Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo. However, I do own my OCs and their Zanpakutō.
Feedback: Reviews are what keep me writing, so please don't forget to review! However, flames aren't appreciated.
A/N: Thanks to all my readers and to all those who have added me to your alerts! You guys are awesome! I don't mean to write a long author's note, especially not in the beginning, but I feel that it's necessary since it applies to my story and the Bleachverse in general. However, the good news is that this is a long chapter. I hope that makes up for it.
First off, before I start my rant on Reiatsu and Reiryoku, I have to talk about the editing that I've done to the previous chapter. I realized that I was getting ahead of myself when I wrote the last line of Ch4, ' He then remembered Mai's torn sleeve.' so I've deleted it. My bad. He didn't actually see it since he was on her right side, however, he did hear the Arrancar talk about her arm. What does this mean for you guys? You'll have to bear with my OCs other than Mai, a bit more in this chapter. Sorry, it had to be done. The end result is a more dramatic chapter.
Also, the part in CH 4 with Uryū's POV has been edited (Don't worry, you don't need to reread it unless you want to, because it will be alluded to in a rather quick conversation between Uryū and Ichigo.)
Now on to my rant on Reiatsu and Reiryoku. I'm trying to do my best in using these terms the best I can. I do not claim to be perfect and neither are Tite Kubo or Studio Perriot ( the animators). I think it's pretty evident that they've made mistakes along the way of producing the manga and anime (subbed and dubbed).
I'll admit I'm tweaking Reiatsu and Reiryoku to fit my story. Once you finish reading this chapter you'll see what I'm talking about. You've probably already noticed that I use both Reiatsu and Reiryoku whereas most people tend to solely use Reiatsu. I've come across this topic in a forum. This is partially due to bad manga translations as well as mistakes by the animators which ends up confusing people.
Reiryoku is spiritual power or spirit energy of a being while Reiatsu is the pressure created when Reiryoku is released into the air. It's really a pretty simple definition, but there are plenty of scenes that make it confusing. Early on in the series, Reiryoku was mostly talked about whereas now Reiatsu is always talked about. In truth, it makes sense since nowadays, it's just one battle after another, which means the people fighting are releasing their Reiatsu. However, I will admit there are some scenes that are questionable in regards to the terms they use ( I won't give specifics because that'll just make this AN longer. It's just something for you guys to think about if you haven't noticed already.).
If you remember, initially Ishida and Rukia would talk about sensing Reiryoku not Reiatsu. The truth is you can sense both. According to Bleach Wiki (I think for the most part they do a good job of providing info on Bleach. Of course, they're only human as well.) everyone has a unique Reiryoku pattern which everyone emits. If can be hidden of course just like Reiatsu. This Reiryoku will of course translate to its Reiatsu pattern once it's released in the air as Reiatsu. Reiryoku is what Shinigami use to activate their Shikai, use Kidō, etc (it's energy). Reiatsu is used defensively (to stun, to protect one's self from getting cut. It's the aura generated by Reiryoku).
With that being said, I don't believe Shinigami run around the Seireitei releasing their Reiatsu unless they're fighting ,of course. They would instead seek a person's Reiryoku. When people leave Reiatsu it's because they've obviously released it or used Kidō. I just feel that Aizen released some Reiatsu on purpose so that the Gotei 13 could realize what he was up to since in the anime Ep 125 it is shown that Reiatsu was found on the documents he used to research the Ōken. Based on the definitions, why would he need to release Reiatsu while reading a document? Gomen nasai to all those who have taken the time to read this awfully, long AN, but I felt it was necessary to clear that up in case you were confused.
Okada watched as the huge pincer mouth approaching him suddenly became hidden by a new cloud of mist. The large red eyes staring at him no longer peered at him from a close range instead he could see them glowing from a distance as the creature jerked its head up and fluttered its massive bony wings, attempting to dispel the mist like it had done earlier. Its spiked foreleg, however, remained buried in Okada's right arm.
The large man watched as the creature's wings couldn't seem to move. They seemed to be slowing down until they ceased moving. Annoyed that it couldn't flutter its wings, the creature attempted to raise its free spiked foreleg to poke at the mist, but even that was proving to be difficult. In slow motion, Okada, watched as the Hollow's spiked foreleg suddenly hung suspended in mid air followed by the stiffening of its hind legs; its head's frantic movements slowly came to a stop, its pincers stopped functioning, and yet the only thing that still seemed to move were its antenna and eyes.
Surprised, Okada stared, waiting for the creature to start moving once more, but as the seconds ticked away, he realized it seemed to be frozen in place. Afraid that it would start moving again, he started to wiggle trying to escape despite knowing that it was no use, that his body was surrounded by an adhesive cocoon, that his arm was paralyzed and held down by the Hollow's leg. He was vaguely aware of a Reiatsu rising but then it flickered away like a dying candle, and instead he could feel two other powerful Reiatsu in the area; one that felt like a Hollow yet a Shinigami and the other a Shinigami.
"Mugen Hyōhen," he heard a familiar high-pitched voice speak behind him.
The cool mist in the area suddenly became increasingly colder, and then it was gone, replaced by something that sparkled. Upon closer inspection of the sparkling objects hovering near the Hollow's leg embedded in his right arm, he noticed they were tiny quartz like ice crystals. They instantly descended upon the Hollow piercing every inch of it until Reishi filled the air, and a white translucent blade appeared in his field of vision.
Standing before him was Mai, peering down at him with bright violet eyes. The thin pair of stray strands that fell into her eyes and the thicker strands surrounding her face hung straight down, the Zanpakutō with the translucent blade in her right hand. She took a moment to take in his pale face, the sweat shining on his forehead, the cuts on his face, the disarrayed state of his thinly patched hair, and the blood staining the area where his arm had been punctured.
He stopped moving, uncertainty crossing his gaze as he stared at his subordinate.
"Don't worry, I'll free you, Eighteenth Seat Okada, sir," she said, moving to his side and positioning the blade of her katana above the middle of his chest where the adhesive cocoon holding him captive began.
He opened his mouth as if to protest, but by then it was too late, she had already made a slit in the cocoon. He stared at her suspiciously, eyes intently following her blade as it traveled down the length of his body to his feet, as if he expected her to plunge her katana through the sticky material and into his flesh.
"Careful," he uttered, looking tense, as Mai's Zanpakutō looked like it was going to cut his feet, but she carefully directed it between his feet, cutting the material binding them.
"Done," she announced breezily, as if she hadn't tried to let the Hollow attack him earlier.
Bringing back her blade towards the middle of his stomach, she began pushing the sides of the now open cocoon away from his body. She could see blood on his right hakama leg. Once finished she said, "I'd help you up, Sir, but I'm afraid one of my arms is paralyzed."
He didn't say anything. He just laid there, pursing his lips and staring at her with hardened eyes.
She briefly looked at the ground, lowering her katana at her side, before slowly meeting his eyes, "My apologies, Eighteenth Seat Okada, sir, I realize it was wrong of me to not to assist you immediately, but I was never going to let you die. That was never my intention."
He raised an eyebrow in disbelief and muttered sarcastically, "Oh, really? Then what was your intention?"
"I-I just wanted to make the point that, well, you shouldn't treat subordinates badly, because they might not be there for you when you need them," she explained, bowing her head. "Gomen nasai, I know that what I did was wrong, that I shouldn't have put your life in danger, Sir, and I understand why you wouldn't want me to work under you anymore. Don't worry as soon as our wounds are taken care of, I will switch to Eighteenth Seat Kamiya's group," she said hurriedly, referring to the other eighteenth seat they had worked under their larger group.
He bristled, the color of his face returning. "You won't just be changing group. I'll make sure Iba-fukutaichō hears about this, if not the taichō himself. Disobeying your superior officer, almost getting him killed, that's not something taken lightly, and you know it, Kuroda."
"But, Sir, is it really necessary to inform Iba-fukutaichō when I didn't let you die?" she questioned him, lifting her head and catching sight of Okada's glare. "I actually would have been here sooner if that Arrancar hadn't shown up, but at least Kurosaki-san is here now, otherwise…" she trailed off, letting her words sink in.
She turned her head and looked up and saw Ichigo now in the air, fighting against the teal haired Arrancar with the glasses shaped mask covering his eyes. His left hand was on the edge of his blade while the right was on its hilt, so that the blunt edge blocked the Arrancar's Zanpakutō.
Returning her gaze to Okada, she noticed his unfazed cold eyes, his curling lip.
"I don't care that you saved me, Kuroda, I'm still reporting you."
"But, Eighteenth Seat Okada, Sir," she began slowly, "if you report me then I'll have to report you, Sir. I don't think the taichō or fukutaichō will be pleased to hear that you've been ordering your subordinates to do things for your own personal reasons. I'm just trying to avoid getting both of us in trouble. I could go on to another group and you could continue ordering your subordinates as you normally do."
His eyebrow twitched, but then he let out a harsh laugh, "You think that they're really gonna care about that? Yeah, sure, I might get in trouble, but what you did is far more serious. If there's one thing that Komamura-taichō doesn't like, it's disloyalty. Didn't you hear him this morning, 'We have to maintain our loyalty and trust in each other during these hard times?' Or were you too busy looking for someone or hiding from someone? Don't think I didn't notice the way you were ducking behind people and looking over them," he said, glaring at her. She looked at him with an innocent expression on her face. "Even if you saved me that was clearly an act of disloyalty."
"It wasn't," she began but he cut her off, "Yes, it was. You didn't help me when I told you to and for that you will get the punishment you deserve."
"I see," she murmured, lowering her gaze.
"I don't know what the hell you're playing at, Kuroda, thinking that you aren't going to get in trouble. I knew since the moment I saw you that I didn't like you. Showing up late, not addressing me properly….Knew those were signs of someone I didn't want in my group. And, of course, you had to prove me right with your laziness when it came to doing work; you took forever searching yesterday." Mai's hand twitched around her katana upon hearing these words. "And now almost getting me killed because of some stupid point you wanted to make. Of course, the fukutaichō is gonna hear about this."
Slowly, she met his gaze and said, "Sir, I'm really sorry for my actions, it- it was a mistake. I shouldn't have done that… I—Haven't you ever made a mistake or struggled in the Academy or…."
"Unlike you I have never put my superior in danger or questioned his methods," Okada snapped. "I did as I was told and look where I am now. I'm the Eighteenth Seat of my division. I doubt you're ever gonna make it to a seated position with the kind of disloyal attitude you have."
"But Sir, didn't you ever make a mistake in the Academy?"
"I did well in the Academy, I've always been a talented Shinigami," he replied proudly, evading her question.
"And, what about the Academy Entrance Exam, did you do well on that?"
He glared at her. "Of course, I did. Passed it on my first try. Would you quit your stupid questions? I already told you I'm reporting you no matter what you say."
Mai ignored him.
"You passed it on your first try, Sir?" she said, furrowing her eyebrows. "But I thought it took you five tries."
"Five?" he repeated, laughing. "Why the hell would you think that? I'm a seated officer."
"Yes, you are, Sir, but that doesn't mean it was easy for you to enter the Academy. You don't have to deny it, Sir, I know it took you five tries because I've seen it on your record."
"Record?" he echoed. "There's no way you have access to any records! And, besides you're just telling lies. I'm telling you, I passed it on my first try."
"Maybe not me, but I do have friends in high places," she admitted. "One day I just happened to be with my friend who was looking over the records of all the seated Seventh Division officers and I remember looking over your file," she said, watching as Okada narrowed his eyes.
"I just found it so interesting that out of all the seated officers, you were the only one that took five tries to pass the entrance exam," she said casually. "It made me feel like I could rise up the ranks too. I'm sure other people would find that inspirational as well if I told them. I'm sure it'll spread like rumors usually do in the barracks."
Okada's eyebrows shot up and worry flashed across his eyes.
"Of course, I won't do this, if you just let me switch to Eighteenth Seat Kamiya's group without informing Iba-fukutaichō."
Okada froze, contemplating her words. The sound of clanging metal filled the air while Mai awaited Okada's response.
With annoyance and anger burning in his eyes, Okada said, "Fine, I won't tell him. But you better keep your mouth shut, okay?"
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," she assured him. "But, Sir, please keep my words in mind. I know it's not my place, but would you follow Komamura-taichō if he were like you?"
She then walked away and headed towards Taro, who was lying in the distance glued to floor.
"Hey, Taro-san, are you alright?" she said when she arrived by his side. Unlike Okada, he was simply glued to the ground by a layer of the Hollow's sticky substance.
He didn't speak, just slowly nodded his head.
"Let me free you, okay?" she said, before cutting through the layer.
He sat up, keeping his head low, bangs hiding his entire face not just his eyes, as he dusted off the sticky material covering his Shihakushō.
"Taro-san?" she questioned him.
Still silent, he turned, spotting the back of Okada's head and a partial view of his body since they were diagonally across from him.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine. He's paralyzed and I couldn't help him up since one of my arms is paralyzed too," she explained. "What about you, are you okay?" she repeated, staring at him concerned. "You didn't get paralyzed, did you?"
He just shook his head.
The sound of clanging katanas behind them in the sky suddenly stopped, followed by a large burst of energy, an explosion, and then a spike in Reiatsu.
Startled, Taro glanced up, looking at the action occurring in the sky behind Mai. Following his line of sight, she turned around to see that the Arrancar had released his Zanpakutō. The glasses framing his eyes had become dark and had grown larger, covering most of his face, his jacket had split open revealing his hole at the center of his chest, and just below it, there was a slit running down his abdomen.
They noticed him mouth something to Ichigo, who clutched Zangetsu with both hands, readying himself for his opponent's next move. Smirking, the Arrancar swung his Zanpakutō, which was beginning to glow a bright yellow, and released a flash of light that stunned Ichigo before he even moved.
Stumbling back in mid air, Ichigo, blinked, shaking his head, and releasing his left hand's hold on his katana. Charging forward, the Arrancar swung his katana at an angle aimed at the substitute Shinigami's neck, but Ichigo instinctively brought up his elegant cleaver blade to stave off the attack.
Staring at his opponent, now that his vision had returned, Ichigo grimaced as he pushed away his opponent's katana, sending the Arrancar sliding a couple of feet back in the air.
Almost immediately, Ichigo came forward with Zangetsu in hand, but his opponent appeared right behind him, bringing his arm around Ichigo's neck so that his glowing katana stood in front of Ichigo's face.
Taro gasped while Mai calmly looked on.
Ichigo shut his eyes and angled his right elbow towards the Arrancar's right arm clutching the Zanpakutō, pushing it away from him, and only then did he reopen his eyes. Quickly he Shunpoed away, turning to face his opponent.
A smug grin appeared on the Arrancar's face as the slit on his abdomen slid open, and the sides of his abdomen surrounding the slit parted outward, resembling two panels sticking out of his stomach.
"W-What is that?" Taro finally spoke.
"I don't know," Mai said absently, not even bothering to look at him, eyes trained on the Arrancar.
Neither of them could see because the Arrancar rapidly angled his body in a way that they could only see his back. He shifted slightly and Mai narrowed her eyes, catching sight of a glint of light from one of the panels. A yellow orange light swept through them, flaring out and growing larger with every passing second.
"My guess those panels in his stomach are reflective," Mai murmured. "They're reflecting the sun, no more like absorbing its energy," she added, noticing how the Arrancar aligned himself in perfect trajectory of the sun's rays, which were behind Ichigo.
"It's g-getting b-bigger," Taro said, observing how the yellow orange energy had expanded, flaring out like giant solar flames, covering the entire area in front of the Arrancar.
And then the giant solar flames left the panels, heading directly towards Ichigo. A large blue crescent wave of energy shot out of his Zanpakutō, becoming black tinged with red by the time it clashed against the brilliant solar flames attempting to ensnare him. Black and yellow energy raged against each other, shoving and pushing until they burned away in a large explosion, camouflaging the sky in a billowing cloud.
Mai and Taro raised their arms to shield themselves away from the resulting impact and once they dropped their arms and the clouds cleared away, they noticed both Ichigo and the Arrancar had been blown away in their respective opposite directions away from the blast.
On their left they could see the Arrancar panting, his abdomen closed, his clothes burned while on the right, Ichigo's head was bent, orange spikes obscuring his face, hand on the side of head, his clothes slightly singed, his chest heaving.
"K-Kurosaki-san?" Taro said worriedly.
Suddenly, the substitute Shinigami dropped his hand and looked up revealing black sclera with golden eyes, a maniacal grin gracing his features. With a burst of speed, he charged straight at the Arrancar, his katana clashing with that of the Arrancar's.
"H-His Reiatsu is different like a H-Hollow," Taro said, turning to look at Mai when she didn't make a comment. Her right eyebrow was raised, confusion clouding her eyes.
With a few quick strokes, Ichigo easily disarmed the Arrancar, slashing him across the chest and finishing him off with another stroke across the Arrancar's chest. Ichigo stood there, panting, suddenly gripping his head with Zangetsu still in his right hand.
"W-What's w-wrong with h-him?" Taro asked confused.
"I'm sure it's nothing," Mai said flashing him a bright smile, the confused look on her features gone. "You know, you should probably check on the others."
"Oh, r-right." Taro nodded, suddenly remembering their companions.
"I'll be right back, okay?" Mai said.
She Shunpoed away from him, appearing ten feet away behind Ichigo. She didn't make a move to approach him instead she waited a couple of moments, watching him mutter to himself, holding his head. His Reiatsu was fluctuating between his normal and Hollow one.
His back went rigid and she called out, "Kurosaki-san, are you okay?"
He didn't say anything nor moved, so she slowly approached him, reaching out for his left shoulder, shifting the Zanpakutō she still carried in her right hand so that the tips of her fingers touched him, when his left hand whipped out backwards over his shoulder, grabbing her wrist. He whirled around, twisting her wrist causing her to wince slightly.
His head shook, as if he was struggling to maintain control but he forced himself to open his mouth and say, "You." He stared at her, tilting his head to the side, holding her wrist tightly, and dropping Zangetsu to his side, away from his head. The black sclera in the outer corner of each eye was already beginning to disappear.
She calmly stared right back at him, unmoving, watching as the black sclera gave way to white and golden eyes returned to brilliant amber brown.
"M-Mai," Ichigo stammered, releasing his hold on her wrist.
"Are you okay, Kurosaki-san?" she repeated her earlier question.
"Yeah," he muttered, shaking his head slightly. "I just… never mind…Are you okay? Did he…did I hurt you?" he suddenly said.
"No," she said in a confused tone. "Gomen, if I startled you."
"I...uh, it's okay." He gave her a weird look that quickly melted into one of relief. He then took notice of her drooping left arm, the tear running down her kosode and shitagi, and the blood running down her arm. "Your arm..."
"Oh, it's just paralyzed," she said. "Those Hollows had spikes in their legs that can paralyze. I'll be fine. I just, or rather, we all need to go see the Fourth Division members," she said, glancing down at the ground below.
Ichigo looked down. Okada still lay on the floor. Taro was currently trying to rouse Keiji and Emiko, while Mikio rested in the spot where he had fallen.
He glanced up, noticing that the white translucent blade of her Zanpakutō, which reminded him of a Star Wars light saber had disappeared, returning to its unreleased state. She slipped it back into the white sheath at her waist.
"Arigatō for helping us, Kurosaki-san," Mai said, inclining her head.
"It's not a big deal. I was just returning the favor since you saved my friend, Inoue. Speaking of which, I should probably go get her because you guys won't make it back to the hospital like that."
"No, I wouldn't want to trouble you or her. It's fine, we'll make it somehow," she said. "Fighting the Arrancar was enough, arigatō."
"You saved her and I'm sure she wouldn't mind returning the favor herself by healing you and the others," he said. "Just hold on, I'll be right back," he said, not waiting to hear her protests.
"Okay, arigatō," she said, a small smile touching her lips, as he vanished from sight.
She watched as he reappeared as a faint blur in the distance on top of another warehouse and then disappeared again. She Shunpoed to the ground beside Mikio. His blonde spiky hair was disheveled, his face dirty and scratched, and there was a hole in his right hakama and right sleeve of his kosode indicating where he'd been stung by the Hollow.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Hai." He nodded, disheveling his hair further.
She quickly glanced up the street spotting Taro kneeling between Keiji and Emiko, who were both fully conscious. "Looks like everybody is going to be okay. Kurosaki-san is going to bring help, so we won't have to go back to the hospital."
He just nodded, eyes falling on her left arm. "Your arm, it looks like it hasn't stopped bleeding."
She glanced down at it, placing her right hand on her arm and moving aside her ripped kosode and shitagi to look at her injury. "You're right, it hasn't stopped bleeding. I was busy helping Okada-san, Taro-san, and watching the fight between Kurosaki-san and the Arrancar that I haven't had time to look at it. Besides, it doesn't hurt, can't feel a thing thanks to that Hollow." Irritation flashed across her eyes for an instant. "Gomen, I didn't come sooner."
"It's okay, it's not like I have mortal wounds otherwise…" he trailed off, noticing that she wasn't looking at him, but at the ground beyond him, like if she were searching for something.
"Did you lose something?" he asked.
"No, nothing," she replied, returning her gaze on him.
Suddenly Taro came to stand on Mai's right. "Keiji-san and Emiko-san are okay, I think they can s-stand. B-B-But, I'm not s-sure how we're g-going to m-m-ake it to the h-hospital to t-take O-Okada-san and Mikio-san."
"We won't have to worry about that. I was just telling Mikio-san that Kurosaki-san is bringing help."
"R-Really? T-T-hat's good," Taro said, looking relieved.
"I know," she said, and then turned to share this information with the others. "Hey guys, help is on the way for our injuries!"
Keiji, who was shakily getting up to his feet, just nodded that he'd heard while Emiko sitting with her back against the wall of the red warehouse, brushing away the blood from a large scrape on her forehead with the sleeve of her kosode, had a relieved smile on her face.
"Carrying Okada-san would have been a lot of work," Mai said in an offhand voice, as she returned her attention to her companions.
Mikio and Taro froze, staring at her.
"Okada-san," Mikio suddenly said, fear showing in his eyes. "You disobeyed him and you didn't try to help him...you let him think you were….Why'd you do it Mai-san? Now you're going to be in big trouble. Okada-san will make sure you get it."
Her eyes went from Mikio to Taro, who also looked fearful and confused. "I...well...it's just that I was tired of the way he's been treating me… the way he treats you guys… always putting you guys down….how he think he's superior just because he's a seated officer… I saw him there, getting attacked by that Hollow and I just snapped, I couldn't resist messing with him… I was never going to let him die though. You guys didn't really think I'd let him die, did you?"
The guys looked at each other simultaneously, or rather Mikio stared at the place where Taro's eyes would have been if his bangs weren't hiding his eyes.
"You did? That's why you were so quiet earlier, isn't it, Taro-san? You thought I let him die even after Kurosaki-san arrived?"
He bent his head embarrassed.
"I'd never do that."
"W-Well, actually I t-thought it maybe it was t-t-too l-l-late," Taro admitted.
"Well, good thing it wasn't and that Kurosaki-san showed up when he did," Mai said.
"You really had us going, Mai-san. I never would have thought you would do such a thing, making Okada believe you weren't going to help him. I'll admit I really thought you were going to let him die…but then you used your Zanpakutō, "Mikio said." But when that Arrancar showed up, I wasn't sure if… if he was going to make it or if any of us were actually. That Arrancar's Reiatsu was strong. It's like you said, it's a good thing, Kurosaki showed up when he did," he said, admitting the last part almost reluctantly.
"Mai-san's Reiatsu increased, I felt it," Taro suddenly said, and then in a confused, low voice he added, "and her voice was different."
"It did?" Mai said, surprised, "And, what do you mean my voice sounded different? I was speaking the way I always speak, maybe a bit more serious but that's about it."
Taro bit his lip, "But I h-heard you s-speak i-in…" he frowned, searching for the words, "i-in a lower, colder voice…"
Taro looked at Mikio for support.
"I think I heard you speak like that," the blonde said uncertain, looking up at Mai.
"I think those knocks to your heads must have made you hear things," Mai said, lightly laughing.
"Maybe," Mikio considered, "But I did feel your Reiatsu rise. It felt like a Reiatsu of a seated officer, maybe like Okada's or kinda higher. I didn't know you had that kind of Reiatsu."
"Really? It must have been the adrenaline rush because I didn't notice," she said. "I just know I had to try to save you and the others, even if he was stronger than me."
"Looks like maybe your powers are growing. You could become a seated officer with Reiatsu like that," Mikio said.
"Me? A seated officer? Maybe someday," she said in a hopeful tone.
"But no offense, Mai-san, that Reiatsu wouldn't have been enough to fight that Arrancar, and besides it's like he said you just had one good arm."
"He wasn't that strong, he was just an average Arrancar," she said matter of fact, sounding just the slightest bit insulted.
Mikio stared at her confused, "Since when are Arrancars average?"
"Uh, what I meant to say was, I think he wasn't such a strong Arrancar because Kurosaki-san didn't even use Bankai. I mean if he were really strong wouldn't he have needed to use Bankai?" she quickly explained her reasoning.
"I guess," Mikio agreed. "If that's his Reiatsu without Bankai then his Reiatsu with Bankai must be crazy."
She just nodded in agreement.
"But what's g-going to h-happen to y-you M-Mai-san? Has O-Okada-san s-said anything?" Taro wondered, returning their conversation to their original topic.
"He's probably going to report her to the taichō or fukutaichō," Mikio spoke before Mai could say anything.
Taro's face paled while Mai glanced down at the ground. Mikio's eyes widened as if he suddenly remembered something, "Hey guys, I think something happened…"
"Mai-san!" a feminine voice sounded behind them, and Mai and Taro, turned around ignoring the fallen blonde.
Orihime was heading towards them while Rukia, Sado, Ichigo and Uryū stood in the middle of the street by the spot where Taro had fallen earlier.
"I'll be right back, okay?" Mai said quickly, walking away from her companions. She met Orihime halfway between Ichigo's friends and Mai's teammates.
"Kurosaki-kun said you guys were attacked by Hollows," Orihime said anxiously.
"Hai," the orange haired girl said. "Gomen, I didn't mean to bother you, Inoue-san."
"It's not a bother." Orihime shook her head. "You saved me yesterday. It's my turn to help you now. Let me see you arm." She tried reaching for Mai's arm, but Mai stepped back from her.
"No, it's okay. My injury isn't bad, please heal the others first. If you could please start with my superior officer, I'd appreciate it," Mai said. "I'm not really sure how injured he is because he was covered in a cocoon made by one of the Hollows that attacked us. But I know he's scraped up and he has a paralyzed arm, maybe a paralyzed leg as well."
"Okay, don't worry, I'll heal him," Orihime said, and Mai led the way towards Okada.
"Eighteenth Seat Okada, sir, this is Inoue Orihime, she's going to take care of your injuries first, okay?" Mai told him, as soon as she stepped within sight of him.
He didn't say anything, just nodded.
"Hi, I'm Inoue Orihime," Orihime said, kneeling beside him.
He stared at her and then introduced himself in an almost reluctant matter.
"Gomen nasai, I couldn't take him out of the cocoon completely…" Mai said, referring to the fact that Okada still lay in the open cocoon.
"Oh, that doesn't matter," Orihime said, and then she unleashed the power of the Shun Shun Rikka, casting Okada in an orange shield.
"Mai." Rukia appeared beside the orange haired girl.
"Kuchiki-san," Mai greeted her, looking down at her.
"How are your injuries?" the petite Shinigami asked. "Let me see them, maybe I can help. I know my healing Kidō isn't as good as Inoue's powers, but I can still help."
Mai turned, showing her left arm. "It's paralyzed."
"Inoue could take of that. Let me just take care of your wound," Rukia said, noticing the blood scurrying down her arm. She gently grabbed Mai's arm and lead her a small distance away so that Inoue could work on Okada without interruptions.
They settled down on the curb of the sidewalk in front of a grey warehouse, next to the red warehouse where Keiji and Emiko still rested. Rukia lifted the girl's torn kosode and shitagi, both were split down to the end of the sleeves, revealing a quarter-size hole were the Hollow had stung her. Blood spilled from it and the surrounding skin was red. Her eyes traveled down the length of Mai's arm; scars covered it from the top all the way down, even her hand had some. Many of them were faint and small while others were larger and more pronounced. Some she recognized as scars from a Hollow's claws or talons, but many of them were from a katana, while on her forearm there were many tiny, puncture marks. She couldn't help but notice that the scars along the upper part of her arm, around her injury, seemed the faintest, like she hadn't received injuries there in the longest time.
She has so many scars to have just graduated the Academy, Rukia thought.
Rukia pushed part of the girl's ripped kosode over her shoulder, grabbed the two strips of her torn shitagi, and began wrapping them around her wound. "I'm just going to stop the bleeding," she explained. "Inoue will take care of the wound itself later, so you won't have a scar."
"Really?" Mai said. "She could do that?"
Rukia just nodded, concentrating at the task at hand.
Why does her Reiatsu seem so familiar? Rukia wondered, feeling the girl's Reiatsu underneath her hand. It was unique like all Reiatsu yet something about it was so familiar, but she wasn't sure why. She'd felt it in the girl's Reiryoku yesterday, but she hadn't really thought much about it, but now that she was feeling the girl's Reiatsu, it seemed to intensify that feeling. She supposed it was just the fact that it felt cool and icy similar to her own.
"That's great, I know have way too many scars," Mai said. "I was just really terrible at Zanjutsu so I practiced a lot."
"I was too," Rukia admitted. "Except I didn't really learn Zanjutsu in the Academy because I ended up graduating early when I was admitted to the Kuchiki clan. My fukutaichō, Shiba Kaien, was the one who really taught me…"—sadness flickered across her violet orbs briefly—"Who helped you? Your sensei? "
"My dad," Mai replied, the answer spilling out of her lips effortlessly.
Finished with her work, Rukia removed her hands away from Mai's arm and looked at her surprised. "Your father?"
"Hai, he was my first sensei," Mai admitted.
"Really?" Rukia said, curiosity shining in her eyes.
"Inoue, you should probably heal this guy next," Sado spoke loudly. He was down the street, looking over Mikio, Taro standing close by.
Finished with healing Okada, Orihime, looked across the road to Sado and said, "I'm coming!"
"I should probably see if the others need help," Rukia said, nodding towards Keiji and Emiko, who were behind them.
"Arigatō, Kuchiki-san," Mai smiled.
"No problem," Rukia said, standing up.
Still standing in the spot they arrived in, Ichigo and Uryū watched as Orihime healed Okada, Sado went to check on a blonde Shinigami lying on the ground, and Rukia sat beside Mai, taking care of the girl's wound.
"Did you really need to bring Inoue-san to heal them?" Uryū asked.
"Huh, what do you mean? Can't you see they're injured?" Ichigo asked, looking at him questioningly.
"I see that," the Quincy said, annoyed, "but they have the Fourth Division, they're Shinigami."
"You'd think you'd be over your grudge against the Shinigami. I mean here you are surrounded by them, being fed by them, and didn't you get saved by Kurotsuchi? What would your father say if he knew about this?"
"This isn't about that!" Uryū snapped. "And, besides I'm working with you, not the Shinigami. You're still just a substitute Shinigami."
"Then, I don't get it. Why didn't you want me to bring Inoue to heal them? Can't you see there's no way they would have made it to the hospital in the condition they're in? Not unless Mai went to get the Fourth Division, but you said it yourself when I told you about Mai, that they're been other Hollow attacks elsewhere, so maybe the Fourth Division would have been too busy to come out here; I mean they're only like what, five Fourth Division members. They probably have their hands full if anybody got injured," Ichigo stated. "And, anyway, Mai saved Inoue yesterday, remember? We owe her, and Inoue was more than happy to come out here when I told her that Mai needed help."
"Fine," Uryū conceded, his mouth set in a thin line, "but Inoue-san needs to rest. Her powers have grown but even she still needs to keep her energy up. She's just recovering from healing all the people she's healed from Hueco Mundo and here in this town when we arrived…Well, she was recuperating up until yesterday that she had to heal Abarai's injuries, and now Mai-san and the others."
"These injuries aren't even bad," Ichigo said, ignoring the stab of guilt he felt when hearing Renji's name.
"That isn't the point," Uryū said. "She needs to conserve her strength for what's ahead."
"Don't worry; I won't be bothering her anymore. I'll be busy training with the Visored anyway."
Rukia and Orihime came to Mai once everybody's injuries were healed. Rukia sat on Mai's right while Orihime sat on her left.
"Okay, now I can finally heal you," Orihime said, smiling. "Everybody else is healed."
"Arigatō, Inoue-san," Mai smiled brightly.
"No problem," Orihime said, untying the girl's shitagi from her arm.
Once she was done, she surrounded Mai's arm with her Sōten Kisshun instantly removing the hole in her arm, returning her skin to its normal tone, and restoring her shitagi and kosode to its former state.
Her Reiatsu seems familiar, Orihime thought as healed the girl's arm. It's weird everybody's Reiatsu is always different…unique, but hers feels so familiar even though I've never felt it before yesterday. Why? Maybe it's just because it feels cool like Kuchiki-san's.
But, as she thought about it, that wasn't necessarily true; she had felt Reiatsu with similar patterns before. Jidanbō and his brother, Jirōbō, had had similar Reiatsu even though they each had a unique Reiatsu pattern. And Ganju and Kūkakū's Reiatsu had also been similar.
"That was amazing, Inoue-san!" Mai said, flexing her fingers, now that feeling had been restored to her arm, and taking in her restored sleeve. "Arigatō, Inoue-san."
"You're welcome," Orihime beamed.
"See, told you Inoue's powers are incredible," Rukia said, smiling.
Mai just nodded while Orihime stared at the two girls. If she had thought Mai's eyes were similar to Rukia's before, now that they were side by, it was clear as day. Both had the same large violet eyes except that Mai's eyes were a shade lighter.
"You guys could be sisters," Orihime said, causing the two girls to stare at her.
"Sisters?" Rukia echoed.
"W-What? We don't even look alike," Mai said, laughing nervously.
"Well, I think you'd look more alike if you still had dark hair," Orihime said, staring at them intently as if she were trying to imagine Mai with dark hair. As the image popped into her head, Orihime thought, Don't they say hair color brightens eyes? It seems like Mai's eyes were probably like Rukia's when she had dark hair.
As she continued studying them, she said, "Well, I guess you guys don't really look like alike except for the eyes and the nose." She leaned forward to look at Mai, then peered over Mai's side to look at Rukia. "Hai, your nose is practically the same. Hmm, your face, Mai-san, is different from Kuchiki-san's, but I still think you guys could be sisters. Oh, and I almost forgot, your hair is similar except for the color."
Rukia then stared at Mai to see what Orihime was talking about. Mai's eyes were similar to hers now that she thought about it, however, she wasn't sure about the nose, but the face shape was definitely different from hers… and yet it reminded her of someone she knew… no not someone knew, maybe someone she had seen before, but who? And the hair was similar, but because it fell down to the middle of her back, it reminded her more of Nii-sama's hair. And then there was her skin tone, Mai wasn't pale like she was.
Mai turned her face away from Rukia, running a hand through her hair, fingers brushing against her white crescent moon hairpin that kept the top part of her hair away from her face.
"That's a pretty hairpin," Orihime commented, catching a glimpse of it as Mai shifted her head and brushed her fingers against it.
"Arigatō," Mai said.
"Can I take a look at it?" Orihime asked.
Mai, who had ran her hand down to tips of her hair, stared at Orihime as she raised her hand towards her hairpin.
"Oh, you don't have to take it off," she said, leaning forward.
"Okay," Mai said, as she turned her head towards Rukia, allowing Orihime to take a closer look at her hairpin.
The sunlight glinted off it, making it shine brightly, like pure white snow. The arcs of the crescent moon looked like they almost touched and formed a complete circle, but a couple of millimeters separated them from truly touching. Orihime laid a finger on it. It felt hard, not like plastic or metal, but something completely different….it felt like bone, polished bone to be exact. Her finger slid easily on the glossy surface and she could see nicks on it, but despite that, it seemed well cared for. She could also feel a Reiatsu emanating from it, like if it had some kind protection. Maybe Kidō she supposed.
"I've never seen anything like it. Where did you get it from?" Orihime wondered, once she finished looking at it.
"It's one of a kind," Mai admitted, a faraway look coming over her eyes. "It's made from the bone of the first Hollow I ever killed, well before I actually killed it. You see my dad was training me and he stopped me from delivering the final blow, using Kidō to keep the Hollow still, to give me a lecture about all the different ways I could kill it. I didn't realize he had taken a piece of the Hollow while he was lecturing me and made into a hair pin, not until he gave it to me when I graduated from the Academy."
"That was so nice of your father!" Orihime gushed. "He must have been really proud of you when you graduated!"
"Hai, he and Kaa-san were both proud," Mai said, a small smile appearing on her lips.
"Your parents must be really proud of you now that you're a Shinigami," Rukia said. "Your father was really involved in your training, wasn't he?"
"Well, he tried to be as much as he could," Mai admitted, and then as an afterthought she added. "Kaa-san as well."
"Your parents, are they Shinigami?" Rukia asked, stunned. "Gomen, but I don't recognize your family name as one of the noble families, but then again I don't really know many of them."
"Uh, they..." Mai began, the faraway look in her eyes gone, instead they seemed to be wide alert.
"Never mind," Rukia interrupted her, "you don't have to tell me. It's none of my business. Gomen nasai, I didn't mean to pry."
Orihime stared at them confused.
"It's okay, Kuchiki-san," Mai said.
"We should probably be heading back now," Rukia said. "Ichigo needs to train and we should too. C'mon, Inoue, let's go." She stood up and said to Mai, "Be careful out there, Mai."
"I will," the orange haired girl promised.
"Arigatō again, Inoue-san and Kuchiki-san," Mai beamed at them as Orihime stood up as well.
The busty girl and the raven-haired girl began walking across the street towards Ichigo, who was now leaning against a lamppost, conversing with Uryū and Sado.
"Kuchiki-san," Orihime said in a low voice to avoid being overheard, as they walked away from Mai. "I don't understand why it matters if she's from a noble family or not…"
"Or if her parents are Shinigami? It matters because in the Soul Society only those with high Reiryoku can have children, which is usually people that are either nobility or Shinigami," Rukia explained, slowing down her pace. "You see, Inoue, birth in the Soul Society should technically be impossible since the people of the Soul Society are dead souls."
"I never thought about that," Orihime said.
Rukia just continued with her explanation. "And, even though it is possible, it can take decades before a couple can have a child. It can take that long because we are talking about the creation of a new soul, which is what we call those that are born in the Soul Society. A New Soul can only be created if it helps maintains the balance of souls between the Material World and the Soul Society."
"Does that mean there aren't many children born in the Soul Society?" Orihime wondered.
"It's true. The number of children born in the Soul Society is very small. I'll admit it is a matter of luck. Some families have several children over many years while others might just have one. Usually those that are New Souls are children born into nobility, because Shinigami don't really get married or have children which is why..."
"They don't?" Orihime interrupted. "Why?"
"I don't know." Rukia shrugged. "I suppose it's just that everyone is too busy with their Shinigami duties to settle down. It's not that Shinigami don't have relationships, they do, but most never marry. And even if all Shinigami would marry, they wouldn't be able to have children not unless they were top seated Shinigami, fukutaichō, or taichō. But, honestly, those Shinigami are the ones least likely to get married because they're really dedicated to their duties, unless of course, they come from nobility. Shinigami that come from nobility usually get married at some point in their lives to produce an heir for their clan."
"Oh, so that's why you were surprised about Mai," Orihime said. "Shinigami having children is rare."
"Hai." Rukia nodded. "It sounds like her parents are Shinigami from the way she talked about her father training her and even her mother, but it could be she's not even a New Soul. Maybe she's just been adopted by a Shinigami couple. Not everyone can have their own kids in the Soul Society, but there are plenty of children in Rukongai for adoption if they really want one."
Silence fell between the two girls as they almost reached their friends. Orihime glanced at Rukia, biting her lip as if she were debating something, then quickly asked. "Kuchiki-san, have you ever thought about getting married?"
"Eh," she seemed taken aback. "I-I've never thought about it," she answered truthfully. "But, anyway, that doesn't matter. We have to be focused on stopping Aizen."
"So, everyone's healed?" Ichigo asked, turning his gaze away from Sado, who was standing on his right, to look at Rukia and Orihime when they stopped in front of him.
"Hai." Orihime nodded.
"Arigatō, Inoue. Let me just quickly say good bye and we'll be on our way, okay?" he said, before Shunpoeing towards Mai, who was now standing her group members on the sidewalk in front of the red warehouse.
A minute later and he was beside them. "Alright, let's go. C'mon, Chado," he said, and the tall teen handed his arm to him, which he grabbed and then they disappeared.
Uryū followed them carrying Orihime with Rukia right behind them as they vanished.
"That girl's powers were amazing," Mikio commented.
He was standing beside Keiji while Okada stood at the center of their group. Emiko and Mai were on Okada's left while Taro was directly in front of the large man.
"Yeah, for a Human, that was pretty incredible," Keiji agreed. "I've heard the stories but to actually see it, that's a different thing."
"But, why was Kurosaki here?" Emiko asked, eyeing Mai. Ichigo had just come by a minute ago to say good-bye to her.
"He j-just s-showed up and h-he s-saved M-Mikio-san from an Arrancar," Taro answered instead
"An Arrancar?" Keiji said, surprised.
"Hai, an Arrancar showed up and he fought it while I took care of the Hollow you guys had been fighting," Mai said.
Taro and Mikio quickly looked at Okada to gauge his reaction at her explanation of the events. His eyes narrowed slightly and his mouth was set in a thin line.
"I can't believe an Arrancar appeared. We were struggling with that Hollow…" Emiko said when Okada cut her off.
"Okay, that's enough talking," he snapped.
Everybody directed their attention towards him.
"The fight is over, everyone's healed. Let's just get back to what we're meant to be doing. Whether we're dealing with Hollows or Arrancars it doesn't matter, our job is to kill 'em, you got that?" He said, glaring at them, even though his nostrils flared nervously when he mentioned the word Arrancar. "Takeda, you go over there," he said, pointing to a warehouse directly across the street. "Kimura, over there," he said, pointing to the red warehouse beside them. "Uchida here, and Fujimoto in that building, alright?" He finished giving them orders.
"What about Mai-san, Sir?" Keiji asked.
"She will not be working with us anymore," he said in a cold tone.
"But, why if I may ask, Sir?" Keiji asked.
"Because…"
Mikio and Taro anxiously glanced at Mai, whose eyes flickered to the ground but otherwise looked oddly calm.
"I don't want her in my group. I'd rather work with four people instead of five. Kamiya can have her. Now just go to where I told you to go. Don't question my decisions," he said irritably, glaring at everyone, eyes becoming even colder when they landed on Mikio's and Taro's questioning faces.
Their questioning looks faded, understanding what their superior officer's look meant. Okada then directed his attention to Mai.
"Kuroda, you heard me, report to Kamiya, he's south of here," he ordered her.
"Hai, Eighteenth Seat Okada Sir," Mai said, bowing her head.
She lifted her head, stepped off the sidewalk onto the street, and took a moment to look at her now former teammates A soft breeze swept over the area, stirring her hair, as her eyes took in Emiko, in front of her. She had hastily redone her ponytail, and her hazel eyes shined with longing to be in Mai's place. Her gaze then moved counter clock wise to Taro, Mikio, and then Keiji.
Taro and Mikio smiled, although surprise was still evident in their faces that Okada hadn't given her a worse punishment. Keiji just looked indifferent.
"It was nice meeting you guys," she said, flashing them a smile.
Her gaze finally landed on Okada. His head was shaking slightly, his eyes glittering with disgust.
"I look forward to working with you in the future, if that ever happens," Mai said, cheerful smile still in place, her eyes, however, sparkling icily for the briefest of moments.
"Would you just go?" he said through gritted teeth, clenching his hands at his side, his eyes telling her he wasn't the least bit moved by her words.
"We'll see you later, Mai-san," Mikio said.
"S-See you, M-Mai-san," Taro said.
"Bye," Keiji said.
"Bye, Mai-san," Emiko said.
"Yeah, I'll see you guys later. Be careful, okay?" she said smiling, waving at them, but as she turned away from them and walked a couple of paces, her smile faded.
She closed her eyes briefly, reopened them, and then she was gone, appearing on top of a roof top, five warehouses down, and then reappearing further down the street.
They watched until she vanished from their sight.
Mikio's eyes were still in the spot where he last saw the blurred image of Mai. When she looked at everyone, it felt like her gaze was lingering on them, memorizing them, as if she were never going to see them again. Even her words seemed to have a sense of finality about them. He didn't understand why. They'd eventually see each other again, right? She was just going to another group.
"Alright, get moving," Okada ordered.
Everyone started dispersing to their designated areas.
Man, she's lucky, I really thought he was going to report her to the taichō or fukutaichō... Iba-fukutaichō! Crap, how could I forget? Mikio thought.
Plunging a hand in his robes, he took out the badge of his fukutaichō that he had found earlier.
"Eighteenth Seat Okada, Sir," he shouted, whirling around and running towards Okada, who was going to go to his own spot.
"What?" he said, annoyed.
"I found Iba-fukutaichō's badge," he said, showing him said object.
"You found it? Where?" Okada asked, taking it from him, and noticing the blood staining the cloth.
"Over there, Sir," he pointed to the spot where he found it.
"But what is it doing here?" he asked. "Iba-fukutaichō was not supposed to come out here. I thought he was going to lead one of the groups in another part of town."
"Maybe instead he's just checking on the groups and he got here before we arrived and fought Hollows," Mikio suggested.
Okada continued to stare at it, looking pensive.
"Do you want me to take it back to him? He probably returned to the hospital," Mikio said.
"Hmm," he seemed to be considering it, his hold tightening around the badge, like if he wanted to take it himself. "Go ahead and take it," he said at last.
"Oi! Okada," called out a tall man with a thick mustache and a goatee and broad shoulders and rippling muscles showing through his open kosode. He was carrying a black tablet.
"Fourth Seat Hara," Okada said, bowing then standing up straight.
Mikio also bowed.
"How's everything? Have you guys seen any action?" said Hara, the man who had replaced Ikkanzaka Jirōbō.
"We have." Okada nodded.
"Easy ones, then? You guys aren't injured except, well, your hair does look messed up," Hara observed.
Okada and Mikio immediately raised their hands to their heads, quickly brushing a hand through their hair.
"There's been some groups who've been injured," he said, as he stared at the tablet, which had a black screen and a flashing orange dash, waiting for information to be inputted on the top half while a keyboard occupied the lower half. "The other top seats and I have been keeping track of how the groups are doing."
"What about Iba-fukutaichō, Sir?" Okada asked.
"Well, he's leading a team," he said absently, as he typed Okada Dai, and the screen popped up showing Group 14 Sub Group 1 and a list of names.
"Just like I thought," Okada murmured to himself and then said, "But, Sir, we found his badge here."
"What?" Hara's head snapped up and Okada handed him the badge.
"What the hell?" Hara said, then shrugged. "I guess maybe he decided to inspect some groups himself and ended up fighting some Hollows."
"But then that means he came before we even got here," Mikio said. "We just got here like maybe an hour and a half ago."
Hara just shrugged in a 'who knows what he was doing' gesture. "Last I saw him, was about four hours ago, talking to Komamura-taichō."
"Anyways, I'll take that to him. He probably just didn't find it after he finished fighting. Let me just finish this," he said, returning his eyes to his screen.
"Okay, so everyone in your group is okay?"
"Hai."
"Everybody reported in right? Fujimoto, Kimura, Takeda, Uchida."
"Hai."
"Alright," he said, typing something. Once finished, he glanced up and offered his hand, palm up to receive the badge.
"What?" Hara asked, noticing that Mikio wanted to say something.
"We actually had another person in our group, Sir," he quickly said.
"You did?" he said surprised.
"We did," Okada confirmed. "But now she's with Kamiya's group."
"You guys have been switching off people?" he said, annoyance flickering in his eyes.
"Well, originally she was with me," Okada admitted.
"Then, why doesn't her name show up under your group?" Hara said.
"Well, she came late to my group, maybe that's why she hasn't been added."
"Wait a minute, she came in late?"
"Yeah, I know, I hate it when..." Okada started.
Hara narrowed his eyes and cut him off, "There weren't any stragglers. Everybody came on time. We made sure everyone did."
"Well, that's what she told me...she said all the other groups had enough people and that they sent her to be in my group," Okada explained.
"But there was no one that was late," Hara repeated. "And, even if they were, everybody was given their group back in the Soul Society. That wouldn't have changed. We spent a lot of time making sure everyone was placed in a group. The only assignments we handed out here were the search locations and the patrol locations."
"What's the name of this girl?" he asked.
"Kuroda Mai," Okada answered.
Hara typed the name in the computer screen.
"There's Kuroda Taichi..." he mumbled as he looked through the names on the screen."There's no Kuroda Mai on here."
"What?" Okada said, his mouth flying open.
Hara frowned and then asked, in a tense voice, "Have you guys ever seen her before?"
"No, never," Mikio said.
"I've never seen her either," Okada admitted.
"Nobody in our group has ever seen her either," Mikio admitted.
"Damn," Hara muttered. "You know what this means..." he said, glaring at Okada, whose eyes were looking nervous."She must be the intruder we've been looking for."
"What? She's the intruder?" Okada's eyes widened.
"Mai-san, an intruder?" Mikio repeated, eyes shining with disbelief.
"How does she look like?" Hara demanded.
"Orange hair, violet eyes," Okada answered. "About this tall..." he said, pointing to a spot above his shoulders.
"Orange hair? Violet eyes? What the hell?" Hara said, shaking his head."Damn it, I have to tell the taichō and fukutaichō immediately. Give me the badge."
Okada handed him the badge while Mikio stared at the badge, the blood staining the cloth used to wrap it around the wearer's arm.
"Your arm, it looks like it hasn't stopped bleeding."
Mai glanced down at it, placing her right hand on her left arm, and moving aside her ripped kosode and shitagi to look at her injury. "You're right, it hasn't stopped bleeding. I was busy helping Okada-san, Taro-san, and watching the fight between Kurosaki-san and the Arrancar that I haven't had time to look at it. Besides, it doesn't hurt, can't feel a thing thanks to that Hollow. Gomen, I didn't come sooner."
"It's okay, it's not like I have mortal wounds otherwise…" he trailed off, noticing that she wasn't looking at him, but at the ground beyond him, like if she were searching for something.
"Did you lose something?" He asked.
"No, nothing," she replied, returning her gaze on him.
He then remembered earlier at breakfast.
"Where are you going, Mai-san?" Taro asked.
"Just to the ladies room," she replied.
"Oh, okay," he said.
Then later, he found her in that hallway.
He stealthily made his way towards Mai, noticing how she was intently staring at the taichō, as if she were waiting for something. He tapped her shoulder just as she was about to take a step forward now that Unohana-taichō had left. She whirled around, looking surprised, and then annoyed but that look quickly dissipated from her face.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"N-Nothing," she said, her voice slightly sharp.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Just admiring the architecture," she quickly explained, running a finger down the column.
"I-I think Mai-san attacked Iba-fukutaichō and took his badge," Mikio announced.
"What?" Okada and Hara both shouted.
"Her left arm it was injured during the Hollow attack, she was bleeding, and, afterwards when she came to check on me... I noticed her looking at the ground like if she were searching for something. I think she attacked him in the morning when she said she had to go to the restroom and I guess she must have taken his badge as a trophy or something. And after she attacked him, it looked like she wanted to attack the taichō because not that long ago after she left, I went to the restroom and I caught her in a hallway spying on Ukitake-taichō, Kyōraku-taichō, and Unohana-taichō... It looked like she was waiting for an opportunity to attack them."
"But how could she defeat Iba-fukutaichō..." Okada said, his eyes wide, mouth open in shock.
"She's obviously been hiding her true Reiryoku," Hara snarled. "I'm going to the taichō now. How long ago since she supposedly went to Kamiya's group?"
"Five minutes ago," Mikio said, his face had become pale.
Still shaking his head in anger, Hara left, leaving Okada gaping in shock. Suddenly, he shut his mouth and began shaking; his eyes alight with anger, his eyebrows knitted furiously over his eyes. "Damn her and her little innocent girl act. Bo wonder she didn't want to see Iba-fukutaichō…Didn't want anybody to notice he was missing. I bet the bitch wanted to kill me, too except Kurosaki came ... She probably has plans for him too. But how the hell did she know about..." He trailed off.
"Do you think she killed Iba-fukutaichō?" Mikio said in a whisper, only half-listening to Okada's ramblings.
Okada stared at him, his mouth tightening.
"Yo, Hirako!" Ichigo shouted.
Nobody answered.
The replica of the old dilapidated warehouse that had been the residence of the Visored in the real Karakura was dark save for the light peeking through the open windows, high above in the ceiling. Nothing stirred and he could not sense anyone. However, he could just barely sense the faintest trace of Reiatsu, left he supposed a day or more ago, because it was all but gone.
Are they even still here? He wondered.
He hadn't encountered any type of barrier in entering the place.
Frowning, he went to the center of the room and looked up, hoping to catch the sign of anyone hiding in the rafters, in case they were just hiding their presence, but he saw no one.
He then glanced down at the floor, wondering if their secret training room had been copied as well. Urahara's training room hadn't been, he'd already checked. He suspected the sneaky shopkeeper had somehow managed to keep his training room hidden from Kurotsuchi. But then again, there was never supposed to be a need for it to be duplicated. Nobody had anticipated that Aizen would escape and that they'd make camp at the replica town.
Where were they?
Still staring at the ground, he sighed and muttered, "What the hell?"
"Yo, Hirako, you in there?" he yelled, kicking at the ground, in the spot he suspected was the door to the Visoreds' underground training room.
"Open up! It's Ichigo!" he shouted, now stomping on the ground.
"Come on," he growled, continuing to stomp, but the door did not open.
"Where the hell are you, Hirako?" Ichigo muttered as he stopped stomping and grabbed Zangetsu from his back. Perhaps it was pointless, but he still wanted to try to open the door. He had just an inkling that maybe it could be opened.
He raised it above his head, preparing to strike the ground, when suddenly he heard an unfamiliar male voice speaking aloud.
"Attention all Seventh Division Members and all available fukutaichō, the intruder has been spotted posing as a member of the Seventh Division. She's a female with orange hair and violet eyes. Arrest her immediately! Be warned she's considered dangerous!"
"W-What?" Ichigo said, lowering his Zanpakutō. "Orange hair? Violet eyes? It has to be Mai," he said. There was no one else that had those features.
He knew there was something fishy about her since he met her, but an intruder?
Without a second thought, he rushed out of the warehouse.
The ground on the floor suddenly opened, revealing a blonde head standing on the hidden staircase.
"Geez, what's with all the racquet, Ichigo?" Shinji said, yawning, but the orange haired teen was no longer there.
What the hell is going on? Shinji wondered.
"There she is!" yelled a male Shinigami to his four other companions, spotting an orange head two buildings ahead of them, but then she disappeared. "Where did she go?"
"Over there!" said another, pointing to the ground, where they saw Mai running.
"Let's get her!"
Jumping down from the rooftop of a store in a commercial district, they raced down to the ground where Mai was and began running after her.
"You're not getting away!" shouted a guy with a goatee. "You intruder!"
Suddenly, she skidded to a halt.
Not waiting for her to turn around, they unsheathed their katana, running alongside each other towards her, but as she slowly turned to face them, her arms were raised in the air.
"Hey!" she squealed in a high-pitched voice, as she sidestepped a Shinigami's blade aimed at her right side.
Another guy swung his katana in a high arc, but she ducked, lowering her arms and still shouting in her high pitched voice said, "What are you guys doing?"
"I knew I didn't recognize her," a guy muttered, swinging his katana downward, but she jumped over it, landing back on the ground, only to lean back, watching as another blade flew over her face.
"Screw this," she muttered, speaking in a low pitched, cool, serious voice.
"Can't you see I'm surrendering?" she snapped, leaning forward, but it was as if her words fell on deaf ears because they still charged forward.
"I don't want to hurt you," she said, ducking yet again, but this time extending her right foot, so that she caught her attacker's feet. He tumbled over her leg, falling onto the ground. "But I will if you guys don't quit attacking me."
A guy on her left came forward, swinging his Zanpakutō downward, but she rolled away, unsheathing her Zanpakutō as she sprang to her feet, blocking on incoming strike from a guy on her left.
She pulled her katana away, as the guy she had avoided earlier came at her from her right. She leapt in the air, briefly touching his blade, using it to spring forward over his companion. She kicked him on his backside, as she made her way down to the ground, sending him crashing into the first attacker.
The other remaining men charged right at her, she parried one, then the other, working quickly to fend them off. She swung her katana hard, throwing one guy off balance, and blocked the other Shinigami's strike, kicking him in the stomach.
Glancing up, she noticed a group of other Shinigami coming up the street, their katana already in hand.
She quickly Shunpoed to the roof of the building behind her.
"I don't want to fight you guys! I…" she stopped, catching a glint of her silver out of her peripheral vision. She twisted around, her blade clashing against another.
"Does that mean you only want to fight against fukutaichō or taichō?" said a calm, serious male voice.
Peering down on at her with narrowed, stony, dark grey eyes over their crossed blades was Shūhei.
"What did you do to Iba-san?" he demanded. "I know you took his badge."
"I didn't do anything to him," she said firmly. Her face and eyes were devoid of any emotion, as she pushed her blade against his.
She pulled back from him, but he still came at her.
"You're lying."
Clank.
"I'm not lying."
Clank.
"You don't have to hide your true Reiatsu anymore," he said, observing that she was still generating average Reiatsu.
"Look, I don't want to fight you," Mai said, stepping back away from Shūhei, not bothering to increase her Reiatsu. "Or him."
Izuru had appeared on her left, standing beside Shūhei, Zanpakutō gripped tightly in front of him, ready to attack her.
"Then why did you attack Iba-san?" Izuru asked. "And them?" He nodded towards the Shinigami on the ground. They had recovered and were now standing alongside the group of reinforcements that had arrived.
"I didn't attack Iba-fukutaichō, and the only reason I attacked them is because they drew their katana against me first even though I surrendered. Apparently, they missed me holding my arms in the air."
"You really expect us to believe that?" Shūhei retorted, coming at her again. "We can't sense him."
She narrowed her eyes, as she deflected his blow, her feet sliding a few feet back, as he pushed forward, putting her closer to the edge of the roof.
"It's the truth," she said, holding her blade tightly. "I did surrender and I didn't attack him. I won't deny that I don't belong here but I haven't done anything to him. I haven't been anywhere near him nor have I taken his badge. If anything has happened to him, it's not because of me. Maybe he's just too far to sense or he's hiding his Reiatsu. Will you just arrest me? The sooner you do that, the sooner you could go find him and see for yourself how he is," she said.
"What do you mean you didn't take his badge?" Izuru asked, appearing behind her, the tip of his Zanpakutō over her shoulder, on the side of her neck."We saw it."
"I didn't take it," she repeated, unmoving, her blade still crossed against Shūhei's. "Will you just arrest me and then go find him and see for yourself that I'm telling the truth. It's not your job to question me anyway," she said impatiently, her eyes flashing with annoyance.
Izuru and Shūhei exchanged a look; neither felt convinced by her words.
She moved her left hand towards her back and immediately felt Izuru press his blade closer to her neck, practically touching her skin.
"I'm just giving you my hand so you can arrest me. Don't worry, I won't try anything."
Izuru grabbed her left hand, holding it behind her back while Shūhei removed his Zanpakutō away from hers, slipped it into his scabbard, and reached over to take hers away. She released it into his hand as soon as his hand neared her hilt.
Izuru then put away his own katana and grabbed her right hand, placing it over her left hand, quickly whispering, "Sai," as he released her hands. Mai barely even showed a flicker of emotion as the spell took effect; her face had resumed its icy facade. Shūhei took her sheathe away from her waist and slipped her Zanpakutō into it.
Izuru then went to stand by her right side and grabbed her arm while Shūhei grabbed her left arm. She stood above Izuru's shoulder and up to Shūhei's upper arm, about two inches above where the armband he normally wore would have been (He had used it during his fight with Findor Carias).
And then they left the rooftop.
The news of the intruder's capture was quickly relayed to everyone and the Gotei 13 immediately gathered in the conference room of the eighth floor that had become their meeting room away from the First Division headquarters.
Yamamoto-sōtaichō stood at the front of the room, and on either side of him in two single file lines stood the other members of the Gotei 13. On his right were Unohana, Byakuya, Shunsui, and Tōshiro with the exception of Suì-Fēng, who was bringing in the intruder herself. On his left were Komamura, Kenpachi, Jūshirō, and Kurotsuchi.
The door suddenly swung open, and Suì-Fēng walked in, carrying a white sheath in one hand and pushing with her other hand a bound girl with mid shoulder length bright orange hair. The top portion of it was pulled back away from her face by a white crescent moon barrette. A pair of thin loose strands fell on either side of the middle of her forehead while a thicker pair framed her face. Her eyes were downcast focused on the path before her.
Jūshirō and Shunsui looked at each other, surprised to see that the reported intruder indeed had orange hair just like Ichigo. Everyone else had stoic faces with the exception of Komamura, whose golden eyes looked angry. Only his left hand was clenched at his side since his right arm was still in a sling.
"Oi! You can't go in there, Kurosaki!" Shūhei's voice could be heard outside the room.
"Look, uh…" Ichigo's voice was heard next.
"Hisagi."
"Right, and…"
"Kira."
"Hisagi-san and Kira, move out of the way," Ichigo said.
"Don't let him in, this is a Gotei 13 meeting," said Sasakibe Chōjirō.
"The hell you're gonna stop me!" Ichigo shouted.
"Ichigo, I told you…" this time Rukia spoke.
"No," Ichigo cut her off. "You know you want to find about Mai too."
Meanwhile Suì-Fēng continued to push Mai to the front of the room so that she stood before Yamamoto. She then quickly took her place at the front beside Unohana. Yamamoto didn't look pleased at hearing the commotion outside.
"Looks like Ichigo-kun is joining us," Shunsui commented.
Sure enough, there was a struggle and then the door burst open and in strode Ichigo, his friends were behind him standing in the doorway. Rukia looked apologetic, Orihime embarrassed, Uryū seemed calm, a serious look on his face while concern shone in Sado's eyes. Behind them lay Shūhei, Izuru, and Chōjirō.
"What are you doing here, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Yamamoto spoke.
Mai didn't turn around, her eyes remained focused on the ground, her face expressionless.
"Came to see what the fuss is about the intruder," he replied. "Don't tell me I can't stay, Gramps, because I'm not leaving, and neither are they." He nodded towards his friends. "You expect us to fight in this war then we need to everything you know. I already told you about my inner Hollow."
Yamamoto frowned. The fallen fukutaichō were already on their feet ready to try to remove Ichigo and his friends if necessary again.
"Very well, you may stay," he conceded after a moment's silence. "Close the door."
Ichigo walked further into the room and stopped at the center where the lines of taichō ended. Tōshiro was on his left while Kurotsuchi on his right. His friends stood behind him.
Chōjirō quickly closed the door.
"So, what's this about Mai being an intruder?" Ichigo asked.
"You've spoken to this Kuroda Mai?" Yamamoto asked.
"Yeah, she saved Inoue from a Hollow yesterday," Ichigo said.
"Hmph." Yamamoto furrowed his eyebrows. "Clearly that was an act. This Ryoka, this so-called Kuroda Mai that stands before me does not exist in the records of the Seventh Division or in the records of the Gotei 13. She is guilty of attacking Iba Tetsuzaemon, fukutaichō of the Seventh Division."
"What?" Ichigo said, surprised.
Similar expressions crossed Rukia, Sado, Orihime, and Uryū's faces.
"What have you done to him, Ryoka?" Yamamoto said, turning his attention to the silent girl before him.
"I did not attack him, Yamamoto-sōtaichō," Mai finally spoke in her cool, serious tone.
Komamura growled.
Ichigo's eyes widened.
I knew that high-pitched voice sounded fake just like Rukia's high school girl act. Damn it.
Her real voice, in fact, sounded similar to Rukia's except it was lighter, more feminine.
"You dare lie to us when we have his badge before us and he has yet to be found," Yamamoto said, removing one hand away from his cane and producing the Seventh Division badge with the bloody armband.
"I'm not lying, Yamamoto-sōtaichō," Mai spoke once more. "The…"
"Suì-Fēng," Yamamoto suddenly said, interrupting Mai. "The Zanpakutō in your hand belongs to this Ryoka, does it not?"
"Hai, Sōtaichō. It was taken from her," Suì-Fēng said.
"Tell me, Ryoka, has Aizen perfected an Arrancar so much that he is able to hide its Hollow nature?" Yamamoto asked.
"I'm not an Arran-," she glanced up at Yamamoto, who opened his eyes and released a small but powerful amount of Reiatsu that sent her falling onto her knees. It traveled across the room towards Ichigo and he instantly released his own Reiatsu to protect his friends.
Mai gasped as she struggled to breathe; her wide amethyst eyes were frozen in shock. A pale lavender aura illuminated her body and suddenly her Reiatsu began to increase dramatically until it reached the level of a taichō. Her eyes suddenly unfroze and she blinked. However, she was still trying to regain control of her breathing.
What the hell? That's taichō class Reiatsu! She's been hiding that much! Ichigo thought. How the hell did she do that?
Uryū's blue eyes widened along with his friends'. He knew the Reiatsu she'd emitted when she'd used the Kidō seemed familiar, and of course her Reiryoku pattern. There was no doubt that it was unique, but as he focused on her now taichō class Reiatsu, he could distinctly make out despite its uniqueness two very familiar Reiatsu patterns.
Her Reiatsu it's strong just like Kurosaki's but icy although to a lesser degree than Kuchiki-san's.
"I'm not an Arrancar, I'm a Shinigami," Mai suddenly said, regaining her voice, although it still sounded winded. "That's not Iba-fukutaichō's badge, it's mine. The truth is I'm the fukutaichō of the Seventh Division in the future, Kurosaki Masaki...daughter of Kurosaki Ichigo."
A/N: Just so you know Bakudō #77:Tenteikūra was used to deliver the message to everyone. It can only be heard by those that it's directed to. Masaki wasn't aware that she was discovered. She just assumed by what she heard the Shinigami say.
Quick Glossary
Mugen Hyōhen- Infinite Ice Shards
Hakama- Shinigami pants
Shihakushō- Shinigami uniform
Kosode- outer black robe of Shinigami uniform
Shitagi- white undershirt worn under the kosode
Tou-san- dad
Otou-san- father
Kaa-san-mom
Okaa-san-mother
Shunpo- flash step
Reiatsu- spiritual pressure
Reiryoku- spirit energy/ spiritual power
Taichō- captain
Fukutaichō- lieutenant
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Edited formatting: 1/28/18