Author's Note: Yay! Finally finished the rewrite! Yay! And even better, I'm half through with the next chapter! Yay again. When I'm done it'll be posted a week from now, unless I'm prompted to post sooner by your show of support (that is, your reviews). Please enjoy, and so sorry for the LONG wait.
Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo, not me.
Kon- That's it?
Me- That's it *walks off*
Kon- W-w-e-he-what? What was that? Did he just run off without doing something crazy here!? What's going on here!?!
Chapter 7:
Unholy Alliance
With a low, ominous rumble, the Senkaimon gate slid open within the midst of the road. None of the humans in that city could see the paper and wood framed gate, nor were they any more aware of the twelve black clad swordsmen and women who stepped through the white void within it. A dozen ebony hell butterflies retreated back through the portal once their soul reapers had made it, and the gate slid closed once more with a low wooden tap before fading back to into oblivion. Now the only light with which the soldiers could see by was that of the pale, ill maintained street lamps, the occasional light from one of the towering apartments above, and the low hung waxing moon.
"Are we all ready?" one of the unit commanders called in his gruff baritone.
His subordinates nodded.
"Alright, then let's move out troops!" the second commander ordered.
With a whoosh, the dozen warriors of the Soul Society launched themselves into the night.
They followed the road straight south, their formation loose but orderly. At the head of the column were the expedition's leaders: one a burly young man with black hair and a goatee, and wearing a white headband and shoulder straps that looked like they were made from coiled rope; the other a short young woman with strawberry blond hair and wearing white gloves and a down turned collar.
Right behind the leaders was a young woman with dark red hair who wore horn rimmed glasses and a heavily modified shihakusho consisting of a pleated shortskirt and a sleeveless, low cut top; and beside her was a lightly built brunette man who wore his katana-shaped zanpakuto on his back and his kimono opened up to show off his chest.
Behind this pair was a girl with violet hair and amber, mischievous eyes, wearing a red ribbon in her hair and a larger one around her waist; a young man with medium length red hair with a pair of katana-style zanpakuto on his left hip; another young man with longish black hair, a nodachi, and the entire right side of his kimono cut away to reveal the white kosode beneath; and a black haired woman with a long braid, a heavily scarred face and a katana with an extra long hilt.
Bringing up the rear of the band were four others. Two were young women, one with short black hair, short cut kimono and hakama sleeves, and wearing a red bandana; the other with sandy blond hair with a strawberry-shaped hair pin and carrying a Squad 4 medical bag over her shoulder. Flanking and a bit behind them was a man with shaggy black hair and a sleeveless kimono with a white hood; and a woman with mid-back length dark green hair and a shihakusho with shoulder length sleeves.
On and on they went, flash stepping through the night. None spoke, and many of their faces were set with a grim determination. Their destination: The newly discovered lair of the rogue Arrancar.
A few short hours before, the twelve had stood in the grand meeting hall of the captains at the feet of the Head Captain himself. Joshiro Ukitake had looked both worried and ill, and the ones who had stood with him- the captains from whose squads the twelve had been selected- had seemed similarly uneasy, with the obvious exception of Kenpachi Zaraki.
"A short while ago," the tuberculosis-stricken leader of the Gotei 13 had announced, "A group from the Patrol Corp. of the Onmitsukido intercepted a message within the World of the Living mentioning a 'gathering of allies.' We have reason to believe that this message was both for and from the arrancars that have been attacking us lately. Though normally this would be a job for the Stealth Force, Captain Soifon and I both agree that, considering how little we know of these arrancar, it would be best to send a more combat-oriented reconnaissance team instead. We also did not believe that too many lieutenants would be required for this, and that it would be more convenient for us to have many fighters who can use their full power right away rather than wait for gentai kaijo authorization."
The white haired captain beamed as he continued, "You have all been handpicked for this mission, based upon your combat experience, previous encounters with these arrancars, and…wait, where's Madarame, Ayasegawa, and Ms. Asano?"
"Third seat Madarame and fifth seat Ayasegawa are currently being treated for injuries," Captain Unohana announced from behind her old friend.
"What'd you do to my boys this time?" demanded the wild Kenpachi.
"Why, whatever do you mean?" Unohana replied with one of those serene smiles that were so well known for inspiring horrendous fear.
"N-nothing," Zaraki growled with only the slightest hesitation, though he still averted his one uncovered eye and pondered at the strange feeling which had just passed through him.
"And my sister refused to go while Ikkaku was in the hospital, so…so she made me go instead," the brunette soul reaper whined.
"The other two are pretty good though," Zaraki continued, "Much better than their rank, though the one needs to learn to man up more often."
The shaggy haired soul reaper scoffed.
"Well, if everything's settled then," Joshiro announced, "Ready yourselves. The senkaimon will be opened in front of the Squad One barracks in one hour's time. I will give you my final orders then. Oh, and I'm sure you've all already guessed, but my two lieutenants have…volunteered…to lead this mission,"
The two in question beamed happily at their captain, who returned their smiles with a pained grin. His decision, after all, had come more from his near-infinite patience being on its last legs (due to their perpetual bickering) rather than being the most qualified. Not that Sentaro and Kiyone weren't qualified for their position, but Ukitake had originally been expecting to put a more combat-suited lieutenant in charge, such as Squad Two's Tatsuki Arisawa, or Thirteen's Hinamori. However, Sentaro and Kiyone had spent so much time trying to tell him how suited they were for leading the mission and then yelling at the other one for making stuff up or exaggerating that Ukitake had finally broken down and put both of them in charge. He sincerely hoped that they wouldn't do anything too ridiculous while leading this group, or too dangerous.
With a dreading sigh, the middle-aged captain concluded, "Until then, you are dismissed."
It was a full half hour before the group finally came to a halt as one of the leaders held up a meaty fist.
"Alright, this is the place," Sentaro Kotsubaki declared, pointing at a large man hole cover set in the midst of the road.
"The Captain says that the enemy is several kilometers to the east from here," Sentaro's partner, the extra petite Kiyone Kotetsu, began to explain, "From here on, we're going to have to be extra cautious and-,"
"Hey, hey! Wait a sec, short-stuff!" Sentaro exclaimed, "I'm the boss of this here outfit, so I'm the one who should be giving the explanations!"
"As if!" Kiyone retorted with equal heat, "I'm the leader here, you big dumb gorilla!"
"Who're you calling a gorilla, midget!? And I'm the leader because Captain Ukitake put me in charge!"
"In your dreams, ape! He was specifically looking at me when he said 'I'm putting you two in charge of this expedition.' That means that he meant that I'm the leader!"
"You wish!" By now, Kiyone and Sentaro were leaned in so close together that their noses were squished against each other, "The Captain was looking at me when he said that!"
"Both of you, shut up and let's go," the girl with the red bandana called out, pushing the two lieutenants out of her way in order to get at the manhole. After a few moments of strained lifting, the heavy iron plate was lifted from its place to reveal the black, slimy depths beneath.
"Let's go, Yuzu," the girl said just before jumping in, followed closely by the sandy haired girl from Squad Four. The next ones down were the red head and the ribbon girl, Yamato and Senna, followed closely by the long haired Akira and the scarred warrior woman Taka.
"I-I don't wanna go down there," Keigo Asano whined, covering his nose with both hands. "It smells weird, and it looks creepy…,"
"Quit yer bawlin' Asano, and let's go!" the green haired Yoshi barked, kicking Asano in the seat and nearly sending him head first down the manhole.
"You're so brave, Yoshi-chan!" the bespectacled girl cooed, trying to snake her arms around the other woman's middle and cop a feel.
"Get offa me, you freak!" the Squad Eleven woman roared, grabbing the molester by her dark red locks and bodily throwing her into Keigo, sending both tumbling down into the sewers with a smelly splash. Muttering angrily to herself, Yoshi at last jumped, followed closely by her brother, the shaggy haired Maki.
"Uh, I kinda think we got left behind, Kiyone," Sentaro lamented a few moments later as he and his partner stood alone at the sewer's lip. Crows could be heard kawing somewhere in the distance.
"Yeah…," was Kiyone's reply, allowing her voice to trail off into silence. Then with a moment's sudden inspiration, she declared, "Me first! Last one is a Hollow's fart!"
"H-hey!" Sentaro bellowed after her, "No fair! I wasn't ready!"
After a moment's more bickering between the leaders, the group continued on through the sewers in silence. The stink of mold and waste stung their nostrils, and the ever-present pattering and squeakings of rats left a few of the women and one of the men (Keigo) continually on-edge. Red balls of kido light held by Kiyone and the girl Yuzu illuminated their path, though the scarlet glow served much to further the group's uneasiness.
For over an hour and a half the group marched on, until at last they turned a corner and found themselves facing a wide corridor from which voices could be heard drifting down. At a motion from Sentaro, Yuzu and Kiyone extinguished their kido lights and the entire group backed themselves up against the walls. Ever so slowly, they began to inch along the sides until they reached had the mouth of the chamber, just beyond the glow of the flickering torches that were held in brackets along the chamber walls.
Seven figures stood in the room beyond; four with their backs to the Soul Reapers, and three standing opposite to these. The four all wore white uniforms, similar to each other, yet significantly unique to the individual. One of the four was tall and thin and stood with authority in his presence, his uniform seeming the least modified and ending with a single long coat tail. Another was quite muscular and stood just above the average height of a man, but even from the back it was clear that his appearance was scruffy. A third stood stooped over and wore what appeared to be a metal shell over his back while carrying a halberd, and the fourth's uniform looked like a lab coat and he wore an odd, egg-like device over the entirety of his right arm.
The three, by all appearances, seemed entirely human; though each one possessed a chilling reiatsu that made it clear that they were anything but. The central being was a tall, muscular man with cold eyes, up-swept white hair, bore a scar on the left side of his chin, and wore a two-toned red and black shirt with a thin black tie, tan slacks, and a long brown trench coat. The other two were dark haired men, one brunette with a large goatee who wore formal clothing and a gold pocket watch; and the other with slicked back, black greasy hair, round glasses, and an ever-present sinister grin plastered upon his pale lips.
"Explain this to me one more time," the white haired man with the scar said casually, his voice bearing a light British accent with the barest hint of German, "You were given the duty of destroying the Soul Society by your creator, and yet you had to seek me out in order to complete your task? This certainly conflicts with the rumors that I've heard about this Sosuke Aizen. Didn't he plan for everything?"
"Unfortunately, things change," the tall, thin arrancar admitted, "And not even Lord Aizen was omniscient."
"I see," the white haired man nodded. "And, speaking as one who's been around long enough to see such things, I must agree. Two hundred years ago and onwards until the time of my birth, the strongest of the grunt Soul Reapers could barely handle Hollows with any sort of special ability. Nowadays, Soul Reapers strong enough to handle incomplete arrancars are quite common. True, such enemies are of no threat to you or I, but it certainly leaves one worrying what the standard for a captain, or even a lieutenant, is now."
"That's exactly our issue, and it makes it all the more imperative for us to join forces, Karia," the arrancar with the egg, recognized by Yamato and Akira as Victor Benito, pressed. "To bring down even the weakest captain is currently beyond the ability of all of us Time Capsule Arrancar working together. If we are to be able to defeat them all once our period of development ends, we will need allies; and don't believe for even a moment that the Soul Society won't find and exterminate you at some point. Where's the logic in waiting until you're vainly fighting for your existence when you can perform a preemptive strike and never have to worry about them again?"
"How would the Soul Society find us?" the white haired one laughed good-naturedly. "You make it sound as if they're actively looking for us, but- logically- why would anyone bother looking for something that's supposed to be extinct?"
"And if- so you claim- you can't even all take down the weakest captain now, what sense is there that you'll be able to defeat them all when this 'period of development' is complete; with or without our help?" the man with the glasses demanded in a calm, weasely voice that also carried a touch of a German accent, "Surely you don't expect to become that strong in so short a time?"
At the end of his speech he made a slight, nearly imperceptible head motion towards a point beyond the arrancars. His leader nodded in understanding before continuing his speech.
"Too true, Ugaki. Too true. Why should we risk destroying ourselves for such a ridiculous plan?"
"So yer sayin' that yer too scared to help, is that it?" the scruffy, muscular arrancar sneered, his blade-like crimson and ebony dreadlocks bobbing as he spoke.
"I never said that," the man called Kariya replied, his red-orange eyes narrowing and his voice growing cold.
"Come now," the tall, thin arrancar interrupted, breaking up the fight before it had a chance to begin, "Surely there is something that we can do? You mentioned earlier about gaining control over the rest of the Bounts? Perhaps we can help each other?"
"Yes, that is something that you may be helpful in doing," conceded Kariya. "But, perhaps you'd prefer to allow the Soul Society to discover our existence instead, thus forcing us to ally ourselves with you in order to escape the inevitable purge?"
"And what would make you say a thing like that?" the lead arrancar asked in a fake-wounded voice.
Seemingly without warning, the white haired one took a single step forward while bringing his arm about in an upward sweeping, diagonal knife hand. Instantly, a blade of wind flew out in response to the man's movement, straight at the arrancars. The half-Hollows easily jumped to the side, allowing the deadly storm to continue on its path into the passage behind them, and straight at the still-hiding Soul Reapers.
The time for stealth past, Senna stood up and stepped into the path of the attack even as the other Soul Reapers prepared to leap out of the way at the last second.
"Bring them to the twilight!" she commanded, drawing her sword, "Mirokumaru!"
The wind blade dissolved with an explosive pop the instant it came into contact with the ringed staff.
"Oh, just a hunch," Kariya answered smugly. Turning towards Senna, he began to applaud. "Bravo, bravo my dear. What an impressive display over the powers of wind. I've never had my attacks so easily repelled before, even by other wind users. I'm most impressed."
"Save your praise," was Senna's reply as the soul reaper team moved forward to stand at her side while drawing their zanpakuto. Meanwhile, the arrancars turned to face their foes and also drew their weapons. "I'm just here to get some answers out of these arrancar."
"Oh, well by all means, ask away," Kariya shrugged. "My men and I were just on our way out anyway."
As the three human-like beings turned to leave, the bandana wearing female soul reaper stepped up and called out, "Not so fast, fellas! By the authority of the Gotei 13, we're placing you all under arrest! Give up quietly, or we'll use force!"
"Wow, Karin!" Yuzu clapped quietly, "That was really good! You sounded just like a cop!"
"H-hey!" whined Kiyone, "That's my job!"
"Mine," Sentaro corrected.
"No, mi-,"
"I started first," Karin swiftly broke up the inevitable argument, "And anyway, I'm the younger sister of a captain, I can boss people around as much as I want."
"I'm not sure that's quite how it works," said Keigo, though he was ignored.
"Well, whoever makes the statement, it will promptly be ignored," said Kariya with a laugh, "Isn't that right, Don?"
"That is correct," the tall, thin arrancar replied. Now that he was facing the soul reapers, they could see that he was quite gentlemanly in appearance, his black hair gracefully slicked back and his facial features refined. A number seven was tattooed onto the back of his right hand, and the remnants of his hollow mask surrounded his eyes and nose like the mask of a bandit, though with sharp teeth lining the bottom edge. A pair of white and grey hilted katanas were thrust through the front of his black obi sash, their ends connected by a short length of chain.
"If you and your men would be so kind as to depart, Mr. Kariya," the gentlemanly arrancar offered, "My associates and I will remove these soul reapers from your trail."
"That would be greatly appreciated," grinned Karia as he turned to walk away, "Utagawa, Ugaki, this way, if you please."
"I don't think so," shouted Yamato with his usual recklessness, leaping over the heads of the arrancars in a single bound as he drew his twin swords. "Shine strong and blaze bright: Hikari-Ho no Ryu!"
As the flaming light blades approached the retreating Kariya's head, Yamato was forced to come to a sudden mid-air stop as he found himself locking blades with the scruffy-looking arrancar with the red and black dreadlocks.
Up close, the creature seemed more savage than scruffy, and only his clothes seemed disheveled. Black eyes blazed hungrily from their deep sockets, the pupils slit and sinister. His mouth was always in a feral sneer, and several of his teeth had been filed into sharp points. His tattered coat was open to reveal his lean but powerful muscles, scarred torso, and the hollow hole located in his sternum. The remnants of his hollow mask existed as a pair of still-tooth filled lower jawbones and a portion of the upper left jawbone that served to increase his frightening, predatory appearance; a portion of the right jawbone extended up past the corner and along his face to finally end a bit beyond his ear, making it seem pointy. His zanpakuto had a blood red and icy blue katana hilt with a curved h-shaped guard and the blade of a large scimitar.
"You look pretty tough, kid," the arrancar growled wickedly, "What say you and me have a little fun, eh?"
By now Kariya's group had almost disappeared down the hall on the far side of the chamber, and with a shout Sentaro and Kiyone gave chase. Unsurprisingly, the remaining arrancars attempted to intercept them, but each one was stopped by the other members of the war party.
First, Benito attempted to crush the passing Kiyone with the spiked, egg-shaped device on his right arm, but was instantly forced to use it to block the blades of Yoshi and Maki Ichinose.
"You're the one that Yamato and Akira were having so much trouble with," the warrioress said with a rabid grin, "Let's see how well you do against one of Squad Eleven's finest. Shield me with your hand, and cut them all down!: Shi no Joou!"
Next, the halberd-wielding Francisco had just begun to prepare a cero when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a patch of gold petaled flowers sprouting rapidly towards him. With a small gasp of remembrance, he adjusted the aim of his crimson energy blast in time to detonate the exploding flowers prematurely.
"Not bad," the scarred Taka grinned as she approached her former opponent, her zanpakuto Go-Ruden Yuukaku gripped easily in one hand. The girls Karin and Yuzu stood on either side of her. "You're a fast study." An anxious grin crossed the warrioress' face as she added, "Good. This means that our last battle together will be plenty fun."
"We shall see about that, senorita," was the armored hollow's reply, "We shall see."
The gentlemanly hollow chose to wait until just before the two lieutenants had disappeared down the corridor before striking. Slowly and with practiced elegance, the arrancar drew his two swords, holding one by the hilt and the other by the chain just below. With a sharp tug, the chain extended several feet- far more than what could have been concealed within the hilt- and began to rapidly swing one of the bladess like a flail. He was just about to hurl it when a loud voice called out from behind.
"Snap and cry: Gudon Awadateki [Madness Whip]!"
A pale bronze colored whip with many steel gray studs along its length wrapped itself around the arrancar's arm, stopping his attack. Turning with a somewhat bored energy, he saw the bespectacled female on the other end of the weapon, a confident smile on her lips. Meanwhile, Keigo was cowering at her feet.
"Sorry, sir, but I'm afraid that you're not going to be hurting any of my comrades today. Especially the females."
"I see. And you would be?"
"Chizuru Honsho, third seat of Squad Thirteen. I admit disappointment that that female in your group isn't here, but I guess you'll do for now." A smile which terrified Keigo even more crossed the girl's face as she said, "You've been very bad, Mr. Arrancar. Now you'll have to be punished severely; and I do so love to inflict punishment!"
"Someone get me outta this freak show!" screamed Keigo.
-
To Be Continued…
-
Preview
Yamato- Whoo! I finally get to fight again next chapter!
Taka- Too bad you'll be having to share chapter space with the rest of us.
Yamato- Nooo!
Jin Kariya- At long last! Now the glory of the Bounts shall be revealed without dumb fillers that make up plot with each episode!
Senna- Did you say "The Bounce?" So, what, you're going to jump on us until we surrender?
Kariya- No! Bount! With a Tt! No "Sss!" Get it right!
Yamato- I'm confused…
-
Omake
"Darling!!" Mizuho Asano Madarame cried (Madarame wasn't really her last name, that's just how she introduced herself to everyone, much to Ikkaku's annoyance), "I've got a present for you!"
Ikkaku groaned. "What is it now, Mizuho? I'm trying to train with Yumichika!"
"I know, but-,"
"Baldy! Feather Brow!"
"Oh, no," both the 3rd and 5th seat of Zaraki's Squad moaned with horror.
"Play with me now, Baldy!" Yachiru chirped, popping up seemingly out of nowhere as she so often did and positioning herself right at Ikkaku's feet..
"Not now, Yachirul we're busy!"
"Indeed," Yumichika agreed, "And besides, your games usually end up with one or both of us doing something or winding up in a state that is most unbeautiful."
"Yeah, what he said," Ikkaku grunted, "Only not so fruity."
"What do you want them to play with you, Lieutenant?" Mizuho asked politely, bending down in the grass so as to mimic the still-tiny child's height.
"Dress up, of course!"
"Oh, how sweet!"
"Absolutely not!" Ikkaku shouted.
"What sort of dress up are we talking ab-OW!" Yumichika began, only to be hit hard in the stomach by the blunt end of Hozukimaru. "I-I mean, no. No, I will not play dress up, no."
Yachiru's eyes narrowed dangerously as she turned towards the two, who tried vainly to stand their ground and look manly.
"Darling?"
***
"Welcome back to Squad Four Barracks Mr. Madarame, Mr. Ayasegawa," Retsu Unohana greeted sweetly as the stretcher bearers wheeled the two unconscious and copiously bleeding men to the emergency ward. To everyone's chagrin, Mizuho was latched onto Ikkaku's prone body, making maneuvering the gurney quite difficult.
"Oh!! Darliiiing!!" she bawled.
Author's Request: Please don't forget to review! Only reviews can motivate me to pump out new chapters without waiting for a month or so to pass by. Favorites without any sort of review will not. So if you desire another chapter besides the one next week before Easter, then please make this emotionally starved author feel motivated to please his fans by sending reviews. The emotionally starved author thanks you! =D
Kon- You are so pathetic
Me- Am not.
Kon- I'm never dictating for you again. Goodbye
Me- No! Come back!