Bleach: Lolita
Chapter 3 - Seeds
The oppressive, soul-dampening walls of my cell were a sliver more compromising than the chair and restraints I had just been freed from. While they did sap at my spiritual strength and keep me in a faded kind of dizziness, I was able to cope with the overall peace and serenity that came with the senzaikyu. I could stretch my limbs and move about, occasionally gazing through the narrow window of my quarters. There was nothing of interest to hold my attention, save the nondescript gray of the autumn afternoon sky, cloudy and muddled. Being a former high-ranking shinigami, at the very least, gave me a small bit of lenience. Because I was so compliant in my trial, I was allowed the freedom of pen and parchment, both of which I am using now to supplement the recordings of my lovely scribe.
After all, my crimes against the soul society were limited to merely felling a Captain. Yes, I would be put to death for the crime, but our Captain-General understood that my battle with the little twerp was one of consent. The squad 10 captain engaged me, and I dutifully reminded him of just how dangerous The Wolf can be. It was simply a combination of my intellect and the slight-of-hand battle experience that I picked up from Yachiru that left me the victor. Toshiro Hitsugaya was certainly the stronger shinigami, a true prodigy. The poor little man-boy was slain only because he was far too prolific for his own good, and partly because I had not introduced my Bankai to the records for data keeping. (I suppose I'll save the details of our battle for Ichina to record. I do hope she isn't taking any liberties with my words)
I had also been keeping my reiatsu in check with a little trinket similar to Kenpachi Zaraki's eye-patch. A delightful treasure I had picked up from one of the holds of the maggots nest. Early on, there were very unreliable measures taken to suppress an unstable shinigami's spiritual power. Before the invention of those lovely suppression restraints and cells imbued with sekkiseki, the primary method of spiritual restraint involved these sort of soul-eating wristbands that did more harm than good. Usually, these things would drain the wearer to mortal danger (Various unrecorded deaths have occurred due to their use). Well, I had procured a pair of them for myself and redesigned them to look like a harmless fashion statement. They worked well to mask the true level of my power. With them on, I was always an afterthought and an understatement to my peers, barely seeming a capable Lieutenant. I only needed to remove 1 in my fight with Hitsugaya.
As far as killing Hitsugaya, I literally had a few tricks up my sleeve.
In hindsight, my conscience would reprimand my lack of self control. If I hadn't killed the captain, I could have eventually found a easier way back to my girls. They were certainly loyal to me in the end, even with Kurosaki Isshin's growing displeasure of the companionship. I acted too quickly and shamefully. It didn't take me long to figure out Hitsugaya was a little more than fond of Karin, and in exchange, he quickly became alerted to my presence and my true intentions.
But, we are getting far too ahead of ourselves. I should make the girl detail these things herself while she still can.
For her legacy, of course.
Ichina came to my cell on the morning of the first day dressed in the attire of an academy student, a spiritless sword strung to her back. With her vulnerably soft features and overtly feminine disposition, it was unfitting to see her aspiring towards anything where swordplay was involved.
"What year are you?" I asked, a little curious as to how long it would be before she washed out. I couldn't imagine her lasting in the academy for longer than a few years.
She didn't respond to my question immediately, apparently too busy looking me over in my unbound form. I was sitting on the floor with my back to the wall farthest away from the door, robed in the martyr-white garb of the fatally sentenced. My hair was still shoulder length and neatly parted to frame the sides of my face. (Karin was insistent on this styling) My eyes held their usual sparkling gold glow above the aesthetically pleasing curvature of my nose and cheekbones. My features worked together to set off a sort of docile warmth that made me seem both alluring and intimidating.
Though I was a tad unshaven and weaker in spirit, I was still my six-foot-three, magnetically handsome self. Miss Fugaku was having a difficult time masking how pleased she was with her appraisal.
"Good morning, Haki. I hope you weren't expecting anyone else." She said coldly, doing a fine job of evading her eyes from mine. She glanced over at the small pile of parchment I had been writing on and frowned. She dragged her sandals in that lazy way young people drag their feet and headed towards my side. I instinctively snatched the paper up as she knelt down to reach.
"What are you writing?" She whined, "If you don't want it thrown away you'll have to give the papers to me anyway, you know."
She jerked her hand out, never taking her eyes off the parchment.
"You have to, Haki." she insisted, beckoning at the paper with her fingers.
"I'll place my writings in your care at the end of our last meeting, Miss Fugaku." I said smiling wisely. "Is there a reason you're armed and wearing your academy uniform?"
She straightened up, giving me a reproachful glare. "I have to work on my Zanjutsu skill early in the morning..."
"Remedial exercises?"
She reddened out of shame and I had my answer.
"Even if you aren't proficient in Zanjutsu, as long as you maintain high marks in other areas of interest, placement within a squad is very possible." I remarked reassuringly.
"I know." She muttered, as bashfully as a schoolgirl.
I doubted she had any other useful talents a squad would require unless she was willing to become one of Captain Kurotsuchi's guinea pigs. Even that maniac would likely find no use for her beyond placing some kind of explosive device within her womb that he could detonate at his leisure.
"So did you plan on recording my words to your memory? Where are your tools?" I eyed her empty-handedness disdainfully.
"Well, I'm not here to record you just yet! I was just on my way home to get changed and thought I'd stop by to let you know that I would be here soon."
This tower was out of the way of everything. Why did the guards even let her in?
"Child, you are disturbing what little peace I have left in this realm-"
"I've done a bit of research, as you suggested." She spoke quickly, her expression and voice tense now. "I can verify that you weren't brought in through the academy, and that Captain Unohana did see to training you personally..."
She crossed her arms in front of her chest, casting her gaze towards the floor as she frowned to her thoughts. Whatever she had uncovered in her search seemed to be debating with her nerves. After a few moments of stale silence she muttered, "She put herself down as your parental guardian in your initiating records..."
"A strange sort of mother she was." I said, chuckling at the woman's old news.
She met my eyes with concern. "Do you think she'll visit you before your execution?"
"I wouldn't know." I answered flatly, "I haven't spoken to the woman in over 80 years. This Retsu woman she's become is nothing like the Yachiru I once knew."
I observed the pity slowly working it's way through Ichina's features and it sickened me.
"Go now." I waved her off dismissively, "Come back when you remove that stench from your body and have your tools-"
"I DO NOT STINK!" She cried, mortified.
"I have a keen sense of smell, woman." I insisted, enjoying her humiliation. "Your scent is tainted."
"I-I was just training really hard, so of course- I... You-"
I held my nose and waved her away more forcefully, causing her to storm away again, purely livid. She yelled for the shinigami and they opened the cell door with their weapons drawn, quite alarmed by her distress.
"What did he do to you, Miss Fugaku?!"
"He's teasing me!" She whined, pushing passed the pair of guards. "Let me through!"
The two men exchanged blank stares and sheathed their ZanpakutÅ. Ichina was long gone before one of the guards grunted, "You know, Lieutenant Haki... If it were my last days I would be doing everything I could to convince that girl to give me a bit of comfort, if you know what I mean."
"I definitely wouldn't be running her away." The other guard chimed in with his weasel-like voice, grinning, "She wouldn't be able to walk after I got done fucking her!"
They closed the door to my cell, busy exchanging ideas about which positions they might like to try with the woman.
I certainly did have a strong nose and the woman did have an odor, but it wasn't due to a lack of proper hygiene. What my nose told me while she knelt down to retrieve my papers was very revealing about the nature of the deceptive scribe. Ichina smelled fiercely of another man, so much so that the smell was thick and radiating off of her skin. The stench of lust on consenting flesh. I had gotten a whiff of it the day prior and it was certainly back, fresh and in full strength.
It was clear she was busy with someone that morning, and they were doing a lot more than Zanjutsu training. Who or what she did in her spare time was only pertinent to me out of necessity. In order for me to work the girl properly I had to gather as much intel as i could without directly engaging her for it. Knowledge of who she was having relations with would allow me to stir her up even more effectively.
I collected my pen and set out a blank sheet.
I was beginning to stir, myself.
The stench of lust on consenting flesh. Karin was the first of the pair to discover it.
How was I so fortunate to happen upon the Kurosaki twins? A kind presentation of fate brought me to them. The Kurosaki boy had only just thwarted Sosuke Aizen's grand scheme of exalting himself to the royal throne. His spiritual awareness faded and he once again became a high-school boy of no real depth or interesting thought. I found Ichigo Kurosaki to be a bland and straightforward young man. There was nothing about him that was even vaguely intriguing. He had boring ideals and morals. I'll protect my friends and family and do what is right, etc. What a boring boy.
When the droll lost his shinigami strength, the Captain-General felt that the sudden vacuum of power would be an issue, attracting other spiritually aware beings and hollows to his family. (He was right, of course, but not immediately so.)
There was to be a small contingency of high-level shinigami assigned to look over Karakura. I suppose it was meant to be a gift to the boy. We were forever indebted to him, anyway. It was delightful destiny that saw my name to be the one that would watch over that family. It wasn't my duty to babysit the children, being the Lieutenant of squad 2, but when I was briefed on the families whereabouts and first set my eyes on the two girls, I knew what was to become of me.
They were both at my desired state of maturity. I was finally being rewarded for my painful losses. The two of them were untouched and I could tell by their lively eyes that they were the purest nymphets.
Karin, while the most socially active, was just at the cusp of sexual discovery. She was wise for her age and spiritually in tune. I was elated when I discovered she was a very physical girl, always moving about athletically with her tomboy disposition.
To contrast her was the motherly maiden Yuzu, who was so bright and soft it struck a shock into me. How could the human world possess such a heavenly thing? All of her traits, the kindness and the nurturing love she had, intoxicated me with a forceful yearning. I knew I could have them both, but I had to properly play my hand and...
I would get my fill.
First contact, I was only doing my duty. I was scouting well above the Kurosaki household, just below the clouds, when my toughest girl happened to gaze up into the sky in front of her home. She held a hand over her brow to shield her eyes from the sun and caught sight of me. My limited data did not properly convey her level of spiritual awareness, but it was clear she was eyeing the floating spec in the sky that was my form. My orders were to interact with the Kurosaki's only if absolutely necessary. Kurosaki Isshin, for the first time in a long time, was well away from the home and currently visiting with the director of Karakura Hospital.
Now was a necessary time to me.
I flashed down to street level, only a few feet from her. She flinched at my sudden appearance, taking a defensive stance.
"Hello." I greeted her flatly. There was a hint of fear in her eyes as she was aware that no one else was around to aid her against an enemy. I took in the girls appearance, loving how the slim fitting red t-shirt and blue jeans framed her young body.
"Who are you?" She asked tentatively. (Her voice was a bit more weighty than her sister, but I think it fits her beautifully.)
I had been practicing my approach of Karin for over a month. I knew that she would have to be the first of the two that I befriended due to her being spiritually aware enough to detect me. My understanding of how young minds work would allow me the right tact.
"I'm Haki," I replied, sternly. "Squad 2 Lieutenant of the Gotei 13, head of patrol. That probably means absolutely nothing to you, so I'll just say I am currently charged with the protection of the Kurosaki household."
She digested this for a moment, her eyes still flickering about me in appraisal.
"I'm actually not suppose to intervene in your lives if I can avoid it but, I've noticed you are quite spiritually aware, and I figure you're mature enough to know you're being watched, even if I might get in trouble for it."
Her eyes lit up a little at this. Young people were fools for this sort of praise.
"Ah... So you're one of the people Ichi-nii runs off with?" She asked thoughtfully, relaxing her body.
"Not exactly. Your brother was involved in a spiritual battle for the safety of this town and was subsequently responsible for preventing the destruction of it." I answered, feeling my opportunity present itself. "Miss Kurosaki, hasn't anyone told you anything?"
She scowled at the thought and muttered, "Nobody tells me much of anything. There's a guy named Urahara Kisuke who explained a little of it to me, but he's always reluctant to give details."
"I see." I muttered back, feigning anxiety "I could get in a bit of a mess talking with you like this. Could you keep this meeting between us?"
She shrugged, "Sure. My name is Karin, but you probably already knew that."
"Right, I knew." I admitted, smirking. "Anyway, try not to think about it too much, let the shinigami take care of the spiritual affairs now that Ichigo's back to normal."
"You think he's normal now?" She asked, frowning. "He's been sulking quite a bit since he lost his powers."
A couple of passerby's seemed to notice Karin was standing on the sidewalk having a conversation with herself, and gave her a questionable look. She grumbled and reached into her pocket, pulling out her cellphone. I watched in amusement as she pretended to dial a number and held the phone to an ear.
"I forget how it looks sometimes." She whispered to me.
"It's my fault, I should have realized." I apologized, smiling.
The front door of her home swung open and a Yuzu poked her head out.
"I thought you were going to the store!"
"I AM!" Karin hissed, "I'm talking to someone, just hang on, okay?"
"Maybe I should go to the store and YOU can do my chores? How about that?"
"Would you shut up already?! I'm going!"
The door slammed shut and Karin exhaled in exasperation.
"I apologize again, Karin."
"It's fine." She said dismissively, "Are you gonna' be here when I get back? There are um...Some things I want to ask about the 'soul society'."
"I have nothing better to do." I nodded.
"Oh, and don't you have a body?" She asked as she started down the sidewalk. "I mean, Rukia had a body and then she also, you know, was just a spirit sometimes."
"A gigai is what we use." I answered, smiling. "Yes, I do. It's uh... A bit different from my current form."
"How do you mean?"
"Well, I appear far younger in my gigai."
"You mean like Toshiro?"
I winced at her casual use of the Captains name.
"Well, no. Captain Hitsugaya is always small that way. I am only that size in gigai, though I am much older than Captain Hitsugaya."
"How old is he?"
"Well over a hundred years old."
"Really?!" She cried, "That's insane. So how old are you?"
"As old or as young as I need to be." I said, smartly.
"Hmm." She studied me for a moment, gauging my age. "You don't look any older than a college student now. The way you guys age is really confusing."
I nodded, "I shouldn't hold you up then. Your sister will shout at you again if she sees you're only just down the street."
"We'll talk more when I get back then!" She insisted, shoving her phone back into her jeans as she broke into a jog.
I watched after her with a devilish smirk.
She was perfect, and yet she was only half of the treat. The other slice remained all alone in that house, waiting to be gobbled up by a very hungry wolf.
But now wasn't the time. I still had to make quite a bit of preparation.
My first meeting with Karin went to plan, more or less as expected. She returned from the store half an hour later with her groceries and she quickly threw them inside, dumping the load on Yuzu. I engaged her in conversation for a short while, filling in the gaps of information Urahara Kisuke had been keeping from her. The information I was telling her would have gotten any ordinary shinigami discharged and arrested, and I was sure to explain the importance of that to her.
In order to receive her trust, I had to give a little of my own. My work was rewarded when she finally presented the question:
"Why are you telling me all of this?"
The perfect opportunity to plant the seeds. I put on a performance of making my resolve seem unstable, as if her question had breached into restricted area. I fixed a deep sorrow into my eyes, and when I was sure she had received the expression, I sighed and released a pained smile.
"I guess you just remind me of someone I used to care for."
The gravity of the sentence wasn't lost on my girl, as she went to wondering what memories her presence was drawing out of me. She wasn't quite poised enough to mask her embarrassment and slid her eyes away from mine. I decided to put a cap on the moment.
"I should get back to my post, Karin." I said stepping out from underneath the shade of the Kuraki clinic's shadow.
"I-Okay!" She fumbled with her phone, shook from her reverie.
I waited for it.
"Haki, ah.. If you want, er..." She stumbled, confused as to how she would justify wanting to speak with me again. I fought off a triumphant smile, knowing I had intrigued her just enough to cause her to seek my company in the future.
"If there's any trouble I'll be around." I said, "I think my Gigai should be available with Gikongan soon. Perhaps we'll speak again."
"When you do, come over if you need a place to stay!" She offered.
I nodded, bowing to the girl. "That is kind of you."
I waved her off and turned to leave just as the grin forced it's way through.
The Wolf had an invite.