BLEACH: The Mourning Shinigami

Mei didn't say much but threw her sword straight at Shunsui, it was like a ray of judgment that tore through space and the ground on its way towards Shunsui with terrible speed.

Mei's disappearance made Shunsui immediately alert when he saw Mei appear above him and slashed down with the still sheathed sword with such terrifying force that the ground shattered but he still dodged.

Greeting him next was an energy blast from Yasutora Sado's Fullbring, Brazo Derecha de Gigante, he did not dodge it but used his bare hands to block Chad's attack causing his pink haori to fly away because the force of the wind was too great and then nonchalantly throw it away like a toy where it slams into a wall.

"My my! You sure is a dangerouse but beautiful rose, lady." Shunsui glanced at Mei and continued drinking sake as if nothing had happened even though he was a bit surprised that she could be so incredibly strong using just such simple speed and strength.

No wonder Ichimaru said there was a woman out there who wasn't ordinary. He glanced at the ground that had exploded and cracked right where he was sitting earlier with the conical hat he used to wear being held in Mei's hand. He stood up and spoke with a slightly more serious expression. "I had hoped that we could avoid this, but here we are."

"You missed again" Chad fires several more energy blasts, each of which shake the compound and destroy portions of the surrounding area as Shunsui nonchalantly dodges them. After Shunsui evades his last blast and drinks more sake, a sweating and confused Sado wonders why he has not been able to hit Shunsui once and recalls Tatsufusa introducing himself as a 3rd Seat before questioning if two ranks can really make that much of a difference and if captains are really this powerful.

Chad looked over at Mei and saw that she couldn't use her full power because Chad was there, making him feel even more guilty and panicked when Chad's attack almost hit Mei too if she didn't was able to block the attack. "So are you ready to reconsider yet?"

"Surely you can see that this is futile, you have great skills and for a human, your destructive power is impressive." Shunsui explained that when he saw that Chad was tired, confirming the target also caused his partner to get hit and the attack speed was slower than before. "But you're never going to be able to hit me. You're smart enough to realize how this is going to end up. Why don't you go home while you still can?"

"Thanks for the advice. But nothing's going to stop us!" Chad merely thanks him for the suggestion before declaring that he cannot withdraw as he rushes at Shunsui and fires another energy blast.

"Wait Sado-kun! Don't approach him-!" Mei was immediately stopped by Nanao, Shunsui's lieutenant, who did not let her help Chad at all. This was the first time she felt so threatened and it wasn't okay, if she did anything wrong Chad would be killed by Shunsui.

"Have it your way then." Shunsui avoids by ducking at the last second. With the blast destroying a large portion of the area behind where he was standing, Shunsui appears behind Sado and explains to him. "You ought to know, my friend... There are two kinds of attacks, those that run out of gas completely when you reach the poin of exhaustion and those where you can still push beyond that but at the expense of your life force."

"Your attacks are obviously the latter type." Pressing two fingers against Sado's right shoulder, Shunsui uses Tsukiyubi, sending Sado hurtling across the compound and down the length of the trench his first blast gouged into the ground for several seconds while he yells in surprise. "I'll spare you the usual insults and allow you to withdraw. If you keep doing it, you'll die."

"Hm.... You are quite stubborn." As Sado comes to a halt near the wall he destroyed and sits up while panting heavily, Shunsui encourages him to leave and promises to not disparage him for doing so, only to realize Sado has still not changed his mind and sigh. "What is it that makes you so unreasonable? What's your purpose? Why did you come here in the first place?"

"I've come to save the life of Kuchiki Rukia's." Chad replied while trying to stand and breathing heavily.

"Rukia? You can't mean Rukia, the Sou Reaper who went missing in the Human World this spring?" Shunsui was surprised to hear the reason why these Ryoka came here so regardless, he crossed his arms when he started telling Chad about life philosophy. "That's not enough time for a true friendship. A relationship like that can't be worth risking your life over."

"I can't deny.... I don't know very much about her. That's not the point I might not risk my life for her but.... Ichigo wants to save her life." Chad replied with a determined expression as he looked straight at Shunsui. "And that's all I need to know. What may seem like an unworthy cause to you is more than enough reason for me!"

"Well, I tried. But if you're that determined, it would be insulting for me to ask you to back down. I guess it can't be avoided." While musing that it would be insulting to ask Sado to leave after learning how strong his resolve is, Shunsui draws his twin Zanpakutō and asserts that he now has no choice other than to take Sado's life. "Unfortunately, it means now I'm going to have to take your life."

Upon seeing this, Sado begins charging at Shunsui and prepares to unleash one final energy blast as he mentally notes that this might kill him before promising Ichigo that he will swear once more what they swore before should he survive.

"I'm sorry..." However, after Sado unleashes his blast and destroys the captain's office, he expresses shock as Shunsui lands behind him and apologizes, leaving Sado to spurt a large amount of blood from a wound on his chest. "I must admit. It surprises me that his final attack was that powerful. If I had taken a direct hit, I might have had a real problem here...."

"It's amazing enough that a human could even get into the Seireitei to begin with.... but to think that he could fight this hard.... Huh...." But when the sudden realization hit him hard that before he killed Chad there was a red lightning strike that appeared for a fraction of a second when Mei disappeared from Shunsui's sight so fast that she left an afterimage and Chad was not injured at all. The blood on the ground is not Chad's, proving that woman block his attack and Chad just fainted from being hit on his neck. "Could it be that the woman...."

After escaping the 8th Division's barracks, Mei finally stopped to catch her breath. She turned her head to look at the place she had left with a somber and guilty look at leaving Chad there. She didn't know if they would do anything to him but she decided to bet that Shunsui would just take him as a prisoner.

Suddenly, Mei experiences the sensation of a powerful Reiatsu crushing down on her, she immediately realizes that this Reiatsu belongs to the bastard who slashed her almost to death from Senzaikyū, is at the white tower where Rukia is being held. So someone had rescued Rukia but was unlucky enough to be blocked by that bastard. She frowned and immediately went there. Like a flash of lightning in stormy days, she appeared and disappeared....

"I weep for the departed..."

For a moment Byakuya could feel everything seem to stand still, including his body, his mind seemed blank. There were also red raindrops falling from the sky but also standing still in mid-air, the space and everything turned white, gray and black like the screen of an old television.

He no longer had any purpose as he was about to complete the sword swing intended to finish off Rukia and Hanatarō, the feeling of dread rising in his mind as none of his senses worked anymore. The amount of Reiatsu was more than double his, no.... Probably equal to the Royal Guards which made him feel like his throat was about to be crushed by this person's Reiatsu. This was his primal instinct calling him to leave immediately....

"All that is past....has returned to Nihility."

"Just like tears.... eventually disappear in the rain."

"Strike forward... the gleam of old blades...."

Mei's hair gradually turns silver and her eyes slowly turn red with white pupils as she pulls out her sword. Most of her outfit is now colored in red, white and black, things like red cracks appearing on her cheekbones and her right arm. Strange red and white flowers appear on her arms, chest, and shoulders guards.

When the sword is unsheathed, she can catch a glimpse of herself in the reflection of the blade, is this her herself...? A stream of blood-red tears flowed from her eyes, she was crying for the people she met in their memories.

"Are you certain that you want to kill this men?" She raised her sword and was about to slash it down to finish off Byakuya as he intended to kill those she considered "friends" when a small voice in Mei's head stopped her hand midway. It was the voice of her sword. "You know what you have to sacrifice to use this power."

That's right.... That sacrifice is her memory, past and present with her senses. Since she doesn't remember who she was in the past, using it is impossible, only the memories of the present remain. Will it make her forget everyone...? That made her stand still, torn between killed and protect her friends with herself desires, but as she hesitated, her wrist that was holding the sword and raising it was held gently but firmly by someone.

"Close one! That's one of dangerous move, little lady!" It was a tall, but thin-looking, silver-haired person with a kind and friendly expression holding her hand while the other hand was placed on Mei's left shoulder as if reassuring her. He smiled from Mei to Byakuya, still holding the sword up, turning to look at the man with white hair. "Why don't we leave it at that and solve this in peace, Captain Kuchiki and lady Ryoka?"

"Captain Ukitake!" Rukia exclaimed in surprise when she saw that even the Thirteenth Division Captain was here to prevent the death that almost happened right here.

"Hey there, Kuchiki! You look slimmer!"Ukitake happily greeted Rukia and responded to her words in an extremely friendly manner like an old friend and not an enemy."Are you alright?"

Mei clicked her tongue and sheathed her sword causing her Reiatsu to slowly subside but then she took the sheathed sword and pointed it at Byakuya's head when he saw that he still hadn't put down his sword.

"Bastard.... You should stay indoors when you've used up all your luck to survive." The color of her hair and skin along with her clothes were returning to their old color when the sword was no longer drawn, in Mei's eyes there was only hatred for Byakuya when he almost killed Ganju and harmed the other two. That made some feeling well up inside her. While Ukitake had no intention of causing harm or anything, she was caught off guard with him alone and was knocked unconscious by him. She dropped her sword and fell, but luckily Ukitake caught her in time to prevent her from hitting her head on the railing.