The little beasts were very similar to hollows in many ways. Only a step or two away, in fact. This particular variety fed upon spirit energy, while the hollow fed upon the souls themselves. Like the adversaries the shinigami fought against, these small creatures were indeed born of twisted ghosts who lingered within the Living World long after the body's death.
Unlike hollows, however, there were innumerable variations to these spirits' appetites. Some hungered for benign things – such as poetry or the smoke of incense, while others hungered for darker things such as blood or pain. He had specifically selected those which fed upon the spirit energy in hopes of using them to pursue another avenue of research toward breaching the wall between shinigami and hollow. Somewhat more troubling, they appeared to be resistant to most zanpakto and kidou.
Sousuke Aizen couldn't be sure of why exactly that was, but he believed that he would discover reason within the next few days.
The Living in Japan called them 'Gaki'. Regardless of their label, the unassuming captain found them to be fascinating beings and saw great potential for their use. Controlling them seemed to be a bit of a problem, however, as the only way he could seem to keep a reign on them was to continue to manipulate them by withholding sustenance in some form or another. He had a theory revolving about the mysterious traveler's use in those matters, however, that bore investigation.
Of course, he had to be careful not to arouse suspicion. That was a concern Aizen was by now used to addressing on a regular basis, though. As such, he had a distinct plan in place.
His faithful lieutenant had informed him of the afternoon's fortunate developments and as a result, he happened to find need to leave his squad's grounds just as the fair newcomer and captain of the Sixth were passing by.
"Captain Kuchiki, Diana," he greeted the two with a friendly smile and easy wave as he smoothly caught up with them. "How are you today?"
The two drew to a halt and turned back to face him when he approached. "Captain Aizen," the noble responded in his usual aloof manner. It was evident that the noble's mind was already on the impending meeting the lowly commoner was not invited to.
Diana, however, smiled warmly to the bespectacled man. This young woman had either not lived in high society long enough to see things quite the way the noble did or she had seen enough to put little value in societal placement. Whichever, her mistake was in regarding him as an equal. "Hey, Souske. Not too bad at all, you?"
"Very well." The Captain of the 5th sent miniscule tendrils of energy out to summon his pets a bit closer to the pathway.
He was confident in the hypnosis he had the Kuchiki under thanks to Kyouka Suigetsu's talents, and even more so in Diana's surprisingly limited talent in reishi detection. For all of her training in the military arts and mysterious powers, her third eye appeared to be squeezed tightly closed. Perhaps this was nothing more than a defense mechanism against the trauma she had evidently suffered over the years. Perhaps she was simply naturally disinclined to opening herself up to what she had no way of understanding. Little matter – there will be plenty of time to puzzle the young woman out later.
Subtly, he edged the other two closer to the side of the path by picking up a slow stroll down the path. "Lovely day for a walk."
"Indeed. However-" Byakuya's calm tone cut off when he noticed that Diana had again paused and was now looking intently into the foliage, bright eyes narrowed. "Kimora, what is it?"
"Byakuya, is that what you and Renji saw?" The young woman asked in a hushed tone when the two men drew up beside her still form.
There in the leafy bushes, a yellow-eyed creature stared right back at them. It stood about three feet tall now, and its gangly limbs were laced with long, lean muscle. The sulfuric gaze flickered between the three as it shied tauntingly back into the greenery.
Interesting. This was either the spirit that had fed so well on the ill captain, or one of the few who had feasted upon the casualties of his carefully planned explosions. Ordinarily, they were the size of a rabbit, perhaps a little bigger. He had no idea they would grow quite so nicely with a little quality sustenance. Perhaps he needed to limit their intake before they surpassed his control.
Aizen frowned and took a wary step towards the vampiric beast, withdrawing the tendril of energy it was attempting to latch on to. "Easy," he intoned soothingly and held a relaxed hand out towards it as it inched closer. "We won't hurt you."
"Sousuke," the woman at his side murmured warningly as her scarred hand closed on his free wrist.
"It's alright, Diana" Gently, he dislodged his hand from her grip and offered her a small, confident grin. Sunlight glinted off the lenses of his glasses when he inclined his head slightly towards her. "I know just what I'm doing." Slowly, he continued to the tree line.
Indeed – he knew exactly what he was doing.
Cautiously, the creature shuffled forward. It lifted a spindly arm, lean muscle shifting under white, waxy skin. Its hand was long fingered – the joints bulging obscenely from impossible stretches of slender bone. Sharp, yellowed nails lined with a green so dark it may as well be black tipped each grotesque digit.
As soon as the shinigami's hand was in range, it grabbed him by the wrist and yanked the captain into the foliage. Dimly he heard the ring of Senbonsakura's steel as it was unsheathed, and felt the otherworldly shiver of power stored so deeply within Kimora as her blade was summoned and bared. Two smaller creatures popped out of nowhere and helped their brethren pull the man out of sight with impossible speed.
Byakuya and Diana had lunged as one at the disturbing pasty-skinned creatures as soon as they'd appeared. He heard a very heartfelt curse in what must have been English when both of their blades fell infuriatingly short of their marks.
He didn't spare a moment to wonder just how the beasts had moved faster than they, instead opting to disappear into the foliage via shunpo in the direction of the sounds of a struggling Aizen. Behind him, he sensed the shift of energy as Diana slipped into her thus far favored air form to keep up.
Again, the beasts left no trace of reiatsu behind them. When they were there before of him, he sensed nothing but a vague sensation of vacuum. Up to this point, no one that he knew had been around them long enough to get a real feel for them.
In silence, he flashed between the trees, the individual leaves blurring as he passed each bit of plant life by. The small animals inhabiting the area fled – not because of his physical presence, but because of the power he carried with him as he passed.
Within minutes he came across the clearing where a badly bleeding Aizen was batting away creature after creature with a blade coated in a viscous grey fluid. A moment later, Captain Kuchiki realized that it was the blood flowing through each fiend's veins. His clothing and hair stirred when Diana materialized at his side with a gust of sweetly scented forest air.
Without hesitation, he held his zanpakto up before him and intoned, "Chire, Senbonsakura." The sword dissolved into millions of miniscule blades which flickered with a deceptive pink gleam.
As the other captain fell to his knees, Senbonsakura's deadly shower curved around the flagging shinigami, bound for the creatures harrying him. Byakuya's cold eyes widened when his shikai was only able to pass within millimeters of the creature before the bulk of it simply flowed past, and he felt his reiatsu levels drop as soon as the first tiny blade finally permeated the strange field to kiss waxy flesh. Swiftly, he sealed his blade and lunged at the creature diving in at the fallen Aizen.
The white thing fell in two pieces at his feet, and he quickly deflected another coming in from their right. However, he stumbled when his energy dropped even further when a third rent filthy claws through both muscular flesh of his thigh and fabric of his hakama alike before he could spear it with his blade.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Diana beating two of the things back as well, vibrant crimson flowed from an injury along her ribs exposed through a long tear along the side of the kimono she wore. Just as she yanked her blade free of the sickening white body she had just impaled, her brilliant eyes met his, then flashed to a point just above his head.
"Byakuya!"
He barely heard her warning as his gaze snapped up straight up.
The larger beast from before was dropping from the tree directly above him.
Calmly, he held out an elegant hand, and incanted, "Byakurai."
The blue-white power shot from his palm, and for a moment he lost sight of the creature to the brightness of the kidou. Splinters of wood and leaves showered down upon him a second later. The dying sunlight, however, was obstructed by a very much alive, much bigger, monster descending upon him.
Dizziness shook him to the core, while the accursed beast only showed rows of jagged orange teeth in a disgustingly self satisfied smile.
I know! Two updates on the same story in the same week? Hell's hockey team must be doing spledidly.
I borrowed the concept of a gaki from Japanese mythology. 'Course the gaki myth is a bit more benign from my version, but it sure does offer some good food for the imagination, doesn't it?
I can't help but wonder if Tite Kubo based the hollow concept off of it, at least in part. They are both "hungry ghosts", after all.
Enjoy! Don't be afraid to drop a comment here or there.