"So this is Karakura town?" came a smooth voice. A man with brilliant orange hair and gorgeous golden eyes scanned the quaint town, watching as people passed him tending to their tedious lives. A sneer painted his face, his sun-kissed skin was a stark comparison to the white, skintight crop top and pants he wore. What was it about this town that caused humans to have such strong spiritual energy?
"Why, of all things, humans?" he muttered with disgust. With a blur, the man disappeared.
Back at the Seireitei, a Captains' meeting was being held to discuss the recent string of murders regarding lower-level soul reapers. Every few days, a new body was found. Sometimes it was as clean as a slit to the throat, others were mutilated. It looked like the culprit liked to play with the food before finishing the plate. The latest victim was a squad 5 member. A tense silence filled the room, an uneasiness crept up on the captains.
"When are we gonna hunt down the bastard responsible for this? I want to test my strength out on the wimp!" Kenpachi was the one to break the silence, bloodthirsty after losing two of his own members previously.
"We would not benefit tearing the Seireitei up just to find someone we don't even have a lead on, Kenpachi." The cool, collected voice of Byakuya Kuchiki rang.
"And why not?" Kenpachi replied aggressively.
"Byakuya is right," the squad 6 captain glared at the offending voice. "We have no leads. It would be best to wait until a biopsy with a lead could give us a clue." It was Aizen who spoke.
"Or…" the squad 11 captain started. "We can start a manhunt and find the fucker." He laughed maniacally. Toshiro sighed. Kenpachi's antics were too much this early in the morning.
"Unohana and Kurotsuchi, can your squads work together to find some clue on any of the bodies. Have we yet to discover a link between the victims?" he asked.
"There has yet to be a pattern discovered. All the victims seem to be chosen at random. Each death has been different from the last. It is… disturbing to say the least." Unohana replied. "We will do our best to work out this mystery quickly and efficiently, Captain Hitsugaya. For now, why don't you take this time to relax. You've been worrying yourself sick over this case and a sick captain doesn't help our cause any." Unohana said firmly.
"How can I relax when there is a monster on the loose? He has already killed two of my squad members, one being my third seat. Clearly, he is powerful enough to take down some of our more powerful Shinigami. Why isn't he targeting anyone higher up? I can in no way rest."
"You can and you will. If you choose to do otherwise I may allow Kurotsuchi to try out some of his…experiments." Unohana give him a glare that would make anyone silent and behave.
"That would be a lovely opportunity," Kurotsuchi laughed maniacally. "An opportunity to experiment with the prodigy. How delightful." Captain Hitsugaya glared at the scientist.
"Though I do not agree with it, I will take a small break. Keep him away from division 10," Hitsugaya said pointedly.
"Very well. We shall keep an eye and ear out for whoever this is. For all we know, this could be an inside job. Try and see if you can detect an unfamiliar reiatsu. If you discover anything, call an emergency Captain's meeting. You are all dismissed." Head Captain Yamamoto ended the meeting. Some of the captains gave each other side glances, but each of them returned back to their offices. They had a lot of paperwork to tend to with the events following the murders, and many of the captains decided to keep a close eye on not only each other but possible infiltrators.
Aizen hummed quietly to himself as he quietly recalled the events of the meeting. It was a shame that one of his members had been discovered dead, but it was for the best perhaps. The death of a squad 5 member means that he would be under less suspicion. Less eyes means more action can be taken. Aizen sensed a familiar, dark reiatsu and smirked.
"You can come out now," Aizen practically sang. A small chuckle could be heard before a slim figure stepped out of the shadows. "You're getting good at that. Quite a handy ability I must say. I take it you listened in on the meeting and you're up-to-date on what is going on?"
"Of course, Captain Aizen." The main revealed wore the typical black shihakusho with strike orange hair. Aizen often wondered how he hid so well given his hair was practically a beacon for attention.
"You know what happens next week, yes?" Aizen lifted the boy's chin, gazing at him warmly through his glasses.
"Of course, but just in case I have forgotten, please remind me," the boy purred, his golden orbs locked with gentle chocolate eyes.
"You, Ichigo Kurosaki, are to kill Momo Hinamori of the 5th squad." A smirk began to make its way on the captain's usually compassionate face.
"It will be done, Master." With that, the boy disappeared in a flash.
Ichigo appeared near the outskirts of the Seireitei, waiting in the shadows patiently for someone to waltz into his carefully set trap. He didn't sleep well anymore. In fact, it's been years since he's been able to get a proper sleep. It gave him ample to think about how he was going to capture and possible maim his next victim. He would spend his sleepless nights waiting out in the open yet hidden in the shadows as he either waited for his prey or stalked them. The only time he could truly feel was during a fight, and bathing in the blood of his enemies only made him feel more. Ichigo's keen ears picked up the sound of unsteady footsteps from around 50 yards away. If Ichigo had to take a gander, he would assume that the person in question had one too many to drink and was alone. Not many wonder this part of the Seireitei, which made it an optimal place for his next hit.
A heavyset man wandered into his view. The man occasionally took sips of his flask as he muttered something trivial to himself. Though it may have amused the redhead to listen in on his "private" conversation, he didn't feel like playing with his food. Much.
Ichigo quietly shunpo'd behind the man without him even sensing him. He had very low spiritual power, making it as easy as swatting a fly. Ichigo grabbed the drunk man by the back of his shihakusho and whispered in his ear, "Well, hello there, Sexy."
The man sputtered in response, pointing at himself. "M-me?" he stuttered. Ichigo chuckled.
"Who else, silly?" the orange-haired boy muttered darkly, letting his index finger travel freely down the other's body, pulling at the man's pants before releasing them with a snap. "See this finger?" He waved his finger at the other. The defenseless Shinigami nodded nervously.
"Watch this," he put his finger to the man's heart and sneered. "Here's to a happy and healthy life!" a bright right light begin to emit from his finger, collecting more and more energy before a small beam of pure red energy was set off. It was reminiscent of a hollows cero, but on a much smaller scale. The beam went right through the heart, but Ichigo was careful enough to not cause any damage to the surrounding buildings.
Golden orbs seemed to dull as the exhilaration from his escapade wore off and a scowl began to set back on sun-kissed skin. Erasing all evidence that he was at the scene, Ichigo vanished heading back to his resting quarters. His nights usually consisted of staring at either the ceiling or the moon and waiting for the sun to come up. It wasn't often that he got to experience the sweet release of sleep, but when he did, his captain would let him have a few extra hours more than normal, and for that he was grateful. Ichigo was very punctual and did anything that was asked of him. That made him very reliable, and his captain liked that about him. It allowed him to get away with quite a bit. But what he didn't like was how boring the night could be. When Aizen told him he was free to start having fun with the Shinigami, Ichigo was ecstatic. It was the first time in seemingly years that he was able to feel enjoyment and exhilaration again.
Ichigo sighed as the sun peeked across the horizon. Another day, another misery, he thought to himself. Ichigo was getting prepared to start his morning duties when a hell butterfly landed on his hand. His captain had requested his presence for a meeting. Nodding once to himself, he had dusted himself off and made his way to the captain's office.
"You asked to see me, Sir?" Ichigo asked quietly, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Yes, please have a seat," he motioned. "I have a proposition, one I think you would be interested in." Ichigo raised a single eyebrow, showing interest.
"And what would that be?"
"Well, Rangiku is taking a leave. I do not know if this is permanent or temporary, but for now, I am in need of a lieutenant. You have always been very reliable and have always done a thorough job. I know it is a big jump from your current position to lieutenant, but I would like to offer you the position if you decide you're interested."
"I accept, Captain Hitsugaya. Thank you for this opportunity. I will not let you down, Sir." Ichigo said formally.
"I should hope not," Hitsugaya gave a brief, small smile to the fiery redhead. "Meet me at noon and I'll show you around and go over your expected list of duties."