloned claws and her hair became a bright red.

"How do you like my true form, Soul Reaper?!" She purred, her voice more demonic and evil. She lunged at me and I parried her first attack as her second hand swiped across my stomach, digging deep into my flesh.

I kicked her away before swinging Zangetsu at her and slicing her down her chest. Blood spilled down to the ground as she ran forward with another attack but I used Getsuga Tenshou on her, completely removing her left arm. She staggered forward a bit more before dropping with her new appearance dissipating into air, revealing a scared girl.

"I can still fight," she panted and I placed Zangetsu just at her neck.

"Give up while you're still alive. You can't do anything now." I informed and she swiped Zangetsu away from her.

"Neither can you... you're too late. Kane is at his strongest. But he can't use her power until she reverts to her true form. Which will happen when he makes her drink his blood when she wakes up."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Shut up before I change my mind," she growled as she slowly got to her feet with her right arm. "Kane wants to make sure she doesn't go anywhere so she'll be hung on a cross over the portal to the Underworld. Every time her blood drops into the portal, the closer the Underworld becomes to merging with the Soul Society which means more creatures spill into this world. She loses the will to fight the more energy Kane feeds from her. It's quite sad, because by the time the ritual is over, Seika will die no matter what."

"How do I stop it?" I asked and she placed her only hand over the open arm socket and grimaced.

"God, it hurts when I do something like this," she grunted before looking at me. "She needs a reason to stop it all. Stop the portal and to stop Kane. She's the only one who can do it."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Don't get sentimental, Soul Reaper. I suggest you think of a way to save this place. I would like to stay in one piece, metaphorically speaking, of course. Now go before I regret this."

"Thanks."