Force of Souls Chapter 29 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Force of Souls! With the defeat of a Lieutenant by the ryoka, Seireitei will have to respond strongly in return. While Renji’s condition is stable, he’s in bad shape, much to the shock of his fellow Lieutenants. But some officers within the Thirteen Court Guard Squads seem to have suspicions about all of this. People that’re supposed to be on the same side are watching each other now. How will this effect the first night of the ryoka incursion?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 29 – Declaration of War

Roar in defiance,
Protect out of love
Blaze for strength,
Strike them for others
Burn down into pure white ashes

-Fourth Squad Medical Bay-

“No…” Momo had her hands over her mouth as she looked at Renji’s heavily bandaged form. The Fourth Division had stabilized Renji, and he was currently hooked to a few machines, but when he’d wake up was unknown.

Izuru looked down at the floor in guilt. “He was left like this when we found him. If only we’d been faster…”

“No. It’s not your fault.” Momo shook her head, looking up at her friend and fellow Lieutenant.

“Abarai was beaten this badly, huh?” Toshiro spoke from right beside Momo, neither of the other two Lieutenants had even realized that the younger man had arrived until he’d spoken.

“Wha?!” Momo jumped and looked at Toshiro with narrowed eyes. “Toshiro!”

“We’re the same rank. Call me by my Title.” Toshiro said as he always did when Momo was too informal.

“Shut up! Why do you always sneak up on me?!” Momo demanded with a pout.

“Lieutenant Hitsugaya.” Izuru greeted his fellow officer with a polite half-bow. “You heard about what happened to Renji too?”

Toshiro nodded once as he looked the injured Renji over again. “Do we have any leads on the ryoka that did this?”

“No… When we arrived, only Renji was still there. In this state, we prioritized saving him over trying to hunt for the ryoka that he’d fought.” Izuru explained the situation.

“I see.” Toshiro looked thoughtful, as if he was trying to puzzle out the situation in its entirety.

Izuru excused himself a short time later, needing to help lead his Squad given that the Captains would all undoubtedly be in another meeting soon. The defeat of a Lieutenant by a ryoka would necessitate it.

“Toshiro?” Momo blinked when her oldest friend lightly put his hand on her shoulder before she could leave.

“I came to warn you.” Toshiro looked at Momo carefully. “Beware of Squad Three.”

“Squad Three? Izuru’s Squad? Why?” Momo asked, completely confused by the sudden warning.

Toshiro looked at her seriously, his teal eyes staring into Momo’s brown eyes. “Be especially careful of Ichimaru. I’m not sure about Izuru either. Better to be safe than sorry.”

“But…why?” Momo wanted to know his reason for this warning.

“Something I’ve heard from my Captain.” Toshiro revealed while expanding his senses as much as possible to make sure no one else was around. “Ichimaru is acting oddly and there seems to be tension between him and some other Captains.”

Momo looked a mix of confused and concerned as she thought about what had been happening recently and the way Captain Aizen had been slowly pulling away from her in the last while. If something was going on amongst the Captains, it could certainly explain a few things.

-First Squad ~ Captain’s Meeting Hall-

Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni stood imposingly in place, his hands on top of his gnarled wooden walking cane. The other twelve Captains stood in a line before the old man, waiting for his words and orders.

“The situation is dire!” Yamamoto spoke strongly, his voice belying his age. “We’ve lost a Lieutenant of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. This is now a matter for the top officers.” He looked at the gathered Captains before his eyes locked onto Gin. “For now, I will overlook Captain Ichimaru’s actions from before.”

“Thank you.” Gin gave a polite nod to Yamamoto.

“I am permitting all top officers, including Captains, to be armed with Zanpakutō at all times, and to use full wartime powers within the court! Pass that along to all officers within your squads!” Yamamoto declared, getting some of the gathered Captains to look mildly surprised that full wartime protocols were being used. After all, that included use of the Captain’s Shikai and even Bankai if necessary. “Captains… Let us declare all-out war against these ryoka.”

-Evening ~ Sewers-

“How is he, Hanatarō?” Chad questioned as he looked over the sleeping Ichigo.

Hanatarō was noticeably worn out, but he gave Chad a smile. “He’ll be fine. I gave him a light sedative to help him sleep.” He patted his relief bag. “I don’t think any of you realize just how long you’ve been fighting already. None of you are in the best shape, even if you’re okay physically.” Left unsaid was that Ichigo was definitely not physically okay after his fight with Renji. “Your Reiryoku levels are all drained and you need rest and time to recover.” The Fourth Squad officer stated his professional opinion.

“This crazy idiot almost got himself caught after that huge fight.” Ganju shook his head with a heavy sigh. “He was lucky that we were already there or he’d have been captured for sure. I say we take the night to recuperate and try again tomorrow morning.”

“Mm.” Chad nodded in agreement. “That’s probably for the best.” He’d rather take a bit of time to rest rather than for his friends to get hurt or worse because they tried to rush.

-Fifth Squad Barracks-

“Wartime exception! Wartime exception!” Messengers from all squads were delivering the news to the various barracks of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

In the Lieutenant’s office, Momo sat in seiza on a cushion while a messenger passed on the new orders to her.

“Senior officers, including Lieutenants and Captains, are permitted to wear their Zanpakutō openly within the court and full wartime usage is permitted by the authority of Captain-Commander Yamamoto.” The Shinigami man bowed to the Lieutenant as he reported. “We’ve increased our security, but the ryoka have already defeated Lieutenant Abarai. They could attack the barracks at any time. Lieutenant Hinamori, please be on your guard!”

“Yes, orders have been received and acknowledged.” Momo bowed slightly to the messenger and sent him on his way.

The messenger bowed once more before standing and leaving the room, closing the shoji door behind him before rushing off to continue his duties.

“Wartime exception? Swords?” Momo clenched her hakama in her hands. “Renji…” She winced as she recalled Renji’s injured form lying in the bed in Fourth Squad. “How did this happen? Now we have to carry our Zanpakutō with intent to use them? When did this threat get so serious?” Logically she knew it was as soon as reports of casualties started coming in, but in all her time with the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, she’d never once been required to wear her Zanpakutō with wartime exemption. The thought of using her Shikai on others, especially other members of the Court Guard Squads if Toshiro’s warning was correct, filled her with fear and worry. “Captain Aizen… I don’t want to fight…”

A few hours later and Momo knocked on the door of Captain Aizen’s room.

“Yes, Miss Hinamori?” Aizen called out, giving her permission to enter.

“I’m sorry…” Momo apologized as she opened the door. She was wearing her night clothes (a simple yukata and a house coat) and she had her hair down from the usual bun, now in a loose ponytail over her right shoulder. “May I…speak with you for a moment?” She fidgeted before bowing her head to her Captain. “I know it’s late, and this is rude of me… I-I won’t sleep! I won’t be rude and fall asleep in front of you, Captain! Please…”

A haori with a pattern of vertical stripes was gently placed over her shoulders. Momo looked up to see that Aizen had given her his own haori.

“Do you think I’d send you away for being rude? Do you think I’m that cold-hearted?” Aizen asked with a small smile, looking at Momo through his square glasses. “Come in. You must’ve had a difficult day. Stay here until you calm down.” Momo nodded with a faint pink hue to her cheeks.

Several minutes later and Momo was sitting on Aizen’s futon as the Captain and Lieutenant talked.

“I hear that Renji is going to make a full recovery.” Aizen informed Momo of what he’d heard from Unohana during the Captain’s meeting.

“Really! Thank goodness.” Momo let out a sigh of relief upon hearing the good news.

“Captain Kuchiki called for a significant punishment since Renji went off without orders to fight the ryoka alone instead of bringing a force strong enough to take down the invader, but that was met with opposition given the situation.” Aizen told Momo as he continued to write something at his low table. “Renji will be able to return to his position once he fully recovers.”

“Opposition? Was that you, Captain Aizen?” Momo asked, leaning forward a little.

Aizen shook his head once. “Not just me. He’s a good fighter and well-liked among the Squads. No one wanted to see him harshly punished for following a hunch and being right, even if he could’ve handled it better.”

‘Captain Aizen’s words… His voice… Everything about him soothes my fears. I’m glad that I came here tonight. I’m happy to work under you, Captain Aizen.’ Momo thought to herself as she closed her eyes. She would be asleep before she realized it.

Not long after Momo fell asleep, Aizen covered her with the blankets and then changed from his casual yukata and back into his shihakushō and Captain’s haori. He placed his Zanpakutō at his waist and then quietly opened the shoji door and exited the room, closing the door silently as he started walking down the corridor.

A silent footstep from a moderate distance behind the bespectacled Captain would’ve been seen emerging from the shadows if the man had looked behind himself.

-Orihime and Tatsuki-

Both girls were making their way through the streets of the Seireitei in the late hour when most of the patrolling Shinigami were stationed at the barracks. This left most of the streets and walkways empty, which Tatsuki and Orihime were taking advantage of to move unseen and unnoticed.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to head for that tower I saw, Tatsuki?” Orihime asked quietly as they ducked into the shadows again to make sure the coast was clear.

“We don’t have any better ideas right now, Hime-chan.” Tatsuki smiled back at her girlfriend softly. “Plus, that’s close to where we felt Ichigo earlier, so at the very least there’s a chance we might be able to meet up with him.”

With the thought of meeting up with Ichigo warming their hearts, both girls moved again, heading down the next street at a good speed that wouldn’t make too much noise.

“Haaah~” A long sigh caught Tatsuki’s attention right as she was about to round the next corner. The Martial Artist turned Shinigami stopped dead in her tracks and held her left arm out to stop Orihime too. The person that came around the corner was a gorgeous woman with long orange hair a bit lighter than Orihime’s own locks. The woman’s voluminous hair flowed down her back and stopped at the small of her back. She had bright blue eyes, a heart-shaped face, and even a beauty mark just below her bottom lip on the right side. But the most notable thing about her physical appearance was her figure, the largest pair of tits that either Tatsuki or Orihime had ever seen, even beating out Kūkaku’s rack by a little bit. The immense blessings complimented her trim waist and wide hips, giving her an ‘hourglass figure’ and the chain necklace around her neck had a long end that disappeared into the valley of her immense cleavage.

“Her boobs!” Orihime gasped out, before slapping her hand over her mouth as what the woman was wearing caught up with her brain.

A white Captain’s haori with a pink scarf around the woman’s shoulders, while the woman’s Zanpakutō was sheathed horizontally across her lower back.

“Oh?” The female Captain grinned at the two of them. “You like them?” She giggled at the pair before taking a sip of sake from a gourd-shaped bottle that she had in her left hand. “Hehe…”

‘Is she drunk?!’ Both Orihime and Tatsuki wondered at the same time, shooting a look at each other.

“Sorry, Captain!” Tatsuki and Orihime both bowed at the waist to the Captain, playing the role of regular Shinigami in hopes of not being discovered.

The woman waved off the apology with a smile. “No big deal, girls.” She looked at Orihime and Tatsuki for a second. “What’re two cute girls doing out so late at night?”

“Patrolling, ma’am.” Orihime said the first plausible lie that she thought of.

“Hm? Who’s making you patrol so far from the barracks? And why you?” The Captain questioned curiously before she took another sip of her sake.

“We’re new, ma’am.” Tatsuki built upon Orihime’s lie.

The woman sighed at hearing that. “Well that’s not nice. Picking on the cute new girls like that.” She rested her right hand on Tatsuki’s shoulder with a smile. “Tell me what Squad you two are with and I’ll give their Captain a good talking to for you!”

“We’re with the Tenth Squad, ma’am.” Orihime smiled at the Captain.

“Really? Huh… Is little Toshiro making you work so late?” The woman questioned with a frown.

“We’re just following orders, Captain.” Tatsuki bowed slightly.

The Captain nodded and patted Tatsuki’s shoulder with a smile. “That’s a good attitude to have, but you can’t let them bully you with the jobs no one else wants to do.” She turned and set her bottle of sake down, revealing the kanji for the number ‘10’ on the back of her haori.

“Oh shit…” Tatsuki’s eyes widened at seeing the number.

“I guess I should introduce myself to my two cute new subordinates. Matsumoto Rangiku, Captain of Squad Ten.” Rangiku smiled at Orihime and Tatsuki over her shoulder. “Then again, you’d have known that if you were really mine.”

“Run, Hime!” Tatsuki grabbed Orihime and both vanished into the fastest Shunpo they could manage.

Rangiku sighed lightly. “Oh, come on, don’t make me run… You’ll kill my buzz.” She disappeared entirely a fraction of a second after she spoke.

Boing

“Oof!” Orihime gasped cutely as her face was buried into something incredibly soft.

“My, my, I didn’t know you liked them that much.” Rangiku teased the other busty woman with a smile. Orihime’s face was removed from her bosom as Tatsuki reacted to Rangiku’s sudden appearance.

“Shit!” Tatsuki pulled Orihime back behind her and took up a Hakuda stance mixed with her own Karate stance.

Rangiku looked slightly put out at the hostility. “Must we? Can’t you just be good little ryoka and come with me peacefully? I promise you won’t be killed if we detain you.”

“Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six. Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!” Orihime chanted and casted the spell as fast as she could. She wasn’t good enough with spells in the sixties to do them without the incantation yet.

Six flat beams of light slammed into Rangiku’s waist, immobilizing her instantly.

“Oh? You can use Kidō in the sixties, huh? That’s impressive for such a newbie.” Rangiku mentioned, seemingly unconcerned with the Bakudō binding her.

“Orah!” Tatsuki launched a punch empowered by her Reiryoku at Rangiku’s face. Her fist nearly screamed through the air, glowing with her orangish-yellow Reiryoku trailing behind it.

“Shisho.” Rangiku cast the low-level Bakudō with just its name. The transparent screen of Reishi materialized and took Tatsuki’s punch, shattering a half-second later. “That wasn’t very nice of you.”

“Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws. Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!” Orihime aimed her palm at the still trapped Rangiku as Tatsuki vanished in a Shunpo to get out of the line of fire. From Orihime’s palm a blast of roaring blue flames rushed at Rangiku.

Rangiku was engulfed by the conflagration, vanishing within the azure fire. Tatsuki and Orihime didn’t stay around to wait and see if that had done anything, both blurred away in Shunpo to try and escape the Captain.

“Seriously? I just washed my hair last night.” Rangiku complained as the smoke began to clear. There wasn’t a mark on her skin or shihakushō from the blue flames she’d been hit with. The Rikujōkōrō had also been destroyed with but a flex of her Reiatsu applied to the spell.

Orihime and Tatsuki stopped for a second to catch their breath after crossing a significant distance through multiple Shunpo.

“Do…you think…we lost her?” Orihime asked, breathing a little heavily.

Tatsuki looked behind them and tried to focus on Rangiku’s Reiatsu.

“Afraid not.” Rangiku spoke up from in front of them. “Good try though!” She smiled at the girls. “Bakudō #4: Hainawa.” The crackling yellow Reiryoku appeared around Rangiku’s right hand before she threw it at Orihime and Tatsuki, looking to catch both of them at the same time.

“Bakudō #2: Shisho!” Orihime countered and the transparent square was hit by the crackling Reiryoku only for the energy to turn into a yellow rope of Reishi wrapped around the barrier. When the Reishi square vanished a moment later, so too did the rope.

Tatsuki drew her Zanpakutō with the distraction that Orihime was making. “Ignite, Mōsho!” The wakizashi exploded into flames that covered Tatsuki’s body. The flames scattered a second later to reveal Tatsuki’s fire-patterned gauntlets and greaves. She blurred into a Shunpo and reappeared directly in front of Rangiku with a powerful kick that was engulfed in flames and being boosted by a blast of fire from her heel. “Hyaaah!”

BOOM

The explosion of flames actually surprised Rangiku, though she wasn’t hurt much by it. Given her age compared to Tatsuki’s, not to mention her own insanely high Reiryoku reserves, it was very unlikely that Tatsuki would be able to generate enough power to actually hurt her.

“Bakudō #30: Shitotsu Sansen!” Rangiku had glowing yellow Reiryoku surround her left hand, she drew an inverted triangle in the air, leaving behind the glowing Reiryoku. At each point of the triangle a sharp, curved spike of Reishi appeared. All three fired at where Rangiku could sense Tatsuki, looking to immobilize the ryoka without hurting her too much.

“Reject, Shun Shun Rikka!” Orihime cried out, her kodachi unsheathed before it glowed orange and burst apart into the six flying crescent blades of her Shikai. “Santen Kesshun, I reject!” The orange triangle formed between Tatsuki and the incoming Bakudō. All three spikes of Reishi bounced off the shield and dispersed a moment later.

Tatsuki landed beside Orihime, never taking her eyes off of where Rangiku was. “Thanks, Hime.”

“Yes.” Orihime’s reply was short as she also focused on where she could sense Rangiku.

Rangiku stepped out of the fading smoke with a sigh. “You girls aren’t making this easy, you know?”

“Hime… I’m going to do something, and I need you to cover me while I build up, okay?” Tatsuki whispered to Orihime as she poured her Reiryoku into Mōsho.

“I’ll do it, Tatsuki.” Orihime promised as her six crescent blades hovered in the air around her.

Flames exploded from beneath Tatsuki’s feet as she used Shunpo. Her fist slammed into Rangiku’s face before the Captain registered the attack.

BOOM

The explosion rocked the area, but Tatsuki was already on the move, and just in time as a beam of lightning pierced the air where she’d just been. This was followed by a barrage of more beams, Orihime easily able to identify them as Byakurai.

“Santen Kesshun, I reject!” Orihime formed her shield with three links. The multiple Byakurai spells slammed into the shield, but all were rejected without fail. Such was the nature of Orihime’s Zanpakutō.

“Really? In the face?!” Rangiku didn’t look amused, her long hair now disheveled from the explosion. Though her cheek wasn’t even bruised from Tatsuki’s attack.

Tatsuki exploded into motion again, her Shikai starting to glow as the flames leapt off of it. “I’m just getting started!” She lashed out with a kick this time.

Rangiku backstepped, only for her eyes to widen and she bent backwards to avoid the arc of flames that passed through where her head had just been. She drew her Zanpakutō and aimed to hit Tatsuki with the back of the blade and put her out of the fight.

“Santen Kesshun, I reject!” Orihime focused and three of her blades quickly formed a shield between the sword and Tatsuki. Rangiku actually stumbled back a half-step as her blade was violently bounced backwards.

‘She’s getting faster.’ Rangiku noticed as she dodged Tatsuki’s next attack, using a short Shunpo to get out of the blast radius that followed the missed attack.

BOOM

“ORAAAHHH!!!” Tatsuki’s heat output continued to climb, the air around her becoming scorching hot for several seconds after she passed through it. With the increase in heat, came an equal increase in fire power and speed. Tatsuki was starting to become just a blur of bright flames in the dark of night. “HYAAHH!!!” The axe kick slammed into the ground and exploded again.

BOOM

“Bakudō #63: Sajō Sabaku!” Rangiku cast to restrain Tatsuki. Thick golden chains of Reishi formed and quickly chased after Tatsuki.

Orihime was still on the move, however. “Santen Kesshun, I reject!” The shield took the Bakudō and the golden chains were repelled instantly.

“YAAHHH!!!” Tatsuki came at Rangiku again, her speed increasing even further as she condensed the overflowing heat and fire from her Zanpakutō. Rangiku dodged again, noticing that the heat was getting to the point it was leaving scorch marks on the ground where Tatsuki traveled.

“Hadō #14: Mōretsu Kyūryū!” Rangiku cast the Hadō and blasted a massive torrent of water at the blazing Tatsuki.

“Santen Kesshun, I reject!” Orihime used all six of her blades to form two massive shields to block the flood of water coming at them. Rangiku’s eyes widened as her spell slammed into the shields and was rebuffed, the immense amount of water flowing over the walls and back down the street towards her.

“Hah…” Rangiku sighed heavily and slashed her sword upwards.

Ssssttt

It was an odd sound, one that couldn’t quite be described on first hearing it. But the results that followed made it clear what had happened.

The rushing torrent of water split in half and then splattered over the area like rain from the force of Rangiku’s swing. The air whipping around was the only indication that she’d used Hadō #18: Kaze Kiru to scatter the redirected water spell.

A cloud of steam rose off of Tatsuki from the fall of the droplets of water. But her Zanpakutō continued to emit insane heat and fire. She shot forward at Rangiku, nothing more than a line of intensely bright flame zipping between the walls and eventually taking Rangiku’s back. Her burning fist screamed like a jet’s afterburners as it rocketed towards the back of Rangiku’s head.

“Growl, Haineko.” Rangiku activated her Shikai.

BOOM

The biggest explosion yet covered the area and Tatsuki was certain that she’d at least injured the Captain with her attack.

Wooosssshhhhh

A whisper of wind passed by Tatsuki’s ears.

Then her body erupted into blood from hundreds of small lacerations that opened up on her skin all at once.

“AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!” Tatsuki howled in agony as she was thrown backwards and crashed onto the ground.

“Tatsuki!” Orihime had two of her links around her girlfriend in less than a second. “Sōten Kisshun, I reject!” The orange oval covered Tatsuki and she stopped screaming a second later as the hundreds of cuts were rejected.

Rangiku blew the cloud of smoke away with a flex of her Reiatsu. Her blue eyes were focused as she walked towards the two ryoka. Around her in the air, faintly seen, danced what appeared to be dust. “You should surrender now.”

“Koten Zanshun, I reject!” Orihime’s anger was palpable as her remaining four blades all launched at Rangiku in streaks of orange Reiryoku.

“MOVE!!!”

Rangiku heard the warning in her mind as she saw the four glowing blades pass straight through her defensive cloud of ash without slowing down. She vanished in a Shunpo and reappeared standing atop the wall a distance away. “What in the world?” Rangiku eyed the streaks of orange Reiryoku warily. ‘Just based on Reiryoku alone, her Zanpakutō shouldn’t even be able to move mine.’

“I don’t know what that was, but it hurt, damn it!” Haineko told her with an aggravated hiss.

Tatsuki stood up and gave Orihime a smile. “Thanks, Hime-chan, I’m good now.” To prove this she flared her Reiryoku and flames and heat blasted from Mōsho. The output was so strong that Tatsuki was quickly back up to what she’d last attacked Rangiku with. “Can you make an opening for me, Hime? I’m going to hit her with everything I’ve got all at once.”

“I’ve got you, Tatsuki!” Orihime agreed as she focused on Rangiku. “Koten Zanshun, I reject!’ Orihime launched all six of her crescent blades as streaks of orange light straight at Rangiku.

Rangiku blurred, dodging the six blades, only to realize that the attack wasn’t over. She vanished as the six blades came at her from multiple directions. She ducked, backstepped, used Shunpo, kicked off the wall, and even slid beneath one blade as she avoided the onslaught. Every time she dodged, something else was cleanly sliced in two. The tiled street, the walls, whatever was in the way. Even her shihakushō was getting cut along the sleeves and legs when she wasn’t able to dodge multiple blades at once.

This was rather surprising, given that the shihakushō of the Shinigami was also a form of armor for them. It appeared to just be simple cloth, and when not being worn by a Shinigami, it was. But when it was worn, it was empowered by the Reiatsu of the Shinigami that it covered. Unseated Shinigami would find it difficult to even cut the shihakushō of a Seated Officer. The same could be said of the Seated Officers trying to cut the shihakushō of a Lieutenant or Captain. A Captain’s shihakushō could ward off the blades of dozens of unseated Shinigami without getting so much as a tear, and only get some mild fraying when up against the swords or Kidō of most Seated Officers. A Lieutenant of enough skill could get through their Captain’s shihakushō without too much trouble, but it would always be something they needed to focus on and contend with.

During this brief bit of introspection on how Orihime’s Zanpakutō was seemingly ignoring the most basic laws of Reiryoku interaction, Rangiku noticed that Tatsuki had closed the distance. The two gauntlets were shining like miniature suns, and Rangiku was certain that she was smelling both flesh and hair burning from Tatsuki as the young woman threw both fists forward in what looked like a modified version of the Sōkotsu Hakuda technique.

“TORASATSUKEN (Tiger Killing Fist)!!!” Tatsuki’s roared out as the double punch slammed into Haineko’s ash barrier and exploded.

Flames roared as the entire street in the direction of Tatsuki’s attack was filled with a rushing firestorm. The night was illuminated almost as bright as day for the short duration of the attack. When it ended, thick black smoke filled the air and Tatsuki’s form was seemingly frozen in the position that she’d executed her attack.

“Tatsuki!” Orihime ran towards her girlfriend, worry and concern nearly visible around her. She got to Tatsuki’s side and noticed that some of Tatsuki’s hair had burnt away. Steam rose off of Tatsuki’s still form and the skin around the gauntlets on her hands was horribly red and blistered. Orihime noticed that instead of the vibrant flame pattern that she knew Mōsho possessed, the gauntlets and greaves where white and covered in what appeared to be a layer of ash. It was like a fire that had burnt out, leaving only ash behind. “Tatsuki? Can you hear me?!” Orihime gently eased Tatsuki to the ground.

“H-Hime…koff…” Tatsuki coughed, smoke escaping her lips. “Did…did we get her?” She was having trouble keeping her eyes open after unleashing everything that she and Mōsho could throw at Rangiku.

“Yes, you got her, Tatsuki-chan.” Orihime smiled with tears in the corners of her eyes as she called over two of her flying crescent blades. “Sōten Kisshun, I reject.” The orange oval of Reiryoku covered Tatsuki and began to reject the burns and damage that Tatsuki had sustained. She hated lying to Tatsuki, clearly still able to feel Rangiku’s Reiatsu a distance away, strong and steady as when they’d met the woman earlier. But in this case, it was for the best as Tatsuki closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. “Distorted mirror. Shallow bowl. Echoes of day and silence of night. The battlefield falls silent. Bakudō #26: Kyokkō.”

A brief rainbow of color surrounded Tatsuki and Orihime before seeming to envelop them. It was as if the world folded around itself for a brief time before settling back to normal. The street was empty now, not a trace of Orihime or Tatsuki’s Reiatsu left behind to track. It was like they’d vanished into thin air. What had actually happened, however, was that the Bakudō hid the caster’s Reiatsu and presence by bending light, even hiding Reiryoku being used within its area of effect.

Orihime split her focus slightly as she formed her shield beneath Tatsuki. “Santen Kesshun, I reject.” The triangular shield formed between three of her floating blades, lifting Tatsuki off the ground. Moving quickly, her two abilities both healing and moving Tatsuki. Orihime put the rest of her focus onto maintaining her spell as she moved through the Seireitei streets to find a place for her and Tatsuki to hide for now.

“Kyokkō is not infallible, Inoue-san.” Tessai told Orihime as they were having another lesson. “A skilled Kidō user will be able to notice the distortions that the spell creates as it hides the caster. Do not rely on it to sneak through the Seireitei. Most Captains will simply tear away the spell as soon as they notice it, leaving you exposed. It is only a method of temporary cover unless you’re dealing with those that’re ill-suited to Kidō.”

‘I don’t need it to last for too long, just long enough to get somewhere safer than here.’ Orihime focused, brushing away the small tears at the corners of her eyes with a determined look on her face.

The two ryoka silently vanished into the night.

-Rangiku-

“Well…koff…damn.” Rangiku coughed a little and waved her hand through the thick smoke in the air. “I didn’t expect that much power from such a young Shinigami.” She held out Haineko’s handle and the ash swirling around her flowed into the empty space where a blade should be. A second later and Haineko’s blade reformed as she was resealed and sheathed. “Hm, where did those two run off to?” She expanded her senses, trying to pick up on the two girls’ Reiatsu, but came up with nothing. “Huh, they’re already gone?”

“Hey, you might wanna look down.” Haineko mentioned flippantly.

Rangiku looked down and noticed that her shihakushō was damaged, the front burned badly enough that it had fallen open entirely, leaving her girls exposed to the night air. “Well, can’t go chasing ryoka with my tits hanging out.” She still recalled the time when she was a Lieutenant and had gotten completely wasted, leading to her walking around the Seireitei streets with her top open and her girls bouncing around. She was in no hurry to experience the reprimand that she’d gotten for that again. She took the slightly tattered ends of her tops and tied them together, once more covering her large breasts, though this stopgap left even more of her cleavage exposed then normal. “Alright, back to the barracks. I’m going to have to make a report about this.” She vanished in a Shunpo.

A rather large distance away and Rangiku reappeared right beside where she left her gourd-shaped sake bottle. She picked it up with a smile before blurring away in another Shunpo back towards the Tenth Squad’s barracks.

There was no reason to waste good sake after all!

-End Chapter-

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The Seireitei’s response to Renji’s defeat?

ALL OUT WAR!

Now all Captains are permitted to not only carry their Zanpakutō, but use them to the fullest extent in the course of dealing with the ryoka!

Momo is taking the wartime exemption a bit hard, especially with Toshiro’s warning about the Third Squad. So, she goes to the one person that she trusts above all else, Captain Aizen.

That poor girl…

Ichigo is being forced to rest so that his body and Reiryoku can recover. Turns out fighting from basically dawn until late afternoon nearly nonstop can wear out just about anyone…who knew?

Tatsuki and Orihime try to head for the Senzaikyū under the cover of night, only to run into a Captain! Thankfully it was Captain Matsumoto, instead of Captain Kurotsuchi! But Captain Kurotsuchi had a ‘talk’ with Captain Unohana earlier in the day, so he’s not exactly up to running about in the night looking for ryoka to capture.

Orihime and Tatsuki experience the hopelessness of fighting a Captain firsthand. Kidō doesn’t work, Zanpakutō don’t seem to work, Hakuda doesn’t work…you’re basically out of options! Luckily, Rangiku is pretty laidback about this and goes for capture instead of kill. But even she was surprised by Tatsuki’s final ‘all or nothing’ attack!

Orihime even reveals something new! All six of her Shun Shun Rikka blades can be used for any of her rejection abilities! Want to ‘heal’ people in three different areas? Two links per area and she can do it! Want to make two large shields? All six links at the same time can do it! Want to cut a target into tons of pieces? All six of the blades can become slicing shields and constantly swarm the target!

Much different than her Canon abilities, huh?

What will happen come the morning of the second day of the ryoka invasion?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!