It was just another night in Karakura Town. The lights of the city mirrored the stars of the sky, the water of the river rushed past the recessed banks, and the cry of a tortured, hungering spirit ripped through the air – heard only by those gifted with perception toward such things. This night, Ichigo and Rukia were dashing through the darkness directed by instinct and blip upon the petite shinigami's pager.
"There!" The violet eyed reaper exclaimed as soon as the massive, masked beast came into sight.
This particular monster bore white plates of bone across its chest, with only a clean hole through the sternum and back to break the ivory. Jagged talons of the same stuff protruded from grotesque fingers and toes, and purple streaked the rugged flesh which glared through the seams of the plates along its arms and legs. It lumbered after the terrified spirit of a man clad in a ragged business suit – crimson blood stained the side of his contorted face.
"Yeah, yeah, I see it!" As they swept down upon the rampaging beast, the whoosh of fabric whispered through the cool night air, and Zangetsu's blade reflected his deadly purpose as the pale moonlight played off the steel. Ichigo touched ground between the thing and the man, followed silently by Rukia barely a step behind.
"Ok, ugly, say goodnight!" The orange haired teen cried, and started his lunge at the beast's face. Before the blade made contact, however, the grotesque creature lurched clumsily away from the substitute, as if pulled by some unseen force.
Kurosaki stepped back – eyes wide, but oversized sword still at the ready.
"Idiot! What're y.." Rukia's irritated exclamation died in her throat when arcs of electricity burst over the body, and crawled down a line which terminated at an unseen point in the back of the ally.
With a roar angry enough to rattle windows in their frames, the beast plowed backwards into the ground. The acrid scent of ozone rose in compliment to the powdered stone of pulverized sidewalk.
When finally the dust cleared, the two shinigami were barely able to make out a strange, winged figure only a few inches taller than Rukia standing in the shadows at the back of the ally. It braced itself against the pull of the line wrapped around the chest of the monster, and took a cautious step towards the stilled beast. At that first and only step, however, that the figure lifted its head sharply at catching sight of them. Its body visibly tensed.
A strange, strained silence fell between the three.
Chills ran down the reapers' spines when a flash of neon green lit the shadowed eyes of the small, inhuman figure.
Whoever, or whatever, it was crouched briefly at meeting the gazes of with the two. Without warning, the wire snapped back into its hand. Before either of the two could break their shocked paralysis, it spread its leathery wings and leapt soundlessly into the air. It lingering within sight only long enough to offer an impression of a feminine figure wrapped snuggly in what had to be some kind of black jumpsuit.
A talon screeched against the concrete beneath the hollow, as if it was drawing the weapon down a chalkboard, when it twitched with impending consciousness.
That cringe-worthy sound finally snapped the spectral warriors out of their stunned silence. In one fell swoop, the orange-haired teen brought his zanpakto down upon the masked head. Shadow crept over the misshapen body just before it evaporated as the fallen spirit was at last released from its deadly misery.
In the eerie silence which followed, confused amber eyes met contemplative blue.
Ichigo was the one who voiced the question within both of their minds, "What the hell was that?"
...this was a lot shorter than I thought it would be. Still, I think it's still a good start for someone who hasn't written any kind of fanfiction in years. Future chapters should be longer. ;)
Feel free to review if you feel so inclined, of course.
