Upon stepping out of the Senkaimon, it all seemed well for a while. They'd emerged farther out than where they'd been last time, for Yue could feel nothing; not even the presence of the Yukihiro clansmen. It was unnaturally silent, leading Yue to wonder whether Hiroshi had opened the Senkaimon at the wrong place.

Then she saw the fog. The temperature dropped the more she approached, uncharacteristic of an autumn's day. After a moment of wandering, Hiroshi's hand on her shoulder, it finally dawned on her; it was Kouta's Shikai. But why would he release it? It was then that she finally heard the sounds of blades clashing and bodies falling. It seemed that there was some conflict right in the middle but the fog made it impossible to see anything within three feet ahead of her, even though she was only on the edge. 

As she started venturing into the fog, Hiroshi's presence suddenly vanished from behind her. Alarmed, Yue turned around to face only the forest, with nothing in between, when his hand came down on her shoulder again. Only, his grip was much too tight for comfort, his fingers digging into her shoulder so hard Yue was surprised they hadn't broken through her skin. He whirled her around, and Yue realized his reiatsu was entirely different. 

It struck her the moment she tore herself away and backed away several feet that Hiroshi wasn't himself, even as he started to speak. He was something else. "It took so much effort to isolate you two, yet you still don't die! Your meddling family had to interfere; now they pay the price. Shame Isao wasn't one of them. Doesn't seem like the 'hands-on' kind of man, the coward."

The sounds of fighting continued to emerge from the fog. As Hiroshi's words slowly sunk in, Yue's mind was working at an alarming pace, outlining different outcomes based on different actions. Admittedly, it didn't look too good for her at that moment. Foregoing the incantaion, Yue shot a Bakudo spell at the man's form; however, even before it hit something went through his chest from behind and protruded out, instantly killing the man. Hiroshi writhed for a split second, his face frozen in an expression of shock before he went limp and the thing, whatever it was, dragged his lifeless body into the mist. 

Though Hiroshi was gone, Yue had a million and one thoughts running through her mind. She could escape; the Sekaimon still stood open a few feet away, though she could not see it. But whatever was happening in the mist sounded bad; had that thing or Hiroshi killed off her clansmen? Was Kouta handling a surge of Hollows by himself? That thought didn't sit well with her and, though she knew the man was more than capable of handling Hollows, the fact that he'd released his Shikai signified something bad. 

With those alarming thoughts nagging at her mind, Yue approached the sounds of fighting; bodies littered the ground at her feet and as she bent down to examine them. She realized with a sickening, horrifying feeling that these were Yukihiro clansmen. The feeling of unease grew on her more and more every second. 

It was barely a minute or so before she made out two misty silhouettes in the fog. "Kouta-sensei?" She whispered, unable to raise her voice past a whisper. The two forms clashed again and again, Yue unable to make out anything, not even the words one of them seemed to be yelling. At first it was impossible to tell who was who; but then, Yue slowly discerned the distinct Yukihiro fighting style one of them was utilizing. And the fact that he was still standing up against Kouta meant that he was one of the more talented members as most that had been sent were of low tier. It had to be Hayate, Yue could feel it. Yet she said nothing, standing in the fog a mere ten feet away watching the fight unfold. 

After what seemed like an eternity, Yue inched closer, careful not to get in the way. Now that she was closer, she could make out Hayate's vacant expression; his face devoid of an expression and his distinct reiatsu gone. Something was wrong. 

"Hayate-san?" That was her mistake. In an instant, Hayate's blade was at her throat. Kouta was there immediately after, his large hand clasping Hayate's forearm to push away the blade. Instinctively Yue ducked away from Hayate and came up behind him, one hand on her Zanpakuto. "Split the heavens, Seion no Arashi." Nothing happened. The Zanpakuto remained sealed, Yue staring at it in alarm. 

Up ahead, Hayate had whirled around and was advancing towards her, his blade once again about to bear down on her. "Disintergrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat! Bakudo # 9: Geki!" The flash of red light that engulfed Hayate blinded her but the air whistled next to her ear, the man's blade coming dangerously close to her head, making her doubt the spell's success. Once again, Yue narrowly avoided his katana and dashed out of the way, knowing she couldn't keep it up any longer with her nonexistent knowledge of Zanjutsu. Kouta was, luckily, directly behind her to deflect another one of his strikes he made with blinding speed. Even he had difficulty following the man's movements within his mist.

Apparently their game of cat and mouse wasn't of any interest to Hayate anymore as he went back to targeting Kouta, whom he'd decided was the more dangerous adversary. However, he'd realized that his left arm and part of his torso was paralyzed too late; his leg was also slowly succumbing to the paralysis. Kouta had just become used to the Yukihiro's speed, but it had diminished significantly.