Shadow Reapers

(Perfect. Just so you know, I don't want the others to arrive until after my next post.)

"It would not be wise to wander around tonight," said a voice from the window. Everyone turned to see Urahara leaning beside the open window.

Stella nearly had a heart attack. "Where did you come from!?"

He smiled. "The window, of course." Urahara noticed Kestrel's lack of shock at his appearance. "You don't seem too surprised, Kestrel."

"I saw you coming right after Kai left," she said plainly.

Both Stella and Audra looked at her. "Why didn't you say something earlier?" Stella asked.

Kestrel waved the question away. "What do you mean it wouldn't be wise to wander around tonight?" she asked.

"A crucial event is about to take place concerning Ichidan and Kai's futures," Urahara said. His voice was matter-of-fact.

"What do you mean?" Audra asked, worried.

"Members from Soul Society have come to arrest Ichidan..." his voice was utterly serious when his finished, "...and kill Kai."
_______________________________

Ishida collapsed onto the ground after a devastating attack from Renji. The red haired Death God seemed too strong, even for a Quincy. He grunted as he tried to get back up, but his limbs were growing weak. Ichidan could do nothing but watch.

"See, I told you so," Renji announced. Ishida coughed as blood began to pool around his body from a wound on his shoulder.

He's strong... Ichidan thought, He's improved his skills again. I couldn't stop him, or even move from this spot!

Renji stepped toward the injured Quincy. "Okay, then..." He lifted his sword, readying it to deliver the final blow. "...guess I'll finish the job. Before you die, remember this well: 'Renji Abarai'. It's the name of the man who killed you."

"Wait!" Ichidan shouted.

Renji ignored him. "Pleased to meet ya!" he yelled before swinging his sword down at Ishida.

The ground in front of Renji buckled as a stream of bright blue energy ripped along the sidewalk. He jumped back, landing on a nearby fence. A man dressed in black emerged as the dust began to settle. "Who the hell're you!?"

"Kai Okami, the man who's going to take you down. Nice to meet ya."

Renji looked him up and down before saying, "Death God clothes? What squad are you with?" Kai rested his large sword on his shoulder. Shocked by the shear size of the blade, he added, "What the hell is up with that huge ass Zanpakutou!?"

Kai's expression was somewhat lazy, as if he had no interest in the opposing Death God's words. "What? So this is big then, huh? I thought it was pretty big compared to Ichidan's. Anyway, until now I didn't have anyone to compare with."

Renji gritted his teeth. "The hugeness of one's Zanpakutou is the hugeness of their reiatsu. How could such a kid have such a huge ass sword...?"

"Kai, you fool! Why did you come!?" Ichidan demanded.

"So that's it, I get it," Renji said, realization filling his voice. He pointed at Kai, saying, "So you're the human who got his powers from Ichidan!?" Kai just looked at him.

Renji leaped into the air. He let out a full-throated battle cry as he descended upon Kai, his sword rearing to strike.

Kestrel

"Let's get going," Kestrel said to the room in general as she turned around, her eyes scanning through buildings in search of Ichidan and Kai. Just a moment ago, she had been full of a smug satisfaction, having seen Urahara in advance to is arrival but now guilt and anger were eating away at her. How had she not seen or felt the clash of powers? And then her eyes locked on them and she took in a sharp breath of air.

"Why the hell wait until now to tell us?" Audra demanded, her breathing fast with anger and worry as she hurried for the door. Urahara moved further into the room.

"It is not for us to intervene," he said. Audra's anger flared and she turned on him angrily.

"Again? What is your obsession with letting Kai get himself beat up?" Stella too glared and turned her back on him in disgust.

"Is this like before?" Kestrel asked, suddenly much calmer. So calm in fact that Audra paused, her hand on the handle and she turned, her brow arched in question.

"Yes," Urahara said simply. Kestrel nodded slowly.

"I see," she said and without further words, she walked through the door that Audra had now opened and began to lead the way steadily.

(Just so you know, some of the things our characters will be seeing in this story will be very hard for me to describe. I'll provide pictures as much as I can to help paint a better picture of what these things look like.)

"Come on! What's wrong!?" Renji yelled as he swung over and over at Kai's sword. "Is your big ass sword just for show!? EH!?" His attacks were powerful enough to make him take a step back after each strike. There was barely enough time between each attack to counter, so all he could do was defend until he found a window of opportunity.

"Dammit..." Kai muttered as he continued to parry each attack. "What the hell's with this guy!?" He finally got fed up and jerked his sword forward, throwing Renji off balance long enough to counter. Kai lifted his sword over his head and, with a loud cry, brought it down over his opponent.

Renji jumped out of the way in time as Kai's sword tore up the ground in a flash of blue light. Kai pulled the blade out of the ground and began to look around. "Up here!" Kai looked up to see Renji decending upon him just before his sword flashed bright green.

Kai was suddenly overwhelembed by a pain in his right shoulder. He dropped to his knees just before blood spattered from where the pain was originating. He had to grab his wounded shoulder to lessen the pain.

"Kai!" Ichidan called before running to help, but a hand on his ankle caused him to stop. He looked down to see Ishida holding his leg.

"Don't..." he struggled to say, his voice edged with pain. He fell unconsious before he could say anything else.

"It's over," Renji said, who was now standing behind Kai. Kai looked over his shoulder at the Death God. "You'll die and the powers will go back to Ichidan. Then... Ichidan will die in Soul Society." The lights on the streetlamps began to burn out one-by-one. "But, man!" he continued, "You're one stupid guy. Ichidan went to the trouble of leaving by himself to keep you out of it. All you had to do was sit quietly at home, but instead you came after him. Did you think you could do anything at all? You're just an overnight Death God." He smiled when he said, "You couldn't put one scratch on us real ones."

Kai moved so quickly his body became nothing but a blur. He swung his sword upward, passing Renji's face mere centemeters away. His sword created a stream of bright blue light when it moved.

Renji's face was plastered with shock. He took a step back when Kai began to get back up. "Oh, my bad," Kai said with a smile of pure arrogance, "Sorry to interrupt your little speech, but you were so wide open my hand just moved on its own. Tell me the rest, what was that about not putting one scratch on you guys?"

Renji put his thumb to his chin. It came away with blood from a small cut from Kai's sword. "You piece of shit..."

"You relaxed too much, Renji." This came from the other man who had been silently watching up until now.

"Captain Kuchicki..."

"That child, 'Kai Okami'... I thought I had seen his face before." Ichidan was checking Ishida's wounds as the other man spoke. "The other day, we had a report from the Secret Mobile Corps that he inflicted a sword wound on a Menos Grande and sent it back to Hueco Mundo."

Renji laughed out loud, as if he didn't believe what he was hearing. When he was finished, he said, "I can't take it. The quality of the S.M.C.'s been slidin' lately." He pointed at Kai. "This kid wounded a Menos Grande!? I couldn't believe that story even if I wanted to! I mean, just look, Captain. His Zanpakutou, it's huge, but other otherwise it's a total disgrace! It's obvious he can't control his spiritual energy." He directed the next question at Kai. "What's your Zanpakutou's name?"

"...Name?" Kai sounded as confused as he felt.

"Did you even ask?" Renji asked.

"Who, Ichidan? You guys name every one of these things?"

Renji smiled. "I knew it. You can't even ask your own Zanpakutou its name. A bastard like that trying to fight me as an equal..." He placed his hand on the surface of his swords blade closest to the guard. "...IS 2000 YEARS TOO EARLY!!!" Renji slide his hand down the length of his sword in one swift motion. The sword instantly transformed into a strange shape, the likes of which Kai had never seen before. The blade had become thicker than before, with saw-like teeth running down the sharp edge. (Renji's Sword pic. 1: http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa31 ... ji0032.jpg )

"Howl, Zabimaru! Look ahead. What's in front of you is your food!" Renji lifted his sword and charged forward. Kai raised his sword to block the upcoming attack. The sword suddenly snapped into several pieces, turning into something like a whip. It curled over Kai's sword and struck him in the other shoulder, ripping his flesh in a flash of green light. (Renji's sword pic. 2: http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=h ... 4%26sa%3DN )

Kai dropped his Zanpakutou. It clattered against the sidewalk. Renji chuckled as he pulled back his sword, making an even worse wound in Kai's shoulder. It was a wonder his arm wasn't chopped off right then and there. "It's over, you little brat. You're going to lose to me, Renji Abarai, and die here!"

Ichidan was frozen with horror from where he stood as he watched his friend being killed before his eyes. Renji started swinging his sword around and around over his head so it doesn't lose its form. Kai dropped to his knees, blood spilling from his new wound when his knees hit the concrete. "Sorry 'bout that, kid. That's what they call the power gap." His Zanpakutou seemed to pull itself back together so it, once again, resembled a sword. "A Zanpakutou changes its size and shape based on its owner's spiritual power." He pointed his sword at Kai, the blade glowing with a slight tinge of green. "And this is the figure of my spiritual power."

Kai's breathing had sped up, fear washing through his being. The pain was nothing compared to the knowledge of what was undoubtedly going to happen next. Is this how it ends?

"Alright, kid, it's about time for me to leave. The air here doesn't suit me."

I hoped the first attack would show Kai the power gap... Ichidan thought, ...that way, he'd know he was no match and back down while his wounds were still shallow. That's what I was hoping for, but of course, Kai wouldn't back down just for that. Truth be told, I knew that...

Kai slowly got back to his feet, despite the obvious pain he was in. Renji readied his sword. "Here it comes."

Can you still move, Kai? Run away! You don't have to die here, you have someone who loves you and friends that care about you. Please, just run away. Run away!

"Nothing to say?" Renji asked.

Ichidan began to move forward. In seconds he was running. As Renji charged forward to deliver the final blow, Ichidan yelled, "Run, you fool!" Ichidan ran up to Renji and grabbed him by the arm. He pulled the Death God into a headlock, preventing him from moving his sword arm.

"What're you doin' Ichidan!?" Renji yelled. He tried to break free, but Ichidan's hold was stronger than he'd expected. "Dammit, let go of me! You tryin' to get yourself into deeper shit!? Let me go, you dumbass!"

"Run, Kai!! If you can stand then you can run away!!" Then, the one thing Ichidan had hoped wouldn't happen, happened. Kai picked up his sword.

Ichidan froze and Renji stopped struggling. A look of genuine surprise showed on Renji's face. "What the hell. You still have the strength to move?" He jerked his arm back, jabbing Ichidan in the gut with his elbow. He pushed him out of the way before saying, "Such good timing. I was just thinkin' what a drag it'd be just finishing off someone who is almost dead anyway."

Kai stood up straight. His body swayed slightly as he held his head low, hiding his face behind his hair. He looked like he was being held up by strings.

Renji rested his sword on his shoulder. "Alright, let's fight with style and see who dies first."

"Kai!" Ichidan shouted, "If you have the strength to stand, then run! You can't win!" Ichidan stopped when he noticed power starting to flow from Kai's sword. It was gentle, but strong enough to make his sleeves flap. It was official, Kai would fight to the death. "Kai..."

"What's wrong?" Renji asked, not noticing the power coming off of him. He pointed his sword at Kai again and said, "If you won't come, then I will."

Kai's breathing was stating to get ragged as his Zanpakutou's energy started to increase. It was now glowing with a faint blue aura. A shockwave of energy suddenly emenated from his sword, ripping his sleeve in several places in the process.

In mere seconds the entire area was bombarded with raging winds, all of which was a result of Kai's sudden rise in reiatsu. Renji had to shield his face with his arm as not to catch debris in his eyes. The other man, Byakuya, continued to watch in silence. He was unfazed by the sudden turn of events.

What's with this increase in reiatsu? Renji thought.

Kai raised his face to look at his opponent. His face was twisted with anger as he continued to pant raggedly. Then he was suddenly running. He moved so fast that Renji had no time to move out of the way. He jumped over Renji, slashing the tip of the sword against his shoulder as he flew.

A second later, blood spattered from Renji's shoulder. His face was filled with alarm and shock. Kai turned to face his opponent just as he landed, his body produced a double image when he moved.

Renji whirled around and raised his sword. "What the hell are you!?" Kai was already moving, rushing toward the red haired Death God. He dragged his sword against the sidewalk, slicing it as he moved. He sent Renji flying with a devistating uppercut from his Zanpakutou.

Renji grabbed onto the edge of a fence to slow himself as he came back down. He lost his balance and tumbled to the sidewalk, grunting with pain when he hit the solid concrete. When he got back up Kai could see blood dripping from his forehead. The visor he was wearing suddenly snapped in half and fell off his head. It was obvious from looking at his face that the Death God knew what kind of danger he was in. What's with this guy? Wasn't he about to die earlier? Where did all this strength come from?

Kai smiled as the intensity of his reiatsu continued to increase at an alarming rate. "What's wrong? You seem to be moving a lot slower all of a sudden!"

Idiot, Renji thought, it's just that you're moving faster.

"I don't really get it, but this definitely feels good." At this moment, Kai was smiling more than he had ever smiled before in his life. "Right now, I don't feel any pain from my injuries, nor do I feel that I'll lose to you!"

Another shockwave of reiatsu came forth, almost knocking Renji off his feet. Dammit! The Death God corrected his stance and got ready to attack. "Howl, Zabimaru!!" He swung his sword, and just like before it extended into a whip-like weapon. He threw an attack at Kai, but it was thrown off course by yet another wave of reiatsu. He regained his composure before throwing another attack. This time, Kai merely stepped out of the way. He tried one last time, whipping his weapon as hard as he could. Kai parried the attack with such force that the whip came flying back at its wielder.

Renji had to move out of the way or he would have been cut by his own weapon. Realizing this tactic wouldn't work, he made his sword pull itself back together and stepped into a defensive stance. Kai rushed forth and started to attack again.

Ichidan couldn't beleilve what he was seeing. Renji is being overpowered, he thought. Kai...

Kai threw another attack at Renji, who barely jumped out of the way in time to dodge it. His knees buckled when he landed. "You're good at running around!" Kai shouted.

What's going on? Renji thought as he got back to his feet. He found it difficult to move under such a magnitude of reiatsu. It was so thick it made the air hard to breathe. How much higher is his spiritual energy going to increase!?

"But, that will stop now!" Kai jumped into the air, lifting his sword over his head as he did to deliver the finishing blow.

Renji suddenly found it hard to stand as his knees buckled again. This time, he wasn't getting back up. Heavy...

"THIS IS THE END!!!" Kai yelled as he decended upon his foe.

I can't make it...!

Kai slashed Renji with his sword as he landed, creating a light blue energy stream in its path. When the energy fade, his opponent was still in one piece. The attack had done nothing. What the... Kai looked down at his sword. Horror rang through his body when he found the blade had been broken off right down to the guard. Only a fraction of the sword still remained. W-What!? My Zanpakutou has... Kai looked up at Renji. The red haired Death God was just as surprised as he was. No, this guy didn't do anything... Was it that other guy? He shook his head. No way, he can't do anything from such a distance. Nevertheless, Kai looked over his shoulder.

His jaw dropped and his eyes went wide with shock. The second man had not moved an inch from where he stood, yet the rest of Kai's sword was in his hand. The man, Byakuya, dropped the blade onto the sidewalk before slowly reaching for his own sword.

Is he coming? Kai thought as he turned to face him. Byakuya's body disapeared into thin air, then Kai heard a footstep behind him. He didn't have to look to know who it was.

Blood spattered from his chest and back, as if someone had stabbed him through the torso. Time seemed to slow down as Kai fell to the ground. What is this? Was I defeated? I can't even tell if I was stabbed from behind, or from the front. This hurts...

"You are slow," Byakuya said just before Kai knelt on the ground, "even when you fall."

"Brother!" Ichidan yelled. He flinched at the sound of metal piercing flesh, but Byakuya hadn't moved at all. Blood erupted from Kai's body from another stab wound. This time, he hit the ground.

He was down for the count.

I haven't seen that in a while, but he's amazing after all, Renji thought. I could only follow his second move by straining my eyes. For the first move, I couldn't even see when he pulled out his sword or when he sheathed it. He looked down at Kai, who lay motionless on the pavement. If I can only this much, this guy probably doesn't even know what hit him. But still, what was that extraordinary level of reiatsu this guy showed earlier?

"What's wrong, Renji?"

Renji looked up at his captain. He shook his head. "It's nothing. You didn't need to step in and deal with such a weakling, Captain. I could've done it by myself."

Byakuya closed his eyes. "Don't say that. Even my skills will rust if I just keep watching from the side."

That's not right. This man is... I am...

"Kai!" Ichidan was running toward them, obviously to see how huet Kai was.

Renji got to his feet and ran after him. "Stop it!" He lept forward, grabbing Ichidan by the throat and holding him against a road sign. The sign shook from the impact.

Ichidan struggled to get free. "Let me go, Renji! Kai is-"

"What are you talking about!? See for yourself! That brat is dead!" Renji turned Ichidan enough to see Kai's motionless body. "Don't you understand that your sentence will increase by twenty years once you touch that kid? What's the point of increasing your sins for a dead guy?"

Ichidan had to look away when he said, "Kai was involved because of me." He yelled when he said, "He is dead because of me! Why can't I go to his side!?" Renji flinched at his words.

"So, you are saying that even if it means your sins will increase, you can't stay put..." Byakuya asked, "...and need to run to this kid's side?"

"Brother..."

"...I understand, Ichidan. As I thought, this kid really does look like him." Byakuya felt something latch onto the bottom of his pantleg. "Hmm?" He looked down to see Kai was still alive.

"He's dead already, he looks like someone." Kai looked up at Byakuya with anger. "Stop making up stories while I'm not listening."

"Kai..."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed slightly. It was the first real sign of emotion anyone saw from him tonight. "Let go." His voice was low, careful, threatening.

Kai smiled. "I can't hear you. Look at me, then speak."

Again, Renji was shocked. This guy can still move. Impossible...

"Is that so?" Byakuya asked as he turned slightly to face Kai. "I see that you don't need that arm," he said as he slowly reached for his sword.

Ichidan broke free from Renji's grip and ran toward the two of them. He kicked Kai's hand away from Byakuya. Kai looked up at him. "W-What are you doing, Ichidan?"

His face was serious when he said, "As a human being, how dare you grab Captain Kuchiki's hem? Know your place, brat!"

Kai couldn't believe what he was hearing. He just lay there, shocked at Ichidan's words.

Ichidan turned back to Byakuya. "Let's go home, Brother. I Ichidan Kuchiki, have had my eyes opened due to this person's actions. Please take me to Soul Society... and let me atone for my sins."

"Wait, you! What are you talking about, Ichidan!?"

Renji placed his foot on Kai's head, burying his face into the pavement. "You accept defeat with such bad grace, kid. Stop moving around and die quietly right here."

"There is no need to make the final move on this guy," Ichidan continued. "Even if you leave him alone, he won't live very long. Let's go, Brother."

As Ichidan started to walk away, Kai shouted, "Hold up, Ichidan! What kind of joke is this!? Look at me! Hey!" Ichidan didn't turn to face him. "HEY!!" He started to move, to free himself from under Renji's foot.

"Don't move!!" Kai froze at Ichidan's words. "Try to move one single step from there...Try to follow me and...I...I..." He whirled around to face Kai, his face brimming with rage. "I will kill you!!" Despite his words, Kai could see his true feelings in his eyes. He was saddened. Regret pierced through his heart. "Your life will be ending soon, so just stay there and live for as long as possible." Rain began to fall as Ichidan turned back around.

"Well then..." Byakuya said, "I won't make the final move. With the previous two hits, I've completely destroyed his Saketsu and Hakusui, which are for absorption of one's soul. This child shall die in less than half an hour. Even if he does survive, he will foorever lose all of his powers. Not only the Death God powers, but his spiritual energy will also be gone." He glanced over at the other Death God. "Renji..."

the red haired Death God got to his feet. "Yes." He walked in front of the two of them and positioned his sword vertically. The blade of his sword glowed red for a moment before he reared it back and thrust it into the air in front of him. The blade disappeared, as if entering an invisible substance. "Unlock!" He tilter the blade ninty degrees. the air in front of him began to swirl and morph until a square Japanese style double paper door appeared in front of him. It slid open to reveal another double door, but this one was circular. When the next on opened, bright white light shone from the other side. Three black butterflies emerged from the light and began to orbit around each person's body.

Renji's sword reverted back to its normal katana state before he sheathed it. He was the first to walk through, then Byakuya, then Ichidan.

Kai could only watch as the doors slowly closed behind him. His face was drentched in rain. My voice isn't coming out. I can't move. His vision was fading to black. He closed his eyes and curled his hand into a tight fist. I...Once again, I was protected. The doors began to fade to nothing. Kai was left to die on the streets of Toronto in the rain.

Ichidan...

(Well, that took longer than expected. Now the other characters can find Kai. If Audra uses her abilities to heal Kai, he's not going to be waking up for a while. And don't forget, Ishida is still here. I don't know if it's been confusing anyone, but the definition of reiatsu that I know of is spiritual pressure.)

*uh... Dynamo? In English, s'il vous plait? Stella is completely lost.... but here goes nothing. Are the doors stil visible? Well, I'm going to take it that they are. Here come the girls!*

Stella-

The drizzle had turned into the heavy storm that I had predicted earlier that day as we ran down through the streets. I pulled my coat a little tighter around me as we hurried on.

We paused for a second at a junction, the lights turning red to green for non-existent cars. The city was quiet.

"This way," Kestrel said, pointing to the right. I stepped in a puddle and soaked myself, swearing in the process.

"Can you still see them?" I asked.

"Just about," she said. "Believe it or not, the rain's getting in the way of the visions. But there's something else around them, I just can't pick it out."

Uruhara was still following us at a distance, but not really paying attention, looking around at the buildings as if he had never seen them before. I was waiting for him to go scale up another wall and jump into another window. Wonder how he does it in those shoes...

I shook the rambling thoughts out of my head and quickened my pace until Kestrel turned down another alleyway. There on the ground were what looked like two dead bodies.

"Kai!" Audra said with a gasp and ran over to one of them. Tears began to fill up in her eyes, glowing in the lamplight. I knelt down beside her quickly and ran my hands over his body.

"Suffering from severe stab wounds to the chest and shoulder, serious blood loss and probably lung or heart damage, and I'm guessing there's probably serious spiritual damage done too. We should get him to hospital quick or-"

She clearly was not listening. "Shun'o, Ayame, I reject!" she said.

I watched as two of her fairy friends came out and did whatever it was fairies did.

"Or, I mean, you can do that," I said with a shrug. There was a flash of light [I forget how the fairies work and I can't be bothered to be going through Wiki again, just go with it] and I watched as Kai's wounds knitted themselves back together. Audra watched and waited for him to wake up.

"Why isn't he waking up?"

"Give the guy a break, he should be dead right now," I said grumpily. I hated being outsmarted and outdone constantly like this. I stood up and went over to the other body. "Who's this?" I asked turned it over. It was Ishida.

"I swear he's following us," I said. He was breathing, but only just. I took a second to check his pulse, very quick indeed. I frowned at what I had first taken to be a puddle.

"Flip, he's lucky to be alive," I said, staring at the blood. "Audra, can you-?" I resigned myself to the fact that Audra would probably be better than me. With a last look at Kai she came over.

Kestrel however, had not moved the whole time. "What's up?" I asked her.

"There was something here," she said, pointing. "I could see it. But it's gone now."

I stared into the black night.

"Like... a person?"

"I don't know," she mused. "I really don't."

"Wait!" I said suddenly. "Where's Ichidan?"

(is that okay???)

(Perfect. Sorry about the confusion.)

"They took him..." Stella looked down to see Ishida. He was awake and trying to move.

"Don't move," she told him, "you're hurt."

"It's not that bad," he said, He tried to get up, but he cringed with pain and fell back on his stomach. Water splashed from the pavement when he hit the ground.

"You're not moving from that spot until Audra heals your wounds, and that's final!" She turned to Audra and said, "Do your thing."

Audra nodded. "Shun'ou, Ayame, I reject!" The two fairies broke off from the ring and healed his wounds.

Ishida slowly got to his feet once his wounds were healed. "...Thanks," he said.

"Who took Ichidan?" Stella asked.

Ishida described the two men who attacked Ichidan, as well as Kai's fight up to the point when he fell unconscious. "They were Death Gods who came to arrest Ichidan and kill Okami."

"But why would they do that?" Kestrel asked. Audra had gone back to Kai's side, but she was still listening.

"Because Ichidan broke the law," Urahara answered.

"What do you mean?"

"The night Kai and Audra met Ichidan they were attacked by a Hollow," Urahara explained, his voice remaining as calm as it had been back in Stella's room. "From what he had told me, the Hollow injured him and was about to kill Audra. The only way to save everyone was to transfer his powers into Kai's body." He made a pointing gesture with his finger to emphasize his point, "And that, in Soul Society, is considered a very serious crime, one which is usually punishable by death."

***Sorry I haven't been posting. A lot's been going on lately...***

Audra

I gasped. Death? The crime, simple as it was, was punishable by death?! That was absurd! Unjust!

"But...we..." I stammered, voice lost in the shock of the past few moments. "We can't let them do this!"

"Oh, we can't?" someone, I couldn't tell who, said sarcastically.

"No, we can't! This is wrong! All of this is just...wrong! There has to be another way!"

When no one said anything, I choked. Tears still fell from my eyes, burning my cheeks and staining my face with mascara and eyeliner. I shook my head, returning to Kai's side. I went to my knees and gently laid his head in my lap. He was still nonresponsive, unconscious. Had I really saved him?

Ayame and Shun'on looked at me, worried and upset as well. I could tell they wanted to say something, but couldn't find the courage or the words.

I sniffled, and whispered. "It's okay. Kai will be okay. He's gonna make it... He has to make it..."

For some reason, the words only made me cry harder.

Kestrel

"Urahara," Kestrel said softly. "Is there not a way that we can follow wherever Ichidan has been taken?" Urahara turned to face her, seeming surprised that she would ask.

"That would be a journey none of you would survive," he said.

"It's one I'm willing to take," Kes responded. "Ichidan has been kind to us, he's a good friend and... I don't have many of those." Instead of answering, Urahara lifted Kai across his shoulder and began to walk away. He paused after a few steps and said:

"We'll discus this later." Kes nodded, knowing Urahara better than any of the others, having already trained with him. She followed quietly and Audra walked quickly to catch up to Urahara's side so she could walk alongside him and watch Kai. Stella came too, lending Ishida her shoulder and supporting him.

"I'm fine," Ishida objected but Stella didn't move away.

"Will they kill Ichidan soon?" Kestrel asked and they all flinched a little at the abruptness of her words. Kes wished she could take them back but that wouldn't make them any less necessary.

_____________

Sorry it's short but I wasn't sure what the response would be.

Stella-

I paused for a second, thoughts rushing through my head and coming to one conclusion.

"Well, what now?"

Everybody in front of me stopped and stared at me and in that instant I knew that I had taken the words out of their mouths.

"We take Kai back," Urahara said quietly. "We drink some tea and then we decide what to do."

"But... Ichidan could be dead by then," I said, the reality of the words hitting me. I could deal with death, I was fine with death itself, but the thought that he would die without a friend, without a hand to hold, when we were safe and knowing what was happening... that was too much.

"He's only a Death God," Ishida said,, but with less conviction than I would have expected. Still, I blew up.

"Just a Death God? Just a Death God that saved your life, maybe? Just some guy who's looked after us and made sure we're all okay, who's about to die for us-because he saved you and Kai, Audra? Just a Death God?"

"I'm not denying that!" Audra said. "But Urahara will know what to do and none of us do! Why don't you listen to him?"

"Because Ichidan could die any second, and we know that." I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. "And you're just going to go and discuss what to do?"

"None of you could survive a journey to the Soul Society," Urahara repeated.

"But we're willing to," I said. "Don't you understand that?"

He bowed his head. The night was quiet except for the far-away throb of traffic and night-club music, and the rain still pounding on the pavement. I suddenly felt tired, my hair plastered to my face with rain and tears, Ishida's weight against me that of an elephant.

"If he dies, could you ever forgive yourselves?" I asked softly. "Even if you planned to... what if you weren't there in time?"

Again, nobody spoke. Ishida awkwardly shifted his weight from one foot to the other and I felt the muscles in his arm tense up.

"So we can wait," I said, giving them the ultimatum in my mind. "And hope and pray that Ichidan still has time. Or we can act."

(That's alright Ayumi. Welcome back!)

"He won't die right away," Urahara said.

"How do you know?" Stella asked angrily.

He explained, "Soul Society always has a one month waiting period before capital punishment. It should be the same for Ichidan."

"Capital punishment?" Kestrel queried.

"It's different from the way humans are executed. We will use this time to train. You will all take ten days to improve your fighting abilities. Once that's done, I will need seven days to open the gate to Soul Society. That will leave you all thirteen days once you're there to save Ichidan, plenty of time, right?" Stella wanted to argue, but Urahara added, "Besides, Kai was much stronger than you three put together when he fought, and look what happened to him. There are even more powerful enemies in Soul Society than the two that did this to him. In your current state, would you even stand a chance?"

Stella gritted her teeth angrily, but she knew he was right. "I guess not."

"I will take care of Kai's training once he wakes up, and I'll assign someone else to take care of all your training. Now, let's get out of the rain. If we don't, Kai will start to suffer from hypothermia."

Ishida pulled himself out of Stella's grip. "I'm fine, I'll go back to my own room."

Stella sighed. "You won't take help from anyone, will you?"

"Are you sure?" Urahara asked. "It would be better if you came with us. All your wounds may not be healed yet."

"Thank you very much..." Ishida said, "...but I'm all right. Please take care of Okami. If there's anyone who is capable of defeating those people, that person won't be me." His hand curled into a tight fist. "The only one who can save Ichidan is him."

(I was thinking, because of how the story is going to develop, how do you guys feel about controling one extra character while our characters are in Soul Society? That way, we can see the story from both sides, our characters' side and the Death Gods' side.)

Umm, I wouldn't mind. Do we get to make our own/ choose from a list? Or will you choose for us?

(I'll choose for you. There will be at least three, one for each of you to control. One will definitely be Renji, the second will be a squad captain, and the third will be Ichidan's girlfriend. But, again, this won't be until our charaacters actually get there.)

That's fine by me, but you might want to give me the one of least consequence as I won't be round as much to play him/her.

Anywho... this is getting good! So must write another bit. And... yup, Stella's about to get all angsty again (and Dynamo, you read her so well! Arguing for the sake of arguing is what she and I do best )

Stella-

"So we can go back to the shop, Urahara?" I heard Kestrel ask.

He bowed his head. "Of course."

"If we only have ten days training, we should get started now. You'll help us, right?" Audra said.

Urahara smiled. "Do you expect me to abandon you in your time of need? Your powers need training to be used to their full advantage. I will do what I can to help you." He glanced at me almost imperceptibly, but I picked it up. I bit my lip.

Ishida was about to leave, so I caught up with him. "I'll walk you back," I said. "Make sure you don't collapse along the way."

"There's really no need-" he began to decline.

"No, it's no trouble," I said. "Your room's on the way to mine, it won't take me out of my way or anything," I pointed out.

"But we're going to Urahara's," Audra called.

"No," I said. "You're going to Urahara's to get training for your powers. And seeing as I don't have any of those, there's really no point in me tagging along, is there?" I changed my tone. "Look," I said softly. "This is your place, not mine. And I want to help Ichidan as much as you do, but I'm really not going to be much good. It's easier for all of us if you train by yourselves and I get some sleep. Plus, someone needs to make sure he-" I jerked my thumb at Ishida, "doesn't die on the road."

None of them had an answer.

"Coming?" I asked Ishida, and began to walk away, the rain still coming down in sheets around us.

Audra

I watched Stella's retreating back. I knew how she felt...useless, worthless, left behind, helpless. All of that was familiar to me. But then I had found my powers. When all hope was seemingly lost, I finally discovered my powers.

I would talk with her later, when she was in a better mood.

I followed Urahara, staying close to Kai. Unlike Stella, he needed me now. And I would be with him, taking care of him and guiding him. But as I looked at his face, drenched in the rain...this was the second time I'd saved him this week. The second time. Would it be the last...?

A tear fell down my cheek again, and I wiped it away. No time for this, now, Audra. He needs you. He needs your strength now, not your worry. I scolded myself. Be strong for Kai.

We finally arrived at Urahara's place and entered it, taking Kai directly to one of the rooms. I helped get my weakened lover onto the bed, where I sat beside him. I would not leave him; I would not let him suffer on his own, if at all. I removed his soaked shirt and pulled the covers up over him, keeping him warm.

I didn't even notice as Kes and Urahara began talking again.

Get Kai well. Reassure Stella. Then get Ichidan. Kai first, then Stella, then Ichidan. My mind would not rest.

Wait a sec... Renji has red hair... my guy's a bad guy? O.o

Kestrel

"Will you be coming with us?" Kes asked as they walked toward Urahara's home. Kestrel's feet were starting to feel sore and the wind was picking up, toying with strands of her black hair.

"No," he said simply. The silence settled in and it seemed a long walk before they reached their destination.

"I'll take Kai upstairs," Urahara said. Audra nodded but followed him up the stairs while Kestrel headed straight to the kitchen, setting the kettle to boil and taking three mugs from the cupboard. She made tea while she waited for the others and watched everyone moving about with her senses.

Tessai, Ururu and Jinta were at home, all down below in the cellar, moving about a little, probably training. Kai was motionless, almost directly above her head and Ichidan and Audra were now on their way down the stairs.

"Tea?" Kestrel suggested, indicating the cups. Audra nodded gratefully and Urahara raised a brow, causing Kes to blush. Was she wrong to feel so at home here?

All three sat at the table, listening to the creak of one wonky chair leg and sipping their drinks in peace. Kestrel finished first, setting her cup down with a thunk and smiling awkwardly at her companions.

"I'm ready to start training now," she announced.

(For the moment, yes, but that'll change later on in the story. He's actually supposed to be a very good friend of Ichidan's. By the way, in one of your sentences you said "Ichidan" instead of "Urahara".)

Urahara smiled. "As always, you are eager to start training. However, what's say we wait until tomorrow morning when the rain has stopped?"

"But, can't I just train in the basement like last time?" she asked.

"That is not possible," he said. "The basement will be reserved for Okami when he wakes up. He will be undergoing some very strenuous training, and it would be best if he did it alone."

"So, who is going to train us if you're not?" Audra asked. That moment, Yoruichi the cat jumped onto the table.

"Ah, speak of the devil," Urahara said. "Your trainer has arrived."

Both Audra and Kes stared at Urahara. "...Excuse me?" Audra asked.

"Yoruichi is going to be taking care of you two for the next ten days."

"But..." Audra looked down at the cat. "...he's a cat."

"And what's wrong with me being a cat?" the cat asked in a deep male voice.