Welcome back to another chapter of Black or White. ^-^ I should probably stress not to get too comfortable with the updating speed , I just had a free weekend. Updates will probably be a lot slower when some work piles up. EDIT: Chapter sentence structure rewritten. chapter ones remake will come later. (Thanks CrazedChaos and Mets986 : ] ) Finally its all re-uploaded, chapter 3 is next although you shouldn't expect it for a little while.
The pitch black walls of the Research division loomed ominously as the two figures made their way through the complex.
Ggio was keen to escape his personal nightmare as quickly as possible but Soifon was completely unsympathetic to the arrancars plight regardless of how he attempted to plead his cause.
After the fifth time Ggio mentioned the circumstances of his treatment by the scientist, Soifon lost her patience
"We are walking to avoid setting off any additional alarms Mayuri may have set up outside the systems I am aware off. While by technically I am allowed to go wherever I please, Kurotsuchi is certain to get in my way regardless if he becomes aware of my presence here, even more so if he discovers you are outside your cell."
The captain's description drew a smirk from the hollow "The head of the police force acts on her own interests rather then Soul Societies as a whole? Ms Fong, I must say I'm shocked. I thought you of all people would take the whole justice thing seriously."He played out in mock horror.
Shaolin was not amused. "Rule number two; you will refer to me solely as 'Captain' from here on out. If I hear any other descriptions leave your mouth again you will lose teeth. As for my actions, I was granted permission directly from the captain commander himself; I simply decided the proceeding would be far less irritating for all parties involved if Mayuri was not informed of it."
"If there's a problem we can always drop by Mayuri's quarters for you to explain the deal personally?"
Ggio shuddered and decided silence was the best course of action for the rest of the trip; if he never met the blue haired lunatic again it would still be far too soon.
The magnificent night sky of Sereitei stood in stark contrast to the cold dead walls of the research division. Ggio could not help but marvel at its beauty.
A quick leap to the roof of the research complex and he was transfixed.
The beautiful hues of the clear night sky contrasting perfectly with the dull fires lighting the creamy buildings below and above them all towered the Gotei thirteen's base of operations, Senzaikyū Palace. Flanked by the Sōkyoku Hill, beautiful beyond words yet somehow still managing to remain an imposing remainder of the organization within.
So this is the home of the Shinigami? Certainly a far cry from Las Noches blunt dominating hulk but beauty is not what wins wars. I wonder how well it would hold up under assault…
Not one to care for such concepts as beauty, Soifon normally would have made her presence extremely known to the relevant individual.
However, this wasn't your everyday time-wasting subordinate; this was a hollow interested in something other then sustaining itself, something the captain had believed impossible.
However Soifon's momentary confusion was soon overwhelmed by denial.
"Your act is not convincing arrancar. No hollow could ever truly appreciate the wonders of Soul Society. If this is supposed to be some kind of feint to get me to trust you, its sadly lacking."
"Is that is how you really see us hollows?" Ggio slowly turned as he spoke.
"as nothing more then animals?" Soifon said nothing, merely adopting her smirk.
She was completely unprepared for the tirade that followed.
"You shinigami are all the same. You think that you're the epitome of righteousness destroying the ultimatum of evil. Well let me tell you something shinigami, NOTHING in this world is black or white. For every time you killed a hollow all you were ever doing is fixing YOUR own mistake. YOUR failure to save my soul lead to me becoming a hollow, YOUR failure to kill that hollow led to me becoming an arrancar. Yet YOU'RE apparently the just one?"
Ggio spat."Your kind lead to our existence and yet you believe you have the right to destroy us?"
Without warning the arrancar dropped his furious tone "As a captain I expected you to be an inch more open-minded then the other shinigami I've fought. I guess that was too much to ask of you Ms Fong…"
Soifon stood on throughout the entire speech in stunned silence.
Of all the responses she had prepared there wasn't one that would be appropriate to the situation. Well actually there was one.
Soifon punched Vega across the jaw, hard. As the arrancar hit the district floor with a distinctive crunch she breathed
"That's for failing Rule number two, baka." Yet even as she gathered Ggios unconscious body from the district floor, the arrancars words stung upon her pride.
The following day Ggio awoke with a splitting headache and a jarring pain in his jaw. A quick search confirmed, thankfully he hadn't lost any teeth.
He had however appropriated a crack in his saber mask, something that irritated him immensely.
God damnit does she have any idea how bloody long masks take to heal? Off course not, she wouldn't give a damn. Guess the truth hurt her ego too much. Bitch…
Still cursing, the arrancar decided he should probably take a look at his current situation.
He was inside a small room with paper thin walls and a low ceiling. The walls were adorned with a rich crimson tapestry and the only furniture was a deep brown table centered in the room.
He sensed faint reiatsu signals coming just outside the four corners of the room They're certainly making it clear that they're here...
Rising from his bed, one additional detail became very apparent along with the chill…his clothes were missing. So now not only did she crack my mask, she also stole my outfit. What the hell is this woman's problem?
Just as Ggio was about to launch himself into another rage regarding the petite captain there was a series of short knocks on the door.
"Enter" Ggio replied with irritation.
The door slid open and a tall dark haired girl tottered in cautiously. She appeared to be carrying clean clothes.
Shutting the door behind her she made a motion as if about to speak when she noticed Ggios lack of clothing.
A deep crimson blush was struck across her face "Kyah, w-why would you call me in when you're nude. I'll come back when you're dressed!" she turned and reached for the door only for Ggio to block her with sonido. Her blush intensified.
"That would be pretty difficult without my clothes…" he monotoned.
A blank look briefly crossed the girls face but she caught on when Vega motioned at the outfit she was carrying. "argh I'm so sorry"
She quickly threw the clothes at Vega before shutting her eyes and planting her face to the floor. She then began mumbling to herself about incompetence.
After passing a look of pity at the retarded girl, Ggio appraised his clothes.
At least he now knew why his clothes were taken, within his arms he held his former arrancar outfit, fully repaired and washed but that was not all.
Ggio noted with disdain that the fabric had been dyed a pitch black to suit his new allegiance but rationed it was a hell of a lot better then being forced to wear one of the awful shinigami robes.
After properly adorning his new attire Ggio proceeded to drag the rambling girl off the floor.
She continued her slew of self abuse until Vega was forced to clamp his hand over her mouth.
"OI-" the girl's eyes opened at the remark "shut up." "Hai.."
Ggio released the girl and slumped back onto the bed.
"Good morning Vega uh-sir, my name is Aya Saishou. I will be your assigned servant throughout your stay in the Fong Manor. Soifon-sama sent me to deliver your outfit to you."
She bowed deeply. Ggio rolled his eyes
"I gathered that much, quite notably before you did. Is there anything else you have to tell me, preferably along the lines of where my zanpaktou is?"
The ditzy girl thought for a minute "Umm you'd have to ask lady Fong that question, she should be over shortly but if you need anything else I am here to assist you" She bowed again, Ggio sighed.
A brief whistling noise signaled the arrival of the captain via shunpo. Vega eyed her dryly, Soifon ignored him.
"You may go about your other duties now Aya, I will handle the arrancar for now"
Aya rushed a bow "H-hai Soifon-taicho" skittering out of the room moments later.
Soifon sighed deeply after the girls exit.
"I can't help but notice you gave me a retarded servant" Vega scowled.
"Her family has been loyal supporters of the Fong and Shihoin houses for generations; by obligation she has a job as a servant here. Besides despite being socially…challenged she does just fine at her job."
The small woman leered at Vega "On that note you are not in a position to be picky arrancar, I did not have to give you a servant at all."
"I have a name you know."
"I'm aware but you have yet to prove yourself worthy of it, only the subordinates I give a damn about get names over descriptions."
"That's funny, you use your lieutenant's name and you didn't seem very fond of him."
"Omaeda is a special case, he is a complete and total moron but out of all of the division he somehow still manages to be the best combatant in my forces."
Ggio broke into a toothy smirk at that. "That fat lug is your best? Man the stealth force must be in quite a rut!"
Ggio expected an extreme amount of pain the second he made that comment, when he felt nothing he was left baffled.
"Normally I would have crippled you for that comment but I will need you in once piece shortly so I'll save that for later."
She turned and began a steadfast march out of the door, Ggio slipping into formation behind her.
"Despite my best efforts my division has not been sporting nearly as much talent as I would like for a long time now. I do however have a theory as to why-"
"The very nature of our missions of our jobs means my division has the lowest life expectancy of them all save perhaps the Eleventh. As such those who show talent rarely ever receive a chance to develop it before I am forced to put them on near suicidal missions."
"This is where you come in. I'm going to be setting you all the missions those shinigami would normally be off dying on. If you succeed you get to keep on living. If not, I'm sure you would prefer a quick death over an extended one in Mayuri's lab."
Ggio narrowed his eyes "So I'm screwed no matter what option I take? Fantastic... when do I start?"
"Immediately"
Soifon pushed open two heavy oak doors to reveal a large courtyard dominated by the imposing statue of a dragon.
She moved to stand in the middle of the open area before turning to face Vega.
"Your first task is simple." She clicked her fingers and five individuals garbed in the special ops outfit flashed into existence.
"Defeat my five best seated members using only hand to hand combat techniques."
Ggio smirked inwardly. Easy; I've fought on par with a lieutenant. These guys are nothing.
He assumed a combat stance. Another click of the captain's fingers and the first ninja flew towards Vega.
The man attempted to utilize speed to gain the initial advantage.
Vega ducked low, sliding under the attack before shooting his foot up in a scissor kick motion.
The kick hit the shinigami hard, a distinctive cracking noise resulting but he quickly recovered, using shunpo to escape any following hits.
He wasn't gone long however, quickly reappearing behind Ggio sweeping his leg in an attempt to knock the arrancar from his feet.
Vega jumped, only to notice the second leg of the assassin swinging outwards. This guy really wants me to lose my balance. Perhaps I can play with that.
Ggio pretended to be caught unawares by the second strike and let himself drop to earth.
It worked like a charm, the shinigami believing he had caught the arrancar unaware and moved to finish him with a strong strike to the head.
At the last second however Ggio sonido'd, reappearing above his opponent and planting the shinigami's head into the same patch of ground he'd been aiming for with Vega seconds before.
Soifon cocked an eyebrow but clicked her fingers for the next subordinate to enter the fray.
A short while later all five ninjas lay at Vegas feet.
Ggio savored his victory.
"You're right Soifon; your division really is hopeless." Soifons face remained impassive.
"Your task isn't done yet arrancar" She clicked her fingers again and 5 more special ops appeared "These are my second best"
Ggio was gobsmacked. "I just beat your five best and you're now telling me to fight the five under them. Are you feeling ok captain?"
Soifon simply smiled and clicked her fingers.
This time all 5 individuals flew at Vega!
The arrancar wasn't expecting this and was immediately forced onto the defensive, unable to even swing a punch at the 5 individuals flashing in and out of existence around him.
Damnit, this is ridiculous. I can't even find enough distance to sonido in this mess. Alright stay calm, these guys are still far les experienced fighters then me. Look for openings. Come-on there's got to be one in the somewhere… There!
One of the fighters had a heavier swing then the rest and thus left himself open in the after strike.
Ggio continued to dodge and weave throughout the fray until the ninja he'd isolated took his strike.
Ggio easily checked the blow and launched a painful volley of fists into the mans stomach. He keeled over and Vega made to finish him off, only for his arm to be held back from behind.
The smallest member of the group had slipped behind him while he pummeled the heavier man.
The woman had just sacrificed her companion for an opening.
Fuck, got to get her off immediately before something far worse hap-urgh.
Apparently the small ninja hadn't been the only one in on the plan, the very second he'd been restrained the remaining 3 ninja had gone on an all out offensive.
Without his arms to defend himself Vega found himself getting pulverized from all sides.
The arrancar very quickly found himself close to passing out. Shit shit shit, I'm out of options, another minute of this and I'll be done. I've got to lose my passenger NOW..
Ggio struggled desperately to remove the kunoichi from his back but she remained firmly fixed in place.
Thinking quickly; Ggio attempted to use the woman as a human shield to buy him some breathing room.
However to his complete shock, her companions completely ignored the gesture. Ending up pummeling her just as much as the arrancar.
Even through the relentless pounding the woman held on with reckless abandon.
By the time the woman succumbed to her subordinate's friendly fire and slipped unconscious from the arrancars back Vega was an absolute wreck.
Yet still the assault continued unwavering, driving him back further and further.
No, I won't lose here! I can't die in such a pathetic manner, I have an oath to fulfill!
In desperation Ggio threw himself into a blind shoulder charge, catching one of the the remaining special-ops off guard.
The charge carried both individuals several meters before smashing them against the dragons stony visage, knocking the assassin out cold instantaneously but it also crushed all of the wind out of Vegas lungs, leaving him sprawled out across the dirt.
The two remaining ninjas immediatly moved to capitalise to finish him his moment of weakness but Ggio wasn't going down without a fight.
God damn it! Screw the terms, I'm dead either way. Sayonara motherfuckers!
ust as the two individuals were within inches of Ggio he raised his palm from the dirt, revealing his trump card.
The arrancar had hidden his charging of a cero behind his back.
The expressions on the two ninjas froze on their face as they realized there was no way they could shunpo out in time. Donning a crazed smirk Ggio released the blast wave.
It had all happened so fast the arrancar couldn't even comprehend what had just occurred.
It took several moments for Ggio to attempt to piece the reality of the situation together.
The two special ops remained in front of him their faces still frozen in shock from before the blast.
Ggio himself lay crushed against the ground, his arm pinned off to the side.
While dominating the scene lay Soifon, pinning the arrancar to the ground with her body.
The blast had been diverted at the last second into the clear blue sky.
Time seemed to stand still as the arrancar and the captains eyes locked to each others.
After what seemed like an eternity the captain spoke "You were supposed to use hand to hand combat only, arrancar."
"You expected me to just give in and die? I had no other options left!"
Soifon snapped her fingers and within seconds the two remaining combatants had gathered their companion's unconscious forms and disappeared.
"Today was a lesson arrancar; those who fight alone will always be crushed by the superior fighter but as a well oiled team one can defeat any opposition. I suggest that you learn that"
Ggio snorted "I'd rather die then work as a team with shinigami"
"Then be prepared to die on your first mission. There is no room in this division for lone wolves."
Ggio glared at Soifon, Soifon shot daggers back. The two immediately locked in a fierce contest of wills, neither prepared to give in.
Eventually Ggio slowly turned away. The captain internally exalted in her victory.
"By the way" the arrancar intoned casually. "You planning to stay up there long? I'd like to know if I need to get comfortable for the long haul"
The comment immediately brought Soifon down to Earth. She'd been straddling the arrancar all the while staring deep into his eyes for at least 5 minutes.
The smaller captain instantaneously shot up off the hollow, an almost indistinguishable blush adorning her face.
Ggio hadn't noticed, continuing to stare up at her with his dry smirk. The captain quickly regained her composure
"Get yourself cleaned up, you have a day to get used to your arrangements here. After that you're off to hell. Oh and you'll probably need this"
She withdrew a short katana from within her haori, Tigre Estoque, tossing it at Ggios exhausted frame before shunpoing out, leaving the arrancar to contemplate the day's events.
There we go, one more chapter down, suggestions? corrections? I'd love to hear your views on the story so far!