Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.
"Who are you?!" cried the terrified human, sweat pouring down his face.
"Please do not shout, Mr. President," was his attacker's reply. The blond haired Leoan flicked back the hair hanging over his left eye. "It is pointless, anyhow. We have put your guards to sleep, and they will not awaken for a long time. I suggest you come with us quietly."
Behind him, a white haired man was grinning wickedly. When the poor victim shrank back against his chair, he smirked.
"Kira-san," he spoke for the first time since the invasion, "it seems our friend is calling for help."
The frightened leader squeaked and, in his surprise at the words, dropped a remote adorning a bright red button; no doubt if he had pressed it, someone, somewhere, would have been alerted of his situation.
Kira sighed. He hated it when their victims did not cooperate nicely, because then he was forced to resort to physical means.
Stepping forward, he reached for his waist. When his hand had encircled the hard object it had been searching for, he grabbed it and unsheathed a sword.
The President squeaked, his eyes eying the pointed weapon and not moving from it, even when the Leoan stepped forward until he was only inches away.
"There is no need to be so frightened, Mr. President," Kira attempted to calm his whimpering, "I do not plan to kill you. That would only defy my king's orders."
The human still did not lift his eyes from the sword.
Kira silently raised it, and turned it around, so that the hilt faced the ruler, rather than the blade.
The President only had a moment to look confused before the hard metal made sharp contact with his neck. He slumped forward in his chair, unconscious.
Kira sighed, sheathed his sword once again, and lifted the man into his arms, before throwing him over his shoulders.
"Ichimaru-taichou," he said, turning to his superior, "I have captured the target."
"Good work, Kira-san." replied Ichimaru, "Aizen-sama will be happy with ya. Load him on the wagon like the others. We're outta here."
Kira bowed, despite the load on his shoulders, and headed to the window. He hopped onto the ledge, and then jumped to the ground so far below. His taichou followed soon after.
With amazing agility and strength, they landed gracefully and safely onto the soft grass, defying all laws of gravity that should have flattened them to the ground after the jump from the very large height.
As they passed through the area, he stepped over many snoring bodies – well, Kira stepped over while Ichimaru took great care to tread upon them, leaving footprints on their bodies – all wearing the same uniform of guards.
They arrived at a small wagon parked on the side of a large gray path they now knew was called "a road," and pulled aside the large cloth covering the entrance. Inside was a shocking sight.
Dozens of humans, male and female, had been packed in together, their hands and legs tied, their heads lolling in sleep, and their figures draped in obviously expensive clothing, marking their status as rulers.
"Today was a good day," Gin remarked as they threw their latest captive into the wagon. "Aizen-sama's plan is almost over."
Once the wagon sight of prisoners had once again been covered, both Leoans stepped back.
"Kira-san. Get us home."
Kira nodded curtly in respect, before raising his hands, palm facing away from his body and towards the landscape present. He closed his eyes and his brow furrowed in concentration. It took only a moment for a green glow to emit from his hands. Gin did not look surprised.
It came out of nowhere. Any passing human would have gaped at the sight of a large, wooden gate suddenly appearing out of thin air; Kira and Gin simply looked satisfied.
"Nice work," Gin complimented.
"Thank you, sir." Kira grabbed the wagon by its handles and pulled.
Soon, the two pushed open the doors and stepped through, into the land of Serra Leoa. After it closed behind them, the gate vanished.
..ღ..
"I have always found it fascinating how such a planet so far behind Earth's time like Serra Leoa has managed to power through this war. When growing up, I always assumed that my home planet would win this war in only a few days, because we have so much technology. It is very impressive of the Leoans."
He smirks, amused by his wife's chatter as they exit the throne room. The two head for the gardens, exhausted from their meeting on the progress of the war, and hope to find some peace in the tranquility of the palace's lawns.
Some find it odd that the king, known for being an icy and independent person, allows his wife to be a frequent attender of war meetings and battle planning. This surprise is sprinkled with shades of doubt from those who still do not trust the queen to stay loyal to their kingdom; she is, after all, a human. Who is to say she will not side with her own people when the time comes for her to decide where her loyalties lie?
The king is aware of this talk, has been since he announced to the public his affection for his stepfather's previous captive, and his desire to wed her. The queen is aware as well, not from overhearing gossip or from declarations from Leoans, but because she is an insightful woman, and knows – has known, since she agreed to marry her lover – that no race will ever fully trust those that originate from their opposition. At least, not for a long time to come.
It pains her to know this. She dearly loves Serra Leoa; she loves their formal way of speech that she has now unconsciously adapted to, loves their courageous unity under a single threat, loves their simple way of living as merchants and farmers, despite their lacking compared to her own planet's lifestyle, loves her husband, and wholeheartedly loves her position as the queen of such a wonderful people.
She has no choice but to patiently wait for their trust, which will hopefully sprout once the war ends in the peaceful way her spouse and herself hope it will.
"Your species might be advanced in technology and weapons," he explains to her as they exit the palace and enter the courtyard, "but my species is very thorough and strict in their training; every child learns to wield and properly use a sword at a very young age. Not to mention, we have an unexpected advantage with our secrets of demon magic."
She smirks, remembering her very first time witnessing this demon magic, though remarkably, on Earth.
..ღ..
"Wow, how did you just do that?"
"You think that's cool? Watch this!"
A meek green light emitted from the surprisingly young man's hands, and a second later, the light vanished to reveal him holding a blood red rose in his hand.
His young audience plucked it from his hand, staring at it closely, as if trying to figure out whether it was real. He chuckled.
"Wow, Hikaru. If I had known this is all it takes to get you excited, I would have used this to get you into pornos."
Hikaru sent a fierce glare his way, obviously annoyed. He laughed.
"Oh, come on. You know that everyone makes fun of you for looking so much like a girl. It doesn't help that you have absolutely no interest in girls, which is so weird for a boy your age. But we could change that."
Hikaru sniffed disapprovingly and shoved the flower back into his hand.
"How a perverted bastard like you became a commander of the Army, I will never know. You may be my commanding officer Ryou-sempai, but that doesn't mean I have to stick around to hear your sick jokes. I'm outta here."
"It was just a joke!" Hikaru could hear Ryou yelling, but she ignored him.
It took only a few seconds for Ryou to catch up to her, and he slowed his jog to match Hikaru's pace.
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. Yeesh, you're so sensitive. No wonder everyone thinks you're a girl."
"You know, apologies are better received if you don't immediately insult the person afterwards."
"...alright, you're not a girl. Happy?" But he continued to mutter what Hikaru assumed were unpleasant words under his breath.
"I will be...if you teach me how to do what you just did."
Ryou considered her for a moment, before smirking.
"No can do, kiddo. It's not some trick that just anyone can pick up." He puffed out his chest in pride. "You have to be very focused, and intelligent, and dedicated."
"Then how the hell did you manage to learn it?"
Ryou pretended to look offended, and playfully punched her arm.
"You're a real crack up, kid," he said sarcastically. "I bet you could take out an enemy from making them laugh so hard that they die."
"If that's your attempt at being funny or sarcastic, I think you should stick to long range shooting and espionage missions."
"You know, you just implied that you think I'm good at long range shooting and espionage missions."
"I never once mentioned the word 'good' in that sentence. Good Lord, I thought you said you had to be intelligent to master that trick."
"A kouhai disrespecting a sempai? You've got guts, I'll give you that, little man."
"I'm flattered you think so highly of me." Hikaru did a much better job at the sarcasm than Ryou had.
The problem was that Ryou was too nice, and always had been. Hikaru didn't understand how someone like him could ever be a part of an organization that killed, especially as a superior officer that actually ordered the killings. It was strange, and yet here he was, a part of the Japanese Army, and not the least bit perturbed about the future in battle.
Hikaru would never admit it, but she really admired him for that.
..ღ..
When Karin was ten, her country entered a war.
A planet called Serra Leoa was discovered in a galaxy not too far away from her own. Unfortunately, it was discovered because they had declared war on her planet. For no apparent reason.
There was no time for anyone to feel excited about actually finding life on another planets, as the scientists had been trying to do for years. Instead, everyone felt fear.
Each country held a broadcast, and each country's leader made the grave announcement of approaching war to his or her people.
Karin had only just come back from playing soccer with her friends. When she arrived home, her family was huddled in the living room, their eyes glued to the TV.
"What?" she had asked, slightly afraid of the looks on their faces but not showing it.
Her brother shushed her, and simply pointed to the television screen. On it, she recognized the president of Japan, and he was giving a speech.
"This planet has been deemed a threat, not just by Japan, but by Earth united. There are no leads as to why they seek to make war with us, but we will fight, to protect our planet, our homes, our loved ones, and our peace."
Those that were watching the interview live erupted into cheers. Karin wished they would shut up, so she could hear more.
"As of now, our country's army is banding together with the army of every other nation. To survive this war, we need put our differences aside, and unite against this common threat."
More cheers.
"However, I regret to inform you, that the magnitude of this war calls for as many soldiers and power as each country can allow. Therefore, a draft will be put into effect immediately. Eligible men of legal age will be issued a train ticket that will lead them to the army's base for training, and are expected to report to train once they have received their draft letter."
Karin tuned out the rest. She was too busy processing what she had just heard.
The army needed young men to fight in this war. But her family didn't have any men to send, right?
Her brother was too young, and her father had already done his part. Her family was safe.
..ღ..
The next day, her father received a letter in the mail.
He was ordered to report to an issued army camp, to train the incoming young men with the knowledge he had earned through his previous war experience, and then lead them into battle as their commander.
His heroism was needed once again, and a refusal to comply to the draft letter was seen as treason to his country. He had no choice but to obey.
Karin, for the first time, found herself cursing the medal that she had always found so fascinating.