Okay. I'm weird. Her Zanpakuto's name is Arashihoro now. I liked it and I don't understand why I chose Kyouran over it. No more changes.
Enjoy lol.
Ichigo backed away, trying his best to parry to against the attacks. He was on the defensive, struggling to find an opening between the rapid slashes. With a shout, he swung his sword towards the left side only for the blades to stop his sword.
Katsuko narrowed her eyes at him and put everything she had in keeping his blade in place, causing sparks from their friction. It was still hard to manage two blades, but she was somehow making it work. It was working well against his giant kitchen knife anyway. Well, it's not like she had a choice, she should better get used to it or else her Shikai was pretty worthless to her.
She pushed back his blade and leaped away only for him to chase after her. He rushed towards her and swung his blade which she dodged by a hair. Once she steadied herself, she pushed back his blade with her left blade and tried to poke his shoulder with her right. The orange haired teen shifted enough for the blade to miss and merely give him a shallow cut.
He pushed off her other blade and aimed another slash towards her, startling her a little. With a yelp, she ducked and retracted both her swords before ramming his gut with the end of her right hilt, making him falter a little.
Her eyes glinted.
In that instant, she used that opportunity to knock his sword out of his hands with an aggressive strike. But she wasn't done, she harshly shoved him off his feet and pointed her blades at him with a big smirk as he gaped at her.
"HA! Eat dirt, strawberry!"
Urahara clapped his hands as he approached them with a grin on his face.
"You didn't have to do all that!" he snapped, shoving the blades away from his face with an unhappy frown.
"That was for last time." Katsuko pursed her lips playfully. "Frigging made me trip by swinging your leg at my feet. That was cheap."
"No, it wasn't!"
"Well, I thought it was."
"You're just a sore loser." He huffed.
"Me no care." She shrugged.
"Interesting. Hiragi-san, who has practically never used her Soul Reaper powers, has grown a lot stronger in just a few days and was able to win against Kurosaki-san who has been a Soul Reaper for more than three months." Urahara teased the orange haired teen which only served to irritate the boy.
"Well, that's because she's different, obviously!" Ichigo sat up as Katsuko sat down next to him to get some reprieve from their little match. She mockingly patted his head and cooed 'there there'. He gave her a look, causing her to giggle in amusement and retract her hand.
"And I'll say it again, it's not fair that she has two swords." He grumbled. She had more opportunities to catch him off guard and land an attack if he wasn't too careful.
"Now, who's being a sore loser…" She mumbled, rolling her eyes.
"I don't know many Soul Reapers who wield dual blades, but we can never be too sure." Urahara played with his fan. "It's good that we can train you with someone who has two."
Ichigo turned his head to look at Katsuko who just sat there, grinning, obviously pleased by how she was getting many wins from their matches. From those matches alone, he knew not to underestimate her because she was going to leave him feeling stupid. He could still remember how shocked he was when she first came at him aggressively and barely allowed him to attack when she wasn't using a Shikai. Now he can understand when Jun told him about how her aggressive nature was toned down. All of it was released like pent up frustration in a fight, a side of her he never saw before.
Katsuko gave him a look when he lightly thumped her forehead.
Urahara put his hands in his pockets when he observed the two pensively, they were too busy talking to each other to notice it. Both Katsuko and Ichigo's power levels was already that of a third or fourth seat. But with the rapid growth they've been getting he knew it wasn't going to stop there. Once they enter the Soul Society, they'll earn experience and have more growth through their battles.
He eyed Katsuko thoughtfully.
It was going to awaken.
After Ichigo exploded himself into a comatose state, everyone took the time to prepare and rest until Ichigo woke up. Before taking a nap, Katsuko decided to ask Yoruichi something before she could rest a little before leaving. She wanted to know about the ranks of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and how to identify them. She wanted to at least have some knowledge before going into the Seireitei. Even though Yoruichi reassured her that she would know once they came across them, she still wanted to know in advance.
From the cat, she learned that all captains wear a white haori with a kanji number on their back to show what squad they were from. Never fight them, especially anyone wearing the haori representing Squad 11. She understood that after seeing Ichimaru at the gate, they were out of her league.
"What about Lieutenants?"
"They should be wearing their badges on their arms with the number of their Squad in kanji on it as well." Yoruichi even gave her a small description of it: wooden with white cloth.
"Hm… Do you think we could take them on?"
Yoruichi's tail swished during a brief pause. "I can't say for sure since not all of them are equal in power level. But I think if you and Ichigo alone went up against one then you would probably stand a chance. Maybe."
Katsuko scratched her temple. That meant that they were still lacking in power. Speaking of which, what was her power level anyway?
"If I were to give a vague estimation, I would say you are at the level of a third seat at best, the upper level anyway." Yoruichi said as if she read her mind.
Katsuko frowned, worried. "Is that good enough?"
The cat leaned its head to scratch its head with its foot. "Of course. Third seats follow right after the Lieutenants. But Lieutenants are still much more stronger."
Katsuko didn't say anything. She just looked down at her hands and stared at them pensively, opening and closing them repeatedly. The strength she possessed wasn't gained all on her own, some of it was the result of a ghost that couldn't pass on without leaving traces of its existence. Some of her strength was handed down on a silver platter. It made her feel a little bad since she saw how hard Ichigo was working to become strong enough to rescue Rukia. There were times were she wanted to somehow find a way and share what was not hers.
But at this point, I don't really feel bad about it. I feel like it's all my own.
If my soul still wants to give me more strength to make this all work, then keep at it. I'm going to need all the help I can get.
AUGUST 3RD
…
…
…
Kyoraku and Nanao was walking together, heading to their assigned station once the meeting was dismissed.
"Maybe one of the Ryoka is a lovely woman." Kyoraku mused with a silly smile. "I could probably ask her what they want while getting to know her."
"Captain." Nanao said a warning tone, not pleased by his laid back attitude.
The captain held his straw hat to respond playfully, but then he stiffened and looked up at the sky when he saw a ball hit the membrane and then eventually broke through, evoking a gasp from Nanao.
"They broke through?!" she exclaimed with a panic.
Kyoraku squinted his eyes, he couldn't take his eyes off it. This feeling… He felt something as a light split into five, all heading in different directions across the Seireitei, but it was weak. Even so, he could never forget that feeling.
Is that you?
…
…
…
Ukitake awoke with a flinch, causing the small bag of ice to slip off his forehead and fall on his futon. The feeling of something faint and familiar entered the Seireitei and tickled his senses enough to awaken him.
With a groan, the white haired captain forced himself up on his feet and walk to his window to look outside. His gaze went straight up to the sky and he watched as two lights high above in the air flew past his house.
As quickly as that faint feeling appeared, it quickly disappeared as if it never existed.
Katsuko felt the dread in her stomach bubble when she realized she was alone, flying across the Seireitei. Yoruichi was no longer on her shoulder, and Ichigo and Ganju were gone as well. She was truly alone.
This is so bad!
She turned her head, looking down at the Soul Reapers who were running in the Seireitei to try and somehow catch up with her speed. She was going to have a crash landing if she didn't do anything about it!
The black haired girl whipped her head back in front of her when she felt herself falling downwards. Hastily, she grabbed her Zanpakuto and held it out in front of her.
"Rend! Arashihoro!" The blade split in two upon her command. She pointed at the ground with her left blade and summoned a gust of wind to save her fall. When she came close to the ground, she shut her eyes and braced herself. It didn't hurt as bad. The impact was lessened from the wind pressure and she ended up just rolling on the ground a couple of times. Nothing broken.
Using her sword's abilities at first was kind of tricky since she had no clue how to do it. It wasn't something her instructor could teach her; he could only force it out of her through harsher training.
"Holy crap…" Katsuko gasped when she got on her knees, shocked from what just happened. Her head shot up to look up at the sky to try and see anything that would make her think that she wasn't alone, but there was nothing. The skies were blue with clouds and nothing more. Her team was gone, they all split apart.
She would have despaired right there if she hadn't heard shouting coming from somewhere. Hurriedly, she forced herself up on her feet and listened carefully. It sounded like they were coming from somewhere around a corner somewhere behind her. When she looked at her surroundings, she noticed that she landed in an area where there was a dead end alongside a street, it had boxes and other miscellaneous things.
I think I should hide first. I shouldn't do anything and let them think I ran off.
She didn't waste another second and ran around the boxes to quickly hide. Her Zanpakuto returned to its natural state and she sheathed it. Holding her breath, she kept a knee on the ground and hid carefully behind it. Her body wasn't as big as Ichigo's or Ishida's. She was the same height as Inoue so she didn't really have trouble hiding. Through a tiny gap, she peeked through and saw a group of Soul Reapers stop near the dead end.
"There's nothing here!"
"But I was sure it was over here…"
"Well, there's no sign of a crash landing here!"
"Let's keep searching then! They couldn't have landed too far from here."
"Right!"
Katsuko waited patiently for them to run off until she heard absolutely nothing.
Okay…
She pushed herself up to shift and sit down, resting her back against the wall next to her.
"Fuuuck…" Katsuko whispered, holding her head in her hands. This was seriously not the plan. The plan was to work together to find Rukia and save her. It was not to get separated and go on a wild goose chase with no way to know where to go because of the lack of information A.K.A Yoruichi.
Honestly, she felt like crying like a lost child in a supermarket.
She blinked.
Wait.
Her hands loosened her hair after gripping it tightly.
Information…?
She grabbed a handful of her hair and looked at it. She had never really looked at herself in a mirror in her soul form. The brown highlights she put in her hair did not appear in her hair as a soul. Was it because it was only a physical trait? She didn't know. But she did know that without it, she seemed pretty normal, nothing about her stood out. Based on what she's seen so far, everyone in the Soul Society (aside from Jidanbo) looked human to her. It might be easy to find a way to blend in and maybe get some information.
Isn't that what they call recon?
But she was a little worried.
It may not look like it, but she was pretty shy and nervous when it came to being around new people. It was just easily masked by a neutral demeanor that she usually used against Inoue in school whenever she tried inviting her to lunch. She did the same thing to Ichigo when they first met in middle school.
Would she be able to pull a recon with that personality trait in the way?
"God, I don't really have time to think about that, do I?" Katsuko groaned, messing up her hair.
Her objectives were clear:
1. Try to blend with Soul Reapers.
2. Figure out where Rukia is.
Simple enough.
And at the same time, she should try and find someone from her group if possible.
But she knew sneaking around wasn't going to be a walk in the park.
Her palms harshly slapped her cheeks. "Okay. Let's get moving."
…
…
…
Yep. It wasn't going to be easy.
Katsuko dodged the blade aimed at her and quickly backstepped away from the one coming behind her before holding up her sword and blocking another blade.
A group of Soul Reapers had spotted her. Her idea was to blend in with them, but she made a mistake immediately after being spotted: she bolted in the other direction on pure instinct. That alone was enough to make them figure out she was one of the intruders. She couldn't help it! She felt so jumpy and cautious.
None of them wore a white haori nor a badge that could have identified them as a Lieutenant.
In other words, she was dealing with small fry. Nothing too dangerous.
With narrowed eyes, she ran up to one of them that was a step away from attacking her and rammed her arm in his gut, making his hold on his sword falter. Quickly, she disarmed him and kicked him back into the wall before returning her attention behind her. Her sword blocked a blade with ease before pushing it back roughly.
She didn't have to release her Shikai against them at all. That was good.
In the next minute, every single Soul Reaper in the group that came after her was all slumped on the ground unconscious. She purposely rendered them that way since there wasn't any point in cutting them up. A harsh and quick strike to the back of the head with the end of her hilt was good enough.
The girl sheathed her blade and pressed forward. Where? She still had no idea.
"Maybe I should have planned a little more before coming out of hiding…" she murmured to herself before running off.
Maybe I should let another group find me, knock them out and just pretend to be unconscious when someone comes across us? But that's a little risky… what if one those I knock out just wakes up and calls me out for being an intruder? Ahhgh, this is hard.
Was she being too careful?
Maybe she should just cry out for help out in the open and maybe someone will 'guide' her?
I really need to just blend in…
Katsuko's eyes widened and she quickly stopped to leap away from her spot just in time to avoid a blade that hit the ground. She saw black robes flutter and long brown hair flowing before the blade that missed was lifted and swung in her direction. The black haired girl whipped out her sword and clashed it against the Soul Reaper who narrowed their olive eyes at her.
It's a female this time.
The brown haired Soul Reaper grinned and pushed her sword back and went for another strike. Katsuko jumped back and avoided the blade.
She's not wearing a Lieutenant's badge so she's either a seated officer or just a Soul Reaper with no rank.
"You have bad luck, y'know?" the Soul Reaper spoke while loosely holding her sword after straightening up. "Facing someone like me."
Katsuko just stared at her and then lowered her sword. "I'm… one of you guys." She said, her voice clearly lacking confidence. Yeah, she needed to work on that.
The brown haired Soul Reaper frowned at her response. "Stop pretending. I saw you beating up those fodder Soul Reapers a minute ago."
Katsuko clicked her tongue in annoyance when she realized that she was being followed, and held up her Zanpakuto readily. "Whatever."
I'll just knock you out and be on my way!
With a quick step, she lunged at the Soul Reaper and started swinging her sword at her. Her opponent kept parrying her attacks. At first, she looked pretty arrogant but then her eyes narrowed when she realized Katsuko kept aggressively coming at her, making it hard for her to regain balance. Yeah, she wasn't expecting Katsuko to be strong. She wasn't going to go easy on her just because she was weaker than her. She needed to keep moving forward.
The brown haired Soul Reaper gritted her teeth when her back was pushed back against a wall. Then, she moved enough to avoid Katsuko's blade once she stopped fighting back against it to latch her hand around her left wrist. The black haired girl didn't like the way their point of contact was glowing. Immediately, she wretched her hand away from her and took a few leaps back to keep her distance. She glanced down at her hand and felt Spiritual Power surrounding it, but it didn't hurt.
Kido?
When she saw the brown haired Soul Reaper move, she looked up and blocked her blade.
What was that just now?
Katsuko blocked another attack.
That couldn't have been nothing.
"Hado 31: Shakkaho!"
Katsuko rolled over when she saw a red ball of flame. It blasted a hole through the wall she was standing next to.
So, this is what they meant by combat spells…
They kept clashing their swords. Again, and again. But then, Katsuko noticed how tired she was getting and how she was actually having a hard time fighting back. She was able to avoid receiving injuries so far, but it was getting increasingly hard to do so when they added more strength. The brown haired Soul Reaper smirked when she saw the confused look on Katsuko's face.
Then, with a swing, Katsuko was sent flying back to a wall harshly, she was unable to stand her ground and she fell on her rear.
What's going on here…?!
Her agitation was making her a little stressed. She was getting worried even though she knew she had to stay level-headed.
Something's not right.
As she eyed her opponent warily, her hands gripped her hilt tighter while getting back up.
Release it.
Now.
"Rend. Arashihoro."
She held her dual blades and the lunged at the female Soul Reaper who just had a smug grin on her face. With ease, she blocked both her blades and stared at Katsuko whose face expressed utter disbelief. She was sure that she tried using her sword's wind to attack… why didn't it work? Why did it feel like releasing her Shikai didn't do anything to her strength at all?!
"You look so confused. It's funny." The brown haired Soul Reaper snickered before harshly shoving her back. "Shall I tell you what I did?"
"It was when you touched me, didn't you…?!" Katsuko growled.
"That's right. I placed a seal on you. It spread through your body like a slow poison, restricting you from using any Spiritual Power. My seals don't really work as fast but it still gets the job done if I keep my mouth shut and let it do its magic. Now," the Soul Reaper pointed her blade at her with a smirk. "You lack the power to beat me now. Like I said, you have bad luck."
What Urahara once told her during training came rushing back to her. He told her Spiritual Power is the foundation of a Soul Reaper's strength, and that without it, she and Ichigo would not be able to stand on their own and fight. When Ichigo lost his power, Urahara had to help him restore it before becoming a Soul Reaper.
… I'm… powerless?!
Then, her opponent called out the name of her sword and she watched it morph into a polearm that looked like it had a hammer at the end with four spikes on the sides and one on top. Katsuko was dodging for her life. She didn't even try to stop the blow with her two blades, and she couldn't get close to the Soul Reaper thanks to the polearm's range and spikes.
And then, she finally got her first injury. A spike pierced into her left shoulder, making her hiss and back away. Her blood spilled on the street.
"Damn…!" she cursed under her breath. The pain was flaring in her shoulder. But even so, she wasn't going to give up the fight. Running away wouldn't solve anything. The only option for her was to win, nothing else.
With strengthened resolve, she started fighting back harder, her swords coming in front of her in an X to stop the weapon from coming too close to her face, causing sparks to fly from the struggle.
"You still wish to fight?" her opponent laughed. "Alright then!" she lifted the up her weapon and readied to smash it down on her after taking a step forward. Katsuko's face became frighteningly intense as she focused and willed herself to keep moving.
I can't lose!
The longer she struggled against power in her powerless form, it drew out more of the fight response from her nervous system, dragging it to the surface.
She spotted an opening after a spike caused a little more than a graze on her right arm.
And something finally snapped.
With a cry, she threw the left sword into the Soul Reaper's left side, causing her to falter from the pain, loosening her grip on her weapon. It pierced her but the toss wasn't strong enough for the blade to go through her body. It didn't matter though. That instant was enough. Katsuko was already closing the distance rapidly with her right blade in hand. Whatever thought about not being a killer was almost fully pushed back to the back of her mind as she prepared to land a hard blow.
In that instant, the stronger Soul Reaper's eyes widened when she caught side of her bare arms once the sleeves of her Shihakusho fluttered. Her arms had light blue cracks across them.
Katsuko stopped in front of her with her knees bent, eyes glaring.
The cracks increased until they finally shattered away like tiny glass fragments.
The nameless Soul Reaper flinched at the burst of Spiritual Pressure that was released from Katsuko, her body glowing in green.
Harsh sharp wind gathered around Katsuko's left blade just before she slashed her, slashing the Soul Reaper across the chest just before they could try to protect herself by pulling her weapon to her chest.
When Katsuko saw blood fly and splatter on the ground, she blinked, and stared at the wind around her blade that slowly dissipated. The polearm fell with a thud as her opponent fell on her back, staring at Katsuko in utter disbelief while her blood seeped through her Shihakusho.
The black haired girl panted. I don't know what just happened but I need to keep moving…
As she picked up her sword that had fallen out of the enemy's side, she spared her a concerned glance before reverting her Zanpakuto back to normal.
I don't have the luxury to hesitate.
It's either me or them.
Battles are pretty terrifying.
With that, Katsuko sheathed her sword and bolted off, leaving the defeated Soul Reaper behind who was still speechless.
The nameless Soul Reaper couldn't believe what just happened.
"Her power level… it was close to a Lieutenant's just now!" she gritted her teeth. "But how?! She wasn't even close to that when I sealed her Spiritual Power…! What just happened?!" she weakly lifted her numb arm and began administering first aid on herself with her Kido. "How did that Ryoka break the seal…?!"
...
...
...
Katsuko had only a couple of more run ins with other Soul Reapers who were weaker than her before finding shelter in some warehouse. To her luck, she found some spare bandages while hiding in a corner, taking her time to catch her breath and recover.
She already barricaded the doors just in case.
I don't think circulating around right now is wise.
Everyone is on high alert…
I should let things cool down first.
The fight she had with the brown haired Soul Reaper really gave her a scare back there. She didn't know how long that stupid seal was going to last on her so she was afraid that she was going to end up as deadweight right after landing in the Seireitei.
She lifted up her left wrist, staring at the spot where the seal came in contact with her body.
That moment when she landed the decisive blow made her ponder. She was supposed to be lacking the power to use any ability from her Zanpakuto because of the seal, and yet, she was still able to use it to beat that Soul Reaper. Was the seal weak? Was she unconsciously trying to squeeze out as much Spiritual Power as she could to win, causing it break? That Soul Reaper wouldn't want to undo the seal until they were sure that they beaten her.
Katsuko sighed tiredly.
She had no idea how the seal came undone in the first place but she was just grateful that it was gone.
I still get the shivers thinking about how it felt to cut through skin like that.
A part of her still fears battle after battling Urahara to attain her Shikai. The thoughts that raced through her mind when she ran away from him still stuck with her. But it's precisely that fear and seeing Ichigo so determined that inspires her to settle herself and keep her head up.
As she slipped her Shihakusho off her shoulders, she hissed in pain. Even though it's been a few minutes since she got the wound, the pain still flares inside of her when she moves around. Self-consciously, she looked around to check if she was away from the windows because she literally had her chest out in the dark. Thankfully, she was out of sight. She wanted to at least wrap her wounds even though she lacked the experience. As smart as she was, she didn't really have that much knowledge on treating injuries aside from the basics.
Paper cut? Easy. Put saliva on it if she had nothing else. Otherwise, apply some ointment and leave it.
A boo-boo that was bigger than a papercut? Put ointment and a band-aid.
Stab wounds and bigger cuts from spikes and blades? Well, she better figure it out on her own and make use of whatever she remembered from watching shows and movies.
"Okay… let's see…" Katsuko picked up the roll.
There was a little guilt inside her for stealing but she didn't really worry about it too much. She was pretty sure that a place like the Soul Society should have loads of things to treat wounds from blades or Hollows. A little thievery should be no problem.
I think I'll wait a little before moving around again…
"Shit… I still can't believe I'm on my own trying to survive out here. If I see Ichigo or Chad, I'm just going to latch onto them for dear life and cry tears of joy."
A FEW HOURS LATER…
A room full of high ranking officers, lieutenants, listened carefully to the current status report given by Iemura Yasochika, a seated officer from Squad 4.
"Third Seat of Squad 11, Madarame Ikkaku-sama, Ayasegawa Yumichika-sama, Fifth Seat, same squad, and Naogoma Tenka, Seventh Seat of Squad 5… The above seated officers, due to serious injuries, will withdraw from the front lines. A detailed damage report for the individual squads is still pending investigation. However, regarding Squad 11… There is a report stating that they were nearly annihilated."
"Squad 11?" Kira Izuru, Lieutenant of Squad 3, repeated in disbelief.
"Naogoma-san…" Hinamori Momo, Lieutenant of Squad 5, mumbled worriedly with a hand covering her mouth.
"In just a few hours since the intruders arrived, they've managed to wreak that much havoc?" Hisagi Shuuhei, Lieutenant of Squad 9, narrowed his eyes.
"Geh, how pathetic." Omaeda Marechiyo, Lieutenant of Squad 2, spat.
"At this time," Iemura continued. "there are four confirmed Ryoka of which two have taken a member of Squad 4 hostage. We have intelligence indicating that these two, with the hostage, are headed this way. However, since a while ago, we have been unable to detect their Spiritual Pressure, therefore their whereabouts are unknown."
"If a Naogoma has to withdraw then one of the Ryoka must be strong." Nanao Ise, Lieutenant of Squad 8, mused, holding her chin thoughtfully.
A busty blonde narrowed her eyes when the bespectacled Lieutenant spoke. "Naogoma should have had the advantage with the seals." Matsumoto Rangiku, Lieutenant of Squad 10, said.
Ise closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose. "Either way, we need to collect more information."
"Frankly," a man with sunglasses crossed his arms, the Lieutenant of Squad 7, Iba Tetsuzaemon, spoke up. "It's been a while since our Fourth Seat reported in. I think he's been defeated too. Can you check in the West 20 area?"
The red haired Lieutenant of Squad 6, Abarai Renji, couldn't just sit still in the meeting room any longer. Silently, he left through the back door and marched down the hall with an intense face. Images from the night where he and Captain Kuchiki went to retrieve Rukia flashed in his mind.
The orange haired human was making his way to the Repentance Palace, he was trying to get to Rukia. He didn't know how he did it, but he somehow managed to survive and get this far.
And he wasn't alone this time, he had another Soul Reaper to back him up.
The first time the alert of intruders arriving in the Soul Society reached his ears, he ran off with his Zanpakuto to the White Road Gate. But someone else beat him to it, Captain Ichimaru was the one who confronted the intruders. Instead of stepping in, he merely hid in the shadows and caught a glimpse of Captain Ichimaru pushing them back, he didn't see Ichigo. But when he took a peek, he saw a Soul Reaper on the ground with long black hair who quickly gathered herself up and leaped back onto the Rukongai grounds just in time for the gate to shut behind her.
Aside from Rukia, there was no other Soul Reaper assigned to Karakura Town.
And aside from the human who took her powers, there was no report of another human who was given any Soul Reaper power.
And who would be foolish enough to assist the Ryoka?
Something wasn't right.
Did Rukia's power actually somehow manage to split apart into two for two humans?
Abarai Renji clenched his fists tightly.
If that was the case, then two people needed to die for stealing Rukia's powers.
AUGUST 4TH
Katsuko succeeded in blending in.
Yesterday, she couldn't quite leave the warehouse since Soul Reapers kept coming and going, leaving her no chance to get out and move around. So, she ended up just falling asleep and resting while she still could. When nightfall came, she made her move and circulated around.
When morning came, she took a risk and decided to fake being tossed on the ground by a Ryoka, appearing weak and helpless to two Soul Reapers who came to her aid after hearing her. She told them that a Soul Reaper with bright orange hair had attacked her while running through the streets, and that he was so strong that she couldn't even stop him. Apparently, a description of Ichigo had been circulating so they believed her.
The two Soul Reapers that found her were two guys. One of them had brown hair with white tips who was a couple of centimeters taller than her. The other was taller than both of them with ash blond hair with tips that were accented in the opposite color as the first.
"What Squad are you from?" The one with brown hair asked her, curious.
"Um… Squad 8…" Katsuko mumbled, half-acting and half-nervous.
"Oh?" He blinked in surprise. "You must an unseated officer then." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. Then again, we can't really know the names of everyone, haha." He laughed heartily and then looked at the taller Soul Reaper who was quietly staring at Katsuko rather intensely. He flinched and nudged the taller male's side with his elbow.
So he's from Squad 8.
"Stop staring like that, Tokuin! You're scaring the girl!"
"…" The Soul Reaper known as Tokuin only lowered his head in response, eyes looking apologetic towards Katsuko. Honestly, it reminded her of a puppy. It was kinda funny.
"U-Uh… no, it's fine." Katsuko waved her hands with a nervous laugh. "I don't remember all the names just yet… aside from the Captain's and Lieutenant's…"
"Well, I would hope so." The talkative one snickered. "I'm Naogoma Mitsufuda and this is Naogoma Tokuin. You can call us by first names to avoid confusion. We're the Co-4th Seats."
Yikes… okay I gotta be extra careful…
And, are they relatives?
"What were you doing all the way over here all by yourself?" Mitsufuda started walking with Tokuin which she took as her cue to follow after them.
Katsuko held her arm and lowered her head. "I got lost after getting separated from the group I was with… I'm sorry, I'm still not used to everything, especially with the Ryoka throwing everything in disarray… I'm so sorry."
Mitsufuda glanced over his shoulder to see Katsuko bearing a gloomy look, making him frown at the sight. "Uh… well, don't beat yourself over it. I'm sure people get lost every now and then. I heard the Lieutenant from Squad 11 has no sense of direction."
"Really?" Katsuko tipped her head curiously.
"Hm." Tokuin nodded.
"Just don't do it too often. You can stick with our group for now." Mitsufuda stretched his arms over his head and sighed boringly. "But yeah, you're right about the disarray. Plus, these Ryoka don't seem to be a grave threat since no one has died yet. We can take it easy."
Katsuko sweat dropped and quirked up a brow at his laid back attitude. I could literally stab you in the back right now, but I won't because I'm not out to kill people.
Tokuin suddenly pinched Mitsufuda's ear, making him yowl in pain, he was fidgeting around while Tokuin kept an iron grip on his ear.
"I wasn't suggesting we slack off! I just meant we didn't have to be so serious! Now let go, you know my ears are sensitive!"
"Why do you think there's suddenly an invasion in the Seireitei…?" Katsuko mumbled loud enough for them to hear to worried tone in her voice. She played with her fingers out of genuine nervousness. Tokuin released Mitsufuda who shot him a glare from the side as cradled his ear. "Do you think they're trying to assassinate a captain?"
Mitsufuda scoffed at this and lowered his hands. "They can try, but they'll die. Captains are super strong."
Yeah, we were lucky that Gin just decided to nudge us out of the Seireitei instead.
"Then… what about..." Katsuko hummed after she trailed off, pretending to wrack her brain. "Oh… what about the criminal?"
"That noblewoman Kuchiki Rukia?" Mitsufuda spoke with disinterest. The two Squad 8 members didn't see the way Katsuko's mouth dropped open when she learned that Rukia was actually of nobility in the Soul Society. "What would a Ryoka want with her?"
"I-I don't know… I was only guessing since the weight of her crime is really bad… it was such a big news when we heard it."
"Kuchiki Rukia..." Tokuin spoke up and then looked towards the north. Slowly, Katsuko followed his gaze and spotted a giant white tower in the distance. It looked like it was somewhere in the center of the city.
"What's in that white tower?"
"Kuchiki Rukia is being held there until her execution." Mitsufuda replied nonchalantly, catching Katsuko's full attention. "They moved her there recently."
The place is definitely going to be guarded.
"That tower is so tall." Katsuko unnecessarily commented, looking at it in awe.
"Hm." Tokuin nodded in agreement.
She got her information.
Rukia was being held in the big white tower in the middle of the Seireitei, the perfect place for the princess to be held by her captive. All she needed to do now was continue blending in a squeezing out whatever information she can subtly get from the people of her 'squad'. After that, she was disappearing into the night.
Hours later, it was nighttime. It had been hours since she left Squad 8 and went into hiding somewhere after moving around with ease.
She learned to act more natural when it came to pretending that she was from the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. It made it easy for her to get around and get a bit closer to the center, just a bit. When she found another good warehouse, she locked herself inside and waited for the moon to come out. Like last time, she got some rest and actually ate something that someone from Squad 8 gave her.
During her short time as a member of Squad 8, she learned a few things just from listening.
From what she understood, Squad 4 sounded like they were the medical team.
And a member of Squad 4 was held hostage by a Ryoka. She wondered if that was Ichigo since he was the only person that came to mind when she thought of someone in her group who was most likely to do such a thing in a situation like this. If so, she wondered if he got information out of that person. Maybe he found his way to the tower?
Oh, and the white tower was also guarded.
If Ishida, Inoue and Chad realized that dressing like a Soul Reaper allowed to move around easily then they could avoid sneaking around. The only problem for them was that they didn't have any Shihakusho for them to wear.
Unless they steal them from someone, Katsuko mused with mirth as she chewed.
She peered outside the window, looking at the dark streets of the Seireitei that had a few lights to illuminate the streets. As soon as she finished her food, she was going to keep moving. She didn't know what she was going to do once she got to the tower and got to Rukia. She wasn't even sure if she could open it. Did the tower require some type of Kido key? If she couldn't get a key, then maybe her only option was to bust down the door or whatever was sealing the entrance with her Zanpakuto.
After finishing her food, she peeked outside once more while playing with the ring on her finger. It helped calm her down when she was stressed. Quietly, she slipped past the doors through a small space to lessen any noise.
She sped off as quietly as she could while keeping in mind the direction of the white tower.
I just hope the tower won't be heavily guarded. Guards need to sleep at night too.
Katsuko pulled a scowl. "Then again… they could have different people doing night shifts. Ugh."
When she neared a corner, she skidded to a stop to look around. She had to keep in mind that running might be considered suspicious so she had to alternate between walking casually and running. It was the best thing she could do to in case someone spotted her.
When she arrived in a more spacious area, she chose to walk just in case there was someone nearby.
"Hey."
Someone was nearby.
Calmly, she stopped walking and glanced over her shoulder curiously, keeping cool despite the rush of nervousness that shot throughout her body.
A Soul Reaper that was much taller than her was approaching her with a Zanpakuto strapped to his hip. Unlike most people that she saw so far, this one looked more remarkable. Spiky dark hair that was most likely nape length, three straight scars running over his right eye down his cheek. He wore a particular choker around his neck. A sleeveless Shihakusho that revealed the same kind of chokers on his upper arms. His left cheek had the number sixty-nine on it. He also had this weird blue thing on his face, she didn't know if that was another tattoo or some piece of metal.
But there was one thing she did know the moment she laid eyes on him.
Yo… this guy is… actually good looking.
The only other person she found good looking these days was Ichigo.
Anyway focus, haha.
"Yes?" she slightly tilted her head.
The Soul Reaper kept approaching her until his figure appeared more visible underneath the moonlight. Her eye slightly twitched when she noticed the armband strapped around his upper arm. Was that a Lieutenant's badge? It fit Yoruichi's description.
He probably is.
"What are you doing circulating around this late at night?" he asked her, his voice was deep.
"I-I got lost after visiting a friend in Squad 4…" Katsuko played timid while rubbing her arm, trying to look as small as possible towards the man who stared down at her since he was much taller. She did the furrowed brow and everything to look guilty. "I was heading back to my squad though."
He sighed. "What Squad are you from?"
She couldn't answer with number eight again, it didn't feel right to use the same number over and over again.
The word 'nine' almost automatically passed her lips. Almost.
"Thirteen…" she said lowly, hoping it wasn't a bad answer for whatever reason.
He sighed and rubbed the back of his head and scratched it. "Well, you're going the wrong way."
Damn it.
"You're in Squad 9's jurisdiction right now. You went the other way."
"Really?!" Katsuko gasped, and then scratched her head with both hands. "Oh my gosh… how embarrassing! This is the second time today!" she slapped her hands over her face to hide a scowl. "I just can't focus with everything that's happening..."
Hisagi closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. "Look, don't worry, it's not uncommon to get lost. Follow me, the least I can do is point you in the right direction."
Katsuko resisted the urge to frown and click her tongue, instead choosing to bow and thank him. Hopefully, the edge of Squad 9's area wasn't farther from the white tower. And without saying another word, she followed after him, keeping her eyes on his broad back for any sign of attack. She didn't know if he suspected her for being a Ryoka and was trying to lure her somewhere. She needed to be extra careful. Being lax was risky.
"You know, you ought to tell your Lieutenant that you get lost sometimes to avoid trouble."
"Yeah, I should… but it's a little embarrassing."
Hisagi stopped walking and sighed. She saw him put his hand on his sword and then turned to narrow his eyes at her. "Who are you really?"
Katsuko furrowed her brows, faking confusing, taking a step back cautiously. "I'm a member of Squad 13…"
"Look, I was being kind enough to not openly suspect you since I'd feel bad if you were truly innocent, but anyone from Squad 13 would have answered that they had no Lieutenant."
Well, damn. How the hell was I supposed to know that?!
"But I'm really from Squad 13, I swear!"
Hisagi wasn't having it. He drew out his sword and held it with the intent of harming her. "You're one of the Ryoka." He identified before swinging his sword at her. Katsuko yelped and leaped away from him while pulling out her own sword. She blocked his blade just in time when he closed the distance.
"Well, excuse me for still trying!" Katsuko whined before shoving off his sword and bolting off in a panic.
"Get back here!"
These days I just find it hard to write for this story. I have no idea why though. But I know that I still want to write it. I shouldn't force myself to pump out chapters though. So, slow updates might be the norm for a while.
The seal that Tenka used is different from the one that Urahara used on Aizen (seals on the vents located on the wrists). Her seal practically makes Spiritual Power non-existent until the seal is removed.
But anyway, yeah, Katsuko surviving out there on her own until Lieutenant Hisagi caught her lying.
The next chapter should be more interesting than this.