Nothing belongs to me besides this story, Akina Homaru and her Zanpacktou. This is for entertainment purposes only no copy right intended.
Akina's feet moved slightly through the swampy forest floor of a sector in the soul society and she glanced back at her squad; they were struggling through smelly, slimy, black sludge and she glanced up as the sun was quickly vanishing over the horizon. Izuru's squad was fairing no better and Hisagi looked dead tired. There was no way they could stop here; if they stopped they would sink into murky sludge and most likely drown. This had not been Akina's idea in least bit; it had not been her fault that Matsuri's worthless directions led them across a swampy territory and gotten them stuck here. Still she took most of the blame for not checking it out herself first; she couldn't help but feel guilty as she felt with a pang of regret, if she had scanned the area that they wouldn't be in the swamp. There were no trees around what so ever, and with their feet stuck in the sludge, they had only successfully moved less than a mile in at least an hour and a half or so. This was going to be a very long night indeed; when they reached solid ground at last the moon was high in sky and they stank of swamp sludge.
"Damn you guys reek," Someone commented and Akina glanced up at the mocking face of the squad 12 captain Matsuri Kurotsuchi. "Where have you guys been?" Ukitake, Toshiro and Unohana looked more sympathetic. Akina glared at him and stood up swiping some disgusting swamp goo off her leg and smeared it across his face.
"We followed your useless directions! Matsuri, do you have any idea how much I feel like pushing you into the swamp myself right now?" She spat and Unohana chuckled.
"Blame my squad not me," Matsuri began wiping the gunk off of his face in utter disgust. "They gave me a map."
"It's your job as a captain Matsuri," She sighed and helped Hisagi and Izuru stand up, who both looked thoroughly embarrassed, before glancing at Ukitake. "I am going to take these to squads somewhere else before we stink up the place. We'll be back later unless you want us to stay and stink this entire area up." She said; as she disdainfully looked down at her clothes and made an annoyed 'tch' sound before leading the two squads away. They washed up in a lake far away and came back to where they had last seen the group. They were gone and Akina was ready to scream; she crumpled her fist into a ball and Hisagi looked around defeated.
"The other squads went ahead," Someone said in an assuring tone. Akina's eyes landed on a short figure standing a little ways off leaning against the tree. Toshiro stood up and made eye contact with Akina. "These three squads are back up squads; while Squad 12, 13 and 4 are going on ahead."
"Whatever," Akina grumbled and with that she sat down with a sigh, closing her eyes. "I hate swamps now with a passion; that was the worst 3 hours of my life." Hisagi plunked down next to her and Rangiku smiled sympathetically.
"Captain are you sure that was the worst 3 hours of your life? I seem to remember you having worse." Hisagi commented and Akina opened one eye.
"What are you talking about Hisagi?" She asked confused and Rangiku sat down with an excited smile.
"YAY STORY TIME, I LOVE STORIES!" She squealed and Hisagi chuckled in amusement.
"Remember that time with that group of brand new academy students who were like only 10," He ventured and Akina's eyes widened; she burried her head in her hands. "You do remember now don't you?"
"I wish I didn't," She groaned with a whimper. "Those kids were little demons! They threw one of my subordinates in a closet with a sock in his mouth and his hands tied behind his back. They did his make up too than dressed him up like a princess." Rangiku laughed hysterically and Akina sighed. The moon was moving slightly down towards the horizon and she stretched.
"I am going to bed," She said with a serious tone glaring at Rangiku. "You even think off doing my hair in my sleep I will slice your hands off with my zanpacktou and stick you in the swamp!" She leaned back with a yawn and faded away into pitch blackness.
Toshiro P.O.V
Akina's pale golden hair framed her light tanned skin face and an hour and a half had passed since those stunning light green eyes were concealed by her eyelids and long eyelashes. Rangiku was being loud and some what flirty with Hisagi which was new but Toshiro ignored her and watched Akina.
"Hey captain," someone said to him and he looked their way seeing one of his squad members standing there. "What shall we do?"
"Rest up now," Toshiro advised. "You will need it incase we are needed as back up." The squad member nodded and sat back down. Toshiro listened to the group's conversation when Akina jerked to her feet.
"Captain," Hisagi began and everyone had gone quiet. "What's wrong?"
"Shut up," She ordered and looked at Toshiro. "Toshiro, your back!" Toshiro whirled around and was smacked aside by something large and his leg cracked beneath him as he landed. He bit back a gasp of pain and everyone quickly got to their feet and pulled out their zanpacktou.
"Who are you," Akina demanded in her fiery, not-taking-any-B.S-from-you tone. "You have got ten seconds to tell me before I kill you." Something snarled in an inhumane way and Toshiro pulled himself. He looked down at his leg; the bone jutted out of the flesh and blood soaked his side from where it had been torn up. He shivered and looked away from it; his attention fell upon the unknown creature that stood before them, still concealing itself in the shadows of the night and trees.
"Answer us," Izuru yelled and it scuttled, literally scuttled, away. "Stop, it; do not let it escape!" Izuru bellowed. Rangiku along with Hisagi and almost all of the other soul reapers ran after it. Only two remained back and that was Akina's most exhausted subordinate and Akina herself.
Akina P.O.V
"Toshiro," Akina cried and turned towards the severely injured captain who had propped his back up against the tree. She ran towards him and knelt down beside him. "Oh god, this looks ugly." The bone jutted out of his leg and he looked fairly pale from the blood he was losing.
"I am fine," he protested trying to stand up but collapsed back down to the ground. "It is not as bad as it looks."
"Liar," She shot back hotly and helped him sit up ignoring his frosty glare. "Seriously Toshiro, you need to let me help you or I'll knock you out myself!" Trying to be tough and conceal her true concern.
"It is Captain Hitsugaya to you," He shot back coldly and Akina bit her lip. "Akina seriously I will be fine."
"Like I give a damn what you say right now! What is wrong with you? You know you are hurt and you are not moving from this spot tell you let me wrap that side wound." She retorted in her 'I am not taking no for an answer' way.
"Fine, fine; don't bite my head off," He said holding up his hands in defeat. He removed the top of his black kimono and revealed his side wound. Akina tenderly prodded it and he winced slightly; she pulled her hands back and reached into the mini sack that she carried on her leg and dabbed a small dose of antiseptic on the wound, that took that shape of claws, than wrapped it slowly. She sat back and looked down at the leg that very much worried her. "Don't even try treating it; I doubt even Izuru would be able to fix this one. I'll just wait until I see Unohana again." He said gruffly
"And just what the hell are you going to do tell than?" Akina demanded. He shrugged and she sighed. She slung his arm around her shoulders and gingerly laced her arm around his injured side.
"Akina, you don't need to do that-." He began and she glared at him silencing him.
"Captain," Akina's squad memember began hestintantly. "The others have gotten awfully quiet." Akina listened and heard nothing; not a single battle cry, no unearthly and inhumane snarls, no screaming, no blasts. Nothing, it was abosoultly silent.
"Stay here," Akina said propping Toshiro up against a tree than rushing off into the pitch black darkness where the monster had vanished into. It was not a hollow nor was it a menos. It was something Akina had yet experinced in her short years of a captain. Her eyes darted from side to side restlessly and her hand grasped her zanpacktou tightly. She came up to the swamp and stopped, she glanced around seeing nothing in sight. "Hisagi, Rangiku, Izuru? Someone answer me!" She yelled furiously. Nothing but dead silence and she made an annoyed tch sound; something howled through the night like a wolf. Strange thing was it didn't sound like a wolf completely, it had the sound of an angry bellow kinda of like a hollow. It rang through the swamp and Akina glanced around. She spun around and fell back to where she had left Toshiro and her surbodinate. They sat down beside the fire waiting and looked up upon hearing her arrival.
"Well," Toshiro asked and was looking more pale than he had when she had left him. "Did you find them?" She shook her head frusteratedly and sadly.
"There was no living thing insight out there," She said perplexed. She sat down on one knee beside the fire and gazed at Toshiro. "I heard that howl not too long ago; we best move I don't want to take any chances of it coming back for a second go around. Not with your leg in the condition it is and having to make sure it doesn't pop out and kill either of you two," She said grabbing a three tourches and tossing them to Toshiro and her subordinate. She lit hers as did the other two soul reapers and than helped Toshiro to his feet which he protested silently against. She held hers up and gazed at them. "Stick together something could pop out at any moment." The flicker flame was the only light they had in the pitch black forest and the soul reapers nodded. Akina took a step forward and Toshiro limped beside her; he keep his injured leg off the ground.
"Captain, listen; I heard something." Akina looked around and held her tourch up high. Another howl ripped through the night and than she saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. She glared at it out the corner of her eye and something moved once more in the deathly black shadows. Akina sensed nothing but she smelt blood and heard the sound of sluggish footsteps. She sheilded Toshiro, who by now had lost too much blood to notice or care, and pulled out her zanpacktou before pointing the lethal silver blade towards the shadows of the unforgiving swamp. She gripped the firey red hilt and drew in a deep breath than uttered:
"Burn to ashes Yakeru Nakami."
This is my first story so I hope you guys like it! I have to admit it may not be the best but still.
