First of all, I´ll have to apologize for once again, being late. What can I say...I am a busy man...and my laziness doesn't help either...not to mention my upcoming exams...
Hope you guys enjoy
Shark empress six
Ichigo groaned and stood up. Sitting behind a desk for over two hours definitly took it out of you.
He stretched his arms, and did a few quick flash steps around to move to completely lose the stiff feeling in his limbs.
Then, he noticed Hallibel, who was still in the exact same pose on the couch, meditating.
He walked towards her, and softly poked her shoulder. What he didn't anticipate, however was her reaction. As soon as his finger made contact with the white fabric of her attire, she leapt towards him, and drew her sword while in mid air. The next thing he knew, he was pinned to the wall, and the point of the short sword was hovering between his eyes.
Just when the blonde arrancar was about to lower her sword, the door flew open, revealing Akiko, bickering with another girl he didn't know.
'Sir, could you tell Akiko to-'
'Sir , Why can't we just-'
Both girls stopped in mid sentence, dumbstruck by the events in front of them.
The unknown girl flushed, while the third seat frowned.
'P-please excuse us for intruding!' the brown haired girl stammered, and slammed the door shut.
Only two seconds later, the door was cut in half, and Akiko stormed inside, sword drawn, and pointed it at Hallibel.
'Put you sword down and let go of the captain!' she demanded, visibly readying herself to fight.
'Whoa, whoa. Hold it just a second!' Ichigo exclaimed.
'This is just a misunderstanding...Right Hallibel?' he looked at the dark-skinned arrancar.
At the mention of her name, the girl's teal eyes cleared, realizing what exactly she was doing. She sheathed her sword, and stepped back.
'See? Now, Akiko, please sheath your sword as well, and-' Before he could finish his sentence, Akiko shot forward, positioning herself between Ichigo and Hallibel.
'I don't trust her.' she growled, still holding her sword at the ready.
'Akiko, I appreciate your loyalty, but please sheath your sword already. And stop releasing so much Reiastsu, you're drawing unnecessary attention to us.'
Ichigo's voice was slightly louder than normal at this point, and the irritation in it was easy to hear.
The lieutenant sheathed her sword, and reluctantly moved away from her captain.
'Alright. Now, I have to go the squad four barracks, to pick up some medical files, and to check up on some of the wounded men. Both of you, stay here and wait for me to come back. If anything unusual happens, send a hell butterfly. I'll be there as fast as I can. Understood?' the carrot-top said, forehead-flicking both Akiko and Hallibel. And then his image flickered, and he was gone.
The two women looked at each other for a moment, and Akiko huffed and turned away, while Hallibel merely sat down on the couch.
with Ichigo
Ichigo entered the squad four barracks, and was greeted by none other than Hanatarou.
'Hey Ichigo. What are you doing here?' the short boy asked, sweeping his broom across the already clean floor.
'I'm here to see Unohana.' the squad three captain replied.
'Well...I believe she is currently checking up some guys from the eleventh division...again. If your meeting is scheduled, then it would be no problem.'
'Alright, thanks, Hanatarou.' Ichigo said, and he moved past the seventh seat, towards the door that had a sign on it that said: 'examination room.'
He pushed the door open, only to see all the beds on the left side of the big room occupied, by several shinigami, all of whom seemed to belong to the Zaraki's squad, judging from the weird hairdos.
'Ah, Mr. Kurosaki. I was wondering when you would arrive. What brings you here?' said carrot-top looked in the direction of the voice, only to see the fourth squad captain, Unohana Retsu.
Ichigo scowled. As if she didn't know why he was here. She was the one who issued the order for his physical check-up. "I don't need a check-up. I'm fine dammit!" he mentally screamed.
'Did you say something, Mr. Kurosaki?' Unohana asked, squinting her eyes.
Ichigo swallowed. For some reason, he felt like she knew exactly what he had just been thinking.
'Er..I didn't say anything. And I am here to get the files that contain the results of the third squad's physical examination, and for my own check up.'
'Oh, why didn't you say so?' Unohana asked, and she led him to a bed in the far corner of the room.
'Sit down, please.' Not wanting to get Unohana on his bad side, Ichigo decided to, for the time being, just do as she said.
'Alright. After you have had your own check-up, you can proceed to Isane's office. She will give you the documents you need.' the fourth squad captain said, while rummaging through her medical kit. ( I suppose she has one..)
About ten minutes later, when Ichigo was about to put the upper part of his shihakusho back on, there was a tinkling sound, and a Hell butterfly appeared. As it headed for Ichigo, the third squad captain couldn't help but wonder what had gone wrong...He extended his hand, and the butterfly landed on his index finger.
"To captain Kurosaki; One of the patrol squads has been ambushed bu a group of Adjuchas classed hollows near the border of district 18 . The Arrancar and myself have gone to provide back-up. Please send a reinforcement squad and a healer." Akiko's voice was unmistakable.
Ichi tensed up. Since district 18 was a fairly rich district, and therefore less often intruded by hollows, Ichigo had sent Raidon (a/n the little blue haired kid) to accompany the patrol squad for that area, seeing as how the boy had insisted on tagging along to witness a patrol for himself. No wonder Akiko had gone herself. She had to make sure her little brother was alright. Drawing a couple of deep breaths, the orange haired teen cleared his mind, and turned to Unohana, who had a quizzical look her face.
'Captain Kurosaki, is there something wrong?' She asked.
'Area 18 has been infiltrated by hollows, and several members of my squad seem to be in trouble.' Ichigo replied, while extending his right hand in front of him, fingers spread. There was a soft glow, and Zangetsu appeared in his hand.
'Captain Unohana, would you be so kind as to send one of your best healers to that eastern border of district 18?' the carrot top asked.
'Of course, but wouldn't it be more effective if you took the healer in question with you?' the braided woman asked.
'No. They'll only slow me down.' Ichigo replied, matter-of-factly, and after that, his form shimmered for a second, and disappeared, leaving several cracks in the floor from where he took of.
in the mean time, squad three barracks.
Hallibel was sitting on the couch, staring out of the window. Sub-consciously, she was rubbing the spot on her forehead were Ichigo had forehead-flicked her.
Just when she started to feel bored, she sensed several spikes of Reiatsu, and judging from the other girl in the room, they were some kind of signal; the blue haired girl jumped up, and started to rush from to the window, but Hallibel moved to the window before she could jump out of it.
'Were are you going?' She asked, raising one of her eyebrows.
'Out of my way.' The girl merely snapped.
'You shouldn't go away without informing your captain.' she stated, knowing the girl would agree.
She seemed to consider it, but then, she whispered something, and a black butterfly appeared on her finger, and left throughout the window.
'So what is going on?' Hallibel asked, almost certain something was wrong.
'Not that it's any of you business, but one of our patrol squads has been ambushed by adjuchas just moments ago.' it was obvious to the blonde arrancar that she had been meaning to say something along the lines of; 'Your kind'
'And my little brother happens to be with the ambushed squad..' The blue-haired girl choked out, fear evident in her eyes. Upon hearing this, Hallibel felt her eyes widen.
Akiko p.o.v.
She barely managed to tell the arrancar the truth, and when she did, Akiko noticed the teal eyes widen.
Instead of replying, the arrancar in front of her, took her sword from Ichigo's desk, and strapped it to her back.
'What are you doing?' She asked the blonde girl, grabbing her own sword.
'Are you strong enough to take on more than three adjuchas classed hollows at the same time?' was her reply.
'What's it to you?'
'The young should not suffer needlessly. Let us be of.' With that, the dark skinned woman jumped out of the window, with a speed greater than her own, and in the direction of the clashes of Reiatsu.
Hallibel p.o.v.
Both women raced towards the battleground, their forms flickering every several seconds.
The silence was broken by Hallibel.
'What kind of Zanpakutou do you have?'
The question obviously surprised the lieutenant.
'Why are you asking?'
'If we want to cooperate with maximum efficiency, it might come in handy to know each others battle capacity.'
Visibly reluctant, Akiko agreed.
'Elemental type, shadow based attacks, short to mid-range mostly . My kidou abilites vary; I am quite good at defensive spells, but I don't know more than 40 offensive ones, and my hand to hand skills are somewhat above average.' Akiko stated, and she shot a curious gaze at Hallibel. 'And you?'
'My Tiburón utilizes water based attacks, both long and mid-ranged, even though I'd like to avoid using it in the oncoming battle. The only magic we arrancar practice are Cero, and because I used to be one of the espada, I am capable of firing the most high level Cero. That would be all.' Hallibel stated.
'Alright then.' Akiko spoke in a determined voice. 'We're going to do this.'
Hallibel merely nodded in silent agreement.
As they drew closer to the district that was their goal, the two women could make out the vague sounds of explosions.
When they finally arrived at the battlefield, it was apparent that there were somewhat more than three hollows; approximately 20 were running about. The patrol squad had erected a barrier around the battle scene.
Looking around, Hallibel noticed that most of the hollows had concentrated around a small building, with a closed door, and in front of it, fending of the monsters were three shinigami.
'Over there.' She said, and she pointed to the scene below.
'Let's go!' Akiko merely replied, and they dashed downwards.
They appeared in front of the three warriors, and Akiko asked; 'What is the current situation?'
One of the three guys, an average aged guy with short black hair answered. Hallibel assumed he was the one in charge. 'We have several injuries, some of them life threatening if not treated soon. The three you see here are the ones whou could still fight to the best of their abilities.
'We'll take it from here.' Akiko replied, pointing at Hallibel and herself.
'Are you sure? I mean,- she used to be a hollow and-' he was cut of by Akiko.
'I know what you mean. But we are in no position to reject whatever help we can get. And if Captain Kurosaki trusts her, I guess that so do I.' Akiko said, looking sternly at the man.
Then, she turned to her brother. 'Are you alright?' She asked, her voice full of concern.
'You better believe it! I have killed several hollows already!' The boy shouted, swinging his sword excitedly. The blue haired girl hid the shock in her eyes upon hearing this. She would talk about it later.
'Anyway, you guys go inside. W-' Akiko was cut of by Hallibel, who said;
'Could you errect a shield around the building and yourselves?'
'Of course. Why do you ask?'
'I am going to release a good amount of my Reiatsu. Most hollows will flee when feeling the pressure of a more powerful hollow, because their instinct tells them they will get eaten if they don't. But the amount I am going to release might crush some of your injured soldiers.' the blonde woman explained.
'It's worth a try.' Akiko finally decided, after she had thought it through.
'Way of binding no 73.: Tozanshõ' she yelled, and an inverted pyramid flickered into existence, the point of which was embedded in the ground.
As soon as the barrier appeared, Hallibel unsheathed her sword, and held it out in front of her, and pressed her hand against it. She closed her eyes, and a frown appeared on her brow.
Then, the air around her started to shimmer with yellow energy, and even within the barrier,which wasn't as stable as it should be, due to the fact that this was one of the harder spells, Akiko could feel the immense pressure of the blonde arrancar's reiatsu. An involuntary shiver ran up her spine. The Reiatsu still had a hollow-like taste to it, effectively scaring the men inside who didn't know what was happening half to death, and there were some murmurs about what could possibly going on outside.
Outside the hut, most of the hollows had either disintegrated from the sheer pressure, or fled, as the blonde had predicted.
There were some, however, who simply licked their lips at the notice of this much spiritual energy.
Akiko stepped back outside, and a door appeared in the barrier, which closed again after she passed through. She immediately noticed that there were only about five hollows left. She readied her sword, unintentionally mimicking the movement of the brown skinned woman next to her.
Just when both were about to strike, a new reiatsu signature appeared. Both women looked up, as they instantly recognized it.
His form flickering into existence, Ichigo appeared on the battlefield. Judging from the enormous spike of energy he had sensed several seconds ago, Hallibel had released a large amount of Reiatsu. Looking at her opponents, he noticed only a few were left.
"Smart move. She definitely knows her stuff." he thought.
Then he noticed both the arrancar and his lieutenant looking at him. Gazing in their eyes, Ichigo could make out only two things; determination, and a message: 'Don't interfere.'
Eventually, he decided to wait and see how things worked out. Also, there was the possibility that he had to keep several officers at bay, who would be drawn to Hallibel's burst of Reiatsu.
back to the battlefield
Both Akiko and Hallibel shifted their stances, and while yellow energy started to concentrate around Hallibel's sword, Akiko yelled; 'Break free from your restraints, enraged shadow spirit!' And she was enclosed in a vortex of crackling black energy. The vortex disappeared after several seconds, revealing Akiko, in a somewhat tattered uniform. The upper part of her Shihakuso had been blasted of, and now she was wearing something similiar to Soifon, only hers was white. What really caught Ichigo's eye however, were the black bandages that enveloped the entire length of her arms, with numerous loose ends softly swaying in the wind. Taking a closer look, he noticed that there were similar black bandages around her ankles, or at least what little he could see of them.
After giving his lieutenant a quick once over, Ichigo decided that the black ribbons/bandages had to be her weapon. He shifted his attention back to the battlefield, and noticed that several hollows had already decided to attack.
As she noticed the hollows charging her, Hallibel readied her sword, and then addressed Akiko; 'You ready?'
'As ready as one can get.' together they charged.
While Hallibel slashed her way through the hollows, Ichigo focused on his lieutenant, because this would be his first time to see her shikai in action.
While she moved, she left behind a trail of what a black trail smoke, and where her feet touched the ground, the earth seemed to morph into a swirling black shadow.
When she attacked a monster, her hands, wrapped in black cloth, seemed to pass right trough them, and shortly after, they disintegrated.
Ichigo's attention shifted back towards Hallibel. Her short sword wove through the air, effectively killing any hollow foolish enough to attack her. Then, he noticed that she was firing bala with her other hand. There was something about the way she moved that seemed to unable him to move his gaze away from her.
After a short while, all the hollows had either fled, or where dead. Hallibel sheathed her sword, and walked back towards the small shack in which the squad three members were hiding.
Just then, Ichigo noticed a movement in the corner of his eyes, and he felt a vaguely familiar Reiatsu. Knowing what was to come, Ichigo dashed towards Hallibel.
He was just in time. He appeared behind her, grabbed her waist and jumped to the right. The exact same moment his feet touched the ground again, a barrage of senbon needles slammed into the wood where Hallibel had just been standing.
'Whew. Close call. ' Ichigo muttered, looking in the direction of the attack.
Just then, a well known voice interrupted the silence.
'What do you think you're doin'?' Then, there was a loud groan, and several seconds later, a familiar redhead emerged from the woods.
'Yo, Ichigo. Sorry about the attack, I assure you the guilty officer will be punished.' And with that, he inclined his head towards the limp body he was carrying on his left shoulder.
'Yeah...make sure it doesn't happen again, will ya, Renji. I'd hate to have to hurt one of your squad members.
'Will do.' With that, the newly appointed captain flash-stepped away.
After a couple of seconds, the silence was broken by Hallibel.
'Erm...Mr. Kurosaki, would you mind letting go of me?'
Predictably enough, Ichigo turned beet red, tried to stutter an explanation, and jumped away from Hallibel, back to the ground were his squad members were waiting for him.
FF to that evening
Ichigo looked up at the ceiling, pondering todays events. He shifted his weight to make himself more comfortable on his office couch, which he was sleeping on because Hallibel was sleeping in his bed in the room next to him, which he himself rarely used.
Everything had gone quite well, but he'd have to make sure to send Raidon, his youngest squad member, on less dangerous missions.
Also, there was the case of the man that had tried to attack Hallibel. He had recognized the soul reaper in question instantly, despite not seeing his face. It was one of Renji's seated officers, who seemed to be under the impression that he deserved to be the squad three captain, instead of Ichigo.
Lastly, his mind wandered across the part of the day he, for reasons he didn't quite understand, remembered best; the part where he'd been holding the teal-eyed woman in his arms.
Truth to be told, he hadn't even realized he was still holding her protectively, until she herself asked for him to let go of her.
Ichigo shook his head, and rolled to his side.
'I shouldn't be thinking that kind of thing. That was just purely professional interest. I couldn't have let her hit by that attack, could I?' clearing his mind of all things, the captain of squad three closed his eyes, ready for whatever the next day might bring.
Hallibel p.o.v.
Shifting uncomfortably on her bed, Hallibel was trying to find the right position to fall asleep. Though it didn't seem like she would anytime soon. Sighting, she just just rested her head on the pillow, looking at the door which separated the bedroom from the office. She closed her eyes, and concentrated. Aside from the steady rhythm of Ichigo's breath, there was nothing that indicated she wasn't alone. Well, that and the Reiatsu signatures that belonged to the other captains, who apparently were still busy doing their paperwork.
As she her eyelids grew heavier, the last clear thing she remembered was the feel of a certain orange haired captain's arm around her waist, and the worried expression he'd had on his face during the attack
So...Hope you guys enjoyed...
If ya got any tips, or just things you want me to know, or whatever, sent me a review/message...