Now.

"What a mess," Juushirou sighed, looking over the ruins left behind in the wake of Aizen's betrayal.

"On the bright side, I think the argument against urban renewal for that part of town just became a moot point," Shunsui smirked. "So. Did Second really believe Soi Fon getting zapped by lightning was just another one of your fits?"

"Why not?" Juushirou said innocently. "Twitching, coughing, a bit of blood running down my chin…."

:Where he bit too hard trying not to laugh,: Sougyo no Kotwari said wryly. :Suzumebachi may believe herself subtle, and lethal, but she is centuries too young to catch us.:

Juushirou smiled ruefully, feeling Katen Kyoukotsu's bloodthirst as an echo of Shunsui's chuckle. He didn't like hurting people, really. But what Soi Fon had done to Kiyone and Sentarou… and what she'd intended to do….

They weren't ryoka; they're citizens of Seireitei! No matter what their crime, they should have been offered the chance to surrender - to be bound and captured, unharmed, for a legitimate trial! Soi Fon's life was never in danger; she's a captain, and they're only Thirds….

And she'd tortured them. Made it quite clear she intended to murder them, under the cover of stopping criminals. If Yoruichi had been even a few seconds later-

:Try not to think of it,: his companion said compassionately. :We will deal with her further. Soon.:

The black shimmer of a hell butterfly landed on Shunsui's hand, and his friend sighed as it transmitted its message. "Yama-jii wants someone looking in on Karakura. In case any problems need to be solved."

Meaning their old teacher was still unsettled by exactly who had chosen to be Ichigo's companion. And, very possibly, was suspicious of just what Ichigo was.

Not that it's any of his business, Juushirou thought, less than charitably. Master Genryuusai's refusal to believe any of his students could be responsible for another shinigami's murder had killed so many of their children. And while Aizen, Gin, and Tousen might no longer be harbored in Seireitei itself, they were still alive.

:For now,: Sougyo no Kotowari murmured; grim, lethal comfort. :Only for now.:

"You'd better go," Juushirou nodded to his friend. "Before Kurotsuchi can argue the merits of a scientific investigation into Karakura to see why Chad's companion was able to snap back from being feral."

"Which he might even look into," Shunsui said dryly. "In between trying to dissect Ichigo and Uryuu… shame that kid didn't take him apart."

"I'm sure Uryuu tried," Juushirou said ruefully. "Take Nanao. She'll enjoy watching new people." :And she'll keep you out of trouble.:

"Aww."

:But we love trouble,: Katen Kyoukotsu said with innocent mischief.

:We know,: Sogyo no Kotowari said dryly. :Wouldn't stop you from having fun. Just not so much Ryuujin Jakka notices.:

"Good point." A tip of his hat, and Shunsui flash-stepped off.

:Think they'll leave anything standing?: Juushirou wondered silently.

Sougyo no Kotowari chuckled at him, flavored with the amusement of how much all four of them knew he was exaggerating. Even when Shunsui decided it was time for the prank-gloves to come off, random property damage wasn't his style.

Targeted and specific damage, though….

:They won't destroy anything Kisuke can't replace.:

No. They didn't dare. Not with Aizen out there, delving into Kisuke's stolen data on the Goa'uld, aiming to rule among the System Lords - and eventually, rule over them all.

Shaking his head, Juushirou walked through the ruins, eventually coming to the gray ring Kisuke had hidden in an otherwise unremarkable building. The Stargate he'd used both to escape to Karakura decades ago, and to stage Ichigo's mini-invasion.

The question isn't whether Aizen will come for us. A few, measured thoughts, and some of his division were on their way to go through the rubble again. Fourth had already been through here looking for survivors days ago, but frightened refugees might have moved back in since. And not all of them had the skills to stay healthy in the midst of ruins. The question is, how long will he take to solidify his power with the Hollows, first? Will he come soon, before we're ready for him? Or later - when he is ready for us?

From the chill snarl of Hollows through his energy-sense, it might be sooner.

No; we'd know if the traitors were here, Juushirou thought, drawing and killing and flickering elsewhere before claws could strike. They must have been drawn by the holes in our defenses-

Behind him, a chevron thumped.

Kisuke, you have lousy timing.

Ah well. At least Kisuke and his acquaintances knew they'd better be ready to come out of the 'Gate fighting. All his division had to do, as the chevrons lit and the wormhole fountained open, was keep a relatively clear area near the dais so they'd have a moment to react-

:Meteorite/firecracker/what?:

Hollows were more likely to use physical attacks than Wraith stunners, up to and including dropping buildings on you. Experienced captains - like himself, like Shunsui - made damn sure to train their subordinates to keep up a reflexive shield of energies against incoming solid objects.

Which was the only thing that saved Kiyone, when she flash-stepped into the path of something small, metal, and very, very fast.

"Captain!"

She was staggered, but upright. :Those aren't Kisuke's people!: Juushirou swore.

:Alerting the division,: his companion said grimly. :We should-:

:Yes.:

Millennia of partnership slammed a shield of energy around the 'Gate in an instant. Whoever it was felt human, meaning they likely didn't deserve to get eaten - but his people didn't need any more of those slicing through the air, thank you very much.

More high-velocity metal impacted the shield. Killing Hollows, Juushirou ignored it. A fair amount of yelling followed. He ignored that too.

Hands seeking the DHD were not something to ignore. But given the swarm currently trying for some of his junior officers' throats, Sougyo no Kotowari simply slammed up a second shield inside the first, trapping their potentially hostile visitors until they had time to deal with the situation.

:Clear.:

Helping one of the trainees finish healing a gash, Juushirou nodded. Stepped back, and cleansed black blood from his blade with a wrist-flick of chiburi and one blue-white shimmer of power, letting some of the adrenaline ease out of his system with it. Sheathed his blade, still not turning toward those trapped in his protective prison. Reached out with his companion's senses, for all the information he could glean before they'd know he was watching.

Three humans. One Jaffa. Odd-

"Captain?" Wide-eyed, Kiyone pressed almost shoulder to shoulder with him, a lump of flattened metal in the little blonde's hand. "They - this-"

"There are reasons few people attack the Shiba clan twice," Juushirou said dryly, taking the slug from her hand. "They know a few old technologies most of the rest of Seireitei has forgotten. I'd guess our visitors do, as well."

Old technologies… or perhaps new, to those that carried them. That symbol, on their shoulder patches-

A point of origin. For Earth.

:Kisuke and Benihime,: Sougyo no Kotowari sighed, naming the most obvious suspects.

:Very likely.: Obviously, they needed to have a family talk. The kind that required Retsu, Minazuki, and a multitude of bandages.

Setting thoughts of Urahara-mangling aside, Juushirou regarded the foursome watching him. The Jaffa had the mark of a First Prime on his brow, but held his staff weapon at rest, wisely not shooting at unfamiliar energies. And he wore the same green uniform as the others; one blonde who was eyeing the shield over the DHD as if it had personally offended her, another who was trying his best to look harmlessly friendly.…

He's been Touched.

Sougyo no Kotowari snarled, and Juushirou hid a grimace. The warp in the man's energies was unmistakable. Somehow, somewhere, an Ascended had marked this man, and was waiting for him to near death. So it could offer him a choice.

A choice to kill more of our people.

No point in asking his companion not to spread the word; any shinigami who didn't recognize a Touched aura had better learn. The Ascended left most human souls alone; for all their enlightened posture, they seemed to avoid the pre-industrial cultures found on Goa'uld planets. Yet they still took some, and every new Ascended rampaged through more of zero-point space. Seireitei had done their best to weed the most dangerous Alteran alleles from their population, and still, every other decade, some poor soul would catch their intangible eyes. Which generally led to unpleasantness all the way around.

If they're one of ours, they can become a shinigami. If they're not - the Ascended usually refuse to interfere with the physical world, and we are part of that world. If we can konsou lost souls after death, before the Ascended energy matrix is fully formed, we still win. Otherwise….

Well. There was a reason Kurotsuchi's efforts to weed out the Alteran-touched Quincy bloodlines on Karakura had had the Commander-General's tacit support. The Ascended, simply, would not stop. They believed their path was the highest purpose of existence, and ignored all of Master Genryuusai's arguments to the contrary.

And they won't even listen to the rest of us.

Certainly not to him. Sougyo no Kotowari kept him quite firmly in his own body, thank you. When death finally caught him, his soul would be headed straight into the beyond. Human.

But this man's would not.

This is going to be a problem.

Possibly as much of a problem as the graying, cool-eyed leader, who regarded flattened lead slugs and disintegrating Hollows with the same wry aplomb. "Did we come at a bad time?"

One dark brow raised, Juushirou tossed Kiyone's slug in one hand.

"Oh yeah," the Earth leader sighed. "This is gonna be fun…. Danny? You're up."

-The End.