-Shunsui Kyoraku-
Shunsui held in the breath that threatened to escape, sweat barely held at bay as it threatened to pour down, as he eyed the grey wolf in front of him.
As soon as that explosion had shook the tower, he'd found himself chasing after a shrouded figure that had shown itself before him, specifically. He really should've questioned the creatures height at the time...
He'd of course expected it to be some kind of distraction, one he'd followed on the off chance it wasn't. The other captains hadn't even seemed to notice it at the time.
Distraction or not though, he'd atleast expected a humanoid target. Someone he could question. For today had yet to truly give him a proper answer... He almost couldn't help the frustration that seeped in at what qualified as a distraction for this Josh Groban... A self-destructing immortal multiplying construct of reiatsu was not what he'd hand in mind...
He breathed in quietly, his eyes darting around his barracks. The wolf had led him on a merry chase towards his squad. And while he'd made an attempt to get rid of him... The first time one of his attacks had landed, the wolf had split in two after exploding. Ever since he'd had to hold back on using any reiatsu against him, given it seemed to automatically trigger it's ability to blow up indiscriminately.
He had to hold back the wince as another wolf in his peripheral exploded, barely missing one of his seated shinigami. The unseated had been told to run after one of the split wolves had managed to cripple two with an explosion. There was currently one wolf for each of his seated, though their numbers were likely to double at any point...
Each time one blew up, two took it's place, though unlike the, original, one before him, the rest seemed to be mindless, acting on instinct as they attacked the nearest target, their jaws grasping hold of them before exploding in a shower of blue. The shower of reiatsu quickly morphing into two separate wolves as it sucked in and used the reiatsu in the air to make up for it's loss. Essentially keeping each of the growing pack at peak.
And yet, neither he nor his squad could do anything in return as he found himself sat rigid still, his unreleased blade shaking the slightest. He and the original had separated from the rest, the mindless wolves and shinigami alike knowing enough not to come anywhere near them, the latter doing so under orders.
"This is hardly fair..." He found himself muttering as he stared at the closed eyes of the wolf before him, it's grey tail wrapped around his unconscious lieutenant.
And even after everything that had happened, from the start of his day to now, he still somehow found himself once again getting caught off guard, surprised, as the wolf replied.
"You're hardly one to talk, Captain-san." The beast stated as it opened both of it's, far too intelligent, eyes to gaze at his sword. The all to familiar tone in the creatures voice elevating the tension quickly. He practically tasted the pressure in the air as his eyes minutely widened..
...
It was almost surreal, the way the wolf laid it's head ontop of it's front paw, the rest of it's body completely relaxed even as the occasional explosion went off in the background, though thankfully his shinigami had seemed to get a handle on the exploding wolves. Not to mention the seated reinforcements had certainly helped even the growing numbers.
"So... What do we do now?" He questioned absentmindedly, the wolf had been oddly quiet ever since it had revealed its ability to speak. He raised an eyebrow when the words seemed to finally get a reaction out of the wolf as he swished his tail, his lieutenant swaying with the limb.
"Hmm... How about-" The wolf remarked, sounding out of place to the captain, as it suddenly tilted it's head to the sight, its eyes staring and narrowing at something or perhaps someone in the distance. "Dear me..." The creature rumbled, it's eyes twitching rapidly. "Aizen can certainly be scary when he wants to..." It finished absentmindedly.
Shunsui took a few steps back out of range of the wolf's jaws as he widened his eyes the moment he'd heard the words. His body however automatically released his Zanpakuto at the given chance. The wolf had, up until that point, kept it's attention fully focused on him, its reiatsu smothering the barracks, even if it pretended to sleep.
Whatever Aizen had done, had momentarily distracted it.
"Katen-"
The wolf minutely turned its head towards him at the first word, opened it's mouth to speak, though Shunsui ignored it in favour of continuing.
"-Kyokots-" He'd been a practical letter away from completing his release, his Zanpakuto brimming with reiatsu before he realised the wolf hadn't been about to talk as he watched, with growing horror, the rapidly generating cero before him. He promptly canceled on releasing blade, his eyes panicked, as he made an attempt to dodge-
The blue beam of pure hollow reiatsu however turned out to move even faster then predicted as it ripped through the right side of his body and sent him crashing into the building behind him. Stars filled his eyes as his body screamed in pain. He blinked rapidly as he held in the wince of pain. His left hand, dropping his tachi automatically applying pressure into the gaping hole on the right side of his chest. Only to promptly swear when his star-fills vision ended as his gaze landed on his wakizashi across the clearing, his right hand, the rest of the arm had been in the centre of the cero, firmly attached to it.
"That looks painful..." The wolf seemed to sigh it looked at him. "Really shouldn't have assumed all I could do was bite and blow up, Captain-san..." The wolf remarked hinting at some kind of inside joke that fell on deaf ears.
"I suppose you ought to thank Aizen, for if not for him-" The wolf started as his body began to dissipate into reiatsu, "-you would've lost far more." He finished as he promptly threw the lieutenant wrapped in his tail towards him, eliciting another pain filled wince as she landed squarely on his gaping wound.
...
...
-Aizen-
I blinked a few times as I stared at the sole gun on the ground in front of me. Starks- Groban's body no where to be seen. I idly scratched the side of my head.
Huh. Well, that happened.
He's certainly improved his ability to split his soul... Aizen idly remarked in my head.
"You did it..." Hitsugaya's voice jerked me out of my thoughts. I turned my head towards him, finding the captain relatively calm, his sword once again sheathed and kept as far away from me as possible. Yoruichi on the other hand preferred silence as she simply eyed me from her position. Hitsugaya turned his gaze, taking in the destroyed barracks with a grimace to his face. "Unohana-" The younger captain started before his eyes minutely widened as they snapped back to me.
My body seemed to get the hint as it automatically moved. Swiping my Zanpakuto in arc to my left behind me, though my gaze never left Hitsugaya.
I blinked the moment I heard something fall onto the ground. I slowly turned around, lowering my blade in the process, and eyed the hand on the ground before turning back to Hitsugaya.
"He's not dead." I deadpanned before turning my gaze back to Josh Groban's hand. I quickly touched the edge of my blade to it, frowning when nothing seemed to happen, the hand wasn't even bleeding, wondering why this one seemed to stay while the body earlier had disintergrated-
You are so incorrect, it's almost painful.
Regardless... Hitsugaya, for whatever reason, winced as he quickly unsheated his blade, his eyes tentatively looking around for any more threats.
I on the other hand, picked up Groban's hand and threw it at a startled Yoruichi, the woman unable to move as my reiatsu flared to keep her in place. Aizen you petty basta- The hand promptly smacking her on the head in the process.
"That's for spitting at me earlier,"
Naturally, she threw it straight at Hitsugaya next.
Poor bastard was so freaked out he almost went bankai.
Aizen that is a grievous misuse of your Shikai ability...
I literally don't care anymore.
...I think I might've broken him.
...
How in the fuck did he lose his arm!?
Why are you asking me?
Oh, right.
"How in the fuck-" Automatically wincing at the sudden jolt of irritation from my landlord. Right. Swearing isn't allowed 25/9 here.
...
So, not completely broken yet-
Aizen promptly sent another shockwave of pin needles across our body. I coughed away the new sensation of pain, my face twitching in the process as I focused on the one-armed captain before me. "-Did you lose your arm?"
The man looked so done with today, it wasn't even funny. He'd shown up immediately after Groban's death. One arm missing as his other carried his Zanpakuto. Yoruichi had decidedly stopped trying to throw Groban's limbs at me following Hitsugaya's prompt freezing of it.
Evidently, he hadn't found it as entertaining given he'd frozen it in a case of ice almost immediately after getting hit by it for the first time.
"I fought a wolf..." Shunsui remarked, a sigh escaping him.
"Komamura-Taichou!?" "Wile E. stole your arm?" Hitsugaya and I both, respectively, remarked at the same time. And frankly I don't know whether to laugh or be proud.
Of course, the shorter captain had the grace to feel ashamed at his words as he realised what he'd just said.
Hitsugaya Toshiro's still impressionable.
Go figure.
Shunsui on the other hand didn't look remotely amused as he narrowed his eyes in irritation. He released another sigh and just as he was about to speak up, I almost couldn't help myself as I walked up to him, put one hand on his shoulder and quickly gave him the frozen limb.
"You need this way more then I do,"
He twitched.
Fortunately, before he could murder me, a few other captains decided to show themselves.
Unfortunately, one of them was Unohana Retsu. The Vanilla Kenpachi whose barracks I'd trashed ala shooting-Stark.
...
I stared around at the wide-eyed captains, the murderous captains and good old-genocide captain before me, a look of pristine calm on my face. As I was surrounded by all these people, I couldn't help but think.
Ulquiorra has got to have the biggest pair of balls in this entire fucking universe.
Because this fucker, in the midst of about 8 captains, including Genocide and myself, decided to show up behind me and quickly stick his hand through my chest, into my Haori's inner pocket and grab onto the gun inside. Blood spilling out as pain unlike anything I've ever felt racked my body.
Aizen's connection, for whatever reason, had been cut off microseconds before he'd appeared leaving my body completely vulnerable.
He'd done it all within a second flat. Moments after the captains had appeared, he'd shown himself.
I more or less saw the moment all the other captains started to move, Hitsugaya being the closest, as their expressions morphed. But even I could tell they wouldn't make it to him in time. Given the way he'd appeared without a single warning and at a speed faster then any of us could've processed.
Ulquiorra lazily pulled his arm back out of my chest, gun in hand, causing me drop to my knees, my eyes widened as I turned back to stare at him.
"Josh Groban sends his regards," He remarked before disappearing out of sight, Groban's gun with him.
I blinked, coughing blood out as I fell forwards. My hands helping keep me up on my knees. I had maybe a minute before I'd pass out or worse? Maybe more?
So naturally, I used the time as wisely as I could.
"...Hey Shunsui... I could use a hand-" Were my last words before darkness instantly claimed me.
...
...
...
-Meanwhile, in the human world...-
A groan filled the silence of the night as a man found himself landing on the rough ground unceremoniously. The stranger tutting as he tried to blink his eyes open though he made no move to get up from his sprawled out position. His brow quickly furrowed as he eyed the sign on the building before him.
Kurosaki Clinic?
"What am I doing here?" He drawled from his position on the ground, his eyes minutely widening as he read over the sign again. He promptly switched to a seated position, his eyes widening still.
"Better yet, where am I?" He questioned no-one in particular.
"No... Hang on..." His voice slowed, his eyes widened as far as they could, the lone strand on his head straightening as his reishi spiked. "Who am I-" He'd originally started, his face tilting as a nonexistent camera zoomed in before the stranger promptly gave it up as a bad effort and relaxed his face.
"I have got way too much time on my hands..." He remarked bored as he quickly straightened himself up, his hands in his pockets.
He carefully eyed the clinic before him, once again wondering how he'd found himself in... He quickly raised a finger, licked it and raised it to the air before he wiped it off, a second later, using his uniform because he wasn't a savage and could actually sense the fact he was in the human world.
But why was he here?
The last thing he could remember was a blinding flash of light as he tried to protect..? Someone by fighting them?
He was pretty sure there was something wrong with that sentence.
Still, other than that and his, practically up until his adolescences, earlier memories, he couldn't remember much else...
Who was he fighting... To protect?
He narrowed his eyes as he felt something stir in the pit of his stomach! A feeling he knew off but had forgotten! A sensation that-
'Growl' His stomach grumpily purred as it demanded food.
Askin Nakk Le Vaar twitched before raising his head, taking another brief look over the clinic before shrugging it off as unimportant and promptly beginning his quest to find food.
And his memories of course.
But food first.
Food was always first.
...
"Give me your finest cup of coffee!" He remarked as he walked towards the man showcasing a few teeth in the process as he smiled at the big man before the door. His quest for food had failed on account of it being past midnight. This had been the first open business he'd found on his way and he doubted they sold any meals.
"This is a nightclub." The bouncer remarked with a frown on his face as he eyed him-
"Alright, put alcohol in it, I don't mind." He deadpanned as he waved a single hand.
The man blinked a few times as he stared at the either clearly drunk, or insane individual for a moment though before he even opened his mouth to react, the weirdo interrupted him again.
"I am getting that coffee. Just so were clear." He remarked as he crossed his arms.
...
-Morning of the next day-
Karin blinked as she eyed the tv. Her hand automatically raising up the volume as she listened.
"Hey... That's our neighbourhood!" Her sister exclaimed out loud, her eyes widened.
"Thanks, captain obvious," She remarked back, earning a frown. Though her sister's attention was quickly taken up by the news reel aswell.
Honestly, she wasn't sure if she should be surprised or worried. Neither of which felt right for the situation...
Disbelief probably made more sense...
Because seriously... Who, in their right minds, would take over a nightclub, hold everyone inside hostage, including the owners and security... And for what?
A freaking cup of coffee.
Nightclub held hostage as terrorist demands coffee.
A 12 hour hostage crisis, that was still going on, for a cup of coffee...
This town seriously needs to get it's shit together. She couldn't help the thought.
Yuzu automatically turned towards her, as if she could read her mind, her frown more clearly shown.
Karin promptly rolled her eyes before quickly starting back to her room, intent on getting ready for school. And if she decided to take the longer route, to see a certain nightclub on the way, then who could blame her?
Of course, that was the perfect moment for her father to ambush her.
...
Karin peeked out from the side of the hedge, most of her body hidden, her eyes wide as they stared out towards the nightclub. She ignored the temptation to shiver as she looked around, eyeing the police in the area. She couldn't help the thought that something felt off. Everyone seemed... Slow. It wasnt really obvious per say but she'd caught hints of it here and there. Moments where people just stood there... Not doing or saying anything before going back to their... monotone selves? Turning her gaze towards the other occupation, she found herself frowning when she took in the news crew, desperately trying to get through.
They didnt seem as affected as the law enforcement... though the fact they were having so much trouble to get was pretty odd, considering it hadn't been too difficult for her... In fact, she'd practically walked in. No one, assuming they'd seen her, had given her any trouble...
"Ooh?" A voice remarked suddenly from behind her, causing her to jump, startled. She promptly twisted on her feet before automatically freezing as she eyed the stranger before her.
"What do we have here..?" He questioned, his lanky frame swaying the slightest as amusement danced in his eyes.
"W-What?" She questioned, her breathing rapid. Her eyes tearing up. "W-Who are you..?" She could feel her conscious slipping the slightest. She couldn't even make out the man's expression anymore.
And then, it all stopped. The tension, pressure and everything else disappeared within a second.
Karin found herself holding her knees in an attempt to stay upright, her eyes widened but no longer tearing as her breathing slowed to a more comfortable level.
She blinked a few times before raising her head, her brows furrowed at the surprised look on the strangers face. Though the expression didn't last as a smile quickly bloomed on it.
"Remarkable!" He exclaimed with a clap. "What strength of will!" He added as he turned his head up and laughed.
She found herself blinking still, "What?" She questioned again bemused, she was starting to sound like a broken recorder...
The man promptly froze before lowering his head, meeting her gaze. "Well, I believe... I was sent here for a reason... That I can't remember!" He exclaimed with a smile, as if it explained everything.
Karin blinked, a deadpan look on her face. "What?"
The man didn't seem to care in the slightest as he shrugged. "I mean, you're the only one that hasn't lost the nerve to... Well, do anything." He remarked, idly pointing towards everyone else in the area.
Karin turned back around to look at the rest before to her surprise, she realised that, almost all of them had a glassy look to their faces. Her eyes narrowed as she promptly turned back to the stranger as she leapt backwards. "You're the terrorist!" She remarked, her finger pointed towards him as her eyes widened.
Askin gave her a deadpan look. "Yes, I am. Anyway, where were we, my names Askin Nakk Le vaar!" He exclaimed with another smile.
Karin blinked as she felt herself loosen up the slightest at his behaviour.
"Well, what's your name?" Askin suddenly questioned when she gave no reaction.
"I am not telling a terrorist what my name is..." She stated.
He blinked at her before shrugging. "Fair enough-" Before his eyes minutely widened as he sniffed the air.
Karin felt sweat buildup at the sudden expression the terrorist's face took on.
"Is... Is that coffee I smell?" He questioned, a morbidly fascinated look to his face as he gazed at her in a new light.
Karin sweatdropped as she considered her options. The man was willing to take a nightclub hostage. Options considered.
"Yes," She stated carefully, as she slowly unclasped her backpack and removed the bottle strapped to the side. "It's still war-" She didn't even get to finish as the man quickly snatched it out of her hand.
"This is clearly a sign! For you to not only find yourself in my path but also hold your own in my presence and have exactly what I needed..." He stated with a satisfied sigh before shaking his head. "I can feel it... Truly feel it," He remarked a hand on his chest.
Karin was really regretting her life choices at the look she was getting.
"You're going to change the world! I just know it!" He remarked with absolute certainty, one hand suddenly on her shoulder.
She blinked a few times at the sudden contact and words.
"...I am going to be late for school..."
...
Author Notes: Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget feedback!