Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
Heart of Wind
Chapter 2: Outnumbered ten to one
Homorue leapt from rooftop to rooftop without the slightest difficulty; easily covering distances that no one human could ever leap. ("Ten Hollows…it has to be a mistake. Why would so many Hollows converge on an area for no reason?") Bringing his attention back to the current task, he picked up the pace as much as he could. ("It doesn't matter…if I don't get there in time then it won't matter at all.")
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Takai sighed as he sat back against the park bench and watched his three friends, Hiteru, Kumo, and Leon unsuccessfully try to pick up on some of the girls who came by every once in a while. ("I thought we were coming to the park to do something interesting. What's interesting about watching these three crash and burn over and over again?") Tilting his head back to look at the afternoon sky, Takai sighed and closed his eyes. ("Maybe a little nap then…that always does me some good.")
As the shadows faded slightly around the boy's body, it revealed that he was now wearing black robes and straw sandals on his feet. That wasn't all though. At his belt, there was a katana, though the weapon's shape was rather hard to distinguish because the shadows were only lightly gone. But one thing that was easy to tell, was that Takai was still shaking even though his eyes had no fear in them whatsoever.
Takai's eyes opened and he clutched at his forehead. ("Why do I always wind up seeing that vision again and again? It was just some stupid dream…") He rested his elbows on his knees and covered his eyes with his hands, trying to rub out the horribly strange images that were haunting him right now. ("That horrible white-masked monster…those strange clothes I was wearing…that odd sword…") An image of that sword flashed in his mind, even though he wasn't sure why. ("That entire dream felt so real, but that's just it though…it was a dream and nothing more. Why is it bothering me so much?")
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Homorue could feel the building spiritual pressure in the air around him, and it was terrifying to think that he was going to have to fight such heavy amounts of power on his own. ("Ten Hollows…considering what I'm feeling that might not be a lie. Damn it…my current skill level can take, maybe, about three at once, and only then if I use my Demon Arts properly. However, I can't complain about the circumstances. If I die then I die.")
His receiver beeped from its hidden location within his robe, telling him the predicted time of arrival for the Hollows had arrived. ("They're coming, but I'm almost there. As long as they don't immediately attack, I should be okay.")
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Takai froze up, every muscle in his body locking as it felt like someone had just dropped a mass of fifty pound weights onto his body. He rocked back and forth slightly, and then collapsed to his knees, forced into that position despite the fact that he had been sitting before. ("What's this feeling of fear? It feels like…")
The earth around the boy shook slightly as a shadow in a nearby alley loomed up like a living creature, taking a much more three-dimensional shape. It looked like some kind of monster at the moment. "Bah, I'm done waiting for you to start screaming. I'll just eat you right now." The darkness parted enough to reveal a vaguely humanoid body with a large white mask covering its face. "Welcome to dinner, boy!" The mask clacked its teeth together a couple of times and then the monster reached down slowly with one gigantic hand to grasp Takai.
He grasped his head and groaned in pain, trying to block out the sudden flood of images that were forcing themselves into the front of his mind. ("Why? Why here? What does it…") He forced his head up to try and look at something that would purge his mind of what was in his head, something to take his attention off these horrible memories. What he got though didn't help.
Right in front of him was a plastic playground set up in the middle of the park for little children…it would have been a peaceful scene, if not for what he could see around it. They were like mirages, huge giant creatures from the nightmares of the little children who were playing around the playground. The only continuing factors he could identify amongst them were the white masks that covered their head, or whatever mass of flesh could be considered their head, and that none of them were moving. It was like some kind of horrific museum display.
One of the ten giants, this one having a body that seemed like some kind of moth, except that it had leathery wings like a bat, tilted its empty eye sockets around slowly, acting like some kind of machine.
Even as Takai looked at these horrible things, he didn't feel too much fear. No, this time his rising concern was the fact that no one else seemed to respond to these creatures. It was like they were invisible to everyone else but him. "Run…why aren't you running from these horrible creatures?"
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From a rooftop overlooking the park, an amused and highly regal voice spoke to apparently nothing. "Well this is interesting…there seems to be a human amongst the lot that can see the Constructs. Impressive, but also unimportant. It's a single human, so the chances of him doing something that could possibly affect what is about to happen are nearly non-existent."
He knew he was taking something of a gamble concerning the single Death God assigned to protect this area, but it was a very safe bet. ("Ten Constructs aren't that hard to replace in the long run, and they'll certainly be enough to defeat this type of opponent. The only unknown factor is this gamble is the strength level of the single Death God. He must be at least slightly capable, otherwise there would be no purpose behind him being assigned here. Now the remaining question is whether or not he will be a danger to me.")
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Hiteru, Leon, and Kumo all stared at Takai, who was yelling at a bunch of kids over by a playground to run away.
Hiteru, a blond-haired young man with brown eyes, rubbed his stubbly chin and looked contemplative. "I bet he lost it." When Leon and Kumo nodded, he sighed. "Well, should we stop him or leave him to his own devices?"
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"Why aren't you listening to me? Can't you see them?" Takai normally wasn't a very active person, but right now he seemed extremely active as he yelled at these children. Mostly they either ignored him or just laughed at him, and it was only making him even more frantic. ("Those monsters haven't moved yet, but that doesn't mean a thing. They might just be biding their time, or worse….damn it, why am I the only one who can see them?")
Then all at once, as if their heads were jack-o'-lanterns and Halloween had just begun, bright yellow and red lights came alive within the heads of the ten monsters, and all at once they roared an unearthly chorus of anger that brought Takai to his knees, clutching at his head to make the noise stop. ("No…they're moving now…") He somehow managed to lift his head to watch them as they slowly started to move, their bodies rapidly gaining speed. ("Soon they'll be moving normally…and then…") They would kill those children, he knew they would. He didn't question that knowledge, but he knew he had to do something about it. "Please! I'm begging someone…get those kids away from there!"
A large caterpillar-like monster roared, its tapered mask clacking open and closed. Then it advanced towards a group of children going down a slide, its mouth set to let them fall right in on their way down.
"NO!" Takai tried to stand, but something about this situation was causing him pain that was so intense he couldn't think straight.
The monster teeth came a few inches from biting down on a little three-year-old boy's head…
"O Lord, Mask of Flesh and Bone, All Creation, Flutter of Wings, Ye who bears the name of Man, Truth and Temperance, Upon this sinless wall unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws. Way of Destruction 33; Sokatsui!" There was an explosive flash of blue light, and when it faded the monstrous caterpillar was on its back a few feet away from where the children had been, smoke rising from its body.
Takai slowly looked up at the source of that strange blue lightning. ("What was that? More importantly, who was that?")
Homorue cracked his knuckles and thanked every teacher he'd ever had who had taught him about the Demon Arts. ("Without that spell, there would have no way for me to stop that creature.") He breathed a small sigh of relief as he watched the children run from the playground, confused and rather terrified by the sudden lightning blast. ("It was luck that I didn't hit those kids though. I had to use the full incantation though, or else that thing wouldn't have been defeated.")
The caterpillar Hollow squirmed and roared in anger, and then rolled onto its legs again and howled, the others sharing its cry as their attention turned completely onto the black-robed figure that stood atop a nearby bathroom stall.
"Here goes…" Homorue drew his Soul Slayer and leapt right towards the nearest of the Hollows, which had a very snake-like body. ("Something's wrong…these Hollows are acting like some kind of pack of animals…that's not right. Hollows don't work well together. Also, that Sokatsui should have obliterated its target…instead it only stunned it. This won't end well, but I'm already engaged!") "…prepare yourselves!" Right before he reached the snake Hollow, a giant fist slammed into him and sent him shooting through a nearby tree.
Takai just kneeled there, eyes wide in surprise. ("A Death God?") Then his brain had a momentary freezing as it questioned how he knew what that guy was. ("More importantly, he's going to lose against these Hollows…") Another unfamiliar word he shouldn't have known. ("There's no way he can beat them all.")
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"I see, so that's the extent of his abilities?" A deep sigh came from that regal voice. "It's too sad to watch. That spell can't beat the Constructs, and there's no chance a little whelp like him can deal with ten of them at a time, considering their abilities at team-work."
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Homorue stood up slowly, blood dripping down his cheek from a cut he had gotten thanks to the tree that cushioned his fall. ("Damn it…that was unexpected. Hollows normally don't attack like that when they're in groups.") "I have no choice!" His hands started to move. ("If a full power blast won't work…") "Way of Destruction 31…" Homorue cut the spell off and leapt to the side right before he was flattened by the same fist that had hit him before. ("These Hollows are stronger than they should be…and none of them speak either? That doesn't make any sense.")
Slashing the giant fist once before he ran, the Death God pondered what he could possibly do in this situation. ("Demon Arts are ineffective, while my Soul Slayer can't kill them all quickly enough to avoid getting locked in a blood skirmish. And against this many Hollows, a bloody skirmish will mean my death.")
"Hey, are you alright?" Takai yelled out towards the blond-haired guy who was apparently getting destroyed by these things. "You want me to call the police?"
Homorue blinked in surprise at this. "You…you can see me?" Then he had to leap to the side to avoid a crushing fist aimed right for him.
"Any reason why I can't, mister Death God?" Takai tilted his head to the side in curiosity. His fear was gone now that the children were out of harm's way.
Homorue cursed under his breath. ("Demon Arts won't work, regardless of how much power I put into it. So I have to fight, but I need help…") "I don't suppose, considering you know what a Death God is, how to help me fight these things?"
"Fight them? Me?" Takai pointed at himself. "Are you nuts? I don't know how to fight at all, how would I help you with those things?"
Homorue could tell this kid wasn't normal, considering he was talking so casually in the prescense of ten Hollows. ("This kid's spiritual energy is horrible though, he shouldn't even be able to see me, so how is it….") He let the thought go to avoid another crushing punch, replying to it with a deadly swing from his sword that left another gash in the arm of the attacking Hollow. However, this one didn't make any roars of pain. It was perfectly calm. ("Why can't I ever get any normal assignments damn it!")
Takai felt a tingle run up his spine, like something was tapping him on the shoulder. ("What is this feeling? Why do I feel like I can do something about this?")
Homorue ducked under another of the humanoid Hollow's punches, which if it had connected might have broken him. ("What do I do? I can't run forever, and I'm running out of room.") He had considered running into the trees for cover, but considering there were still people around who were spectators, he couldn't get them involved. ("I have to stay in the area of this weird plastic structure…but what should I do to deal with these things?")
Takai frowned. ("Why do I feel like I need to help? Why do…") That tingle ran up his spine again. ("Why do I know that I can help?")
Homorue turned on one heel and leapt over the next punch, running up the Hollow's arm to its head and slashing right through its mask. Before he could smile at his victory though, the tail of the snake Hollow came out of nowhere and smacked him hard enough to send him through another tree.
Takai watched the giant humanoid Hollow's body fade with a jaded eye, because somewhere deep in his heart he knew that was one down, but nine more to go. ("This guy can't do this alone…but…help him? Who am I kidding? How can I possibly help him?")
("Is that the problem?")
Takai looked around him, the echoing voice strangely familiar. "Damn it…it's bad enough to be seeing things, but now I'm…"
("Do not worry about that right now. You wanted to help him…am I correct? Do you feel that you can defeat these kinds of odds on your own?") The voice was strangely stern, and yet calm at the same time.
Takai watched as the blond-haired guy stood up just in time to get struck by that giant tail again, and get pounded into the dirt. The culprit, the snake Hollow, howled and rose up, preparing to dive in and swallow him whole. ("I can't watch someone die…not right in front of me. Yes…yes I can!")
The voice grew quiet, as if it was considering something. ("I hope the next time we speak, you'll be somewhere near the level to understand who I am.") There was an explosive flash of blue light that swallowed up Takai, and when it faded his body was face-first in the ground.
Homorue, though his one un-bloodied eye, watched the approaching Hollow with only minor fear. ("I jumped into an impossible fight…I wouldn't have been able to win.") The teeth got closer and closer….and then disappeared. ("What?")
"Sorry about just standing there." A hand reached down and helped Homorue to his feet. "Can you still fight?"
Turning his head to look at the source of his assistance, Homorue's eyes went huge. "You?"
Takai, wearing the same black robes as the guy he was talking to, nodded slowly. "Yeah…you needed help right?"
Homorue just stood there, mouth opening and closing but no words coming out.
"Relax and leave this guy's to me…" Takai slowly drew the sword at his side, the thin blade glittering in the dying sunlight. "Hey, you monster movie rejects! Prepare yourselves for the end."
The eight remaining Construct Hollows all howled in anger and started to advance at once towards the two Death Gods.
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The regal voice had gone rather quiet. ("What is this disturbing spiritual pressure coming off of this boy? It's surprising enough to find out he was a Death God, but there's more to it than that. No, there's far more to it than that…") He wasn't so sure about the outcome of this fight now. ("Could he actually slay these Constructs? No…that would be impossible. His spiritual energy is strange, but by no means is it strong. He's like a fledgling Death God, nothing more.")
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Takai walked the approaching Hollows calmly. ("I don't feel afraid. They're so strong, but despite that I don't feel afraid.") Looking down at the sword in his hand, he slowly held it up in front of him. "Let's see just why I'm not afraid."
To be continued…
Author's Notes: Sorry if I took a long time updating, I find myself being very cautious as I write these pages.
To seal-chan: Thank you very much for the compliment.
To Seeker of the Soul: Yeah, since there won't be much interaction with the original Bleach universe for a while, you don't need to worry about spoilers.
To Time Mage: The truth is that Takai's 'dream' was neither of what you thought it was. As for the other questions, you'll see when it is time.