"Speak up, why is it you need a change in shihan?" he asked, his voice more terse than his father's.

"Because I find it difficult, if not impossible, to improve with my current shihan, sensei." Yue answered. "He makes me uncomfortable." She vaguely wondered whether adding that last bit was wise, but it was true nonetheless.

Kouta glanced over to the shihan, shifting where he stood as if to say he was too good to be fallible. "Are you sure it's not your relationship with your House, Miss Yue?" His eyes were cold but caught fire to those he gazed into. Not cool like his mother's and not warm like his father's. He had his own, radical eyes. "Kori no Tate does not account for other's sympathy or consideration, only one's own. If you do not feel comfortable simply because of the man, then there is something you must work on. If you actually look around you, they are not taking out any kind of aggravation or jealousy on you. My shihan are pushing you to break, but you have not done that. Yes, you come to me requesting for a change, but that is merely initiative. If you did not care for the treatment against you, you would have left, for you have that liberty. Otherwise, it is your duty to your, Isao-sama, but more importantly for yourself. Do you not wish to become strong? Do you not wish to protect yourself and those you care for?"

He only stared harshly into Yue's young eyes, waiting for her answer, even if she had none.

Yue eventually looked away, finding Kouta-sensei's stare too much to handle and instead shifted her gaze towards the floor, gritting her teeth. Isao-sama, yet again. "I do not train for him, sensei. I do it for myself and I only seek to improve. Is that wrong?" She paused, thinking over her words. It was hard enough to keep the stress out of her voice, let alone converse with Kouta-sensei. "It has nothing to do with the House... it's just the simple fact that Yukihiro-sensei makes me uncomfortable. I spar with him in the compound in the presence of Fath - Isao-sama."

Even then, knowing that Yukihiro-sensei -- Yukihiro Hayate, if she wasn't mistaken -- was trying to push her hard enough to break was believable, and she knew it was true. The man's presence made her fidget, much like she'd done when she used to spar with Kouta-sensei but Hayate was decidedly worse. Yue vividly remembered dreading the occasions when her Father was too busy to oversee the sparring and sent another Yukihiro instead - her entire body was so tense that she could not slip into the stance and spar properly, leading the evening's routine to failure.

Glancing up at Kouta-sensei again, she faced his harsh eyes, hoping he'd understand. Wasn't this why she preferred him in the first place? Naturally, he was unconditionally strict, but he was still a good teacher and Yue was proof of that. Only now, when she started fidgeting under his imposing demeanor again, did she feel hesitant.

"If it's impeding on your development in this Dojo, then I will personally work with you. In the meantime, I expect you to work on your self-esteem." It was a harsh response which entirely cloaked any kind of sense of caring. He didn't understand what her problem with Hayate. In fact, he was a lower-ranking shihan within the dojo, which is why he paired them together in the first place. It didn't sit well with him that a Yukihiro did not improve properly in his father's dojo but he didn't care much for her childishness.

But there was a desparity about her that he couldn't ignore. Perhaps he could beat it out of her. The rest of year, he sparred with her, holding nothing back. But what he witnessed surprised him. She was unnaturally resilient against him. She didn't keep on her feet as well as he'd like, but to his standards, that could mean anything. He saw that desparity in her, but it was desparity to improve and rid herself of shackles which burdened her. Of course, Kouta was entirely ignorant of this kind of psychological state, but Akimoto could sense it easily. He was close to babying the child, but knew word would spread to Isao-sama and would result in his chastisment.

It was entirely unusual to see a student, a first-year at that, practicing on the stage that was a platform. The other shihan disapproved, usually verbally and sometimes physically. Kouta would combat them appropriately. His words were strict to the precepts and usually flawed by others' standards, but he practiced strikes and thrusts and steps that physically represented what he was trying to explain. Bones broke and wooden frames shattered from these physical displays of disagreement and the subject would be dropped for a time until the next "lesson" needed to be conducted.

Several years later, Yue left Akimoto-sensei's dojo for the Academy. When she thought back to when she first started out at the dojo and how eager she was to leave, it seemed like such a stupid thing to think like that. The Academy was everything she'd expected, from the various classes to the after-hours activities she was practically forced to join. Most classes were just as hard as she expected but then she met her match: Zanjutsu. Yue quickly discovered she had little to no talent for wielding a blade of any kind - a katana was too big for her hands, just like the bokken (a wooden katana in place of the real one) they used in class. Several months in, Yue lost count of how many times the bokken slipped out of her hands and flew off in the opposite direction no matter how tightly she gripped the handle - it was a miracle no one had been hurt by an airborne bokken yet.

Yet, she did perfectly alright in other classes, mainly Kido. As the months slowly wore away, Yue settled into the monotonous routine of the Academy. Those months turned into years and in the middle of her third year, their group was elected to go into the Human world for a training session involving Konso. It was nerve-wracking, to say the least, as they'd never been in the Human world before.

As they stepped out of the Senkaimon, one by one, Yue was mildly disappointed to see no living beings in sight but that was understandable, seeing as they were in a rather deserted part of the town they'd emerged in. There were various souls scattered around, and as the teacher pointed them out and demonstrated Konso, he motioned for the rest to draw their Zanpakuto's and do the same.

Nearly four hours passed before their 'excercise' drew to an end, and as the students gathered themselves up again, the group was slightly smaller than what they'd started with. The missing students in question were, in fact, only around a 100 feet away, coming back from their last Konso ritual. Their sensei had been careless letting them go that far, despite having taught in the Academy so long. It was when they'd gotten closer that they realized something was... off.

It was quiet, eerily quiet as compared to the small noises that occasionally drew their attention some time ago. Yue attributed it to the fact that most of the souls were now gone - they'd be waking up in Rukongai sometime soon - but now the air was heavy and tense. Then it went wrong.

A couple of Hollows materialized behind the approaching students, and a dozen or so around the group, scaling down the buildings under the cover of the night. It was strange, the way they moved, quietly and without a whisper of sound. Only when Yue turned around, sensing a presence behind her, did it open its mouth and let out a cry that terrified Yue down to her very being. The cry was echoed by most of the other Hollows, those horrifying cries silent to the sleeping humans' ears.

The group, now alert, froze for a moment before panic overtook them. Their sensei berated himself for his carelessness, for not noticing the Hollows' presence but it was far too late. Even as he deflected a claw that swiped down towards a girl, two more were heading towards the student next to her. Zanpakuto's were raised, ready for action, and the Hollows sprang.

Kouta's fists crashed into some of the smaller Hollow, crushing them completely and voiding the application of Konso. But with the number of Hollows matching and even exceeding that of the students, such concerns were out of the question. He shouted for the seniors to take the underclassmen through the Senkaimon that had just been opened.

It might have been strange to see him trample toward the monsterous Hollow that surrounded Yue. Why didn't he use Hoho? But he continued to use his brute strength and utterly destroy passing Hollow that leapt toward him. The seniors protecting Yue fought valiantly against the creature, but when one was struck down, the another was impaled by a long claw.

When the tail dove into Yue, Kouta slipped under to push her out of the way and grapple the appendage. He couldn't quite crush it, but he then just lifted the creature by it's tail and swung it into the ground. He then pounced high into the air, performing a Soganseki into the Hollow's mask. This only cracked the heart of the monster. It cried out in pain, unable to effectively communicate verbally its woes. It was now deep in madness and crying from hunger.

The tail again flew toward Kouta with a claw moving simultaneously in the same direction. Any Shinigami would have have dodged the attack and allowed both to hit the Hollow itself, but Kouta tucked each one under either arm and squeezed his large muscles until the ends of each shattered. The Hollow cried so strongly that the air visibly vibrated around them.

Enduring this, Kouta flattened his hands and began to rapidly force them into the spine of the Hollow. This application of Sadobaggu Suraisu began to chip away at its Hierro and eventually cut the thing in half. This was not without resistance as it flailed and swung at Kouta. He only had to strike once at these attempts to knock them away or cut through the limbs themselves. It was a brutal and ruthless way to end a creature in endless torture.

For a fleeting moment, as she landed on the pavement just underneath the Hollow, Yue's eyes widened at Kouta-sensei's display of brute strength. He had single-handedly taken down one of the larger Hollows, without even using his Zanpakuto. However, Yue had no time to lose, as another Hollow came crashing towards them. She hurriedly got up, almost stumbling over the fallen senior's body and raised her hand towards the rapidly approaching Hollow. The incantation's words blended into each other as she spoke them but it did nothing to degrade the power of the spell. "Hado # 11, Tsuzuri Raiden!" The surge of electricity from Yue's hand connected with the very middle of the Hollow's mask, partly shattering it, but it continued to advance. Adrenaline was the that made her react as it descended down onto her and she turned, aiming a high reverse kick at its mask. The mask finally shattered under the force and with another Byakurai aimed at its abdomen, it disintegrated.

Yue continued opposing another Hollow that had taken the previous one's place, and, not even bothering about her Zanpakuto, Yue kept up a constant stream of Hado # 1: Shō spells, preventing the Hollows from getting too close and blasting them several feet away. This, of course, couldn't keep them off forever, and Yue knew she couldn't let Kouta-sensei handle them all. She began aiming kicks as powerful as she could manage at the smaller Hollows, watching them disintergrate after quite a few. They did their fair share of damage as well, battering her with dull hits and littering her body with various cuts, but that went unnoticed as her hands gripped a limb and she raised her leg and torso, deflecting a fist that could have quite literally smashed her flat.

It was getting harder to see as the sky slowly darkened, but eventually, it was over. There was no sign of any other being except Kouta-sensei and the two fallen seniors and for a moment, Yue felt mild relief. She vaguely realized that the seniors that led them out into the Human world lay dead a few feet away and her stomach turned - she couldn't stand thinking about it. However, that relief soon changed into panic. "The Senkaimon!" The Gate was gone.

He noted Yue take the aggressive reaction to his protecting her. She was shaping up nicely now that she was an Academy student. He feared she had softened too much, becoming stale, in the Dojo. He went to tear apart the other large Hollow before he noticed the wave of them had dissipated and Yue searched frantically for the Senkaimon.

"I had sent the live ones off through it as I arrived, Yue. We must wait here for them to return with suitable cause and reinforcements. For all they know, we've died as well."

It might have been strange to see Kouta in full Shinigami garb in contrast to Yue's Academy uniform. His single-edged tantō was fastened on his left hip. Like his father, his uniform lacked the shitagi and the kosode was sleeveless and opened wide to show off his physique. As mature as he acted, there were still faint amounts of insecurites he shouldered. His uniform was slightly worn and had a few tears. But considering what he was doing to those Hollow, many would consider that impressive.

Uncharacteristically, he gently fell his large hand onto Yue's pointy shoulder. "Come, we should get these men to a safe place before they're bodies are disrespected further by Hollow. Can you sense if there are any still around?"

Perhaps a silly question, but he was all the more serious. It may have been silly to consider someone assumingly less talented than she could pick up Hollows better but maybe he was just confirming his suspicions. Furthermore, it would have been difficult to sense much of anything other than him. His Reiryoku leaked more potently than his father's, and it was cold. She might have not noticed it during her time in the Dojo, but he wasn't in combat so he could control it more finely. A light fog began to form as the humidity met the chilly Reiatsu and their vision decreased.

Accidental double post.

Yue winced at the hand placed on her shoulder; it felt bruised, sending a dull throb of pain through her shoulder. She turned to glance back at the place where they'd last performed Konso and up at the buildings where she'd seen the Hollows emerge from; she could feel nothing, nothing foreign except Kouta-sensei. Even the most miniscule of pressure was absent. "No, sensei."

His heavy steps, again, much unlike his father's light, graceful steps, drove him to the lifeless bodies now cold with death. He managed to easily fling them over each shoulder and motion to Yue to follow him further away from the swarm site. "Do you know any good places we can hide while we wait for the Gotei?"

As she led Kouta-sensei to a barn she'd spotten nearby, Yue found her mind wandering back to the attack a few minutes prior. Kido that small hadn't taxed her Reiryoku reserves but it had still tired her out, and after accidentally electrocuting herself alongside getting smacked around like a ragdoll, Yue felt pretty beat up. Her Zanpakuto remained untouched at her side, barely hanging on as her uniform's sash was heavily torn a few inches away along one side.

It was spoken with such a foreign taste it was like Kouta didn't relate himself with the Gotei even as he worked for them now. Regardless, his steps remained heavy, almost forced, as he was led to a lone barn within the forest nearby. "Tsuki no Urotsuku Ōkami, Unari," he mumbled to himself. Immediately, the temperature dropped at least 10C and the fog became heavier. He found it was more useful to sense with his Shikai than his own ability to sense Reiatsu. It was more accurate anyway and with such an excessive amount of Reiryoku, it wasn't difficult for him to keep up in the least.

The Senkaimon's disappearance was unnerving to say the least; she'd never been away from the gate, ever. The prospect of waiting out here, in the Human world, was less than reassuring. However, Yue knew that she would not be taken as dead until her 'dead body' was found, something she knew her father would dedicate most of his energy to. They wouldn't be stuck out here for long, not before some Shinigami or the other - most likely dispached by her own House - traced their location.

The inside of the barn was surprisingly warm and dry, the interior devoid of anything but a few small piles of hay in the far corner. It was a welcome change, as they stepped in away from the mist that had formed outside. Yue had noted Kouta-sensei releasing his Zanpakuto as they had neared the barn, effectively dropping the temperature by a significant amount and combined with Yue's own freezing Reiatsu, she reckoned that if the temperature dropped any lower, they'd be close to subzero. It was getting highly uncomfortable on Yue's part - the biting cold was nearly too much to bear, despite her being used to it.

She waited for Kouta-sensei to put the seniors down to one side, pointedly ignoring the bodies as she felt another wave of mild nausea pass through her from only thinking about it. A moment later, she kneeled on the hard floor and bowed low to the man who'd most probably saved her life. "Thank you, Kouta-sensei." Yue said simply, the gratitude in her voice speaking for itself.

Though several long years had passed since she'd last set foot in Akimoto-sensei's dojo, Yue couldn't drop the -sensei suffix in place of -san; it was hard for her to think of Kouta as anyone else except her teacher, the teacher that she'd had for so long and had taught her so much. He was someone she looked up to, quite possibly more than anyone else, apart from his father.

"I didn't do much, Yue-chan," he started. The honorific was unusually warm but his tone remained cold. He'd known her for quite a while and knew that she felt a level of comfort by the name. He didn't call her this often, but he hoped it would calm her nerves. He needed her to be alert. "I merely helped with killing those Hollow. You did your job well. I, however," he started, turning his head slightly to where he'd placed the bodies.

"They'll find us soon, sensei, I'm sure of it." She murmured apologetically, her voice barely audible and while she didn't quite catch it at first, his chosen honorific made her give him a curious look, followed by a sweet smile.

She could almost see it happening back in the Academy - the panicked students, the frantic teacher running for reinforcements and then her own father, with his customary disapproving demeanor ordering a group of Shinigami back to the Human world.

"They have to, Yue-chan," he said again. "You get some rest, now. I'll keep on patrol."

He didn't look at her as she settled into some hay and even slightly digging herself deeper into the warm dead grass. He only mediated intently on his surroundings. He couldn't be bothered by the cold, but it was clear that Yue wasn't enough to control her Reiryoku enough so it wouldn't effect her own body temperature. It also had to do with the fact that she hadn't become used to her own Reiryoku, which would come with time. She was young.

Hours passed and Kouta couldn't sense anything within his fog. He coudln't even feel animals with their trace amounts of spiritual energy and there weren't any Hollows that seemed to be attracted by the obvious cloud of strong Reiatsu. This made him more cautious of his surroundings than if they were constantly ambushed by Hollows.

Eventually the sun rose behind a hazy morning sky, but with Kouta's mist, it was yet to be seen by the Shinigami. Animals began to near the fog and then quickly retreat, which was a positive sign. Having had his Shikai released the entire night, his Reiryoku was significantly lowered and he quickly released it, allowing what sun passed through the trees to enter through the cracks of the barn. In a new light, it was clearly abandoned.

He remained in a meditative state until she awoke. "I suggest we remain here until they find us. If it takes more than a few days, we'll have to go searching for food. I have gigai should we require them."

His voice was low and heavy, not much unlike his usual tone, but it was clearly taxed in some way.

It was quite a while until Yue woke up, the sun's rays not bothering her a tiny bit. What had disturbed her slumber was the persistent cold, something she noted had not faded overnight. Whether it was her own Reiryoku or Kouta-sensei's Shikai, she didn't know. The hay had offered little warmth, but it had been quite comfortable nonetheless. As the light streamed through the cracks in the run-down barn, Yue stretched, careful not to damage her uniform any further as she brushed a stray bug or two away.

The previous day's events were all one unpleasant blur and that was something Yue quickly shoved out of her mind in favour of getting up and out of the pile of hay. Kouta-sensei's words barely registered in her clouded mind at first, but then looking closer, Yue could tell he was tired.

"You should sleep, sensei. I could go look for food in the meantime, while it is still early." She spoke, subtly inching away as far as she could from the dead seniors.

"No, I'm not tired," he told her. He was still in fight-mode. He was focused and prepared. Still, he noted her care for him. "We'd best get prepared before we run into more trouble." It was as if he expected things to get worse before they got better. Of course, it was best to prepared...

Yue hoped that she hadn't forgotten how to pickpocket and pick locks, for while she wasn't proud of those 'skills', they were something she'd learned at the young age of four, when she'd died and entered Rukongai. It'd be an easy task to break in and grab some food without getting detected.

His stomach growled violently at her mention of food. For some reason, his own mention of it did not bother him. He glanced over to the bodies and as strong as his sense of duty was to these men, the need to sustenance overpowered his need to make sure the bodies remained safe and that they remained and that they remained in a single area.

He took the few steps necessary to reach the bodies and placed a cool hand on one of their chests. He pumped some of his remaining Reiatsu into the body, enough to keep his presence there for a few hours. He turned to face the girl with his ever-cold face.

He reached down into his open kosode and removed two square capsules. Pinching them, they turned into a beige dust that quickly filled an impressive area. When this cleared, there were two dummies laying on the ground of equal size and dimensions. His hand fell into the chest of one of them and his body quickly sank into the material which stretched and formed into his own size and shape as a soul. Still being in development, the gigai did not come with a default outfit.

Even in his nudity, he remained stoic and cold. He didn't expect Yue to enter the gigai until he returned with proper clothing. He, himself, chose to go out and do this himself. Still, he wanted her to remain there for a time still.

While she'd intended to follow Kouta-sensei's actions and enter the gigai, Yue turned rather hurriedly away a moment after he'd emerged stark naked, her face coloring at the unexpected sight and decided against trying the gigai. She was thankful for the fact that he'd left to find some clothes for her before she entered the gigai, something she could've unknowingly done had he not gone first.

While he was out, Yue tried to heal her shoulder and ribs with the one, low-level Kaido spell she knew. It was fairly slow but the green glow around her hand healed her well enough for most of the pain to subside, after half an hour or so of constant healing. The only indication of her injuries were dark, purpling bruises that Yue reckoned would fade soon enough. However, as much as she wanted to try out the Kaido spell onto the seniors, she knew it was a futile attempt.

The sun was warm and it was nice for feel on his skin. The long hike was welcome as well and the tall grass didn't seem to bother him. Within a half-hour, he reached a small river where some boys shouted and hollered while playing in its cool waters. This was a good sign that he'd be able to come across a town soon. Even still, he tried to stay out of sight of the boys.

After some scouting he found a faded trail that he hoped would lead to a house with some clothes. Eventually it had, and they were thankfully hanging out to dry. He took only a vest and a pair of trousers for himself that were too small for him but managed to wrap around his physique well enough to prevent the threat of ripping from wide movements.

The only thing he could find in Yue's size was a sundress and some boy's trousers. He also picked up a shirt and found some slippers that might fit her. Unable to find anything else suitable for either of them, he set back to the barn.

The vest remained unbuttoned since it was uncomfortable to have anything too tight around his torso, having grown up in a gi at an early age. The trousers could have reached below the calf but bunched themselves just above the muscle group. The trousers needed not be tied tight since they wouldn't lower past his waist without some effort. The even hair from his chest to his navel hid most ideas of "inapproriate." He looked bigger with such undersized clothing, however.

He partially meditated on his way to the barn. The gigai prevented any measures of recuperating any lost Reiryoku, which was the dangerous aspect of these things. Furthermore, the only way to remove one of them oneself was to burst out an amount of Reiatsu that would destroy the tool. His goal was to control what Reiryoku he had and keep it in instead of releasing it and accidently destroying the disguise.

It was close to ten in the morning by the time Kouta returned to the barn and handed the clothes to Yue. The gigai was the strangest part. As the dummy conformed around her short stature and took on her slender frame, as soon as Yue stood up it felt like nothing different from her normal 'body'.

"Please don't look yet," Though Kouta-sensei had turned away, she repeated her earlier request as she sorted out through the clothes he'd brought for her. She contemplated over her choices for a few moments, the sundress' floral pattern appealing to her much more than the cargo-like pants. Foregoing the shirt, Yue slipped into the trousers that were slightly too small for her, reaching her knees and then pulled the sundress over her head. It didn't look as bad as the knee-length skirt covered her pants quite well.

Pushing the barn's doors open, Yue turned and addressed Kouta. "I'll go look for food, sensei. I'll be back in a little while." With that, she walked out into the faint sunlight, her eyes quickly adjusting to the light.

Having aready journeyed far enough away from the barn, he'd already come to the conclusion that any threats nearby were minimal to non-existant. This put his mind at rest that Yue would come to no harm on a short journey for some food. He welcomed the rest, as well.

The town wasn't quite far off, so she set out into a comfortable pace and within and hour or so, reached the outskirts. Most of the buildings were low farmhouses with fields stretching out over vast distances at their rear. As it was already near noon, people were bustling in and out of their houses, preparing lunch and the like. Yue blended in pretty well among the people, appearing as a regular passerby.

The quietest house was smaller than the others but with a gate as high as Yue herself barricading outsiders away. Beyond the drawn curtains, Yue made out every room she could see was empy but even then she made minimal noise. She lifted herself up and over the fence surrounding the side, careful not to be spotted by neighbours or passersby. It was fairly easy to break in, as the back door was wide open. On the far side of the house, a few feet away, was a dog kennel which most likely housed a guard dog. Hearing the deep growls coming from the kennel, Yue silently tiptoed past he threshold and entered the house. To her luck, it was empty, save for an occupant that was clearly taking a bath in where Yue assumed was the bathroom.

The house had a bright, happily decorated appearance yet it was quiet, almost unnervingly so, as Yue moved along the wooden floors like a shadow. Moving past several doors made her hasten her steps as she reached the kitchen, raiding the cupboards and fridge in silent yet hurried movements. She was careful to take only an unnoticeable amount of food, something she could easily carry and left everything in its place prior to her intrusion. Yue was out of the house in a matter of minutes and legged it back to the barn, worried that she'd been gone far too long to care about the man that had spotted her and cried out after her.

The sun was quite bright by now, the warm sunlight flooding into the barn as she quietly slipped in, her arms full of packed lunch of sorts and a couple of packets of biscuits of some kind. Human food was decidedly weird as she set the food down in a cleaner corner of the barn with not so much hay strewn about. Yue herself hadn't had much of an appetite since she'd woken up, so she decided to sit a few feet away, slipping back into her usual mannerisms.

The barn being small and quite run-down, even the faintest of sounds could be heard from the surroundings. However, the sound that nearly shook the structure from its intensity was all-too-familiar. Another Hollow cry reverbrated through the air and Yue was quickly on her feet, alert. Listening closely, however, revealed another, different cry from the Hollow's, that of a child. The Hollow nearing, Yue made a snap decision and dashed out the door, out into the open. The sunlight blinded her momentarily, but a large shadow was quickly cast over it as the Hollow loomed overhead.

Her guess had been correct: a small child, seeming no older than five was running at a breakneck speed in the barn's direction, the Hollow trampling along at an alarmingly fast pace behind it. Yue didn't react for a few moments, only watching the Hollow chase the child. It was obvious the child had some spiritual power as it had attracted one of the larger Hollows, a Hollow that was quickly gaining on it.

Seeing that the child was nearing, Yue felt a bit of panic creep over her. What was she supposed to do? Help the child? She didn't even know how to get out of the darn gigai. Thankfully, the Hollow hadn't spotted her yet, but the child did, and altered its direction towards Yue. Alarmed, Yue made another split second decision and let the child run past. The Hollow neared, just in time to get hit by Shakkaho. However, as the Hollow moved in the last second, it only severed its right arm and a portion of the shoulder. A terrible cry rumbled through the air before the Hollow somewhat recovered and continued its path towards the kid and now Yue. She backed away, keeping the child out of sight behind her as she started chanting another spell, aware that her Reiryoku was running dangerously low.

"Yue, stop!" Kouta shouted from behind. It was clear she was focusing on saving the child rather than herself. She'd be cut down in the gigai and even he didn't know how that mechanically worked.

He leapt over the both of them, minding the flow of his Reiryoku and that it wouldn't expel from his body. That Reiryoku channelled into his legs and then moved to his right arm which crashed into the creature's head, shattering the mask and deforming the face. The beast fell to the ground, twitching. It was a low-level Hollow, only recently growing larger. Its defensive and offensive capabilities didn't stretch much further than swinging its arms wildly.

The Hollow disintigrated shortly after and Kouta turned to make sure both Yue and the child were unharmed. "You could see that creature, boy?" he asked in his cold yet robust tone.

The boy was crying, holding on to the back of Yue's dress even after the Hollow was destroyed. "Yes," He replied, his voice weak and shaky. "It's a monster," However, he would not elaborate any more.

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the child clinging onto her like his life depended on it, Yue gently pried his hands away and knelt down next to him at eye level. He was still crying, and she suspected that it was also partly because he was probably intimidated by Kouta. "What's your name?" She inquired as gently as possible, but he continued to cry from the shock of the Hollow. Seeing no other alternative, Yue drew him into her arms in an attempt to calm him down and while at first it seemed to have no effect, his shaking form graully stilled.

Kouta wasn't surprised by her warmth. She possessed a childishness that deeply cared for others, even if she didn't know it. He stood back, caring little to intervene further in a situation that was beyond a human child to be caught up within.

"What's your name?" Yue repeated but didn't let go of the boy.

He didn't seem too inclined to answer but, exhausted from all the running, gave in. "Seamus," He managed, not looking up at Kouta or Yue. She patted him on the back and stood up, keeping hold of the boy's hand.

"Where do you live?" Yue asked, not too repulsed at the idea of taking care of an unknown child. "Do your parents know you're here?"

Seamus shook his head. "I'm not sure, miss. I live there," He pointed towards the rather large town and Yue knew that unless someone came looking for him, it would be impossible to find his family - they couldn't go knocking at every house until they found the one that he lived in. "I was with my dad when the monster came, I ran away," Yue sighed and gave Kouta a helpless look. Now what?

She had no clue what to do with the kid, having lived a sheltered life for so long and fending for herself prior to that. No matter what she knew the rational thing to do was - ditch the kid to avoid any more danger - Yue just couldn't let him go all by himself. He was aware of spiritual beings, as he'd demonstrated while running from the Hollow but that just meant he'd attract even more. It was risky, but she could tell Seamus didn't want to be left behind either.

"Do you want to stay with us until someone comes to find you?" Seamus nodded in response, and Yue sighed. "Okay then. Are you hungry?" He nodded once again, so Yue gently tugged on his hand in the direction of the barn. "Come on, let's go." Yue could tell he was mildly suspicious but in no place to deny food, for he had probably missed breakfast and by the looks of him, he most likely came from one of he poorer families. And that spelt trouble, for the poor families rarely ever cared enough to search for their missing children, as they probably had too many to handle.

Minutes later, Seamus sat on one of the haystack, devouring one biscuit after the other at an alarming pace until Yue took the packet away from him and handed them to him instead. While he was eating, he kept up a stream of constant questions that Yue had to deal with, as she knew Kouta probably wasn't too keen on answering. It was hard, as she had to come up with new identities for both on the spot, and Yue was soon thanking the heavens for her "gift".

"Where do you live, miss?"

"In a small village a few miles away."

"...Then why are you living in a barn?"

"We're not living here, I just don't like the sun much. And please don't call me miss, I'm not that old."

"What's your name then?"

"Hannah."

"What about him?" Seamus inclined his head towards Kouta. "Why is he with you? Do you know him? Why are you traveling with a stranger?"

"I'm not traveling, Seamus. And he's not a stranger. He's my... brother."

"He doesn't look like your brother..."

"I was adopted?" That came out as more of a question than a statement but the young child didn't pick up on it.

"What's your name, mister?" Seamus turned towards Kouta.

Yue poked the boy's arm to get his attention and handed him another biscuit. "Hush now, enough questions. Eat up."

By the time Seamus was done eating, quite a bit of time had elapsed. His questions had thankfully stopped while he ate but now that he had nothing to do, they started up again.

"Hannah?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you dressed like that?"

Dissatisfied with the manner in which Yue was dealing with the situation, Kouta took a direct route with answering the boy.

"We stole them from the village where you came from. We don't belong here." He never glanced at Yue. Who would believe a single boy with information Kouta was about to tell him? "We're spirits who took human form and required clothing. We were sent here to save you and protect them until they are to be buried and angles come to take us back," he pointed to the two Shinigami lying in the corner of the barn while lying more convincingly than Yue. It was more convincing due to his cold tone. Seamus only gawked at the man, glancing at the lady a few times as well to just more fully absorb this amazing information. "We require food and shelter as we take human form," hinting at the fact that they needed both in order to survive.

"Now that we've fed and comforted you, it's time you go back home. We'll watch over you on your way back."

At this, Kouta looked over to Yue with a cold and hard stare, willing her to accept their "cover" being blown. He'd already eaten the food Yue had gathered for them, leaving the two of them hungry and without energy. Because of Yue, they had to go longer without food as they waited for a rescue squad to show up.

Yue's smile didn't falter, only perhaps morphing into a more amused smile as Kouta told the child everything. She highly doubted the child would actually believe him, as she felt Seamus had more intelligence than that. Kouta's stare didn't outwardly faze her.

Kouta's icy demeanour was nothing new to her, having already been exposed to it for several years. Even then, it baffled her and left her feeling a bit sad, but Yue didn't know how to deal with it. She did honestly think of him as sort of a brother but It was in her nature to forego the thought of herself and put others forward; maybe this time she should've thought of Kouta instead of the boy. But she couldn't leave him out there, all by himself. Yue returned Kouta's stare with a blank look, the smile barely there.

He motion for the boy to rise and exit the barn while he stood close behind. Seamus looked up at the large man who only looked firmly forward, scanning the immediate area around them. "What's your name?" he asked again.

"Aodh," he lied. How he came up with the name was unknown, perhaps he absorbed the land's knowledge.

"Really? Seems ironic to me," Seamus mused, knowing the name meant "fire" and picking up on his unusually cold demeanor.

Again, he sensed nothing around them. This struck him as strange for a single Hollow attacked a small boy rather than two significant sources of Reiatsu. "Do you sense anything, Hannah?" he asked without hesitating upon her new name.

For a fleeting moment, Yue felt something. What, she couldn't tell. But a split second later, it was gone. She reassured herself with the thoughts of it just being a rescue squad but despite that, her uneasiness grew within her. She thought back to the initial attack; the way the Hollows remained undetected despite their proximity, until the very last second.

However, Yue didn't want to scare the child or alarm Kouta with that information. As Kouta had arrived moments after the attack, he probably hadn't noticed that unsettling characteristic. Her paranoia grew, until it just spilled past her lips. "They're nearly undetectable. No one, not even the instructor could sense them until it was too late." Yue's mind replayed the frightening scenario in an endless loop, and she knew Kouta would be angry at her, very angry, for not sharing that information.

"Are you telling me you sensed one just now?" His eyes darted around them. He wasn't able to see anything other than leaves and branches twitching in the cooling autumn breezes. His hand jolted to the hilt of his Zanpakuto, hoping to gain the upper hand by being prepared rather than exerting any more spiritural pressure than he needed to.

"I think so," She replied. There it was again, that strage, uneasy feeling. Yue could practically see the Hollows scaling downn the trees, one by one, swarming in until they were overwhelmed. After a moment of panicked searching, Yue located one of the wakizashi at her side and the other was nowhere to be seen.

Worriedly, she got up and walked a little distance away from Kouta and Seamus looking for the other half of her Zanpakuto, inwardly berating herself for being so stupid as to lose it. In the distance, a glint caught her eye and after a moment of squinting through the bright sunlight, Yue made out the mint-colored handle of her Zanpakuto. Crossing the twenty or so metres to get it, she bent down to pick it up before a chill ran through her. The same kind of chill she'd felt moments before the first attack.

Turning on her heel, Yue darted back towards Kouta and Seamus. "They're coming!" Her hand gripped the hilt of her Zanpakuto and as the first of the Hollows materialized, she pushed Seamus behind her, out of sight, on instinct. In less than a moment, Yue made the split-second decision. She had little Reiryoku left for enough Kido. Nor could she fight efficiently without that Kido so she did the next best thing: "Split the heavens, Seion no Arashi!" A blinding lavender light flashed from the disintergrating wakizashi, before it materialized back onto her hands into a much more useful weapon. Her gigai was gone; the dummy had exploded outward into dust the moment Yue's soul had exited.

The distorted bodies of the Hollows lunged - every single one Yue took down, another took its place. Deaden Nerves was of little use; numbing didn't stop the masses of Hollows from storming forward, in an alarmingly uniform manner. Slash after slash released a small bolt of lightning incinerating those in its path into ashes. It kept her from getting too overwhelmed on her side; even so, Yue kept an eye on Kouta although she knew he didn't need it, but her concern didn't stop her from worrying about the man. Seamus was miraculously ignored at this point, due to his spiritual pressure being dwarfed by Yue's released Reiatsu.

His eyes darted around even faster, trying to focus on any movements around them. All he could see were the leaves and branches swaying in the breeze. "Damn it," he said under his breath, and then Yue darted away. He glanced over and noticed she had dropped her Zanpakuto while they focused so much on their surroundings. Her Zanpakuto wouldn't be happy with her.

A Hollow leapt at Kouta's face and he knocked it away with his left hand before slipping his own Zanpakuto out of its sheath to slash at another's mask. These ones weren't particularly strong, but the swarm-like behavior of them made him understand why the instructors had been killed.

It was clear that Seion no Arashi was quite upset with her indeed. Tearing herself out of her gigai provided to her a sense of power and ability and she successfully summoned her Shikai, but it wasn't working properly. Kouta wouldn't be able to know, not right away. Its charges weren't strong enough and they even energized some of the Hollows rather than paralysing or numbing them.

It began to spark even without her command and threatened to zap her. Kouta was too busy fighting back the Hollows without ripping off his gigai. He wanted to keep a corporeal form for the boy so they could successfully find his father. He needed to keep his Reiryoku steady and resist releasing any Reiatsu. His arms and legs swung around. Being so large had its advantages and he took out a few with every swing, but the horde didn't seem to dwindle noticeably.

Kouta saw a large spark emit from Yue's Zanpakuto and he pulled Seamus away from her in response. He glared at her and her Zanpakuto, inwardly hating himself for failing to notice this inevitability. Of course her Zanpakuto would throw a hissy fit for being dropped. It was still so young and Yue's experience with it so limited. Kouta couldn't worry about the girl and considered her death a likely possibility and continued fighting. He circled quickly around the small boy in order to protect him.

His arms and legs moved around the small child until he realized the boy was no longer there. Screeching like the Hollows around them, the boy flailed in the arms of a hollow. "Shit," he whispered through a grunting shout. Kouta slashed through several Hollows at once and leapt into the trees where the nimble creature escaped with the kidnapped child. "Seamus!" he screamed from his chest, pushing through the air forcefully. The boy only continued to shout and flail in the white arms which wrapped around him tightly. It was a trap, and one that Kouta willingly fell into.