A/N: Lime incoming
There was only one word to properly describe Arata's mood: Irritated.
The headache pills Unohana gave did little to alleviate his throbbing head; it would seem he drank harder against Captain Kyoraku than he thought. When he finally arrived at school, it was an utter mess; The delinquents were more lively when they saw the feared security guard off duty and so, reeked havoc in the poor school. That changed as soon as Arata stepped foot on campus, but it was aggravating, yet quick work. Some of the more troublesome students refused to fall in line and caused Arata to exert more effort than he wanted to. Given his current state, he had hoped for easy work but the students had other plans.
If the students weren't enough, the staff harped on him as well. The principal - although grateful for his presence - gave him a lengthy lecture on the importance of good prudence and setting a good example to the students. The other teachers proved even more irksome, complaining to him about the students, to which he waved them off and did his work.
Orihime, Ichigo, and the others watched on, concerned as he worked himself to the bone. They proposed he take some time off but Arata vehemently refused. He was not going to waste precious time when he had a job to do and future battles to prepare for.
And so, following his bullheadedness, he went to Kisuke's place to train. Right now, he was playing tag with Yoruichi. "It'll improve your speed and reflexes" she said but Arata wondered if she proposed the game just to have fun. Neither the less, he followed.
The two darted through the underground area, flashing from one point to another as Arata attempted to tackle the fun-loving cat. His movement were languid, affected from both his weaken yet still present hangover and the need to sleep. "Come on, Arata! You're faster than that!" Yoruichi shouted as she dodged the man once again before flash stepping to the middle of the room.
Arata lets out a loud annoyed groan before catching up with the purple-haired woman, flash stepping behind her in order to grab her. He pushed himself to move faster, despite his fatigue. Yoruichi tried to jump out of his way but he successfully grappled onto her, catching her by the legs and making her fall. He fell along with her but his head landed in an... interesting spot.
"Oh!" Yoruchi gasped, surprised, as she felt Arata's head land on her doughy butt. She turned her head to see Arata's head snuggled to her behind, his head laying sideways specifically on her left cheek. A teasing smile dons on her face and she props her head up with her hands. "If you wanted a closer look Arata, you could've just asked".
The otherworldly man did not respond to the ex-captain, prompting the woman to look questioningly at him. She called out to him, but when he yet again did not respond, she looked closer to see his back slowly rising up and down. He fell asleep on the pillow that was her ass.
She nearly laughed at the obscurity of the situation, but what halted her was the fact that Arata clearly was not taking her advice. She coughs backs her laughter and carefully maneuvers herself and Arata so that Arata's head could lay on her lap. She frowns and shakes her disappointingly down at him. "You idiot..." she sighed.
Later...
Arata awoke some hours later, only to find himself laying near a large, steaming-hot spring. He questions how he was there when Yoruichi came in with a couple towels in hand. "I see yo're awake now. Alright, strip down" she ordered simply.
"...Why?" he groggily asked.
"'Cause you can't enter a hot spring with your clothes on?"
"No, why are we here? We did not even complete our time together-"
"We're not training anymore today. It clear to me, Kisuke, and Tessai that your head isn't in the game today" she sternly stated.
"I'm fine" he denied her claim. "Let's just continue playing tag or something. I don't care, let's just train-"
"No" she said more firmly. "Just do this Arata. Trust me when I say you'll enjoy this"
He frowns at her for a moment before he finally relents, taking off his clothes and stepping into the hot spring. The fact that he was nude in front of someone, a woman even, did not bother him. It wasn't like he was showing her anything wrong; it was just his body.
As soon he delved his body into the hot pool, his stiff muscles began to loosen, and he started to physically relax. His eyes fluttered before closing, enjoying the sensation of the healing water. He had to admit, this spring was something else.
He was so immersed that he didn't even notice someone else joining him until they rubbed their body next to him to his left. "What are you doing?" he sighed.
Yoruichi sat next to him naked as the day she was born. Her hair was let down and she smirked at him. "Whatever do you mean? I'm just enjoying the spring along with you"
"Whatever" he dismissed as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes once again.
A pregnant silence engulfed the two as they continued to enjoy the water and its properties. "You weren't listening to me" Yoruichi suddenly spoke up.
"We were not even talking" Arata replied.
"Not that. You clearly aren't taking enough breaks when you should" she stated. "You work five days a week, come here nearly seven days a week, and now you're going to Unohana? You're overloading yourself Arata"
He sighs tiredly. "Like I said before, I'm-"
"You are NOT fine. You clearly have a hangover, and when you should've stayed home, you went to work instead and then came here".
"I'll manage"
"At this rate, you'll be the end of yourself in no time". she replied. "Look Arata, you need to take it easy. Take a break once and awhile and smell the roses. Takes walks out to the town. Hell, have sex too if it'll help. Just relax. You're still strong, but if you continue working yourself to the bone, you'll break"
It made sense why she was concerned; he was, after all, her student. Any self-respecting teacher would desire their pupil's well-being. A break does sound appealing, he thought. He still had not finished the manga he bought. Perhaps... some time off every now and then would help in his journey in becoming stronger. "Will you let this go if I agree?". When she nodded, he returned with his own nod. "I'll take a break every now and then, alright?" he sighed.
She heard his words but still felt that he wasn't fully taking her words to heart. "Don't just say it Arata. Start right now"
"It's not like I can relax with you here" he groaned.
Yoruichi's serious disposition shifts, and a ravishing smile crosses her face. "Perhaps I can help with that" she purred. She slid her body over Arata's lap and sits herself on him. She bit her bottom lip when she felt his flaccid but long manhood sandwich itself between her stomach and his. She then begins to rub her hands over his large, stiff muscles, massaging him, soothing him. She traces a finger over his multiple scars, idly wondering the story behind each and every one.
Arata hand to admit, the woman knew how to use her hands. The fatigue he once felt was slowly leaving his body, and he felt rejuvenated. He was about to protest her position but if she was going to continue with this service, he'll allow it. "Don't just sit there like a log," she suddenly said smiling. "Put your hands on me".
He shrugs and does as he was told, and lays his hands gingerly on her waist. He never noticed until now but her body was full in all the right places. He might have critiqued when they first met but after training with her for some time now, he now understood her body was unlike any other woman he had encounter. It was a mix of maturity, grace, and strength. Aspects he greatly respects.
Yoruichi fingers his red dragon tattoos, tracing each detailed scale until she reached the heads. "What do your tattoos represent?"
"Longevity, strength, and bravery. It was payment for a job I did when I was seventeen" he explained.
"What was the job?"
Without getting into the details about samurai bandits, drug lords, illegal mushrooms from Valkenheim, and corrupt Warborn clan leaders, he simply told her, "I was hired to find the leader behind an illegal drug operation in a small town. I found him and took care of him, but the man who hired me did not have much money at the time, but he was a tattoo artist, so I asked for his services as payment. He went all out as you can see"
"Well look at you: a vigilante dishing out justice in his own, albeit bloody, way" Yoruichi giggled.
Arata only mumbled in response. The purplette ran a hand down his thick bicep to his hands, squeezing and enjoying the feel of his strong muscles. "Do you do this with every man, I wonder" he said aloud without thinking. Upon realizing what he said, he expected physical retribution from the woman, but all he did got was a light slap on shoulder and some light-hearted chuckling as well.
"Only to the ones I like" she laughed, seemingly unoffended by the comment. She softly gasps when she felt his ball sack rub against her folds, and she had to resist the urge to jump his bones right then and there. "By the way, that sure was some joke you pulled on Soi Fon" she then laughed as she recalled the memory.
"What happened?"
"She barged into the shop in the middle of the night, demanding I take a pregnancy test. When I asked where she heard I was pregnant, she pointed to you. I was very surprised, to say the least; didn't know you had it in you to crack jokes".
"She drew on my mask. She deserved some mental anguish" Arata simply replied.
Yoruichi laughed. "If you say so. Just try not to scar her too badly".
Yoruichi slowly stopped her hands on Arata's biceps, and closed her eyes, simply enjoying the feeling of a man beneath her. Arata gazed up at her as she went into her own world. His eyes wandered her appealing body without reservation. She had everything a man would desire in a woman and much more. A wonderfully plump ass, soft yet firm breast, an toned body, shapely hips, everything. Arata swore that if he was in his early teens, he would have been all over her. Who wouldn't?
His eyes continued to wander as Yoruichi continued to rub her sensually. She grinded her groin against his own, moaning lightly without shame. He looked up to her face and she looked down at him. She cups his head as she smiles beautifully at him, enjoying the serene moment between them. Her golden eyes fascinated him. They were always filled with playful, harmless mischief. Then there was her hair. Her hair intrigued him due to its exotic, unnatural color. Yet he could not find another color to associate with her.
His eyes wandered downward to her chest, her nipples looking back at him. He was like any other hormonal-driven boy when he was younger. He would engage in sexual behavior, especially with his female shinobi companion. After they parted, Arata's drive to experience the pleasures of the flesh lessened. He encountered many attractive women in his travels, but he never allowed them any quarter to seduce him. He had no need for those feelings or the baggage associated with them. Plus, he knew those women just wanted his money; it was not as if they liked him or anything.
Yet now, there was Yoruichi. She was a flirt by nature and a playful one at that. She confessed she liked him, but to what extent, he did not know. With or without his mask, he knew he wasn't the most handsome man she had seen in all her years. That changed very little because she still sat on his lap. She sat on his lap not to earn some sort of reward but just to help him relax. She was doing this because she liked him.
She was doing this because she cared about him.
His hands flexed on her waist, tightening for a second before they loosened again. His breathing quicken by a small margin, and his heart pounded against his rib-cage just as fast as when he was in battle. His eyes continued to explore her body, drinking in every juicy detail down from her wonderfully thick thighs to her long and elegant hair. His blood was running hotter than magma by the second, which he found odd at first, but he ignored it. But then, without warning, it happened.
His cock twitched.
His eyes widen in shock. How? How could that happen?! He buried his lust long ago. He buried it alive and up until this moment, he thought it died. Just... how? Did Yoruichi poison him? No, it couldn't be. Was the water messing with his head? There had to be a reason!
The woman chuckled when she felt his cock twitched. In truth, she was beginning to feel frustrated that she couldn't break Arata with her teasing. It was good to know she still got it. "Well it seems this part of you is more honest than-... Arata, are you okay?". She stopped poking fun when she saw how his head was trembling. It was a small tremor, but for a man so stoic like a statue, it was pretty noticeable. It was like he had just seen a ghost.
When he realized Yoruichi was looking over him, he hastily composed himself. Although his little soldier was doing anything but relax. "I... thank you for the advice. I will be sure to take it to heart". And with that, he lifted Yoruichi off him before exiting the hot spring.
As he dried and dressed himself, Yoruichi got out herself and stood next to the man as he dressed. She was feeling a plethora of emotion; sexual frustration at the fact Arata was cutting their time before the good stuff happened, pride in that she was able to pull a reaction from the man, and great concern that Arata was acting more rattled than she anticipated. "Arata, if I crossed a line, you can just say so".
"No, you did nothing wrong" he replied. "I suppose congratulations are in order. You made me feel something I had not felt in almost a decade: Lust" he admitted.
The purple-haired ex-captain couldn't help but feel her ego swell, and she smiled softly in satisfaction, but that smile was tempered with concern. "Is that good or bad?" she asked.
"Depends on who you ask, I guess" Arata shrugged.
"Well, I'm asking YOU. Arata, is the lust you're feeling for me a good or bad thing?"
He thought about it for a moment. The arousal he was feeling wasn't bad per say and her ministrations were pleasant, but it was unwanted. He refused to let this renewed lust control him or give it any quarter. In the end, they would only get in the way. They were an unnecessary obstacle that needed to be purged.
In the end, he gave her a light shrug. "I'm gonna go now. Perhaps... I will take a walk and smell the roses". After he fully changed, he started to make his way to the exit ladder.
Yoruichi continued to look at his departing form. Her arousal was watering down while her worry was firing up. He did not say it, but she knew she crossed a line. She wanted him to talk to her. She wanted him to open up but it was clear Arata was adamant in claiming he was fine. She seriously doubted the claim, but for now, she was going to let it go. She could only hope Arata would figure out his feelings before they would come back and bite him.
Later...
Arata felt mentally exhausted; the day was far from calming. First a hangover, then work, and now unwanted arousal. What a day, he thought sarcastically.
He could still feel that fiery feeling bubbling in his stomach. The need to touch a woman and make her his. What a tiresome emotion lust was, Arata thought. He refused to allow this crack jeopardize his fortress. Sooner or later, this feeling will hurt him. He just knows it.
Yoruichi Shihouin. The root of his problem. He should have seen it coming, her touching that is. He knew how flirty and seductive the woman can be and he still allowed her to touch him. He couldn't fault her entirely though; He should have known better. He knew he would have reacted to her massaging, but for his loins to fire up after years of inactivity was like hidden dagger.
He could not recall the last time he was attracted to a woman other than his old shinobi companion. He knew he met pretty women before, but he never paid them any mind until he came to this world, and even then, he found almost every woman he encountered anything but arousal-inducing. He respects Orihime, he admires Unohana, and everyone else was fine. So what made Yoruichi different? What made her touching feel good when so many others failed?
... The only logical conclusion he could come up with was that she was similar to his old shinobi companion, Shinobu Ichijou. She was the last woman he found appealing, and the two were alike in personality, yet that still didn't satisfy him.
He groaned, displeased at how his day had gone. 'I need to find a distraction'.
But as luck would have it, the distraction found him.
A sudden spiritual presence alerts him, prompting him to transform and pull out his zanpakuto. When he looked around him and found no one, he used his spiritual radar to try and locate the presence. Only a second went by when a composed voice called out to him. "You're so on edge. How about trying to relax a little?".
Arata looked up to find a peculiar sight; a man standing upside down in midair. The man himself had jaw-length blonde hair straight cut bangs. His smile revealed his upper teeth as he stared right back at Arata. His attire consisted of a light brown newsboy cap, a white dress shirt with a striped blue tie under a long brown coat, gray trousers, and black shoes. Perched on his shoulder was a katana with a red hilt and an hourglass-shaped guard.
Just from the sword, Arata knew what type of person this stranger was. "A soul reaper?". But he felt something different emanating from him. "Is there a reason why you are here?"
The blonde floats down until he and Arata stood a couple meters from each other. "What's the matter? Can't a couple strangers strike up a friendly conversation with one another?" he joked.
The hitokiri raised his sword at him. "Enough small talk. What do you want?" he demanded.
The man rolled his eyes at him, not in the least bit threatened by the sword pointed at his person. "Should've figured you would be the head-first, direct kind of guy. What a bore. But if that's your style, very well then. I'll play that way". He then places his hand on his face, and before Arata knew it, a white substance began coalescing around his face, forming a mask that reached the back of his neck. By the time the mask fully formed, it resembled a pharaoh's mask and his eyes became black with grey irises.
A soul reaper with a hollow mask? What a new development, Arata could only think. "What is your name?"
The man's voice was deeper, almost demonic. "My name is Shinji Hirako. And I was just wondering if you would like to come with me to meet my associates, Arata Takahashi".
Elsewhere, later...
Back in Kisuke Urahara's shop, the humble shop owner determined to look more into Arata before going to bed. Going over living world and Soul Society records, he has yet to find any clue concerning the mysterious hitokiri, which he found abnormal considering how out of place he was. Surely some records should have been made concerning a killer vigilante with a white mask.
However, that was not the case. There was no record depicting Arata before his arrival. It was like he never existed before the spiritual explosion.
Kisuke would never admit it, but It frustrated him that he couldn't find an answer. And it did not help that Arata was so secretive about his origins either. There was only one barrier Kisuke felt that was holding him back. If he could somehow break whatever that barrier was, he will find the answers he seeks.
But as of now, all he knew only a handful of information: Arata was not from the Soul Society nor the world of the living, and was closely associated with the spiritual explosion.
A firm but gentle knocking at his shop's door turns him away from his work. He leaves to open said door, only to find Orihime with a bento box in hand. "Ms. Inoue, whatever are you doing at this hour?" he asked. The sky was already turning dark as day descended into night.
"Arata hasn't come home yet so I just assumed he was still here training. So I packed him some dinner and came straight here". In truth, she was against Arata going to training today in the first place. Like many others, she saw how ragged the masked man was at school. She and her friends tried to calm him down, but he was determined to continue his schedule as if nothing was wrong.
"Sorry to say this, but he left a few hours ago after...". He then began to snicker. "He and Yoruichi trained". After Arata left, Kisuke asked Yoruichi why the man looked bothered, and she confided in him what happened. He was genuinely concerned about Arata like Yoruichi is, but he would be lying if he said he did not find the story humorous.
Confused at why the bucket-hatted man was laughing, Orihime asked, "What happened?"
Just then, Yoruichi entered the shop and glared dagger at Urahara, stopping the man from talking any further. "Me and Arata simply had a..." she then trailed off, not knowing what to call their moment together. "Miscalculation" she finished. When she saw Orihime's eyes widen in concern, she smiled comfortingly. "Don't you worry your little head Orihime. Arata's a tough guy. He'll get through it" she said. 'At least, I hope' she then thought
"Then... where could he be?".
Elsewhere...
Somewhere in the warehouse district, Shinji leads Arata to the base of operation of his group. They take a turn towards a dark abandoned warehouse. They stop just short from the door and when Arata was about to question why they stopped, a square translucent yellow barrier surrounds the building before a entrance way was made, allowing them passage.
They enter and immediately Arata was greeted by the sight of seven different people standing over him and Shinji from a higher platform. The first was a large and rotund man with pink hair and a green suit. The next was a tall man sporting a green track suit and a thick spiked afro. The next man was tall and muscular man with short silver hair. The final man in the group was tall with long and wavy blonde hair, and a perpetual bored expression on his face. The first female in the group was short woman with short lime-green hair in a white, superhero-like jumpsuit. The next female was young woman with black braided hair and red oval glasses. The thing Arata found the most eye-catching was her sailor uniform. The final female was a young preteen-looking girl with spiky blonde hair tied in pigtails and a red track suit.
"I assume these are your associates?" Arata said aloud.
"You are correct. Arata Takahasi, we are the Visored" Shinji nodded. He then began introducing the group in order, pointing at them. "The big guy is Hachi, the guy with the afro is Love, the serious guy right there is Kensei, the blonde is Rose, the little superhero in white is Mashiro, the sailor girl is Lisa, and the red gremlin right over there is Hiyori- YEOUCH!".
A sandal rocketed Shinji in the face, fired than none other than the angered Hiyori Sarugaki. "The hell did you call me, baldy?!" she exclaimed.
"You have no right calling me bald when HE is in the room!" Shinji then replied, pointing fingers at Arata. The girl was having none of it as she launched herself at Shinji and begins beating the snot out of him.
"There they go again..." Lisa sighed.
"I was hoping they would behave themselves more appropriately. It has been some time since we had visitors" Hachi commented.
"Forget them," Kensei dismissed. "What do you all think of the new guy?"
"He looks like a hardened warrior. No doubt about it" Lisa stated.
"He doesn't look very fun to be around though" Mashiro then said.
"You think he likes guitar?" Rose idly wonders. Love in response just shrugs.
"He looks more like a manga-lover to me" Love hypothesized.
"That's what you're all concerned about?!" Kensei exclaimed to his compatriots.
Arata only grew more exasperated as time went on, and so, grabbed the tussling Shinji and Hiyori by their collars, and separated them like children. "Enough. Explain your business with me or I am walking out" he demanded.
The two visoreds shrugged him off. Shinji then began to circle Arata as Hiyori leaned against a nearby pillar. "You're interesting man, Arata Takahashi. You see, you have the peculiar ability to hold your mask for an indefinite amount of time".
"And what of it?"
"From what we personally experienced, that shouldn't even be possible" Shinji stated seriously. "All of us can't hold our masks for very long, three to five minutes at most-"
"WRONG!" Mashiro suddenly yelled.
"... Almost all of us. Mashiro, somehow, can hold her hollow mask for fifteen hours" he explained. "Still, all of us have a time limit to our masks. You, however, do not, and we wanna know why. Plus, you're a visored just like us. It only makes sense that you should be among people like yourself" Shinji then smiled invitingly.
Arata simply nodded. "Your plight is understandable. However, you forgot to include one detail"
"Oh?"
"Why should I care?" Arata rudely said. "Your problems do not concern me. Unless you have something I want, then you will have to use more than shared face-wear to persuade me".
Shinji looked unconcerned as his grin widened. "And here I thought you would empathize with your own. You break my heart, Arata"
The masked man dismissed the blonde's words as he began walking toward the entrance. Just as he was about to leave, the entrance closes on him. He banged the barrier a couple of times before turning back to the Visored. "Open the barrier" he demanded.
"You know the soul reapers are gonna dump your ass as soon as you out-live your usefulness right?" Hiyori loudly questioned. "In their eyes, you're the ultimate taboo: A soul reaper with hollow powers. You're better off with us than them in the long run. But I guess you're just too stupid understand that, are you?"
"I will deal with that problem in time, should it even occur" Arata said. What she said, he did note, but it was a future problem for future Arata. Stay in the present, Sakura advised. "And why should I join a group that will offer me nothing but a useless membership?".
"Who said we have nothing to give you, big guy?" Shinji joined in laughing. "I heard you want to get stronger. Won't training with us offer you better opportunities to master your abilities? Pretty sure Kisuke Urahara can't teach you how to properly fire ceros"
I can sense the hollows within them. They are for the most part controlled, but it's comparable to having a agitated lion within an iron cage. In their eyes, we're the best person to helping them domesticate those lions.
'Fascinating to note, but does little to persuade me. I already have Kisuke, Yoruichi, Tessai, and Unohana as mentors. We simply do not need them'. True, the four may or may not know how to accurately help him, but at least they were familiar.
Still though, they're an opportunity we must take for the sake of our advancement.
Arata mulled over his options. He did not even know the intentions of this group. How will he know whether he was being played a fool or not? Then there was what they wanted from him. From what he has been told, they can't hold their masks nearly as long as he can. Even if he was feeling charitable, he had no clue where to begin to help them.
With that thought, he sighed. "Look, I am going to be truthful with you all: I don't fully grasp the understanding of my own mask. Even if I wanted to help, which I do not, I cannot give you anything else other than what you might already know"
"We still want you to join us though" Shinji pressed before chuckling jovially. "You think we keep Hiyori because she's useful to-" but he was silenced when the preteen kicked his head to the ground, cursing and bad-mouthing him all the while.
The absurdity of those two was making Arata's headache return. He grabs Hiyori by the back of her jacket and head-butts her as he stomped on Shinji's defeated noggin. "Both of you, behave". He turned to Hiyori. "Especially you, little boy".
The pig-tailed girl was fuming at the man holding her. Not only did he bop her head, he shot at her feminine charms! "'Little boy'?! I'M A GIRL YOU NUMSKULL! WHAT? YOU WANT ME TO SHOW YA MY BOOBS?! CALL ME A BOY AGAIN AND I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE!".
Shinji, despite being under the foot of the hulking hitokiri, couldn't help laughing at Hiyori's annoyance. "I think it more of the fact you aren't womanly in any way, Hiyori" he snickered.
"Shinji..." she growled. "You better hope your legs are strong, 'cause I'm rip him off, I swear!".
Arata pulled Shinji up to his feet and slowly put Hiyori down. "I've decided" Arata stated.
"Really?" Shinji grinned.
Arata turned and looked down at him. "I will join this organization".
The blonde in front of him clapped his hands in satisfaction. "Excellent! I'm so glad you're seeing it our-"
"But," Arata interrupted. "Consider this membership temporary. Other than teachings in hollow powers, this little group offers nothing else to me. You want my knowledge? Fine. But only if you offer yours in return. Until we both get what we want, I am one of you. Am I understood?".
"So you're basically asking for a beneficial partnership?"
"Pretty much. In my eyes, you need me more than I need you. You have to make it worth my while to stay"
Now it's Shinji's turn to review his options. Before Arata came in the picture, he had planned to recruit Ichigo Kurosaki, which he was still going to do, but when as soon as Arata came in the picture wearing his mask 24/7, he and the other visoreds instantly knew they had to get to them first.
Hiyori, however, was not tolerating how Arata was speaking. "Who said we needed you in the fist place, baldy?" she snapped aggressively.
"Finally" Shinji muttered.
"Shut it baldy!" she then shouted at him, causing him to grumble in disappointment. "We just wanna know how you're so good with your inner hollow! Up until now, we've kept a closed lids on our inner hollows just fine without you! Don't act so prestigious just 'cause we want you to join us".
Arata regards her as he stared down at the agitated girl, unfazed. He stayed silent for a moment until he finally spoke. "Kisuke informed me that soul reapers have longer life spans than regular humans. I am twenty-five yet you all are most likely at least four times my age. I only had my powers for a few weeks now, and as Shinji had said, I can hold my hollow mask so long, none of you can even hold a candle next to me. That just shows how inept you all are in controlling your inner demons. And where did that ineptness lead you?". He stares hard at the now fuming girl. "To me"
You truly have a way with words, don't you?
The critique hit all the visoreds on a personal level. This man was insulting the all the pain they went through just to keep their sanity. All the work they put in just to gain a minute of control. But as offended they were, they couldn't help but feel the truth in his words. They had years upon years on this man but the time they did have with their masks was finite while his was unlimited.
Though most did not voice their discontent with the man, Hiyori most certainly did. "Bastard!" she yelled as she unsheathed her sword and clashed with Arata, who was able to take out his own sword. "It 'cause you're natural freak, that's why! You can never understand the pain and hard work we had to go through just to keep ourselves from falling to our inner hollows!" she yelled in his face. "Release your zanpakuto! I'm gonna make you pay you bald emo son of a bitch"
He obliged her, and released Hitokiri. Shinji jumped up next to Hachi and order him to create seven more layers to the barrier. The round man sighs. "I had hoped this encounter would've ended with no need of violence"
"If you ask me, the guy had this coming" Kensei admitted. "Planned on engaging before Hiyori jumped in".
"His words were quite piercing. How unfortunate that he could not be more sympathetic" Rose dramatically lamented.
As Arata and Hiyori continued to clash, Hachi turned to Shinji who looked deep in thought. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's just... from how he spoke, it's like he never experienced fighting his inner hollow before. Like it was as easy as releasing your shikai" Shinji confessed. "Mashiro has the best connection out of all of us but even she had some difficulty putting her hollow in check".
"What are you saying?" Lisa asked.
"I don't know for certain, but I bet good money that his connection is way more different than we initially thought" Shinji stated with upmost confidence.
Back with Arata and Hiyori, the fight was already heating up as Hiyori released her own zanpakuto, Kubikiri Orochi. As her large serrated blade clashed with the hitokiri axe, her anger continued ebbing out of her being. Arata parries one of her sloppy attacks before kicking her in the chest. Considering how small she was in comparison to Arata, the kick was twice as damaging.
She grunts as she was sent floor by the blunt attack. She rolls out of the way as she felt Arata try to attack her as she was on the ground. She flash step his next attack, following up with flash stepping next to his head and delivering a kick to his hard head.
She winced as she felt like she kicked a thick metal wall but shrugs it off as soon as Arata came rushing at her. She back-flips, kicking Arata in he chin. She lands some distance back from the man, panting. "You're more trouble than you look" she panted. "Looks like I have to bring in the big guns".
She holds her hand over her face, and Arata watched as her own mask formed. The white substance took shape in the form of a skeletal mask with a prominent horn on the forehead and a row of diamond-shaped markings over the eyebrows. Her sclera turned black while her eyes remained brown. "Still think we're 'inept'?!" she screamed at him before she gently slid her mask to the side of her head. "Bet you can't even take that bland mask of yours off" she then laughed hollowly.
"Actually, I choose not to take it off". Arata was impressed; He could feel the spike in spiritual power as soon as she donned her mask. Her energy was pulsating though, probably from all the anger she was feeling towards him at the moment. He could also sense great control over that power. It was clear she could maintain it, just not for long. If this battle will do anything, it will surely test her.
The both of them flash step to each other, clashing, and sending shock-waves throughout the warehouse. Arata knees the girl in the chin before taking a hold of her horn and tossing into a wall. Enraged, Hiyori flash steps several feet in front of Arata and opens her mask's mouth, charging a red cero before firing. Acting on instincts, Arata fires his own low powered cero from his left hand, matching her and knocking both of them back from the resulting explosion. Lucky for everyone present, both ceros were low powered else the entire building would have collapsed.
Groaning, Arata sets himself back up, but Hiyori got up seconds before him and descended upon the hitokiri with reckless anger. Taken by surprise, Arata blocked the heavy attack with difficulty as his arm was shaking from his cero. "What's wrong?" Hiyori taunted. "You look scared. Looks who's lacking now!" She brings up her cleaver to deliver another attack but Arata knocks her away with a white ball of energy from his weakened left hand. The attack was weak, even more so because of his malfunctioning hand. But it was enough to distract the blonde for Arata to escape her reach. He pondered on the attack he rushed to put out but decided to leave that thought for later.
He gets up and swings at Hiyori, only for her to parry him and slashing across his chest. She was shocked when she saw no blood or even a wound form. Arata abused her millisecond of surprise and starts his assault on the little girl, forcing to back step away from his heavy swings. She dodges to side and fires off a low powered cerro at Arata's face, blasting him away from her before coming in with her large sword and uppercutting him. The tip of the sword vertically cuts his neck but not enough to be lethal. At most, it'll scar. But the real kicker was that the force of the attack broke the bottom of his mask around the chin. White bone fragments fell revealing the hitokiri's chin and bottom lip.
He able hand immediately gravitates to the wounded area. In disbelief, he rubs his stubble-covered chin. His mouth drops by a few inches as soon as he realized what the aggressive teen did.
Seeing Arata in shock amused Hiyori. "Huh," she smirked underneath her mask. "You seemed surprised. Didn't think someone so inept could wound you? That was your mistake baldly-" but Arata was not hearing any of it as within a flash, he was upon Hiyori, grabbing her twig of a neck and squeezing harshly. She drops her sword and attempted to pry his hand off her person. "Let... go..." she choked, but he only tightened even harder.
Hooking his finger on her mask's eye holes, Arata did the unbelievable and pulled. He pulled hard enough at first just to make the girl suffer in pain. And suffer in pain she did. The feeling of having her mask forcibly pulled from her face was unlike any Hiyori had ever felt. It was like someone was trying to pull her skin off in one go! He pulls even harder and harder and harder until he successfully ripped the skeletal mask right off Hiyori's horrified face. He did not give her any reprieve as he then slammed the side of her face into the floor over and over again.
Hiyori was proud to a fault and incredibly explosive should something piss her off. But now, that all washed away, and the only things she could feel was intense pain and unbridled fear. She hated that she was reduced to such a pitiful state, tossed around like a soulless doll, but she was pleading for something to save her.
And fortunately, her fellow visored came just in the nick of time, just before she blacked out from all the hits. Arata paused as soon as he registered all the swords pointed at his person.
"I suggest you quit while you're ahead" Shinji said. Through the calm and laid-back tone, Arata knew very well he was being threatened. He looks down at Hiyori's defeated form and composes himself before he felt his mask again. In the time he was pummeling the hotheaded visored, his mask fixed itself.
With a deep sigh, he slowly let Hiyori's head down and stood up. The swords trained on him did not move a single bit as he did so. But, just when the Visored thought all was done, Arata abruptly turned, and football-kicked Hiyori's head, knocking out tooth. The man moves back down to the girl, grabs her by the pig-tails, and lifts her head up until she was forced to look at him. "Listen to me, little girl. Do not aim for this mask ever again. Should you ever, and I mean ever, break this mask again, not even your friends will save you from what I have in store for you. Am I understood?".
She only nodded, distrusting her voice at the moment. She knew just from the look in his dark eyes and the tone of his malicious voice told her volumes; it would not matter if he would die in the end. Just as long as he got to kill her was enough to satisfy him.
"Good" he nodded. He then adjust her in which Hiyori now laid on her back as Arata hovered at her side.
"What're you-"
Just then, his hands started to glow green from kaido. His healing was still immature, but Arata saw an opportunity and so, he took it. As he healed her with the Visoreds looking over his shoulder. "When I had said that you all are lacking, in a sense, with your hollow control, I did not mean it as an insult, but rather a critique" Arata began. "We all have talents we lack or thrive in. You all still lack that certain something that is preventing you from fully controlling your inner hollows. But I must say, I am impressed with what I saw. If Hiyori's display is anything to go by, you all have great control of your inner hollows, but it can be better"
"...Why are you saying this?" Shinji questioned.
"I see great potential in all of you. It would be a waste to squander it" Arata said. "Considering we are now partners, let's strive to benefit each other, shall we?"
Although still pissed at what he did to Hiyori, he and the others couldn't help but smile slightly. "Let's hope our time will be enlightening. Just try not to kill us if we piss you off" Shinji suggested.
"Just don't touch my mask and we will be fine" Arata sighed to which everyone nodded.
"Could've said that before we started fighting?" Hiyori grumbled, clearly still rattled from Arata earlier display. "And what's with your kaido? It's complete shit! Even Kensei can do a better job, and he's shit at kido!". Even when she was beaten, she still retained her delightful personality.
Although true, the silver-haired visored did not appreciate the comment as a vein bulged above his left eye in anger. "Like you're any better!"
Mashiro laughed at the expense of her captain while The rest monitored Arata healing on Hiyori. Hachi helped the man along with some added tips but halfway through the process, took the reins and handled the rest. With the rotund man tending to the bad-mouthed girl, Arata took his leave.
"Where are you going?" Shinji questioned.
"Out. I have work tomorrow. I'll drop by when I have time. That, and..."
"Is there a problem?"
Now that everything calmed down, Yoruichi returned to his mind. He rubbed his shaved head in exhaustion. He sighed. "I promised someone I would take it easy for a while. Gather back my bearings so to speak". Hachi then opened the barrier, allowing Arata to make his exit, and he left.
Shinji turned to Hiyori, who was sitting by a pillar in thought. "Really got the snot beat out of ya huh?" he lightly jested.
Instead of the usual hot-blooded response or attack to his person, all Shinji received was silence. He stunned, and it showed from his expression. He did not doubt one second that Arata's beating rattled her, but to this extent was unimaginable.
After a period of silence, the blonde preteen spoke up. "Why did he heal me?" she wondered loudly.
Shinji merely shrugged. "Maybe he felt bad. I dunno". It did surprise everyone present that he took the time to try and heal Hiyori, especially after she broke his mask, something the Visoreds now knew was an item of significance to the man.
The girl scoffed at the idea. "Damn," she lightly groaned. "My jaw still aches. I swear, I'm gonna make that asshole pay" she growled.
"Just don't try and get yourself killed alright?" he sighed.
"Whatever!" the ex-lieutenant dismissed. "Oh... and Shinji...". The ex-captain turned his head when he name was called and a flying sandal-clad foot came hitting him in the face. "THAT'S FOR INSULTING MY FEMININITY!". And before Shinji could recover from the blow, another kick came targeted towards his lower groin, hitting him straight in the man's testicles. "And that's for having a stupid face!"
"Why didn't Arata knock you out? It would've been so easy too" Shinji lowly muttered under his breath, afraid of further punishment.
Meanwhile...
Well that was fun.
The hitokiri merely shrugged; it was not how he had planned his evening but it happened. No changing it now.
You know, I sensed a hollow within Ichigo Kurosaki as well. And from the feel of it, he has no control of it whatsoever.
Arata scoffed. "If he's avoiding a serious problem that should be faced immediately, the fault is his own".
Think we should bring him to the Visoreds?
He thought about it for a moment but shook his head, turning down the proposition. "Something tells me the Visoreds are gonna do that themselves" Arata said. "Besides, I do not know whether or not he'll come. The boy is as stubborn as they come"
Hitokiri laughed Just like you
Arata said nothing as he went on home
Omake: Honored Warriors Illustrated Picture Book
As the night sky continued to grow darker, Hanataro Yamada couldn't help but feel bored. Work had been uneventful and slow with fewer than average people shopping, and all he had to entertain himself was the radio and old magazines.
As he his eyes fluttered from tiredness, he neglected to hear the chime of the sliding doors and the person who entered through them. It wasn't until a large shadow covered the seventh-seat did he finally register the company he had.
Looking up, all he saw was a white, hollow-like mask and dark eyes staring down at him.
The sight was frightening to say the least. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he shrieked at the top of his lungs before he fainted on top of the counter.
Deciding to get a can of soda on his way home, Arata went inside the convenience store Hanataro so happened to be working at. With the cashier knocked out from Arata himself, the man tiredly sighed and checked himself out, leaving the appropriate amount of money on the counter next to the cashier's head.
"I swear, sometimes being terrifying is an inconvenience" Arata grumbled.
