""Can anyone tell me exactly why we're all taking a trek in the middle of the night in this creepy forest?" Tsuki asked aloud with slight contempt as she hugged herself tightly.
Despite the gruesome mission they were on, the night air was crisp and the sky was clear, with a full moon shining on the leaves of the trees surrounding them. All the people on the mission were wearing yukatas* of their favorite color.
"You're part of the reason why we decided to take this trek." Takeo commented from the front, holding up a lantern to lead the way. "Besides this mission is our duty." His little sister grumbled, remembering what had happened the other morning…
"…Then the old man turned and saw his deceased wife, the one who had been leaving the wrong flowers at her grave. Finally she opened her mouth and spoke. She said-."
"Hey you guys. What are you up to?" Takeo asked from the doorway of Byakuya's office, making Renji and Tsuki jump before they looked at him.
Tsuki turned to her brother and answered his question, "We were waiting for Captain Kuchiki to come back from a meeting so Renji was telling me a creepy scary story to pass the time."
Takeo put the pile of paperwork he had been holding on the desk – meant for the captain to go through and sign – before making his own comment with a smirk. "If you think that the story Lieutenant Renji was telling you was scary, you're dead wrong." – Renji made a disappointed frown at his comment – "I've got something scarier to tell you. And it's true."
While Renji mumbled under his breath that his story was true as well, Tsuki entreated Takeo to share his tale.
"Well okay… If you've got enough courage to hear it…" he stated with a mischievous grin on his face. "I've heard people say that there's an old mansion in the middle of the forest in the South Rukongai area. Many have wandered through the forest, and few have come back alive." – he paused – "And the few that wandered back into civilization, have never been the same again."
"That's just a folk tale!" Tsuki stated with disbelief. "No one believes that story!"
"But the evidence is real. What do you suppose could be the cause?" Renji asked her.
"I don't know. A hollow maybe?"
"A hollow would leave no traces of evidence like what we've found."
"Well….Well it could be something other than a hollow but I won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes!"
"Then we can go out at night sometime soon and check out the mansion to see if it's real or just a story." Takeo suggested while crossing his arms.
"I'm up for it. How about you Tsuki?" Renji stated, all for going to the mansion and poking around.
Tsuki thought for a moment before giving her answer, but at that moment, Byakuya came in the room asking, "Might I ask what you are doing here preventing my subordinates from their work, Takeo?"
"I was just dropping off some paperwork from my division." Tsuki's older brother replied before heading to the door. "I'll just leave now. Vice-Captain Iba is probably wondering where I am."
But before he could leave, Byakuya said, "Hold on Takeo. Don't go yet."
The older of the Kishin siblings had a confused look on his face, but he went ahead and sat next to Tsuki on one of the couches there in the office.
"What's going on, Captain?" Renji asked before the other two had the chance to.
"We've been assigned a mission to go to the forest in South Rukongai and investigate the disappearances that have happened there." Byakuya informed them. Tsuki's eyes widened a little as she gave a surprised look at her brother before her captain continued.
"Taking into account what happened earlier in the spring, the team going to investigate will comprise of me, Renji, Tsuki, Kioku, Takeo, Rukia, and Natsuki, in case someone gets injured. I will give you all a week to prepare. Make sure you let Natsuki and Kioku know about this. You may go now Takeo."
"Right. I'll let Kioku and Natsuki know and I'll see you in a week." Tsuki's older brother stated before he left the office.
"Now we're all caught up." Takeo finished as they all came up to a clearing. "And we found the mansion."
It was huge, with six floors or more and looked like it was about to fall apart. Some shingles of the roof were missing and you could almost see through the holes in the walls if it wasn't for the darkness. Mold was also growing in places and the local vegetation seemed to have broken through the cement and grow where it wasn't supposed to.
"It looks like it's been here for ages." Natsuki commented, voicing everyone's thoughts at that moment.
"It has. I read in the report that apparently a wealthy nobleman used to live here." Byakuya informed the others as they all gazed upon the mansion in front of them. "He died a horrible death before he could ask his true love to marry him."
"That's horrible…" Tsuki commented with sadness.
"I agree." Kioku added with the same expression on his face. "How did he die?"
"The report didn't say." Byakuya replied. "There was no one nearby to hear and the attacker must have killed the owner and the servants."
"Well if we investigate we might be able to find out." Renji suggested and they all agreed, some a little more hesitant than the others.
"That's a lot to comb through though, considering that the building has six floors and possibly a basement." Rukia stated with thought. "It would take a while if we went in as a whole group."
"That's why I've decided to divide us up into three groups." Byakuya stated seriously, certain with his decision. "Natsuki, you'll be with Takeo, while Rukia and Renji will work together. Kioku and Tsuki; you are with me."
After they all teamed up, they went to different areas of the mansion. Natsuki and Takeo went straight to the top floor while Renji and Rukia investigated the middle floors. Tsuki, Byakuya, and Kioku started combing through the lower floors.
"Ugh… So much blood. And that stench!" Tsuki commented as they walked through the hallways and looking into the rooms as they passed. "Not even bones are left. What do you think wrecked this place?"
"A hollow is the most probable choice for this kind of situation." Kioku answered thoughtfully. "I just hope if it is a hollow that it isn't still alive and living here…"
"I just have a bad feeling about this…" Tsuki stated as she felt shivers going up and down her back.
"Tsuki is right." Byakuya said seriously before turning into a certain room. "There is something not right about this place…"
The other two followed and found themselves in a makeshift library and office. The room was quite big and a little roomy. A few bookshelves lined the walls and against the far wall was a slightly rotted desk with all the writing instruments askew on it. The books were all over the place and so were papers. This room did not have any blood in it, but it did smell of well-aged books.
"We'll find our information in here." Byakuya said as he gazed at a few books still in the book case in front of him. "Be careful handling the books."
The three of them started looking through the books and papers, trying to find any information that could tell them about the killer the disappearances, or both. While the men started looking through the books on either side of the room, Tsuki shuffled through the papers on the desk. After a few minutes of searching, she found something.
"Hey you two, come look at this!" she said loudly, reaching under the desk to pull out her find. "It looks like the owner's most recent journal and it's open to the day of the attack."
The two men came close and all together, they read the entry. It said:
'I fear as though my life is coming to a close end, so I shall leave these last words with you so that you may tell my love about my fate. Even as I write this I can hear the screams of my servants from the assailant's attacks. I do not know what it may be, but I pray that it will have mercy on me. I may not know how to use a sword, but I will use the one beside me to take my enemy down with me. I give my one true love all the best and….tell her I'm sorry.'
"So he took down the monster that killed everyone here?" Kioku asked after they had finished.
"Either that or they killed each other." Tsuki suggested.
"Or it killed him and left." Byakuya stated simply.
Suddenly they all heard a scream; Natsuki's scream to be exact.
"Natsuki!" Kioku shouted as he darted out of the room. Byakuya followed quickly after and then Tsuki followed, but she got all turned around and went the wrong way.
Finally she came into a small guest bedroom and found them on the other side of the room. But as soon as she entered, they exited through the other doorway. "Hey, wait!" Tsuki said as she continued to follow them.
Meanwhile Kioku and Byakuya caught up with Takeo and Renji in the middle floor.
"Where's Natsuki? What happened to her?" Kioku asked fiercely, worried for his little sister.
"I'm not sure but I think when my back was turned from her she fell through the floor because when I looked back all I saw was a hole in the floor." Takeo explained. "I ran to the floor underneath and couldn't find her."
"Weird…" Renji marveled as he scratched the back of his head and looked beside him. Realizing that Rukia wasn't beside him he looked to the other men in shock and continued, "Aw damn! Looks like Rukia has disappeared too."
"And I don't see Tsuki either…" Takeo commented with a frown. "What the hell is happening here?!"
"I might know why they disappeared…" Byakuya said slowly and thoughtfully. "Takeo, I believe you were telling Tsuki and Renji about the mansion. Do you know exactly who was disappearing?"
"Well, no. But I do know that women have been disappearing…" Tsuki's older brother stated before drawing off and realizing himself what Byakuya was onto.
"So whoever this is, they're after women." Kioku made the connection himself but something didn't seem to snap into place. "But why? Why did he take Tsuki, Natsuki, and Rukia?"
"I guess we'll find out," Byakuya said. "After we find a way into the basement…"
"Why would they be in the basement?" Renji asked bluntly.
"Don't you sense something down there?" Takeo asked the red headed lieutenant. "It almost feels suffocating. The enemy must be down there."
"Well what are we waiting for?" Kioku stated with determination. "Let's go and rescue the girls!"
The other men agreed and they proceeded to find the doorway to the basement. With a bit of time they finally found some kind of trap door in the floor of the kitchen area. They tried to get in but it was locked. At that time they all heard a symphony of the three ladies shout and that made Takeo all the more fired up, so he kicked at the slightly rotted trap door until it broke apart.
"Hey! Tsuki, Rukia, Natsuki! Are you down there?!" Takeo shouted down into the darkness of the basement.
No answer. All was silent as the men gazed into the hole, waiting for the ladies to respond. Finally Takeo said, "I'm going down there," before dropping down. The others followed, and as soon as they landed on the basement floor, they heard the faint sounds of conversation coming from farther back in the room.
The group of men slowly made their way quietly through what seemed to be some kind of storage room with boxes filled with a whole conglomeration of items. From tattered clothes to fermented food; this storage room had everything to keep a mansion going. Well, it used to.
The closer they got, the more they heard of the conversation going on.
"So, which one of you will become my wife?" a suave, handsome sounding voice could be heard asking the question. "You know you have no choice. I won't let any of you go until one of you agrees to marry me."
"Our friends will come to save us. Just you wait." They could hear Tsuki saying with determination.
"You are putting on quite the brave face young lady." The suave man said with interest apparent in his tone. "I'm feeling that perhaps you are the one I'll take for my wife. I do like my women a little feisty after all…"
"There's no way I'll let him marry my sister!" Takeo muttered under his breath before stalking forward to confront the enemy.
When he got to the back of the room he found Tsuki with Rukia and Natsuki behind her and right in front of her was a young man not too much older than he and Byakuya.
He was as tall as Takeo and quite handsome, with blond hair that fell to his shoulders and covered his left eye. He had red-brown colored eyes and a scowl on his handsome face. He currently wore a deep red men's kimono which was loosely opened, showing his chest with a dark red, almost black, sash tied around his waist.
"Oh dear. It looks like we've got some unwanted guests…" the young man stated angrily before drawing a sword out from nearby.
"Be careful Takeo. Something doesn't feel quite right about him." Tsuki warned her brother.
"Right." Her brother stated in reply as he drew out his zanpaku-tô. "You girls just get out of the way. I don't want to end up hurting you three."
The young ladies did so, standing beside Byakuya, Kioku, and Renji as they watched the duel start out. At first the two men circled around, before the young handsome man spoke.
"So your name is Takeo. It is very noble name." he said with a somewhat friendly smirk.
"Thanks, I guess. But what's with the complements all of a sudden?" Takeo replied reluctantly.
"Can't I be polite while we duel?"
"Yeah, but if you talk I'll be distracted. I don't like distractions…"
"Very well, but wouldn't you like to know my name?"
"Yeah, if you'll be quiet and duel me when you've introduced yourself."
"My name is Yajaku, and before we continue, I would like to make a wager."
At that moment, Kioku jolted with surprise and Natsuki noticed before asking her brother what was wrong.
"Yajaku… I've seen that name before." He said with thought before Takeo could talk.
"So what's this wager you're talking about?" Takeo asked the suave young man.
"If I win this duel, I get to have your sister…" Yajaku replied with a smirk.
"There is no way you can have Tsuki!"
"Then I guess you'll have to defeat me."
"Bring it on!"
And so they finally clashed, Takeo going in quick and fierce so he could prevent Tsuki from getting married to the suspicious but handsome Yajaku. While they were in the midst of battle, the name of Yajaku finally dawned on Kioku.
"I remember where I saw that name before!" he suddenly stated with realization.
"Where?" Natsuki asked.
"It was when Captain Kuchiki, Tsuki and I were searching through the books and things in the library." Kioku explained to all of them. "The name had been repeated over and over in copies of documents that I read in some of the books. I believe that's the name of the owner of this mansion."
"So that Yajaku there is the owner of this mansion?" Rukia asked as she put two and two together.
"But how could he live for so long?" Renji asked further. "The report was dated over a hundred years back and everyone's seen for themselves that no one can live in a rat hole like this."
"You there with the red hair." Yajaku suddenly stated as he and Takeo struggled against each other with their swords. "Don't you dare insult my home. It is still livable, with a little work of course."
"Oi pretty boy. Keep your eyes on your opponent." Takeo demanded with annoyance.
Yajaku glared at Takeo before he pushed the fierce male away with his sword. He then took the opportunity to take a slash at his enemy, who finally took a hit. He then smirked and slashed at Takeo again, but was blocked. Takeo then stood up and clashed with Yajaku once again, but Yajaku was somehow overwhelming Takeo. In one fell swoop he batted Takeo's zanpaku-tô across the room and had him on his knees.
"Looks like I win." Yajaku stated with his sword pointed at Takeo's face as he looked upon Tsuki. "And now I'll take you as my wife. Come with me. The rest of you may leave quietly."
"There is no way we're leaving without Tsuki!" Rukia shouted with defiance.
"And there is no way I'm going quietly with you!" Tsuki added as she drew her zanpaku-tô and stepped forward to defend her and Takeo. "I'm an independent woman and I choose whoever I want to marry."
"This is quite amusing." Yajaku stated with thought and a smirk on his face. "Very well. I shall let you defend yourself, but if I win this duel, you will definitely be coming with me."
"Fine by me." Tsuki answered as she stepped forward, giving her brother the opportunity to stand up and move out of the way.
As they were about to start though, something out of the ordinary happened. A fog rose from the floor and the temperature dropped. Then a whispering echoed throughout the room saying, "No, please don't go any further…"
"Who was that?" Tsuki amongst a few others questioned while they all looked around the room for the source of the voice. "Where's it coming from?"
Suddenly something like a pure white bubble of light floated out of Tsuki's chest and stopped in between her and Yajaku, making Tsuki collapse to her knees, still conscious. The small glowing orb then grew and formed into a young woman with a concerned look on her face.
She had much of the same features as Tsuki; the same teal colored eyes, same body structure, and even the same facial expressions. The only differences were that she looked older than Tsuki, had long flowing silver hair and she was wearing an elaborate women's kimono.
Upon seeing the woman, both Tsuki and Takeo said, "Mom?!" in unison with slight disbelief and shock on their faces.
The woman gazed at the two of them with surprise and then smiled warmly.
"Oh dear no. I'm not your mother." She said with her hand on her cheek. "I'm way too young for that. But I do see a bit of my sister in you."
"How were you in my body though?" Tsuki asked simply.
"That's easy. You're my reincarnation."
"How does that work?" it was Takeo's turn to ask.
"Well let's just say that I'm your mother's older sister."
"Enough of this talk!" Yajaku shouted suddenly. "Who are you woman?!"
The young woman frowned a little as she gazed at the young man. "Has your craving for vengeance clouded your eyesight?" she asked. "I am Himitsu Asatsyu. You pledged your love to me."
"Nonsense! When Himitsu died she never came for me. I loved her and she left me for dead!" Yajaku shouted with anger.
"I didn't leave you behind! I came for you when I died and you were too preoccupied with other things to greet me." The woman stated in reply, keeping her cool. "So I decided to leave and check on my sister. It was then that I was reincarnated as Tsuki. You looked for me but I was already gone."
"If you really are Himitsu my love…" Yajaku said, unsure of himself. "Then stay here with me forever."
"I cannot." Himitsu replied as if she did want to spend eternity with her love. "If I leave Tsuki she will die."
"How am I supposed to live on then?! Tell me that!" Yajaku asked with anger, as an aura of malice surrounded him. When she didn't reply, the aura grew and Yajaku began to transform into a monster. He became white in color, with a body that was grotesque but still slightly human. Finally some kind of white glop poured out of his eyes and mouth, forming a hollow mask over his face.
"You think that's the hollow that ravaged this mansion?" Takeo asked before grabbing Tsuki and jumping out of the way of the hollow's swinging arm.
"He must have eaten Yajaku then, and gave him the kind of personality he has." Natsuki added with some thought.
"That also explains some of the people not coming back alive." Kioku stated as he gazed at the hollow before him with slight shock and disgust.
"We must expel the hollow from him." Himitsu suggested from beside Tsuki. "Then he'll be himself again."
"I'll take care of that." Byakuya stated coolly as he drew his zanpaku-tô and brought it vertically in front of his face. "Scatter, Senbonzakura."
The blade shattered and became a thousand tiny blades, leaving the hilt in Byakuya's hand so he could control the flow of the blades. In a moment the blades attacked the hollow, shattering the mask and making the white body disappear to reveal the true Yajaku. He had a somewhat softer appearance to him and his hairstyle changed so the bangs didn't cover his right eye.
"There. The hollow is expelled." Byakuya stated while sheathing his zanpaku-tô.
"Himitsu…" was all Yajaku said as he extended his hand to her.
"As much as I want to go with you, I have to stay to keep my niece alive." His lover said to him with tears in her eyes. "I know we shall meet someday in another life."
Yajaku understood as he nodded with a sad smile on his face and he disappeared in a dust of shining glittery stuff. Himitsu returned to Tsuki and the group left the rotting mansion and walked into the horizon with the rising sun." Yachiru finished as the other shinigami women from the Shinigami Women's Association listened attentively. "The end!"
"A most beautiful story Yachiru-chan!" Isane complemented the young pink haired lieutenant's narrative.
"It would've been better if Lady Yoruichi was in it…" Soi-Fon stated with slight disappointment.
"What did you think, Tsuki-chan?" Yachiru asked as she turned to the third seat of squad six.
"It was certainly interesting Yachiru…" Tsuki replied hesitantly.
"I know!" Matsumoto suddenly said, startling some of the women. "We could type this up and post it on fan fiction!"
"That sounds like a good idea." Nanao said as she pushed her glasses up smartly. "It could give us a little more popularity."
"And we can do pairings like Tsuki and Byakuya!" Yachiru added with enthusiasm.
"W-Wait no!" Tsuki shouted as her cheeks went beet red.
*For those of you who don't know, a yukata is actually a summer kimono.
Another one-shot done, and not a moment too late. Fall is coming up close and I haven't even started on the fall chapter. I hope you can bear with me until I get it typed out. I'll be introducing a new character; Tsuyayaka or Yaya for short. Hope you look forward to it. Until then, enjoy!