With the Captains suffering casualties and heavy injuries on their side, all hope seemed to be lost... until Shinji Hirako appeared, along with the rest of the former Shinigami. Though the aid of the Vizards certainly helped to draw the battle in their favor, it seemed Aizen's power alone proved too much for them.
It appeared out of nowhere. The Senkai Gate in the middle of the trees. Not that anybody walking through the area would've been able to see it, hopefully, but Daigoro was taking precautions. The number of spiritually aware humans was growing exponentially, and Daigoro didn't want to be seen. So he opened it up in the middle of the forest, in a vacant clearing, empty of humanity. He sighed, and walked through, hoping that Areno and his men was still following.
Truth be told, he had high hopes for the kid. Although his mission was capture of the fugitive, Areno's survival was paramount. And the didn't bother Daigoro one bit. He was happy to make sure that he survived, and if there wasn't too much help required, Daigoro might even try to put a good word in with the Captain of Areno's division. Isane Kotetsu, if he remebered correctly, but he hadn't checked for quite some time.
Areno exited into the forest and sighed with a bit of despair. He was not fond of forests. He felt too closed in. He prefered the wide open expanses of the desert. Heck, he had once been accidently sent to Hueco Mundo with Hitsugaya and Satsu, but it hadn't bothered him too much because he liked the desert despite the permeanent stench of hollow. Areno walked over to Daigoro. "Any ideas where she might be?" he asked quietly so only Dai could hear. He was mentally going through binding kido in his head and hiding his reiatsu as much as possible to prevent detection. His hell butterfly was resting on one of his shoulders.
Daigoro shook his head. He had absolutely no idea where to start either... He sighed, and leapt up onto one of the nearby trees. Looking around, he realised that they were quite close to the edge of the forest. That was good. That meant that they could keep the fighting within the limits of the forest, but have an open escape route if necessary. He sighed again, and beckoned the other Shinigami to come by him. He needed at leas two pairs of eyes up front.
[color=Red}"Keep watching. We don't know where she is, and we don't know when she'll strike. That is, if she's anywhere near here."[/color]
Areno nodded and stood silent focusing out into the distance using his knowledge of reiatsu and his control of it to the maximum in order to try and detect any sign of a large reiatsu that would indicated a shinigami. He was also trying to slightly overpower Daigoro's reiatsu so if Hotaru sensed anyone coming she would think it was a friend. He knew a kidou spell that would make this simple, but he could not use it. Nor could Dai or any of the others. Well, that wasn't necessarily true. They might be able to use the spell, but they couldn't use it to detect Hotaru because they didn't know her reiatsu well enough. Areno sighed deeply. He wished he was stronger. Then he could end this mission almost instantly.
"Daigoro-sama, although it would put us at risk, splitting up might find her quicker." Areno suggested meekly without opening his eyes or dropping his focus. "Though stay within quick shunpoing distance so the others can get there if someone finds her."
"Pathetic,"Hotaru thought to her self as she saw these two men squander around searching for her.
She had hid her reiatsu very well, and they had not noticed. While she was spying she was assessing which one was stronger. She couldn't tell, because it took so much concentration to hide her spiritual pressure.
"Daigoro-sama, although it would put us at risk, splitting up might find her quicker."
She smiled as the man conversed this with the other. "Excellent, now I'll just pick you off one by one!",she thought to her self.
She figured she'd take out the one who suggested this first, and then the other. She smiled, and almost laughed. Soon that one thing she desired most would be hers.
("Daigoro-sama, although it would put us at risk, splitting up might find her quicker.")
Daigoro sighed and nodded. It would be risky, but it would help. He looked around, taking note of a couple of landmarks nearby. One was quite high, and would give him a good vantage point, as well as a quick shunpo down to where Areno would be searching.
He turned in that direction, which just happened to be the way to go further away from Hotaru.
"You begin your search, Areno. I've found a useful vantage point." He flash-stepped away, and towards the tree that towered above the rest. As he reached the tree, he thought that he noticed a new Reiatsu signature behind him, but ignored it.
"Yes Daigoro-sama." he said calmly. Areno nodded and shunpoed in the opposite direction to which Daigoro had stood. He had found another vantage point. Not as high as Daigoro's but wider. He sat down in meditation focusing even greater on trying to detect the reiatsu. It was then he caught the faintest wisp of reiatsu. It could be a spiritually aware human walking in the forest, a weak hollow or someone trying to hide their reiatsu. He wasn't sure, but he decided to act on it. Without being conspicuous he altered his hand positon so his palms were facing towards the direction of the reiatsu. To the casual observer it would seem like he had just altered his stance slightly.
"Hado 4: Byakurai." he stated almost silently. A blast of pale blue lightning launched in the direction of the reiatsu. His eyes opened slightly so he could just see. He was ready to react if someone attempted to strike.
"You begin your search, Areno. I've found a useful vantage point."
She smiled as opportunity had presented it in the best form. They had split up. The other man, who she gathered was Areno, shunpo'd in the opposite direction of the other man. Silently she ran parallel to him in the trees.
He began to meditate and she began to draw her zanpakuto, it was then that she let her reiatsu slip just a slight.
"Hado 4: Byakurai.", the lightning sped towards her position and she smiled.
She held out her hand where she thought the lightning would hit and whispered low enough so the other man wouldn't hear.
"Bakudo Number 8: Seki", the round shield proceeded to block the lightning.
Hotaru stepped out from the shadows and drew her zanpakuto, making as little noise as possible. She smiled at the man, and tried to look innocent.
"Hello, Areno-sama how do you do today?", she asked as if she didn't know why he was there.
As soon as Daigoro saw her, his right hand went directly to the hilt of his zanpakuto on his right hip. His eyes narrowed, and he watched carefully, waiting for any movement that might suggest attack. It seemed that she was Hotaru, considering the description, so Daigoro knew what he was to do. He sighed, it also appeared that she was simply talking to Areno at the moment. Good. He might be able to convince her to come quietly. But Daigoro took no chances, keeping an ever-vigilant watch on the woman.
Areno looked at her and drew his own zanpakutoh, a khopesh, but held it loosely like he had drawn it just for protection. "I am fine Hotaru. How are you?" he replied. "Why are you here Hotaru? Why have you changed?" he asked calmly and politely. He watched her like a mongoose watching a snake ready to move and counter strike if she struck at him. She did not know his shikai. Nor did she know his speciality was binding kido. Areno's free hand, though not obviously, was held in position for a binding kido. He was thinking bakudo 9.
