Cutiness to the rescue!

[Little Emi]

After getting out of the house, she and Shi started on the search to look for Ryouji. She knew that he was really strong and all, but she still couldn't help but to worry. She should have sneaked out along as soon as he left the hospital! Regardless, they were searching for him now. If they stayed out of sight when they find him, they could watch him beat up the bad guys! There was a chance they could get spotted, but they would handle anything! They may be young, but they do know a few things from their parents.

It felt like a long time since they left, so Emi was starting to get a bit antsy and maybe a little tired. Tugging on Shi's hand to get her attention, little Emi stopped for a moment.

"I'm kinda tired. Can we rest a little?"

She was hoping that they could. Who knows? Maybe if they stopped for a moment, it would give little Shi enough time to find Big Shi! So it sounded like the best thing to do!

[Shizune Onigata]

After Emi asked if they could rest, Shizune stopped and knelt down in front of her. After looking around for a few moments, she had no idea where to look all she could really do was try to find her father's spiritual pressure since it was the biggest she's ever felt before. It wouldn't be to hard to recognize it if they got close, but knowing her daddy, he was hiding it so it would make it harder.

"We can't stop here, I will carry you until we find daddy or Big Shi! Hop On!"

After Helping Emi climb onto her back, She stood up as best as she could. Emi was bigger than she thought she would be. Now that she was holding Emi, she could at least flash step making it a little faster with Emi on her back she started flash stepping one direction in which she thought would be a good idea to check.

After a little while she glanced back, checking on Emi to see if she was having a little fun or at least still secure on her back. When she wasn't looking however, as she came out of a flash step she crashed into a rather tall woman who was standing around doing nothing!

Shizune stumbled backwards before falling onto her face. After shaking off the cobwebs so to speak she got angry and shot up and pointed at the tall lady

"Heeey! Watch where you are standing Lady, I'm trying to find someone and you're being mean and standing in the way!!"

[Future Shizune]

While standing around calculating on which direction her father could have gone, Shi was bumped into. It nearly knocked her over, at first she thought it was a hollow but the spiritual pressure was different. She glanced back over her shoulder to see what it was and when she saw her younger self and the little Emi. It took her a second but it finally hit her, what in the hell were they doing way out here.

"Heeeey...what are you two doing all the way out here. Better yet how did you manage to find my spiritual pressure I've been masking it this whole time! You guys are going to be in so much trouble. Mom is going to be mad with both of you"

She didn't have time to take them back home...so she had no choice but to take them with her. This was not going to go well with her mother, she could already feel the death stare she was going to get from her and it made her cringe.

"Okay...I'll take you with me but you have to be good and you can't get involved. Daddy would be mad at me if he knew you two were sneaking around with me."

After picking them both up she continued to track her father down. She could sort of feel his spiritual pressure but it wasn't enough to get a definite position. After a bit of flash stepping, she ducked behind a rock to scout. Everything in this district of the Rukongai was terrible...houses were abandoned and torn down...It looked just as it did back home. In her time this is where she and Lady Yuri confronted Zetsumei and the hunters. She was positive that this was the place...but where was her father. When she heard voices she began to panic a little their only cover was a rock for goodness sake. She grabbed the little ones and held on tight to them

"Bakudo twenty-six...Kyokko"

A vale of Light surrounded them and hid them from the view. it was just in the nick of time because her father and four of the hunters were approaching the area.

"You guys have to be super quiet, they can't see us or feel our spiritual pressure but they could hear us if we are to loud okay?"

Now that the silent issue was settled all they had to do was watch and to see what was going on. Why would her father Voluntarily come here with a hunter escort.

[Ayame Kojima]

With the armed hunter escorting their rather unexpected guest. The hunters approached her quarters and bowed down at her door. With their heads lowered in respect one of them spoke out to let her know the situation.

"Lord Zetsumei, we've returned, it was as you said sir their was a Shinigami snooping around on the outskirts of our base of operation, however, he came willingly and surrendered his Zanpakutou. He said he wishes to speak to you."

So strange that not even her subordinates know she's really a woman. It would be the voice she uses when masked one would suppose, but why would a Shinigami choose to come here and see her, and more importantly how did this Shinigami find them. It was apparent that some of her hunters were careless in remaining hidden. After standing up she exited through the sliding door and stood on the perch staring down at the individual who the brought back.

"A bold Shinigami, seeking me The Hand of Death. I must say you are either incredibly bold or incredibly foolish to seek me out. You do not wear the Haori of a Captain. Who are you?"

When the Shinigami raised his head and looked at her. She took a step back, those eyes, that face...the long hair was what threw her off. She knew who it was exactly, it was the man she was seeking revenge against and teaching her hunters to contend with.

"Ryouji Onigata...you stupid son of a bitch... I should kill you here, but it wouldn't be quite as fun if I just merely killed you would it? I will make you fight for your life. I and my hunters will defeat you and my measure of revenge will be complete against you, then I will turn my vengeance toward your sister...HUNTERS!!"

At her call, a dozen or so Hunter's appeared from the shadows behind her. Narrowing her eyes she tilted her toward Ryouji and allowed the escorting hunters to return his Zanpakutou to him.

"Lets see how strong you've become...Ryouji"

[Ryouji Onigata]

After being given his Zanpakutou, Ryouji looked at it before lowering down at his side, he really had no intentions of fighting her or any of their hunters, but she was always stubborn that Ayame, even when she was taking care of him and Shukumei, she always had to have things her way.

"I'm not going to Ayame, I didn't come here for this senseless war you've decided you wanted to wage against myself or Shukumei. I came here only to speak with you and to tell you what really happened. Call off your guard dogs and give me a chance to explain."

When he saw the look on her face upon hearing her name, she seemed confused. Sadly he would not tell her how he knew it was her, though it was no secret to his family. The hunters how ever didn't like that their leader was being disrespected in such away.

"Show you respect to Lord Zetsumei, how dare you speak to him in such away!"

Ryouji shook his head. they didn't even know she was a woman. Which was sad since their supposed glorious leader hid even the obvious from them.

"Ayame...I would have come sooner, I wanted to come back and take you with us to the academy. You taught me everything I know when it comes to swordsmanship and focus. You would have made a great Shinigami, hell you would have made and even better Captain. Take off that dumb mask and talk to me."

Upon seeing how serious he was, Zetsumei pulled off her mask and revealed her face for the first time to her hunters. She dropped the mask on the ground. She still looked exactly the same as she did back then only much more serious.

"Kill him"

Ryouji narrowed his eyes and performed a flash step to move himself away from the ensuing hunters. He raised his head slightly and gripped Shinkuremasu's scabbard and extended it out before him. He didn't want to fight but Ayame was determined to have him brought down for something he really didn't do.

A group of them in unison lunged knives in his direction. He performed a flash step to avoid them. As he landed he looked up and saw more raining down from the from the sky. Their accuracy was unmatched, she really did train them well. Ryouji jumped back and then jumped into the air to avoid them. Once he had a moment he performed a flash step appearing behind the main group. Yet a secondary group was their waiting on him. He couldn't keep this going for long, he wouldn't be able to avoid them knowing that there were groups of them waiting on him no matter where he saw an opening. He was going to have to fight back.

"Stop playing around with him and kill him already!"

In unison they all responded with "Sir" and rushed in on him at all sides. He was completely surrounded. With a flash step he appeared in the air and brought his left hand up to his face. He was hoping he wouldn't have to go this far. As he prepared to conjure his mask...he stopped himself. He couldn't do it, for undisclosed reasons. Instead he pulled his Zanpakutou free from its scabbard.

"Reap...Shinkuremasu"

As his Zanpakutou took on its true form Ryouji raised the enormous scythe above his head and hurled himself toward the ground. As he landed he slammed the blade into the ground which created a pulsing shockwave in all directions around him. With a series of flash Steps Ryouji appeared and disappeared over and over again before stopping in front of Ayame. He placed the scythe on his shoulder and stared at her. With a couple of well placed attacks he managed to disable the majority of her hunters.

"Enough Ayame, I came here to talk and I didn't kill any of your..."

Blood Ejected from Ryouji's chest as Ayame herself appeared behind Ryouji. Ayame glanced down at her blade as it was covered in blood and smirked, She turned toward Ryouji and held the blade below her mouth. She licked his blood and smirked before extending her weapon in his direction.

"I have an obsession with blood and I want to spill yours everywhere. Its nothing short of what you deserve for what you did to me! Use your Bankai, or whatever it is you have to...I will defeat them one by one until there is nothing left of you!"

Ryouji lowered his head, more or less out of sadness to hear her say such things, she really believes that it was him who killed her mother, but he couldn't convince her otherwise.

"Ayame it wasn't me...I would never do or have done anything to hurt you. You were family to me, I looked up to you. Why would I kill your mother? It serves no purpose for me to do such an act"

She shook her head, she didn't want to hear it, she only wanted him to die so she charged at him again and cut him a second time, drawing even more blood. Ryouji dropped down to one knee as a result. Why wasn't he fighting her back, he was so ruthless when he killed her mother...is he telling the truth?

[Little Emi]

Emi could only watch in somewhat excitement when there was a chance for her to see Ryouji fight the bad guys. When he wasn't fighting back, it made her confused. Why wasn't he defending himself? then when she saw Ayame stab him the first time, her jaw dropped and instantly she tried to get away from Big Shi so she could get to her uncle. Of course, Big Shi was trying to hold her back as much as she could, but the little one was flailing her arms and doing everything she could in order to be let go.

"Lemme go! Lemme go! I gotta get to Uncle 'Ouji!"

It was to no luck though. She just couldn't get free. The more she saw Ayame hurt Ryouji, the more she struggled with big Shi. It wasn't fair! She wanted to help him somehow so much and she couldn't! Emi had stopped her flailing about and was about to cry. She couldn't do anything to help. All she could do was turn to big Shi and clinged to her leg so she wouldn't have to see Ryouji get hurt anymore.

"We gotta help him! Pwease, do somethin'!"

[Future Shizune]

Shi glanced down at the little one and patted her head. If she only knew how tough he really was. There was no way two little cuts would keep him down, maybe he's trying to prove a point to this Ayame person.

"Don't worry Emi, he's not hurt. That would never keep daddy down. You have to believe in him. Trust him, apparently this is the person who taught him everything he knows. Have some faith in your favorite uncle okay?"

It was hard for her to even say, Zetsumei was the deadliest adversary she has ever faced, She even killed her father in her time. So it was safe to say even she was worried but she had to trust that he knows what he's doing.

"Come on Dad, you can do it! Hollowfy and take it to her!"

She covered her mouth, they were supposed to be being quiet so he wouldn't know that they are there. She forgot it all in the midst of the action.

"Hey remember we have to keep quiet we don't want him to know that we are here!"

[Ayame Kojima]

[This will be a combined post between Ayame and Ryouji]

For someone she raised and trained, Ryouji was certainly disappointing her with his ability. She attacked him twice and he didn't attempt to defend himself at all. She was very proud of him for becoming a Shinigami until he betrayed her. She'll never forget the look on his face after witnessing what happened to her 'mother'. She loathed him more than anything and she would see him die here today even if it took everything she had, and more.

"If you don't defend yourself Ryouji, you'll never leave here, you will DIE here."

Ryouji shook his head, disagreeing with the statement Ayame made. He wouldn't die here, he has a family to go home to and a wife who was one thousand times scarier than she could ever hope to be. He would have no choice but to defend himself. Ryouji pushed himself to a standing position and extended his scythe out in front of him, pointing at Ayame.

"I'm sorry, Ayame. I won't die here today, I won't allow myself to die or be seriously injured. Three Daughters waiting on me at home, and a little niece who needs her Uncle to keep her safe and tuck her in at night and a wife who worries sick about me and who is also a thousand times scarier than you could ever hope to be."

Ayame narrowed her eyes slightly upon hearing Ryouji speak about his family and how passionate he was in getting back to them. She had a family once and she was standing across this open field from him. She felt the same way about him and Shukumei as he does about his family...then they abandoned her and it was he who killed the closest thing she had to a mother. She threw her head back and laughed at his emotional display...how pathetic.

"The only way you're getting out of here is by stepping over my lifeless body Ryouji...if you want to leave then you better kill me before I kill you"

A slight smirk formed to her lips as she extended her blade out before her, pointing it at Ryouji to mock him. This would be the day at long last, she would either have her revenge or be killed by a somewhat worthy opponent. Ryouji however was not pleased by the turn of events, she was determined to kill him or die trying. He sighed and nodded his head, there was no longer any avoiding this battle, so he'd have no choice but to make her listen.

Ayame ran toward him while drawing back her sword. Ryouji raised his head slightly and stared at her before bringing his left hand up to his face for a second time. He took a deep breath before bringing his hand down and releasing a huge wall of Reiatsu. As Ayame neared it she quickly stopped, she could feel it, the amount of spiritual pressure he possessed but it would be enough. Ryouji's huge scythe cut through the wall of reiatsu causing it to disappear and there he stood, hollowfied in mask only as he stared at Ayame.

She stared into his eyes and saw the lifelessness in them and jumped back as a reaction. She would not be detoured...not now not after waiting for so long. What happened to him, he never had such lifelessness in his eyes before not even when he murdered her mother figure. That mask he was wearing...its markings and its shape... with it on he looked like a hollow.

"What have you done to yourself Ryouji...? You've transformed yourself in to a monster to defeat me. It won't save you!"

Ryouji said nothing in regards to her comment. He was a monster...and he hoped to never show that side in front of his family ever again. He had no choice in this matter and while he knew he was being watched by members of said family, he had to in order to stop this nonsense for good. He raised his scythe high above his head...as high as he could and brought it down rather quickly releasing a huge wave of spiritual energy which collided with Ayame and threw her back a great distance.

He then turned his attention to the rock he originally passed when he arrived here. After performing a flash step he appeared behind the rock, returned his Zanpakutou to its normal state and cut through the kido which allowed Shizune, her younger self and Emi to remain hidden. The only thing he could do was stare at them...more or less angrily since they followed him here.

"If I knew you were here, what makes you believe that these hunters didn't know you were here either. The three of you could have been hurt or worse"

[Little Emi]

After they were found out by Ryouji, the little one immediately clung to his leg while sniffling. Though she knew he could take care of himself, she was worried. Plus, she was kinda sad that he was mad at her! She was being a good girl until she was woken up. How could she say no to finding her uncle!? She didn't want him to be mad at the Shi's either. Maybe he would understand. If only she understood that he was mad because he cared what could have happened to them

"Pwease don't be mad, Uncle 'Ouji! I just reall missed you ever since you left! I know you said the bad guys would hurt us and I'm Sowwi that we didn't listen!"

She was just glad that he was okay and that it was him that found them and not the scary lady that seems to be gone now. She looked up to him and noticed that he was still hurt from before which made her eyes water up more. If he knew that they were there, then the scary lady might have too like he said! What if he let himself get hurt to take away her attention away from them and back to him?!

"We didn't want you to get hurt! We just wanted to be hewo's and save you like you would have done for us! We were worried!We should go while Scary Lady (Ayame) isn't here! We gotta get you back to Auntie Azumi!"

[Ryouji Onigata]

After hearing Emi explain herself, he wasn't really mad with them in particular, he was just mad that they thought it would be okay to follow him, Ayame and these hunters were extremely dangerous and well trained foes. If he he didn't pay attention he could be hurt and now that they were here he couldn't exactly fight how he wanted to either.

He leaned over and pulled Megumi up and carried her in his arm and hugged on to her. It meant a lot that she was worried but now wasn't the time to have a family moment.

"It isn't over yet Megumi...not by a long shot."

Ryouji turned and glanced at the battlefield as the Hunters and Ayame herself had begun to regather and refocus their method of attack. He couldn't risk playing around any further. Now that the girls were discovered as well. This was exactly the reason why he didn't want them to come and with him. He couldn't focus on them like the opposition like he wanted to. He would have no choice. He would have to do everything in his power to protect them.

[Little Emi]

Emi couldn't help but to giggle as she was hugged by Ryouji., She clung to him as tightly as she could and just didn't let go. She didn't want him to fight anymore. He was hurt enough as it was! Why couldn't they just sneak away or something? Still, she felt bad for putting Ryouji between a rock and a hard place. There was nothing that can be done now besides well.. running for it!

"Uncle 'Ouji, you've fought enough! Can't we go back home before Auntie Azumi and Mama find out we're not ther? Well, they might know by now, but still!We can go home! Please?"

If he didn't have to fight anymore, he wouldn't get hurt! She didn't like to see him get hurt even if he was strong enough to take care of himself! She loved him too much! They just had to get away before the Hunters came back and see them!

"C'mon! They're not here yet! We can leave before they see us!"

[Ryouji Onigata]

When Megumi suggested that they flee, he shook his head. There was no point in running, they would find them and come back in larger numbers to deal with him now that he knows where their hideout is. Not to mention he was never one to really run away from a fight. He originally only came here to talk to her to explain what really happened.

"No Megumi, I will be fine Its only a few scratches. I have to tell her the the truth before leaving. I know you're worried about me, but I'm fine."

Ryouji turned to Ayame as she reached the head of the rather large group with her blade in hand. It was very hard for him to raise his blade to her in such a way, she raised him, she was like the only mother they've ever known. Ryouji reached up to his mask and broke it down, ending his hollowification.

"Shukumei and I aren't merely twins, Ayame. There is another, a brother whose power far exceeds my own. He disabled Shukumei and myself, another captain class Shinigami without so much as breaking a sweat. He had a unique spiritual pressure. You felt it the day he killed your mother and if you felt it you'd know it was him again."

Ryouji lowered his head, sure he sounded crazy since he actually found all of this out from Jin's battle with the future Zetsumei. After adjusting Megumi in his arms he sighed and turned away from her. As he began to walk away Ayame called out to him.

"The little one you're holding in your arms...is she your daughter...Ryouji?"

Ryouji turned back and shook his head. Did Megumi know that he really wasn't her uncle? She was so young, hearing such news may devastate her, but he wouldn't say any different than what she knows.

"No she's my niece, my daughter is hiding behind that rock over there. Shizune, come meet Ayame."

Upon hearing her name called by her father she poked her head up over the rock and came as he asked as did her older self. She bowed showing respect to Ayame who bowed in return. When she noticed the old one she narrowed her eyes.

"That one I will have to explain at a later date amongst how I know it was my brother who killed your mother figure. It would take quite some time. Once I've filled Shukumei in on the details and convince my wife not to kill these the little ones for sneaking out. I will come back and meet you and tell you everything."

Ayame nodded and sheathed her sword. He nodded in return and turned toward the girls.

"Lets go home, I'm sure Azumi and Yuri are both worried sick about you two."