Tadashi raced down the halls, peering into each doorway he came across to look for survivors. It had been just three minutes since Soifon and Tadashi had broken through the horde to look for Rikichi and any survivors. And it those three minutes he had seen more ripped and torn bodies than he cared to remember.
"Damn it all! Why can't I find him?"
I promised Renji and Captain Byakuya that I would save him! C'mon Rikichi where are you?
At that moment he felt a flicker of reiatsu pulse throughout the hallways before fading away slowly. His eyes widened and he disappeared in a shunpo.
RIkichi! I hope I'm not too late!
Soifon narrowed her eyes as she came upon a large room. The room was just as large as the Captain Meeting Hall in the First Division, surrounded by rock with iron bars keeping it locked. She had come upon the area when she was searching for Rikichi but instead found what appeared to be the mass of the missing Rukongai Civilians.
"Look! A Captain!" Spoke one of the civilians as he hammered against the bars. The rest of them, what looked like a good hundred or so, cheered.
Soifon cocked an eyebrow before closing her eyes and sighing, "Step back, I'll get you out of there." They all stepped back until they were flush against the walls in the back. Soifon nodded before starting to chant under her breath.
"Hado 31, Shakkaho." A large ball of red reiatsu appeared in her hand and she raised it up to the gate before it fired off into beam that smashed against the gate and into the crowd.
The gate was not only destroyed but the force of the blast sent shrapnel into the crowd and hit the people who weren't hit by the blast. Soifon walked into the room and surveyed the damage.
"Oh, I missed a couple." Soifon pulled out her zanpakuto, "Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi." Her zanpakuto glew white before shrinking down and covering her right arm. When it faded it revealed a black and gold gauntlet with a small chain connecting it to the stinger like blade on her middle finger.
One of the surviving civilians screamed, "What are you doing? You're a Captain! You're supposed to save us not kill us!"
Soifon turned to the person who spoke, a small little girl with pale skin and large brown eyes, "Indeed and for that I apologize." She turned to the old man being impale in the wall by an iron bar, "You can come out now."
The old man was silent before laughing and raising his head. The old man and the bar faded away to reveal a tall woman. She had tan skin and dark red hair that fell down her back, dark stormy blue eyes. She wore a loose black kimono that went down to her ankles with a slit going up the right leg and her arms covered by the sleeves.
She waved her arm and everyone else faded away to reveal the large amount of blood staining the floors and walls. The destroyed iron gate was gone but the burn of her Shakkaho was still on the walls.
Soifon surveyed her surroundins once more, An illusion type zanpakuto? She was able to make me believe there was still an iron gate there and a room of safe civilians. It was only when I noticed how calm they were that I noticed something was wrong. I still believed there was an iron gate there though. Impressive, to think that she was able to fool a Captain like that. But that doesn't explain the blood, where are the bodies?
The woman laughed, "Impressive! You are the first one to see through my illusions! Not even Arashi was able to!"
Arashi? Oh that man that Tadashi killed.
The woman laughed for a minute longer before calming down, "Speaking of Mr. 2, where is the person who killed him?"
Soifon shrugged, "With all these halls you people made in this cave it's like a maze,I'd be hardpressed to find him in this situation." She fell into a stance, "But you have no hope to ever match up with Tadashi, he hates hitting women."
The woman frowned, "I see. Well then, for the act of killing my toy, I will kill his friend. I'm Rika Takara, and you Shinigami Captain?"
Soifon narrowed her eyes and crouched lower to the ground, like a cat about to pounce, "Soifon, Captain of Squad Two."
"So glad you could make it, Captain Takeshi."
The first thing that Tadashi saw when he came upon the doorway was the tall man standing there. He had long black hair and red eyes. He wore a short sleeve red haori with wrapping over his chest and his whole arms, hands as well. For pants he wore baggy hakama leggings and on his left hip he had a wakizashi zanpakuto.
Tadashi opened his mouth to reply when he caught sight of the other person in the room. He was flush againt the wall, sitting in a chair. He had short black hair that was currently messy and covered in blood, three beads on the left side of his face. He had a black tattoo over his left eye that had a small cut through it with blood pouring out and covering half of it and his eye. He wore a shinigami uniform that was in tatters and covered in blood. His right arm was hanging limply, abviously broken and his left arm was tied to the chair. His left ankle was bent, as if there were no bones there to begin with, and, the most gruesome injury he had, he was missing his right leg. Across his chest as a deep slash wound that seemed to be the most fresh.
"Ca-Captain...T-Takesh-Takeshi..." As Tadashi stared into Rikichi's dull eyes he knew he would never forget what he saw, "I-I-I'm glad you-made it." He smiled, despite the pain and his unavoidable death, he smiled, "Te-Tell Captain and Renji," For all his admiration on Renji, for his regret that he wasn't able to strive to his dreams, his voice was choked and full of emotion, "I'm sorry."
Tadashi wanted to speak, wanted to run to him, but he was frozen. He had comrades die, he had held some in his arms as they muttered their final words, he had watched chilrden and infants die due to hollows, but he had never seen this. He had never seen such a kind person, with so many hopes and dreams, be tortured and kept alive only to be killed moments before his rescue.
He watched as the life faded from Rikichi's eyes, as his smile seemed to grow larger and dim. His reiatsu faded and his eyes fell shut.
Riki-Rikichi...
"Oh what a shame, you were so close!" The man spoke but Tadashi's eyes didn't leave Rikichi's body, "He was such an interesting fellow, I'm sure he'll be missed." The man stepped forward and pulled out his zanpakuto, "Remember this! I am Noroi Yuudai of the Yuudai family, the family that your father killed! My wife, my son, even my baby daughter!"
Rikichi, I'm sorry that I wasn't able to save you, sorry that I failed you. The least I could do is revenge you!
"For your atonement I shall kill you where you stand! If it weren't for your-" "Bankai."
Hinamori ducked under the swing of a sword and returned her own as on of the few dozen remaining soldiers rushed her. She had taken out most of them using her kido but after they discovered that she could only attack so many they all rushed her. In the attempt she had taken out a third of them but the rest had made the rest of the fight zankutsu and hoho.
She was about to jump into the air when a body was thrown through the cave walls and into the crowd of remaining soldiers. Hinamori jumped back and raised her zanpakuto in defense as the cave was filled with dirt.
"Noroi Yuudai, you have been charged with the crimes of mass murder and torture and death Unseated officer Rikichi of Squad Six, your punishment is death by my blade."
The smoke cleared and revealed a tall man wearing a tattered haori that he quickly ripped off, now only covered in wrappings and baggy hakama leggings. He had long black hair and red eyes that seemed to be screaming for blood.
Hinamori gasped as she saw Tadashi walk into the room in Bankai state. He looked pissed and he was holding something wrapped in his Captains Haori. He disappeared and reappeared next to Hinamori, putting down his luggage before standing to face her.
She knew that if it wasn't for her raising her reiatsu to it's max that she wouldn't have been able to breath. Tadashi looked down at her, his usual kind hazel eyes steeled with rage, "Make sure nothing happens to his body. I want to return him to his family." He turned and walked towards Noroi and the samurai.
At that point Hinamori was aware of just what was wrapped up in his Captain Haori. She put her zanpakuto in it's sheath, sealing it and bending down to the body.
Rest in peace, RIkichi.
The samurai surrounding Noroi hefted their weapons, "We won't allow you to get anywhere closer to Noroi-Taicho!"
Tadashi didn't speak but continued to walk forward, seemingly ignorant of the samurai's charge to him. They ran forward and lifted their weapons above their heads, reading to strike him down.
Tadashi stopped walking and meerly looked up at them, "Keishi Kumori, Yuuyake." The black reiatsu that was pulsing around his arms, as always in his bankai state, exploded outwards and surrounding Tadashi was now a wall of spikes. The dozens, around thirty or so, were all impaled with them. The spikes shrunk back and went back to being sparks of reiatsu around him, his enemies falling to the ground dead.
"Do not worry Noroi Yuudai, for your death will come quick."
Tadashi glared at Noroi and the ground around his feet cracked, his hair whipping around behind him and his reiatsu skyrocketing, "But it will not be painless!"