Grimlocked Chapter 6: Cold Blood
"Hado Number One! SHO!" I barked aiming an open palm at a large boulder. But the hado released its energy in a widespread ripple that merely forced all of the dust off of the rock. I growled in frustration.
"Don't beat yourself down like that. Most people can't even release the thrust on their first try", a sweet voice said. She was as tall as me, and as far as a human's rate of aging, I'd say she was nineteen (but I knew that soul reapers age at a different rate than humans). She had long orange blonde hair and blue eyes. She had a very curvaceous figure and had quite possibly the largest breasts I've ever seen. She was Rangiku, Lieutenant of Squad Ten, Toshiro's squad. While Mom was busy with Yamamoto, she had asked Toshiro if his lieutenant could begin instructing me in Kido techniques. Since He had yet to be given orders from Yamamoto, he agreed.
"SHO!" I said twice more as I tried to do a one two fire succession, "If that really is the case, show me something big like a level ninety."
"Sorry, but that's a no-can-do", Rangiku said in a joking tone, while shaking a finger at me, "Level ninety hado are reserved for captains only."
"Dang it!" I said as I released a shockwave into the rock, shattering it. "You know what, forget number one. Banshi's shockwave is good enough."
"So that's your Zanpacto's name. But I don't quite know how to translate that", she held her chin.
"It's a rough pronunciation of the word banshee. Old legends say that a banshee was a ghost with a scream that could terrify even the bravest of souls. He's a sound based Zanpacto. But back to the point, if I'm progressing that quickly, I want to go in headstrong out of the gate. I want to feel the thunder!" I smacked my fist into an open palm and I released a light shockwave.
"Alright, Ash. You asked for it. I'll say the incantation and give you a toned down demonstration. You follow after me. If you can progress that fast then you'll like this one."
"Hit me up!" I said determined.
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!" A red glowing ball formed in her hands, "Hado Thirty-one: Shakkaho!" She launched the ball into a Cliffside causing a rockslide a hundred yards away.
"That's what I'm talking about!" I said as I repeated the incantation. I put a massive amount of energy into this one. The ball rapidly formed, before suddenly choking and exploding in my face! I yelped in shock before I hit the ground, missing my eyelashes.
"I haven't someone mess up like that since Renji tried to escape Kenpachi!" Rangiku laughed hysterically, "I tried to warn you!"
"Can it Matsumoto!" I jumped back to my feet in a comical fury, "That was only my first try!"
"I'll admit, your spiritual energy is almost as strong as Kenpachi's seal mode, but you overshot that one. You put so much energy into it so quickly that you snuffed out the attack. Try thinking of it as a candle and a vat of oil. A little bit will enlarge the flame, too much at once will snuff it out. If you think you can throw so much power without a charge up, then you're a lost cause. Just try to suppress it a little." Rangiku yawned and sat down against a boulder with her eyes closed. I knit my eyebrows together as I slipped a list of hado from her pocket.
"If that was just a small one then I'm gonna step up my game. I'll show her what I can do!" I flipped through the book and found a hado with one mouthful of a name.
My mouth nearly began to water as I read its name, long, but incredibly subtle as to what it did. I even found out that the incantation rhymed a little bit in English. Banshi shivered with excitement on my back.
"Do it", was all that he said to me before I nodded, closed my eyes and started the incantation in English.
"The hero who inspires all the land. Shadows blacken out the sun. The dragon's roar shakes the sky, until the deed is done…."
This caught Rangiku's attention, "Hey…what are you up to? I didn't give you an incantation. And either way, that's not how you'd say it. Wait. MY BOOK!" she hopped up, but I didn't notice.
"The tyrant sends his skeletons to track him down and fight. They fall because this man is born of heaven's jagged light!"
"Stop! Growl, Haineko!" Rangiku's sword turned into a cloud of ashes that blew my way.
I opened my eyes again, pointed my open palm to the sky, and yelled in Japanese, "Hado Number Eighty-Eight: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"
"Eighty-eight?!" she gasped, pulling Haineko back as a flash of lightning shot out of my hand before turning into a beam of pure electric power!
I laughed in sheer delight. "This is….. More. I can still put in so much more!" I flooded my spirit energy into this and the beam doubled in size!
I roared a battle cry as I took out Banshi with my left hand and stabbed the beam with the tip of his blade (per his instructions, of course), "Thunder Clap!"
The beam suddenly focused in before it disappeared, exploding with a shockwave that knocked down several walls in the Seireitei and blew Rangiku back a hundred yards! Thunder roared through the entire Seireitei.
"WOOO! Did you see that?!" I cheered, playing M.C. Hammer's Can't Touch This, in my head. No one was looking so I kind of cut loose and stopped when the song reached the first, "Hammer Time!" Seriously, I felt that freaking pumped!
Right as I finished that dance, I flopped onto my back in the grass. I was in a hard sweat and I was breathing heavy.
But as fate would have it, I had to jump back to my feet as I picked up someone coming at me at high speeds. I fired off a shockwave to my right and someone flashstepped away, and appeared again behind me.
I whirled around to grab the hand of a girl with short black hair that had two long braids in the back. She was slim and very athletic and wore a skintight jumpsuit. She had the pure aura of a kung-fu master. In a nutshell, I found her very attractive. My scythe was now right behind her neck, close enough for me to kill her in an instant. We stood there in that position for a few seconds in silence.
"I just thought that Captain Kuchiki was off his game. But it appears that I was wrong", she closed her eyes smiling.
"Do I know you? No, wait you're….you're a captain! I remember seeing you at the meeting. And not just any captain. You must be the head of the stealth force."
"Not many people can actually see through that Kido technique", she confessed, "It has been a long time since someone has had me in a death lock so quickly."
"Looks like I've already beaten another captain", I smiled.
"Not quite", she said and I looked down to my sternum to see her other hand pointing at a butterfly insignia. On her hand was a tiny mettle claw that encompassed her middle finger.
"Is that…your zanpacto?"
"Indeed. Suzumebachi leaves a mark on a successful hit. You didn't even feel it. However, if I were to stab you in that same place a second time, the poison of Suzumebachi would kill you within seconds, no questions asked, no hope for survival. I have won. Unless of course that fearless demeanor of yours wants to try something brave."
My hand holding Banshi trembled, but I tried not to show it. But eventually, I lowered Banshi, folded him against my back, and lowered my hands in surrender.
"Wise decision", she smiled, "Now that you're here, I want answers. Was it you who made that hado a moment ago?"
"Yes, but why is that important?" I said.
"We just needed to know whether or not it was a ryoka", she removed her claw and it changed back into a sheathed Zanpacto, "But I'm impressed by you. According to your master, you've never had a successful hado before, and yet you pulled out the biggest hado eighty-eight that I've ever seen. More than that, even some of the captains haven't been able to detect me like that. I find that you are an interesting one. You have talent."
"Thank you, Captain…..what was your name? I never heard it."
"Soifon", she said simply.
"Right. Thank you, Captain Soifon. You have my respect."
"That draws up another point", she looked me square in the eyes motioning for me to stand, "You talk about the captains with absolute disregard for rank, and you even challenged the authority of Captain Kuchiki without hesitation. Why?"
I stood in silence for a moment before turning to the sunset, "You heard what I said before. I don't care about rank at all. The rank of lieutenant, captain, or head captain, I see no difference. They're all just titles that don't mean squat about what someone is really capable of. I don't respect someone because of their rank. I don't fear you, the head captain, or anyone. The only exception is that damn Gin Ichimaru. He scares be beyond the fires of Hell, if such a place even exists."
"Excuse me?" Soifon began to unsheathe her sword, "Captains are the honorary rulers of the Soul Society; wise, strong, protective. Rank has everything to do with it!"
"But does their rank make up who they are?" I questioned, "No, it's who they are that gives them their rank. But even here, the chain of command is partially based on who has a Bankai. This merely gives subordinates a reason to fear the captains. But I don't fear you, so I can only judge by how respectable a person is. Look at Byakuya Kuchiki. I don't care what the others think, I see something twisted and evil in allowing one's own sister to be sentenced to death without doing so much as pleading for her life. That gives me no reason to respect him. That is what allows me to challenge a person without regard to rank. More often than not, I have succeeded. But of course, you came along and defeated me, fair and square and with honorable purpose. That is what gives me reason to respect you." I paused for a moment, "Just because someone is high in command, doesn't necessarily mean that they deserve respect. Whether or not they do is something that we need to find out for ourselves."
Soifon just stood there staring into my eyes, and she eventually sheathed her Suzumebachi, "I see. That is a reasonable way of thinking."
"ASH!" a voice called and I looked to see Rangiku dusting herself off, "No offense to you, but that is the last time that I instruct you in using Kido. You're gonna need a captain with the destruction you'd cause." She took her booklet out of my pocket and hid it in her cleavage nonchalantly. My nose bled a little but I regained my composure.
"I take that as a compliment", I said proudly. I suddenly squeaked in shock after I turned around and felt something, huge and soft go squish against my back as Rangiku hugged me from behind.
"Nevertheless that was the coolest Hado Eighty-Eight I've ever seen!" she said with delight, "You deserve a treat for such a performance."
"Rangiku! Let's be reasonable about this!" I squirmed in vain, "Don't put my hand there!"
"That's enough, Rangiku", Soifon stepped in calmly, "Perhaps I can be the one to mentor him in Kido. I have more experience than you, Lieutenant."
"Fine by me!" she smiled then squeezed me tighter, "Maybe we can hang out some other time."
"Uh….sure! Whatever you say!" I said nervously as she ran off happily. The steam building up inside of me released all at once and my wobbly knees gave way as I drifted back to the ground.
"Where does this put Rangiku on your respect scale?" Soifon asked out of pure curiosity.
"Well, about my respect algorithm, girls and ladies put a very different spin on the ball", I cried comically, "I just didn't have the heart to turn her down. But I'd say she's more of a girl now than a lady."
"And where does that put me?" Soifon put her hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow.
"You? I see a young lady", I replied with a smile.
Suddenly, Soifon flashstepped beside me and left a light kiss on my left cheek. She pulled away, and I saw Suzumebachi being sheathed again. I felt a light prick on my neck a moment before, and I knew that there was a death mark right there.
"Then I take you in as an honorary student. I believe that you are worthy of my respect, as you put it. With your sensei's permission, we can begin training once the Ryoka situation is dealt with." She tossed me a small booklet that read, "A Captain's Guide to Kido."
"I look forward to working with you, Captain", I told her, and she flashstepped out of my sight.
I felt my left cheek where she had kissed me a moment ago. I smiled, and said, "Echo to the skies! Banshi!" my Zanpacto took flight form and I flew through the Seireitei.
But I saw a commotion down below in the barracks and I dropped in to see Momo and a blonde haired man standing around a wounded soul reaper.
.
"It's Renji!" Momo cried in shock.
"When I found him, he was unconscious", the other guy said, "If only I had gotten there in time to fight alongside him, this never would have happened!"
"Don't blame yourself, Izuru! None of this is your fault!" Momo told him.
"At any rate, the main thing now is to take care of him. I'll go make the call for the emergency relief team."
"That is out of the question", a cold voice replied, and we all looked to see Byakuya Kuchiki in the doorway, "I want Renji taken to prison."
"But Captain, Renji's been badly hurt fighting Ryoka by himself!" Momo complained, "Without treatment-"
"Then I'm afraid he'll die", Byakuya said coldly, "It was his choice to enter that fight alone, and in such a situation, defeat is forbidden. I have no use for a fool who does not understand that."
"You sicken me", I said dropping from the rooftop and stepping in behind him.
"Hey! You have no clearance to be here!" Izuru stated.
"I'm a Lieutenant, Blondie", I growled.
"You again", Byakuya hissed, "I should have killed you as soon as Kenpachi released my blade."
"You do realize that you just insulted yourself, right?" I mocked, "You tried to kill me one on one before and I defeated you. If defeat is truly as forbidden as you say, why do you count yourself out?"
"What the hell are you saying?" Izuru tried to stop me, "You can't defeat a captain!"
"Then look at the back of Kuchiki's neck. I could have decapitated you, Byakuya, but left you with that scar to remind you that no captain other than my Senei crosses me, especially not scum like you. Renji will receive medical attention outside of the confines of prison. I have the right to vouch for a fellow lieutenant."
"That does it", Byakuya said in an enraged tone as he whipped out his sword, "You have defied me long enough Valero, but no more! I hereby challenge you to a duel to the death!" Momo gasped in horror.
I chuckled, then laughed at him, "You're on this time Kuchiki. I won't hold back on you any longer! You two," I turned to Momo and Izuru, "will serve as witnesses to tell the head captain that Byakuya Kuchiki challenged me. If that is the case, then my fight will be justified!"
ZIP! I looked back suddenly to see that Byakuya had flashstepped behind me and I dashed forward into the courtyard.
"That is the cheapest trick in the book: starting before both opponents are ready! But I guess I can't blame you. I must have finally pushed you past your breaking point."
"You have", Byakuya said emotionlessly. We both flashstepped outside into the training grounds, "Once I defeat you, I will have you die alongside Rukia. You will die by the Sokyoku."
"But when I beat you, you will recall your support of the execution. And I'll do it with the world watching!" I spun Banshi around in my hands as he unfolded. His blade closed up and I strummed down a low F chord before shooting high in the notes and playing back down two octaves and finishing with an F that was one octave higher than the first. That last note sent a shockwave through the battlefield, drawing the attention of the nearby squad members.
I flipped Banshi right side up, "I'm gonna enjoy this, Byakuya. Your move."
"I still have one last question for you", Byakuya said, "Why is it that you refuse to accept my decisions?"
"If you recall, I was raised on the complete opposite side of the planet. I was raise in a place where there is no such thing as nobility. Everyone is free of tyranny, everyone is made equal, and everyone has unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Your ways are not mine, and I will not sit around and watch you hold your power over your family and subordinates any longer!"
Byakuya gritted his teeth in anger as he flashstepped behind me, and my scythe was already behind my back to block him. Again he swung, and again I blocked without even so much as looking.
My sonar allowed me to have a perfect readout of Byakuya without even looking. But that was merely air base sonar. The real secret was the sonar I sent through the ground! Sounds travel several times faster through solid objects. The waves silently travel through the ground, all the way through Byakuya's body, and back before my air based sonar can even come halfway between us!
"If you really want to kill me so badly, then step up your game! If you don't, I'll take you down before you can release your shikai!"
"Scatter, Zenbonzakura." His blade suddenly dissolved into pink peach blossoms. This made me turn around.
"Okay, now you've managed to surprise me", I said as the petals blew in the wind. Suddenly, three of them zipped past me and I felt them tear into my side!
I growled, "What is this?"
"This is my shikai. These are not flower petals. They are all tiny blades that reflect any source of light, so they only look like peach blossoms."
I smiled, "I never thought I'd find myself saying this to you, but that is a spectacular Zanpacto, and I know that it will only get better. That is if I don't beat you down before you can use your bankai."
Byakuya looked to his blades for a moment, then nodded, "My Zanpacto appreciates your first compliment, but it will be your last." The entire swarm blew forward.
"SHO!" I yelled blowing the petals back a ways. But they came back with renowned speed, and I was forced to use chain attacks to try and swat them away. But it did very little. They all swirled around my body, scratching any surface they could find. It was painful, but I refused to scream. He called them all back to him.
"See what I was talking about? You are at your limit. Your shikai bested my sealed form, but it does nothing against Zenbonzakura's shikai."
I clutched my left hip and stood up, "Then I'm afraid you're wrong again, Byakuya. That wasn't my shikai. That was merely my sealed blade!"
Byakuya's eyes widened as he realized, "That scythe is your sealed form? I'll be honest, no one has ever had a weapon like that as his sealed Zanpacto."
"We're both flattered", I bowed, flipping Banshi onto my back, "Echo, Banshi!" I called as he turned into his cybernetic sealed form.
"Impressive, but it is still merely a scythe. Nothing you do will change the outcome of the last attack. But what does Banshi mean?"
"Banshee, the screaming ghost. And it will change this time around." I said. Byakuya sent his blades forward and this time I sent out a shockwave that blew all of them back to Byakuya. Some of the petals even got stuck in his shoulder, drawing blood.
"Sound, so that's your power." His blade assumed sealed form again and he did several flash steps that eventually led back to me. He swung his blade, but flashstepped to my right in mid-swing and he caught my eye patch.
"What is that?" he said glaring at my right eye, "Are you…a hollow?"
"No. This is merely a battle scar from my first Menos Grande. While it was charging up a cero, I broke its mask. But it exploded in my face. The cero induced fractures took my eye, but they infected me to the point where my eye healed again, but with hollow properties. I'm just lucky that my friend was there to save me, or I would probably be a hollow right now. I just don't like showing this off." I fixed my eye patch. He instantly went for me as my guard was down and made another slash to my chest.
I groaned, dropping the eye patch going back into battle. We traded blows quickly and he flashstepped behind me once more. But I swung my blade behind me and impaled his right hip on the blade. He coughed up blood.
"Give up the ghost, Byakuya. You're just holding back because you know my sensei will come after you if you actually try to kill me."
He grunted and forced the blade out of him. "That does it. I'm finishing this right now!" he growled, letting his true anger show. But he tilted his blade upside down and dropped it saying one single word.
"Bankai!"
Suddenly we were surrounded by a row of giant blades, dozens of them. At first I thought that they'd all come at me at once as they were. But from the top to the bottom, they all dissolved into peach blossom petals!
"Uh-oh!" I muttered as I realized just what I was up against.
"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." All of them rushed at me at once!
I fired out a shockwave from Banshi, dispersing some, but they all gathered up together in one giant cloud of blades.
"Do you still think that you are superior to me?" Byakuya asked coldly.
I chuckled slightly, "In terms of power, I guess not. I haven't achieved bankai. But I'm far from done! Echo to the sky! Banshi!" Banshi flipped into flight form and we blasted off into the sky, the petals coming close behind.
"You're just full of tricks, aren't you?" he pointed with his hands and the petals doubled in speed.
"Good thing I still have my trump card!" I muttered to myself as I said my incantation in English, loud enough for him to hear.
I then leaped out of flight and slammed my palm against the hole on Banshi's hinge, releasing a shockwave. However, the hole concentrated the sound so much that I merely heard a light whoosh. That concentrated sound shattered the cloud, sending Byakuya out of the way.
It was time. I finished the incantation and flashstepped behind him, ""Hado Number Eighty-Eight: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"
Byakuya gasped as I grabbed his wrist and fired the hado square in his face!
"Bakudo Number Eighty-One: Splitting Void" an energy wall separated us, blocking the beam itself.
"I'm getting tired of this, Kuchiki!" I said, as I slammed Banshi into the beam, causing it to collapse. The wall broke right as it disappeared.
"Is that all?" Byakuya asked.
"Thunder Clap!" the area the beam went exploded and thunder blasted in our faces. I was sent tumbling end over end for over a hundred yards. Waiting too long before detonating it will cause the beam to backfire. Byakuya was firmly placed three feet deep in a silhouetted hole in the wall, an equal distance away from our original place.
There was a loud ringing in my ears, and my vision was fuzzy. Trembling, I stood up, relying on Banshi to stand upright. Byakuya began to remove himself from the wall, in just as bad a shape.
"Damn you!" I said holding my bleeding chest. I looked at my bloodied hand and then drew a three fingered slash mark over my right eye's hollow mask. Senbozakura began to gather again, and I began another incantation.
"That's enough, Valero!" I cut the spell as Toshiro Hitsugaya appeared. A large ice dragon extended from the blade of his Zanpacto and got in the way Byakuya.
"Lieutenant, you must stop this at once!" Izuru stood me up followed by Momo.
"Don't do this! If you keep this up, you'll both die!" she pleaded.
There was a short pause before I reached down for my eye patch and put it back on.
"You're right", I muttered to them, "That sick bastard's not even worth fighting." By this point, we reached the room where Renji was still resting.
"Look….I'm so sorry, but we have to follow orders. We must take Renji to prison" Izuru said glumly.
"But he could die!" Momo said.
"I did not just put my life on the line to have Renji die in a jail cell! I hate his guts too, but not enough to wish death on him."
"He's cold as ice. Isn't he?" a voice said in the corner.
"GOOD GOSH, NOOO!" I screamed in panic as I leaped up to the ceiling where I stuck Banshi, holding on for dear life. Standing right behind where I was before, somehow sneaking past my sonar, was Gin Ichimaru.
"Captain Ichimaru!" Momo turned to him.
"It makes you wonder if he's even got a heart inside of him. He is one scary guy for sure, that captain of Squad Six", Gin continued.
"TRY LOOKING AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR, GIN! DON'T EVER SNEAK UP ON ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!" I said in a comical fear fury.
"No offense taken, a lot of people say that about me. But why would I stop? It's always so much fun watching you jump out of your skin and climb up the wall like a cat up a tree. Nothing funny really happens around here, so I think it's rather nice to have a good laugh. But don't worry about Renji. I'll call in Squad Four so you won't get in any more trouble than you already have."
My fear left me for a moment and I opened Banshi's blade, hanging upside down by the handle, "Why didn't you drop in before? You could have spared me the injuries!"
"Like I said, not much fun happens here. And a lieutenant standing up to Kuchiki like that is certainly interesting. You could say you've left a good impression on me. But anyway, I'll take care of Renji."
"Would you do that? Really?" Momo said cheerfully.
"Absolutely! It's no problem! Come on, Izuru."
"Yes sir!" his lieutenant followed him out the door.
"Thank you, Captain Ichimaru!" Momo bowed.
"Wow! Renji's in bad shape! What a mess!" a voice said behind us, making both me and Momo jump in shock. Banshi's hinge closed up suddenly and I hit my head on the ceiling before falling back down to the ground with my Zanpacto folded up.
"Toshiro?!" Momo turned to face him.
"DAMMIT HITSUGAYA!" I hopped back up in a comical fury, "It's bad enough that Gin's sneaking around trying to scare me, but I won't tolerate a double tap!"
"Hey, hey! Mind your manners now! You still have to address me as a captain, you know!" Toshiro said.
"You can forget about that! What is it with you captains creeping around silently?! And what were you doing sneaking up behind us like that anyway?!" she took to a similar tone as me before realizing something, "Wait a sec. What are you doing here, Toshiro? Where's your lieutenant?"
"I have come to warn you", he said looking around.
"About what?" Momo asked.
"Be careful dealing with Squad Three."
"You mean Izuru?" Momo asked.
"Actually, what I meant was Ichimaru. But watch Izuru too", he clarified.
"Like that wasn't already obvious?" I said, "You already know how much he creeps me out!"
"Then I see no problem for you", Toshiro smiled, "Momo, it's strange, and I wish I could give you more specifics. Just be careful!"
.
Later that night, Momo and I stood outside of Renji's cell. While it is true that he was sent to prison, a medic from Squad Four got the chance to clean his wounds and bandage him up. He patched me up too.
"That's all I can do for him for now. I'll be back to check on him tomorrow", the medic told us.
"Thank you very much", Momo said as she let him out and we both left the cell open as we sat beside the unconscious Renji.
"Oh Renji", she muttered, "Why did you have to fight the ryoka all alone? I don't understand. Does it have to do with Rukia?"
"What would his actions have to do with Rukia?" I asked.
Momo jumped, "Oh, no. I said that out loud. Didn't I?"
"You did", I smiled, sweatdropping a little.
"Well, it's just that he and Rukia were childhood friends and…no, it's a stupid idea", she shook her head, "they can't be connected."
I sighed and decided to act along, "I'm supposed to keep this top secret. But if you're concerned about Renji, then you deserve to know. I was at the captain's meeting earlier. This entire breach is because of Rukia. You see, from what I can understand, and the captains might not know this, but we have reason to believe that one of them is Rukia's substitute soul reaper, a mere human who saved hundreds of souls, and even played a part in killing a Menos Grande within a few days of obtaining power. From what I believe that this substitute and the friends that he and Rukia shared, are coming back to save her from the Sokyoku."
"Do you really think that's the case?"
"Well based on the captains' actions and my mom's interrogation of Rukia, that's what I've deduced."
"Wait. Your mom?" she asked and I suddenly covered my mouth, sweating profusely, "I get it now! Your mom is Lady Miharu!" I quickly covered her mouth in the first way that came to mind: a kiss on the lips. It startled her for a moment and I held it for a few seconds before pulling away. At that very moment she tried to put a little tongue in, leaving a trail of saliva behind. She blushed.
"If you dare tell that to anyone, I'll tell about what just happened. I don't quite know if I can trust you yet."
.
"So what is it, Momo?" Aizen asked her. Taking to Toshiro's warning, I had accompanied Momo to her captain's office, "Wasn't there something specific you wanted to talk about?"
"Yes. I was…." Momo tailed off for a moment.
"How is Lieutenant Abarai's recovery coming along?"
"He's stable, and not in any danger anymore", she said brightening up a little.
"I never thought I'd say this, but if it wasn't for Gin, Renji would probably have bled out by now."
"That's good to hear", Aizen picked up, "You're probably worried about what was decided at the meeting, aren't you? Captain Kuchiki wanted Renji discharged, but then he backed down when there were objections. So Renji will be allowed to return to his post once he's fully recovered."
"I'm so glad! I bet you were the one who objected! Weren't you, Captain?" Momo said.
"I wasn't alone. Most everyone recognizes that he's an excellent officer. Despite their differences, no one in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads would rejoice in Renji's dismissal. By the way, Ash, we also saw that you did a serious number on Captain Kuchiki in Renji's defense, and came to a draw even when you faced his bankai with your shikai. I've only seen that done by Kenpachi Zaraki. He doesn't even have a shikai you know. But regardless, it was determined that you fought again in self-defense, and for the wellbeing of a fellow lieutenant, so all charges have been dropped."
"Good!" Momo said relieved. She blushed, pausing for a moment before asking something, "Can I ask a favor?"
"What is it?"
"If it doesn't bother you, and I promise no more questions, I'll just sit here and watch. Could I stay with you a while longer?"
"Stay as long as you like, Momo", Aizen said warmly.
"Thank you!" Momo whispered.
"Actually, Momo, I need to ask you something in private", I tugged her out the door before leaning back in, "I'll give her back in a moment."
I walked away from his office with Momo. Banshi played soft guitar music as we walked, setting the mood that I didn't intend on making.
"Momo, what do you think of Aizen?" I asked her, "What makes him special?"
"Well", she blushed suddenly, "I don't even know where to start. He's wise, even in his age. He's kind, caring, and talented beyond compare! But lately, he's been acting strangely, and…..I'm just worried for him."
"It's probably the Squad Three thing that Toshiro was talking about. Aizen confronted Gin and he began to waver at the meeting. I'm sure he knows. And I've seen enough to understand just who he is. He has my respect. Trust me, he'll be alright. And I promise that you will be alright too." Damn! My heart was beating fast right then!
"I hope you're right", she said smiling up to me. Slowly she got in closer and I saw where this was going. I followed suit and our lips lightly pressed together.
I already told you how I was attracted to this sweet little girl. Banshi (damn him) had taken the initiative and set the mood for us with that soft Spanish guitar music in the dim light of the candle lit lamp.
She put tongue into this one slowly. Her lips and tongue were soft, but cool. My arms slid around her back and she slid hers around my neck and we gently caressed each other.
.
I had some pleasant dreams that night. But everything went haywire when I heard someone screaming. I bolted upright in my bed, in my mom's estate and looked out the window in the direction of the voice.
"Echo to the sky, Banshi! And step on it!" I rocketed off into the air
"Momo! Momo, where are you?!" I called out. I saw her far below on a bridge with the other lieutenants rushing in. I turned upwards, exited flight mode and landed on the bridge with a loud THUMP!
"Momo! What is it, Momo?! What happened?!" Izuru asked. But the girl just stared in absolute horror.
I looked in the same direction and felt a drop of blood on my nose, and another two on my lieutenant badge's cloth. I would have been disgusted by that, but what I saw far above me was worse.
"GAH!" I fell backwards and rapidly scooted back to the others terrified, "Look!"
There, eight stories in the air, was the bloodied body of Captain Aizen. He was pinned to the wall through the chest with his own Zanpacto!
"That's impossible!" Izuru exclaimed.
"He was murdered?!" Rangiku said in disbelief.
"Captain Aizen?" Momo muttered as she walked a few steps forward before falling to her hands and knees, "WHO DID THIS?!"
"No", I stuttered, walking over to the despondent Momo.
"What's all this racket, so early in the morning?" I froze at the sound of Gin's voice. We all whirled around to see him ten yards behind us. "Oh, that. Yes, it certainly is a tragedy." He spoke with a calm composed tone with that smile on his face.
"How the hell can you talk like that Ichimaru?! This isn't a tragedy! It's a nightmare! How the hell can you possibly be so calm?!" I yelled at him.
Suddenly, Momo growled and whipped out her Zanpacto, "IT WAS YOU!" She actually whipped her sheath out hard enough to knockme over the bridge's railing!
"Whoa! I have to get help! Echo to the sky! Banshi!" I took flight again as Momo began to fight Izuru (who stepped in to protect his captain).
"TOSHIRO!" I yelled, swooped down and picked up the young captain from his squad members as I passed.
"Put me down, Valero! What's the meaning of this?!" he yelled over the wind.
"It's Aizen! He's been murdered, and now Momo's trying to kill Gin!"
"Well spit it out then! Where are they?!" he said as I deactivated flight mode, startling Toshiro for a moment as we dropped to the bridge.
"Now it's time to drop the bass!" I wound up a strike and slammed Banshi into the ground, releasing a shockwave in between Momo and Izuru that launched them back, kicked up a cloud of dust, and had the sound of a deep electric guitar D.
They regained their bearings and charged again. But Toshiro and I were both in the dust cloud and we stopped them. I personally stopped Izuru.
"Put that sword down right now, or I snip you in half!" I yelled at him as Banshi's blade closed on Izuru enough to draw some blood on exposed skin andhold him in place.
"Let go of me!" he growled until an upper kick to the chin knocked him out cold.
"Place these two under arrest!" Toshiro commanded.
"Wait a minute!" Momo cried as she was taken captive by the other lieutenants.
"MOMO!" Toshiro barked, "At a time like this, you raise arms against your own?! Especially when your first priority should have been to take Captain Aizen's body down from up there! I will report this incident to the head captain. Get these two out of my sight! Lock them both up!" Momo was taken away with Izuru. Gin smiled cruelly to her as she passed and only spoke to us when they were all gone.
"Thank you Squad Ten Captain, and you too, Lieutenant Ash. Sorry you both had to waste your time on one of mine." All was silent for a moment as I tried to let it sink in.
"You know Gin, I believe that just now, you were going to kill Momo", Toshiro said.
"Now, whatever could you be talking about?" Gin said, smiling like the Grinch, but a little annoyance peppered his tone. He's definitely the one.
"Play innocent if you like, but I'll tell you this: If you allow Momo's blood to be spilled, I promise you I'll kill you."
"Oh, how scary!" Gin mused, "But I suggest you keep an eye on her. You don't want any misfortune to befall her."
As the guards came to take the fallen captain's body down, shivers ran down my spine. I tried to reach for Banshi, but I just couldn't. My arms wouldn't move. All I could do was walk out of the crime scene like a zombie.
Just last night, everything was so peaceful (except for the Renji and Byakuya incidents). Aizen complimented me on my work while kindly allowing Momo to stay with him. And then there was that romantic moment with Momo. It was so hazy to me that it felt like a dream. But it was sweet and romantic all the same.
But in the end, this nightmare had befallen us and claimed the life of one of the soul reapers for whom I held the highest respect.
I had to get to the bottom of this, for Momo's sake.
(End of Chapter 6)
.
MHA-HA-HA-HA-HA! BEOWULF RETURNS!
It's been a while since I've posted anything and it's great to be back on track.
Even now there isn't much to say. For those of you reading Wings of Remnant, the story's going to be on hold for a little while for special reasons (partially because some of my stories haven't had much attention as of late.
As you can already guess, Ash is going to be all over the Aizen incident while battles are being fought throughout the Seireitei. This time he's doing it with a little something else in mind too (never expected him to fall for Momo, THAT was a shocker).
Until next time, this is Beowulf and the OC crew signing out!