A.N: I do not own Bleach
Chapter 7: La Primera Seis
Benito walked down the halls, Tesla walked beside him intently. The group of Arrancar, dubbed: La Primera Seis by Benito, followed the two men. They then came to an empty room with six hastily placed chairs, lined up in a row. "Have a seat." Benito gestured.
Las Primera Seis followed the order, Benito smiled at each of them. "As you all know, my generals believe, that out of all the Arrancar, you are among the strongest. You should be honored that they think that." He explained.
LasPrimera Seis nodded in agreement. "Therefore, I trust you six enough to believe that your worthy enough to do a little something extra." Benito continued.
Benito turned to Tesla. "Do you have the cards?"
Tesla nodded and handed 12 cards to Benito, Benito held them out to each of them. "These 12 cards are 12 of the Captains of the 13 Court Guard Squads. None of you have to worry about the Head Captain. I will handle him myself when the time comes. As for the other 12, each of you pick a card at random. The captain on that card is your primary target. As the Menos distract the Soul Reapers, you are all to seek out your target and kill him or her, as well as anyone who gets in your way. Understood?" He explained.
The six nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty." They said in unison.
Benito nodded back. "Very well then, pick a card."
Each took turns picking out a card. Benito couldn't help but notice certain reactions. The Arrancar with the horn-helmet grunted in surprise, and then started chuckling. The fat man seemed to ogle his pictures. The African American woman blinked in surprise. Then short man in the top hat started to chuckled. Benito raised an eyebrow at the six of them. "Do not underestimate these people, they are captains, and therefore, incredibly powerful." Benito reminded them. "We don't want to end up like Aizen, do we?"
The Arrancar shook their heads. "No sir."
Benito looked at them. "Then get ready, you're leaving in a few hours."
Squad 2 Captain Soifon walked through the barracks, visibly angry (as usual). And if there was one thing that was certain, it was Ōmaeda again. "Ōmaeda!" She screamed. "Get your fat ass out of your room right now!"
Marechiyo Ōmaeda had become rather secluded since his defeat at Akio Yamamoto's hands. It certainly didn't help that Soul Reapers everywhere had named the match: The Great One-Sided Fight. Even his own squad had started to mock him. And he always thought his squad loved him. He used his own money to put heated floors into the barracks for crying out loud. And to make matters worse, Soifon had become even worse. She used to just drag him out of bed or out of kitchen. But now, she dragged him everywhere. Soifon swore to herself, one day she was going to kill that boy, son of the Head Captain or not. Why? Because Akio Yamamoto had made her lieutenant even more useless than he already was.
Ōmaeda lumbered out of his room, his face strewn with crumbs from the rice crackers he enjoyed so much. His breath smelled like alcohol as well. This angered Soifon even more. That meant he was sneaking out at night and getting drunk, and Soifon forbade the consumption of alcohol. She always thought that alcohol was nothing more than a distraction, an argument that did have some validity.
"What is it Captain?" He muttered.
Ōmaeda's 'disrespectful' tone added to Soifon's anger. "Care to explain to me why I am doing even more of your paperwork than usual?" She asked.
Ōmaeda shrugged. "Because I haven't been doing it."
Soifon kicked him in the gut. "Idiot! And why is it that suddenly I have to run the entire squad? Isn't it also the lieutenants responsibility to assist the captain in all affairs regarding the squad?"
Ōmaeda shrugged again. "I guess."
Soifon kicked him again. "Then get moving, we have a long day ahead of us."
Ōmaeda grumbled. Honestly, the uptight and dwarfish woman had no idea what he was going through. He had been undeservingly humiliated by a pretentious bastard who had marched into the Seireitei thinking he was better than everyone else. At least, that was how he saw it in his mind. In reality, Ōmaeda was too pompous to admit that Akio was courteous enough to get a medic from Squad 4 to tend to the injured shoulder he had received from Akio's Kaminari. Of course, nobody bothered to call him out on his childish behavior. Either because they knew how powerful Ōmaeda's family was. Or they were simply too in awe of the younger Yamamoto's fighting skill.
As Soifon explained to Ōmaeda the days agenda, one thing crossed her mind that admittedly made her a little happy. At least the beat down Ōmaeda received from Akio had shut him up for the time being. Oh well, it was time to head down to Squad 10 and give Hitsugaya a piece of her mind for not keeping a better watch on his lieutenant. After all, it was obvious that the resident alcoholic of the Soul Society was responsible. Normally she would've respected Kyōraku, but Lt. Ise always keeps a good eye on him.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya was unhappy to say the least. Last night, his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, had taken several Soul Reapers out for a night of booze and partying to celebrate their victory over the shape shifters. Everything went well until Captain Soifon found out when she discovered a hungover Ōmaeda. The woman had marched down to his office and started screaming at him for not keeping tabs on his lieutenant. While the child prodigy did agree that Rangiku had a lot of problems, Soifon should've started screaming at her, not him. "Damn Soul Reaper Women's Association, they're all buddies because of that group." Hitsugaya groaned, remembering that Rangiku and Soifon were both part of the group.
Hitsugaya then got out of his chair and walked towards the sofa. There laid the sleeping, voluptuous beauty known as Rangiku Matsumoto. She had become quite famous in the Seireitei for her humongous breasts and curvy figure. Tōshirō was a romantic at heart, and had always believed in saving himself for marriage. That was another thing he couldn't stand about Rangiku, he was quite confident that she wasn't a virgin, in spite of her feelings for the deceased ex-captain, Gin Ichimaru.
"Wake up!" He screamed.
Rangiku toppled out of the sofa, squealing in surprise. She then got up and rubbed her head, pouting at her captain. "Captain," she groaned. "You should know it's better not to wake someone up like that. Especially when she has a hangover."
"Do you have any idea how much heat I had to take from Captain Soifon for you getting Ōmaeda drunk?" Hitsugaya asked.
"Soifon came down here?" Rangiku asked, surprised.
"Yes." Hitsugaya said, calming down.
Rangiku paused for a moment. She then spoke again, disappointed. "I can't believe she didn't say hi."
Hitsugaya's anger resurfaced again. "Rangiku!"
Rangiku winced at her captain's tone. "What?"
Hitsugaya took a deep breath. "Why do you drink?" He asked.
Rangiku raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you get so personal?"
Hitsugaya sighed, she was right. "Your right, I'm sorry." he admitted. "I've just been under so much stress since the shape shifter incident. And now the Head Captain is talking about another war."
Rangiku looked surprised. "Since when are you stressed by that?" She asked. "I mean, you've always been..."
"...The most levelheaded captain." Hitsugaya finished.
Rangiku nodded. "Well, do you think I enjoy war? Believe me, I don't, especially after the last fight." Hitsugaya admitted.
Rangiku knew what he was talking about. It was well known that during the Winter War, Squad 5 Lieutenant Momo Hinamori was stabbed on accident by Hitsugaya. It had been a result of Aizen's hypnosis-inducing Zanpakutō, Kyōka Sūigetsu. Which had put Hitsugaya under the illusion that he was stabbing Aizen. Instead, he had stabbed Momo, his childhood friend (and secret crush). "Well hey, if we beat Aizen, I'm sure we can take whoever's coming at us this time." Rangiku said in her usual optimistic tone.
Hitsugaya shook his head. "No, Ichigo beat Aizen. The rest of us got our asses kicked." He said solemnly.
Now Rangiku was starting to understand, Hitsugaya was going through a phase of hopelessness and uselessness. Rangiku opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. "Just get to work on that paperwork." He muttered.
She nodded. "Yes Captain."
Ichigo marched out of the restaurant, clearly worried about his current problem and what is going to be the Soul Society's problem. Have to get back. He thought. Have to warn them.
He then reached into his pocket, hoping to pull out his communicator, his one method of communication with the Seireitei. Unfortunately for the Squad 9 Captain, it wasn't in his pocket. Then he remembered, he left it in his old room. "Oh...my...God..." Ichigo said in disbelief.
Orihime ran out of the restaurant. "Ichigo, what's wrong?" She asked, worried.
"I've got to get back to the Soul Society. We've got a serious problem!" Ichigo said, clearly stressed.
Ichigo ran in the direction home was. Orihime ran after him. Uryū and Chad followed.
Soifon took a deep breath and looked at fifteen members of the Punishment Force. She then looked at the one next to her. She had divided up the Punishment Force into groups of sixteen and had them fight in an elimination tournament. "Now tell me, why did we do this? It seems pointless, doesn't it?" She asked.
The fifteen did not reply. They all knew Soifon's habits. Whatever they did or said, they would get screamed at. They learned that silence was the best thing. "Well I'll tell you why: This simulation is meant to give you the feeling of what a life or death one on one battle is like." Soifon explained.
She then glared at them. "If this were a real situation, you would all be dead." She said bluntly.
The fifteen of them looked down in shame. She then turned to the man next to her. "Hirano congrats, you lived. I will not consider you to be useless for the time being." Soifon said to him.
Hirano nodded. "Yes Captain."
Soifon clapped her hands together. "Okay people, hit the showers."
The sixteen ninja's bowed and ran off. Soifon then heard a very familiar voice. "Nice to see you're using some of my methods Soifon."
Soifon turned and nearly fell backwards in shock. Standing in front of her was a dark-skinned, purple haired, buxom woman. She was wearing her usual black attire, brightened by her yellow jacket. "L-Lady Yoruichi..." Soifon stammered, bowing.
Yoruichi Shihōin was the former Captain of Squad 2 and former leader of the Punishment Force. She was also the former princess of the Shihōin Clan. And to top it all off, she was Soifon's former mentor, and her idol. "The old sixteen-man elimination tournament," Yoruichi reminisced. "I remember you won every one you participated in."
"All in your name M'Lady." Soifon said respectfully.
Yoruichi gestured to the sidewalk. "Take a walk with me my little bee."
Soifon almost shot onto her feet. "I would be honored, Lady Yoruichi."
Within minutes, Soifon had Ōmaeda and the third seat in charge of the training. Although, she gave more power to the third seat due to Ōmaeda's emotional state. However, at the moment, she didn't care. She hadn't seen her mistress since she had recovered from her injuries from the Winter War. "So, how've you been?" Yoruichi asked.
"That's not important, how are you Lady Yoruichi?" Soifon asked.
Yoruichi chuckled. Same old Soifon. She thought.
"I've been pretty good. I've been either down at the Shiba house or down at Kisuke's shop relaxing." Yoruichi replied.
"Has that worm of a man been treating you well?" Soifon asked disgustedly.
Yoruichi chuckled, remembering all the times she watched Soifon scream at and abuse Urahara. "Kisuke's always treated me well, give him a bit more credit." Yoruichi said smirking.
Soifon shook her head. "He's a pig." She insisted. "You should've just came here instead. I would've gladly taken you in. Now that Head Captain Yamamoto has relaxed the terms of your exile."
Yoruichi chuckled. But there was something else she was curious about. "So tell me, is it true?"
Soifon raised an eyebrow. "What's true?"
"The Head Captain's son has become the Seireitei's newest celebrity? I hear he's been groomed to be Old Man Yama's replacement." Yoruichi said, practically reciting it.
"Yes, he gave Ōmaeda quite the beating his first day on the job." Soifon remembered.
Yoruichi was even more curious. "Tell me, how powerful is the little celebrity?"
Soifon shrugged. "I only saw him beat Ōmaeda, and that's not saying much. But his spiritual pressure was off the charts."
Yoruichi then got a sly look in her eyes. "Is he handsome?" She asked lowly.
Soifon was shocked. "Why are you asking me if Akio's handsome?"
The Flash Goddess raised an eyebrow. "You bothered remembering his name?"
"It's hard to forget someone with that much power." Soifon admitted.
Soifon looked at her idol. "But you still haven't answered my question ma'am." She said.
"Oh, just curious." Yoruichi said in a cutesy tone. "If my experience with Ichigo has taught me anything, powerful men, are usually quite handsome. And I would love to spend some time with him, especially since Ichigo isn't interested."
"Lady Yoruichi!" Soifon said in disbelief. "That is incredibly vulgar!"
"Or instead I could talk to Akio and set you two up instead." Yoruichi joked.
Soifon rolled her eyes. "Men are all the same." She then remembered Ōmaeda. "Especially rich ones. They're all pigs."
Yoruichi chuckled. "I hear he's a pretty nice guy."
Soifon rolled her eyes again. Then something crossed her mind. "And what do you mean about your 'experience with Ichigo,' you don't mean Kurosaki do you?" She asked, suddenly fearing the worst.
Yoruichi batted her eyelashes at her former pupil. "Of course I mean Ichigo Kurosaki. And what I mean, my little bee, is that I showed Ichigo the goods once or twice." Yoruichi said, pointing at her chest.
Soifon got a murderous look in her eyes. "He looked didn't he?" She asked.
Yoruichi laughed. "Of course he did, it's hard not to notice this body. Oh you should've seen him freak out Soifon, it was so cute."
As Yoruichi went on about the times she flashed Ichigo, Soifon was planning murder in her head. Ichigo Kurosaki, you will pay for looking at Lady Yoruichi's body. Soifon thought.
Yamamoto took a sip of his tea. He then looked across the room to see Chōjirō Sasakibe with his group, drinking their Western tea. Yamamoto rolled his eyes. Honestly, what was so great about the West? It was the East that had more tradition. It was the East that had more culture. Yet Sasakibe continued to insist on decorating his office with Western-themed decor, holding tea sessions that had tea from Europe, rather than Asia, and if there was one thing that Yamamoto couldn't stand was that Sasakibe insisted on playing Western music. It tortured Yamamoto to have to sit in his office and listen to Sasakibe's records blast those horrible songs from next door. Songs that were played by what was apparently known as the violin, or the clarinet, or the trumpet. Sasakibe had been his lieutenant for as long as he could remember. And he still got annoyed with Sasakibe's love of Western 'culture.'
Yamamoto sighed. If that wasn't bad enough, Akio disappeared in the Seireitei. He knew this because Kenpachi Zaraki had marched down to his home and demanded that Akio fight him. Yamamoto was then forced to admit that he had no clue where his own son was. So Zaraki marched off to hunt him down, despite Yamamoto's insistence that he didn't. "I cannot wait for retirement." Yamamoto thought.
A Soul Reaper that was participating in Yamamoto's tea session spoke up. "Did you say something sir?" He asked.
"It's nothing." Yamamoto replied. "Just enjoy your tea Takagi."
Several spots in the sky then opened up, revealing dark spaces. Inside, horrific, gigantic creatures with pointed noses and black bodies emerged. Yamamoto looked visibly worried. "Menos Grandes." He said, worried.
The Menos were the most powerful group of Hollows, behind the Arrancar. Luckily these were Gillians, the most basic Menos. Still powerful, but at least they weren't Vasto Lordes. The Soul Reaper known as Takagi looked at Yamamoto. "The barrier should protect us, right?"
Yamamoto shook his head. "Not from that many. If they combine their cero's the barrier will collapse."
Red energy then started to form at the maws of the Gillians. "That seems to be what their doing." Sasakibe said, eyes widening.
"Very well then, all of you to your battle stations, this threat must be dealt with." Yamamoto ordered.
Cortez Orgulloso watched as the combined cero attack caused the barrier to collapse. Such arrogance, he thought. They never thought they were going to have to deal with more than ten Menos. There are only a hundred, at least.
The general then turned to La Primera Seis. All of them looked eager and ready to fight. "All right!" He began. "The Gillians have done their part, now it is your turn. Remember, His Majesty has given you specific targets, six Captains of the 13 Court Guard Squads. Make no mistake they will be incredibly powerful. And you will face some resistance getting to them. Just kill both the captains and that resistance."
He then turned to each Arrancar. Starting with the man with the top hat. "Gabriel..."
The man with the horn-helmet. "Adalberto..."
The African American woman. "Felicia..."
The fat man with spiked hair. "Gonzalo..."
The man with shoulder-length red hair. "Hipolito..."
And finally, the wiry man with the scruffily beard. "Idelfonso..."
Cortez smiled. "Good hunting everyone."
A.N: Review, review, review. But constructive criticism only! ND2014 signing off.
