Three: Citadel of Grief and Sorrow
Author's Note: I'm going mad…. I ended up doing research on a place that is only mentioned for 3 paragraphs and yet I did and hour of research on it! Sheesh! I'm putting as much effort into this as I do with my story work…. Oh yeah, I'm not being mean to anyone whose ever been there or lives there, I'm just describing how the character's feel, and quite frankly Igor's a posh aristocratic git when it comes to cities and thinks everywhere should look like it did in the eighteenth century! Plus I'm trying to get out of the whole flashback things, but they're key to a lot of what will be happening later…
"Welcome to Vladivostok! Shipping central of eastern Siberia and a very smelly place! The land where you only come if you're planning to travel on a fantastically long and cold train journey across Siberia, or if you're here to check the pollution rate since the 1980's, isn't it grand? Remind me why we couldn't take the train here like I wanted to?" Rin snorted with annoyance, having wanted since she first arrived in Eurasia to ride the Trans-Siberian express… but then again Rin had a strange fondness for travelling overnight on trains that her nervous cohorts could never understand. Titan was looking around at the busy and strangely soiled scenery and more particularly at the great big glass portal in front of him. They were at the train station in Vladivostok, administrative centre of the Primorsky Krai, but they had arrived by air from Moscow just when people were starting to protest and block it off, something to do with cars and the financial crisis or something; but Rin herself was staring into space.
"It hasn't changed too much, has it Rin? I'm surprised it still looks sort of 'crummy' after fifty years! Rin? Rin are you okay?" Igor questioned nervously as he turned from looking nostalgic toward his captain, who was in her full, 'dressed as a man but looks like a vampire hunter' gear and staring blankly toward the white walls of the grand station, probably one of the only pretty buildings in the place. He waved his hand in front of her face and she jumped slightly. "You alright? I told you before you shouldn't keep staring at things, it makes your eyes go like soup-plates, and I'm starting to worry about these flashbacks you keep having! Remember, when you get them, I can smell them!"
"Not too much has changed, Igor, the railways have improved the buildings have improved and everything is slightly modern. There's still never much snow here in winter and yet there's pollution too! But then again, I suppose it was 1957 we were last here! After all, the Soviets at Central said we had to stick to the rules of the living and that Mercenaries weren't welcome anywhere. Ah… Good times, good times. Well, there's the portal boss. You'll want to do the whole freaky incantation thing." Yaroslavl yipped with delight as he bounced up and down in his pale cream-coloured coat and tried hard to wake his legs up; when you were a soul reaper flying could be a taxing affair! He was also seeming slightly nostalgic but only because the portal was invisible to the average human, though drunken hobos could see it, and the portal had been off limits for five hundred years when the Soul Societies closed each other off!
"If this fails, do you think it will actually open up? Or will it open into hell, or a hollow's jaws, or into some terribly dirty person's bathroom? Maybe it'll open p into the past and we'll find out who assassinated Lord Drosdov when he visited the soul reapers down here thirty years ago!" Zander snorted with boredom, he was in no way thrilled by this whole affair and Rin just snorted at him. She stepped forward and pulled out the long scroll to read, glad that if any humans looked they'd just see a bunch of businessmen staring at business documents, and not five men carrying dangerous weapons and dressed like they were killing demons.
"From the land of ice to the land of blossoms, a world of white to a world of rose, time has ripped us aside and the land was long ago divided…" Rin began, but she quickly interrupted and she growled with annoyance.
"Rice rhymes with Ice and actually fits in quite well!" Yaroslavl had stated with his deranged and slightly sinister smile. But he had been met with glaring eyes and had just blinked his twinkling blue orbs at his captain. With a grunt like a man who'd been interrupted when watching the sports, Rin returned to her chant, her voice deepening as she focused on her disguise and let some of her spiritual powers pass into the mirror frame.
"Okay, from the land of ice to the land of blossoms, a world of white to a world of rose, time has ripped us aside and the land was long ago divided and untied. The centuries have passed and the rust has faded, blood and bitterness sealed you shut but desperation and forgiveness may wedge you open! From the land of the great bear to the land of the crane, the door of death and the world Between must open now and forget its purpose. Open door, open to the Rukongai and the Seretei, realm of the Shinigami, so that the lands of death can be one, once more!"
Rin gave a low sigh of relief, her arms having stretched out to fit the frame of the door and make the chant seem more powerful, but nothing happened. She waited, a twitch in her eyebrow suddenly appearing as Igor clapped with boredom at her attempt. Then Rin quickly kicked the door with annoyance, how could it not have worked? It wasn't her fault the chant was such a useless one, she couldn't even remember half of the ones she'd been taught in Reaper Academy, and this one had been on a piece of paper on the brim of her hat too! Titan just gave a low sigh and decided to be of help, with a gentle brush of his knuckle, he tapped the door. There was a heavy whoosh feeling, and the left side of the mirror shot off with Rin attached to it and bashed her into one of the payphones. But within a second Rin was on her feet, snarling like a deranged and rabid dog, and then stomping into the tunnel, barking as she passed Titan.
"THANK YOU TITAN! SHUT UP ZANDER! STOP MUSING IGOR! AND YAROSLAVL STOP BLUSHING!"
The inside was a strange experience, but one that Rin was not bothered by. She had ignored the laughter of Zander, who'd collapsed in a heap and was wetting himself and had begun to pace into the wormhole like void of blue, black, and purple. Around her the walls seemed to throb as if alive, she had often wondered if the whole idea of being born was like that! Certainly, perverted Zander and creepy Yaroslavl followed her in with a quick snort and mention how the walls felt as comfortable as the inside of a woman… This worried Rin, as she was still pretending to be a man and needed to stay focused, as well as made Titan scoot behind her with a shudder. Last in was Igor, and he made a quick hand gesture with his left hand and his index and ring finger to seal the portal behind them. Then he was pacing to Rin's side, and suddenly he made a little sound of terror as, like the other members of the squad, he began to remember things as he walked, but worst of all, he was seeing Rin's memories….
"I thought I was in for a good day, but I don't like the feel of this, Rin! If I didn't know better, I'd say there's a captain fighting somewhere near the squad barracks, but I don't know what he's fighting. Certainly there hasn't been any alarm calls otherwise 4th Seat Matsumoto would have appeared to look for me, and I'm sure Captain Urahara would've have hollered at you!" Ryuhiko Uso, or rather, Shoji Ninel, had muttered with a scowl upon his young face as he had looked out across the rooftops at the Seretei. He stood beside his slightly older twin sister, Rintakara, as they had been meeting up to go for a practice with one another at the training grounds. It had been a good morning for them after-all, Rin's trainer, Kisuke Urahara, had been promoted to Captain of twelfth squad, and Rin would be joining him there, unseated as always! But even so, Rin would still be cleaning eleventh squad barracks every Saturday morning, after the wildness, and would have to remain on monitoring duties of the prisoner Mayuri every morning like she had done that morning. Only this morning the news had reached her brother, 3rd Seat of 10th squad and their dear friend Rangiku Matsumoto first, and she had painted their squad numbers in green on their faces, claiming that they both had looked so alike that morning, but the mirth of the day had gone.
"That spiritual pressure, it couldn't be… ARGH! Did you hear that? That last burst and that scream, it was eleventh squad's captain, I'd know that beast's spiritual pressure anywhere. But the other…" Rintakara had growled through the sudden waves and bursts of spiritual pressure that had swarmed other the barracks and grabbed their hearts, hard. The scream had been incredibly high and animalistic, the sound maybe even a demon might make as it was kicked back into hell, who knew; it was not natural. But Rin's eyes, though she swooned with the pressure waves, wobbled and throbbed like her heart as she felt a slight pang of terror and yet a familiar excitement at this new deeper power that had caused the scream!
"Let's get down there, and fast! That sounded like their captain's sword dying, and I don't think its death's been quiet!" Shoji had growled through gritted teeth as he had grasped his sister's shoulder and held her on the rooftop. Even his ears were ringing at the sound of the screech, and his eyes were wide with fear. Something inside his stomach knotted, telling him, as it had to Rin, that this new and intense pressure was more dangerous and yet more familiar then he wanted it to be. Once the air cleared of the seeming fog of strangling black fire, the pair were bounding over the rooftops of the courtyard near ninth squad and rushing toward tenth and eleventh squad's courtyards. Upon reaching the scene of the disaster, they spotted the crowds and could smell blood in the air, and then they noticed the official that was standing near the opening into the barrack's courtyard, it was Captain Tousen.
"What's happened Captain Tousen? We felt the pressure as if someone had just died!" The twins had called out in unison as they had bounded down from the roves and amongst the gathering crowds. Their eyes had been wide with fear; no one could have mistaken that scream for anything other then a dying sword, and the eleventh squad members that were around the pair seemed fearful too. Other squad members were pressing closer and begging for details, other strained their ears to listen for Captain Kaname Tousen's response.
"Eleventh Squad now has a new Captain, though I wish it were not the case. This creature showed no remorse let alone justice in his killing of the previous. I do not think the others will be too pleased either, but for now this stranger from your home is the new captain. Strangely enough, he boasts the surname 'Zaraki', surely that is a title only you two can posses?" The blind captain had muttered half-heartedly, but the twins could feel the fear in his voice and the anger that shook his fists as he turned to walk from them. Rin's eyes focused on him leaving, ignoring Shoji's disgust at someone using the title, but then they both jumped with terror at the loud cry of a squad member.
"Kenpachi Zaraki, you Bastard!" Rin had recognised that voice immediately, it had been Maki Ichinose. At that early time in her qualified soul reaper life, she had found herself in the position of Maki's girlfriend, and indeed no one could have mistaken their love for one another back then. But the sound of him bursting in outrage panicked Rin, and it had panicked Shoji too!
"Let us through, please my friends. We need to see this. What's going… on?" Shoji had begun as he and his sister pressed through the crowd to try and reach an area where they could see quite clearly, but that was when he froze in terror. For some reason the crowds were all silenced by another slight addition of the heavy choking spiritual pressure. Shoji found himself half crouching beside a few of squad eleven, his eyes stinging from tears that had formed by the pressure. He did not need to move further.
"Oh my God… How… How can this be? He's…" Rin began to mutter as she stepped away from beside her brother and closer to the front of the crowd. This time no one stopped her or pushed her back. Everyone was afraid, but at the same time, they were also a little confused.
"It's him, isn't it? It's the man that brought you back to the house when you were ill. It's the man who was a friend to you." Shoji muttered softly toward his sister, whose eyes had suddenly become as wide as saucepans. Nearby Maki was still trying to get out of the restraints of his fellow squad members, he had ignored anything Rin had done, he had not even noticed she'd arrived. But now that Shoji recognised the man, he was even more insulted by the choice of surname, though he was unwilling to meet such a terrifying death for saying anything.
"Yeah…" Rin began, in a daze she moved forward slightly, and her brother was a little more worried. But then suddenly, something childish and indeed quite wonderful seemed to light up in Rin's face. For a moment she forgot who and how old she was as well as where she stood. With the brightest smile imaginable on her face and a voice filled with delight, she waved a hand at the new captain and called out to him. "Hey it's me! I don't know if you remember, but I talked to you a few times when I was a kid! It's great to hear what your name is now!"
Silence rained supreme and everyone was staring at Rin as she lowered her hand. Even Maki had frozen with terror and turned to look at his girlfriend. But though the face of her old friend had turned to look at her, the expression was that of boredom and unconcern. As if a tiny little fly had buzzed too near his ears, the great figure of Kenpachi Zaraki had just paced ahead of the squad, ignorant to the embarrassment and the feeling of betrayal he had left upon her.
In the distance there was an ominous glow, and Igor could hear Jessica's heart racing with panic, and yet also how excited Hilde was. His eyes glinted at her as she seemed to laugh and grin at the sight of the villagers approaching the old castle's bridge. They would be inside in a matter of minutes and he would be slaughtered. But though Igor had no fear of death in any form, he was fearful for Jessica. She was not a Bounto, not a vampire of any kind, but she would be called a witch for standing at his side. This was all because some reckless Bounto visiting the area had murdered living humans without fear, though his body was ageing from it!
"I warned you, Hilde!" Igor's fangs suddenly appeared and his face seemed to turn almost ghoulish as the anger triggered his hunger. Unlike the other Bounto, being half-soul reaper meant Igor needed to feed off soul reapers alone! But the soul reaper blood had made him strong, and he had lasted fifty years without a feast on a departed soul or a reaper. He was angry now, his younger half-sister had betrayed him to the people, and they would want revenge for killings he had not made. But his sunk back from the window calmed slightly y the gentle embrace of Jessica against his shoulder.
"It's no use now, they all know what you are, and they'll kill you for it! Then we will be rid of your foolish Bounto blood from this land for a long time! You'll never be allowed back into the real world and the Soul Reapers can go about their business ignored by humans and unmolested by vampires like you!" Hilde hissed angrily and she pointed her rigid fingers at her elder half-brother accusingly. Though Hilde was no a soul reaper, for she had little spiritual powers, she knew what her brother was now, and she wanted him and his peasant or rather harlot of a lover out of her castle!
"Then I must leave to the other side, and you will have to join me, Jessica. Otherwise some terrible things might happen if they find you here without me. I could not forgive myself if they ever hurt you my dear, and I know it's a lot to ask, but will you cross over with me, and be rid of this all?" Igor muttered softly to the delicate and beautiful form of the young blonde peasant girl he had fallen for. Patiently Jessica nodded her head and stepped toward him as he began to form a large gate out of the air with his hands. His eyes turned hastily toward a Quincy servant he had in the corner, one of his old friends, and they ignored the questioning face of his half-sister. "Please, Grunewald, will you fire an arrow through this. There's a secret passage to the left of the chapel area. They will not harm a member of the Ancient Holy Quincy order; they will believe I bewitched you. As for my sister, I will leave her to them!"
"Get the Beast! Kill him! Stake the vile one!" The villagers' cries echoed around the castle as they began to bash on the doors and gates with great wood beams, attempting to get in and remove Igor from their home. But Igor simply sighed deeply and then turned to look to his beloved, eyes soft despite the fear. He stroked at Jessica's beautiful face and then turned her toward the entrance the Qunicy helper had created for them. Obediently, the beautiful Jessica followed her master in, Grunewald turned and left, and suddenly Igor froze on the edge of the entrance as his foolish sister lunged after him.
"Get back here Igor! You can't leave me behind! I'm stronger then you and more noble!" She screeched like a banshee and tried to barge past him. But Igor's strong hands grasped her by the neck and held her steady. She bit at him with her fearsome canines and scratched with the talon-covered fingers she'd spent so much time prepare for the elegant balls. Her eyes looked up at Igor's filled with dreaded fear and regret. But Igor's eyes were cold and slate-coloured with his hatred for her deed.
"Goodbye, foolish creature. If you're so strong, then deal with these people on your own." With that said, Igor flung her aside gently and she crashed into the bookcase. Her back hitting the wood reverberated around the castle as the doors of the gate mirrored her reaction, the peasants were in. As Hilde looked mournfully toward her brother, she realised he was already gone and the portal was too small for her to do little more then scream at him!
"NO! You can't leave me! Brother! IGOR! HELP ME!"
"We survived Claude! Isn't that amazing? But… But how? Why… Why am I lying on the ground when I'm standing next to you now?" The soft brown eyes of the younger lad watered as he looked at his body on the ground, and yet he was confused. He began to weep with terror as he looked at his hands that remained the same and that his clothes were no longer damp. His long ginger locks still remained on his head; they were not trapped with the mud of the riverside. As he started to cry, the young boy looked at his older, bearded brother, who stood looking at him solemnly. "But… I'm dead? You… You saved us! You can still see both of me, can't you brother?"
"Yes, Clarence, I can still see you. But you don't want to know why, and I don't want you to stay here. There is another world you must go to now, one that will keep you safe and protected from the disease that had taken our parents. Please… Leave me here." Claude said knowingly as he looked toward the many bodies of younger men and people emerging on the river edge where he had dragged his baby brother ashore. But Clarence merely stared at him with horror.
"I don't understand…" Clarence begun, but there was nothing more to say as he watched his brother's eyes shudder and vibrate with excitement and the fangs start to emerge. No! Claude was a vampire? But he'd just saved them from a flood and vampires weren't supposed to be able to swim! Plus… He must be dead too, because so was Clarence. But then Claude's words were one that made Clarence shriek!
"LEAVE NOW!"
"Are you all okay? All of you were calling out in your sleep; I was surprised the trip shocked you all so much. I guess we all had some kind of flashback, but you all looked shattered and fearful? Something upset you?" Yaroslavl questioned in an almost sinister and mocking tone, his eyes open and glowing with his fears for them, yet his face still crooked in an evil smile. He looked at Rin who was still shuddering and seeming to blink with confusion, obviously the knock into the ground had caused her eye to close itself again!
"I take it I wasn't alone in my flashback about being betrayed? Only I thought my brother was standing right by me and I was a kid again. Weird what you can gain from such things sometimes isn't it? I could just remember when my brother Claude told me I was dead and that I needed to escape him because he was a Bounto. Odd huh? To think, it's been almost four-hundred year since anyone's called me Clarence!" Titan snorted as he pulled himself onto his feet and scraped the dirt from his clothes. He looked to his side where poor Zander was still trying to recover from his own experience. It was not easy to put such thoughts to the back of your mind of course, but when it had been locked away for so long, the exact details could be worse then when the betrayal had first been made. Titan picked up his friend by the shoulder and steadied him, helping him regain his breath by patting his back gently. "You alright Zander?"
"No, I could still feel the Captain in mine, though it could have been right there no one would've doubted it. I was sure I was there a hundred years ago and that bitch Captain Sofia sold me into the hands of the Bulgarian Soul Reapers for a fistful of gold and a chance to escape. She had been like a mother to me and yet without hesitation when they had said they'd be interested in purchasing me, she just gave me up. I don't want to remember that time anymore! I am too scared to even say any more!" Zander's features had gone pallid, he looked worse then death and Titan gave him a gentle hug, trying to calm his shaking friend. Mercenaries always had a reason to be what they were, betrayal and a need for revenge was just one reason. But as Zander shuddered beside his best friend, Igor managed to right himself as he used a nearby scrub to pull himself up and turned to Yaroslavl. He was confused by the fact that their other companion did not even seem to be shocked by the experiences of the past.
"Incidentally, Yaroslavl, what did you think of? I recalled my half-sister giving me and my love up to the villagers and then leaving her to die. Zander had his teenage terrors, Titan had his childhood nightmare, and Rin… Well Rin probably remembered something about her brother, who knows. What was yours? I know you've had several moments of betrayal. Would it have been the one where your boss suddenly decided you were such a good torturer he had to torture you? Was it when your wife left you for another man? Or was it when your father tried to drown you as a child? I don't mean to sound cruel, but I'm eager to know which would have left you so apathetic when the rest of us are still in shock." Igor growled gently with annoyance, the hatred he had felt in his heart still vivid and strong, he did not mean to be rude but he was trying to understand where and what had happened.
"Oh, nothing I haven't come to terms with." He smiled benevolently and the others looked at him with nervous eyes. No matter what they had hoped to gain from Yaroslavl in terms of his history and past, he would probably never reveal to them. All they knew was that he was smart, had come from the Ukraine, and had a terrible fear of drowning in lakes ever since he fell in through a frozen pond and his dog died of hypothermia after saving him. That and that Yarol had owned animals before and was quite fond of experimenting on humans and their like rather then a white purpose-bred lab rat.
They looked around at the Rukongai, most of the patrons carried on like any other day, but a few had turned around to stare at the strangers. These that stared understood what words were spoken of course, it was one of the joys of being part of a spiritual world in which everyone was, in a sense, united. But at the many things they had heard, the nervous looking peasants had begun to back away toward their homes and the main market. By luck of course they had landed in Area One, meaning that they were in the safest part of the Rukon District, but also that they did not really have anywhere they could go and get a strong drink without been questioned or feared. In that manner Rin wondered if they had been better off landing in her old Zaraki home or even Hanging Dog; but she thanked the technology she wore for keeping her gender a secret and quickly felt at the Yin-Yang bandanna she wore as a mask over her mouth.
"I think we need to explain ourselves a little, some of them look a little worried. If the Shinigami here are anything like you informed her, Captain Ninel, then they'll react very quickly to a Ryoka presence. But I'm a little nervous of this place, its right outside the gates and yet it still seems so derelict, and that gap between the town and the white buildings of the Sereitei looks untrustworthy." Titan snorted gently, he was a little shaken by what had happened as he looked at the curious people, but he was not used to this place. Everything smelt of rice and rather quite plain things, there was no scent of pork sausages or beautiful bread and it was unsettling for him.
"They can ignore us for all I care! It doesn't concern them or any of their so-called representatives, like the Shiba Clan. I only need to see the head of the Sereitei and we've got the pardon here to get in, so we should not have a problem and I'm not hanging around. I don't see any Soul Reapers about so lets just head straight toward the gates. But be careful because the walls may suddenly appear in front of us to bar out entrance, it depends how their security is at the moment." Rin snarled gently as she looked toward the seemingly glowing white buildings that echoed prosperity and academics, there was nothing wholesome about them though, and Rin felt a slightly nervous slip crawling into her mind to keep her alert and on her toes. Igor noticed this quickly and felt it necessary to comment on it.
"You seem a little more on edge then before, Captain, are you sure you don't want us to do this quickly? We can go in and you can just sit at that tea shop over there and we'll come back for you." Igor spoke carefully, he knew he needed to act like Rin was a man here, after-all, the disguises and all that effort, which had gone into the basic technologies that Rin wore to protect her identity would be wasted. There were simpler items she could use of course these days, but somehow the sentimental value of those items had over-run Rin's initial thoughts of them and Igor suddenly felt a cool sweat down his back as Rin took the eye-patch from her cape pocket and put it on before growling at him in her masculine manner.
Rin simply waved a hand, she did not need the sympathies of others, and she certainly did not care for whatever Igor thought about her in this land! She looked at the teashop and though masked her lips curled and she felt annoyed by it all. Rin did not care what this land had now, the mission was hers and her team were there in case something bad happened. Rin's initial thoughts were that of suspicion and annoyance they just wanted to see her get freaked out and run! But as she narrowed her eyebrows and was about to retort, the desperate sound of crying kids made Rin's ovaries squeal and her attitude suddenly soften.
"Hey! Give me back that candy! Give it back bully! I was given it by a friend!" A child was crying as he grabbed at his packet of sweets that another child had latched onto. Neither was going to give it up, they were obviously starving orphans, both were wretchedly skinny and wearing tatty clothing. The urchins' faces were coated in mud and though they looked wretched, they had obviously not been dead too long as their clothes were of a more modern variety then the usual rags or kimonos of other orphans. Rin found herself compelled to go over to them and see what she might be able to do to help out.
"No it's mine!" A taller and similar looking scruffy urchin growled as he pulled at the little sac of paper in the little one's hands. The two of them were being ignored by the locals of course, luckily North Rukon was not too bad a place to be an urchin, someone was always kind enough to offer you a bit of shelter or food, but fighting amongst each other was not going to hurt. In Zaraki Rin had seen kids killed by adults who were also starving, had seen the argument, and taken the candy for themselves but met some slight resistance. She had also seen starving children abandoned by parents who just could not get them food, few of those kids ever lived.
"Hey, hey! Careful now children, you don't want to be fighting over things here! So many people are unfortunate both living and dead not to even have tasted candy and it is a rare gift indeed." Rin snorted with a masculine air. The kids looked at her man-disguise curiously and their eyes seemed to widen as she patted their heads and pulled out another packet of food from her robes. With a gentle sigh she spoke again. "To live in this world we must forget selfishness and learn to stand together. Being independent or alone is terrible, but at least if there is one other like you, you're not really alone. If you can share this food between you and share the candy equally, then you will have learnt something today that might aid you in the future Be careful."
Some women had been watching and giggled nervously at Rin, she simply snorted at them and turned back to her companions, only to freeze. She had forgotten for a brief second that she was disguised as a man and that those women had been interested in her! Rin growled and groaned with annoyance as she looked toward her fellows, stepping toward them and shaking her head with annoyance. How interesting she must have looked to them? What was going on in their minds, she did not want to know! Rin's mind had started to drip off and that was dangerous, as the children thanked her and she stepped beside Igor, suddenly her covered eye began to throb and she knew her post-traumatic stress-disorder was kicking in and she was going to have another flashback!
"DAMN!"
"Get away from them Yachiru! They're filthy little urchins!" Lord Uso was snapping at her again. He got so temperamental whenever Shoji was away on his studies and it was just him and Rin together with the servants. After Lord Uso's wife had died their relationship had been even more strained and aggressive as no one was there to attempt to teach Rin in the ways of women, but Lord Uso did have a tendency to stalk Rin whenever she left the house.
"But I was one too…" Yachiru scowled at her adopted father, not caring for his words as she tried hard to loosen his grip on her wrist. Rin had been playing with her six new friends on the outskirts of the dark forests around the house. Before playing she had shared food and water with them and they had all exchanged names and jokes. Though she had not intended it, Yachiru had become the ringleader and her companions listened to her intently and without fear. But now they cowered away from the tall man in the expensive clothing with a voice like an angry snake.
"Listen to me girl! I took you in to prevent you from returning to a life of death! Don't spit on my kindness! Now get back inside, sit with the nanny, and work on your etiquette, and for the love of the Sereitei wear a kimono not the working clothes of a field man!" Lord Uso's hand gripped tightly once more and he made a jerking movement backwards. This caught Rin off guard and she was drawn back toward him. He grabbed her shoulder as well now and turned her fully around so she would move.
"I'm sorry, I have to go now, but I'll see you again…" Rin had begun to cry but had put on a brave face for her companions as she had been dragged off. It was one of the few times Lord Uso had ever been able to control her so easily, but at the time Rin had been very keen on one of her different friends.
The day was dull and the lessons even more so that Rin had found herself trying to see how many times she could paint the outline of her hand on the paper without the teacher noticing. Time passed and hour floated away as Rin fell into dreaming and ignored the questions being asked to her, until a cane was snapped down in front of her face. She paid attention for a little while longer, only being interested in the mentions of why at certain times of the month it was necessary for her to bleed so that she would eventually produce a horde of children. But soon the sun sank to the three o'clock stage and so Rin decided it was time to find her special friend.
"I'm going to pick some flowers; I'll be back before its dark!" Rin half-lied and her teacher sighed gently. Well, flowers were feminine and working with them was as girly as Rin would get. Her teacher let her go and Rin quickly scuttled off, still wearing the kimono of red she'd been forced into.
She travelled into the woods as fast as she could, but often Rin would be distracted by someone in need of food and try to help them out. She always made a habit to take food with her or clean water in the gourds she could carry. It was golden in the sky before she reached a lake, surrounded by the strange trees with their purple blossoms. She checked about quickly and spotted the lean, tall, long-haired figure pressed against the tree trunk. There were fresh cuts up his arms, and part of his tattered clothes had blood on. It seemed he'd been forced to fight again, but Rin knew he would never loose!
"It's you again? I thought they'd have tied you to the house like they do with prize sheep or what not. You look a little taller today, but that dress doesn't suit you." He snorted again, and the big figure just sighed. Rin was a little nervous, he did not seem willing to move much, and Rin guessed he might have been in a lot of pain from his battle. But she had something to cheer him up.
"Yep! I hoped to find you and give you something else to eat!" Rin smiled sweetly and once more the shadowy figure looked confused. She pulled out some rice and some random vegetables she'd been able to snatch and passed them to him, giving him a bowl and settling down beside him with a small bowl of her own rice. He was surprised of course that she had been so kind to do this, but he could not refuse it, even though part of him was screaming to reject the help.
They had eaten together and for some reason Rin had been more encouraged to use her manners around him, even though he never did. He'd wolfed down the food as if it were his last meal, and yet Rin understood why. After a little while in silence, with her carefully admiring his wounds and occasionally suggesting he should wash one or two so they did not get infected, the figure broke the silence. He turned to her and nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.
"You know, I haven't decided on a name yet… I don't think I know enough of my strength to have the title I want. I know few names, people do not talk to me, though I listen to them. I have heard one name I like, but for that I will have to become a Soul Reaper..." There was disdain in his tone, those born outside of class in the outer Rukongai districts were often not wanting involvement with the Sereitei. The Soul Reapers after-all had been the ones to send them to the Rukon-gai, or they simply did nothing to maintain an order or to protect when there was need for it. Those orphans in Zaraki that wanted to be Soul Reapers were often the fools with good hearts that starved to death because they gave away so much to others and could not survive harshness.
"Really? Do you actually believe that?" Rin questioned nervously, but her companion just shrugged again. The girl looked out to the water of the lake that was covered in water lilies of soft white and yet golden water. She remembered something her teacher had mentioned about golden lilies being a kind of wishing-device in some old stories. So, Rin assumed she might just go looking to give her new friend a bit of a boost. "I'm going to find a golden lily for you!"
"Don't go in there! You'll soak your dress, silly kid! Don't go looking for something not there!" He almost bellowed at her, but obviously he was in pain. He'd tried to strain out toward her, to pull her away, but been forced to slump back. Rin had no fear of the water though, she simply waded in and began her search, careful not to go too far. But after a god half hour of searching she could not find it and quickly waded out, soaked and dripping but smiling as ever.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't find it. But then again I only wanted to give it to you, so I suppose it would only appear if you looked. Is your back okay? Is there anything I can do to help you?" Rin asked as she stepped out to go and check if he was okay, but he seemed to back away toward the tree once more. But before she could do anything else, there was a loud series of sounds and Rin knew she was in trouble already.
"Yachiru! Yachiru! Where the hell are you brat?"
"Oh God… My head's spinning! Someone please hit me with something, please do it!" Rin whined as she tried not to fall over, and Yaroslavl smiled again and then punched her in the shoulder. Rin just spun around and then punched Yaroslavl back in the shoulder. Yaroslavl fell over and Igor blinked gently in surprise.
"Rin… You've got to stop spacing out like that! We've got to get going or its going to be very strange when we turn up really late!" Igor half growled at his captain with annoyance. It was not that he didn't appreciate that being somewhere she hadn't been in about sixty-years was a surprising event, it was more that he did not want Rin to keep having flashbacks and be left in a dazed state. It would have been hilarious though for Rin to give the letter to the Head Captain of Seretei with eyes rolled to the ceiling and a line of drool sliding down her lips.
"Let's head toward the walls now, Captain! Have you got the note?" Zander mused, stretching an arm back and itching his shoulders. As for a flashback, he ignored it as it nagged at his memories again, sure that Captain Ninel was giving off some weird vibe. Captain Sofia may have handed him over, but he'd been thrown in a cell where his old pal Ulrich had been and the Quincy had broken him out and run with him for ages. But as Rin slowly removed the letter from one of the many pockets, the squad members sighed and began to approach the wall. This would be over in a flash and without any hassle from anyone.
Within seconds of approaching, the great white walls had come slamming down and the squad had lunged behind their captain in terror. They had not expected such a thing, but then again the Eurasian society was not as closed off. When they watched the entrance for a brief moment, Rin pointed a finger upward and suddenly a giant cloud covered the sun. The cloud then dropped in front of them, and Zander screamed in horror at the sight of a man a hundred-times the height of Titan. Even Titan was shuddering, but Yaroslavl just shrugged as he elbowed the captain.
"Well now, I haven't had a challenge in a long while, who are you? What are you doing here? Do you know that I am the guardian of this gate and only those who defeat me may enter?" Jidombo growled happily as he removed his two axe-like weapons in preparation for a battle. He had not fought in a while and he was looking forward to it. But soon his thick eyebrows knotted and his mouth dropped open when one of the men below him, the one wearing a weird hat, lifted a small piece of paper to his face.
"I am Captain Ninel, a Mercenary from the Eurasian Soul Society. I have come under special request of Head Captain Yamamoto with the concern of my Society's government and an ancient alliance between Yamamoto and my master Schatzstein. This piece of paper confirms it, and I apologise that we are awfully late." Captain Ninel spoke with the deep voice laced with a Russian accent that was her normal disguise voice. This confused Jidombo and it took a few minutes silence and then a blink before he tried to speak.
"Uhh...What?"
"It's as I say, I would not lie to such a grand gate-keeper as you. I was sent by Lord Schatzstein, who is an old friend of Captain Yamamoto; to come here for help. It's all written in correct Japanese Kanji on this document followed by the German version, as it is a print out of the file copy." Rin rolled her eyes, but under her mask she smiled. Jidombo was used to challenges, not official letters, and he certainly was not literate. Just looking at the squiggles would confirm what she said.
"Let me see that…" Jidombo grunted and leant down to pick up the tiny strip of paper, no bigger then an eraser in his giant hands. A crowd was gathering to see what was going on, curious that there was a confrontation, and as yet, no battle. As Jidombo blinked, he listened as Ninel made an excuse that there had been a letter sent to all the gate guardians by the officials. This seemed to clench the deal as Jidombo winced. He'd been given a tonne of paperwork a while back and he had never looked at it, he was not about to appear as if he was behind in work to these "officials". With a grunt he nodded and gave Captain Ninel the letter back. "Ah, yes... I remember a note about it. We were informed it was for a different date entirely. I'll just let the walls go and you can go through without a fuss."
"Glad to see the message came through in part, at least…" Captain Ninel growled happily, a smug grin widening beneath the mask. There was a snigger behind her from Zander; obviously the rest of the squad had guessed what she was up to as well. Then, with a gentle bow, which made Jidombo blush for some reason, Rin said her thanks. "Thank you, Great Gate-Keeper. I will report your service to General Yamamoto with admiration for your obedience and swift action."
The great walls raised themselves up and Captain Rin Ninel stepped in without any trouble from the gatekeeper or any of the soul reapers on the other side. In fact, there seemed to be no one on the other side and in a quick motion, they flash stepped further into the grounds and kept against the shadows of the walls. Better to be safe then sorry. After a moment, Rin paused, sniffed, and then looked to where a tall white tower shafted the sky, it was amazingly phallic for a prison. She pointed toward it gently and encouraged her companions to follow her in a slow and unnoticeable manner.
They trudged around for a little while longer, and to Igor, who could feel every change in his captain's attitude, the excitement and the grief were starting to panic him. They passed buildings with odd markings and symbols and they also passed a soul reapers who were too drunk to notice them. At the sight of these burly beings, some of which were gambling in other corners of the roads they passed, Rin could not help but give a gentle chuckle. Though Igor was curious to know if these were beings Rin might know, as he opened his mouth to speak, a gloved finger pressed the tip of his nose. Rin spun around, and glared at him, her weird aura burning in her eyes alone so she would not release any spiritual pressure.
"Keep quiet, if you don't make a fuss I won't make a scene. They're not known to me, just the usual riff-raff of Eleventh Squad. They're supposed to be on guard duty but the Eleventh Division and more relaxed then the bar-tenders at a strip-joint." Rin snorted, and there was a gentle chuckle from her followers. They continued on and had to slow down as they passed a rather more active, in the sense of standing up and groaning, pair of guards who were talking. At the mention of their Captain Zaraki, the hairs rose on Rin's neck and she shuddered nervously as the group snuck past in a flash.
"If you want to talk about it, I've got keen enough ears! We know it's something you're afraid of, so why not be honest and say you'd rather get out of here now and let Igor and myself handle this transaction. You've told us where to go after-all." Yaroslavl grinned curiously but Rin just snorted. When they'd moved to a seemingly empty area, where none of them could sense any other soul-pressure, they paused for a rest. Then Rin turned to Yaroslavl...
"No thank you, Yarol. It's a kind offer indeed but I never give up on my mission. Besides..." Rin paused, a hand raised as she sniffed the air. There was a sudden rippling and they all crouched in preparation for battle at the appearance of some soul reapers. Rin managed to breathe one word before being interrupted. "Peevooh..."
"Well, well, well…. Fancy some Ryoka turning up here again? Only this time there was not even an alarm…. Looks like we're going to have a bit of fun…" It was a voice that screamed confidence despite the fact that the owner was bald, had some red blush or paint on the top of his cheeks, and that his companion looked like a very flat woman. Igor, Yaroslavl, Zander, and Titan gripped the hilts of their swords, ready to forget about where they were and start a battle. But it was Rin's curt reply that made them slightly curious.
"Are you so sure?" Rin seemed to purr with delight and Igor felt the confidence burst around him. The rest of the squad grinned slightly menacingly, but they could see that their adversaries were just as serious. Only, they all noticed there was a curious gleam in Rin's left eye. The captain quite obviously knew these two beings. Not only that, but she quickly motioned to them not to bother with swords and instead stood up straight with a gentle grunt. "I don't think we'll be with you very long. I'll give you a brief warning; Get out of our way, you see we're not here for trouble, or get ready to be thrashed."
Next Time: Part Four – Day of the Forsaken Return
Finally, some action for you all! After entering the Sereitei things looked to be going their way, until Ikkaku and Yumichika turned up. Almost a rendition of the Ichigo situation, Ikkaku and Yumichika are about to fight, and regret it. With only two flash-backs from Rin this time, you will actually read some fighting. Then you'll get a little preview into what an Annual Captain's Meeting with General Yamamoto is like...