"You MORONS!" Renji shouted angrily to the four Soul Reapers sitting in their Gigai on the couch of the Kurosaki Clinic. Ichigo had returned from seeing Uryu, his back issue simply being a side effect from sleeping funny the night before, and was sitting at the nearby dining room/kitchen table with his right arm propped up on the table and his head resting in the hand of said arm. Rukia was sitting next to Ichigo, watching with a blank expression. Momo was cringing at Renji's angered reaction while Rangiku pouted, Ikkaku ignored him, and Yumichika looked unfazed. Yachiru was the only one not present.
"The Captains give you one simple assignment and you can't even do that correctly? What have you been doing all this time?" Renji asked angrily.
"What are you talking about Abarai?" Ikkaku asked, eliciting a dark glare from Renji.
"I'm talking about the total lack of progress when it comes to bringing the Hollows under control! There has been a sparse few Hollows defeated in the week that you have all been here while the number of attacks continues to increase!" Renji growled.
"It is not as if we are deliberately ignoring the problem, Captain Abarai. In truth we have yet to encounter any Hollows whatsoever." Yumichika replied as Renji scowled.
"None whatsoever?" Renji asked.
"None whatsoever." Yumichika replied.
"That's very important." Ichigo chimed in with a smirk, earning a death glare from Renji.
"And you! If you were doing your duty, Ichigo, we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with!" Renji shouted angrily. Ichigo slammed his hands down on the table and leapt to his feet, knocking his chair over in the process.
"Hey! In case you haven't noticed, I've been on inactive duty for the past twenty two years! Until this recent Hollow increase started, we haven't even needed to do anything!" Ichigo argued.
"Then you could have at least shown some support and assigned a few squad members to help!" Renji argued back.
"Who? Rukia's been busy being a parent, same with Hanashiro and Orihime, and Uryu and Nemu! Neko has her tea shop to run, Nel's got her position as a teacher at Karakura High to deal with, Tatsuki has her Dojo, I have my practice, Chad has his job at Karakura Hospital, and Yuzu is my nurse! Who would I send?" Ichigo asked as Renji scowled.
"I dunno, the Visoreds, the Arrancar, or maybe that bastard Gin Ichimaru? He's still on probation so he could stand to get off his butt and do more than be a stock boy!" Renji suggested as Ichigo rolled his eyes.
"I can't command the Hogyoku Club to do anything. They're not under my command. The most I can do with them is ask nicely. Kisuke is Gin's assigned probation officer and I have to go through him to get Gin." Ichigo replied as Renji gave him a blank stare.
"The Hogyoku Club? Who are they?" Renji asked.
"It's the name that the Visoreds and the Loyalist Arrancar chose for themselves as a collective group. They consider Ichigo and Karin as members since they are Visoreds." Rukia explained before Renji turned back towards the four Soul Reapers on the couch.
"Then what I'd like to know is why the lot of you are having such a hard time finding the damn Hollows! What have you been doing all this time? And where's Lieutenant Kusajishi anyway? Didn't she get my text?" Renji asked in annoyance.
"Well Momo and I've gotten plenty of shopping done and-…" Rangiku said before she was abruptly cut off by Momo clasping her hands over her mouth.
"Rangiku, I don't think now is the best time to be mentioning that." Momo said with a sweat drop. Ikkaku rolled his eyes as he rested his arms behind his head.
"The Lieutenant is probably running around Karakura at this very moment. We can never keep track of her." Yumichika said as Ikkaku grumbled.
"I've been itching for a good fight. Tsh. The most entertaining fight I've had since we got here was with-." "Hello! Anyone home?" a voice sounded as the front door opened.
"Tatsuki?" Ichigo asked curiously as a steady procession of people entered. It was Tatsuki Arisawa, Neko, and Hanashiro. Hisana was with them but stopped at the door, confused, when she saw the strange people.
"Sorry we're late but Brother Dearest spilled tea on his shirt." Neko said, eyeing the older Kurosaki with a glare.
"Get off my back about it already, will ya?" Hanashiro grumbled.
"Daddy, why is the weird bald guy back again?" Hisana asked curiously as Ikkaku started mumbling curses under his breath. Ichigo sighed heavily.
"Just…go up to your room for a minute. Go snoop around in your brother's closet or something." Ichigo said as a sinister grin swept Hisana's face and she disappeared in an instant.
"Wow she looks just like you Rukia." Renji said as he watched Hisana disappear upstairs.
"What are you guys doing here?" Ichigo asked to the other three.
"I called them, Ichigo. I figured Renji was about to spout off about how we're not pulling our weight so I made a few calls. They're here to assist the reinforcements. I figure that if we all work in pairs or small groups that we'd be able to cover more ground and double the chances of detecting Hollows." Rukia suggested.
"How exactly do you have this planned out, Rukia?" Renji asked curiously. Ichigo was curious as well.
"Well I figured that Tatsuki could go with Lieutenant Hinamori, Yuzu, when she gets here, could go with Lieutenant Matsumoto, Hanashiro volunteered to assist Madarame and Yumichika, and Neko will assist Lieutenant Kusajishi since she's been privately mentored in how to use Flash Step by Yoruichi Shihoin and can keep up with Yachiru." Rukia explained. Ikkaku in the meantime…
"What? Pair me with Aizen's spawn? I don't think so!" Ikkaku yelled, earning dark glares from Ichigo, Rukia, and Neko. Hanashiro didn't seem particularly fazed. He had a terrible reputation amongst most of the Soul Reapers for merely being the son of Sosuke Aizen, despite his redeeming actions, but he took most of them in stride.
"Given your recent track record, Ikkaku, I don't think you have much room to argue." Renji yelled.
"Of course you could always just fight me, Madarame. I could use the practice after twenty odd years of relative inactivity." Hanashiro said with a challenging grin. Ikkaku grinned back.
"Oh you're on!" Ikkaku said as he leapt to his feet.
"This should be interesting." Yumichika said with an interested expression.
"So that's your plan Rukia? Pair off some of your own squad members with the reinforcements?" Renji asked as Rukia nodded.
"Yes it is. Although, I would like to join in on this myself. As the Lieutenant of the Karakura Defense Squad, I feel like I should participate." Rukia said as Ichigo thought of something.
"Hey here's an idea. Why don't you go off with Renji?" Ichigo asked, startling both Rukia and Renji.
"Huh?" "What?" they asked.
"You serious, Ichigo? You want Rukia to go with me?" Renji asked as Ichigo shrugged.
"Hey, she's been on her ass too long anyway, getting fat. She needs to work off a few pounds." Ichigo said with a serious look on his face, earning a flabbergast look from Rukia and Renji. The room was now eerily silent too.
"Heh, Ichigo's toast." Ikkaku whispered with a grin.
"Why you…you-!" Rukia stammered but Ichigo grinned and winked at her.
"Relax Rukia I'm kidding." Ichigo said as he burst out laughing, only to have Rukia leap up and kick him in the side of the head, sending him into doorframe leading to the hallway.
"Twenty years of happy marriage huh?" Renji asked as he shoved his hands in his pockets and started for the door with Rukia close behind. The others were starting to make their way out as well.
"Very happy actually."
"So what was that about?"
"Eh, we have the odd argument. It keeps us honest and its kinda fun to yell at him."
"He makes it easy doesn't he?"
"Touch my wife and die!" Ichigo yelled, still plastered to the doorframe.
Meanwhile in the Soul Society…
Karin was sitting in her office in the Squad Five barracks, quietly filling out various forms. Mai was in a playpen nearby, playing with a couple of plushy dolls shaped like Captain Komamura and Captain Zaraki. It had been a marketing idea by the Soul Reaper Women's Association to improve the image of the Soul Reapers amongst the children of the Soul Society by manufacturing and selling plush dolls of all Thirteen Captains and Lieutenants. There were even dolls of Ichigo and Rukia, and Mai had the whole set, courtesy of the adoring members of the Soul Reaper Women's Association. As Karin continued filing paperwork there was a knock at the door.
"Enter." She replied without looking up.
"Pardon the intrusion Captain, but I have my report ready. I wanted to hand it in early." One of the Squad's seated officers said as he entered. Karin took the report and started looking through it. As she did though, one of her migraines hit.
"Captain!" The Officer yelped worriedly as Karin grimaced for a second until the migraine subsided.
"It's alright. I'm fine." Karin said exasperatedly.
"With respect, Captain, the rest of the squad does not share your opinion." The Officer said as Karin looked up at him.
"What do you mean by, the rest of the squad?" She asked.
"Exactly as it sounds, Captain. The entire squad knows about your headaches and frankly, we're concerned for you. We've been working overtime just so we can lighten your load a bit. We know it's hard with Lieutenant Hinamori on assignment in the World of the Living so we've been working harder to make your job easier." The Officer replied as Karin glanced down at her desk.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but concern isn't going to make these headaches go away. But tell the men I said thank you for their extra work." Karin said with a smile as the Officer bowed.
"Captain, since assuming your post, you've looked out for us. It's only fair that we return the favor." The officer said before he turned and left. Karin smiled as the door closed.
"Quite considerate of them."
"GEEZ! Toshiro don't scare me like that!" Karin yelped as she turned to see her fiancé sitting in the now open window behind her desk.
"I came to check up on you." Toshiro said as Karin sighed.
"I'm starting to get a little tired of all the fuss everyone is making about my migraines. At least Zaraki doesn't show any concern and I'm tempted to start hanging out with him for a while because of it." Karin said as Toshiro gave her a blank stare.
"Forgive me but isn't it the duty of a fiancé to ensure the wellbeing of his future bride?" Toshiro asked as Karin sighed and smiled back at him with a tired smile.
"You're right, I'm sorry. These migraines are just driving me crazy." Karin replied.
"You mentioned when you came back from the World of the Living, that the Hogyoku Club thinks your Inner Hollow might have something to do with your migraines. Have you considered trying to communicate with it?" Toshiro asked.
"I've been considering it all day. I think tonight, when I get off, I'll go hunt down Dad, Zaraki, and Aunt Kaichou for safety sake, and head to the practice area." Karin said, looking past him towards Sokyoku Hill in the distance.
"I understand. I'll be sure to attend." Toshiro said as they noticed Mai had fallen asleep clutching the Zaraki doll. The image inspired smiles from her parents.
"By the way, have you made a decision yet?" Karin asked, turning back towards him.
"Decision on what?" Toshiro asked back.
"You said the other day that you were toying with the idea of taking my name instead of me taking yours. I'm fine becoming Karin Hitsugaya but Toshiro Kurosaki has an interesting ring to it too." Karin said as Toshiro smirked and started leaning in closer.
"I'll let that be a surprise for the wedding itself." Toshiro replied as they kissed.
"Um Captain I-OH-CAPTAIN-I'M-SORRY-I'M-SORRY-I'M-SORRY!" one of the Squad Officers yelped as she entered, saw the two Captains making out, turned and ran out of the Captain's office.
"KNOCK FIRST YOU MORON!" Karin shouted angrily down the hall, inadvertently waking Mai up who started crying. Toshiro wasted no time getting to his daughter.
"Perhaps working on your anger issues might help." Toshiro mumbled.
"I heard that." Karin replied with a Kurosaki scowl.
Back in Karakura Town…
Kaien was leaping across the rooftops of Karakura, searching high and low for signs of Hollow activity. He had already slain two Hollows since being deployed from the Hogyoku Club thirty minutes ago and was looking for number three. He then heard a Hollow's roar in the distance. He grinned as he turned and started running towards it. He then heard a gunshot ring out. He could sense that Sora had gotten the kill, even if the gunshot hadn't tipped him off. Despite this, Kaien continued on to the Hollow's previous location and found Sora, lying on his chest in a sniper's pose, steadying the rifle on the top of a nearby store.
"What are you doing?" Kaien asked.
"Lining up a shot." Sora replied amidst the sound of a Hollow's roar. Kaien looked around, trying to find the Hollow in question.
"Where's the hollow though? I don't see it." Kaien said but Sora smiled. The end of the barrel started to glow a dark blue.
"Watch this. Mayonaka Houhei, Magureatari." Sora said as he pulled the trigger. As soon as he did, Kaien saw a solid beam of dark blue energy leading from the end of the barrel towards a large building opposite the one across the street. The beam bounced off the building towards another building, which bounced it straight back towards the building Sora and Kaien were standing on then bouncing straight towards a nearby stop sign and bounce into an alleyway. All Kaien could see was the beam's path and an evaporating Hollow coming from within the alleyway. The shot had been fired so quickly it left a solid trail behind which slowly dissipated.
"What was that?" Kaien asked in shock as Sora stood up, resting the gun on his right shoulder.
"One of Mayonaka Houhei's special abilities allows me to line up a shot that would otherwise be impossible. It shows me the path shot will take through the left lens of my glasses while the right lens shows me what it will hit. Magureatari was the beam you saw just now. It fires the shot so fast that you can't even see the bullet, just the trail it left. I knew it would hit the Hollow long before I pulled the trigger." Sora explained as Kaien scratched his head.
"I gotta say that was pretty impressive. But why did you not use it on me back when we were fighting?" Kaien asked as Sora sheathed the weapon, returning it to its sealed form.
"Simple. Magureatari aims for the head. I didn't want to do that to you. My mother may be able to work miracles but I have reservations about testing those limits." Sora said as Kaien smirked.
"Thanks for that." Kaien said as Sora turned away.
"By the way, why didn't you use that move with the rose petals before you realized we weren't holding back?" Sora asked, not looking towards Kaien.
"Because I didn't want the hurt the three of you too badly. When I learned you weren't holding back, I figured I shouldn't either." Kaien replied as Sora glanced towards him.
"Thanks for the concern." Sora said before flash stepping away. Kaien smirked at where he disappeared and proceeded to flash step away, running across town. Unbeknownst to him, a figure shrouded in darkness, watched from the comfort of a dark room with a single monitor on the wall.
"Ah there you are. The one who the master spoke of. I shall have to keep a close eye on you."
End Chapter 21.
Arrancar Encyclopedia
"Arrancar daihyakka!" Neko Kurosaki's voice declared. Gin then appeared in front of the monitor with the pointer.
"Today we'll be studin' Neko Kurosaki's Zanpakuto. Yamaneko." Gin said as he turned towards the monitor which displayed an ordinary katana. The guard was shaped similarly to the one on Rangiku Matsumoto's Haineko, but more curved than pointed. The "ears" were also hollowed out, so that the sword could be pulled from its sheath by the fingers slipped through the guard. The hilt was a nice shade of violet and there was a small purple tassel at the bottom of the hilt as well.
"Pounce! Yamaneko!" Neko's voiceover said as the blade morphed into a long whip, a cat-o-nine-tails more specifically, with the same hilt and guard as in its sealed form.
"Yamaneko, or wild cat, is a whip type Zanpakuto. The whip itself is actually hundreds of tiny metal segments that allow it to extend or contort to whatever way its wielder needs it to. Neko can control whether or not the whip cuts or simply constricts its target by sheer will. Despite being a whip, its Shikai also provides Neko with enhanced speed 'n agility, just like a cat. It also improves her skill at shunpo, allowin' her to keep up with even the best of shunpo masters." Gin explained as Neko appeared on stage in a flash step but said nothing.
"Yamaneko also has a secret, special ability that the author won't tell me about. Sadly the author has said she won't be achivin' Bankai in the story but she will be gettin' plenty of action in later chapters." Gin explained before turning to Neko.
"Say, what kinda action was he talkin' about?" Gin asked as Neko arched a confused eyebrow.
"What kind of action do you think?" Neko asked as Gin looked away and blushed.
"Ah nothin' nothin'." Gin said as he imagined Neko wearing a black leather bustier, hot pants, and nine-inch heeled thigh-length boots with the whip clutched in her hands with a menacing grin on her face. Gin's imagining was interrupted by a whip wrapping around his neck and suddenly tightening.
"That's the wrong kind of action, pervert." Neko said with a soft yet murderous tone, the whip tightening around Gin's throat even more.
"I get that now!" Gin whimpered as he struggled to break free.
End