The pain was considerable, but Visaelya still retained enough awareness to know that she had to put pressure on her wounds and stop the bleeding. Her Academy robes weren't ideal, but they were all that she had to work with at the moment. Fortunately, the blood flow wasn't as bad as it had initially looked. She was hurt, but her wounds weren't as deep as she had first feared.
Unfortunately, she was a prime target for the Hollows now. All her instructors had been quite clear; once someone was wounded, the beasts would concentrate their efforts on that individual like sharks after bleeding prey in the water. Keeping pressure on her wounds meant that she could not fight back, while trying to defend herself would likely only make her injuries worse. Visaelya hated that she was stuck in this situation, but she could draw solace from the fact that she had defenders. While she might not be particularly fond of Jiraiya, she trusted his skills and his personal integrity enough to know that he would not let the Hollows get to her without a fight.
It wasn't Jiraiya that her gaze was on now, though. Her eyes were riveted to the Soul Reaper that had just saved her life…
…and was utterly decimating the Hollows around her.
While Visaelya was still a student, she had always believed that she knew more than a thing or two about Hohō and Zanjutsu. She was in the advanced track, after all, and while she still had yet to surpass either Itachi or Jiraiya, her skills had always earned the praise of her instructors. The display her savoir was putting on now served as a stark reminder as to just how far she still had to go.
His sword was like a viper, striking at blinding speed before his foes had a chance to react. Each blow was as precise as it was lethal. As for the few Hollows that got the chance to attack him, none of their strikes even came close to touching him. He moved with an agility that Visaelya could only marvel at. At times he almost seemed casual in the manner that he was dodging the blows of the Hollows.
After clearing out a space around them, the newcomer turned to Jiraiya. "Keep her stable until the Squad Four relief team is able to tend to her! I'll keep the Hollows off of you!"
Jiraiya nodded. "Right!"
He then knelt next to her and used his Zanpakutō to cut strips of fabric from his own robes. Visaelya could not help but be impressed with how Jiraiya was swiftly able to turn the torn clothing into makeshift bandages; he'd clearly done this before.
"Hold still," he said as he began to bind her wounds, "These won't perform as well as real bandages, but they should keep you alive until you can get real medical attention."
Visaelya nodded. "Right… thanks."
"Anytime," he replied.
Despite the seemingly carefree attitude he tended to have during class, Visaelya was surprised at just how serious Jiraiya could be when the occasion called for it. His conduct in the battle had been quite commendable, apart from the handful of irritating jokes he had cracked earlier, and he was handling his treatment of her wounds with the gravity that the situation warranted.
It seems that I misjudged him, she thought, He may act like an oaf, but he is more than that. He's certainly not bothered by our current predicament, which is more than could be said for many students faced with their first real battle… myself included.
Confident in her classmate's ability to treat her wounds, even if it was only temporary, she returned her attention to the Soul Reaper that had saved her life. He was ripping through the Hollows like a cyclone, and that was just with a sealed Zanpakutō. Visaelya could sense from his spiritual pressure that he was actually holding back; with the amount of energy he had, there was no doubt in her mind that her savior was a seated officer, and one at a greater rank than Rija to boot.
She recalled hearing Itachi speak his name before Jiraiya had begun tending to her wounds, although it had been hard for her to make it out. "Shisui… they know each other?"
"So it would seem," said Jiraiya.
She felt as though her classmate knew more than he was letting on, but she decided not to press the matter. It wouldn't be fitting of someone of her stature to interrogate the man that was currently treating her injuries, after all. Besides, how Itachi and Shisui knew each other hardly mattered at the moment. What mattered right then and there was his ability to kill Hollows, and it appeared his talent in that realm was considerable.
Despite Visaelya being down and Jiraiya occupied by bandaging her wounds, the situation for their little group had actually stabilized. Now that the Hollows immediately surrounding Visaelya had been cleared out, Shisui had shifted his focus to holding the front with Itachi and Rija. The Fifteenth Seat had a confident smile on her face now, and Itachi seemed to be fighting with renewed vigor. Whoever Shisui was, he seemed to have enough of a connection with both fighters that his very presence was enough to bolster their morale.
"What's the situation down in the caves?" asked Rija as she sent another arc of lighting towards the beasts.
"There was heavy fighting when I broke off to chase these guys," said Shisui as he cut the legs out from under a Hollow before jamming his blade through its mask, "It's nothing the Captains can't handle, though."
"Good to hear," said Itachi as he sliced a monster's head clean from its neck.
"Let's wrap this up," said Rija, and Visaelya couldn't help but notice that her breathing had grown slightly labored, "I don't know how much juice I've got left."
Shisui nodded as he stabbed a Hollow through the side. "Itachi, fall back and guard the others. Rija, you got one more burst in you?"
"Absolutely!" she replied.
"Then let fly on my mark," he said, "Ready… mark!"
As both Shisui and Itachi stepped back, Rija made another wide slash with her sword. With the Hollows stunned by her latest lightning attack, the two Soul Reapers and the student now had a critical bit of breathing room. While Itachi moved towards Visaelya and Jiraiya, Shisui raised his Zanpakutō. The intensity of his spiritual pressure immediately surged, and Visaelya realized what was happening.
"Playtime," he said with a smile, "Kage no Kodomo!"
Dark blue energy engulfed his Zanpakutō as the weapon's Shikai was unleashed. The weapon shifted from a katana with blue handle wrapping and a black guard into a slender short sword. The guard had changed into a silver circle with four slits carved into it, and tendrils of dark blue spirit energy were wafting out from them.
Such a strange design, Visaelya thought, I wonder what it does…
She got her answer a moment later as Shisui raised his sword in mock salute, smirking at his opponents. "Let's go."
The dark blue spirit energy that had been gradually leaking from the slits in the silver circle that made up the weapon's guard suddenly became a flood. It quickly formed four distinct spheres, and a moment later those spheres took on human form. Visaelya's eyes widened in shock as she was soon confronted with the sight of not one, but five Shisuis.
"What sorcery is this?" she whispered.
Jiraiya chuckled. "Well, well… now that brings back memories."
The Soul Reaper and his four copies moved as one, charging the Hollows. While their physical appearances were identical, Visaelya was able to detect a greater amount of spiritual pressure coming from one of them, which she assumed to be the real Shisui. It didn't seem matter that the clones were weaker than the original, though, as all of them swiftly began carving into the beasts before them. Weakened by Rija's earlier attack, they were no match for Shisui's onslaught.
Swiftly and efficiently, Shisui and the clones generated by his Shikai cut down the remaining Hollows. One of the beasts managed to get a defiant strike in, but it didn't hit the real Shisui; its claws met a clone, and the doppelganger simply dissipated into dark blue smoke. The Hollow's efforts were rewarded by the real Shisui stabbing it through the back of the head.
Visaelya could only look on in awe as her savior finished mopping up the surviving beasts. His speed, his power, his technique… they were all unlike anything that she had ever seen before. Through it all, he remained calm and in control, setting the pace of the fight and never missing a beat.
"Incredible…" she said softly.
Standing guard over her and Jiraiya, Itachi nodded. "Just like the old days…"
Visaelya raised an eyebrow. "How do you two know each other?"
She was surprised to actually see a small smile appear on his face. "Another time, and another life."
Visaelya found herself blushing with embarrassment. It was so easy to forget that he and Jiraiya hadn't been born in the Soul Society like she had. Her etiquette lessons had been quite clear that asking someone like Itachi about their prior life was brutally insensitive to say the least, and yet she had blundered like a buffoon right across that line. Fortunately, he didn't seem particularly bothered by it.
The last Hollow fell as Shisui stabbed it through the chest. As the beast dissolved, the Soul Reaper's Zanpakutō reverted back to its sealed state. He smiled as he approached the others, and Visaelya's blush actually intensified; he was surprisingly handsome, now that she had a chance to study his appearance as opposed to just his fighting abilities.
W-what's gotten into me?, she thought, I-I'm a noble! I shouldn't be ogling an officer l-like some common schoolgirl!
"Glad that's over with," he said, and Visaelya's already burning face became red-hot as he knelt next to her, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm… I'm all right," she said softly as her gaze met his, "Thanks to you…"
Shisui nodded. "Glad to hear it. Looks like Jiraiya did a good job with those bandages. I should've expected nothing less from one of the Legendary Sannin."
Visaelya blinked in confusion. "Sannin? I beg your pardon?"
Jiraiya chuckled. "It's a long story."
"We never actually met in person," said Shisui, "but I was a great admirer of you. When Captain Shihōin told me that you were in the Soul Society, I was shocked; I didn't think there was anyone out there that could kill someone like you."
Jiraiya gave him a weary smile. "Yeah, well… there's always someone younger and more powerful out there. I had a good run. That's more than many can say."
Shisui then turned to Itachi. There was a moment of silence as the two men looked at each other, and Visaelya felt as though the very air around them had thickened. Something told her that the two of them had been more than casual acquaintances in whatever past life they'd shared.
It was Itachi that broke the silence. "How long have you known that I was here?"
Shisui sighed. "Since the Academy entrance exams. I wanted to come and find you, but Captain Shihōin overruled me. She said I'd be a distraction and wanted to keep me as a little surprise for when you graduated. Still… I'm sorry."
Itachi shook his head. "No, she was right. I needed to focus on my training… even though I would've liked to know that you were here. I thought about it when I arrived, and even considered looking for you, but... well, you know how big this place is."
Shisui nodded. "Indeed, I do."
He then stepped forward, held out his hand and smiled. "It's good to see you again, Itachi."
Itachi returned his smile and shook his hand. "You too, Shisui. It's been a long time."
"Don't take this the wrong way," said Shisui, "but I'd hoped that it would be longer. As incredible as the Soul Society is, I wanted you to live longer before seeing it. I guess that wasn't to be."
"It's all right," Itachi replied, "I had my time, and I used it the best that I could… and I made sure that your death was not in vain."
Shisui sighed with relief. "So you stopped our clan, then. That's good."
Itachi nodded, but Visaelya didn't fail to notice the dark look in his eyes. "Yes… though it came at a high price."
Shisui closed his eyes for a moment. "It really came down to that, did it? Damn…"
"Believe me," said Itachi grimly, "it wasn't a task that I undertook lightly. Still… it had to be done."
Visaelya looked back and forth between the two of them. "What are you talking about?"
Shisui opened his eyes and looked at her. "Something that I had left undone before my passing. I'm afraid it's a personal matter."
Visaelya nodded. "I see. Forgive me for prying."
"It's all right," said Itachi, "We're still in the field, so now's hardly the time for us to be catching up."
"Agreed," said Rija, "We've got a job to do… and now one of us is wounded."
Visaelya looked down in shame. "I'm sorry… I thought I was stronger than this."
Shisui leaned down and put his hand on her shoulder. When she met his gaze again, she saw an encouraging smile on his face, and she felt herself begin to blush once more.
"Don't be so hard on yourself," he said, "You did well to hold out as long as you did. You should be proud; you show great promise. I think by the time graduation rolls around you'll be more than ready to join the ranks of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."
Visaelya slowly nodded. "Oh… thank you."
"You're welcome," he replied, "That being said, I think your part in this mission is over. Rija, take her back to the staging camp and see that the Squad Four relief team treats her immediately. I'll remain here with Itachi and Jiraiya to cover for you."
Rija smiled. "Understood, Shisui."
She knelt down and carefully picked up Visaelya. It was embarrassing to have to be carried like this, but she knew that it couldn't be helped this time; she certainly wouldn't be moving very quickly under her own power.
"You boys take care of yourselves," said Rija, "We'll see you back at camp!"
Before Visaelya could bid farewell the world around her became a blur as the Fifteenth Seat began the series of Flash Steps that would take them both back to the staging camp. Even so, the face of her savior remained perfectly clear in her mind's eye.
Shisui Uchiha…
…thank you.