Aizen raised a finger to silence her. "Do not make such noise Momo. It is unbecoming." Momo ceased screaming, but couldn't help herself from shaking. Her mind did, however, seem to somewhat calm itself now that she wasn't shouting, allowing her to make a few simple observations. Though Aizen did indeed appear to be garbed in the 5th Division's Captain haori, he lacked his original hairstyle and glasses he had worn during his time in the position, instead possessing the slicked back style he had changed to during his defection. Vaguely, Momo noticed that his voice, which seemed to be coming from inside her very head, didn't match up with the movements of his lips. Furthermore, Aizen appeared to be standing in a rather awkward position, seemingly unsure on whether or not to close the distance between them. This struck Hinamori as being somewhat odd, even in her horrified state. These thoughts, however, quickly left her mind as Aizen took a step towards her, appearing to make up his mind at long last. Once again he opened his mouth, and once again the words Momo heard did not seem to synchronize with what he appeared to be saying.
"You truly are a hopeless child Momo. You suffered so much from my betrayal, yet you continued to hope that I would return for you. I suppose I should not be surprised, after all, I sculpted you from the day we met. You were my puppet. You still are my puppet. You may think you have begun to forget about my existence Momo, but I assure you, you will never forget about me, not for as long as you live. Because I was the only person who truly understood you." As Aizen continued to walk toward her slowly, Momo unconsciously unsheathed her sword. If she hadn't been so preoccupied with what he was saying to her, she would have been somewhat taken aback at Aizen ceasing movement at the sight of her blade. "What is this? Do you wish to fight me Momo? Are you perhaps fed up with being my plaything? Tired of knowing that you will never amount to anything else? Tired of everyone seeing you as a plagued beast for spending so much time with me? Tired of knowing you will never have anyone truly love you as unconditionally as I had appeared to?" Momo gasped. For the first time she spoke, forcing her mouth to slowly speak the words her mind worked a mile a minute to form. "H-How... do y-you... k-know that?" As she continued on, she found it becoming easier to speak. "You can't have known how I'd feel about myself after you left. All the times I cried. All the times I had lain awake in bed wondering if you'd ever come back for me, wondering if I'd done something wrong." The words poured out of her mouth now, a dam had broken somewhere inside her, she had wanted to speak these words for so long.
"You left me Capt-... Aizen. You abandoned me, and I was destroyed. I thought for months that it had been my fault. But that was only what you wanted me to think. You wanted me to think that I was a fool for trusting you, to think that it was all my fault that I never picked up on your betrayal before it was too late, to think that I was a hopeless, foolish, pathetic weakling. That no one could truly care about me." She gripped her blade tightly, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "You're wrong Aizen. Shiro-chan... Rangiku... they always came by when I was in the hospital, back when I was too mentally broken to understand why. They cared about me. Kira and Renji... they've always been nice to me, even after what you did... they cared about me. Even Shinji, the man who knew you far longer than I did cares about me! He knew that I wasn't some kind of tainted, sick leper for being so close to you!" Aizen's face was blank, gone was the smug smirk she knew so well, the face she saw in her nightmares. Without it, Momo somehow felt braver, that for once, something Aizen had worked on hadn't completely gone according to his plan. After a few moments, she heard a soft chuckle in her head that hadn't come from the man standing before her, and once again words began to resonate through her conscious. "Do not dellude yourself Momo. You see only what you wish yourself to see. Do you not think that these very individuals whom you claim to be your friends do not speak about you behind your back? They do not trust you Momo, and they have good reason to. I told you, I made you into what you are, you are noth-"
"SHUT UP!" Momo yelled at loudly as she good at the man quickly closing the gap between them. "You can't control me Aizen! Not anymore! I won't let you decide how I live my life!" Momo pointed her sword at him. "Snap, Tobiume!" Aizen was instantly engulfed in an explosion originating from a fireball from her Shikai, but before the smoke completely cleared and allowed Aizen an unobstructed view of her, Momo had formulated a strategy. She raised her hand toward the cloud she had created. "Hado #33: Soukatsui!" A burst of blue energy shot out of her hand, causing Aizen to jump out of the way, his expression no longer blank, no longer smug, but alarmed. Finally, appearing to draw his own blade. Momo was ready, the man she had always feared more than any other's confused expression giving her heart. "Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudo #61: Rikujoukourou!" Six spiritual bands materialized and directed themselves at Aizen, who dodged quickly out of the way with Shunpo. Turning to Momo, he looked over her shoulder and shouted something that Momo couldn't hear, as no accompanying voice in her mind had spoken. Turning to see what he was looking at, she was briefly confused to see what looked like a mass of pink cherry blossoms, starkly standing out from the otherwise completely black and white world, rushing towards her. It was too late that she realized that those weren't actually cherry blossoms, but Senbonzakura. She closed her eyes to spare herself from witnessing her fate. At least she had finally overcome her fears before she had died.
But death never came. Opening her eyes slightly, she caught a glimpse of white, a spurt of red, and, upon opening them further, a sight that she would never have imagined. Aizen stood before her, a long, bloody gash in his chest from where Senbonzakura had struck him. "Ya alright Momo?" The words hadn't come from her head this time. Looking back, he smiled. Unlike the smile she had always seen her previous Captain wear that had been reserved and never fully reached his eyes, this one she could tell was wide and genuine. Aizen began to literally melt before her, the sky began to slowly fade back to its murky grey, the sounds of battle once again met her ears, and the brown-haired Captain that had taken the killing blow for her had become blonde. "...Shinji?" she spoke.
Shinji grunted. "That's Hirako-taichou ta ya girl, and it took ya long enough ta finally recognize me." He looked down at his wound and touched it lightly with his fingers. "You're hurt!" Momo cried out behind him, and he shrugged. "It's nothin', this is nowhere near what Kuchiki was able ta do at full strength."
A hollow voice rung out from behind a nearby corner. "You are correct in referring to Kuchiki Byakuya in the past-tense Hirako Shinji." Shinji watched an emaciated figure donned in a long cloak and mask walk out into the street he and Momo were standing in. In the figure's hand was a medallion adorned with a five-pronged cross that was glowing with a bright blue light. The oddly unnerving individual brought its hands together, the one still maintaining a firm grip on the odd medallion, and clapped slowly. "However, I would compliment your Vice-Captain on her strength of will. Not even Kuchiki Byakuya was able to break out of my ability. She successfully overcame her greatest fears. For now." Shinji squinted at the source of the voice as cold as death itself. If he hadn't heard it speak, he would have swore that that could have been Unohana wearing a mask.
Grinning slightly, Shinji cocked his neck to yell back. "Hey buddy, I'm guessin' yer the reason Momo here kept callin' me Aizen eh? What's a guy- you are a guy right?- what's a guy like you doin' with Kuchiki-taichou's Bankai?" His audience turned its head toward him and ceased its clapping, and for the first time Shinji saw the eyes of this thing he had assumed to be a person. Black and empty, Shinji wondered if this thing even had a soul, let alone if it was human. He did his best to keep his grin from fading however, not wanting to worry Momo any more than she already was. "Nice eyes. I guess before I even ask ya any more questions, I should just ask who ya are." The figure did not move, but spoke again, its voice making Shinji's blood seemingly freeze.
"I am As Nodt. Stern Ritter F of his Majesty Juha Bach's Vandenreich. And you," it said, pointing a long, crooked finger at Shinji, "Are Hirako Shinji, Captain of the 5th Division. The daten says to approach you with extreme caution, as you are host to some rather unique powers. I hope you prove to be better sport than Kuchiki Byakuya did." Shinji's grin broadened and he rested his Zanpakuto on his shoulders, adopting a more casual stance. "Stern Ritter eh? They like yer top guys?" The figure nodded. "And just how many of our Captains are fightin' ya right now?" As Nodt raised its head at Shinji's inquiry and seemed to sniff the air before responding. "I suppose there is no harm in sharing this information with you, as you will be dead shortly. E is currently engaged in a conflict with Komamura Sajin, and she seems to be pushing him back with little issue, I suspect he will be dead shortly. U has confronted your close acquaintance Outoribashi Roujuurou and appears to have yet to actually enter combat. O seems to be playing with his food at the moment, but Hisagi Shuuhei will not last much longer I assure you. Q, R and Y have engaged a rather monsterous reaitsu that I can only assume to be Zaraki Kenpachi's, they will likely die. Those three are absolute fools and the weakest of the lot. One of our more skilled members has yet to report in on his activities, but I sensed him releasing his Vollstandig a few moments ago and a slight drop in reiatsu from Kyoraku Shunsui. I have few worries about him, he is a capable opponent despite the age of the Captain he faces. J, however..." Shinji saw what he assumed to be a smile form beneath that mask. "Performed his duty to the letter, if you will excuse the distasteful joke."
Shinji's brow furrowed. "What do ya mean?" As Nodt responded by gesturing to the sky with its medallion-free hand. "I mean to say, Kurosaki Ichigo will not be present for our little invasion. He has been Jailed by the Fuhrer's impenetrable trapping technique he bestowed upon Kirge." It let out what Shinji assumed to be a laugh. "I am not one for lengthy discussion Hirako Shinji, unless of course it is to my advantage. I thought that you might like to know that even if you do not fall to me this day, there is little hope. Your savior is not coming." Shinji's grip on his sword was tight enough to draw blood from his hand. His grin entirely gone, he attempted to shout something at the Stern Ritter. "How? How is Ichigo-"
"I think that's enough talk Hirako Shinji." As Nodt cut him off while raising the hand holding onto the medallion. "Bankai. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." Instantly, thousands of blade fragments materialized around As Nodt and shot right for Shinji, who picked Momo up by the back of her robes and landed on a nearby rooftop. "Momo, stay here. This guy killed Kuchiki, he'd have no problem killing you." Momo opened her mouth to retort but Shinji shot her a glance, causing her to close it and nod. "Good, I'm gonna have enough ta worry about without ya gettin' in my way." He locked eyes with his opponent and shunpo'd behind him, swinging his sword at As Nodt's flank. The Stern Ritter jumped back and twitched a finger, and Senbonzakura once again came right at him. Black-flipping to avoid the attack, Shinji adopted his cheshire smile. "What's wrong? If this is all ya got, I have no clue how ya managed ta off Kuchik-"
"CAPTAIN BEHIND YOU!" Momo screamed, but it was too late, Shinji turned just in time to see countless thorns cut into his arms and chest, tearing off bits of his robes in the process. As Nodt laughed its cold, cruel laugh. "Let us see if you possess the same mental fortitude that your Vice-Captain did Hirako Shinji. Are you prepared to face your greatest fears?" Shinji took note of the world around him slowly becoming monochrome, until the pink of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's petals remained as the only color he could see. Suddenly, a high-pitched, inhuman scream erupted from behind him. Shinji's eyes widened and he turned to see a monsterous, vaguely human creature wearing what appeared to be a pharaoh's mask. The creature had six arms, beetle-like wings, and a long, scaly tail tipped with what seemed to be a rather deadly-looking stinger. Shinji looked at it for a few moments before frowning and jumping at it, the beast doing the same.
"YOU ARE A MONSTER HIRAKO SHINJI", a distorted, inhuman voice rang out from around him, "YOU MAY ATTEMPT TO HIDE IT FROM THE WORLD, BUT THIS DOES NOT MAKE IT ANY LESS TRUE." The man and the monster clashed, Shinji cutting deep, thin slices into its hide and it tearing painful gashes into his arms with its claws. They repeated this dance several times, each time gaining more and more wounds. Shinji looked down at his wounded arms for a moment. They hurt yes, but he wasn't experiencing the feelings of blood-loss that he should have been after suffering after so many strikes. The beast too seemed unaffected by long-term injury and growled a high-pitched, almost alien growl at him. Shinji grinned. "That all ya got old buddy? I'm disappointed." Shinji's inner hollow roared, causing him to wince at the loudness of its horribily high voice. "Ya mind not doin' that again? Between yerself and the creepy voice from the sky, I'm gettin' a headache."
"YOU WORRY THAT THERE ARE THOSE WHO CAN SEE PAST THE FACE YOU PUT ON, THOSE WHO CAN SEE THE TWISTED, WARPED BEING YOU TRULY ARE." The disembodied voice continued. Shinji's grin widened and he launched himself into the air wordlessly, his inner hollow giving chase. Shinji pointed his palm at the monster. "Ya might remember this one from last time pal. It's always so painfully ironic." He began to chant. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. Hado #73: Souren Soukatsui!" The chant-boosted version of Shinji's kido erupted from his hand as two painfully bright beams of blue energy, making contact with his inner hollow instantly and sending it crashing into the buildings below. Heavily damaged, it began to regenerate its wounds quickly, but Shinji pointed at it before laughing. "Sorry, this time I know what ya can do if I leave ya alone like that. Hado #63: Raikouhou."
Yellow lightning released itself from his fingertip and pierced the skull of the beast, it letting out one final scream before dissolving. As Shinji landed in the rubble he had created, he looked over at As Nodt in the nearby street. "Finally show up huh? I'm guessin' that was you sayin' all the spooky stuff about me bein' some kinda monster." He leaned his blade against his right shoulder and began to walk over to the Stern Ritter. "Sorry ta tell ya this, but the first thing we Visored accepted when we fought our inner hollows was that we were all monsters now, it was just a matter of controllin' it." He jerked a thumb behind him at the wreckage. "I already beat him once before, ya can't expect me ta break down in tears after seein' him again." As Nodt raised its own finger and pointed at same rubble Shinji had. "I have misjudged you Hirako Shinji. It appears you truly are a pragmatic monster." Shinji followed the Quincy's gesture to a small hole in ground that was where a building had stood only moments before. "Shinji?" a small voice cried. Looking closer, he almost dropped his weapon at what he saw.
Momo had been sliced cleanly in half across the waist.
Shinji shunpo'd over to her, picking her upper half up and cradling her in his arms. He suddenly experienced visions of a similar situation he had faced no more than a year and a half ago. Hiyori. This, however, was far more painful. This time it was he that had done this to her, not Ichimaru Gin. "Momo..." he said, his breath coming out in quick bursts, his words full of sorrow. "Momo... I'm sorry. I'm... I didn't know you... Momo..." The girl looked deep into his eyes, already wet with unshed tears. "Why? Shinji... why?" Momo went limp in his arms, and Shinji let out a cry he later hoped he never would make again. Before he had a chance to even close her eyes, As Nodt had appeared behind him. "Twice now you have failed to protect the one you held closest to your heart. And this time there is no Ushouda Hachigen, no Unohana Retsu, to make up for your mistake Hirako Shinji." Shinji stopped his weeping and layed Momo's body down on the ground before standing, his back to As Nodt. The color began to drain back into the world, but he payed it no mind. His own inner world had begun to storm.
Shinji did not look up as a large, masked man erupted from the nearby rubble, his armed pulled back readying for a punch. He did not even look up when he heard a familiar voice call his name, and Kensei came rocketing out from behind him to send the masked Quincy flying back into the rubble he had come from with a blow from his Bankai before quickly sealing it. As Nodt seemed completely unperturbed, it continued to watch Shinji's back. "We are all slaves to our fears at one point Hirako Shinji. Like Kuchiki Byakuya before you, you seem to have failed in breaking free from them, at least take heart in that your Vice-Captain had shed hers before her death." It pulled a second medallion out of its coat. "But before I kill you, it would be a wonderful parting gift to leave me with your Bankai. I can do so much more with it than a broken man like you c-" As Nodt stopped speaking as Shinji gripped his wrist so tightly he heard it break.
"Ya wanna see my Bankai ya piece of shit?" Two voices spoke through Shinji's mouth; one, his original voice, and another, higher-pitched one. As Nodt watched as a mask began to form over Shinji's face. "Yer not worth it." As Nodt barely had time to mutter his next word before the masked man struck at him. "Kurushiel!" Massive, white, demonic wings erupted from the Stern Ritter's back as his blut absorbed Shinji's slash, leaving only a shallow cut behind instead of cutting him in half. He twitched the fingers grasping the medallion, and Senbonzakura Kageyoshi materialized and slammed into Shinji, sending him flying back into the ruins. Behind the cloud of smoke he had kicked up from hitting a wall, Shinji heard his opponent yelling. "Do not let the other Captain interfere you fool!" As Nodt barked at someone. "Huh? Oh! Right!" answered a rather stupid, heavy voice. Shinji could hear As Nodt sighing at his fellow Stern Ritter, who had apparently just jumped at Kensei and had received another knock to the head as a response. Kensei called out to As Nodt, his voice slowly becoming quieter as he walked in the direction he had punched the fear-inducing Stern Ritter's comrade. "Don't worry you fucking ugly skeleton-wannabe, I'd have to be an idiot to get between Shinji and you right now."
Somewhere in the torrent that was his mind Shinji took that as a sign to act, and emerged from his cover to find As Nodt looking back at Kensei confusedly, turning just in time to block the cero Shinji launched at him with Byakuya's stolen Bankai. The emaciated Stern Ritter gave Shinji an appraising look. "Impressive. Your speed and strength have more than doubled since you equipped that mask. A pity it will still prove ineffective against my power. Do not underestimate the effectiveness of despair Hirako Shinji." Thorns began to form around the two, starting to swirl slowly, then more and more quickly until they were surrounded in a cyclone. "What will you do Hirako Shinji, if I force you to relive that moment where you realized you killed your own Vice-Captain over and over again?" Behind his mask, Shinji let out a humorless laugh, eerily distorted by his hollow side. "Yer just diggin' yer own grave now. The only thing that's going ta do is make it worse. His hollowfied yellow eyes met As Nodt's pure black. "Hollows thrive on despair. You've lost."
As Nodt seemed taken aback for a moment, but an idea seemed to suddenly occur to it. The cyclone of thorns stopped, but before Shinji could react to this, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi obstructed his view of As Nodt, leaving him in the center of a swirling pink vortex. Shinji grimaced behind his mask and raised his Zanpakuto in front of him. "Bad move, ya shoulda kept me in yer sight at all times Quincy. Collapse, Sakanade." To the Stern Ritter outside the petal cyclone, it appeared that a fine, pink dust had begun to escape from the mass. Noticing that the velocity of the storm he was standing in was beginning to decrease, Shinji wondered if As Nodt thought that the pink mist was coming from Byakuya's Bankai beginning to degrade and was sealing it to preserve it. Once enough of the petals had cleared however, Shinji saw where they truly had disappeared to. As Nodt stood on a nearby rooftop, a second pair of white wings to accompany the ones his Vollstandig had produced. "Shuukei: Hakuteiken." It spoke, before charging at him, blazing white sword raised high.
To As Nodt, it likely seemed as though he had cut cleanly through Shinji without issue, in fact, the Stern Ritter let out a gleeful squeal when it made contact with the Visored Captain, which was probably why the look of horrified confusion on its face was so plain once it looked down to find Sakanade protruding through its throat. "Wha-" it gasped, blood spurting from the hole in its neck. Shinji, still upside down and behind the Stern Ritter, frowned at it. "Don't ya die on me just yet. Ya don't deserve somethin' as merciful as a quick death." He sealed Sakanade and leapt overtop As Nodt, his mask dissolving. Looking at the slowly-dying creature in front of him, he punched it in the stomach, causing even more blood to erupt from its neck wound and it to double over in pain. Now that his mind was once again completely his own, Shinji found it much harder to hold back his tears. He punched it in the stomach again, harder than before. "That's fer Renji." He punched it again, harder. "That's fer Byakuya." He pointed the now-sealed Sakanade at the doubled-over, gasping being before him, tears now freely falling from his face. "And fer Momo... I'm gonna cut ya open and make ya watch me rip out yer-" He felt a hand on his wrist, stopping him from bringing down his sword upon the injured Quincy. Looking to his side, he saw Kensei glaring at him. "For someone who has a Shikai that can create illusions, you sure are shitty at telling other ones apart from reality." Shinji heard As Nodt hit the ground after finally bleeding out, but could only stare at Kensei confusedly. "Wha-?" Kensei pointed over his shoulder. "She's been watching you this whole time." Shinji turned his head around so quickly he thought his neck might snap. There, watching him cautiously, was Momo.
Before Momo had a chance to open her mouth, she found herself pressed facefirst into Shinji's tattered robes. "Ya stupid girl." Her Captain said, tightening his grip on her momentarily. "How could ya mistake this handsome guy fer Aizen?" Momo felt her face grow hot and tried to push Shinji away, but he was too strong. "C-Captain I'm sorry I didn't- I mean I-" Shinji pulled her away from him and locked eyes with her, a smile on his face. "I'm proud of ya." Momo felt her face become even hotter and broke eye contact. "It... I mean I only was able to finally stand up to him because of you..." she trailed off, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Shinji's grin had turned into a barely supressed frown. "Don't be an idiot, that was all you. I was the one ya were yellin' and shootin' Kido at. Don't try to peg this on me." Momo smiled at her Captain, who had finally let go of her. "Captain... I think it's fair that you now tell me what you saw since you know what I saw." He frowned at her more deeply and looked back to Kensei. "Just how much did she see?"
Kensei cracked his knuckles absent-mindedly and shrugged. "She was pretty far off, I think she hauled ass a little while before I showed up." He looked at Momo, who felt herself shrink slightly under the rather intimidating Captain's gaze. "I don't think asking Shinji what he saw is going to get you very far girl. He's not the type to share." He met Shinji's glare with his own. "If I had to take a guess based off the way he was acting and the bullshit he kept spouting, he probably saw you get killed." Shinji looked away quickly, and Momo knew Kensei had hit it right on the mark. Shinji grunted.
"Fine. So I saw one of my soldiers die under my command. Isn't that what a Captain's supposed to b-" Shinji had the wind knocked out of him by Momo's hug. He looked down at her mortified. "W-what the hell do ya think yer doin' ya stupid girl!" Momo looked up at Shinji's surprised face. "Thank you Shinji." That simple statement seemed to wipe all the annoyance from Shinji's face. Momo felt him return her hug, but didn't get a chance to see his expression as he pulled her to him. "You idiot. I told you, it's Hirako-taichou." After a few moments, she heard Kensei cough uncomfortably. Momo broke away from her Captain's embrace, the two of them wiping their eyes on their sleeves. The silver-haired Visored grunted. "If you're both done with the hugs, can I remind you two that we're at war?"
Shinji seemed to have pulled himself together within seconds and rose to look at his friend, Momo following suite. "Is Hisagi-senpai okay?" Momo asked. Kensei's eyes narrowed and he looked to Shinji. "I was hoping you'd know, I haven't seen him all morning." Shinji frowned and pointed at the nearby corpse of As Nodt. "This guy said he was fightin' someone." He looked away from Kensei. "And he said he was close to dyin'." Kensei clenched his fists and grabbed Shinji by the scruff of the neck. "Where? Did he say where he was Shinji?!" The blonde-haired Captain shook his head, and Kensei dropped him back on the ground. "Uhm... I did sense his reiatsu while you two were fighting actually." Momo piped up, doing her best to not anger the hot-headed Captain any more than he already was. "It was in that dire-" A massive column of fire burst forth from the ground where Momo was pointing. The two Visored Captains looked at her stupidly. "How did ya do that Momo?"
Before Momo had a chance to answer that she wasn't the one who had caused the explosion, a second one rocked the Seireitei and what resembled a flaming meteor shot out from the direction of the 9th Division barracks. Momo felt the heat from the flames searing the hairs on her arm, and looking up at the meteor, she saw it was in fact Yamamoto, his eyes burning embers of fury. After staring at the ball of fire that was the Captain-Commander for a few moments, Shinji and Kensei looked at each other, nodded, and broke off in seperate directions. Momo let out a cry and ran after her Captain. "I've never seen the Captain-Commander this angry before." She said to Shinji's back. "Idiot." he responded. "You act like I have." He picked up his pace and looked back at her. "Come on Momo, if we don't keep up we might miss out on all the fun."
9/23/12: Whew. This was longer than normal. Which probably means it's roughly half the length a normal chapter is supposed to be xD.
Some of you might have noticed that I update rather often, usually once a day or two. That, I'm sad to say, is about to end. As we have officially caught up with the manga, and I find it much easier to let Kubo write the main structure of the story instead of me flailing around in an attempt to make up my own material. So until you see Shinji and Momo next, expect this to be the last update for awhile. In the meantime, I highly recommend giving my friend TheBachbeard's story Unshakeable Honor a read, especially if you're a fan of Komamura. Shinji appears in this story as well, though he's not the real focus of the plot, and again finds himself facing off against the Vandenreich. It can be found here:
s/8498616/1/Unshakeable-Honor
EDIT: Update on my plans: I'll be rewriting each of the first eight chapters to be longer, more detailed and appear somewhat similar in style to this chapter. I'll do my best to have the entire fanfiction completely re-updated within a week or two.