As she crossed the Kusajishi-Zaraki border, she felt comfortable; this was her home turf, no matter how dangerous and deadly it was.
Zaraki was the notorious 80th North Rukon District, its inhabitants the most beastly and cruel, where you stole or starved to death; it had spawned a large number of the infamous 11th Court Guard Squad, and their battle-loving Captain.
She wandered through the streets. Most of the tramps and homeless avoided her as she meandered through the District. A pickpocket attempted to steal her dagger, the one reminder of Hibiki and her resolve to defeat his killer. She broke the man's wrist with a deft twist.
After that, the other thieves in the area gave her a wide berth.
As she walked on, she heard a yelp of pain and fear. Looking down an alley to her right, she saw two men. She recognised them –two to Tsuji's gang.
They had a young girl pinned up against the wall. She was whimpering in absolute fear. They only laughed, one licking her cheek before placing his mouth over hers, forcing her mouth open and his tongue inside. The other one was working his hands into the girl's yukata.
Izumi was furious –the kid was so young, and had been exposed to unbelievable abuse. She launched herself at the men, driving them back as the girl choked for breath and started crying her eyes out.
"You little…" the man who had been touching the girl said, rubbing his stomach where Izumi's foot had connected with him.
The man who had been kissing the girl looked appreciably at Izumi's appearance, not missing the brown hair and emerald eyes. His erection rose just at the idea of mauling her.
Neither had noticed the fire in her eyes.
They rushed her, aiming to overpower her slight frame with muscle.
Izumi was an expert martial artist, and she easily kicked the men out of the alley, disarmed and humiliated.
She grabbed one by the front of his lapels, noticing the look of fear in his eyes with a strange satisfaction.
"I know you're one of Hebi's thugs," she said. "Take this message to your master, you dog. Tell him that when I met him, his reign of terror will end."
She threw the man away; he stumbled to his fellow, hoisted him up and retreated. Izumi watched them go.
She turned back to the alley to see the girl standing at the entrance. It was the first time she had properly seen the girl, and Izumi took in to black hair and blue eyes that stared intently at her.
"There's no need to be afraid, little one," she said, motioning for the girl to come out. She did so, taking one cautious step after another until she stood beside Izumi. She blinked up at her rescuer, eyes already full of trust.
"Are you alright?" Izumi asked, and the girl nodded. She did look unhurt, but Izumi shuddered to think what state she might have been in if she'd been any later arriving.
She sorted out the dishevelled yukata, keeping eye contact with the girl and looking for any signs of mistrust. There were none.
"Do you have a name?" she asked. The girl shook her head. Izumi sighed –the poor kid. She must have passed on too young to remember her name.
"I am Izumi Kihara," she told the girl. "And I give you the name Naomi Kihara."
The girl threw her arms around Izumi and sobbed into her shoulder. After a moment of startled surprise, Izumi wrapped her arms around her new sister.
"It's alright, Naomi," she whispered, doing her best to comfort the girl. "You're safe now. I won't let anyone hurt you again."
"Nee-san (1)," Naomi cried into her shoulder. After a while, the shock wore off and the sobbing subsided before it finally stopped.
Izumi stood and took the younger girl's hand before leading her onwards. She was subconsciously heading back to her hilltop retreat and training ground. Halfway there, Naomi started to fall asleep on her feet. Izumi picked her up and carried her in her arms.
She had someone to protect now; could she really leave to attend the Spiritual Arts Academy now, leaving Naomi behind in this dangerous place?
Only Soul Reapers and students at the Academy were allowed inside the central Seiretei without special permission. And for some reason, she didn't want to leave Naomi in anyone else's care –not even to Takashi Ito.
Life was so dangerous here and the Hebi had so much control that anyone who protected someone else would end up dead –just like Hibiki.
Until she had worked something out, they would live in isolation, and she would teach Naomi the same way Ito had taught her.
She arrived at the small hamlet as the sun began to sink in the west. People were lining the streets; many of them muttered under their breath as she passed them by, Something was going on, and Izumi didn't like it.
Her grip on Naomi grew tighter, and she was startled awake. Her eyes fell on the scene in front of them.
Ito was on the ground, held upright by two men while a third was slashing at his face with a dagger, stained red with his blood. Izumi recognised the Hebi and scowled angrily. He had done far too much damage already, and now he had overstepped the line.
She lowered Naomi to the ground, and the little girl immediately hurried into the crowd, making herself indistinguishable from the rest of the villagers. Izumi straightened and challenged the Hebi.
"Stop right now, Hebi!" she snapped. Tsuji turned away from the beaten Ito, who was struggling to see through a curtain of blood that dripped down over his eyes. He silently begged Izumi to run.
But it was too late –the Hebi had heard her challenge. There was only course open to remain the Hebi, and that was to destroy the girl.
"I'd heard rumours that this pretender was training someone," he said, a vicious grin on his face as he studied Izumi. She was a pretty thing, but there were scars that told him she had been in more than one tough battle.
And those emerald eyes …they were so full of fire, it was intoxicating.
"So are you ready to fight?" he said, drawing his curved dagger. "Are you willing to put your life on the line?"
Izumi didn't answer in words –she just pulled out her weapon, keeping her eyes on Tsuji.
His eyes widened as he saw the weapon. He recognised it –the dagger that had gone missing from Hibiki's destroyed hut. It should have been his prize. And this girl had taken it.
"You little thief!" he snapped. "Hand over the dagger, and I'll forget about the fact that you attacked my men and challenged me. But I will have to take your hand for this theft!"
"It never belonged to you, so I didn't steal from you," Izumi said. "It was Hibiki's, and now it's mine. You're going to regret the actions you took in that hut!"
"We'll see if you still feel that way once I take your life," Tsuji snarled.
There was a moment of terrible stillness, and an awful silence from the surrounding crowd.
Then there was a burst of movement as they charged each other.
A term of respect for an older sister.
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