Bleach: The Ryoka

Chapter 3: Investigations

    Soi Fon's news of the ryoka that just broke into the Soul Society prompted Yoruichi to leave Urahara's Shop and the living world to the scene of the crime. Kisuke would have accompanied her, however, since he has been punished a long time ago and became a human, he has never been allowed to return to the Soul Society ever again.

    Yoruichi lets her colleague guide her through the gateway from the human world to the afterlife. From there they travel on foot to the Southern Woods of the Soul Society. In a clearing that wasn't made made by nature but more like something that fell from the sky, there is a crater that is roughly fifty yards in length.

    "This is where the ryoka first landed in the Soul Society," Soi Fon informs her former mentor. "We haven't been able to gain any information on who or what we are dealing with. All we know for sure is that it's only one of them."

    Yoruichi asks, "What makes you so sure of that Soi Fon?"

    "Because there hasn't been any other crash sites around here and this can only be made by one being," Soi Fon explains. "I have my men searching all around for a suspicious figure and when they do they are to apprehend him or her." Yoruichi examines the crater.

    Yoruichi thinks to herself, "This is a little more than a coincidence to believe. First Haru disappears and then now someone illegally enters the Soul Society. It just doesn't add up though... What's really going on here?"

    Soi Fon asks, "Lady Yoruichi?" She sees that her friend is deep in thought about something. Yoruichi hears here and stops thinking. She looks at Soi Fon.

    "What?" Yoruichi responds back with.

    Soi Fon says, "You seem to be thinking very hard about something. Is something troubling you Lady Yoruichi?"

    Yoruichi assures her, "Oh it's nothing Soi Fon." Her eyes return to the crater. "So all we know so far is that we're dealing with someone who's going solo. Question is... what is this person capable of and why is he or she here?"

    Soi Fon takes Yoruichi with her to her Second Division Barracks. They gather in her office where they are being served tea and discuss the situation.

    "This just isn't right Lady Yoruichi," Soi Fon says as she sips tea from her cup. "I have a majority of my Stealth Force and Squad searching the area around the Seireitei and the crash site for the ryoka, yet the ryoka somehow manages to go undetected for hours already."

    Yoruichi reacts to this by stating, "Well if that's the case then it's safe to say that whoever we're dealing with has proficient stealth skills to not be noticed this far."

    "Lady Yoruichi," Soi Fon starts to question as she looks at her, "Do you think you might know who it is?" Yoruichi narrows her eyes and looks down at the tea in her cup.

    She admits, "If only I did knew then this would have been over by now." Soi Fon looks at her sincere expression.

    Then she goes on, "Well one thing for sure Lady Yoruichi, whoever the ryoka is, he or she will never get into the Seireitei so easily."

    Back outside the secure walls of the Seireitei, a small group of Soul Reapers belonging to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads are searching a section of the woods on the East side of the Rukon District (The populated area surrounding the Seireitei where the Soul Reapers reside). They search for anyone or anything that might be suspicious and could be or lead to the ryoka. Unfortunately they never find anything in the area they were inspecting so they move on. As they vacate the space, an unknown figure takes a small step from behind a large tree and secretly watches the unsuspecting Soul Reapers. It quietly runs through the Eastern Woods towards the North.

    One uneventful night has passed in the Soul Society and the search for the ryoka continues. It is the late afternoon as the evening approaches. Yoruichi is sitting on the edge of the cliff at Sokyoku Hill in the very heart of the Soul Society. She looks at the sun in the sky in the west as it shines its rays onto the world beneath it. Her left leg dangles over the edge of the cliff while her right is hugged by her arms towards her chest. Soi Fon shunpos right behind her.

    "Lady Yoruichi?" she asks her.

    Yoruichi calmly replies, "Yes?" She doesn't move from her spot or turn her head from where she's looking.

    Soi Fon asks worriedly, "With all due respect, are you sure you're all right Lady Yoruichi? You're just not behaving like the Lady Yoruichi I have known for years since I've been serving you." Yoruichi closes her eyes.

    "Soi Fon," she says, "Something happened in the world of the living before this incident ever occurred." Yoruichi's former apprentice then listens closely to this new piece of information. Yoruichi continues, "I am not sure if there's a connection but--"

    A large burst of spiritual pressure takes place now and they hear an explosion. Yoruichi stands up right away at this and looks towards the direction of the sound. An alarm goes off.

    Soi Fon does the same and informs, "It's from the Northern Wall!" She immediately shunpos towards the scene. Yoruichi gives pursuit.

    When the two reach the epicenter of the spiritual pressure burst, they both become shocked to discover a large hole in the wall which surrounds the entire Seireitei. An entire section of buildings around the hole in the wall are completely obliterated. Soi Fon and Yoruichi stop right by the gap.

    Soi Fon says surprisingly, "This can't be possible!" She inspects the damage done. "This was done by kido, I'm sure of it!" she reports. "But the walls are made of Sekkiseki (a special, rare stone in the Soul Society that can negate all spiritual energy)! It can't even get a scratch from the strongest kido there ever was!" Yoruichi looks around at the blast site.

    "Well it appears that this was a lot more powerful than that," she states. Then she thinks, "However, I have never known anyone before who has so much as damaged a pebble-sized stone of Sekkiseki. This is really a first for me and more than likely a lot of others." Yoruichi eventually discovers that she can go through the hole which means that the Sekkiseki stone touched by the kido blast at the edge of the hole in the wall are reflecting the shield it provides that protects the Seireitei from virtually anything--well mostly anything after now.

    Yoruichi inspects the area outside of the Seireitei's walls while Soi Fon calls in her men to start an investigation into the blast. With her judgement she finds the same exact area where the kido blast fired from and to her luck she finds footprints. The footprints create a trail that when Yoruichi follows them backwards, they lead into the Northern Forest. Then when she follows them forwards, they go right through the hole and into the Seireitei.

    Yoruichi calls out, "Soi Fon!"

    Soi Fon quickly turns around at the sound of her name being called out by her and replies, "Yes Lady Yoruichi?"

    Yoruichi informs her, "Our ryoka is now inside the Seireitei! Whoever it is he or she really does mean business!"