BLEACH 暗黒の神話
Bleach: Creatures of the Night
I do not own Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo, Shuukan Shounen Jump, Shuueisha, VIZ Media, Studio Pierrot, T.V. Tokyo, and Cartoon Network.
Estrella Mort is property of Rahkshi500.
8. ブラッドサースト
8. Bloodthirst
Seia Kazama sat at her ornate obsidian desk, pouring over The Complete History of the World of Darkness, Volume 874. She had been working on the entire series for centuries now and she still wasn't anywhere near close to finishing. The reason she kept at it was her appreciation for the historical, and she knew it was a good idea to be familiar with the history of her benefactors in the World of Darkness. She smiled; how she would've filled the newspaper with fascinating articles on the World of Darkness' history were she still in charge of newspaper back in Seireitei! Seia had to admit, she missed those days sometimes.
Seia looked up and adjusted her spectacles. Across from her, Tara Niou examined the report Prince Resu had written, Gokuumaru dangling from her sash. Suzuko Nouhara was peering over her shoulder, following Tara with interest. Seia smiled; Suzuko was such still such a curious little ball of energy even after all these years.
"So now they know Resu's connection to our assault on Karakura Town?" Suzuko asked, her pretty green eyes wide open.
"Indeed," Tara answered without looking up from the report.
"Isn't that a bad thing?"
A smirk crossed Tara's pale face. "On the contrary, I want Soul Society to know about Resu and the an'uuto, just as long as they know we're aiming for Karakura Town. Resu craves attention, and I counted on that imbecile to brag that he was behind the assault and would continue to attack Karakura Town to any shinigami who came down to investigate."
"So what now?" asked Suzuko. "What happens next?"
"We let Resu do as he pleases," Tata responded simply. "We let him take more and more an'uuto to attack the town until he has Soul Society's undivided attention."
Suzuko's eyes sparkled. "Oh," she said. "Does this mean Resu's gonna borrow Kagemaru?"
Seia was taken aback. "Kagemaru?" she gasped. She couldn't believe Suzuko would suggest such a thing. "Suzuko, you know Kagemaru's strength," she admonished.
"Seia's correct," Tara said blandly.
"But Kagemaru's getting grumpy!" Suzuko said. She looked fearful. "Kagemaru's scary when he's grumpy." Her words were a frightened whisper.
"You know he won't hurt you," Tara said, her tone casual. She looked up and smiled suggestively at Suzuko. "Would you like for Seia and I to keep you company though? We'll keep you safe."
Seia recognized the look in Tara's eye. Already? she thought, an eyebrow raised. That was a nice little threesome yesterday. Something's got her excited. Sometimes Tara was just insatiable, especially when she was up to something. Nothing got her hot like a plan coming together.
"I'd…like that very much," Suzuko said. She glanced away from Tara and lowered her head submissively. Her smile was coy. Seia knew what was coming.
Tara pushed her chair back and slowly stood up. Smiling darkly, she moved behind Suzuko and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders, slowly rubbing them. Seia's pulse quickened as Tara's hands moved from Suzuko's shoulders to her perky breasts and began to fondle them lovingly. Suzuko smiled and her head dropped back, exposing her throat. Tara stooped down and started kissing a line down Suzuko's tender neck. She gave a long kiss over the jugular, and Seia saw a thin trickle of blood escape from Tara's mouth. Suzuko had gone limp in Tara's arms and moaned lustfully. Tara's eyes flicked up to Seia's own, giving her an inviting look. Seia smiled in response and got out of her seat. She couldn't resist when their feedings became erotic.
I'll let Suzuko drink from me later today, Seia thought, heightening her arousal. She moved beside Suzuko and cupped one of her breasts, giving her a squeeze. She brought her other hand between the younger girl's legs, running her fingers over her sex. Because of Suzuko's robe Seia couldn't feel anything, but she knew Suzuko must've been getting very wet. Seia was getting pretty wet herself.
Tara detached herself from Suzuko's neck and licked up the blood leaking from the puncture wounds. She turned Suzuko's head and kissed her forcefully. Suzuko's neck was exposed to Seia now. She licked her lips and fangs lustfully, and sank her fangs into Suzuko's throat.
Seia could acutely feel the beating of Suzuko's heart. She sipped at the precious liquid, relishing the exquisite flavor. Blissfully she closed her eyes. In the World of Darkness one of the most intimate acts all of all was to drink the blood of a loved one directly from the body. Sometime she missed her old life in Soul Society and questioned the choice she made, but it was moments like these where she forgot her old life entirely, that she reveled in her new one. The power, the longevity, the entirely new way of looking at the world through an'uuto eyes, even the ever-present need to drink blood and eat flesh; it was all very much worth giving up her life as a shinigami.
Rangiku flexed her fingers. Her gigai flexed its fingers along with her. Satisfied with that, she patted her cheeks, then caressed her breasts. No change here, she thought. This gigai's perfect to the last detail.
She was dressed in the uniform of Ichigo Kurosaki's high school, in case she needed to attend there while undercover. She had to admit, it looked extremely flattering on her. She couldn't even fully button her shirt over her bosom. It was a lot better than some boring old shikaushou!
"Man, it's been a while since I last was here," Ikkaku Madarame, 3rd Seat of the 12th Division, said, peering around. It was a cheerful, sunny day in Karakura Town. There wasn't any sign of the invasion that supposedly took place the night before. "I hope those monsters really show up; I've need to work my aggression on something since Iba's not here to spar with."
"I think it's awfully drab here," said 5th Seat of the 12th Division Yumichika Ayasegawa. He ran a hand through his immaculate, shining hair. "I could give some redecorating tips. Make this place much more pleasant to look at."
"I hope I can get my old job back," said Hanatarou Yamada, 7th Seat of the 4th Division and leader of the 14th Relief Squad. "Sure customers were pushy and rude, but I felt like I was making just as much a difference there as I do in Soul Society!"
"What was that job?" Madarame asked without looking at Yamada.
"Oh, it was a convenience store worker!" Yamada brightened. "You think that could help with our mission?"
"Sure," Ikkaku said casually, scratching his bald, shiny head. "Bring us snacks when we get hungry, okay?"
Yamada looked crushed. "Is that all you think I'm good for?" he gurgled miserably.
"Of course not," Hitsugaya said sternly. "You're here to provide medical support when we need it."
Rangiku smiled. She was glad her captain would try to cheer poor Yamada up. His manner wasn't really the best for cheering people up though. This called for a more feminine touch. "Yamada," she said sweetly, "you're a very valuable addition to our team. None of us can heal like you can."
Yamada went back to being cheerful almost in an instant. "I'll do my best!" He saluted energetically.
"Any idea of where we're gonna stay?" asked Renji Abarai, lieutenant of the 6th Division. "I stayed with Kisuke Urahara the last time I was here, but there's no way he's going to let us all sleep at his place."
"Don't worry," Rangiku chirped. "I can charm my way into any establishment. We'll have a place to stay in no time!" She smiled brightly.
"Please try to refrain from removing any clothing during your charming, Matsumoto," Hitsugaya sighed. "We really don't need that kind of attention."
Rangiku smiled coyly. It was just too easy with Captain Hitsugaya. "It sounds like someone needs a little cheering up, captain." She began fiddling with the buttons on her blouse. "Just give me a second…"
Hitsugaya glared at her. "Stop it right now, Matsumoto."
"Sorry," she said. "Just trying to lighten the mood." It was the truth, actually. Rangiku was still feeling a little sad about having to leave María behind. She could've refused to come, but she had some experience in Karakura Town and it just wouldn't have been right to stay with María while her friends in Karakura town were attacked by strange monsters. She had no doubt her captain and the others were more than capable for the task, of course. Also, if she had made a big deal of staying with María then Hitsugaya would probably get suspicious of why María was so important to her. It was likely the truth about the heipomian girl would be discovered if such suspicions were raised.
"Well then," Abarai said, changing the subject, "let's just search around until we find some place good."
"Yes," Hitsugaya agreed, "let's."
The group walked off, not really sure where they were supposed to go.
Uryuu paced restlessly around his room, deep in thought. He was deeply disturbed by the recent events; his changes. He had been trying to gather thoughts to assess the situation reasonably, but his thoughts had been awfully hard to organize that afternoon.
"Okay, okay," he said. He was beginning to feel feverish. "Pros: I've got my powers back. I don't even need my Quincy cross now to focus. Eating meat restores my energy and relieves pain, maybe even accelerates my healing. Cons: I feel an overwhelming urge to eat meat or drink blood. Sunlight is becoming difficult to tolerate."
He stopped pacing and took deep breaths. He had no doubt now that his condition was caused when he was bitten by the shadowy creature. That was the only explanation, unless Resu had done something to him during their encounter. Uryuu doubted that was the case though.
Were any of the others bitten and infected? It didn't seem like it at school. He wasn't one to socialize closely with the other students, but he was sure he would've noticed if Kurosaki or Sado were displaying the same symptoms as himself. Ino'ue seemed fine too.
Ino'ue! He realized just then, maybe she could cure him. With her powers it didn't seem like a stretch that she would be able to help his affliction. But wasn't his affliction the reason he could use his powers again?
No, he decided. As long as those creatures remain a threat then I should keep my powers, no matter what the cost! Once everything's cleared up I'll have Ino'ue restore me to normal.
He sat on his bed, feeling surer of himself now. He had a general idea of what he would do, and buying cheap meat wouldn't be too much of a problem. He was loath to do so, but he could acquire blood from the hospital if he really needed it. Uryuu just hoped it wouldn't come down to that, but he had the feeling he would be caving blood the same way he had been with meat. Certainly he had savored the taste of Ino'ue's blood, and already he could feel a desire for more.
Uryuu prayed the ordeal with the shadow creatures would soon pass. He didn't want to consider what could happen if his condition continued.
It's so lonely here, the adjuchas thought sadly to herself. Hueco Mundo stretched out endlessly, filled with nothing but sand and other hollows. That wasn't too much of a problem for her; the adjuchas was a big, ugly, clumsy thing with a fat body, a long snout, and huge claw-tipped paws. A gigantic hollow mole, more or less. But as long as there was sand, she could burrow with her claws and move through the soil like a fish through water. She was adept at hiding in the sand and attacking unsuspecting gillians. The adjuchas thought it was best to prey on the mindless gillians to put them out of their misery.
The adjuchas didn't know how long she had been living in Hueco Mundo, didn't know how long ago it had been when she was a simple hollow. She couldn't remember when she became a gillian or when she evolved into an adjuchas. She no longer had any memory of when she lived in the Transitory World. She wished she had a friend, but very few hollows were willing to talk to her. They mostly just tried to eat her. The adjuchas ate them instead. She had to; if she didn't the hunger would take over and she would turn back into a gillian, overwhelmed by the many hollows inside her. She would be lost forever in a storm of hunger.
Everything changed one night. It had been a fierce fight, but the adjuchas succeeded in bringing down another adjuchas. She ate him all up afterwards. She felt a little bad about it, but he had tried to eat her first.
"You are very strong," a voice said to her when she finished eating. The adjuchas looked around and saw a strange quartet standing nearby. They didn't look like hollows, or even arrancar; one of them was a woman with log black hair and bewitching purple eyes. There was a girl with long brown hair and a cheerful face. Beside her was a dark-skinned woman with small spectacles and black hair. The last, the only male, was very pale and had long fluffy white hair. Their reiatsu was very strange, unlike anything the adjuchas had encountered before.
"Who are you?" the adjuchas asked apprehensively. She was weary of how alien they felt. "Are you shinigami?"
"Once," the purple-eyed woman, apparently the leader, said cryptically. "We come to you as friends, menos. Will you please come with us?"
Friends? The adjuchas could hardly believe what she was hearing. It had to be some kind of trick.
"No," she said. "This must be a trap. I'll be eaten if I follow you."
The purple-eyed woman's companion, the dark woman, shrugged. "Then don't follow us," she said. She and the others turned to walk away.
"You must not need any more power," the younger girl said. "Or friends."
The adjuchas felt a deep longing in her heart. She wanted friends more than anything. Someone, anyone, to relieve her of the loneliness. "No! Please, I want to have friends!" she pleaded.
"Then follow us," the leader said.
They marched off, moving through the dunes. The adjuchas noticed that the landscape was changing as they went. It was darker and strange plants were growing. Creatures that definitely weren't hollows skittered around. The air was cold and heavy, as was the reiatsu that saturated the area.
What is this place? Where are we going?
They came at last to a vast black building with towers stretching into the sky like horns. "This is Anheisi," the leader said. "It is our home, and home to many like yourself."
The doors opened. They entered and passed through dark halls. The adjuchas thought she glimpsed a large black circle through an open door but didn't stay to look. Finally, they stopped in a wide throne room. They were surrounded on all sides by figured hidden in darkness. The adjuchas crouched, feeling extremely vulnerable on the hard floor. It was impossible to dig her way out.
"Don't be afraid," the leader said. She held out a small black crystalline rod. It began to glow with a pulsing black light. It washed over the adjuchas. She was filled with a freezing sensation, as though her blood had turned to ice. She screamed, and her mask suddenly shattered. Her skin cracked and fell off in chunks. The adjuchas collapsed, naked and shivering, to the floor. She steadied herself, not with claws but with hands. The adjuchas gasped when she saw her skin was pink and soft again. Her hollow hole had moved from her stomach to her chest. Her face was free from that horrible hollow mask.
"Now you are part of our family and shall never be alone again," the leader stated. "Now, tell us your name."
"María," the adjuchas said. "My name is María Susana."
María opened her eyes. She blinked the sleep away a few times, then sat up. She winced at a pain that jolted through her, her body was filled with a cold emptiness, an aching sensation that filled her entire being. She felt…incomplete.
"Oh no," she groaned. She realized she had been neglecting to feed properly since arriving at Soul Society and withdrawal was setting in. It wasn't so bad now, but if she didn't feed the symptoms would become much worse over time. Meat would do the trick; blood was even better. Best of all would be a soul. Eating a complete soul would keep the hunger away for a week, maybe more. But she didn't want to betray Rangiku's trust; the shinigami woman was convinced María had a good heart, and if she went off and ate a shinigami's soul then Rangiku wouldn't be able to trust her any more. Whoever she ate likely had it coming to him though; shinigami were murderers anyway. Why did Rangiku have to be one of them? Couldn't she see how ugly and terrible Soul Society really was?
It's not her fault, she thought. Rangiku was raised to accept this life.
María groaned again; the pain was getting worse. She needed to feed and soon.
Seia walked alongside Tara and Suzuko down the halls of Anheisi. Suzuko had been cleaned up and refreshed after a drink of Seia's blood. Seia was more than happy to service dear little Suzu when she needed to.
The doors to the meeting hall opened, and the trio stepped in. Resu and the Lanjushen were already in their places, waiting for them. "Thank you for waiting," said Tara, taking her seat. Seia moved to her seat to the left of Tara while Suzuko to the seat to Tara's right.
"Our next attack on Karakura Town shall be tonight," Tara said. "As before, Prince Resu shall lead the attack."
Resu smiled. "I'm honored you think so highly of my prowess, Lady Niou." Seia resisted the urge to gag. She despised Rubihatsu's brat, but there wasn't much she could do about it. He was there partially as a way for Rubihatsu to make sure they stayed loyal to his cause, although Seia suspected their benefactor just wanted to get rid of Resu for a while.
"You won't be going alone this time, Prince Resu," Tara said. "Alba Wolf, Ox Toro, Dandy Lion, Vale Lord, Estrella Mort, Sank Schultz, and Rank Schultz shall accompany you. We will refrain from sending hya'an'uuto with you this time."
Ox Toro grinned, a bloodthirsty gleam in his beady eyes. "Finally! A worthy job of our power!" he declared with his usual bravado.
Alba nodded slowly but didn't answer. She was staring at the tabletop, drumming her fingers listlessly. Her eyes were sad. She's still upset about Susana, Seia thought.
"Why don't you take your feelings out on any shinigami who get in your way, Wolf," Seia suggested to her, giving her a smile. "That might make you feel better."
"I'm sure it will," Alba said. She offered Seia a weak smile. "Thank you, Lady Kazama."
"Excuse me, Lady Niou," asked Zabell Melody, raising her hand, "but why are we attacking Karakura Town? Why is it so important?"
"That place has become very important to Soul Society as of late," Tara explained. "María Susana's betrayal is forcing us to tip our hand early, but I am confident we can gouge out Soul Society's eyes if we work now. We have been planning this for centuries, and we have the unlimited resources of the Ten Exquisite Sovereigns backing us—"
"Represented by me," Resu added quickly. Seia found herself sincerely wishing Resu would get himself killed during the upcoming mission.
"—so nothing will be able to stop us now."
"Yay!" Suzuko cheered. "Down with Soul Society!"
Resu stood up. "Why don't we get ready for the trip then?"
Ox and Alda left their seats. "Gladly," Ox chuckled. "I'll gather the others. They won't miss this for the world!"
"Have fun," Seia said. "We'll be watching." She personally wanted to go with them, but she had to be patient; her time would come soon.
Orihime was having a difficult time concentrating on Tatsuki's words. As she sat in her room while Tatsuki talked to her, all she could think about was Ishida acting weird. First was that word, zaigen—she knew she heard that word somewhere before—and then he had sucked blood from her finger. That last thing wasn't something Ishida would normally do without a good explanation, and he had none besides he felt strange. Orihime knew that was a very bad sign.
"Orihime?"
She looked up, surprised. "Oh, sorry Tatsuki. I've just been thinking a lot," she said, apologetic.
"Still bothered by what happened today?" Tatsuki asked. She clenched her fist and growled. "If you've been scared by that…that pervert, then I'm gonna rip his balls off!" Her eyes were intense and Orihime thought she heard Tatsuki's teeth grinding.
"No Tatsuki!" Orihime pleaded. She felt tears form in her eyes. "Please don't be mad at Ishida! He's not normally like that! Something's just wrong with him right now."
"I dunno," Tatsuki said in a suspicious tone. "It's the quiet guys like Ishida who turn out to be stalkers and rapists."
"Rapists?" The ugly word jogged something in Orihime's memory. She remembered that scary boy Prince Resu and how he tried to do dirty, nasty things to her. What was it he had said he would do, come back for her forehead? What did that mean?
"Yeah, rapists," Tatsuki responded disgustedly. "I read all about it in this one book. It was really gross and scary. There are lots of creeps out there drooling over sweet maidens like you, Orihime. You've gotta be careful." She crossed her arms and tilted her head back, her face prideful. "Or you could let me be your bodyguard."
"Maiden…" Orihime whispered to herself. It slowly came back to her. Her eyes widened in revelation. "Maiden's head! He said—"
Orihime stood up and put her hands on her hips and assumed a serene expression. "— 'Zaigen, Princess Piglet. I shall return for your maiden's head. Gaigai!'" she said in a smug tone, and winked suggestively.
Tatsuki stared up at her, baffled. "What?" she asked.
Orihime looked down at her friend. "Oh, that's just what the evil vampire prince said to me last night." Then it hit Orihime. She realized she heard zaigen from Resu first. The horror registered on her face. "Oh no…"
"What?" asked Tatsuki, now clearly worried. "What is it, Orihime?"
"The vampire prince must've done something to Ishida! It all makes sense now!" Orihime raised her finger with an air of utmost seriousness and looked Tatsuki straight in the eye. "Ishida's turning into a vampire!" she whispered. "Think about it!"
"Okay, I will," Tatsuki said, bewildered. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Tatsuki said, "Well, Orihime, if you're so afraid of vampires coming after you then maybe I could protect you from them tonight."
"Oh no!" Orihime said fretfully. "I can't put you in danger like that, Tatsuki. I wonder if a blood transfusion will cure Ishida? No, the head vampire must be defeated!"
Tatsuki sighed. "Well, if you think you can take care of yourself." She got to her feet. "I guess I'll be going now. See you later."
"Good-bye, Tatsuki," Orihime said as her friend left. "Beware of vampires!"
Light faded from the sky and the moon emerged. Resu thought it was somewhat pretty from his vantage on the rooftop of some building. With the dark sky, he was almost reminded of his home. The enticing scent of cooking meat was in the air and Resu considered going down for a bite to eat first. Catch some hamburgers, fries, and drinks from a fast food place, sit down to eat with his heipomian friends, then rampage around the town for a while, killing and maiming all who got in their way. That would be a lot of fun, actually. It had been a long time since he last had non-hollow flesh to eat.
"So, erm, are we gonna start this or what?" asked Ox impatiently. "Don't just stand there staring off into space, Prince Resu."
"Oh, I apologize," Resu responded.
Rank Shultz wringed his hands. "C'mon!" he demanded. "I gotta practice my stabbing! When are we gonna get to the killing?" He paced around, making strange high-pitched sounds to himself.
"Patience, brother," Sank Shultz admonished. "All good things come in time." The older of the Shultz brothers was leaning back against a wall, arms crossed coolly. "Ah, at last to prove our worth to the great Prince Resu."
Dandy Lion smiled as he tapped his fingers together. "Yes, Sank, I believe all shall go well for us tonight."
Alba and Estrella Mort said nothing. Both of them were looking over the side of the building, watching the humans walk by below.
Vale Lord tapped his foot while looking up at the stars overhead. "So how long do we need to wait?"
Resu turned to his cohorts and smiled. "Oh, I suppose we can begin now. Kill everyone with high reiatsu, unless it's an orange-haired girl. I want her myself."
The heipomian stood up together, looking eager. Then they darted off in separate directions. Resu stood still and inhaled the night air deeply. Tonight, Princess Piglet, I shall come for you once more!
To be continued…
Bleach: Creatures of the Night Data File
Seia Kazama
Seia Kazama (笠間 聖阿 (かざま せいあ) Kazama Seia)
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 54 kg
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Gold
Appearance: Seia is a tall, slim woman with straight hair that falls past her shoulders. Her skin is dark and her face is long and serious. She has a very curvy figure and has a large bosom.
Attire: Seia prefers a black robe with gold trim tied with a gold sash. Her zanpakutou, Shoujahitsumetsu, hangs from her sash to her left side.
Personality: Seia is a strong-willed, independent-minded woman with a passion for the historical. She loves and respects Tara Niou and her seriousness makes a foil for her perky counterpart Suzuko Nouhara. The three of them are involved in a loving ménage à trois. Like Tara and Suzuko, Seia believes embracing the dark influence makes her superior to others.
Anyetuan
Anyetuan (暗夜団 (アンイエートゥアン) An'ieetuan, lit. Dark Night Organization) is the organization founded by Tara Niou, Suzuko Nouhara, Seia Kazama, and Prince Resu. The headquarters of Anyetuan is and evil looking building called Anheisi (暗黒寺 (アンヘイスー) Anheisuu, lit. Temple of Darkness), which was prefabricated in the World of Darkness and moved to Hueco Mundo. There are three ranks in Anyetuan: Hongtiankong (紅天空 (ホンティエンコン) Hontienkon, lit. Red Open Sky), Huangyishen (黄翼神 (ホアンイーシェン) Hoan'iishen, lit. Yellow Winged God), and Lanjushen (藍巨神 (ランジューシェン) Ranjuushen, lit. Blue Giant God). Hongtiankong is the lowest rank while Lanjushen is the highest rank. The Hongtiankong uniform is a red jacket or blouse with black trim and white trousers or skirt. The Huangyishen uniform is a yellow jacket or blouse with black trim and white trousers or skirt. The Lanjushen uniform is a blue jacket with white trim and black trousers or a white blouse with blue trim and blue skirt.
