Glory/Gore: Tactics
He scowled down at the report in hand, having reread the last two lines at least twice by now; a vein twitched on his brow. "Akatsuki, remind me as to why you two are here in my office?" He demanded cattily.
The lanky brunette looked over at his captain's annoyed teal gaze, hazel-green eyes patient. "Don't blame me, Taichō; my sister just came here out of the blue…"
"I came to see Rangiku, dumbass." She pulled his right cheek out, taking another bite out of the sweet bun in hand. "The fact that I brought sweet buns –which so happen to be your favorites—is the only reason you're in here too." She declared dryly, in no mood for his sarcasm.
Akatsuki Kiba rubbed his cheek gingerly from where she pulled, grimacing. "Like a moth to the flame, imoto-chan." He remarked calmly with a sigh.
"Apparently so." The voice of the intended party mused lightly as she threw her arms around his neck, making him blush as she embraced her lover.
Hitsugaya Tōshirō stuck his tongue out and grumbled something under his breath in disgust, putting on the part of a child even though he refused to be considered as such.
Kita rolled her eyes and poured her a cup of sake as the lieutenant plopped down next to her brother, sipping her own cup briefly. "If it's all the same to you, Ran-chan, y'mind laying off on the affectionate shit right now? I've got problems." She wondered.
Matsumoto Rangiku blinked once before she took a generous sip from her cup. "Is that right? Don't tell me it's dealing with him again." She had been there the night her old friend had been drunk enough to go give the man in question a piece of her mind; she half-blamed herself for giving her the required ammunition.
Visibly deflating as she ripped off a particular chunk of sweet bun from her snack, she nodded and munched. "He's such a bastard sometimes, friggin' digging the knife deeper into the friggin' wound… Why the hell does this happen to me?" She growled irritably around the bread, swallowing.
The couple briefly shared a look before her best friend exhaled. "Call me crazy, but it sounds like he was trying to make amends; he still feels guilty, for all you know, for what he told you back then." She ignored the disgruntled growl the third seat uttered as she reached to refill her cup. "And if he's trying to make amends that means he still…" She paused, watching her scowl over at her.
The alcohol was starting to soothe her nerves but what she was saying was just making her mood become sour as it had been for the majority of the morning prior to her visit to the Tenth Division barracks. "'That means he still' what, Rangiku?" She drawled pointedly, cocking both brows.
"It means he still loves you." Matsumoto answered patiently, mentally preparing for the fireworks.
Kiba snatched the plate of sweet buns out of the way as she spat out her drink, coughing. "Real smooth, love." He muttered.
"That's bullshit! He has no right to love me, that overgrown arrogant bastard! H-how… Why would he put me through hell for the past century if he loves me!? What kind of love is that!?" Kita shouted, slamming her fists onto the tabletop and glaring heated daggers at her friend's empathetic stare.
"Akatsuki, keep it down!" Hitsugaya barked impatiently from his desk.
"Shut it, pipsqueak!" She snarled angrily, jumping to her feet and storming away from the room.
"Oi, where're you going?" Rangiku asked, ignoring the death glare her captain sent at the retreating woman.
"Nowhere! Thanks for your shitty advice, Matsumoto." She snapped, continuing on her way down the corridor; she needed to cool off and then locate where Ichigo had gone to.
Kiba looked at the frown crinkling his lover's brow and exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "I'll find her; see you later, Rangiku." He leaned in to give her a chaste kiss before shuffling to his feet to follow his sister.
::::::::x-x::::::::
He caught up to her as she was heading in the direction of the Senzaikyu, vaguely wondering why she was going there of all places; of course she'd been concerned about the capital offender –which so happened to be that man's sister-in-law, Kuchiki Rukia, but that was another matter for another day...
"I don't need sympathy, especially from the happy couple." She drawled quietly, perking his ears as he'd sidled up to her left side, arms crossed over his chest.
Kiba rolled his eyes at her snarky attitude, planting a hand on her head and ruffling her hair, making her grumble something under her breath and look away, flustered. "I'm your brother, in case you forgot; sympathy isn't really my strong-suit but keepin' you sane, on the other hand, is." He reminded patiently.
Kita quieted beneath his hand and slid her eyes closed, leaning her head into his touch and sighing shakily. "Kiba…"
He smiled softly down at her, slinging his arm around her shoulders and squeezing. "Don't shoulder this on your own, okay? You're my little sister, after all, and seein' you cry makes me want to sucker-punch the nobility out of him, to be honest. Wonder if I still can, I mean he's prolly in his office right now…" He mused aloud, trying to be funny for her as he used to do when she was younger.
"Onii-san!" She whined and groaned, scowling up at him with her cheeks puffed out childishly, slightly flustered.
Kiba chuckled and smiled at her, seeing her frustrated expression slowly fade and a small timid smile take its place; well, it's not a grin, but it'll do. "Mind if I ask you a question?"
"Shoot," Kita replied, looking away to rub her nose gingerly and letting her eyes rest on the looming Shi-Shinrō tower that housed her friend.
He followed her line of sight. "You're not trying to save her or anything reckless like that, are you…?" He glanced at her as she froze minutely with a hand on her head fixing her ruffled hair.
"W-why would you think that?" She stammered, starting to feel like a trapped mouse.
Measuring her with a knowing look and noting that she fidgeted under his stare –as was her way when she knew she'd been caught—it dawned on him that his hunch had been correct, after all. "Because I'm sensing two different reiatsu coming from the Shi-Shinrō, and neither of them belong to the Shinigami already there. You know them, don't you?" He wasn't going to rat her out, she was his kid sister for the gods' sakes, but he wasn't about to let her get away so easily either. "How am I doing so far?"
She chewed her bottom lip and grimaced, keeping her eyes from his stare. "P…Pretty damn good." She grumbled in defeat.
What the hell am I, an open book? Geez!
Exhaling, Kiba secured the sheathed zanpakutō at his left hip and ran a hand through his brown hair. "If we're done with the interrogation, let's get moving." He started walking off.
"W-wait a second!" Kita stammered, hurrying after her brother. "Kiba, why're you helping me? Shouldn't you be trying to turn me in to Hitsugaya…?" She asked confusedly.
He snorted, "because one of us hasta have a straight head on our shoulders around here! And given that between us both I'm the oldest, I'm the one who's takin' full responsibility for your actions, okay? And if we run into him, then…" He paused and glanced at the slight tic in her right cheek at the mention of that noble; he huffed and traced his fingers along the silver edge of his zanpakutō's hilt idly. "Then it'd be my pleasure to finally draw my sword against that jackass." His hazel eyes met her blue and they softened.
She almost stopped walking, looking at him in surprise that slowly shifted to awe. "Kiba-onii…" She said quietly.
He paused and noted the slightly-agape expression on her pretty face and inwardly chuckled, tousling her hair again. "Come on, and keep your reiatsu concealed like I taught you, 'kay?" He reminded.
"Right!" She nodded and smiled slowly, disappearing in a whisper of shun-po with her brother shortly following suit.
Thank you, Kiba-onii.
"Oi, intruders…!"
"Keep yer mouth shut." A foot connected with the guard's left temple, sending him flying off.
He rolled his eyes. "That was too easy, imoto-chan…"
Both "intruders" turned about to see the third seat had returned as she'd said she would, a lanky brunette at her side wearing the standard shihakushō and a dark green cape-of-sorts on his shoulders, his hazel-green eyes patiently looking at her. "K-Kita-chan!" Hanatarō declared, perking her ears.
"Oi, who's he?" Ganju asked, eyeing the obvious Shinigami cautiously.
The brunette blinked once before huffing and crossing his arms. "No need to raise the alarm, I'm her brother, Akatsuki Kiba, the fourth seat of Tenth Division." So these guys were what everyone is so riled up about? They don't look very… promising, he sweatdropped.
Kita nodded. "Yep, he's tellin' the truth; sorry for being late. But apparently we came in perfect timing," she looked at Hanatarō and smiled lightly at noticing the key he held in hand.
Hanatarō blinked before nodding, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, you're right." He twisted the key in the lock, opening the door to her cell.
"Geez, everybody's so desperate to save this Rukia girl, she must be a real cutie-pie!" Ganju sighed, earning a couple of sweatdrops from both Akatsuki siblings.
"Not in so many words…" Kiba grumbled.
"W-well, not exactly…" Hanatarō chimed.
"C'mon, don't be shy; lemme take a look! Oh, Rukia~!" Ganju was the first to poke his head into the cell, blinking and freezing in place when coming across a petite girl with shoulder-length raven hair and a pair of large violet eyes.
Kuchiki Rukia blinked in surprise at seeing both of the two "intruders". "Who are you, are you two with Ichigo?" She asked in mild confusion.
"It's me, Rukia-chan! You're all right, thank God!" Hanatarō said lightly in relief, surprising the girl again.
Rukia balked slightly, "Hanatarō! What're you doing here?" She asked alertly, truly baffled at the sight.
"Saving you, what else?" Kita came forward as well, Kiba following, seeing her friend's eyes widen again; she grinned, feeling happy for the first time all day. "S' been a while, ne, Rukia?"
"Kita! W-wait a second, did all four of you come just to rescue me…?" She asked, feeling relieved and confused at the same time.
"It's a long story, but I'll explain later; c'mon, Rukia-chan," Hanatarō piped up as he took her wrist and led her forward, pausing short of Ganju's stiff form. "c'mon, hurry, Ganju! There's no time to… Um, Ganju?"
Kita lifted a brow at his stupefied expression, noting that he looked as if he'd seen a ghost. Maybe he did?
"That pattern, the tumbling current of the fallen heavens. Are you from the Shiba Clan?" Rukia asked quietly, violet eyes meeting his beady brown stare.
"I thought you looked familiar… You're the younger brother of Shiba Kaien." Kiba mused aloud, briefly surprising his sister and her friends; his hazel-green eyes saddened slightly as he recalled the tragedy that had struck their neighboring clan over fifty years ago.
Kaien…? Her eyes sharpened slightly. Shiba Kaien… The former lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division! Ganju was his little brother? She looked at the saddened expression on her brother's face, the same expression masking the petite Kuchiki's face as well; her gaze sombered.
"…How could I ever forget that face? She's the Shinigami that killed my brother." Ganju ground out, seeming to slip out of the brief shocked state he was in, his gaze focusing on the shorter woman.
Hanatarō balked as Kita's eyes sharpened briefly; he turned to the younger Shiba, "W-what're you talking about, Ganju…? Rukia-chan would never…" He tried to reason with him, grabbing his arm.
"The wounds on my brother's body were from a sword; his throat was slit open, his chest punctured… If he'd fought a hollow, he wouldn't have died from wounds like that! Besides, she admitted it herself, that night! She said she killed him!" He shouted with renewed anger aimed at the emotionless-masked Kuchiki Rukia.
"It's alright, Hanatarō, he's right. If you're one of the Shiba Clan, then your brother, Shiba Kaien, did die by my hand." She answered the challenge calmly, her face a dead-ringer for a certain captain's stoic features, violet eyes meeting the livid brown glare of Shiba Ganju.
With a snarl he flew at her, yanking on the scruff of her robe and glowering into her blank scowl. "Do what you will, I won't stop you: kill me if you want." Rukia declared lowly.
"Rukia, enough." A flare of reiatsu escaped her as she forced him away from the girl, stepping between them with her back to the surprised Kuchiki woman, standing protectively infront of her.
"K-Kita…" She began softly.
"You didn't come all this way just to strangle her, right? You and Hanatarō were both entrusted to save Rukia! Don't think I won't fight you if you come at her again, Ganju." Kita growled frostily, one hand gripping the hilt of her zanpakutō tight, watching him rise to his feet steadily from being hit with just her reiatsu alone, her blue eyes hard.
"Kita's right, Ichigo trusted us both with her life…!" Hanatarō chimed alertly as he and Kiba held him back by the arms.
As the entrapped Ganju began to spout a fiery rebuttal, a monstrous reiatsu shook the tower, surprising everyone gathered.
Her heart plummeted into her chest as she instantly recognized the spiritual pressure: she'd know it anywhere…
A pair of fearful cries came from both Ganju and Hanatarō as they looked to see the older Kuchiki crossing the bridge to Rukia's cell.
"Onii-sama," Rukia breathed quietly as Kiba backed away from the younger Shiba and came to stand faithfully at his sister's left.
Kita's hand gripped and re-gripped the hilt tightly, exhuming a thin amount of her own reiatsu to keep from being shaken by her captain's much-more-powerful intimidation tactic, her teeth grinding together.
"Byakuya."
A/N: yay, first cliffhanger! .. yeah, that was retarded, i know. 0: either way, there's tension in the air and it doesn't smell good. umm anyway, my mind went blank atm just when i was gonna put something else here in this A/N, so there blows that idea.
ja ne!
*Glory and Gore - Lorde/ Tactics - Takahito Eguchi (Trinity Blood OST)
*onii-san - big brother/ imoto-chan - little sister