Him and Her
Chapter 6
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Hello there my fellow fanfictioners! It has certainly been a while hasn't it?
I could give a long speech as to why but I did that already in my beginning authors note for Chapter 13 of Lightning Strikes so if you're curious then you can go check it out.
But I take it if you're still reading this then you just want the good stuff so here it is, the next chapter of Him and Her, I hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Naruto/Naruto Shippuden or Bleach in any way or form. These two franchises are the rightful property of Masashi Kishimoto and Tite Kubo respectively.
I currently don't have any plans to include any notable OC's in this story as of yet but if I do then it is my duty to state that if there are then they are my property ;)
Now then, enough senseless prattling! To the story!
Deception. Power. Skill... Teamwork.
These were the foundations of the Shinobi world. These were what made a person a shinobi and what separated chakra users from ordinary folk. These foundations were the bedrock. They made heroes and villains of everyone.
Deception.
Power.
Skill.
Teamwork... it had no place in that war. Friendship was pointless, it got you killed, weighed you down. Teammates were assets, not friends. That was what they were taught from the moment that they sat down for the first time in those uncomfortably squeaky chairs at the Academy.
Teammates... they were trash to be thrown away for the success of the mission if it was required. It was clear that was what Kakashi believed at any rate. He was the poster child for power and skill but had little to no tact for finer deception beyond distraction on the field of battle.
And then Kannabi Bridge happened and everything changed.
The only real trash are those who would abandon their comrades. That was what Kakashi learned from it all, he learned to care for his comrades beyond all else and in doing so, he became broken.
He let out a small sigh as he ran his hand across her name, eternally etched in the stone before him.
For him and her though, their talents laid elsewhere.
He had the power but little skill.
She had the skill but no real power.
Their teamwork was another thing altogether. They worked fine as a team, all things considered on the face of it. But him and her, together they were monstrous... beautifully terrifying.
Not that anyone would ever know. They only ever practiced alone, with each other.
That was their greatest asset, the most difficult test and the most enjoyable game of their lives.
They knew what they meant to each other, what they were.
Deception. It was their superpower.
No-one knew about their relationship not even Minato, that was one of the rules.
He heard the gravel crunch beneath someone's feet as they themselves approached the monument in order to pay their respects.
By the time Kakashi raised his head, Obito was already gone.
Just one ghost visiting another after all.
"Why here?" Ulquiorra asked her.
It was clear that he was losing interest quickly after a few hours of searching.
Rin let out a huff of annoyed air, her breath escaping from between her jaws like a geyser into the cold air.
"You know why." She told him impatiently.
Her companion didn't react, merely taking her retort in stride.
The truth is that she didn't know why initially. While she had remained blissfully unaware of the situation to begin with, Ulquiorra informed her immediately upon finding out.
They had a stalker.
It was the strange human that had seemed so obsessed with its ice cream.
In order to throw him off she had led them into a large building filled with people dressed in strange garbs and colours. The banner hanging above the entrance proclaimed: KARAKURA TOWN ANIME EXPO.
The human had difficulty spotting them amongst so many other individuals dressed like monsters and various colourful characters. Pushing their way through the crowds they headed out a door at the back. Just before they exited she accidentally bumped a nearby human causing him to nearly trip over the child he was holding on to.
"Everything alright dad?"
Raiden looked carefully around before smiling down at his son.
"Perfect John. Which stall do you want to visit next?"
"What should we do?" She asked worriedly, wringing her talons together nervously. The door had led them to a thankfully empty alleyway.
A strange mannerism she was certain she had never performed before yet seemed so familiar, so natural.
In all honesty she felt scared. Aside from her Obito she couldn't remember anything about humanity beyond the sensations of pain and suffering that she endured in the final hours before her 'rebirth' into a world as equally painful.
The difference between the realms of man and hollows was a simple one. Hueco Mundo was a simple place that lacked hope and sunlight in equal measure. The rule was simple: The strong survive while the weak perish.
The realm of man was so much more... complicated. Here, the weak could bury the strong, survival was sometimes a given and the powers of falsehood and manipulation reigned supreme.
"I couldn't smell him before amongst all the vermin but now it's clear."
Rin snapped her head up quickly, her attention now back on the world around her and the more immediate danger.
"What's clear? What does he smell like?" She asked quietly even though there was no way the man could hear them speak telepathically to one another.
Ulquiorra let out a soft snort, pulling back the bone plates that made up his mouth in order to reveal his fangs. Rin guessed this would be the closest he could do to an expression of disgust.
"Death. The fool reeks of it. Shinigami scum!"
"What do we do?"
Ulquiorra stopped in his tracks, turning his head in her direction, emerald orbs narrowed to slits and shining with the promise of violence.
"What do you want to do?"
Rin for a moment thought that the look he levelled at her was to warn of his impending attack. That the past few days spent in her cave and in this city looking for her boy was all a ruse. A monster playing with his food.
She felt her claws unsheathe themselves slowly in preparation for battle, though what she could do against something as powerful as Ulquiorra she'd never know. She wasn't a threat, hell she was probably closer to a chew toy in comparison to him.
But Kami if she wasn't going to go down swinging.
She could hear that voice in her ear. Not Obito's but someone else she knew she knew.
She could almost see him there in the corner of her eyes. The other one, the one who looked a scarecrow with silver hair.
His eyes mocked her relentlessly, his right hand pointed at her, covered in blood. It was her blood.
The hole in her chest hurt.
You know you're going to die. But even someone as pointless and weak as you can keep on fighting till your last kunai chips and shatters.
She almost tensed her muscles and leapt at him. An act which would have obviously tipped him off and then she would have had one last precious second of existence before he devoured her essence for himself.
That's when she felt the slightest of pressure on the bone covering the palm of her right hand.
Rin looked out of habit.
Silver hair was gone and instead someone new stood to her side, casually holding her hand with a warm smile aimed her way.
A handsome man with a head of golden hair wearing a blue outfit with a green combat vest over it. She could feel the name spilling out from her mind, unbidden but not unwelcome.
Minato-sensei.
Do you trust me Rin?
Before she could even think about it, she found herself nodding her head, an act which gifted her with a snort of confusion from Ulquiorra, who remained unaware to her... phantoms.
She could almost feel the warmth of his hand in hers.
Trust you? Always.
Minato smiled warmly at her.
Then trust your comrades.
Trust her... comrades?
Letting out a deep breath she sheathed her claws and forced herself to relax and meet Ulquiorra's gaze which had turned quizzical as he waited for her answer.
"He's alone and there are two of us. We haven't been attacked yet... I want to talk to him." She told him with such decision and ferocity that she surprised not only Ulquiorra but herself as well.
"You want to talk to the Shinigami?" He looked at her as though she had just laid an egg.
"He's obviously familiar with this world, more so than we are. He can help us find Obito!" She told him insistently, making it clear from her tone that it wasn't up for debate.
It was clear that he had thoughts to the contrary if the showing of his teeth were any indication and Rin braced herself accordingly. That was until he stopped suddenly, his body freezing in anticipation.
"What is it?" She asked warily.
Ulquiorra raised his head into the air and took a deep sniff.
"We've been here too long. They've found us."
Shinigami.
Rin's eyes widened in terror. She may never have met one but the very thought brought on feelings of immeasurable fear and unspeakable rage. Shaking her head resolutely in an attempt to regain clarity she grabbed Ulquiorra's arm and began to run. It spoke volumes that despite all his power he ran with her.
Only one thought crossed her mind at that point.
We cannot let them find us!
Kisuke considered himself to be quite stealthy when he needed to be.
It was for the sake of this belief that he ignored all the people around him laughing, pointing and dialling the police on their cellphones respectively when he flitted from cover to cover trying to keep up and out of sight of the two hulking Hollows in front of him.
Completely unaware to his presence he was sure.
It was this faith in his own abilities (Not stealthy Yoruichi said!) that gave him the confidence to follow the Hollows for the rest of the day.
Even when they left the densely populated city centre for the sparser outskirts of civilization.
He started to get suspicious when they stopped pointing at random humans. That same nugget of suspicion grew when then they stopped walking and faced each other and seemed to be conversing with each other if it could be called that.
To him it sounded like the occasional screech or hum with one or two hisses and snarls thrown in for good measure. Though he would be loathe to admit it he began to suspect that they had indeed spotted him when they took off all of a sudden, so quickly in fact that he could almost swear that they left their shadows behind for a split second.
For one brief moment he felt like his whole life was a cartoon.
He shook his head to clear it and then realised why exactly they ran.
It seemed the Sereitei had finally realised there was a Vasto Lorde in the human realm. Well, to be fair it had only been a day... and a half.
The sentry they left in the human world must have finally stopped wetting himself long enough to grow a pair and report it to his superiors.
He could almost feel the spiritual pressure bearing down on them all. It's intensity was such that even nearby civilians were beginning to sweat and instinctively leaving the area in order to get away from the feeling even though they had no real idea of what exactly was happening around them.
He sighed and ran after the Hollows, he couldn't allow them to get killed so quickly, at least not without finding out what exactly they were doing here.
After all it wasn't everyday that the Soul Society sent a Captain to the world of man.
"Faster! We need to run faster!" Ulquiorra urged her onwards as they sped through the streets. They had no destination in particular, their instincts merely screaming that they needed to get away. She wasn't used to moving at such great speeds having spent most of her time in Hueco Mundo hidden away in her cave.
A cave which she admitted she was missing sorely right now as she forced one limb in front of the other as quickly as she could having dropped to all fours for speedier traversal away from their pursuers.
Her tongue dropped from her mouth in an attempt to shed some excessive heat and vainly attempt to draw in more oxygen.
They ran for hours, zipping in and out of buildings and alleyways in an attempt to lose the shinigami on their trail. Her lungs were burning and her limbs ached and felt about as heavy if a bucket of bricks had been tied to each of them.
"Stop." Ulquiorra ordered.
Once he gave the command she knew what it entailed. Something had happened and this was it.
"Why?" She hadn't meant to ask the question but it slipped out unbidden nonetheless.
"They've cornered us, blocked off all our routes. I don't think they know where we are exactly but it won't take them long to do so."
She collapsed against a nearby brick wall, sliding down to rest on the ground and resting her head against her knees.
"What do we do now?" She asked tiredly, her companion taking a seat next to her.
"I rest for a moment and then open a door home."
Rin shook her head weakly.
"I haven't found him yet."
"I could deal with them but I wouldn't be able to protect you as well." He didn't see the point in lying to her, she was weak and they both knew it. Seeing the pain in her eyes, he tried a different approach. "We can return in a few years when they lower their guard and continue then."
She raised her head to glare at him but it was clear there was no heat behind it. Ulquiorra was right and they both knew it and as much as it pained it to admit she had to survive if she wanted to find her boy someday.
Even if that day wasn't today.
Ulquiorra huffed, rising to his feet and offered a hand to her so she could rise as well.
"Let's go back."
Rin nodded wearily and accepted his hand. She blinked back the exhaustion that seemed to fill every cell of her body and readied herself as Ulquiorra raised a palm to the air, preparing to open a Garganta back to Hueco Mundo.
Only nothing happened.
"Interesting..." He mused aloud.
"What happened?"
"It seems they've blocked our escape home as well."
Exhaustion was quickly replaced with panic.
"I think I know what it was you were trying to do and I'm afraid that won't work." A voice cheerfully called somewhere behind them. Rin's head snapped around so quickly that she could've sworn a crack formed in the bone plate covering her neck.
It was him! The Ice-cream man!
Sensing an impending attack from the two creatures, Kisuke's hands shot up in a gesture of mock surrender.
"Hold on a moment guys, I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm not here to kill you."
Seeing the bulkier, unevolved Hollow relax its stance slightly (much to Ulquiorra's chagrin), Kisuke lowered one of his hands so that he could retrieve a pocky stick from inside of one of his coat pockets.
Grinning, he popped the end of the stick into his mouth, giving them a lopsided grin.
"In fact I'm here to do the exact opposite, I'm getting you out of here."
Wowza! It's been a while hasn't it?
I'm sorry for the late update as well as the quality of my writing. I'll probably rewrite this chapter at some point in the future but I just wanted to get kickstarted with the actual main plot of this story and Kisuke's true introduction is a critical part of that.
I hope that you enjoyed it nevertheless and hopefully my future chapters will match the quality of my previous ones.
Please feel free to contact me regarding any mistakes or inconsistencies you spot.
Please review! It's the lifeblood of authors (Well that and the souls of our vanquished foes).
Until next time.