A/N: Since this the third time I'm directly mentioning the currency in Soul Society, I'll give a very short explanation on it. Bleach canon itself alludes to there being currency, though they never mention how it works. What I've done is given them the Tokugawan coinage (if you don't know Japanese history, look it up). Basically the simplest coin is the copper mon, a round coin with a hole in the middle to allow it to be threaded on a string. The gold coin, the Ryo, is worth 4000 of these coins; meaning that only the very wealthy can possess it. In feudal Japan it was worth 3 koku of rice, basically enough rice to feed 3 people for a year. Interestingly Meowth from pokemon wears a Ryo (Koban) on his forehead.

Hope you enjoyed the history snippet. Remember that Ken is prel (previous life) Renji, Izumi is prel Matsumoto, Chizu is prel Hinamori, and Daiken is prel Hitsugaya. Eiro is an OC, but that's by and by.

About for the Yoruichi scene, I am so very sorry…

x

The Heir Apparent
Chapter -146: The Strongest Combination

Shihoin Eiroshi gazed out on the mortal world. It was greener than he remembered, but then he had to take into account the many different landscapes on this plane. There were deserts, rocky wastelands, lands of snow and ice, mountains, plains, forests, and everything between those extremes. Only the last three of those existed in Soul Society, and they had precious few mountains.

He could see why some Shinigami would come here for holidays.

His reason for being here was strictly work-related though. Today he would be unleashing the Onmitsukido on the Quincy. Of the four other divisions under his control, he'd sent the third to the America's, where the Quincy had a negligent presence; their job was only difficult because they had to cover two continents. The seventh went to Africa and the middle-east, the fifth took Australia; eastern Asia and all the Islands in-between. The ninth had the rest of Asia, and a little bit of eastern Europe. Naturally his division had the hardest area, Europe, the home of the Quincy's. Here their numbers were the most concentrated and the most skilled resided.

Also they would be the only ones who were expecting attack.

His lieutenant flash-stepped to his side. 'Taicho, I have finished my investigation.'

Eiro had sent her to scout the area where the high council had died. 'Make your report, Soifon,' he said.

'The men around the edges of the ground were all killed by sword wounds. Those closer to the manor were unusual.'

'How so?'

The woman grimaced, 'They all were stabbed through the body at least once, I saw one that had been done four times. But what killed them all was -someone- ramming their blade from the top of the head until it stuck through their groin.'

Eiro's eyes widened, 'All of them!' he exclaimed.

'Yes sir, even the women. Nearly a hundred in all, a bit more if you include those around the grounds' she said, swallowing hard.

This was a hardened warrior who had seen her comrades ripped to pieces by hollows, and not battered an eyelash. To think that one of their own would do something so barbaric though was sickening. More to the point, how could Shunsui have done that? A downward stab impaling an enemy was nearly impossible to perform, and to do it to so many… This had to be the aftermath of some ability.

A thought struck him, 'Did you see anyone burying the dead?'

'No sir, I think they're staying away from the area, probably they're too scared of further attacks. I only saw evidence of one grave, and it was a pitiful attempt.'

'Anyone important?'

'Lord Ishida.'

Eiro nodded, 'Gather your section and prepare to move out, lieutenant.'

It was time to do the terrible deed, and begin the extermination.

x

The sky in Soul Society was perfectly blue, not a cloud in the sky. The sun shone warmly, heating his kimono pleasantly. A soft wind flowed though his long dark hair, which he had tied into a single knot to keep out of his eyes. Shunsui knelt down to smell a lily that was growing out the grass, and smiled at its sweet aroma.

Today, he reflected, was a good day to die.

'Oy, you'd better pay attention,' yelled Nagai Kenpachi.

But a bad one to kill, he thought as he straightened; his smile fading into a blank mask. He drew both his zanpakutou, and since he had no sash to put their sheaths in he threw them behind a nearby tree. They had been gifts from Mikio-dono and Maiyuki-taicho so very long ago. Nearby Jushiro had his already drawn.

'You heard the rumours that our powers form the strongest combination in all of Soul Society,' said Izumi.

'Yes,' he said.

'Well, they're true.'

'Good for you.'

'Don't be so calm about it,' Ken snarled, 'We're about to rip you to pieces.'

Shunsui couldn't find it in his heart to feel anything but a pressing sadness. He really had nothing against Ken and Izumi, and he was sick of killing. Before yesterday he'd done it when necessary, now all his desire to had been quenched in a bath of blood; Quincy blood. There was only one more he had the stomach to slay. The mastermind of it all, Shiraken Daiichi; Daiken.

But to get to him, he would have to go through these two fools.

'Don't do this, you two,' said Jushiro, 'Shunsui and I have trained for over a century for this day.'

'So have we, and our powers fit together almost as well as we do,' said Ken, the leer on his face turning Jushiro's pale one red.

'You don't understand. Yes, you're strong, but so are we, and our training went well past the limit that even captains stop at; for fear of the danger involved. You're seen us sick and injured at many of the captains meetings I'm sure, that's because we pushed ourselves so hard. And it paid off, recently we've found that we're reaching the absolute limit for our abilities.'

'Ha, liar, there's no such thing.'

'Leave it, Jushiro, they've made their resolution,' said Shunsui, 'It seems we cannot avoid this.'

The limit of power was a legendary place that only one Shinigami to public knowledge had ever reached. That Shinigami was captain-commander Yamamoto, though Shunsui strongly suspected that Daiken had also reached that level. It wasn't unheard of for captain-class Shinigami to reach the limit of one of the four arts, though even that was rare, and in those cases they would generally be known for that skill above all others. But to master all of Kido, Swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat and flash steps took unrivalled dedication and training; as well a certain level of genius.

'Finally, it's talking sense,' said Ken, raising his blade.

'Let's get to it then,' said Izumi, lifting hers above her head.

'Bankai,' they cried together, 'Hihio Zabimaru; Kushippo Haineko.'

Instantly they were submerged in thick smoke.

x

Flash-stepping through Rukongai, Chizu flicked her head from left to right every few seconds, searching for her quarry. The time she'd spent with her husband had definitely made her task harder, due to time lost, but she didn't regret it. There had been an almost desperate sweetness to their lovemaking that made her shiver with pleasure even reflecting on it.

She stopped abruptly, reaching the end of the trail of spiritual energy. The residents, going about their daily business, turned to stare at her. To their untrained eyes it would appear like she'd come out of thin air. She ignored them, where was third seat Yoruichi?

She took her bearings, she was in the fourth district of north-eastern Rukongai. In the distance she could feel two spiritual pressures spike, Ken and Izumi must have found their prey. She hadn't, not yet, though she was sure that Yoruichi was close. People were milling around, looking at her. Chizu allowed her gaze to drift over them, taking note only of those with darker skin. None were her. So she closed her eyes and focused only on the spiritual pressure.

'Excuse me, miss, are you-' said a concerned resident, she held up a hand to stop him.

Yoruichi was here, her signature was clear as day. Though somehow it was tinier than it should be, even if she were reducing her power to the maximum. Perhaps she had a talent in that area. 'Snap, Tobiume,' she said, her eyes still shut.

As her zanpakutou transformed into its shikai, she leapt high into the air. Then she slung a fireball at the precise point she felt the spiritual pressure, somewhere on the edge of the crowd. It was fortunate that there wasn't anyone else close enough to be more than knocked over by the force of the blast, but even if there had been she wouldn't have held back. The people screamed and ran in all directions, Chizu could feel her target move, she shot another fireball and finally opened her eyes.

The area was chaos; with children and adults alike screaming and fleeing in all directions, stalls being knocked over, smoke rising and charred chunks of dirt falling. A black cat was shooting through them all, Chizu's eyes widened. She'd been aiming at a cat, had Yoruichi scented the creature to act as a decoy? She'd never heard of that being done successfully before. If she had, she had to capture it and find how to differentiate between decoys and the real thing.

She flash-stepped to the ground just in front of the creature, it turned and raced off in another direction. Annoying feline fiend. She caught up with it and was about to grab it by the tail when there was a puff of steam, and suddenly a naked brown-skinned woman was sprinting around the corner. Chizu nearly tripped over her feet, the "cat" had been Yoruichi; she could transform!

With Yoruichi in her human form she was definitely far faster, annoyingly a perfect match for Chizu's speed. Another fireball and Yoruichi changed direction, the ball exploding where she had been moments before, her loss of speed by quickly turning compensated fully by Chizu's using her ability in full tilt. This wasn't going to be a short chase, she could tell. And the entire time she had to stare at the young woman's butt!

'Why're you naked?' she shouted as she ran.

'Cat's don't wear any clothes,' Yoruichi shouted back, her breasts bouncing, 'You lucky thing, you're getting a eyeful.'

Chizu reddened, 'This is improper, chases to the death shouldn't be done in your skin!'

'Sor-ry, I never read the rulebook.'

'There is none, it's an unspoken rule!'

Yoruichi turned another corner at breakneck speed. They were moving so quickly they were invisible to the people meandering like snails through the narrow streets. 'Tell you what, if you swear you won't attack me when I stop, I'll get dressed. Then we can carry on.'

Chizu thought about it. They were both the same speed, but she was more powerful. Which meant that the other woman would run out of energy first. But that could take hours, and she didn't want to be staring at her bare bottom the entire time. And when she did catch up and kill her she'd have a nude body on her hands, another potential embarrassment.

'Alright, fine,' she shouted.

Yoruichi stopped abruptly.

'What the hell-' she cried as she screeched to a halt, swinging her zanpakutou to the side so it wouldn't cut her. As she skidded she lost her balance and fell face forward.

Right

-into

-Yoruichi's

-backside

The dark skinned girl blinked, and looked behind, where Chizu's face was caught between her -ahem- cheeks. 'Wow, you're quite into kink, aren't you?'

She jumped away in a flash, her face and neck burning. 'Shut up, I'm gonna kill you now!'

'Not before I get some clothes, you promised,' said Yoruichi, sauntering into the store she'd stopped in front of. People were staring at them, now that they weren't flash-stepping any more they were perfectly visible. Most of the men's gazes followed Yoruichi, but all the woman and children were looking at her and laughing.

Gritting her teeth, Chizu looked up at the sign. Dunai's Silks she read. When she'd agreed to let the woman dress she'd expected her either to pull out a hidden cache, or steal some off the line. Or strip a woman about her build.

'Most certainly not!' said Yoruichi when she said as much, 'I want something that fits me, thank you.'

And so, they were clothes shopping.

'Where did all your clothes go, dearie?' said the grandmother at the counter.

Yoruichi gave a short laugh, 'Long story, there were men involved.'

The old woman smiled, 'It always is when we're dealing with the weaker sex, they make things so complicated don't they; even when they're really simple.' Meanwhile many of the 'weaker sex' were gazing through the shop windows gleefully. They didn't come inside, probably because of Chizu's drawn blade.

Chizu ground her teeth loudly, making the other two look at her, 'Dunai, I presume. Look, we're not here to make small talk. We're getting her something to wear, so I can kill her.'

'Are you both after the same man?'

'No!'

Grandma Dunai tsked, 'Well, forgive an old lady for being inquisitive. Go ahead, dearie, see what you like.'

Shopping took far longer than Chizu had anticipated. Yoruichi seemed determined to try on all the clothes in the shop, and was constantly asking for her opinion.

'I don't care, just make up your mind,' she said for the umpteenth time. Why should she care what her enemy wore? This was so ridiculous, shopping with the woman she was about to kill. She'd never hear the end of this if anyone found out.

'It's so nice of you to come with her,' said grandma Dunai fondly, 'You must be good friends.' She seemed entirely oblivious to the fact that Chizu was a Shinigami, and still had her released blade drawn.

Chizu just ground her teeth loudly.

Eventually Yoruichi settled on a white silk garment that was almost the same shape as the top half of a shihakusho, except that the sleeves were shorter and strips of material hung over the loins. To go with it she had thick black stockings that went halfway up her thigh, and matching long gloves that continued past her elbow. On her feet she had dainty black shoes. Functional, but elegant.

'It really accents your beautiful skin, dearie, and even shows a bit of thigh,' said the old woman, 'Whoever the lucky man is, he's going to fall head over heels with you wearing this.'

'He sure will,' said Yoruichi, grinning naughtily.

'Are we done yet?' snapped Chizu.

'Almost, now pay the nice lady.'

'What, these are your clothes!'

'Does it look like I have any money on me?'

Seething, Chizu turned to the old lady. 'Fine, how much is that?'

'Eight hundred and sixty-six mon.'

They should have found a cheaper shop, that was actually quite a lot of money. But Chizu couldn't face the thought of going through the ordeal all over again. 'You have change for a Ryo?' she said, extracting a large gold coin from her belt pouch.

Grandma Dunai blinked, seeming finally to notice her attire and sword, and what that meant. 'Give me a moment, dearie,' she said , disappearing behind the counter.

'I really shouldn't be putting up with this,' said Chizu, turning to Yoruichi. Only she wasn't there. 'Dammit,' she shouted, running out into the street. The girl had run off, gaining a much bigger lead in the process. 'Damn her,' she said, and set off after.

Grandma Dunai raised her head from behind the counter, holding a small sack of copper and silver coins, 'Here's you- Well, she's gone.' She'd just have to keep the change, which was far more than the price of the actual purchase. Suddenly the day had turned extremely profitable.

x

Jushiro leapt aside as two streams of ash ripped through the space he'd been moments before. He then had to jump high as the giant bone serpent charged hissing at him. Yikes, it was fast. He'd only ever seen Ken's bankai once before, when he'd fought to gain the captaincy of the eleventh. Jushiro had hidden and watched from a distance, knowing that sooner or later they would cross blades.

Since then it had changed. The bone segments of its length were now coated in steel, and instead of one dorsal spike there were now five bladed ones at pentagonal points around each segment, though the extra ones were smaller by comparison. Its red mane had black tribal tattoo markings, the skull head wore a close fitting helmet; complete with jagged teeth that fit together when the mouth was closed. Jushiro had heard that a bankai could improve according to its users power and experience, but never before had he seen such a marked difference.

As dangerous as it was though, it could be dodged. It was Izumi's bankai that made things really deadly. Her ability had unleashed nine potent streams of ash, they ripped through anything they touched. Cutting the air, the sound set Jushiro's teeth on edge. The raw power of Ken's bankai, plus the more area affecting strikes of Izumi left no gaps whatsoever to escape. It was true, this was the most effective combination he had ever seen.

If one of them had been facing the two, that one would be shredded in less than a minute. Fortunately, since both him and Shunsui were fighting, they couldn't put their full concentrated power on both of them at once. So while one was being attacked, the other would return the favour and force them to switch targets. However, they were at a severe disadvantage, using only their shikai. Just one mistake, one brilliant manoeuvre by the enemy, and it would all be over.

He dodged and spun, striking two ash-trails away, then another. Shunsui was meanwhile baiting the head of Zabimaru, holding it back with one blade and smashing teeth off with the other, it hissed and snapped at him. Four ash-trails converged on him from behind, Jushiro cried out a warning. Then they struck, sending up an explosion of dust.

'SHUNSUI,' he cried out in horror.

'Yes?' said a voice beside him.

Jushiro turned, dumbstruck. His friend stood next to him, a sleeve of his kimono cut and hanging loose. His arm wasn't bleeding though. At the last possible moment he'd evaded, allowing the ash-trails to crash into Zabimaru. In that split-second he'd moved faster than Jushiro could see. He'd always thought them to be of similar strength, with Shunsui having the slight edge. Now he realised that the other man had allowed him to think that, there was still a significant gap. At any other time he would have been annoyed at the mollycoddling. Now he was relived that their side had more power than he'd predicted.

The fact remained though that they were losing.

'Don't do that again,' he said.

Meanwhile Zabimaru emerged from the dust, hissing angrily but undamaged. The nine ash-trails patrolled above its head.

Shunsui touched his fingers to his brow in apparent agreement, then looked suddenly forlorn. 'Oh yeah, I forgot my hat. Bummer.'

Jushiro gaped. Even at time like this his friend could add levity. That meant he wasn't taking this seriously, no man made jokes when he was serious about a battle. His lack of concern was misplaced, 'Come on man, you realise that we could die here?'

'We will or we won't.'

Now Jushiro was angry, 'We can't fight Ban level with Shi level, you have to use your Bankai!'

Shunsui raised his eyebrows, 'But I don't want to.'

He could feel his fury mounting, 'DO YOU WANT TO GET US KILLED. THIS IS YOUR FAULT, ALL OF IT.'

'I know,' said Shunsui, finally sounding sombre. 'I'm sorry I dragged you into this, my friend.'

The fire cooled. He was being unfair, it was actually his fault that these two were here now. 'Its…its…' He could hardly say "It's alright,", things were definitely not alright. 'Apology accepted. Now, could you please use your Bankai?'

'I can't, I'll probably only get one use out of it. How about yours?'

That meant he was saving it for Daiken. 'You know that mine won't be enough. It's not meant for situations like this.'

'Fair enough, then we'll just have to beat them on Shikai.'

The prospect was terrifying, Ban release increased the Shinigami's power five to ten times over. They would be fighting with that advantage set against them. He closed eyes, set his resolve and tightened his lips. He was afraid, he couldn't help it. 'Yeah,' he said, tightening his grip on his twin blades.

'You done chatting?' Izumi called. Ken and her had held back on attacking, allowing them to finish their conversation.

'Let's play, Ju-chan,' said Shunsui, and leapt at them. Jushiro followed behind.

Predictably their charge was met by their opponent's far reaching abilities. Jushiro jumped over the charging serpent, which turned immediately to chase him. Damn it, it was definitely faster than he was. Meanwhile Shunsui was beating away ash-trails, until they proved too much and he too jumped high. He caught Jushiro's eye and nodded. Jushiro, guessing his intent, nodded back.

'Takaoni,' Shunsui cried as they bore down on the enemy.

'You fool,' Ken laughed.

Neither Ken nor Izumi tried to stop them getting closer, instead they surrounded them. Obviously they thought it was a good time to finish it. Jushiro struck at Ken, who blocked with a segment of Zabimaru. Shunsui's double attack on Izumi was blocked by three converged ash-trails. However, the power of their attacks bore down on their enemies, cutting into them. Then they both jumped past as the Bankai swooped in to finish them. The damage they'd done had caught their enemies by surprise, and after the prearranged attack there was no follow up.

'What the freak,' said Ken, touching a hand to his bleeding shoulder.

Izumi coughed, blood spraying onto her hand. She had taken far worse damage from Shunsui's strikes, the cuts ran from her neck to her chest and made a flap of material between her breasts hang loose. Blood poured down the exposed skin. With an effort she straightened.

'Can you carry on?' said Ken.

She nodded, but didn't speak.

'You see, we can win,' said Shunsui confidently to Jushiro.

He nodded, but still felt sick inside.

'Bastard, the hell did you do?' growled Ken.

'I'm sure Daiken told you about my abilities. Katen Kyokotsu makes children's games real. It's a bit of a bitch, but you have to play by its rules if you want to live. The loser dies. In Takaoni, whoever is higher up, wins. Since that was us, you guys got injured, even though you blocked.'

Ken's tattooed brows furrowed, 'So, if we'd been higher, you would have been injured.'

'Now you're getting it. Even I have to play by the rules. Sucks eh?'

In response Ken sent Zabimaru lancing towards the sky, then it shot down at them. The nine ash-trails came beside, leaving no gaps. Shunsui and Jushiro dodged backwards, but they kept coming at terrifying speed.

'Um, Shunsui,' said Jushiro as they found themselves about to be cornered. And since they would likely be hit from above, the game would work against them.

'I know,' he said, 'I'm going to need your help on this one. Kageoni.'

He dived forward, under the monstrous serpent's gaping mouth. There was barely any pace between it and the ground, and one of the bladed spines cut Shunsui's shoulder open. As he hit the ground, he slammed his blade into it, in the shadow of massive Zabimaru. Instantly a huge black blade speared out of the ground, impaling the bankai through the body. The head, which had been tearing towards Jushiro, suddenly recoiled violently; it hissed with fury. He still had to contend with the nine ash-trails though, which were now concentrating solely on him, trapping and giving him no space to manoeuvre.

'Ha ha, we've got you now,' Ken roared triumphantly, 'Eat this, Hikotsu Taiho!'

Energy shot from the base of the tail, building up in power as it gained momentum. Flashes of it glowed as it passed between the segments.

'Jushiro, NOW,' cried Shunsui.

In less than a second from when it had been released, the energy blast shot out the open jaws. It was coming to fast to dodge, and even if he could he'd only be sliced to pieces by the ash-trails. Raising his Sogyo no Kotowari, he readied himself, realising at that instant that this was what Shunsui had been aiming for. The blast, more than powerful enough to kill three of him, was absorbed by his left blade. Then he fired it out of his right handed one. Ken's bankai had fallen inactive in the aftermath of his attack, he only had time to widen his eyes before he was engulfed.

BA-DOOM. The explosion ripped up nearly a hundred meters of grass and trees, sending wood splinters and earth sky high. It was so loud that even as the noise faded away Jushiro felt his ears ring. There was no sign of Nagai Kenpachi, nor his energy signature. The detached segments of Zabimaru quietly faded away. Jushiro breathed a sigh of relief, he was dead. Something else caught his attention, a new energy signature, no; two.

'NOOOO,' Izumi screamed, sending her nine ash-trails at him from all directions. He couldn't dodge, he couldn't possibly block them all.

Then she gasped as Shunsui flash-stepped in front of her and thrust his blade into her gut. Her attack stalled.

'Sorry,' said the dark haired man.

Then he ripped it out of her, creating a rent of a wound. Blood sprayed into the air. The ash trails around Jushiro faded, Izumi's sealed sword reforming in her hands as she fell to the ground. She moaned and gasped, clutching her abdomen.

It took a moment for Jushiro to realise what had happened. They had won. Against the odds, against two powerful bankai that worked perfectly in unison, they had won. Something was coming at him, he spun and blocked, wincing as something else stabbed into his side. He swung with his other blade, forcing his new assailant away. His eyes widened as he realised who it was.

'Retsu!' he said aloud.

The new fourth division captain nodded once, her expression unreadable. She held in her off hand a large, half empty syringe. It contained a fluid that looked something between water and syrup, what was it? Retsu glanced at it, shrugged and discarded it, transferring both hands to her blade. It was then that Jushiro felt dizzy, his knees buckled but he managed to stay on his feet. Something warm was running down his nose, touching it he held his fingers up. They were red with blood.

'What did you do to me,' he said, horrified.

'What I ordered,' said a new voice.

Jushiro turned to the other arrival, but it was Shunsui who spoke first, his voice low and murderous. 'Daiken.'

x

A/N: A few notes on the story.

Soifon is not the captain we know and (possibly) love, nor the previous incarnation, but the grandmother of said captain. She is the namesake, if you remember captain Soifon's backstory she was named after her grandmother.

The limit of power was mentioned by Aizen when he was extracting the Hougyoku from Rukia. I'm taking it directly from him. A good example of somebody who has mastered only one of the four aspects would be Zaraki Kenpachi. He's known for his swordsmanship, just as Yoruichi is for her speed. Interestingly, canon and logic together dictate that Shunsui would be quite a lot faster than her. He's not the only one either. I don't really get why she's know as the Goddess of Flash, perhaps she was the fastest woman during her time as captain?

Ken's bankai is different to Renji's because Ken's power is far more developed. It has been shown in canon sources that captain's can improve their bankai's according to their power and experience, in which cases they can change forms. Ichigo's has recently, and Byakuya has many different forms for his. And let's face it, Renji's does look underdeveloped, it needed a power-up!

Izumi's bankai, Kushippo Haineko, means nine tail ash-cat. Obviously the name is inspired by the cat of nine tails, a whip used in 18th century punishment. The idea is simple, it's Matsumoto's Shikai times nine. Naturally that means it's quite similar to Byakuya's, not surprising since their Shikai's are practically the same. Like Bya, using her arms to direct will increase the speed. Which is better? On the initial level they're about the same, but Bya has additional forms for his. Go go ladykiller! (Rukia gasps aloud lol)

I don't think that any explanation is needed for Jushiro and Shunsui's abilities. But just to remind, Jushiro's Sogyo no Kotowari absorbs any energy blast, the cord linking them has five charms which accelerate and strengthen the attack, then it fires out of the other blade. So in essence, any blast sent at him can be redirected back even stronger. Whether this works on elemental-type attacks or not hasn't been divulged as yet. I would guess so, otherwise it would be too limited.

Whew, wot a long explanation. Next chapter should be the last of the turn-back arc. See you next time, and don't forget to review. All the best, KotW.