Sins of the Exiled

Chapter 2: Shino

In the days since arriving, Juno is given more freedom. Granted she's allowed to wander the halls and stay within certain areas, but just a few feet behind her a butler follows. Something about the Keep is off, since arriving she'd been trying to use any form of Kido and nothing had worked. She can feel her spiritual pressure just under her skin and yet it feels off.

"Why is it that you do not take your husband's name? Or display any signs of association?" The questions catch her one day as she sits in a sitting room. She'd been trying to find sun spots all over the Keep, what little sun she finds she tries to soak up. Looking away from the window, Juno faces a Tengu with it's mask still up. She spies the green sash around it's waist.

"Excuse me?"

"We watched you for so long, we see and yet do not understand." The Tengu moves slowly into the room, it's black wings ruffling as it moves to stand with its back to a corner. Juno keeps an eye on him as she runs her hands along her skirt. Her pale finger is devoid of any adornments.

"We didn't want anyone prying. Those who needed to know, knew. The limiters we wore were enough displays as we needed." Juno frowns a bit as she tells the Tengu. Clasping her hands together, she thinks of her husband. Of mornings waking up next to him, surrounded by the feel of his cold pressure. She smiles as she remembers his fingers in her hair.

"Doesn't seem like devotion." The Tengu pulls her out of her thoughts and she sighs.

"Devotion can mean many things, trinkets do not mean connection." She looks to the Tengu who has it's head tilted just slightly. The wings along his back shake out and a few feathers float to the ground.

"How long have you been watching me?"

"Lord Kaito created us to watch you, we see all without being seen." Juno watches as the Tengu steps around the chair and comes closer to her. It kneels down before her and reaches into it's robes. Pulling out a scrape of white fabric, the Tengu lays it upon her lap. Slowly Juno reaches out and takes the fabric.

Her eyes water as she feels the texture. Turning it over slowly she notices the green of her squad underneath.

"He fought hard and yet, they do nothing now."

Ragiku Matsumoto watches as her Captain drills the squad. They do their best to keep up with every slash and stab the Captain shoots their way but only a few walk away still standing. Those out of breath lay helplessly along the ground, doing everything they can to not pass out. Rangiku sighs as she turns away from the training grounds.

"I guess he didn't take the news well." Comes Izuru Kira's voice. He walks up to Matsumoto watching the Captain as he starts in on his seated officers.

"Would you?"

"At least it's just a retrieval order. It could have been worse." Ragiku huffs as she glares at the blond. Crossing her arms she walks past him and doesn't wait for him to join her.

"The Head Captain..." Rangiku pauses thinking over the conversation with her Captain. He'd looked so lost when he'd called her into his office. His words seemed to trail off as he relayed the last Captains meeting.

"He thinks Central 46 will ask him to stand down for this war." Izaru gasps before running to look at Rangiku.

"But they haven't, everything will be okay once we find Ryuzaki, he can't give up hope yet."

Rangiku keeps moving, her memories are a flash of how her young Captain used to be. His icy personality striking out at any and all that stood against him. His strong need to prove to all that he was capable of not only his title but status among the other Captains. She'd seen him at his lowest, beaten and bloody, broken before all the enemies but easily standing back up to lead the squad.

Watching as Juno's smile melted him. She pulled him away from the darker parts of the Bankai fiasco and brought the smiles back. Eventually he stopped trying to prove himself and simply started to live. The moment she saw them together as more than seated officer and Captain, Juno had chastised him. He sat under her hand as she worked on bandaging him up after a skirmish in the Cave. She yelled, she berated but most of all loved him at that moment. Once she'd finished cleaning him up, she'd cried into his chest.

Rangiku stops her movement.

"Rangiku?

"If my Captain can't be there for Juno because of Central 46, then I'll do what I can to bring her home."

It watched them. Keeping to the shadows of the barracks, the green sashed Tengu hid while he watched Saki in the garden. The teen was kneeling in the grass as she picked the wild flowers that were sprouting around her. Saki paused in her movements and rubbed at her face, seeming to fight off another wave of tears.

The Tengu tilted it's head slightly, while listening to the world around. Nothing seemed out of place, beyond the wall it could hear Soul Reapers moving from one spot to another but nothing coming toward them. Reaching into its robes, the Tengu pulled out a green orb. It growled over it and caused the orb to glow. Holding it tight, the Tengu crushed it causing the broken pieces to clatter to the ground.

At the sound, Saki looked up. Spotting the Tengu, Saki could feel fear take over her body. Dropping the flowers on to the ground, Saki jolts up.

"Let the ground quake and the sky shatter. In the name of Lord Kaito, we bring punishment upon the world." The Tengu's voice fills the area and the shards at its feet shoot up. Six shards swirl above them before going straight for Saki.

Her scream fills the air just as alarms begin to go off within the Soul Society. Flapping its wings hard, the Tengu flies up and stands above them all. Holding its arms out the shards come back and float around them. Each one begins to grow in size and the Tengu looks over the Soul Society, many Soul Reapers have stopped to look but none make a move.

"Destroy Tsuchi!" The green shards swirl fast around the Tengu before spreading out and striking down at the ground below. Soul Reapers run and scream as shards begin to crash into the ground, tearing up the area.

"Haguro Tonbo! Smash!" Charging at the Tengu, Lisa Yadomaru transforms her nodachi into a long pole arm with a large monk's spade blade on the end. Moving out the way, the Tengu cries out and Lisa quickly swings the polearm to change directions. Three of the green shades come to the Tengu, circle around it before going straight for Lisa.

She swings up quickly knocking one off track but the other two bank wide and come at her from either side. Kido blasts from below shoot up, knocking the other two shards off course. Glancing down, her glasses catch the sun as she spots her Lieutenant below.

"Yuyu clear the area!" Yells Lisa as her attention is brought back to the Tengu. They stand with their arms crossed and wings spread wide. Behind the green shards circle behind them like the hands on a clock.

"Why are you here?" Yells Lisa as she moves into a battle stance with her Haguro Tonbo at the ready. Her white coat flows with the wind but the Tengu says nothing. Holding out their hand the green shards begin to fire on Lisa again.

They swirl like a tornado swirling around Lisa who pulls her Tonbo in close and stabs it down. With a swift jump, she uses the Tonbo as a pole, kicking at the shards as quickly as she can. In the distance she can feel a spiritual pressure rise but she keeps her eyes on the targets. The Tengu sprints forward and catches Lisa by the ankle.

"We have come for more!" Screams the Tengu as they wind up and swing Lisa around before tossing her down toward the ground. The impact shoots dust and debris everywhere. Yuyu runs to her Captain's side before looking back up at the Tengu.

It's hands are placed in a prayer stance before them. The green shards begin to attack down upon the Soul Society as they begin to pull their hands apart. From it a sword comes into existence between the palms. The dark blue sheath and handle shine under the light and all the buildings that are busted begin to burst into reishi particles.

All the particles begin to float to the blade. The reishi shimmers around the Tengu before becoming sucked into the blade. The Tengu's wings begin to flap, feathers fill the area raining down on the grounds.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado 31: Shakkaho!" Rukia yells out forming an orb of crimson red energy before them. Quickly she fires it off and shoots it up to the Tengu, who sends out it's green shards to tear apart the kido spell. Looking at Lisa she watches the woman get out of the crater with Yuyu holding her up.

"They'll pay for that!" Yells Lisa as she grips her Tonbo tight and shoots back up to the Tengu. The shards go straight for Liza and begin to fire on her like bullets. She manages to dodge the first two before getting struck by the third which goes along her right side. She hisses as she loses grip on her blade but keeps going forward.

"Tsuchi grow!" Rukia from below watches as from the cut along Lisa's side vines begin to grow.

"Lisa pull back!" Rukia yells as she pulls her sword and blocks a few of the green shards that come her way. The reishi in the area is thinning and Rukia can feel the loss. She knocks a shard down close to her and it lands like a bomb. The explosion knocks her off her feet and she tries to catch herself.

Lisa cries out as the vines begin to wrap around her and she begins to fall back toward the ground. Yuyu moves to help catch her Captain while Rukia looks up and really looks at the blade in the Tengu's hands.

"Where's Juno?" She yells and the Tengu tilts its head to look at her. The black eyes simply ripple just a bit before gripping the blade. The green shards return to it and Rukia watches as they form back into an orb again.

"Lord Kaito will rise and destroy this land. Shino, the most devoted will be granted peace for our aid in the destruction of the Soul Society. You, Soul Reaper, will face the end as he did all those years ago." The blade in hand begins to glow and a large black hole opens behind them. The orb slips through first and then the Tengu. Rukia rushes up but the portal closes just as she gets to it.

Comments, Questions, Concerns

Hey all! Welcome back to a new round, a few things.

When I'll post, may be twice a week. It will keep me focused on the last part. I'm working on the last 3 chapters and I'm debating on endings.

I just realized that FF formatted this chapter weird...which means the others from part one were probably the same...UGH