Chapter 2: They Treat Us Like Dirt
A/N: When I refer to ears I mean the ears on Akainu's hat.
Disclaimer: I don't own shit.
Akainu slept soundly and comfortably in her worn out futon and because the watering hole had already come she had no intentions on waking up any time soon. The sleep-eyed dog loved days like this because Seireitei and Society had absolutely no expectations for the people of Karakura so they didn't have to work daily jobs nor did they have schooling facilities well not legitimate facilities that is.
"Akainu wake up!" Sui-Feng yelled bursting through the door.
The dog lifted her ears up in response and her body soon followed, "What's wrong Sui?!"
"Orihime was taken…" Sui responded her voice oozing with anger.
"Taken what do you mean taken?" Akainu asked trying to gauge the situation.
"I mean the jerks of Society busted her door down and took her." Sui explained in a rage.
Akai's ears lowered in sorrow, "No joke? They just came and took her?"
"Yeah, just came in took her, just like that." Sui answered plopping down on the ground and crossing her legs in defeat.
"Bu-but Tatsuki comes back in a day they were finally going to be reunited." Akainu whimpered.
"You think the fuckin' Society cares? They can just come and take any one of us because they have the authorization to do so. What a joke." Sui sneered in defeat as she lowered her head.
"Just like they did Yoruichi so long ago." Akainu remembered. Seeing as Karakura is the least impactful tier of the three tier society those with the authorization to do so can come and kidnap people as they please. Those people are known as the Arrancar, people who make their living by simply kidnapping people and taking them to their new designated owners.
"Exactly like what they did to Yoruichi but only this time we're going to get her back." Sui said with newfound determination.
"W-wait what about our tournament? We can't pass up that water and we can't let Tatsuki come back without so much as an inkling of what's going on." Akainu reasoned her ears sticking straight up in shock.
"That's why we're going to wait until the day after the tournament to sneak into Society." Sui informed.
"I'm sorry but that isn't enough explanation for me to risk it all, tell me more." Akainu ordered.
The Chinese girl made eye contact with her dog eyed friend, "This week the bastards of Seireitei are coming to Karakura to give authorization to two upstanding individuals so that they can be moved into Society. That's also the day that the "Undertaker's Pickup Truck" comes to gather up the corpses out back to take them to the graveyard."
Akainu's ears lowered against her head, "I don't like where this is going Sui, I don't like it one bit."
Despite her friends pleas she continued on with her plan, "While everyone's focus will be on the "Great Crossing" we'll exit the apartments from the back, slip into our issued body bags and hop into the pit. Once we are tossed into the truck we get out of our body bags so that we aren't crushed by the weight of the accumulating bodies. After they finish gathering the bodies we ride the truck to the graveyard and go from there."
Akainu was shocked at how well thought out the plan was however she still had her reservations, "What if we're the ones they pick for the "Great Crossing" we're well known fighters in Hueco Mundo so as far as I'm concerned we're pretty high on the crossover list. Also your plan falls apart when we get to the graveyard we've never been to Society so how the hell would we know where to go? It's not like we can just hitch a ride with one of the undertakers so tell me Sui what part of this doesn't involve us getting caught and punished till we're black and blue?"
"Well if we're chosen for the "Great Crossing" we could just find Orihime ourselves and send her back but I see what you mean on what we're going to do after we get to the graveyard. We'll figure it out we still have time."
I wonder why out of all the times they choose to kidnap Orihime now, who would have…" Akainu trailed off as realization hit her. "It was that bastard Ikkaku! I'd bet everything on it."
Sui's scowl grew deeper and her eyes became stormier, "I swear if we ever find out for sure, I'll slice him to pieces."
Akainu got out of her futon and stretched, "We should talk to Shuhei for more intel on the Great Crossing, if anyone would know it's him."
"You're right I'll wait for you outside." Sui said grabbing her katana and exiting the room.
"So much for my grand day of sleeping." Akainu complained slipping on the same pair of cutoff jeans, tank top, and jacket. Clothes in Karakura were scarce and whenever Society decides to bring clothes they're always hand me downs. Since Sui-Feng is so small and Akainu being too tall it's hard for them to find clothes that fit them correctly. It truly is a hard life living in Karakura.
The two left the prison-like apartment building and began to walk to the even slummier part of Karakura. As they grew closer Akainu's face scrunched up in disgust at the smell the place gave off it smelt like years of spoiled wet trash, body odor and death. The place was also rather crowded for such a disgusting place, stalls were scrunched up together making it hard to tell whether the two were working together or if they were separate. Old grimy men yelled at the woman suggesting they trade something for their wares or to take a gander at what they had to offer.
For a shopping district this one was the absolute worst it proved a challenge to walk through the packed dirt street that lay between the stalls. Though the two girls would rather not be seen in this place many people of Karakura liked to come here, since the only other option was to stay in the cramped apartment building it was obvious why people came.
As the girls fought through the crowded streets they finally made it to sort of an alleyway where a garbage can fire was lit. A man with a "69" tattooed on his face sat beside the fire, his face was scrunched up in confusion as he stared down at a tiny book. "Tell me how do you say this word?" He asked the two girls.
Akainu leaned in and pointed at the word making sure it was right the one, "F-ree-dom." She annunciated for the man.
"What does it mean?" He asked seemingly interested.
"I have no idea actually." Akainu answered scratching the top of her head.
"It means to be able to practice your individual rights without being told otherwise." Sui said with sadness laced in her voice. "Yoruichi taught me that."
Akainu smiled wryly at Sui then placed her hand on her friends shoulder as if trying to offer a small comfort.
The man nodded his head in understanding and closed his book, "You helped me, so in exchange I'll help you."
"All we want to know is when the 'Great Crossing' is." Sui said getting straight to the point.
"The 'Great Crossing' is three days after the Blue Drop tournament, was there anything else I could help you with?" Shuhei insisted.
"Do you know anything of an Arrancar coming to Karakura?" Akainu asked hoping Shuhei would have an answer.
"Actually yes I do, a pale man with short black hair and sort of a gothic look to him was said to have taken an orange haired girl last night." Shuhei recalled tapping his bottom lip with his pointer finger.
"I'm guessing asking who employed him would be a little too much?" Akainu asked with a hopeful tone.
"Unfortunately so, only Society has access to such information but I hope what I told you is help enough." Shuhei smiled, "Also thanks for the definition, it's always nice to hear what different people think freedom is."
Sui smiled at the tattooed man, "Thanks Shuhei and thank Yoruichi for that definition. Come on Akainu, let's head back to the apartment maybe we can find something in Orihime's room."
Akainu waved at the man as she followed the shorter woman, "That Shuhei is always so pleasant."
"I know it's almost a shame that this is where he chooses to spend all of his time."
Before the two women reached the exit of the shopping district they were surrounded by four hoodlums, "Ohohoho, I ain't seen purdy girls like you 'round here befo'." A big man with four teeth spoke, to the Chinese girl's annoyance.
"Yeah boss, 'ur right come to think of it I ain't eva seen purdy girls like them in ma life!" Another man said.
"We're flattered by your compliments we really are but we have things to do so we can't waste any more time here." Akainu said slipping a pair of black military gloves with dingy bandages tied on the left on her hands buttoning the right wrist but not the left.
"What's ur hurry?" Another brutish man asked.
"What my friend was trying to say was get the hell outta our way!" Sui growled gripping the hilt of her blade.
"Uh-oh boss, kitty got claws!"
"Ur right, maybe these bitches need convincin' eh?" The four toothed man said popping his knuckles but before he could get into a stance Akainu landed a flying knee into his chin throwing the man off of his feet and knocking out his remaining teeth.
Sui was the next to attack she pulled out her blade and smashed the back of her hilt into the nose of one of the brutes then followed through with the movement cutting the man's head off. She then span her blade and flicked the blood off before sheathing it. Akainu stood atop the ginormous man they called boss, one foot on his chest and the other planted on his face staring demonically at the remaining two brutish men.
"L-l-l-let's get outta here man!" One of the cowardly men yelled while the other simply followed behind.
"How'd you know they were going to attack us?" Sui asked her redhead friend.
"Because this is Karakura."
"Good point."
The two walked into Orihime and Tatsuki's room, nothing was broken, nothing was missing and nothing was left behind. "The room looks as if no one was in it, so much for finding an employment letter." Akainu groaned in defeat.
"I just wanted to come back here to find a spare key or maybe Orihime's key, since she's gone we have to make sure no one tries to steal anything in here."
"Duh!" Akainu scolded herself slapping her forehead, "Of course that's why you wanted to come in here."
"You should know that Society bastards are to clean to leave anything of reference behind." Sui reminded her friend as she searched for Orihime's key.
"Yeah, yeah." Akainu said as she helped Sui-Feng search for the key. "Oh found it!" She shouted victoriously as she held it in front of her eye.
"Good now let's lock up, we have to keep that key safe for when Tatsuki comes back."
"You're right, knowing the Society they stripped her of all her personal belongings with no intention of giving it back."
"I would expect nothing less from them but I have to say I'm growing tired of it. We already have so little, yet they just choose to take even that." Sui ranted as they left the room and locked the door.
"I'm guessing this is the part where I say, "Well not anymore, it's time for us to rise up and fight back'?"
"No this is the part where you say you won't let them take me and I say that I won't let them take you."
"Why do I have to say that when it's implied?" Akainu laughed pulling her best friend into a hug.
"Because it's nice to hear every now and then." Sui-Feng mumbled into Akainu's chest returning the hug.
It's tournament time next chapter, and Tatsuki gets out of confinement as well!
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