"You really can fight, good job." Ikkaku growled at his manifested zanpakuto spirit.
"Kurosaki-san," Sanura called. Ichigo turned his head, eyes widening as Sanura continued down the street. "Let's go. I don't see a point in us hanging around."
"Wha?" The orange-haired shinigami stared.
"Kurosaki," Sanura turned, eyes glinting like a demon's. "That's an order."
"Yes, ma'am." Ichigo nodded.
'She's almost as scary as Unohana-san.' Ichigo grumbled in his head.
'I like her! Much better than I like you, King.' Hichigo laughed.
'Shut up.'
A spiked mace drove into the ground in front of his taicho, who let out an annoyed sigh.
"Honestly," She turned, lifting her hand and placing it atop her head. "You just don't learn, do you?"
The turquoise-haired woman dragged her hand down her face, fingers rippling with purple-edged black reitsu.
Ichigo blinked.
'She has an inner Hollow?'
'No dumbass.' Hichigo snorted, unimpressed. 'She's half-fucking-Espada.'
Sanura rolled her eyes, dancing forward and placing a hand gently on Gegetsuburi's head.
She pushed on the zanpakuto's head, driving the man's face into the ground.
Gegetsuburi tried to pry his face out, but it didn't work.
Sanura's mask flashed off her face, and she turned again.
Unfortunately for her, Ikkaku chose that moment to fly through the air and land on her.
Sanura screeched, pinned to the ground with a very heavy, injured Third Division captain on her back.
"Get it off! Get it off!" She yelled, flailing.
Ikkaku grunted.
"Ikkaku, you alright?" Ichigo asked, rushing over and poking him.
"Be more concerned for your captain, dammit, Kurosaki!" Sanura tapped her fingers against the road. "And get him the fuck off!"
"What's wrong?" Hozukimaru asked, from in a cloud of disappearing dust. "Hey, Shinigami, is that all you've got?"
Ikkaku wheezed as Sanura got impatient, pushing him onto the ground beside her.
"Damn you." Ichigo turned to Hozukimaru.
"Wait, Ichigo." The bald man lifted his head, pushing himself up slowly. "Do not interfere. It's my battle, I will handle this."
"You get him, Baldy-san!" Sanura yawned, stretching out along the ground comfortably.
"I'm not bald!" Ikkaku yelled, pulling his katana and sheath into an offensive position.
"Sure, sure." She waved him off.
"Stop right there!" Sanura glanced at the new voice.
"Oh, Soifon-chan, Ukitake-san, Shunsui-san." Sanura waved.
Bunches of Soifon's Covert Ops men had Ikkaku and his zanpakuto surrounded.
"We've got you surrounded." Ukitake spoke up.
"Yeah, sorry, but we're gonna need to butt in." Kyoraku scratched his head, hat lopsided.
"Captain Ukitake!" Ichigo turned to the long-time captain.
"Oh, so you call him Captain, and not me." Sanura huffed, glaring.
"What are you guys doing?!" Ikkaku protested. "My zanpakuto, my fight!"
"It's not much of a fight." Hozukimaru grumbled, crossing his arms.
"What was that?" Ikkaku narrowed his eyes.
"I said I'm done fighting for today."
"Wait, you can't just go and quit now!"
Sanura yawned, laying on her back and staring at the sky.
The wind picked up, and she glanced over. Hozukimaru was whirling the bankai he had brought out above his head.
"Don't just stand there! Bring him down!" Soifon ordered her subordinates.
Sanura sighed, picking herself off the ground and casually walking through the wind to stand in front of him.
The oni-like male stopped yelling, but continued to whirl the weapon around his head, all the while looking down at her.
"Bad Hozukimaru." She scolded. "Sit."
Hozukimaru looked at her like she was crazy.
"Sit." She repeated, pointing at the ground. Hozukimaru shook his head.
"Hozukimaru, sit." She snarled, a malicious aura surrounding her as she grabbed onto his shoulder and pushed him into a seated position.
"Good boy~." She patted his head, taking the bankai from his hands and planting them in the ground.
Sanura channelled the reitsu gathered in the weapon up with her fingers, exploding it in the sky. A large cloud of dust rose, and when it cleared, Sanura was flat on her back and Hozukimaru was gone.
"Go on! Move! After him!" Soifon yelled.
"It's no use." Ukitake shook his head, moving to Sanura. "His reitsu is gone."
"Captain, over here!" Soifon turned in the direction of the shout as Ukitake helped Sanura to a sitting position.
"We did get one of them, Ma'am. Well, found one. He's stuck." The stealth force member frowned.
Sanura staggered over, yanking Gegetsuburi's head out of his crater.
"And now he's not stuck." She smiled. "I put him there for safe-keeping."
"Should we hand him over to Lieutenant Omaeda?" The man asked, tying rope around the zanpakuto's wrists.
"Omaeda?" Soifon frowned. "Where is he?"
"Over here, Captain!" Another man called from down the road a bit. "He seems to be unconscious."
"Well, I would be too," Sanura nodded, staggering around the road like she was drunk. Kyoraku moved to steady her. "If I were a normal shinigami getting hit with a wall."
"Please, lieutenant. You must wake up." One man shook the Omaeda.
"Don't bother." Soifon rolled her eyes. "Just leave him."
"Eh?" Shunsui glanced over. "My, my, aren't you a strict one."
"For now, I suggest we hand that zanpakuto over to Research and Development for investigation." Ukitake suggested.
"That's fine." Soifon turned away, disappearing seconds later.
"Hold on a second. Where's Ichigo?" Ukitake asked.
"Ichigo had better not of runaway again." Sanura growled, baring her teeth. "I'm gonna have a serious talk with him."
"Come on, it's pretty obvious where he is." Shunsui pulled on his hat.
"You'd better say my barracks, and he'd better be there."
-;-
"Ichigo Kurosaki." Sanura appeared behind the teen. "You are in so much trouble, mister."
"I just..." He began, only to be silenced when Sanura raised a hand and punched him in the head.
Hard.
Ichigo dropped to the ground, and the woman slung him over her shoulder.
-;-
"What's that?" Renji stared at the woman across from him.
"That's right." She frowned into her cup. "Kurosaki was mumbling something about Byakuya."
"Well, that's good isn't it?" Hisagi placed his sake cup on the table.
"No. I didn't get anything else out of him."
"Why not?" Renji furrowed his brow.
"Well, I knocked him out. Ichigo is the worst listener." Sanura sighed. Renji chuckled, before returning to more serious matters.
"What are we going to do about the Sixth Division?" Renji took a gulp of sake.
"Is it really our problem?" Sanura raised an eyebrow, twirling the end of her high horsetail around her finger.
"I feel like it should be. I was their lieutenant." Renji put his head on the table.
"With Kuchiki-san gone, and no lieutenant, there's nobody looking out for them." Hisagi nodded.
"Let's go talk to Ukitake-san." Sanura swirled her drink, patting the redhead's shoulder. "We'll ask if all three of us can help the Sixth Division. Between the three of us, it should go okay."
Renji nodded, and the three new captains paid the bartender before heading back to the Seireitei.
-;-
"I see. Well, I can see your concern for your former Division, Abarai." Ukitake threaded his fingers together. "But I think it would be best-"
"Oh, Ukitake," Kyoraku interrupted. "Let them do it. The Sixth Division needs some support right now, and then these three willingly take up the challenge?"
"Alright." Ukitake sighed, nodding. "Let us know if there's a problem."
"Of course, Ukitake-san." Sanura bowed slightly. "Come on, guys."
Hisagi and Renji followed her out.
-;-
Sanura was about to enter the barracks when something dropped behind her with a large thump.
She turned, dual-coloured eyes widening.
"You," The male growled, flexing his long fingers. "I know you."
"Who are you?" She asked, shifting into a defensive position with a hand on Sanbimu.
"Don't you know? Can't you tell?" He laughed, face shadowed. "I thought you were smarter than that."
The cloud over the moon shifted, scuttling away across the sky and throwing the male's features into view.
"Are you...Pantera?"
"You got it, sweetheart." Pantera grinned, displaying deadly canines.
Sanura stared.
Pantera was deeply tanned, and had blue hair that cascaded down to his waist.
He had no shirt, but around his neck was a white leather collar with a silver chain dangling down to the waist band of his pants. The chain was attached to the hakama. Pantera's hakama were white, bunching around his knees because of segmented white armour. His feet were feline, and his hands and forearms were covered in black fur. Long claws ended his fingers.
Long blue cat ears twitched on the side of his head, and Pantera frowned.
"Fuck." He growled, turning and displaying his tail, which was white until the end, where a tuft of black fur sprouted. "I didn't have time to play."
"There you are, you little fuck." Grimmjow yowled as he leapt over the wall in front of the barracks.
"HAH!" Pantera snorted, springing to Sanura's side. "I found something to protect, so you have no chance!"
"I don't need something to protect to beat you! Or get stronger!" Grimmjow landed with a small cloud of dust, drawing his sword.
"Keep telling yourself that, pussy." Pantera snorted.
"I thought you were the cat." Grimmjow snarled, leaping forward.
"Out the way, sweetheart." Pantera pushed her closer to the building before throwing himself at Grimmjow.
"Grind." Pantera roared, dust billowing around their two figures.
Sanura searched the cloud as it fell back to the ground.
"Nice block, but it won't work." Pantera chuckled, foot caught in Grimmjow's hand. He threw his other leg at his former partner, pushing away as his right left connected with Grimmjow's head.
Grimmjow skidded backwards, barely fending off Pantera's frenzied attacks.
Pantera made a slashing motion with his left arm, blue rietsu growing along each of his fingers.
The zanpakuto threw them at Grimmjow one at a time, watching in amusement as Grimmjow barely avoided them.
Pantera fired several bombs from his arm, and then let loose two of the Desgarron.
Grimmjow's blue eyes widened, fear flashing across his face as the attacks connected.
"Grimmy!" Sanura yelled, moving forward.
"Sweetheart, this is our fight not yours." Pantera glanced over his shoulder with hard silver eyes. "He needs to learn."
Pantera was suddenly thrown to the ground, collar choking him as Grimmjow hurled him down.
"That hurt, you bastard!" He snarled, punching the other male in the face.
A slight smirk crossed Pantera's face, and he fired several of the bombs in his arm at Sanura.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
Grimmjow looked up, anger crossing his face and he launched himself into a Sonido.
As her lieutenant appeared in front of her, Sanura shrieked. Blood splattered her face and the tip of Pantera's blade scraped across her face.
"Nice try, but it won't work." Pantera pulled the silver blade from Grimmjow's shoulder, and then swung it in an arc, slicing it across his back in fast movements.
Grimmjow's body jerked, and he fell to the ground coughing.
"You're no king. You can't even protect her." Pantera snorted, propping the sword on his shoulder.
Grimmjow looked up glaring over his shoulder at the man, and staggering to his feet.
"I am a king." He roared, lunging again.
Grimmjow dragged his fingers along his blade.
"Grind, Pantera!" Grimmjow yelled, turquoise reitsu flashing around him.
His blade disappeared, and molten silver spread up his arms.
"What the fuck?" Grimmjow stared at the gauntlets on his arms and fists.
"Grimmy, you're a Shinigami now!" Sanura called. "That's shikai!"
"Whatever the fuck it is, it works as long as i can hurt him!" Grimmjow ran forward, long claws sliding from the gauntlets.
Panic crossed Pantera's face, and he leapt backwards.
Sanura watched in horror as Pantera shoved his fist through Grimmjow's chest.
"Grimmy!"
Grimmjow's eyes narrowed in satisfaction and he drove the claws on his zanpakuto's throat.
The male coughed, blood splattering against Grimmjow's face as Pantera fell limp.
His form glowed, shrank and morphed into his regular.
Sanura sprinted over to Grimmjow, skidding to a halt as he yanked the sword from his chest and fell to his knees.
"Maybe you're more of a king than I thought." Pantera murmured.
"Come on, Grimmjow." Sanura pulled his arm over her shoulder. "Let's get you to the Fourth Division."
The door slid open behind them.
"Cero-sama," Szayel stepped out. "I heard fighting."
"Yes, Szayel." Sanura rolled her eyes. "Grimmjow just beat Pantera. Help me get him to the Fourth Division."
"Oh!" Szayel rushed forward, supporting the now unconscious Grimmjow on the other side. "What an imbecile."
Sanura sighed, blocking out his ranting as they stumbled down the road.
By the time they were outside the Fourth Division, Sanura was ready to blow up.
"Only imbeciles-"
"SZAYEL! SHUT THE FUCK UP BEFORE I BEAT YOU TO DEATH!"
A miffed expression clouded Szayel's face but he went quiet, occasionally shooting a dirty look at the Cero.
"Isane-san," Sanura hailed down the lieutenant. "Would you mind-?"
Isane glanced over, and then rushed toward them. She led them to a free room, and set to work healing Grimmjow.
"If you'll excuse me," Sanura bowed. "I have to deal with two of my subordinates."
SR- Yay! Chapter Seven is done!
Kurohana Ookami- [I nearly died of laughter. So you know XD] Thanks!
