"This is so boring," Nick groaned, leaning against a tree as Kisuke collected reishi samples around an ancient oak tree in the middle of town. Michelle was sitting in the tree above Nick relaxing.
"You don't have to be here, Lieutenant, I am fully capable of doing these analyses by myself," Kisuke stated as he closed his sampler. "You kiddies can go run along and have fun." He flourished his fan again and chuckled. Nick glared at the scientist but pushed off the tree.
"We were assigned to watch you and help you with your work, Mr. Urahara," Nick argued. "As much as I hate all the standing around and waiting, I won't abandon my station."
"Besides, despite the weird spiritual signature around this area, there hasn't been any real Hollow activity since we showed up," Michelle stated swinging her legs. "Which is weird because James was up to his ears in Hollows while stationed here."
Nick and Michelle tensed as they felt a strange Reiatsu enter the World of the Living.
"What the hell?" Nick growled reaching for his sword. Kisuke rose and glanced to the northeast.
"This Pressure is similar to the one that attacked your brother," he explained in a serious tone. "But there appears to be another with him."
"Well handle them. You keep analyzing. We need that information to figure out what is going on in Blackwater. The general has a feeling things are converging here and I just don't like the series of events that have happened."
"Completely understandable. I think I am on the verge of discovering the reason for this place's strange spiritual energy, and then we can report back to the general," Kisuke stated. He returned to analyzing the reishi around the tree as Nick and Michelle took off to confront the strange Spiritual Pressures.
They discovered two men standing on the cliffs north of town. One was wearing black biker gear while his friend was wearing black clothing including a "Black Parade" t-shirt, a faded jacket, and skull ring on his right ring finger. The biker was hard muscle with long black hair, purple eyes and thin lips and nose; the Goth was thin but toned, with short brown hair, blue eyes, and thin, pale features.
"Declare yourselves intruders," Lieutenant Gautier demanded as he landed lightly on his feet in front of the strange men, his sword drawn.
"I thought you said this place was cleared of Soul Reapers, Zarathos," Goth said to his biker friend.
"They must have sent reinforcements," the biker replied drawing his blade. "This will not do. My Master said to remove any and all interference."
"Then I guess we'll just have to kill these Soul Reapers," Goth stated.
"I said declare yourselves!" Nick snapped. Both men glared at him before the biker, Zarathos, said, "You do not need to know our names because you will be dead soon. Then we shall go kill that scientist before prepping the ritual site for our Master."
"Zarathos, be quiet. They do not need to know such things," Goth chided.
"What will it matter Sammael? Dead men don't talk," Zarathos laughed. Sammael conceded the point and drew his own sword.
"Get ready Michelle," Nick ordered. "Seems we got a fight on our hands." She nodded and pointed at Sammael. "You. You said that Zarathos had been here before, right?"
"Something along those lines, yes," Sammael replied.
"He's mine then." Michelle glared at Zarathos, her Spiritual Pressure spiking.
"Be careful," Nick whispered. "I don't want to bring you back to your brother in a body bag." Michelle nodded and then Flash Stepped away, Zarathos following her.
"Guess it's just you and me now," Nick smirked. He raised his sword horizontally and said, "Destroy Apollymi." His sword glowed black before turning into a black, demonic greatsword with a bat-wing styled hilt.
Sammael surged forward and their swords clashed. Nick barely held him off before forcing Sammael off. Nick unleashed a massive wave of black energy at Sammael. The Goth simply frowned and slashed the attack in half.
"You think you can use the darkness against a Being of Darkness?" Sammael said.
"What are you?" Nick asked. "You are neither Soul Reaper nor Hollow."
"You figured out that much," Sammael grinned. "Wound me and I'll tell you."
Nick gripped his sword and charged Sammael. He blocked the attack, sending the strike wide before slamming his fist into Nick's gut. He gasped and stumbled back. Sammael whipped his sword around hard and fast, knocking Nick even farther back.
"Is this really the best you have to offer?" Sammael stated bored. He raised his hand and fired a dark red blast of spiritual energy. Nick's eyes went wide as he blocked it but Sammael followed up the attack with a heavy slash that caught Nick across the chest.
"Damn. What the hell was that?" Nick growled. "That couldn't have been a cero. You're not a Hollow."
"Don't hurt that tiny brain of yours, Soul Reaper," Sammael frowned. "To make things simple, in essence it was a cero. And this is a Sonido." The man disappeared and reappeared directly behind Nick. The lieutenant tried to turn to block the attack, but Sammael slashed Nick across his back, parallel to the cut on his chest. Nick collapsed falling to his knees.
"Repent Soul Reaper for your soul is Damned. But rejoice for I am your deliverance. I am Sammael, the Angel of Death, deliverer of the Damned!" Sammael brought down his sword to behead Nick but the Soul Reaper grinned and said, "Hado 58: Tenran."
Sammael's eyes went wide as a massive wind storm blasted him away.
"Don't think you can win so easily," Nick smirked. "Angel of Death or not, I will defeat you." He stood erect and raised his sword "Let's go Apollymi."
Michelle was breathing hard and bleeding from a long cut on her arm. Zarathos stood across from her unharmed and rather bored. Michelle spun her halberd and brought it down to strike Zarathos. He lazily batted it aside with his forearm.
"How come I got the boring one?" Zarathos whined. "I prefer prey who can put up a decent fight."
Michelle glared at him and held her halberd made of bone horizontally and said, "Bankai." A massive explosion of Spiritual Pressure forced Zarathos back and threw up a bunch of dust. When it cleared, Michelle was encased in armor the color of seawater with fins on her calves and forearms and a small crown adorning her head made of coral, pearls, and shark teeth. She spun a trident made of bone with a ceremonial ribbon.
"Wrath of Aquarius," Michelle growled. She pointed the trident at Zarathos and unleashed a tsunami upon the warrior. His eyes went wide at her sudden display of power and sonidoed away. He appeared behind her, but Michelle easily blocked the attack.
"Oldest trick in the book," she glared. Unlike before, Michelle was completely composed now, her appearance, her gaze regal and lofty. "You will have to do better than that to defeat me, bounty hunter." She spat out the title like it was bitter, poison.
Zarathos smirked and bashed away at Michelle. She deftly blocked each and every one of his strikes with intricate spins and twirls of her trident. She caught the blade in between the prongs and flung Zarathos' sword away.
He grinned and said, "You fight much better than that last guy. I killed him inside of fifteen seconds; it was pathetic! Ironic given how similar your Spiritual Pressures are." Michelle's eyes went wide as she realized what Zarathos had just revealed.
"Bastard!" Michelle screamed. "I will kill you!" She spun her trident and brought it down hard, nearly breaking Zarathos' arm when he foolishly used it to block the attack. He growled and slashed at Michelle. She used her trident as a lever, flipping over Zarathos and kicking him in the head. He stumbled and Michelle fired another torrent of water at him. Zarathos dodged it and sonidoed behind Michelle and slammed his own foot into the side of her head. Michelle moaned and collapsed to her knees, her crown cracked.
"Time to die," Zarathos intoned. He raised his sword and brought it down to cleave Michelle in two. But a hand appeared and stopped his blade.
"Sammael, what is the meaning of this?" Zarathos growled.
"Our Master has recalled us. Leave the girl and let us go," Sammael explained. Zarathos growled but sheathed his sword. Sammael opened a swirling portal of red smoke and the two mysterious spiritual entities disappeared into it. Michelle collapsed and her Bankai dissipated. Nick arrived shortly and collected her before returning to Urahara.
"We need to go back to the Soul Society now," Nick growled.
"Agreed." Urahara nodded.