Chapter 04: The Skirmish of Inuzuri

Masao Utakata, Inuzuri resident

I crouched in fear, even as the residents in the house next to me were forcefully evacuated and thrown on the grime coated cobblestones by the man in black. His trench coat seemed to swerve and flow with his form, even as he used his hands to brand another resident. That was Takeru-kun, the boy I gave the straw doll toy to just yesterday. His eyes, full of joy at the unexpected gift, had the luminosity of a sun just yesterday- now, they seemed devoid of anything, as the man branded him. A red mark swirled on his bald, smooth head, as he slumped to the ground, seemingly lifeless. There were at least thirteen of them- I could spot several familiar faces- Sarutobi, my good friend, Mikasa, his wife, and-

He turned, facing my pitiful excuse for a house. The earthen walls had never felt as unsafe as they did right then. His face was clear, smooth, but the shadow was right across his eyes, preventing me from seeing them. His hair was long, but bundled up in tufts, groomed. His mouth was a blank line, betraying no emotion whatsoever.

I crawled into myself. That man had tossed aside five other soul reapers like they were nothing. I was taught to fear soul reapers all my life, but my fear was raw in the face of someone who could dispatch even them. He entered the house, and the darkness was complete. I had closed my eyes.

"Get up."

His voice was harsh, layered, yet perfectly calm. It was an order which demanded servitude. I simply got up, without any prelude.

"Walk outside, to where the others lie."

I did as was told. I caught a glimpse of his eyes, and instantly regretted it. They were pools of black, and would put the moonless night to shame with their bleakness.

I reached, and looked up at the sky scape of Inuzuri. All my life, I had been a nothing, a fleeting excuse for an existence. All that characterized my life was squalor and poverty. In a way, us residents of Inuzuri simply were in a state of being. I knew a soul reaper once; and he told me that Inuzuri and the latter districts of Rukongai resembled Asphodel. When I questioned him, he murmured- "It's a land of dead souls. All they do, is stand in fields, blackened by time, and do so till all eternity."

I couldn't help but agree. No one could blame me for letting loose a sudden spurt of eagerness, almost anticipation, at my imminent death. And then, that anticipation was dispelled by the sudden figures which had morphed behind him, high on the rooftops of the creaking hutments of Inuzuri. Stray trees and spires, too, saw themselves occupied by shapes indiscernible. My eyes must've been wide, because the man's lips moved a fraction of an inch. Everything was so very slow...and then, time blurred, as the figure hurled a disc, noiselessly. The man imperceptibly moved to his left at the umpteenth moment, and even as the disc sped towards me, the figure had morphed into existence around the flying disc, separating me and my would-be killer.

"Damn..." She swore, even as the second disc left her hand, whizzing in another direction. With her free hand, she grabbed me roughly, and space just seemed non-existent, as we blinked to the discus she had just thrown. I was unceremoniously dumped on the ground, even as the woman engaged him.

:3 minutes earlier:

Soifon, Division 02, Captain

The Kido completed, I could see Usagi morph onto the spire in front of me. It took the both of us all of 10 seconds to figure out a course of action. I nodded to her and she removed her Zanpakuto in one fluid motion. Her words were hushed.

"Illuminate the dark night...Sasayaki no Tsuki."

In a black muffled cloud of smoke, two bladed rings appeared in her hands. She threw one of them directly at the target, instantly teleporting at its location even as he dodged it. That was her ability-the one I knew of at least-the discus acted as a conduit for teleportation. It was akin to flash-stepping, but much, much faster.

After throwing the Rukongai resident aside, she moved to attack the target, the disc moving toward his torso. He simply bent backward, and as soon as the discus was above his bent form, she appeared on top of him, her other disc raised to strike. Then the unthinkable happened.

His movements were so fast that even I could not follow them, and he swerved away from her attack at an impossible angle. His trench-coat whipped around him, just as he raised an arm to reveal a gun- one of those human weapons, as I was now aware.

I tensed, but I needn't have worried myself. Usagi spun and threw both discs in opposite directions, leaving her avenues of escape open.

I drew my own blade now.

"Sting all enemies to death. Suzumebachi."

The stinger morphed on my finger, and surprisingly, he seemed to sense my actions.

He quickly began making his way toward me. He was extremely fast, akin to Ichigo Kurosaki in his Bankai, but he wasn't flash stepping. He was just...fast. He then jumped, and kicked a wall for altitude, reaching my height. My speed must've been something he was unaccustomed to, because when I blocked the wild swing of his gun, his eyes slightly contracted. Suddenly, Usagi was again on to him, her blade raised, swinging toward his head.

"Time alter: Double Accel." He murmured, and seemed to phase out of existence, his speed otherworldly. He dodged both of our strikes, and we flash stepped, dispersing.

He fell to the ground, landing lightly on his feet. Usagi seemed extremely agitated, she relentlessly went after him.

"Tsuki hime: Mangetsu!"

She spun wildly, the discs creating arcs of steel which revolved around him.

"Time Alter: Triple Accel!"

I saw her technique, and its lethality. The arcs in which her discuses rotated created a nearly 360 degree field from which to attack, and since they were spinning around him, she could bisect him from any particular angle. But his technique was something else- if I'd heard his words right, he was altering time. And how he was doing it was beyond me, was his gun his Zanpakuto?

She swiped at him from the left, and he blocked it with the muzzle. Then she came from the right, and he caught her hand and used her momentum to send her careening to the ground. Before she slammed into it, however, she blinked out of existence. The third attack saw him brace and sledgehammer her with his arm in her midriff, knocking the wind out of her. She flipped over, and he used his elbow to attack the same spot, eliciting a muffled scream from her, pummeling her to the ground in a dusty heap. He continued his decent downward, but his fist hit the ground, shattering it and sending debris flying as she had blinked from her prone position, appearing to catch her discuses warily, at a considerable distance from him now.

Her breath came is short gasps. She was injured, and quite critically at that. I decided to take him on, and I would not be holding back, now that I knew the extent of his powers.

"Intruder! I will be your opponent!"

He looked up at me.

"And why?"

His question admittedly caught me off guard. I narrowed my eyes.

"Are you asking me why I want to be your opponent?"

He simply replied. "Yes."

"You have killed Shinigami in Seireitei – one from my division, and five more from the fifth. You are conducting rituals of a strange variety. And now, you have injured my lieutenant. Are these reasons acceptable, or should I give you others?!"

He raised his arm, pointing the gun at me. His voice was harsh.

"You have interfered in my affairs. Shinigami from Seireitei have been patrolling and trying to confront me for the past two months. Today, five of your men attacked me as I was going about my business, and I terminated them in self-defense. And now."

He gestured towards my lieutenant, who was slowly regaining her stance.

"She made multiple attempts on my life. Do you expect me to thank her for that? Are my reasons enough now? Without so much as an inquiry into the situation, you simply interfere, and expect some sort of curtseying and obligatory surrendering? You Shinigami are quite an irrational lot."

Usagi's voice cut in before I could say much. Her mane of black hair was in disarray, and her voice dangerously low.

"Would you care to explain, then, about what you were doing to the residents of Inuzuri?"

She raised one of her discuses too.

"And regardless of what your reason is – I am going to destroy you utterly after this little chat is done. How dare you presume that you'd get away with small talk and arguments…Shinigami are what maintain the balance in this realm. Attack them, and you face drastic consequences!"

His face was still impassive as he continued looking at me.

"Look at your impertinent "lieutenant". Her pride seems to be misplaced, and she is ready to kill me not because of what I have done. No, she simply wants my life because I injured her stupid pride as a warrior."

He began walking towards me, and I tensed in anticipation.

"We're done here. I feel no need to explain my actions because the likes of you simply cannot comprehend what I am trying to accomplish. You would rather think with your weapons. So be it. If all of you want to take me on- and by that I mean the incoming Division 6 members too-"

He gestured in the direction of his back, where five members of Division 6 had appeared. This man seemed extremely well informed about Soul Society and its functioning.

"Then it's absolutely fine by me. You'd be surprised to know, however, that even some of you Shinigami are sympathetic to my cause."

I froze. After Aizen's betrayal, I did not deal with traitors lightly at all. We would need to weed them out, but that would come later.

"Intruder, understand this situation. Your arguments fall flat for a very simple reason-Shinigami exist to preserve the balance in Seireitei. Whatever threatens that balance will be neutralized. You can be taken into custody without any further violence, provided you do not resist. We can examine the strength of your so-called "cause" then. However…"

"However, you and I both know that I will not be subjected to Shinigami law. Let's end this farce, captain. I do not wish to prolong my stay any further."

I looked at the sixth division members. They seemed to be extremely calm, evaluating the situation. It was a good sign.

"You there! What are your names?"

One of the figures stepped forward, a young man with black, rough-cut hair and eyes the color of onyx. While his face did not betray much, his body language was tense.

"Third Seat Murakami. These are my squad mates. Fourth seat Saya, Fifth Seat Ryunnosuke and Sixth Seat Kitano." The three stepped forward- I caught sight of a tall, jovial looking man, along with two women- Saya was the one with the sharp features and Kitano was a very beautiful woman, with brown locks cascading on her right eye. The visible eye was a stormy grey. "We're here to provide backup."

"Backup is right. We have the rest of the Onmitsukido members hidden in and around the area, searching for any assailants or companions. We shall deal with this intruder together."

His words carried no trace of a taunt, even as he muttered "Smart choice, captain." It was as though he was merely stating an obvious fact.

Usagi seemed to be very angry at these developments. "Captain. Allow me to deal with this nuisance. There is no point in all of us trying to dispatch of someone of this caliber."

"Denied. Lieutenant, your pride cannot get in the way of this mission. Are we clear?!"

She bit her lip, but a noncommittal "Hai" issued from her mouth.

The man then blurred and headed straight for Usagi without warning. This time, she seemed to be ready. She threw one disc high into the sky, and the second one diagonally flat in his direction. He dodged it, jumping above it, and she appeared below him.

"Tsuki Hime: Jougen!"

The next move was something I was proud to see – she teleported to both the flying discs one after the other so fast that it appeared there were two of her. He shot at the image below him, sending the disc clanging away, but she was above him, the second disc having made its fast descent in a semi-circular fashion. He was a seasoned veteran, though, as the barrel of his gun moved impossibly fast and shot at her. She swore and teleported to the other disc.

The sixth division then began its assault.

"Hado #04: Byakurai!"

"Bakudo #62: Hyapporankan!"

Kitano and Saya both fired Kido, and fifth seat Ryunnosuke flash stepped forward, his sword drawn.

White lightning, and a hundred rods of pure binding Kido were not enough to stop him.

"Time alter: Square Accel!"

His form blurred so fast that even to my eye, it was impossible to follow. The next thing I knew, he had punched the fifth seat in his stomach, sending him flying into the nearest wall, cratering it. The Kido blasts had been sidestepped neatly, as many of the energy rods peppered the landscape behind him. I began creating clones, to create a better opening for my Nigeki Kessatsu technique. I just needed someone to occupy him for the moment.

"Saya, attend to Ryunnosuke! Kitano, on me!" Murakami barked commands, even as Kitano nodded and drew her sword. Both of them then blurred, and attacked the man.

Further, Usagi's reiatsu was surging. She held the discs, and they began glowing with a silver light, as they drank in her energy.

"Tsuki Hime: Kagetsu!"

The discs were burning a bright white as both of them left her fingers, resembling bright moonlike orbs.

The man's other hand had another gun now.

"Origin bullet."

The gunshot was extremely loud, but paled in comparison to the sound wave which was created when the bullet hit one of the missiles. A brilliant flare lit up the night sky, followed by a tremendous cloud of dust and smoke. Following it was a shock wave of reiatsu, which threw all the officers back. The man was nowhere to be seen in the haze.

I dove into the smoke, my reiatsu shooting in all directions as I tried sensing his presence. I could detect nothing for now. Somewhere, I heard a shout.

"Hado #58: Tenran!"

A powerful gust of wind swept away the dust cloud, and I could see the Kido specialist, Saya, lend it enough energy to simply clear the air. At her feet lay Ryunnosuke – his breathing heavy, but nevertheless there. Kitano was glancing in the direction of a nearby way lane, and I heard the sound of air being displaced smoothly as Usagi's Zanpakuto returned to her hands, sealed. She looked at it with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"That was one of my most destructive techniques…impossible."

Then I realized, the third seat was missing. I asked the woman named Kitano.

"Officer. I do not see the third seat."

She faced me then, even as the hair had blown back to reveal both her eyes. It seemed as though she was staring right through me. Her voice was clear as rain.

"I thought I sensed a presence in the alley, but it's gone now. I think the third seat gave chase to the intruder."

"And you did not think of following him?"

"I did not have an accurate handle on the situation. If it was a wrong decision, I apologize for it."

She had a point. But the third seat still remained missing, and Usagi was being extremely single minded, as she went up to Kitano.

"You. Tell me which direction he went in."

The woman simply pointed, and Usagi gave me a look which pleaded for consent.

I did not know what I was thinking.

"Go."

Barely registering the sound of my word, she disappeared in a flash.

.

Notes

Tsuki Hime: Mangetsu – Moon Princess: Full Moon.

Refers to Usagi's first technique, where she creates a vortex with her twin discuses, trapping the opponent in the center. She can then attack her target from any direction as the blades swirl around her target, enabling her to teleport from any point in the circle.

Tsuki Hime: Jougen – Moon Princess: First quarter of the Moon.

Refers to Usagi's second technique. She throws one discus in a vertically semicircular fashion, sailing in an arc over her target, while sending the other one straight at it. Using this twin conduit, she teleports between these two points extremely fast, creating afterimages, so that she can use one of the two avenues to attack. The shape created when these two discuses meet is that of a quarter circle.

Tsuki Hime: Kagetsu – Moon Princess: Bright Moon

Refers to her third, destructive technique where she condenses a considerable amount of reiatsu in her discs, throwing them at the target directly. Results in an explosive blast on any contact, seamlessly releasing the condensed reiatsu.

This Zanpakuto and its powers were inspired by two things: Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God technique, and the "chakram" weapon in the RPG Kingdoms of Amalur.

The antagonist, as some of you Type-Moon fans may have no doubt figured out, is Emiya Kiritsugu, using his signature Time Alter Techniques, along with the Origin Bullet. (A Fate/Zero reference)

This is also why I decided to make this a crossover fic, but I'm still tentative about the merging of the Universes, as I want to only use certain Fate/Zero characters for my purpose. Obviously, their powers and subsequent origins will be molded to adjust to the Bleachverse, so I do not know whether I should classify my fic as such.

Also, for further Zanpakuto developments, I will be liberally borrowing from the Noble Phantasms, as they serve perfectly for a base.