Hey, everybody! How's life? Anyway, I'm pleased to say that the sequel to The Knights of Olympus is up and ready! But before you read, be warned: some of this story might be a little bit offensive to some people. If you are offended by anything in this, please remember that this is just a story, and that I in no way aim to degrade any religions, races, men/women, ethnicities, or anyone in any way. Now, on with the story.
-o-
Tatsuki yawned exhaustedly as she walked down the street. She had been up all night cramming for this year's midterms. Add the fact that she wasn't too big a fan of mornings, and one could say that she looked like a complete mess. On the bright side though, this was her final year in high school. Her parents had already gotten her to apply for a local college, which she was kind of looking forward to.
Her mind slowly began to wander to last night. When she had fallen asleep, she had had the weirdest dream. All she could really remember was that there was a lot of fire, and a bunch of shadowy figures in the background. She also remembered hearing something about a choice and "dire consequences," whatever that meant. She was able to shrug it off as just bizarre dream, the result of which was her making sure that she wouldn't stay up past two in the morning again.
"Tatsuki!" a girl's voice suddenly called. She turned to see Ichigo and Orihime waving to her. Orihime had a huge smile on her face, as usual. Ichigo had a small, but noticeable smirk on his face. Ever since the two had started dating, he had become more and more outgoing. He also injured Keigo less, which was a fairly good thing.
Tatsuki waved back to her friends, who walked over and joined her walk. "You ready fpr the midterms?" Ichigo asked.
Tatsuki smirked cockily. "Yeah. I aim to ace that stupid test."
"Great!" Orihime said happily. "Hey! Maybe, once we graduate, we can all go to the same college together! Wouldn't that be great?"
"Yeah," Tatsuki agreed. "What about you, Ichigo? What are you gonna do?"
"I got an invitation from the Soul Society," the orange-haired teen said. "Old Man Yamamoto, the leader of the Soul Reapers-" (he said this so that Tatsuki knew who he was talking about) "-said that I could help teach Soul Reapers-in-training how to fight. He's said that I've more than proven myself on more than one occasion. Considering the fact that I've saved the world twice, I guess he's right."
"That's so cool, Ichigo!" Orihime said in congratulations to her boyfriend. "Getting to train Soul Reaper trainees is so amazing!"
"Yeah," Tatsuki said quietly. "Amazing."
-o-
"We need that kid," said a man with a look of selfish desire in his eyes. "Once we're done, I'm keeping that one to myself." He was suddenly slapped on his head. He glared at his attacker angrily. "What in our master's name was that for!?"
"Just stop talking," said an unnaturally curvaceous woman with an angry scowl on her face. "You'll blow our cover." She sighed in frustration. "I'm shocked that your avarice hasn't ruined you yet."
"I could say the same about you and all your little boy toys, sis," the man said with a chuckle as the woman glared at him.
"Whatever. Just remember that we need that child alive."
"Yeah, yeah. I know." The pair then vanished from their hiding place.
-o-
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
Tatsuki eyed one of the questions on her test paper, unconsciously tacking her pencil on her desk. It was an old habit of hers. The rhythmic sound helped her think to some degree. She struggled to think what the answer to the question might have been.
In what region did the Takeda Cavalry confront the Tokugawa army in 1572?
She sighed depressingly. She had completely forgotten to review her history book. She flipped through the remaining pages in the stapled packet. From she could see, it was mostly history questions. She groaned quietly and looked out the large window to her left. She couldn't help but feel as though something was… off. Like something was going to happen sooner or later. She soon refocused on her test. She had to at least try to pass.
-o-
Ichigo ate his lunch silently as his friends chatted. Ever since the war at Olympus, things had gone back to their old routine. Wholes to perform konso on, Hollows to kill, same old, same old. Not that he was complaining. He enjoyed having his powers back, and being able to protect his friends and loved ones again felt great.
As he ate, he noticed that Tatsuki was unusually quiet. She also didn't seem to have much of an appetite, because most of her food was still on her tray.
"Hey, Tatsuki," he said, cutting off one of Keigo's nonsensical rants. The dark-haired girl faced Ichigo with slight surprise on her face. "Is something wrong? You're acting kind of weird today."
All attention was suddenly on her. She felt oddly uncomfortable. She set her tray down and said, "I'm fine. I just didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night, that's all."
"Hey, don't feel bad!" Orihime said in an attempt to cheer up her best friend. "Lots of people have trouble sleeping, especially when there's a big test the next day."
Tatsuki shook her head. "It's not just a lack of sleep. It's…" She trailed off a little. When everyone gave her expecting looks, she sighed and said, "I had this weird dream where-"
An explosion interrupted her, accompanied by a sudden burst of spiritual pressure. Everyone's attention instantly turned away from Tatsuki and towards the direction of the huge crash. Ichigo scowled and went into his Soul Reaper form. He handed his real body to Keigo and Mizuiro.
"I'll go check it out!" he said. "Uryu, Chad, you guys come with me. Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, Orihime, you go take care of anybody who's hurt!"
"Who made you the leader?" Uryu asked cynically as he pushed up his glasses.
"Now's not the time!" Tatsuki exclaimed. "People might be hurt! Let's just go!" With that, she headed off with Orihime, Keigo, and Mizuiro (that latter two carrying Ichigo's body) to take care of any injured people.
-o-
The avaricious man laughed at his handiwork. This had been more fun than he thought. he really did love causing a little bit of mayhem every now and then, but blowing up populated areas was surprisingly low on his sadistic list of things he loved to do.
"Man, I love that smell!" he shouted. "The scent of fear and instinct! I love it almost as much as cold, hard cash!"
"So you're the one who blew up our school?" said a voice that was filled with anger. The man turned to see an orange-haired Soul Reaper, an incredibly tall young man, and a poindexter with a weird glowing bow.
The man raised an eyebrow at the group, then chuckled malevolently. "Yeah, that was me. What are you three losers gonna do about it, eh?"
Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the man. The stranger had jet black hair and wore a black, sleeveless shirt, revealing toned arms. He also wore a pair of black denim pants. He could see next to nothing but selfish want in the man's coal black eyes. "Just who are you anyway, pal?"
"Oh, I'm so glad you asked!" the man replied with a sinister grin. "I am want given physical form! I desire money, women, and power! I enjoy the finer things in life! I am Greed the Avaricious of the Seven Sins!"
"Seven Sins?" Uryu asked as he notched an arrow.
"That's right," Greed said with a smirk. "And right about now, my partner's going after our target."
"What!?" all three teens shouted at the same time. Ichigo Flash Stepped over to Greed, his zanpakuto poised to decapitate the selfish man. "Who are you after? Tell me!"
Greed grinned evilly. "Let's just say that the kid's got a hell of a punch."
-o-
Tatsuki, with help from Keigo and Mizuiro, managed to help evacuate the school before anyone could get severely hurt. Fortunately, the only major injuries were a broken arm and a couple sprained body parts. When the other students had gotten to safety, Orihime began heading for where the explosion had taken place. Tatsuki followed her, determined not to let her best friend get hurt. Both of them stopped when they heard an unfamiliar voice.
"How quaint," a woman's voice said in a singsong tone. They both turned to see an impossibly beautiful woman with curves that were just downright unnatural. She wore a black, strapless dress that revealed a good bit of cleavage, but not too much to be called truly racy. Her hair was a shining black hue that was clearly every bit as soft as one could possibly imagine. Her skin was fair and utterly flawless. To put it simply, the woman had looks that other women would kill for.
Despite the woman's almost goddess-like appearance, neither Orihime nor Tatsuki could ignore that sense of dread that came with the woman's huge spiritual pressure. Soon, Orihime asked, "Who are you?"
The woman gave a smile that could've turned a gay man completely straight. "Isn't it customary to give your own name before asking for another's?" When she received no answer, she shrugged. "Such rudeness. Oh well. You're only children, so I guess it can't be helped." She performed a curt bow. "I am Lust the Lascivious of the Seven Sins." She then pointed at Tatsuki. "I honestly don't care for the other girl, but you, Tatsuki Arisawa, vital."
Tatsuki's eyebrows raised in surprise. "What do you mean 'vital'?"
"You don't know? How troublesome." Lust crossed her arms under her… impressive chest. "It's hurtful really. But I guess it only makes, sheltered as you are."
Sheltered? Tatsuki thought. She was growing more and more suspicious of this woman every second.
"Your so-called 'parents' never told you the truth," Lust said in obvious disappointment. "Humans should know better than involve themselves in affairs that don't concern them. But for so long, they've hidden the truth from you. If you had known, we would've met a long time ago." She grinned, as if suddenly pleased. "To tell you the truth, I've been dying to meet you."
"And just why is that?" Tatsuki demanded.
"Why so vicious?" Lust asked in an offended tone. "We should be getting along. After all…" She grinned again, but this time, it was much darker. "We are sisters."