Sui-Feng looked like she was on the verge of exploding. Her teeth were gritted, and her face was so red you'd think she was sick.
"How are we still divided on this? Kuchiki is in critical condition, 4th barely got him under control. Death is our enemy!"
"We must remember that Kuichiki did this of his own accord." Ukitake retorted.
"He may have had the right idea." A captain with a white crew cut replied.
"What he had was reckless abandon! We don't have a clear course of action."
Yammamoto sat quietly while the discourse roared around him. He broke in with his ancient booming voice, and by the first syllable he had taken everyone's attention.
"We are in the middle of a war, our forces are exhausted, our resources scattered, and our attention divided, much like our opinions. I think the majority of us would see the Horseman brought and tried before the central 46. However, I don't believe we're capable of doing so. We will do what the Gotei 13 has always done; purify the hollows. That is our duty. We will continue to monitor the Horsemen, but this is a direct order; no one else is to interfere! Relay that message to those who are not present."
Jushiro raised his hand to his chin, "perhaps one of us could go with the horseman? I don't think anyone on a lower seat could contend with his power."
"He and Kurosaki worked together, maybe we can convince him to take-"
"No. We need Kurosaki focused on the home front." Yammamoto decreed bluntly, "frankly, I think we all know who's best..." he trailed off, leaving the answer hanging.
In the pause, the paper doors again slid open. A frantic messenger boy appeared, with sweat dripping down his chin in beads.
"Pardon the interruption. But there is another situation which needs immediate attention."
War's reiatsu struck like a rain of sledgehammers, for the spiritually perceptive it was like someone screaming through their sixth sense. While Death's aura was cold, ominous, and conserved, the new ryoka's was a blistering typhoon of magic; a herald of warfare.
Speaking of Death, his desire for answers seemed to be drowning out anything else. He ran with Shunsui in tow, climbing and running like he hadn't even taken a hit in the last battle. The captain found himself struggling to keep up with Death's erratic movement.
"Oi! Wait up! What was that thing-"
The reaper payed no attention, plowing through an alleyway and scattering a group of builders unlucky enough to be in his path. Once out of the tighter streets he called up his horse from a portal in a wall, throwing himself on with a tug of it's rope-like mane.
"That, Soul Reaper, is my brother. And for your sake he'd better be baring good news." Death called back, not even bothering to check if his follower was still in speaking range.
"Hoo boy. And I thought your reiatsu was terrifying." He chuckled nervously.
Out in the distance, Death could sense his brother's approach. It had been a long time since any of the four had been able to see each other. The elder reaper and his little sibling hadn't left on good terms last time (though not nearly as bad as his parting with Strife had been). It could be said that Death felt it time for a reconcile, and War probably felt the same even if he'd never admit it.
It was a surprise when the two suddenly spotted each other across a great courtyard outside fifth company barracks. They both had been so absorbed thinking about the why's that the meeting managed to escape their immediate consideration. War froze, and Death skidded to a halt. They regarded each other for a while without speaking. Hesitantly, War began moving first, and Death followed. Each step marked another drip of sweat descending Shunsui's chin, as he watched from a perch on the outer rim.
When the two stood before each other, Death found himself looking up slightly at his brother's gargantuan stature. It was amusing to consider how the reaper was the destroyer's senior by centuries, yet it looked completely the opposite.
"Brother..."
"It's been too long War." Death replied wistfully.
War grunted his ascent.
"Why did the council assign you to this fight?"
"I sensed that this business with Earth worrying them. They've abandoned any subtlety and want a fast resolution, no matter how messy the outcome. What have you uncovered thus far?"
"Moloch, that is, the new Moloch, has set his sites on this realm as well as 'hueco mundo'."
"If this is so, then it truly is a grave violation of the armistice."
Suddenly, War recoiled as something landed at his side. Shunsui had taken the liberty of interjecting in the conversation, and Death had to raise his hand to prevent War from trying to behead him.
"A local?"
"A high ranking official of this world."
"Nice to meet you second Horseman." He bowed and War wrinkled his nose.
"This doesn't concern you. Leave."
"I apologize. I didn't mean to break in. But I must know. You and Death keep throwing this name around; Moloch. Who or what is it?"
Death and War looked to each other, and the reaper took the initiative and decided to explain.
"Moloch is a title passed through a certain line of lords in hell. Each lord on his deathbed chooses a demon as his successor in name. The last Moloch was destroyed recently in a skirmish with an Archon and his legion in one of the boarder realms, and named his adviser the new lord. A decision that didn't go down well with the others. This new Moloch has taken a much more active, bloodthirsty stance."
"What would one of the Abyssal's more powerful want with this world? The obvious connection is that they are tied to humanity. But if that's the reason, why not resume hostilities with Heaven? The White City is a much greater threat to their rule."
"He can tell us himself. He intends to move in on Hueco Mundo in less than two days this world's time. I've been meaning to ask, how is it that you managed to come to the Soul Society directly? I had to utilize a serpent hole in the third kingdom."
"As did I. Vulgrim is the one who came to me offering access to his own secret passageway."
Death made a choking sound in disgust, "I don't suppose that we could use him to get to the Hollow World?"
War shook his head, and Shunsui put his hand to his chin as if he had retreated to deep in thought.
"Death, I might be able to make you an offer."
The two nephilim raised an eyebrow.
"We have ways of creating Gargantias, that is, the portals to Hueco Mundo. One of our scientists can make it happen. However, this means we are working together. You will allow one of our agents to travel with you."
War made a dark scowl and looked back to Death. Death stared at the soul reaper for a few moments, perplexed. He considered how many reasons there were to not accept. How a follower would merely slow them down, or end up needing to be rescued. Then, the words of Shunsui came back to him: "it doesn't matter. We don't back away." Stubborn bastards.
"Who?"
"But of course. Why would any sane man want to work with us."
Kenpachi Zaraki and his tiny pink haired lieutenant Yachiru grinned their own special distinct smiles.
"Eh, there are two of ya now? Hahahaha! Perfect, I get to kill two bringers of the Apocalypse!"
War looked mildly amused with the new addition. Death continued to stare at him in contempt. Something of a sendoff group had arrived, comprising of Jushiro, Mayuri (who was currently going off on his lieutenant for her poor job on the reality cutting mechanism), and a curious crowd of 12th company researchers.
"I still find it strange how much you not only look like that Soul reaper, but how similar your voices are." The reaper muttered to his brother.
"Death, you did help us out against the Menos and that demon. I wanted to give you something, hopefully one day we can work side by side."
Jushiro handed a bundle of black robes to the Reaper. Death unfolded them to find it was a tailor made Soul Reaper garb. His own clothes had indeed suffered some rather heavy fire, ice, and kinetic damage. He tucked it under his arm and did a small bow.
Alarms began to wail as the great prong shaped portal generators began to glow.
"Gargantia opening in 10...9...8...7."
Seeing as everything that needed to be said had been, the three took their positions.
"3...2...1," an eldritch groan erupted as a great void into formless chaos exploded beyond them. The vacuum of this serpent hole seemed powerful enough to pick the trio up itself.
The eternal desert was waiting ravenously on the horizon.
For anyone curious, War and Ukitake possess the same voice actor. Amusing bit of trivia.
Anyway, been a slow time lately, had other stories I've wanted to work on. But I'm back! And the story is back. More is on the way.