Hello! This is my sequel to 'His Past'! . If you have not read it then you probably should, although you probably won't be entirely lost if you read this first! This story is the second half out of a three part sequel and if you follow it, you'll probably get kinda frustrated! XD They're meant to be out of order, so you can fit the pieces yourself. (smirk)
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any references to 'Higurashi no naku koro ni (kai)'! Just my own OC and this plot! Thank you for reading! PLEASE REVIEW/FLAME! I'll love you either way! 3
ONIDA!
"Ohayo gozaimasu, Madarame-Ikkaku of the 3rd seat!" Several men bowed as Ikkaku walked by. He swiftly strolled by them and it wasn't until he was already a few feet away from them that he replied to the greeting lazily.
It was a warm summer's day; the sun was hot and bright, the insects sang happily and the air was hot and dry. Ikkaku sighed and walked out of the comfort of the eleventh division office and out into the searing heat. It was immediately unpleasant, but walked on to the twelfth division next door. He'd been summoned, along with every other captain and vice captain in the entire place. What information could possibly have such urgency was far beyond him. All he knew was that if every captain and vice captain had to be there then it had to something. He weaved his way through the maze like structures and, after several long minutes, found himself in front of the main office of the neighboring division.
He walked up to someone working there, "Oi, I'm Madarame Ikkaku. I was supposed to report here," The guy's eyes widened and he immediately nodded his head and escorted him to a conference room within the building. He bowed and left Ikkaku inside a room full of people that stared at him as soon as he walked in. The only people he recognized were his own captain and vice captain and an old acquaintance of his named Abarai Renji, now the Vice Captain of squad six.
"Greetings, Madarame-san," Yamamoto Sou-tiachou greeted him formally, "If you would please have a seat, we'd like to explain to you why you're here," Ikkaku obeyed and kept his eyes focused on the old man, "Now I'm aware of the…incident, that occurred some time ago with you and several others and I want to know a few details straight from you, as you were the only person to actually witness such events," Ikkaku clenched his fists and bit his lip out of anxiety, "Did you witness the death of Aoiyuki Kiyoko?" He nodded, not willing himself to speak for fear of his voice cracking, "I see. Are you absolutely sure of this?" He nodded once more.
"Don't lie, boy!" Kurostuchi Mayuri of the twelfth division spoke out, "Did you literally see the last of her breath exhale?! Was she a bloody corpse on the floor?! What?! Did you leave without fully knowing if she died or not?!"
Ikkaku grit his teeth as the captain went on. His fists clenched until they bled. He couldn't take anymore from such a miserable scumbag, "YES, ALRIGHT?! I SAW HER FALL TO HER DEATH!! I SAW IT WITH MY OWN TWO EYES!! WHY AND WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED TO KNOW SO BAD?!" His spiritual pressure was skyrocketing along with his anger, but he immediately began to calm down after his outburst.
"Madarame-san," Yamamoto started again, "Though what you say may be true, we find another fact…difficult to believe ourselves," He cast a downward glance to several papers in front of him.
"What do you mean?" He narrowed his eyes.
Yamamoto sighed, "Madarame-san, please try to keep calm when I tell you,"
"Tell me what?"
"That you have a daughter, Madarame-san,"
"…" Ikkaku's look remained blank. Had he heard right? "Nani? I'm afraid I didn't hear you correctly," Several captains in the room closed their eyes in annoyance at his denial. Most other captains looked away nervously or smiled awkwardly for the poor guy.
Yamamoto passed a paper down to Ikkaku, "She lies within a branch of the shinigami academy far from this area that consists of only girls and other women. And, yes, she is a product of both you and Aoiyuki-san. I had Kurostuchi check the DNA results many times. I'm afraid there's no mistaking it,"
Ikkaku's eyes frantically scanned the paper multiple times, hoping that each time he read it there would be a different result, "…But…HOW?! That's impossible! I-I saw her die! And even before that she never- Is that even possible!? We're shinigami! Isn't any spirit incapable of reproduction?!"
"Madarame-kun," Koyruaku of the eighth division addressed him calmly, "You saw her fall. Not pass on. And it's also possible that she could've been pregnant in the time prior to the incident. And about spirits being incapable of reproduction is true in most cases except…" He scratched his cheek in thought lightly, "Kurostuchi, could you explain that one?"
He scoffed but spoke up, "That's true, but one out of every few million spirits gains this gift. There has to be some kind of cycle. You see when a spirit from soul society is reborn into the human world; they could more than likely get eaten by hollows for their unusual spiritual pressure. Now if this continued then eventually, in a long run, spirits would slowly die out or greatly decrease. So in order to keep this cycle from ending, a natural phenomenon appears to give birth to new spirits. We label these spirits as "Pure" because they're purely new and untouched by the world of humans. It would seem that she was one of these rare phenomena. And I didn't even get to study her!"
Ikkaku threw a nasty glance at him, but returned his eyes back to the paper. There, printed on the paper itself was a picture of his so-called daughter. He gulped. She looked almost exactly like Kiyoko…except for her eyes. She had his dark eyes and her hair was up in a ponytail and out of the way of her face. Her features were that of what the living world would call a 'teenager'. He looked at the rest of her profile. He noted that her blood type was the same as his and that she was a little on the tall side for girls her age; five feet and five inches. Her stats altogether were nearly off the charts, but her exceptional areas were swordsmanship and strategic fighting. He smirked to himself and thought how his abilities with a sword were incredible, but so was Kiyoko's strategic ability in battle. In fact, if he remembered correctly, her analyzing and planning abilities for battles were, in fact, pretty damn scary. Madarame Haruko, he pronounced inside his mind. The name seemed like it would be something she would pick. Ikkaku sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Madarame-san," Yamamoto addressed him again, "Every several hundred years, the Thirteen Court Squad Guards visit this institute and analyze their growth progress. To check if they're doing their part, if you will. Would you and Ayasegawa-san be interested in accompanying along to this branch?"
Ikkaku hesitated a moment, "I suppose…demo nande? And why Yumichika, too, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I wish for the both of you to observe signs that she is indeed who she claims to be. The both of you knew Aoiyuki-san well, I presume?"
"Yeah,"
"Then it's settled," Yamamoto adjourned the meeting.
()()Several Days Later()()
"Oi! Haru-chan! Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!" Madarame Haruko scrunched up her eyes and pulled the covers far over her head, "Aw C'mon, Haru-chan! Wake up! You're gonna miss breakfast!"
"Mm!" The black haired girl groaned underneath the covers, indicating that she'd prefer to be left alone.
"Y' know," She sat down beside her friend and pushed her with her foot occasionally, "Those thirteen court guard shinigami are supposed to be coming over today…" She got no outward reaction from her friend, but she smirked and knew Haruko was listening, "I heard they're mostly captains and vice captains…really strong…" Haruko was somewhat listening. She really was interested, but she knew her friend was trying to tease her awake and it was working…for the most part. The girl sighed and grew impatient, "C'mon, Haru! The old hag is gonna be pissed if you don't wake up before they get here!" Still no reaction. She sighed and pulled out her trump card, "There's hamachi waiting for you!"
Haruko sat up immediately, "I'm awake," Her friend almost laughed at her appearance. Her hair was in loose tangles and slightly frizzy and her eyes were still adjusting to the sudden change of light rays. She blinked several times and rubbed the sleep away from her eyes. She looked over to her friend lazily, "…There isn't any hamachi is there?"
She giggled, "Of course there is. If there wasn't then I wouldn't have said it!" Haruko smiled at her brown haired friend. Her chestnut reddish-brown hair was short in the back, but as it made it's way to the front it reach down past her shoulders just slightly. Her almost red contrast highlighted her soft grey-blue eyes. She wore the traditional shinigami uniform of black, but her obi was blue, indicating her rank in the particular branch. Her healthy complexion added to her bright smile.
"Well then! I guess I'll go get me some breakfast!" Haruko threw the covers off of herself and stood up.
"I don't think so!" The brunette quickly threw a pillow at her head, knocking her friend to the floor, "Get ready first! If you're not ready before those shinigami get here then the old lady will blame me!"
"Demo, Reina," Haruko whined and crawled up to her feet and grabbed onto her ankles, hugging them, "My tummy is growling! Can't you hear it? It's yelling 'feed me now!'" As if on queue, her stomach growled fiercely, "See?" She rubbed her cheek on Reina's shin, "Reinaaaaaa! Onegaiiiiiii!"
Reina sighed, "You're wasting time. You probably could've been down there eating by now if you hadn't of been so lazy and complaining on the floor where you still are!" She growled at Haruko on the floor, still calling out her name and pleading, "HARU, GET UP!!"
()()()()
"Eh? So you're him, neh?" Her raspy aging voice cut through his ears like a saw through flexi-glass.
"Ah," Ikkaku nodded at the old hag. She was old and slightly hunched over, like Yamamoto sou-taichou. She had wrinkles everywhere and several aging spots on her hands. Her hakama pants were red while her haori was white and a soft red shawl draped atop of her shoulders. Even though she was old, her eyes said otherwise. Her eyes were full of fire and determination that said 'I still got some fight left in me!'.
"Madarame-san. Ayasegawa-san," Yamamotou came forward, "This is Hayabusa Hiyori. She's the leader, caretaker, and head captain at the all female shinigami institute,"
"Yoroshku onegaishimasu," They bowed to her out of respect.
"Ehhh?" She closed in on Ikkaku's face and studied him carefully. Ikkaku fought every urge in his body to pull away from her old lady musky, spicy smell. She scoffed and took several steps backwards, "She's just like you. I can tell already," Ikkaku's eye twitched in annoyance and Yumichika bit his thumb to keep from laughing, "So I hear that you've chosen to remain silent about this whole ordeal. Meaning you don't want her to know who you are?" Her eyes narrowed at him.
"Yes, ma'am,"
"Souka," She turned around with her hands behind her hunched back, "Everyone follow me then. It'll take a little over an our to get there and the forest does tend to get a little confusing now and then. Don't wander,"
It was actually almost two hours before they reached the girls academy! It turned out that her and Yamamoto go way back…way….way back. It also turns out that they didn't get along very well, which meant they strayed from Hiyori's directions several times from heated arguments between the two. When they finally reached the edge of the forest, they were filled with silent relief. The warm summer breeze rolled along the tall grass in the clearing just in front of the academy. It was much like the court of pure souls, but there wasn't any 'maze' of walls. The only real maze was not knowing which building was what. They entered the front building and were greeted by several women standing at a booth inside. Everyone removed their shoes before entering on the clean, laminate hardwood. Hiyori spoke to one of the women at the booth harshly, "Oi, where's Madarame? Have you seen her today?"
The girls looked at one another, slightly concerned, "Ano…" One of them began, "I think she's in the cafeteria at the moment,"
"Nani? Early lunch?"
"Iie," The other one smiled nervously, "Late…breakfast…"
"Ohhhh?" The two girls stiffened, knowing all-too well the tone of voice in their caretaker, "Souka. Continue your work then," She walked off to the cafeteria, others still following behind her, and entered.
"Ah Finally!" Hiyori heard Haruko's familiar voice drift through the nearly empty hallways. She stood behind the girl with a pair of chopsticks in hand and as soon as Haruko picked up a piece of hamachi, she snatched it away viciously and ate it, "Eh?!" Haruko turned around and saw her leader chewing on the piece she'd just picked up, "N-nande…oni-baba?" Her hand was shaking with frustration.
"What's this about a late breakfast, Madarame? How long were you sleeping?" She glared down at Haruko viciously.
"Not long, oni-baa, I swear it," She attempted to pick up another piece of hamachi, but that was snatched away too, "Oni-baba,"
"What's with this 'oni-baba'?! How much disrespectful can you get?! You haven't even greeted my guests politely!" Haruko stood up and bowed low to the twenty-eight shinigami she'd suddenly just noticed. Her face held that of a horrified look as she watched Hiyori devour the rest of her hamachi, "Now," She chewed and swallowed the rest of it, "I want you to take them around the area. Show them whatever it is they want to see. Got it?" She glared and began to walk away.
"D-Demo,"
"No 'buts'!" She shouted and walked out of sight.
"Ya…Yada…" Haruko hung her head heavily in defeat. 'All I wanted was my hamachi' she thought mournfully. She heard a fake cough, breaking her from her depressing thought about food. She immediately cheered up and put on a fake smile that fooled almost everyone she met, "Good afternoon, everyone! You must be tired from your walk here. Would anyone like anything?" She hated being fake, but if she wasn't 'polite' to the guests the old hag would have her head on a platter next to the yellowtail.
"No, thank you," Yamamoto spoke up for all of them, "Could you please escort us, first, to your training grounds?"
"As you wish," She nodded and began walking, "This way please," She sighed as they were going down the hall.
"Oi! Haru-chan! How was your breakfast?" A girl with green hair called down from a higher balcony when they walked down the hallway in the outside area. Her green hair trailed all the way down to her waist and was held in the back with a small yellow ribbon. Around her waist was a yellow obi that highlighted her pale green eyes and healthy complexion.
"I don't know," She called out flatly, "Oni-baba ate it before I had a chance,"
"WHAT?!" She held up a balled fist and clenched her teeth, "I worked hard to cut that goddamn fish for you!"
"Yeah, sorry I couldn't eat it, Shizu-chan!" She smiled nervously and placed her hand behind her head.
"Don't be sorry! Konno! If I ever get the chance!" She growled and walked away, cursing.
Haruko chuckled to herself and continued walking, her mood slightly lighter, "Who was that, Madarame-chan?" Haruko looked back at the one who'd addressed her. His hair was just above his shoulders and cut neatly. Two sets of different colored feathers stuck out from the corner of his right eye.
"Kimiyoshi Shizuka-chan, umm…" She hesitated, indicating that she didn't know how to address him.
He smiled brightly, "Ayasegawa Yumichika. Yoroishku!"
She bowed slightly in return, "Yoroshku, Ayasegawa-san," She turned around and continued walking.
"Neh, neh! Haru-haru!" The pink haired vice captain of squad eleven tugged on the bow of her red obi, "When we get to the training grounds wanna play a game of tag? It'll be fun! Oh and by the way, my name's Kusajishi Yachiru!"
She smiled lightly at the little girl, "Ah. Yoroshku, Yachiru-chan. And I don't know if I'd be allowed to play at the moment,"
"Demo!"
"Oi," A deep, gruffy voice called, "Yachiru," She looked back and ran back to Kenpachi's shoulder. Haruko turned around and continued to walk them to the training area once more.
"Ano," A gentle, womanly voice spoke up; Unohana of the fourth division, "Madarame-san, I noticed that shinigami here have obi of a few select color variety. Would you care to explain why that is?"
"Ah, hai," She replied without stopping or turning around this time, "Here, in this place instead of squad numbers, we have five different colored obi for the women that work here. White, being the lowest, is for students and servants; Yellow, the second lowest, is for the lower class fighters; blue, is for the higher class fighters; purple, is for vice captain class fighters, and red," She stopped at a wide area, full of nothing but dirt surrounded by the buildings. Against the walls were a variety of weapons to use when sparring, "Red obis are for the captain class fighters. And that's as high as it gets around here,"
"Soudeska," Unohana noted, "And I see your obi is red, along with your hair ribbon. Does that mean…?"
"Hai," She answered without turning around to meet their gaze, "I am considered strong enough to be of captain class. Of course that's by Oni-baba's standards, not Seireitei,"
"Oh? So you're saying you may not be as strong as one of our captains?" Kenpachi smirked with excitement, "Well why don't I fight you and you can see," He gripped the hilt of his sword and took a step forward.
Feeling his killing intent rise rapidly, Haruko narrowed her eyes and glared. She quickly gripped her own sword and turned to meet his gaze. Her glare was as cold as dry ice, almost as if it could burn you up on the spot. She didn't want to fight another captain, but she acted on instinct the moment he let his reiratsu loose. She honestly had no control over such instincts, even when she told herself moments later after acting to stop and calm down, she wasn't able to. Large bursts of hostile reiratsu made her irritable and hostile herself. It would probably make most anyone irritable, considering the circumstance of her past.
"Enough!" Yamamoto's strong voice cut through the screams within her mind and through Kenpachi's focus, "Zaraki-taichou, there is to be no sparring, without my consent, while on this assignment! Do I make myself clear?" Kenpachi grunted and took the hand off of his zanpakutou, letting his massive spirit force die down. Haruko slowly let her hand uncoil itself around the hilt of her sword, realizing he wasn't going to attack her, "Madarame-san, would you care to explain the curricular used in your daily exercise?"
Haruko kept her eyes narrowed at Kenpachi, "Ah. As you wish," She turned away from him angrily, "If you'll please wait several moments, the afternoon class should be walking in any minute. You'll be able to observe then,"
"Very well then," He nodded and they all waited. Several moments later, as promised, many girls with white obi began to file out into the court yard neatly. They chatted happily with one another as they waited for their instructor to command them in their daily training. Haruko looked at them distantly. Her relaxed hand at her side became slightly clenched, but relaxed once more. 'Nande…?' She thought to herself, 'Why am I the only one?'
"Oi! Madarame!" A girl with green hair, up in a ponytail, stalked up to her. She had more of a boyish aura to her and her obi was blue instead of yellow, "Are those the seireitei shinigami?" She stopped right next to Haruko and looked back at all of their guests.
"Hai," Haruko replied without looking away from the court yard, still with a distant, thoughtful look.
"Sugoi! There are so many of you! Well! Yoroshku, minna-san!" She grinned widely and bowed.
"It's nice to meet you properly, Kimiyoshi Shizu-chan!" Koryuaku took her hand in his and kissed it, charmingly.
"Shizu?" The girl laughed loudly and whole-heartedly, "Gomen! Gomen! I probably should've introduced myself first!" She continued to laugh at the common mistake, "Shizu is my twin sister. My name's Mizu!"
"Ah! Souka! Gomen!" The eighth division captain apologized.
"It's not a problem," She waved it off like it was nothing, "Neh, Madarame," She turned around to meet her superior, "Should we really crack the whip on the students today?" She grinned maniacally. She stopped as she got no reply from the girl, "Madarame?" She placed a hand on Haruko's shoulder. Haruko turned her head around slightly so that Mizu could see the corner of her eye glare viciously, "Eeee!" Mizu quickly pulled her hand back and jumped away, "S-so I guess we should get started then!"
"Mizu,"
"H-Hai?"
"You take care of them today. Work them hard. I'm gonna go to the music room for a bit," She turned on her heel and stomped down the hallway, "Come get me when your done! I need to take the visitors around to other places!" She called and disappeared around the next corner.
Mizu sighed heavily, "Hey," She turned to the visiting shinigami, "Which one of you was the one that released all that murderous reiratsu?"
"Heh," Kenpachi grinned, "Why? You got something to say?"
"As a matter of fact, yes!" She snapped at him, "You may be our guests, but if any of the higher ranking officers and up find your behavior unacceptable we will ask you to leave and see that you are escorted out of here!" She glared, "Now I know you didn't mean the harm you've inflicted, but I advise you to not release such reiratsu around here again. All of you,"
"And what would be your reason for this lecture, Kimiyoshi-san?" Yamamoto was slightly irritated about being lectured by a kid (by his standards).
She calmed down and lowered her head slightly in thought, "Because Madarame acts on instinct when she senses that kind of spiritual pressure. She's not herself. I don't know why she's like that, but large amounts of hostile spirit pressure make her…different," She looked up and smiled nervously, "I'm actually trying to beg you more than anything. Please don't do it again," She shuddered, remembering the only time she'd seen Madarame Haruko act more like a demon, than the one she'd come to know. Her ravenous eyes bore into the depths of her very being, that day.
()()()()
She started playing so subtlety, but it gradually grew louder. Like a dim light within the darkness that was striving it's way to the surface. Then all at once the notes exploded into a rolling labyrinth of notes and measures that lost anyone within it's music. Her fingers danced gracefully and skillfully over the ivory keys. Sharps and naturals blended together smoothly as they sped up and slowed down. Without others to play with her it didn't sound as nice as it originally had, but it was still a song that made you imagine the darkest depths of your hearts and the most wondrous, imaginative places in your head. Rachmaninov Concerto No. 2, the humans called it. The name was far beyond her knowledge, but the music she understood just fine. Music was not something one had to continuously ponder on to play. It was simply notes on paper that translated the keys movements. Though once you had the music memorized, it was no longer about just ink on paper. Once the music was memorized, it was about playing it your own style. That was the fun of learning the piano.
Haruko smiled to herself as she continued to play. Somehow it always calmed her nerves to play. She supposed it was because she'd be able to act out how she felt without words or excessive movements (like throwing or punching things). It was feelings without expressions. Poetry without words. She sighed at herself. What was she an artisan? She quickly shook her head free of such thoughts and continued to focus on the piece she played.
"Oi, Madarameeeeeeeeeee!" She heard her name from down the hallway. She quickly pressed a few chords to end the song, stood up, and rushed out into the hall before anyone could see her sitting at the piano. Mizu greeted her casually, "Hey, I've finished with the first half of training today and they're ready to move on to something else,"
"I see,"
"So I guess I'll be leaving now," She turned around and stalked down the hallway, "Later!"
"I see…So you're finished with your training evaluation? It went well I presume?" Haruko looked to each of them. Mizu usually messed around with guests any chance she got, but considering how import these guests were she doubted that the green haired twin would attempt anything. She's never been on the receiving end of Hiyori's rage, but Haruko knew as well as anyone that she would always be the first to remove herself from the demon granny's fit of destruction.
"I'm afraid I cannot give you such information," Yamamoto replied sternly and calmly.
"Souka. Pardon my intrusion then," She bowed slightly in apology, "In any case, what would you-"
She stopped in mid sentence, feeling a slight change in the atmosphere's pressure. She turned her head to the nearest window and narrowed her eyes, subconsciously gripping her zanpakutou's scabbard. The hairs along the back of her neck stood on end and the skin along her shoulders crawled with discomfort. She bit the inside of her lip nervously. Now? Of all times?
"Is there something wrong, Madarame-chan?" Koyruaku leaned forward slightly, concerned.
"Ano…"
"BRAT!" Haruko winced slightly. Even though Hiyori was still down the hall, her voice was still as loud and scratchy as any other time, "Why are you hesitating?! Get out there and kill that hallow!"
"I did not think it polite to leave our guests unattended," She glared at the old woman with distaste, "Besides. It doesn't even seem that strong. It's reiratsu is incredibly low. Even some of our weaker recruits would be able to handle it,"
As if by magic, Hiyori produced a piece of bamboo that was about a ruler and a half long and hit the back of Haruko's legs. She caught the young captain by surprise, causing her to gasp, though it didn't hurt her by much. She was plenty used to it by now, "Don't question me! Just get out there and command your kouhai then!"
()()()()
"Himawari, take the left; Shizu, take the backside; Mizu, charge in there; Reina, cover them," Haruko gave them general orders. It wasn't her problem if they didn't know how to approach an enemy. They passed their classes and are quite experienced, so she doubted they would need anymore help than each other. Houjou Himawari-chan, was one of the much younger shinigami. Despite her size, she was incredibly swift and clever. Her strategic battle techniques were pretty impressive, enough to earn her a blue obi. She could even surpass Haruko with enough effort and practice. Though, when they sparred together, using only their wits, most of Himawari's attacks came off as mere child's play; like they were playing a dangerous game of tag, but she was able to catch Haruko once or twice with her skill. She would stand there, 4'3", smirk, and laugh mockingly in victory. When she laughed, her canines made themselves visible just slightly, but they weren't the kind that constantly showed even if her mouth was closed. Her short blond hair had a few bangs on her forehead, but held it back with a small black ribbon, slightly like a headband, but with the bow on the side. She would smile so widely when she finally caught Haruko, that even her honey brown eyes seemed to glimmer.
Haruko sighed heavily. She knew they'd be just fine, but any kind of murderous intent made her anxious, even if it was small. She looked at the hollow's form. This hollow in particular took the form of some kind of giant ape with a dragon, or lizard-like, mask. It's skin was a shallow blue and it's chest had a clear hole in it right were the human heart should be. She sighed once more and balanced on her left foot and scratched the back of her neck. One, She counted in her head as one of Himawari's traps went off, Two, Shizu slashed it's arm off as it was about to attack Reina, Three, Reina dogged and another attack and deflected it cero, Done, Mizu used shunpo to appear in front of the enemy and slice it's mask in half. The hallow immediately disintegrated into spirit particles.
"Yahoou!" Mizu threw her fist in the air and cheered while the other three laughed at her excitement. Haruko crossed her arms and allowed herself the faintest of smiles, but her anxiety refused to cease. There was still something in the back of her mind that told her to attack.
"Ehh," Koyruaku held onto his hat as a gentle breeze blew, one that couldn't possible lift it, "Pretty impressive. Their teamwork skills are impressive,"
"Their ability to sustain damage is also worth commenting," Unohana smiled.
"Don't forget their fighting," Ukitake spoke up, "Their movements are swift and strong," Most others nodded in agreement.
"It so happens that these shinigami right here were all personally trained by Madarame Haruko," Hiyori closed her eyes, to avoid any eye contact.
"Eh? Souka?" Kyoruaku exclaimed in surprise.
"Heh," Kenpachi smirked, "Then you must be pretty strong yourself, kid," Haruko shot him a dirty look and narrowed her eyes dangerously. She knew he was given orders not to start any fights, but his presence was constantly putting her on edge because of his reiratsu from earlier. It was enormous, yet she was able to tell that he was holding most back. Kenpachi frowned, "What? I just gave you a compliment! Be a little more grateful!" She scoffed and turned her attention back to her chattering kouhai, "You little-,"
Yachiru giggled from her position on his shoulder, "I don't think she likes you very much, Ken-chan!"
"Madarame-san, I would find it rather intriguing if you would demonstrate the extent of your abilities for us," Yamamoto requested, "I, personally, would like to know how powerful this academy has become since our last visit. And it seems, Hiyori-baa holds you in high esteem when it comes to such a feat,"
Hiyori twitched, but said nothing about his comment. She cleared her raspy old throat and agreed, "Yes. I suppose I don't have much of a choice. Madarame!" She turned her head to Haruko and yelled.
Haruko clenched her fist and grit her teeth, "I'm right here. You don't need to yell so loud. I'm not deaf!"
She hit Haruko's arm with the bamboo stick, "Don't get sassy with me! You are to fight one of them!"
"What's this?" Yamamoto opened his eyes and glared at Hiyori, "I never agreed to this spar! Have her fight one of your other captain class fighters!"
"Imbecile!" Hiyori shouted in his face, "She's amongst the elite! She'd barely lift a finger to defeat them! Spare one of yours!"
The two began to bicker heavily. Haruko stared absent mindedly and sighed, 'Old people…' She shook her head and spaced out for a minute before Hiyori yelled at her yet again, "What?" She replied, irritable and lazy.
The old lady whacked her on the arm again, "Don't take that tone with me! You'll be fighting Zaraki Kenpachi! It's just a sparring match, so don't go overboard! You do and it'll be your head above my fireplace!"
She sighed, "Yeah, sure," She casually walked out into the field, a good distance away from everyone else.
Yamamoto turned to Kenpachi seriously, "Contain yourself, Zaraki. I don't want this to end in bloodshed,"
"Heh," Kenpachi pulled out his rusted zanpakutou and began to walk out into the field as well, opposite of Haruko, "I'll try, but if she's as strong as I think she is, I won't promise anything," He faced her and grinned maniacally, "Ya ready kid? Don't think that just because you're a little girl, that I'll go easy on you,"
She took a fighting stance, ready to unsheathe her zanpakutou, "I didn't expect you to," She narrowed her dark eyes and glared. Madarame Haruko, definitely didn't like this guy.
ONIDA!
Yay! End of Chapter one! Stay tuned for Chapter two! In the mean time how's a bout a Japanese lesson?
Oni-baba/Oni-baa: Demon Granny
Baba: Granny.
Yoroshku/ Yoroshku onegaishimasu: Nice to meet you/ Pleasure to meet you.
Hamachi: Yellowtail Tuna. Usually served raw (sashimi or sushi style. I love the sashimi style best…yum)
Haori: the 'shirt'
Hakama: The 'pants'
Yada: No(whining. As in 'I can't believe this is happening' no).
Demo: But
Nande: Why.
….Anything I missed? If so, message me if it really bugs you and you wanna know what that word means. (sweat drop)
REVIEW PLEASE! I love seeing emails that say I've been favorite-ed or story alert, but I love reviews and opinions more!
-Mori-chan!
