Chapter Twenty Seven, "Stories of Betrayal" – Part Seven

Targeting the Strong

Arashi reentered the living room with Faye and Yuka in tow, to the sparing sight of Kurosaki Ichigo's closest and most recent friends appearing from the front door hallway.

Ishida Uryu stepped in first, looking from one end of the room to the next. Followed by Inoue Orihime and the big fellow nicknamed Chad before finally the vibrant haired arrancar in the human gigai brought in the rear with Shihōin Yoruichi.

He had already made contact with Yamaguchi Tomo before she finally noticed the burn of his gaze. Without saying a word, he beckoned her over with a gesture of his hand and a kind smile on his face.

Tomo pointed at herself, curious.

He nodded.

Hiko watched him in dissatisfaction. Isshin had no words for his thoughts and opted for a stern silence. But Yoruichi and the rest of her group observed the scene suspiciously. He imagined his promise of peace kept them at bay, though that gave them no reason to trust him enough to allow one of their own to walk into enemy territory.

Tomo reached him shortly.

Arashi's smile turned wicked as he placed both hands on her cheeks, feeling her face burn beneath his palms. The words he spoke next, he meant. "You'll make the perfect Empress."

As his killer intent materialized in the form of a sleek, unawakened zanpakutō, the one-second notice disappeared when the steel sunk deep into her abdomen.

Tomo grasped the handle, teeth clenched through the pain as she prepared a counterattack that would never come before the blade moved upward across her body, severing everything in its wake and leaving nothing but an explosion of pain and blood as she collapsed on the ground in a lifeless heap.

The room filled with horrified silence.

Hiko shot towards him, grabbing him by the arms. "What have you done?" he yelled, shaking him violently.

"I'm increasing power, remember." Arashi caught a blur in his periphery. His attention shifted to Orihime rushing to kneel at the redhead's side. His eyes narrowed and lip curled. "I wouldn't if I were you."

Orihime opened her mouth. "But—"

"Faye, start setting a three hour barrier. Yuka, make sure Cascabel dies within the next half hour, if she's still alive, I'll take it you'll finish the job." Arashi turned to the looks of fury on all of Ichigo's friends. "Anyone who interferes with either one will have to answer to me. We have Kurosaki Ichigo and Wakatsuki Haruka's whereabouts to discuss and many deaths to account for. Tomo will be healthy as soon as three hours have passed and she's completed her transition to our side."

Arashi headed for the nearest couch to have a seat when a wave of vertigo struck him and distantly, he, as well as Faye and Yuka, recognized the passing of one of their own. He dropped down before the coffee table, eyes shut tightly.

"What happened?" demanded Hiko, observing the spread of strange behavior between them.

Arashi held his head, pushing away strands of hair from his face as he craned his head back. "Our Fortune was just killed."

"That damned fool," cursed Faye, averting her attention to her leader. "What has she done?"

"I sent her to infiltrate Death's Army to get into Nagisa's good graces, but it seems she failed," answered Arashi with an edge to his voice. "I seem to have had too many expectations of her, but let's be honest, there is a silver lining."

Hiko's expression twisted into one of discomfort.

Arashi's eyes flickered to his father. "You see, now I have a location—"

The kitchen backdoor opened noisily and a disheveled shinigami in a gigai appeared in the room, short of breath. He found his superior quickly and announced to the rest of the congregation what Arashi suspected was confidential information.

"Housen Enishi infiltrated Soul Society!"

"That son of a bitch," cursed Hiko, pushing his hair back as he paced around the room. "How long ago?"

"We just received the report five minutes ago. He entered accompanied by the Chariot Host."

Arashi hated the shock taking root in his expression that chased away his grasp on control. From the moment he recalled the hundreds of years he spent in oblivion and the partial images that brought forth his sentencing, it was his sister's face he saw mirrored in the biting waters and a memory of betrayal.

Without delay, he fleshed out the plan he slowly implemented from the time he realized his birth sister was the same woman that cursed him a thousand years ago to this instant using his knowledge of each of their persona, able to estimate the hour, minute and second Enishi and Nagisa would reawaken. Touma's movement was easier to predict, with little help from Yurie, the Fifth Cycle Magician, and Faye's memories of every cycle he was absent, he knew the youngest would appear if and when Enishi faced the greatest danger.

Everything action and reaction caused since Death's awakening was carefully constructed within his mind, aiding in his ultimate plan. With it, he anticipated Enishi's infiltration into Soul Society to come once the Chariot Host, Honoka, awakened. He bore witness to the terror they would rein with help of the Hermit's eye, together assembling a throne for their precious queen to sit upon surrounded by the bodies of their enemies in a sinister pool of crimson.

The Fifth Cycle called for absolution, but not without war and carnage.

"I take it you had no idea?" questioned Hiko, sparing him a glance.

Arashi's throat dried. "Release their executioner," he spat. "Order for his release and let him hunt Enishi before he acquires the next Fortune and the real Strength!"

His father gave him a look of uncertainty.

"Kosuda is a monster," stated Isshin. "Releasing him gives us no control over what he decides to do if he eliminates Death."

The group of teenagers exchanged glimpses, trying to assemble the pieces of the Arcana mystery. Collectively, they acknowledged, for the slightest of moments, that whatever war occurred between Soul Society and the Arcana was one they were neither mentally prepared for nor strong enough to face, but their affiliation with Kurosaki Ichigo and the cold blooded murder of Mireña Cascabel kept them rooted there, struggling to make the distinction between left and right.

Shihōin Yoruichi caught on quickly, facing him. "How sure are you of his motives?"

Faye and Yuka did something constructive in the midst of everyone's astonishment as they went through with removing Cascabel's body from the living room to one of the upstairs bedrooms where he sensed a concentration of energy.

"My Fortune just died, Enishi would be a complete fool to not capture or recruit the next host," he remarked. "As for the Strength, it's been a given since the conclusion of the previous cycle that he would recruit him for Nagisa's side, my masquerading as the card did nothing to elude him from the true host, but that was my own mistake for attacking him prematurely." He bit the tip of his thumb in his frustration. "Kosuda may not be able to defeat him and he may be beyond Soul Society's control, but he is the only shinigami crazy enough to give us the upper hand."

"Kosuda was tried and incarcerated for his crimes during the Second and Third Cycles, he has a life sentence," reasoned Hiko, casting his informant a stern look that startled him into an anxious quiver. "Soul Society has enough manpower to force Housen Enishi into submission. Report to intelligence that if even a strand of his hair goes white, to deploy the Kidōshū and summon me. Nobody is to fight him unless they have been trained to do so or are an Arcana, do you understand?"

The informant nodded, shaking the off the jitters. "Yes sir."

"Repeat it to me again."

The shinigami did as he was told and after Hiko's nod of approval, disappeared as quickly as he arrived.

"Whether or not he completed his transition into an Arcana is irrelevant," said Arashi lowly. "As he is now, though his body is human and meek, he is stronger than your pitiful Gotei 13 and he will take what he wants with or without casualties. You should know better."

"Don't patronize me; I've fought Enishi far longer than you have."

"You were a child when we were captains, a mere boy that took orders all too willingly," Arashi said scathingly. "Your opinion of the matter is not higher than my own. Who do you suppose helped him become as strong as he was before the curse? I was. I trained with him to the brink of death; I gave that barbarian technique by imposing proper swordsmanship in him when he thought swinging a sword was enough." He paused to breathe, but continued just as fiercely. "How many times do I need to say it before you believe it? Stop underestimating the Arcana, defeating them once, twice, a dozen times won't make a difference; they will rise again and fight harder! Open your ears and listen to me. Enishi has what the rest of the Arcana don't, he has the Undead Army."

Hiko stood his ground. "Summoning Kosuda will bring more trouble than good, my orders stand," he said with finality. "I asked you to do something, have you done it?"

It took every bit of sanity for Arashi to swallow his pride. "I have Haruka and Kurosaki's location."

"Are they safe?" asked Isshin immediately.

"Kurosaki is important, as is Haruka, of course they are safe," he replied snappishly.

"And Nagisa?" added Yoruichi, serious.

"Nagisa isn't a priority."

"Do you know where she is?" questioned Hiko.

"Yes."

"Where?"

"She's with your children."

Hiko stiffened. "What?"

"Nagisa holds you in high regard, father, I doubt she would endanger either, but if you wish to lure her out, we have better leverage. Her precious treasure is adventuring alongside The Hanged Man; they are heading towards one of The Lovers' Apartment three towns away."

"What do you suggest we do?" Yoruichi looked to Isshin and Hiko, specifically the latter in her quest of clarity. "If Wakatsuki and Ichigo are safe and Nagisa is out there, shouldn't our best interest be capturing her as Yamamoto ordered?"

"Nagisa won't be captured if she doesn't want to," answered Hiko, waving away the idea.

"Even if we capture The Devil?"

"But shouldn't we think of rescuing Kurosaki?" Ishida cut in. "Isn't that why we're here in the first place?"

Orihime and Chad nodded in agreement.

"We shouldn't abandon Kurosaki-kun and Wakatsuki-san to their fortune," added Orihime, catching Arashi rolling his eyes. "Even if you say they're safe, how do we know we can trust you?"

"Arashi is on our side," Hiko confirmed. "We have no choice but to trust in his word."

The comment silenced their need to protest any further.

"Do we capture The Devil or not?" repeated Yoruichi. "If we have Nagisa, they lose a leader."

"Capturing Touma is certainly a way to lure her into action," started Arashi easily, "but that doesn't mean she'll be as physically present as you assume. By the time any of you manage to catch Touma, she would have had time to build up her army and we would be at a great disadvantage. We may have our choice at some of her foot solders when she decides to take him back, but she will be far from our grasp."

Hiko sighed. "Nagisa makes appearances when they are necessary."

"Ichigo and Haruka should be our main priority," decided Isshin.

"I agree."

Yoruichi turned away, frustrated.

"No," said Arashi, drawing their attention. "We should divide our priorities. Two groups to accomplish two different goals, that way you both get your children back and I complete my main goal."

She looked at him suspiciously. "Two groups?"

"I need father and Yasutora to stay here with Faye and Cascabel to bring her up to speed when she wakes up," he started. "Yuka, Ishida and Inoue will go to my sister and Kurosaki's location to retrieve them—"

"Nagisa—"

Arashi silenced Yoruichi. "Nagisa will remain in her dimension, posing no threat to them, but if such threat arises, Yuka can simply snatch them up and dodge to safe ground. The most important thing you must remember about Nagisa is her love for peace." He strode closer to her. "I need you and Kurosaki-san to accompany me to Touma's location."

"Touma is beside the point," said Hiko decisively. "We leave him to continue his nonsense, he can't interfere."

"That gives us the advantage."

"The advantage to what?"

"To kill him."

"Why Touma?" Hiko sounded incredulous.

"Killing the strongest is always the first priority."


xl note: And so an Empress is made. I had no one in particular in mind when it came to the Empress, though I did consider Unohana. Since she plays a different role in the creation of the Arcana, it wouldn't have worked out.

Writing Arashi is nothing short of twisted.

This is shortest of all chapters, I think. The next update will be on the 31st because I'll be gone all next week. This chapter was beta'd by LULuckyTiger. Many thanks to solitus, Harajuku Flavors, ruler of dragons, animelover56348 and Aries01xD for reviewing the previous chapter. As always, I am extremely grateful to all reviews, even if they're short. They're as sparkly and valuable as diamonds to me. :)

As always, Chapter 28: Stories of Betrayal 8 is available at my lj. Feel free to drop by.