Epic Six: Here We Go
"Captain, there's a disturbance in the external streets of the Tenth Division."
Nemu's expressionless face stared back at her in the reflection of the large screen. Various lights flicker in the large technological room, but her eyes never stray from the data she is currently reading. The light buzzing sound filled the room as all the equipment was being put to work on its own. The two were the only occupants of the space currently.
"Oh?"
The muffled reply from her captain didn't sound so interested as he shuffled through a few scattered documents on one of the tables. He was turned away from her, not paying much attention to her and the other happenings of the room. For all she knew, he could've been talking to himself.
"It appears that Lieutenant Hinamori has initiated shikai, and there is a rapid increase in spiritual pressure coming from Lieutenant Matsumoto." The toneless way she reported information masked the true interest she held in wondering what was going on.
Mayuri stopped his ruffling for a moment to put a thoughtful hand to his chin, eyes partially focusing on one of the flashing lights across from him for a moment. "Hmm…maybe they've finally lost it over that ridiculous grinning fool." He then went back to his search, not wanting to waste anymore time on the matter.
"Should we investigate the matter?"
She chanced a look back at him over her shoulder, turning her head just slightly, hoping that he would find the time in a day to spare her a glance that held more than contempt. She may be almost as lifeless as they get, but that didn't mean she felt nothing.
"What are you talking about, you foolish girl? Of course not!" He did turn towards her, but it wasn't the look she was hoping for. "Now do you have what I was looking for or not?"
He made an agitated motion with both of her arms, scowling all the while. She had to scold herself to prevent from flinching slightly. He stalked towards her, and she turned back to the large screen.
"Yes, of course. It's right here, Captain." She mechanically answered, adjusting the screen to view what she had pulled up before the strange readings appeared.
"Good…good." He was peering over her shoulder to the data that had appeared, and although he was speaking positive, Nemu knew it wasn't towards her. Those types of curt compliments were reserved for the information.
He then snapped to attention, walking briskly towards the entrance to the room. She watched him silently for a moment, until he whirled and spoke to her.
"Well? What are you waiting for. We're proceeding immediately!"
She looked back at the reflecting screen, her brow furrowing only very slightly. "Is it okay to leave-"
"Yes, you worthless waste of space, now hurry up!"
She watched him leave then, her slight frown still in place. She didn't really think that the monitor should be left as it was, but an order was an order, and Nemu followed those to a T. Even if she wasn't appreciated.
"Yes, sir." He couldn't hear her, but that was alright. That still hadn't changed.
--Secrets Of The Scorned--
True to his word, Captain Kyouraku didn't ask any more questions after the last one. As it was, he nearly gave Nanao a heart attack with his further actions.
She had tried to ignore the way her heart sped up when he moved close, seeing that particular look in his eyes. It was almost toe-curling the way he was looking at her. His hand was warm too, and if Nanao didn't have tight rein on her senses, she almost would have sighed at the loss of his internal flame when he removed it.
That wasn't what had surprised her though, as getting up close and personal was a habit of his.
After his startling affectionate moment, he proceeded to take a large portion of the pile of papers she had bee previously reaching for. She was about to protest, thinking that he was going to get rid of them or keep them from her, but she held her tongue and her jaw almost dropped as she watched him glide over to his own desk and sit down with them.
For two minutes straight she just stared, wondering where in the world her captain had gone and who this look-alike was as he started to scribble away on the documents. She was still shocked into silence when he looked up at her, with what she would later call a mischievous glint in his eye, as if he knew exactly what he was doing and getting amusement from every moment of it.
Knowing him, he probably was.
Still, no matter what reason he chose to cooperate, she was going to take every advantage of this sudden ambition to do work that she could. There was a span of silence after, where the only thing that could be heard was the scratching of the pen against parchment and the light breathing coming from the both of them.
It was nice, she thought, to be able to count on him to do this. It was a shame that he didn't offer his help more often, without complaint or force no less. She thought maybe it was because Inspections were soon, but the less logical part of her wanted to believe that he'd done it for her instead. She shook those thoughts away almost as soon as she got them though, for it wouldn't be smart to start thinking about that now.
She had enough on her mind as it was.
That train of thought just led her to her strange finding this morning. She inwardly frowned, knowing that if she did so for real, her ever observant captain would be sure to pick up on it. She was a little concerned about it, but as they didn't take anything or cause any harm to her, she wasn't sure exactly what to think.
Even more puzzling was the fact that she keeps a barrier around her house in the absence of locks. She made regular checks of it too, to make sure it was working correctly. She had found nothing wrong with it at all. That made her lean more towards the side that it was someone she knew. There weren't many that should be able to get past it, especially when any alteration of it should've woken her up immediately since she was so close.
Who would leave them for her though?
She mentally groaned. She did not have time for any other things to occupy her mind this month, let alone this week. There were still too many things that she would better put her effort into. As long as no harm came from it, perhaps if she left it alone nothing would come out of it. Still, there was something nagging the back of her mind that she should figure out who left them.
She took a discreet side glance at her working captain, wondering if he would know anything about it. Her gut feeling told her that they weren't from him, but there wouldn't be any harm in asking would there? She turned her head slightly, just about to open her mouth to ask him but closed it abruptly, cutting herself off. She wanted to shake her head.
Of course, as her luck would have it, he had noticed her actions and turned his attention on her. She was left staring for a few minutes, deciding against asking her question, and picked up her pen to get back to working again. She could tell that he was still watching her, but maybe if she pretended like nothing was the matter, he would just ignore her and go back to what he was doing. She sensed him turning his head back down towards his own stack, but she still felt his lingering gaze.
With a plan in mind she focused on the papers in front of her. About to start in on them, she abruptly stilled. Her eyes widened for a moment as she dropped her pen. Capturing her captain's attention, she rose. He met her gaze as he rose as well, a question on the tip of his tongue.
"Nanao, what-"
"Rangiku." She cut him off, feeling a rising panic within her. "And Momo. They're near Tenth."
Since she was so adept at kido, it meant that she was more sensitive to such things like reiatsu than most others. It didn't matter much in the long run against someone experience, but it did mean that she picked up most things before everyone else. She hadn't mastered the demon arts for nothing. Usually, this other sense was very useful in detecting all sorts of things. Right now though, she didn't like the negative energy surrounding her. It was the destructive sort.
Whatever they were engaged in, it wasn't good.
She watched him sense the same, being no slouch on the matter himself. A silent look of understanding passed between Captain and Lieutenant, and it took no more time for both of them to vacate the office, intent on finding out what was going on.
Nanao hoped the two energies weren't being put against each other. She knew their relationship was rocky as of late, but she didn't know if it was enough for them to turn their swords against each other. She didn't want to know the consequences if they were too late.
Papers rustled behind them as they disappeared, leaving only the light breeze to occupy the workspace.
--Secrets Of The Scorned--
Did Matsumoto even understand the meaning of office work?
Somehow, Toshiro didn't think so. Technically, she should've been back hours ago. That was one of the things he and Momo had been waiting for. He didn't forget her promise to get some work done today, as it seemed they were always behind in that aspect. He didn't know where it all came from and why it was always piled in his office, but he did know that inspections were rolling around soon, and excess work during that time was not a good idea.
After delivering Momo's stack of papers to their intended destinations, they had come back to the Tenth to drop of the last of the work. Since he happened to have work for her as well, they had both stayed to work until Rangiku got back.
Momo had only left a short time ago, but he found that he was already missing her company. He thought that maybe it was because he had gone so long without spending any time with her. They were childhood friends after all, so he had been fairly used to her presence. It felt good to be able to talk to her normally again.
He knew that she was still slightly uncomfortable around him, although a lot of that had dissipated today. He was still careful though, not knowing exactly what sort of state she was in. The betrayal wasn't mentioned at all, and if he had his way, he wasn't planning on bringing it up anytime soon. He wasn't willing to risk what little ground they had recently gained.
Pushing those thoughts from his mind, he focused on the more pressing matter at hand. Just where was that lazy lieutenant of his? It had gotten a bit late, so Momo was going to retire to her own office to finish up the rest of her work.
He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He supposed it didn't matter much, as the work had to get done sooner or later anyway, with or without help. It was true that Momo had helped decrease the stack a little, but they still had taken a bit of a break so they could catch up some. There was plenty more.
He sighed again, resigned to the task at hand. He made his way over to his deck when he paused mid-step. That reiatsu was familiar.
With a shocked start he realized that the familiar feeling was Momo's zanpakuto release. He waited a moment more to be sure, but then felt a second energy. That one he would know anywhere, as it was Matsumoto preparing to release.
Without any more hesitation he vanished from his office, headed towards the source of the energy. He cursed his preoccupied mind for a second, fuming about not noticing something so close to him earlier. Something within his own Division he should've noticed. An uneasy feeling welled up in him as he flew towards the outskirts, anticipating the worst.
He pushed his personal feelings aside though, and hoped that the two were not going against each other.
If so, who was he supposed to defend?
--Secrets Of The Scorned--
Momo felt power surge through her being upon her release. She watched the energy ribbons circle her blade and saw the familiar prongs appear, completing her zanpakuto. She always thought it was beautiful, ever since she first grew strong enough to learn her name.
Still, it had been a long time since she used Tobiume in the released state. She didn't want to think of the last time. She could still feel the rage that flowed through her veins when Izuru had halted her from taking her revenge at the very moment she wanted it. That had been the last time she had dared. She held back a wave of sadness that threatened to overcome her as she thought about the damage she caused.
There wasn't time to think about that now though, as she knew her two assailants were closing in very fast. Clearing her head, she allowed herself a small smirk as she thought to take a page out of her own book.
She let them get closer in the half second they were allowed, then like back then, she jumped away as the mini explosion consumed the space where she previously stood, where her attackers were headed.
She was hovering in the air as the smoke cleared, carrying itself away on the wind. The crater Tobiume made was impressive, if she had to say so. There was a gaping hole within the walkway now, one that no normal person would be able to get around or jump over. Bits and pieces of the surrounding walls where chipped and destroyed as well.
There was no trace of her attackers. Not that she expected there to be.
She whirled fast in air as one of them came down on her, the force of it bringing her back towards her own destruction. Their zanpakuto was shorter, but she could still feel the waves of energy rolling off of it. Now that they were close enough, she saw that his cloak was held together by a shiny red stone. If it were any other time, she might think it beautiful. Now though, it reminded her of fire, and the rage she felt that someone would dare try to attack them on their own ground.
She saw the other then, coming from the side, their own blade raised. They were so fast that she barely saw them in time to react. Her blade occupied, she did the only other thing she thought possible as they were falling through the air. With a few muttered words, a flash of light flew from her left hand as she had to remove it from her zanpakuto.
It was enough though, as she saw the new attacker attempt to shield themselves with their arm right before the brightness caused her to lose sight of him. It also distracted the one that had locked blades with her, giving her enough time to push her blade back and use them to kick herself backwards. Using the momentum, she did a flip and landed on her feet, crouched down on the roof overhanging her crater.
She peered around, reaching out with her senses to get grips on where her assailants were. She could feel Rangiku and the other presence a little ways off, and she tried not to let that cloud her. One wrong move here and she could find her self on the wrong end of a blade.
The momentary silence let her catch her breath, but it didn't last long. She only felt the fluctuation a half second before she was springing upwards, her two assailants crashing through the roof below her. She recognized the glowing reiatsu in their palms, much like the same she often used. Not wanting to be on the receiving end of any sort of kido, she muttered up her own in retaliation.
"Shakkaho!"
What seemed like magic flew from her fingertips. She watched the three energies collide, but didn't waste too much time lingering. She was off sprinting upon the rooftops, her pursuers not far behind. It seemed that they recovered just as fast as she did, perhaps even faster, at the rate they were closing in at. It bothered her a little that they had the potential to be just as good at kido as some of the pros she knew.
She halted in going forward and launched skyward again as the heat of flame whizzed past her ear, luck dictating it didn't touch her. She barely had enough time to send a weaker version of the same thing back as her other pursuer didn't hesitate in attacking where their partner had missed.
The two struck each other null and void, much like the first time. Nobody moved for a few moments and she took a second to wipe her brow before all three of them disappeared to resume their game of chase and be chased. Momo's mind raced as she thought of how to best two at once.
She just hoped she could last long enough to be of use to Rangiku.
-To Be Continued…
I just...no. I don't know. My inspiration and whatever is just....gone. I have no idea. And this is so short compared to the rest that it's almost embarassing. And it took too long. I am alive though, in case some of you were wondering. I didn't really help much in this chapter, as it's just like an in-between one of sorts. I'm not even going to guestimate a time for the next one. It seems I never follow through with those anyway. Life is...busy I guess. Soon though. Soon.
Good, not good? Let me know. Or if you want to yell at me for taking so long, go ahead. I'm going to be needing some ideas soon too. Ho humm...
--KG--
V-Oooh, look at the shinies-V