Waves of Laughter
Chapter 6
Author's Note: Here you go! Sorry for not updating in a while, a bit of Writers Block...This chapter may have a more serious tone to it, well...not really. But you won't be able to see as many reactions. Here's a question to ask yourself when you read this: What was the culprit's intentions by planting this laugh bomb? I mean, it's practically useless unless he/she plans on making everyone laugh to death...Haha! Enjoy!
Ichigo and Rukia were still ignoring each other, leaving the eight shinigami in dead silence. "So..." Iba began, "Uh...which way did Rangiku-san go?"
Ichigo grunted and pointed to the left of the path, and then he drew his hand back and pointed to the right.
"Oh make up you stinking mind!!" Rukia growled at him.
"Hey!!! It's not MY fault that..."
"Hey, break it up you two! This isn't helping!!!" Nanao cut in before anything else was going to happen.
"Humph!!" Ichigo and Rukia turned away from each other.
"Haha...You two are always..." Isane began...
"AHHHH!!!" Everyone jumped back from her, "SHE'S INFECTED!!!!"
Isane's face turned red; "No I'm not!!! Just because I laughed a BIT doesn't mean that I'm..."
BOOM!!!!!
Suddenly, a loud noise came from the south end of the Seireitei. "What the hell???" Renji looked up toward the sky and his eyes widened.
A large...I mean...LARGE Garganta split open in the sky, and out of it, stepped a large Menos Grande. No, a couple hundred of Menos Grande would be more exact.
"W-what's going on?" Hanataro asked worriedly.
"I believe...that is..." Ikkaku pointed to one of the Menos off a distance. Standing on top of it was an Arrancar.
"Who is that?" Ichigo shouted over the noise.
"Who ever it is...It's attacking the Soul Society!" Rukia shouted back, forgetting that they were still ignoring each other.
"Ah crap!!! Of all the times to get attacked by a psycho hollow, it's now!!!" Iba threw his hands in the air angrily.
Hanataro whispered, "But...aren't the Captains and a bunch of lieutenants completely infected with..."
"Laughing?"
"Y-yes..."
Meanwhile, to the south end of the Seireitei...
The Arrancar smiled at the scared expressions of the weak Shinigami. He laughed loudly and waved his arm, ordering a group of Menos to blow forth a large cero, immediately destroying several buildings and sending shinigami flying in all directions.
The Arrancar frowned a while later; where were the high ranked shinigami? After all he WAS attacking the Seireitei directly, and it seemed as if all he was fighting were the pathetic, no good shinigami. Where was the defense?
"Hm, I guess I ain't making enough noise..." The Arrancar sneered and raised his arm, his hand balled into a fist.
"Hehe...this otta make an enough amount of racket..."
The Arrancar threw open his fist and shouted, "TAKE THIS!!"
From his palm, circular waves of energy began to form, and spread out throughout the Seireitei.
As the waves spread out farther and farther, the larger they waves grew, and the higher the pressure moved. It began to crush and destroy everything it past, and as it hit a shinigami...
"What the hell is that?" A shinigami shouted.
"I-It's a sound wave!" His friend pointed with fear at the figure above the Menos Grande.
"Get away!!!" Another yelled.
"AAARRGGG!!!" Nearby, a shinigami fell to his knees and covered his ears with his hands, blood streaming out and dripping onto the ground.
"D-DAMN IT!!!" Another shinigami began to twist his body violently as the waves started to push him down, and he screamed until a large crack was heard. His eyes went blank and he toppled to the ground.
"Foolish..." The Arrancar pulled his arms back and thrust it into the sky, making hundred more waves swirl above the Seireitei. "I have the power to control air waves and pressure! The shinigami shall DIE!!!" He shouted and threw his arms down. The waves, at full speed, charged toward the ground and disintegrated everything in their paths, buildings, shinigami, and large cracks began to form in the ground from it.
More screamed filled the air.
The Arrancar watched the chaos unfolded within the shinigami. Still no captains....not even a lieutenant!
"Tch...What the HELL???" The Arrancar rolled his eyes, "What it the stinking point of attacking this load of crap if no one gives you attention!!!"
The Arrancar plopped down on the head of the Menos and lay back, "I guess I'll wait..."
Shinigami ran around in circles, screaming and panicking. Everything was in disorder!
"We're under attack!"
"Menos Grandes are attacking the Seireitei!"
"Hurry and call the captains!"
"The Captains aren't responding!"
"Where's squad 4! We have injured!!"
"The 4th squad's doors have all been sealed and locked in!"
"Where's the combat squad?"
"I don't know!"
"I'll try and get the 11th squad to come up!"
"But we don't know WHERE the combat squad...."
Meanwhile, Ichigo and the others were running toward the destruction site, all extremely worried of what might have happened.
"Are ANY of the captains' responding?" Ichigo shouted over his shoulder.
"No, all communication has been cut off! Not even the hell butterflies work!" Renji responded.
"Damn, well, I guess that we have to..." Ichigo stopped and squinted at one of the broken down buildings.
"What it is?" Rukia asked.
"Is...that the stealth force?"
"Huh...? Hey, it is!"
Hanatarou sighed in relief, "Oh, that's good, then they can hold down the Arrancar..."
Suddenly, Ikkaku's face turned white.
Iba stepped over to him, keeping the same pace, "What's the matter Ikkaku?"
"Is that who I think it is...?" Ikkaku pointed at the top of a nearby hill.
Everyone turned toward where Ikkaku was pointing, "Crud..."
Off a distance, the shinigami were still trying to hold back the Menos Grandes, until one shinigami shouted, "The stealth force is here!"
Almost instantly, all the shinigami slowed down and gave room for the Stealth Force to take over.
"Let's move!" The leader shouted and they were able to take down 5 Menos in a couple of minutes.
"Oh good, we're saved for the moment..."
"Wait! Over there!" A shinigami pointed to the top of a hill.
"Isn't that...Matsumoto Fuku taichou?"
"Um...Is she laughing?"
The instant the Arrancar heard the word "Fuku taichou", he bolted up, drew his sword and shouted; "Now it's time for a real...where the hell is that lieutenant?"
He turned around and didn't see anyone, but he DID notice that the Stealth Force, who had surrounded the Menos he was resting on, stopped attacking, staring at him.
The other shinigami were also staring at him.
"What are you staring at, you assholes?" He snarled.
Suddenly, a loud call from right behind him made him almost fall off of the Menos...
"KUKUKUKUKUKUKUKUKUKUKUU!!!!!"
"Ah!" The Arrancar leaped back and pointed his sword at...a lieutenant shinigami, he assumed, based on the badge on her arm.
"Hmph, it's about time that..."
"KUKUKUKUKUKUKUKU!!!" Rangiku pointed at the Arrancar's face and clutched her sides, bursting with laughter.
The Arrancar frowned, "What the hell's your problem?"
Rangiku continued her spontaneous laughter, "KUKUKAKAKAKAAHAHAHAHAAHAAA!!!!!!" She drew her sword and pointed it at the Arrancar, and then she paused...
The Arrancar scowled, "It's about time that you gotten serious..."
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Rangiku stabbed her sword into the Menos's head and doubled over on her back, tears flowing down her face from laughter.
The Arrancar felt his face turn red, "WHAT IT SO FUNNY?"
Rangiku crawled to the side of the Menos's head and stopped laughing for a second.
Then, she saw that a couple of Stealth Force Members had jumped up, "Matsumoto Fuku taichou! What is the..."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!"
The Arrancar twitched.
After a good 5 minutes of listening to Rangiku laughed, the Arrancar raised his hand and sent a sound wave at her head.
Rangiku fell to the ground laughing and dodging it.
The Arrancar growled ran at her with his sword.
"Matsumoto fukutaicho! What is so funny...?" The stealth member asked.
"HAHAHAHAA!!!!" Rangiku pounded her fists against the Menos's head and kicked her legs into the air laughing. Then, she bear hugged the stealth force members and continued her crazed laughter. "HAHAHA!!!"
"Hehe...he...hehehe....Ha...ha" The stealth force members looked at each other and smiled, "Hehehehe...he...ha...HAHA...haha HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"
The stealth force members burst out laughing and they too, fell down laughing...leaving the Arrancar twitching by the side.
The Menos Grande was taken down, so Rangiku, the stealth force members, and the Arrancar toppled to the ground.
"Is everyone alright...huh?" The rest of the stealth force and shinigami looked confused as the watched Rangiku and some stealth force members laugh.
"Um...What are they doing?" A stealth force member whispered.
"I have no idea."
Another stealth force member that had ran right over to them (Author's Note: Uh-oh), began to smile.
Their leader snapped, "What are you smiling about?"
The stealth force member snickered, "Th-This is kinda...hehe...funny..."
"Haha...he's right..." Another stealth force member laughed.
The laughing build up, "Hahaha...ha...ha...Hahaha...HAHAHAHA!!!!"
Soon, all of the stealth force were on the ground, laughing and crying, tumbling all over the place.
The Arrancar stared, "Well, this is a major disappointment....When I get back, I am going to kill whoever talked me into attacking the shinigami...They're all a bunch of IDIOT CRAPHEADS!!!!!"
The Arrancar snapped his finger and a Garganta formed in the sky. He scoffed and turned away from the maniacal fools and proceeded to walk away until...
"HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAH!!!!" Rangiku swung her arm around the Arrancar's shoulder and poked his face, laughing like an idiot.
"Don't touch me!" The Arrancar tried to push her away, but failed.
Suddenly, a few stealth force members walked over, all laughing, grabbed the Arrancar's hands and swung them in circles.
"LET ME GO YOU DRUNKARDS!!!!" The Arrancar shouted.
"WHAT IT SO FUNNY? OR IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR BRAINS???"
"HAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
The Arrancar's mouth twitched.
"Hehe....bunch of drunkard shinigami....ha! Get it? Drunk....hehe...hehe....."
The Arrancar's shoulders shook, and within seconds, he was too, one of the "laughing idiots"
"...gasp....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!!"
The Arrancar responded and also swung his arms around Rangiku's shoulder, and the two of them threw their head backs and laughed.
Finally, at last, a little too late though...
"EVERYBODY BACK OFF!!!!" Ichigo roared and he and his friends jumped to the front, each of them wearing a mask over their mouths and noses.
"Nobody move!" Ichigo shouted.
"Ah shoot, we're late." Iba sighed and pointed at the two laughing "buddies"
"..." Rukia rubbed her eyes, "Err....is that the Arrancar that tried to kill everyone?"
Nanao twitched and took a step back, "Yes, it is..."
GRUMBLE...GRUBMLE.....
The shinigami looked up and saw the Menos shaking....their mouths shook and creaked, and twisted into a large, crooked smile.
"Uh, Rukia?" Ichigo stuttered.
"Y-Yes?"
"Can...um....Menos laugh?"
"I hope not...."
Suddenly, the Menos all at once, opened their mouths and let put a loud, "!!!!!"
"..."
"I stand corrected..."
"Oh, that's not good!" Isane shouted over the noise.
"Why?" Renji asked.
Ikkaku rolled his eyes, "Oh Geez, the Menos Grande are laughing, there's nothing wrong with THAT!!!"
Isane shook her head, "No, I mean that the laughing is contagious right? If something as large as a Menos was laughing, won't it be able to spread the laughing...I don't know...everywhere?"
Renji groaned, "Well..."
Hanatarou, shaking from head to toe, pointed at the Menos and said, "Uh...guys...I think we have something more to worry about."
The sky began to glow red, and energy around the area began to gather around the Menos's mouths.
"A-A cero!!!" Ichigo gasped.
"Don't you mean a LOT of ceros?" Nanao corrected.
"N-NOT GOOD!!!!"
The Menos released.
BOOM!! Suddenly, an even stronger spiritual pressure scattered the cero, and killed all of the Memos in one shot.
"Who..." Ichigo turned around and saw the approach of...
Well, who's the only people that can be so strong?
The Gotei 13 captains dramatically walked up toward the laughing scene. Well, dramatically is probably a bit....contradictory.
One look at them made everyone cough loudly, and Ichigo dared not to laugh, although they looked ridiculous.
The Gotei 13 captains were wearing white, poofy suits with a plastic window in front of their faces. All of them were using their spiritual powers to temporarily suppress the laughing, although even talking would risk them into falling into chain of laughter. Not wanting to spread the laughing, Mayuri had designed special suits to contain the laughing from spreading."
"Uh...taichou?" Rukia tried to act calm. Renji turned away from the pathetic sight.
Isane and Nanao covered their mouths to stop themselves from suddenly laughing.
Yamamoto nodded and managed to speak nice, short sentences, "Capture. Arrancar. Now. Perform. Test. Kurotsuchi. Found. Result. Of. Laugh."
Ichigo raised his eyebrow, "Result of laughter? Well, whoever made this start must have been planning something....What did Mayuri find?"
Yamamoto said no more, and Byakuya took over, "..."
"Excuse me? You're talking to damn fast..."
Byakuya sucked in a breath and said, "One of his tests showed that....hehe...ahem...one infected....shinigami...coughed blood..."
Byakuya paused and took in another breath, trying not to laugh.
"Oh please, I'll do the explaining." Mayuri stepped up from the back and said, "One of the infected members began to laugh so hard that he spewed out blood, and died."
Isane whimpered, "Died...of laughter?"
Mayuri nodded, "I also have some other results from my tests, including..." He pointed at the masks Ichigo and the others were wearing, "The laughter is also transmitted through the air, so those little sacks on your faces will do no good."
Everyone decided to take a step away from the infected people.
Mayuri continued, "Also, I have discovered that the laughter in the air can be spread through any type of force, such as wind, water, and whatever."
Iba frowned and turned to look at the laughing Arrancar, "Wait a minute...This Arrancar's power was the ability to transmit sound waves..."
Mayuri nodded, "So, everyone has been slightly infected."
Hanatarou squealed and almost passed out.
Ichigo's face darkened, "Waves...of laughter?"
"But..." Mayuri said, "As long as you, those who have not yet been 100 percent infected...as long as you do not laugh at ANYTHING, you can still..."
Suddenly, a loud cough erupted, and a shinigami who was laughing nearby, collapsed onto the ground, blood streaming from his mouth. He was dying because his lungs could no longer take the pressure of his 24/7 laughter. Ironically, he was still smiling.
Ichigo felt sick.
"As I was saying...as long as you do NOT laugh AT ALL, you will not die like that." Mayuri pointed, giving them a fair warning.
Rukia sighed, "So...if there a..."
"A cure? No, not yet. But some possible cures...I need that Arrancar over there with Matsumoto to perform tests on. No objections I presume? He WAS about to destroy the Seireitei." Mayuri walked over the Arrancar and yanked him away by the arm.
The Arrancar giggled, pointed at Mayuri and squealed, "HEHEHE!!!! THE CIRCUS IS IN TOWN!!!! HAHAHAHA!!!!"
The Captains snickered a bit, trying not to start the chain of laughing.
Mayuri pulled the Arrancar away, mumbling to himself, "Don't kill the test subject, don't kill the test subject, don't kill the test subject."
"I'll be in my lab, and will inform you if anything comes up." With that, Mayuri left.
Yamamoto shook his head and said, "We'll have to seal up the stealth force. In 2nd division. Soifon taichou?"
Soifon simply nodded. Suddenly, a stealth force member popped up in front of her and went all like, "MWEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!" and started jumping up and down like a monkey.
"Uh...the bathroom's over there..." Kyouraku joked.
"Te...bathroom...hehehehahaha!!!" The captains began to snicker loudly, but automatically stopped when they saw the weird/freaked-out expressions on Ichigo and the other's faces.
Other shinigami (also wearing marshmallows suits XD) helped the infected shinigami and stealth force to the 2nd division, and like squad 4, were locked up.
Toshirou looked around. Hm...he thought...where did Matsumoto go? He shook his head; probably was locked in squad 2 along with the others.
A while later after all of the shinigami were cleared, Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji sat down by the collapsed walls. Isane, Ikkaku, Nanao, Iba, and Hanatarou had left in search of the other infected Shinigami Women's Association.
Ichigo leaned back and sighed, "Man, this is stupid."
Rukia frowned, "What?"
Ichigo replied, "I mean, the great shinigami of the Gotei 13, even their captains! Honestly, defeated by something as stupid as 'laughing to death'. I didn't even know you COULD laugh to death..."
"Man, what's going to happen?" Renji looked at the sky.
"I don't know...what happened, I can BARELY remember..." A voice piped up from behind.
Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji turned back right away, and saw Rangiku, standing behind them, yawning and giving them a small wave.
"AHHHH!!!!" They jumped back from her.
Rangiku pouted, "Yeesh, what's wrong? How rude..."
"What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong! You're infected!!!!" Ichigo shouted, taking a few steps back.
Rangiku crossed her arms, "Infected? You insensitive jerk!"
Rukia interrupted and stepped forward, struggling against the Ichigo-and-Renji-trying-to-pull-her-back.
"Uh, Matsumoto Fukutaicho...are you feeling okay...any weird moods?"
"Weird moods? Like what?"
"Um...laughing for no reason...maybe?"
Rangiku frowned, "Laughing for no...I in a BAD mood. Ichigo there just acted as if I was infected with SARS or something..."
"I can test to see if she is infected..." Renji stepped in front of Rangiku.
Rukia asked, "How?"
Renji nodded, "Infected people laugh at funny stiff right? I learned this from The World of The Living."
Renji stepped up and said, "Why did the chicken cross the road?"
Rukia raised an eyebrow and Ichigo slapped his forehead.
Rangiku made a face, "Uh...why?"
"To get away from KFP"
Ichigo rolled his eyes and cut in, "Uh, Renji, it's KFC, not KFP"
Renji glared at him.
Rangiku put he hands on her hips, "If this suppose to be funny?"
Renji whispered, "She's not laughing!"
"No one would laugh at that joke." Ichigo said coldly.
"But Kurotsuchi taichou said that when someone is infected, they tend to laugh at everything..." Rukia looked at Renji, "Including bad jokes I guess."
"Infected? With what! I demand to know! Yes, I was laughing, I left for some reason, but I stopped!" Rangiku stamped her foot angrily.
Rukia answered, "Well, let's go meet the others and figure this out..."
Rangiku sighed and began to walk along with Rukia.
She turned around, "Aren't you guys coming?"
"Uh...we'll wait a bit" Ichigo said smiling, remembering how the shinigami began to die laughing. (Afraid that she's still infected)
Rangiku rolled her eyes and continued to walk.
She turned back again, "Look, I'm already 20 yards away...ARE YOU COMING???"
"Uh..." Ichigo and Renji looked at each other.
"Well?"
"Another 10 yard would suffice!"
Rangiku growled.
Rukia shook her head and turned around.
Rukia walked back, grabbed Ichigo and Renji both by the ears, and began to proceed toward the barracks in the Seireitei with Rangiku very annoyed, Rukia very confused, and Ichigo/Renji going like, "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow!" the whole way.
Author's Note: Hmmm...why did Rangiku stop laughing, while other shinigami, including the captains, not be able to stop? Did she go somewhere when Toushiro was looking for her? Does that have anything to do with it? Why am I asking you all these question? Hope you enjoyed, please review!