Augh, this shouldn't have been late. The chapter was finished, but I had loads of stuff to do yesterday and I just forgot about it... sorry.

In case it wasn't obvious, TSS is from here on out on a 2-week update schedule. I didn't want to do this, but my life has gotten a hell of a lot more stressful since I started writing, and I just can't make a new chapter every week with any consistency anymore. Besides, I hate rushing chapters and not putting enough thought in - that's bad for the story quality, and I like to think I do my best with this. Rushed and half-assed chapters are far from my best.

Anyway that's enough from me. Enjoi.

X-X-X

The Striking Snake

Ch24

War and Peace

X-X-X

Taptaptaptaptaptap-

Skid.

"Finally!" Mayuri shrieked, his irritation reaching a breaking point. "Zaraki-taichō! Please, restrain your berserk lieutenant! how she got into the hallucinogens storage, I'll never know... she claims she put one of the stronger formulas in the sixth division water supply!"

"She did, eh?" Kenpachi grinned, looking around at the decidedly disordered SRI courtyard - broken glass and discarded beakers seemed everywhere. "Well, assumin' she isn't just telling you that to wind you up, they could use a little loosening up over there. Yachiru!"

The pink-haired blur shot out of one of the lab windows, landing securely on Kenpachi's shoulder. "It was fun playing with you, Facepaint!" Yachiru chirped. "I'll he sure to come back often!"

Mayuri seethed, but even he knew better than to threaten Yachiru when Kenpachi was around. "... anyway," he said through gritted teeth. "Given how much trouble your lieutenant has caused me, Zaraki, the least you could do for me is a small favor."

Kenpachi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, don't be like that. Much as I'd love to dissect you, that's not what this is." Mayuri pointed across the courtyard. "My trackers finally picked up two of the remaining ryoka on the edge of your division grounds, in the streets between mine and yours. The ryoka have proved themselves quite strong, and I'd prefer to capture them both alive; in the case that they split up or prove too much for me to handle alone, I'd appreciate your support."

"If they leg it, I get to beat them down? I'm game," Kenpachi replied. "Much as I'd like to just go to it, yer the one that found 'em. Well, let's go catch these ryoka."

X-X-X

"This is the Onmitsukidō's 'Tenshintai,' " Yoruichi said, dragging a what looked like a large styrofoam figure forward. "While technically property of the Onmitsukidō, it was invented and tested by Kisuke - they never use it; I found this one in the old storeroom right where I left it a hundred years ago."

"Hmm." Gin looked over the rough white figure. "This is part of Bankai training? Interestin'. Wonder what it does."

"It is actually a highly evolved soul parasite," Yoruichi replied. "But allow me to digress. To attain Bankai, a shinigami must be able to draw forth the manifestation of their zanpakutō spirit into the real world. This requires a great deal of reiryoku alone - more than most lieutenants have, and many lieutenants take decades to reach their levels of power. Once the zanpakutō is materialized, it will put you through a brutal and strenuous test to prove your worth, which - again - takes most shinigami years to pass. Once you subjugate the zanpakutō, you will be able to unleash Bankai."

Gin's grin widened, showing his teeth. "Gotcha. So, how do we do this?"

"Don't be so hasty." Yoruichi narrowed her eyes. "The Tenshintai worked for Kisuke, and Kisuke alone. He did it because his Benihime is a cruel and fickle spirit, and refused to help him grow stronger - he created the Tenshintai specifically for her. He forced her to materialize through it, then fought her for two days and two nights. At noon on the third day, he defeated her... but he later told me that spending more than three days using the Tenshintai could be fatal to the souls involved. To date, no-one but Kisuke has managed it within the time limit."

Gin cocked his head. "... And that's supposed to discourage me?"

Yoruichi's serious expression dissolved, returning to her more common smile. "I guess not." She picked the doll back up again. "Stab your zanpakutō into the center. The doll will absorb its reiryoku and channel it outwards, acting as a host body and bypassing the difficulty of materialization."

Gin reached into his sleeve, and a moment later, there was a flash of steel. The blade of Shinsō bit into the white material.

There was a bright flash of light, and a howling of wind as a vortex surrounded the ensemble.

Then the wind and dust faded, and the humanoid form of Shinsō stood, her ragged sackcloth shihakusō and emerald hair unmistakable.

"So, you have called me out." Her sibilant voice was flat and dispassionate. "Not by the usual means, it seems."

"Eh, sorry 'bout that," Gin said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Waiting around wasn't an option..."

"The method does not matter." Shinsō's tone remained utterly cold. "No doubt you wish to fight me for my Ban Kai. You should give up. Whether or not you defeat me, I will not yield myself to you."

Gin raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Yoruichi.

"Don't lose focus, Gin," his mentor called. "Remember, everything she says is part of the test. It's up to you to overcome the challenge."

Gin looked back at his zanpakutō. They were both unarmed, or at least appeared to be.

He twisted his neck, popping a bone, and grinned again. "So, even if I defeat you, you won't cooperate?" His eyes opened, the crimson irises burning into Shinsō's snake eyes, and he raised his fists into a karate stance. "Well, we'll see about that."

X-X-X

"There they are," whispered the insane scientist. "It's those two. Their reiatsu is too strong for them to be unranked, and they aren't any of my officers - and none of your men would leave their quarters without their swords."

"Yeah, I guess," Kenpachi muttered. "Can I take off this damn collar now?"

"Yes, yes. No need to hide our presence now."

Kenpachi grinned as he pulled off the industrial-strength reiryoku clamp.

Orihime and Uryū whirled as a plume of malevolent golden reiatsu surged over the rooftops. A second later, two figures landed in the alleyway.

One was extremely tall, wearing a ragged sleeveless haori over his shihakusō and carrying an ōdachi that had to be nearly five feet long. The other wore a full-sleeved haori and a strange hat, and adorned his face with an unusual black-and-white facepaint pattern - although, unless he also painted his hands and forearms, his natural skin color actually was bone white. Orihime could not decide which would be scarier.

"Oh, good evening, Ryoka!" Said the painted one, his voice oozing madness in every intonation. "Please do not attempt to resist, as we are both captains, and you clearly cannot defeat us. Don't worry, you won't be killed! In fact, if you cooperate, I'll keep invasive and painful experiments to a minimum - "

Uryū materialized his spirit bow. "Run, Inoue," he said urgently. "They're too strong. I'll hold them off."

"But, Ishida-kun - "

"Go!" He barked. "You won't be able to do much against captains anyway! Besides, how could I face down Ichimaru if I had to tell him I let you die?"

Orihime blinked, but she finally turned and ran.

"Oho..." Mayuri said. "That bow... you wouldn't be a Quincy, by any chance?"

Kenpachi poked Mayuri in the shoulder. "Oi, the girl ran off," he said. "Can I chase her?"

"What?" Mayuri blinked, distracted. "Oh, yes, yes! Do be careful with her. To be honest, while another Quincy to study will be fascinating, she's something else entirely! Please being her back as quickly as possible."

Kenpachi took off. Uryū's eyes widened and he launched an arrow straight at the oncoming captain's heart, but the blue energy merely died as hit that the man's skin, not even leaving a mark.

Then Kenpachi rushed past Uryū, clearly going too fast for him to match for long with hirenkyaku. Uryū was left alone with the painted captain.

"Che... Zaraki is a simple man, but anyone that strong can be very useful in a pinch," Mayuri said offhandedly. "Now, Quincy... please, try not to injure yourself. After the last old man I had as a test subject, I've just been itching for a prime specimen!"

X-X-X

Orihime turned another corner at high speed... only to run straight into the tall, broad-shouldered captain. The sheer reiatsu radiating from his form was like an anvil on a chain around her neck.

"Hey... ryoka," he said, sounding almost bored. "Are you strong?"

Orihime blinked. "I - I'm not a fighter," she babbled. "Please, I don't want to fight! I don't want to hurt you, but I have to keep moving! We have to rescue - "

"Yeah... the Kuchiki girl." Kenpachi's bored tone remained. "I don't care about the affairs of nobles. You said you don't want to hurt me, woman? I'm very strong. You think you are strong enough to hurt me in a fight?"

"I... I just..."

"Well, I hope you are!" He laughed derisively. "Ain't a single spit of fun to be had in the Seireitei right now! Come on, woman - fight! Try to kill me! Hey, I'll even give you the first hit for free."

Orihime stared as Kenpachi pulled open his shihakusō, exposing a surprisingly skinny torso, but one that was bound with muscle that might have been chiseled from granite.

"Well?" He said expectantly. "Free strike. I won't even try to block. Hit me! Gut, heart, throat - if you're strong enough, you can kill me in one blow! Come on!"

Orihime cringed. "I - I'm sorry! Tsubaki! Kōten Zanshun!"

A bolt of orange fire lanced forth from Orihime's hairpin, arcing towards Kenpachi. However, the bladed fairy ricocheted off his skin without leaving a mark.

Orihime's eyes widened as the dazed Tsubaki returned to her hairpin. "How..."

Kenpachi rolled his eyes. His arm blurred, and Orihime screamed as a lance of pain pierced her shoulder.

Orihime slumped, her body hanging off the blade. Kenpachi didn't make any move to follow up, though.

"You're wondering why your fairy didn't harm me?" He said, letting go of his sword and leaving it where the thin blade effectively nailed Orihime to the alley wall. "It's simple. My reiatsu is so strong it can't be kept down. It burns around me like a fire. When a strong warrior, like Yachiru or another captain, swings a sword at me, they focus their killing intent into the blow. It makes the reiatsu of the sword briefly burn even hotter than the loose power around me... that's why they can cut me. But you, woman, don't have a drop of killing intent in you."

Orihime looked up, clenching her teeth. To shrug off an attack by sheer unconscious reiatsu... what kind of a monster is he?

"I thought you ryoka were strong... how boring." He muttered. "I kinda promised Mayuri I wouldn't kill you, though..."

He looked back up. "I've got it, woman." He yanked the sword out of her shoulder, ignoring the second scream of agony, and casually dropped it at his feet. "Are you strong, compared to your comrades?"

Orihime pushed herself up onto her knees, struggling to stand. "N... no," she managed weakly. "I'm... probably the weakest... Ichimaru-kun is miles ahead of me..."

Two streets over, a bright blue glow appeared over the rooftops. There was a sound of crackling energy. Kenpachi didn't seem fazed by the distant Quincy's battle, however.

"Weakest, eh? Just my luck." He kicked his sword out of the way. "Here's my offer. If you can attack me, and hurt me, and cut my skin even once, I'll let you go. Hell, given that I'm about to incite revolt, I'll even help you rescue your noble friend. Come on - hit me."

Orihime put her hand to her hairpin. "Wait," Kenpachi said. Frowning, she paused.

Kenpachi's mad green eyes bored into hers. "I don't see determination in you," he said. "Don't bother attacking if you aren't going to try. What's wrong with you, woman? Why can't you muster the will to hurt me?"

"I don't like hurting people!" Orihime finally wailed. "I don't want to kill anyone! I want people to be happy!"

There was a brief silence.

"Is that so?" Said Kenpachi at length, his reiatsu burning hotter and weighing even heavier on Orihime's shoulders. "Well, it's your lucky day. Because if there's anyone you can bring yourself to hate, it'll be me."

Orihime gazed warily at Kenpachi.

"You don't know who I am, ryoka? I'm the eleventh captain, the warrior with no name. All I have is my title: Ken-pachi, the demon of the sword. It is the name given not to the mightiest shinigami... but to the one who most loves to fight, to spill blood and take lives purely for the thrill of battle." He began to laugh. "You hate hurting people? I hurt people every day! You hate to kill? I kill simply for the thrill of the fight! You're a pacifist, woman? Then I, who have cut down whole armies at the edge of my sword, embody everything you claim to hate! Make an exception to your good will! Feel your blood boil at the very sight of me! Put your hatred behind your blade and strike!"

Orihime's eyes narrowed.

"Tsubaki!"

A bright flash of orange light drew a wide arc over Kenpachi's torso, almost too fast to see. If one had not been watching closely, one might think they imagined it...

Until, of course, one observed the drop of blood trickling slowly down from the small but very visible cut on Kenpachi's collarbone.

"Good, woman..." The violent captain purred. "If you are the weakest, and yet can summon within yourself the will to harm a spirit as strong as mine... the strongest of your group must really be something."

Orihime shuddered, cringing. "I - I didn't want to - "

"Oh, quit whining," Kenpachi replied. "Feel that reiatsu? Hell, can feel it and I suck at that kind of thing. It ain't Mayuri."

Orihime started as she realized that, indeed, Mayuri's reiatsu was faint and fading away - he was retreating. Uryū's massively amplified power, however, was so strong that she could feel it clearly even when standing next to Kenpachi.

The captain picked up his sword, returning it to its sheath. "If Mayuri's conceded the fight, I ain't under obligation to bring you in anymore," he said. "Convenient. Come on, let's pick up your friend - if I'm really lucky, he'll even keep up that level and I'll get a decent fight after all!"

X-X-X

Gin wiped the blood from his mouth, gingerly removing a loosened premolar. His slitted eyes remained as inscrutable as ever behind the fresh plethora of bruises.

He'd lost the first few fights, and Shinsō had beaten the tar out of him. Had it not been for his reiatsu-fueled healing, the first fight alone would have had him unable to walk for two days instead of an hour.

Now, the kidney punch from that fight was little more than a twinge and a memory, buried under plenty of new and excruciating spikes of pain.

"That makes two to me, four to yerself," Gin said idly. "Not that I think yer gonna change your mind when I pull ahead or anything."

Shinsō pulled her bloody face off the rock slab Gin had slammed her against. "How astute of you," she said. "I will not suffer you to wield my Bankai state merely because you can defeat me."

Gin rolled his eyes. "Of course not." He twisted his knuckles. "So, round seven?"

However, they were interrupted by a loud boom from overhead. The three figures' heads turned.

A massive cloud of dust had appeared at the top of the ladder. As they watched, a streaking projectile detached from the cloud and flew downwards, landing several meters from the group.

"Fancy meeting you here," the red-haired and shirtless figure commented. "Nice place for it."

"For what?" Said Gin, putting on his best confused face.

Renji rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't pull that shit." He pointed his bare zanpakutō at Shinsō. "Don't think I don't recognize her reiatsu. I know what you're doing. Ban Kai... if you make it in time, that'll be a hell of a record."

Yoruichi hopped down from her seat on a rock knoll and folded her arms. "In time? How do you know how the Tenshintai works, Renji?"

Renji was taken aback. "Huh? Don't know what you're talking about. I mean in time to stop the execution," he said. "I got the message on the way here. The execution has been moved up again. It's taking place at noon tomorrow."

There was a moment of silence.

"Anyway, I don't know about you, Silver - but I ain't gonna let her die. And if I want to stand a shred of a chance, I need to be able to bring a Bankai, so here I am. Like I said, nice place for it." His reiatsu suddenly glowed around him, the angry red flaring with half a century's worth of bitterness and wounded pride.

"Roar, Zabimaru!"

However, instead of becoming the whip-saw that was Zabimaru's shikai state, Renji's zanpakutō vanished entirely in a crimson flash.

When the light cleared, there was a massive white baboon beside Renji, his fur bearing jagged blue markings that were almost identical to Renji's tattoos. Instead of a normal tail, Zabimaru's relevant appendage terminated in the head of a snake.

"Don't worry about me, folks." Renji turned, heading for the other side of the cavern. "Since I've already managed materialization, I'll handle Zabimaru's challenge on my own - I won't get in your way. Oh, and Gin?"

The substitute shinigami raised an eyebrow.

"I know we're not exactly bros, but you're the only person in the Seireitei who I'd trust to have my back right now." Renji's tattooed eyebrows lowered. "So you'd better get stronger too."

Gin smiled again. "Ya got it."

Renji dissolved as he flash-stepped to the other side of the cave.

Yoruichi sighed. "Well, I'd been wondering if I could risk extending the Tenshintai deadline, but it looks like the point just became moot," she said. "I suppose if - "

"Don't waste yer breath, Yoruichi," Gin purred, popping a knuckle. "So we only got another day? No fuckin' difference, I'll just do it before the time runs out. I don't hesitate. Snakes that blink miss their strike."

The figure of Shinsō raised her fists. "A good speech, even if it won't help you any," she said. "Round seven."

X-X-X