The three girls walked ahead and occasionally, they would look back at Shane and Olivia and Orihime would giggle. Shane rolled his eyes and sighed, assuming Olivia was telling embarrassing stories about him. They reached the park and the girls meandered around while Shane sat on a bench and watched. Just then, his phone rang. "Hello?" Shane answered.
"Shane, this is Rukia," Rukia replied.
Shane sat forward and asked, "Is something wrong?"
"No, not at this moment," Rukia assured him. "Are you with Orihime? When I called her house, Captain Hitsugaya said she was at your house."
"Yeah, she's with me," Shane said. "What's going on?"
"I talked with Urahara and he wants me to take Orihime to Soul Society to train with her to improve her skills. Captain Ukitake is in agreement," Rukia said.
"Do you want to talk to her now?" Shane asked, standing up.
Rukia thought for a moment, and replied, "If it's not too much trouble, could I speak with her?"
Shane put his hand over the receiver and called for Orihime. She came trotting over and Shane handed her the phone. She talked quietly for several moments, then hung up and handed the phone back to Shane. "I guess I'm going away for a little while," she said. Tatsuki put her hand gently on Orihime's shoulder and looked concerned.
"Don't worry Tatsuki," Orihime said, smiling. "I'm going to get stronger so I can protect you and everyone else too." Tatsuki gave her shoulder a light squeeze.
"Well, if that's the case, I'll escort Orihime back to her house," Olivia said, leading Orihime away. "I'll see you later."
Shane waved to them, then turned to Tatsuki. "Well, since you became so hopelessly lost on the way here, I'd better walk you back," he said. Tatsuki frowned and crossed her arms. "Don't get the wrong idea," she said. Shane sighed and they started walking.
The sun had gone down and the streetlights provided illumination. They walked in silence, neither knowing what to say. When they reached an intersection, Shane idly looked around, then cast a glance at Tatsuki. Her face was neutral and her hands were on her hips as if to say, now what genius?
"Wanna go that way?" Shane asked and pointed down a dark alley.
"Why?" Tatsuki asked.
"Well, that way is kind of a short cut that leads to the storm drain. There's usually a few gang members that hang out down there," Shane said. A sly grin crossed his face and he added, "Wanna beat them up?"
Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "Well, since they're delinquents, I suppose a beating wouldn't be a bad thing." Shane motioned for her to follow and they set off down the alley, banging and clanking old garbage cans and piles of junk.
SQUISH! "Eeww, what was that?"
"I don't want to know..."
CRASH BANG CLATTER..."Oww!"
"Watch where you're going?"
"How can I? I can't see anything!"
CRUNCH...POW "What was that for?"
"Watch where you put your hands, pervert!"
"But it's dark and I'm scared!" POW "Why? Why?"
Tatsuki and Shane finally stumbled out of the alley, covered in dirt and garbage. Shane dusted himself off as Tatsuki gingerly picked a rotten banana peel off her head. "You owe me big time," she hissed. Shane put his finger to his lips and pointed. Tatsuki looked and saw a glow under the bridge. They slid down the bank into the bottom of the storm drain and crept in. As they drew closer, they could hear the would-be gangsters talking and milling about.
"Man, I'm tired of this," one of them said.
"What, you want out or something?" another asked.
"You know what happens if you want out," a third said.
"Yeah. You gotta go through 'The Gauntlet.'" someone said. At the mention of The Gauntlet, the entire group shuddered.
"We can help you with that," Tatsuki said, cracking her fingers. The entire group jumped up in shock.
"Who are you? What do you want?" one of them asked.
"You guys are such crappy gangster wannabes, I figure we'll put you all through 'The Gauntlet' and end your miserable lives," Tatsuki mocked.
"How can you say that? We don't even know you!" another said.
"What's the matter? You scared of a helpless girl?" Tatsuki mocked. That seemed to get them all fired up. Most of the gang members grabbed what they could find: old pipes, wooden planks, baseball bats, pieces of rebar, chunks of concrete. Others simply used their bare fists. The gang rushed out and surrounded Tatsuki and Shane. Tatsuki was grinning and fidgety. Shane calmly counted the gang members. "Looks like 20 or so," he said.
"Heh, sounds like good odds to me," Tatsuki said.
When he thought about it later, Shane couldn't recall exactly what started the brawl. One minute, they were staring each other down, and the next, chaos. The gang quickly discovered that a large group of ruffians was no match for a 2nd degree blackbelt and one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in all of Soul Society. Within five minutes, it was all over. Tatsuki dusted her hands off and looked mildly satisfied.
"Was that good enough for you?" Shane asked. Tatsuki turned and grinned. "They were just punks, not even a good warm up."
Shane's eyes suddenly went wide and he quickly looked to the sky. His phone began to beep, but he didn't bother to answer. "I hope you're ready for the main event," Shane finally said. Tatsuki looked to the sky and her face became very pale. Up in the sky, hundreds of hollow began to appear, with more appearing on the ground around them.
"Why is this happening?" Tatsuki asked, fear creeping into her voice.
"I can understand if maybe one or two were attracted to our strong spiritual auras, but this is a little overboard," Shane said. He swallowed a piece of Soul Candy and stashed his body in a safe place. "I'm going to need your help with this," Shane said to Tatsuki.
"Me? What can I do? I don't have any special power!" Tatsuki argued. Shane grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her roughly. "The fact you can see them means you have special power!" Shane said firmly. "This isn't a karate competition. If you lose here, you die."
Tatsuki frowned. "You're not helping," she said sourly.
"This isn't the Tatsuki I know!" Shane shouted. "When did you become such a coward in the face of terrifying danger?" Shane could see the fire light in Tatsuki's eyes. "Use the power that comes from here," Shane said, poking Tatsuki in the chest. "That burning desire to win, to survive, to protect those you care about." As he jumped away, Shane shouted over his shoulder, "Remember, the weak spot is the mask!"
Tatsuki watched him leave and barely dodged a hollow's attack. She looked down at the large tear in her shirt. "This is my favorite shirt!" Tatsuki screamed. The hollow lunged forward and Tatsuki put all her strength into a straight right punch. Her fist connected solidly with the hollow's mask, cracking it. Tatsuki stepped back surprised. The hollow fell back in a daze.
"Heh. The final attack!" Tatsuki shouted and landed a roundhouse left that shattered the hollow's mask, causing the hollow to disappear in a shower of blue particles.
"That was surprisingly easy," Tatsuki said to herself. She made a fist and turned to the group of hollows approaching. "Time to show what Tatsuki Arisawa is made of," she said. She looked to the sky and shouted, "I won't lose to an idiot dead guy!"
Shane heard Tatsuki's cry and smiled, then turned back to fighting hollows. As he was fighting, he was trying to work out in his head the reason why all the hollows had appeared. He looked around and saw he was some distance away from Tatsuki. He could hear her fighting, so he wasn't too worried. Just then, the air became heavy, as if someone were smothering him with a cold, heavy blanket. His eyes grew wide at the intensity and weight of spirit power. Shane heard footsteps behind him and he slowly turned to look.
The Arrancar was tall, roughly the same height as Shane. She had short dark hair that fell to her jaw line, her bangs cut in a straight line just above her eyebrows. Instead of an overcoat, she wore a tight fitting, sleeveless qipao that accented her gentle curves, but reached just above her knees. She also wore loose-fitting pants and slippers. Her entire outfit was white with black trim. The remains of her mask covered her face below the nose, showing only her cold, narrow eyes.
"Tell me, are you the Death God called Akiyama?" she asked.
Shane nodded, keeping his face neutral. "And who might you be?"
"I am Luna de Plata and I have been ordered to kill you," she replied softly.
Shane was taken aback. "Did Aizen tell you to do this?" Luna shook her head. "The order came from the Demon Lady."
Demon Lady? Does she mean Akuma? "Who is the Demon Lady?" Shane asked. Luna shook her head. "No questions. I simply told you the name of the one who will kill you."
"Then come," Shane said and waved with his hand. Luna disappeared.
I am sooooooo not ready for this, Shane thought to himself. Luna reappeared in front of him and let loose a fury of attacks. Shane clenched his teeth and concentrated on surviving. So fast and precise, he thought. Luna easily drove Shane back until his back hit the wall. Luna lunged forward and Shane barely managed to avoid a fatal strike. He used flash steps to open some distance. Calm down. Think! She's fast, but so are you.
This time, Shane went on the attack. Luna's expression never changed, as if she were bored with everything, easily countering Shane's moves. Shane broke contact and jumped back a few feet. "Are you one of the Espada?" he asked.
Luna shook her head. "If I were one of the Espada, you would have been dead before you saw my face."
So she isn't an Espada. Is this the power of normal Arrancar? Shane narrowed his eyes and thought about what to do next.
"Why do you work for the Demon Lady?" Shane asked. Luna shook her head. "Stop stalling. You will die here tonight by my hand." Luna moved again, but faster. Shane tried to use flash steps to avoid her, but Luna was right with him. "My sonido is faster than your shunpo. Resistance is useless," she said. A quick strike to the back of the head sent Shane crashing back to the pavement. His body hit and he saw stars.
Shane lay there, trying to move his broken body, when he heard footsteps. He managed to roll over and sit up and saw Luna standing above him. "Will you at least draw your Soul Slayer? I'm curious to see what one looks like."
Shane laughed and rose unsteadily to his feet. "You want to see a Soul Slayer?" he asked, taking the swords out of his sash. "Then go somewhere else!" He threw them at her feet. Luna's eyes betrayed nothing. "What is the meaning of this?" she asked.
"That is not a Soul Slayer," Shane said, pointing to her feet. "Those are swords they give students who are learning to become Death Gods. There isn't one iota of spirit energy in those swords."
Luna stared at Shane, digesting his words. She picked up one of the blades and snapped it in half with her hand. "You disappoint me," she said. "The Demon Lady spoke highly of you, but I see an insect not worthy to be crushed by my heel."
"Ouch lady, that hurts," Shane said. His eyes watched Luna's arms twitch. Suddenly, blood erupted from two new wounds on Shane's torso. He looked down and watched his blood flow. Shane's vision began to blur and he became dizzy. "Hey, stop the spinning," he muttered and collapsed to his knees.
Luna stood over him with contempt. "Since you wasted my time, I'm going to kill you slowly," she said. She knelt in front of him and drew her fingernail along his cheek. The skin parted like butter, leaving a thin red trail that slowly seeped down his face. She then reached for his neck.
"Goodbye insect," she said and flicked her wrist.
Goodbye Tatsuki and everyone. I failed wonderfully, Shane thought as his eyes closed.
insect
called us insect
insignificant bug show her who's a bug crush the bug
CRUSH HER!
Shane's hand shot out and grabbed Luna around the neck. "Resistant to the end?" she said. Shane's hand began to tighten and Luna began to choke. She tried to pry his hand off and was surprised by his iron grip. The vice-like grip began to close and Luna could feel the bones in her neck begin to crack. With her vision fading fast, Luna struggled to raise her hand. In the palm, a swirling ball of red-colored energy began to form. She pushed the partially formed cero into the ground where it exploded. Luna jumped clear of the flames breathing heavily and her clothes lightly singed.
What was that just now? she asked herself and rubbed her neck. She could feel the imprint of Shane's hand on her skin. She had no doubt the bones were bruised as well.
A flicker of motion caught her eye and Luna watched as Shane slowly walked out of the dying fire. His clothes were shredded and he was covered in blood from many cuts and scrapes. He disappeared and Luna dodged as he reappeared in front of her. She looked closely and saw Shane's eyes were cloudy and unfocused, as if he were starring off into the distance.
What is going on? Luna thought. Is this even the same person? She saw his lips moving and herd him mumbling. She leaned in slightly to hear what Shane was saying.
"kill. kill them. kill her. kill them all."
Luna jumped back as Shane's head shot up and he swung at her. She avoided his fist, but caught his knee square in the solar plexus. All the air in her lungs escaped in one explosive breath. As she bent over his knee, Shane brought his elbow crashing down at the base of her skull. Dazed, Luna fell to the ground. She struggled to her feet and used sonido to open a gap between them.
Something is not right. His spirit energy is wild and chaotic, nothing like a normal Death God, she thought. Such a killing intent.
Shane jumped after her and Luna rolled away as Shane made an impact crater with his fist, right where she had been standing. Their fight was now at a new level of speed and power. Now their positions were reversed, with Luna on the run and Shane hunting her down. She still hit him hard, but he ignored the pain and injuries and kept coming.
Shane finally grabbed Luna with a jujitsu hold and threw her hard into the ground. She bounced to her feet and staggered back. She was breathing heavily and her clothes were dirty and torn. Shane looked bad as ever.
"This has taken far too long," Luna said between gasps. "This will be the end."
Luna used her sonido to build as much speed and momentum as she could. She jumped and kicked Shane in the chest as hard as she could. Shane was lifted off his feet and the both of them began to fly backwards. Luna pushed with her legs and Shane flew into the concrete wall at nearly the speed of sound. The impact caused a large explosion of dust and concrete fragments. Before Shane could fall forward, Luna pinned him to the wall with his own swords, stabbing him though the shoulders.
Shane's body hung, supported by the thin steel. Luna reached for his neck and felt his pulse, faint but steady. She stepped back and formed a cero in her hand. This time, she was able to let it grow to its full power before thrusting it into Shane's body.
Luna used sonido to get away and looked at her handiwork from afar. She watched the fires smolder for a second, the turned away and opened a portal back to Hueco Mundo.
Tatsuki had no choice but to take cover and fear for her and Shane's safety. When the overbearing presence of the Arrancar faded away, Tatsuki came out of hiding and gasped at what she saw. She picked her way through the rubble, amazed and horrified at what she saw.
"So this is what happens," she said to herself. "This is what Shane wanted to protect me from, why Ichigo and everyone else are risking their lives." Tatsuki hung her head and kicked a small stone. Through the smoke she could see Shane's body. Tatsuki ran over and felt the bile rise in her throat. She didn't even recognize him. His clothes were virtually non-existant and his skin was scorched red. His glasses were gone and arm and leg were bent at unnatural angles.
Tatsuki was so horrified, she didn't know what to think. Her mind was numb from the brutality of it all. If she didn't witness him start coughing up blood, Tatsuki was certain that Shane was dead. He was alive, but only by a fingernail. Tatsuki's brain started working again and she thought of who she could call. As Tatsuki reached for her phone, she heard the sound of wooden sandals on pavement.
"My, my. What a mess," Urahara said, looking around.
"Who are you?" Tatsuki asked, suddenly suspicious.
"If you want him to live, you'll help me," Urahara said evenly. Tatsuki glared at him, but helped pick Shane's body out of the rubble.
"Thank you for your help. I'll take it from here," Urahara said. He tossed Shane over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and sighed. "Looks like this outfit will be ruined after this."
"Wait!" Tatsuki called out. Urahara stopped and turned around. "Can you really help him?" she asked. Urahara rubbed his chin and pretended to think about it. "Well, due to the severity of his injuries and taking into account who caused them, I'd say he has about a 0.000000000001% chance of NOT making a full recovery," he said.
When Tatsuki gave him a stupid look, Urahara laughed. "Don't worry. He'll be fine in a few days. Then you can go back to hitting him over the head with chairs."
"Hey! How did you know about that?" Tatsuki called out, but Urahara had disappeared. She looked around and sighed. "Idiot. How am I supposed to get home? I don't know how I got here."