TTGLX: Brothers to the End.
Chapter 15: Girl Power.
Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto placed the final item into her pack and slung it over her shoulder. She slid her zanpakuto through her sash then took a last look through her mirror to ensure that she had not forgotten anything. Her usual bubbly personality was hidden behind a veil of determination.
She wouldn't let him slip away. Not this time. Her mind wandered back through the depths of time to the first man she had ever loved.
Gin… she breathed to herself. They had both felt the same and yet neither had acted. They had grown slowly apart until she feared that she didn't even recognise the twisted man who called himself captain of squad three. If only she had know what burdens he bore, what responsibilities he had tasked himself with and suffered alone to achieve. Things could have been so different.
But now he was dead and gone. For years she had remained alone, too scared to commit. She had finally managed to move on and was now threatened with loosing him too. She would not sit back and let it happen this time. She would fight and she would win. That was her promise to herself.
"I'm coming for you, Kittan. Just sit tight."
Rangiku left her room and rushed through the corridors. She had to free the captured Dai-Gurren members quickly or they would never make it in time to help the captains face up against Simon.
Her mind was elsewhere so she didn't notice as somebody stepped out of a doorway to block her path. Rangiku collided with the figure and had to quickly swivel to stop herself falling onto the poor person.
She brushed some loose hair from her eyes to reveal Nia stood before her. The white haired Third Seat was equipped for travel much like Rangiku.
"Nia, what are you doing here? I'd have thought you'd be being briefed alongside the other shinigami embarking to the human world." Rangiku asked softly. She knew that all of this was hard on her as it was her husband that they were setting out to defeat.
The younger girl locked eyes with Rangiku. "I request to accompany you to save my friends."
Rangiku smiled at the sweetness the girl radiated despite her determination. Her flowery eyes burned with purpose but Rangiku could see the pain deep within them. It can't have been easy for her, especially as the only remaining member of Team Dai-Gurren left in the Seireitei.
Rangiku rested her hand on Nia's shoulder. "I know that you want to help but you know as well as anyone that you are the best person to bring some sense to Simon. You need to go to him before things get any worse. Don't worry, I'll get Kittan and the others back here safe and sound."
Nia shook her head sadly. "You do not know Simon like I do. While his mind may not be under his control, it is still Simon and will react like Simon. Once he has set his mind on something, nothing will stop him from achieving it. My words, at least at first, will not free him. I fear that in the case of Simon, the only thing that will put out his fire would be an even greater fire. For that we will need everyone."
A sigh escaped Rangiku's lips. She had guessed as much. Kittan had also said basically the same thing. 'Words have never meant a thing to Simon. He was raised by Kamina after all. Actions speak louder to him than anything. The only thing that will snap some sense back into him will be the Dai-Gurren specialty of a speeding fist to the face.'
"Are you sure about this?" asked Rangiku. "Once we set off we won't be able to get into the human world until the mission is over, regardless of what happens down there."
"I cannot help Simon, nor can I help Kamina. I will not sit on the sidelines. As the wife of Simon the digger, it is my duty to protect his friends. After all, it wouldn't be much of a welcome party if Simon got here but his friends were already gone."
Rangiku laughed at the simplicity of her argument. For that brief moment she sounded just like Kamina. He was always blustering on about ensuring Simon has the best welcoming party when he should finally crossover. The fact that every member of that crazy Team Dai-Gurren would reshape the very universe with their bare hands just to ensure a good place for their friends to pass on to was simply amazing.
"Alright then. We've wasted enough time. Let's go and gather Simon's welcoming committee." Rangiku said with a playful smile. It was simply impossible to be grim in Nia's presence.
They left the Seireitei quickly and set off through the forest to the location that the Second Division spies had given to them. Their destination was a swamp just beyond the forest to the south where the Meta had apparently set up a base during his short time in the Soul Society.
The two woman made quick time through the trees as both had only a single objective on their minds. Very few words passed between them all day as all energy was used to improve their time.
Twilight gloom began to shroud the air as night started to fall across the world. The shinigami had decided to continue walking through the night rather than stopping to make camp.
There was a rustling behind them and the women whipped their heads around to see a group of thuggish looking men emerging from the undergrowth. All five of them were armed.
"My my. What do we have here?" grinned the man who was clearly the group's leader. "Two young beauties shouldn't be wandering the wild at night. Who knows what could find them."
Rangiku snorted to herself. "We don't have time for this." she snapped agitatedly. "Come on, Nia."
The leader grabbed Rangiku by the arm. "Oh no you don't. now that we've found you, we should at least have a little fun, don't you think?" he smirked suggestively.
"Okay then." smiled Rangiku brightly. She pulled from her pack a pair of expensive stiletto shoes that were a dazzling ruby red then swapped her shinigami sandals for them. Once they were on she struck a provocative pose, revealing the skin of her slender leg through her unusually styled robe. "Does this suit you better?"
"Yeah baby!" he chirped, unable to believe his own luck.
"Good." purred Rangiku. She kicked him in the crotch stiletto point first. The man screamed several pitches higher than his voice had ever gone. The metal tip remained there, Rangiku holding her leg at a ninety degree angle.
"You see, the question isn't 'why are two young beauties out alone at night' but 'why are dumb men out at night when there are some very angry women stalking through the woods'. Now get away from here or I use my sword on the next one." she ordered. To emphasize her point she twisted her foot, producing yet another high pitched scream. The second she removed her foot it was as though the man was a puppet who had just had its strings cut. He flopped to the floor where he assumed the fetal position.
"Anyone else want to have some fun?" Rangiku asked threateningly. A cloud of ash from her zanpakuto rose up around her and took the form of a swarm of stiletto shoes. The men took one look at them and ran away crying.
She turned back to Nia and saw that the younger woman was staring open eyed at her. Rangiku chuckled.
"You have to know how to deal with men if you want to become a successful woman." Rangiku informed. "Haven't you learned anything from our little talks?"
Nia cocked her head slightly in an adorable motion of faint confusion. "I have learnt many strange and wondrous things from our talks but never have I heard of controlling men by using fashionable footwear on their private spots. Should I use this technique to control Simon?"
Rangiku boomed with laughter. "Not if you ever want children."
They continued with their journey as Rangiku gave Nia all of her knowledge on men, going into great detail to ensure that the young woman fully understood her teachings. This information likely caused many mental scars to her innocent mind but she took in her lieutenant's words like a good student.
It wasn't until dawn that the trees became more sparse and the ground became more marshy. They picked their way carefully around the bogs, a perpetual look of disgust plastered across Rangiku's features.
"Of all the places in the world to build a secret base, why did they have to choose such an unpleasant place." frowned Rangiku in displeasure.
"I like it." beamed Nia. "There is so much life all around us. Trees, flowers, moss, fungi, frogs and all manner of insects. Every inch is teaming with life."
"That's the problem." Rangiku muttered as she batted midges away from her face. Considering the state that the human world had been in during Lordgenome's rule though, she couldn't blame Nia for her enthusiasm.
The base was reportedly inside a cave that was hidden from view by a particularly thick patch of gangly trees. To further improve its stealth, the swamp was known for its frequent thick fogs that made finding anything very difficult. The second division were very good at their job though so finding the shrouded entrance wasn't too big an issue.
From a hiding spot nearby, the women watched the two guards stand tiredly at either side of the small cave. Despite their slack posture and bored expressions, both were well armed and looked to be competent fighters. That wasn't to mention that the amount of guards that could be alerted was unknown.
"Rangiku, you took care of the last group so please allow me to gain us entry into this place." Nia asked.
Rangiku assessed the situation and seeing no major issues she nodded her assent. It had been a long time since she had seen Nia in any real action and was curious to see how the young woman had developed as a fighter.
Nia moved from her cover and approached the two men. It was a bold tactic, Rangiku mused. Her anticipation rose as Nia rolled her shoulders and placed her hand onto her zanpakuto. It was going to be a sight to behold…
"Well met everyone. I have come a long way to get her because my friends are being kept within here somewhere. I would be very grateful if you could release them for me. I'm sure they would be very happy too. Will you assist me?" Nia asked with her hands clasped together and a huge sweet smile on her face.
The men stared blankly at her. Rangiku sweat-dropped. Recovering their wit's the guards drew their swords and had them at her throat in an instant. Before they could even speak though, a cloud of ash rushed forward and consumed them.
Rangiku appeared at Nia's side and the ash reformed itself into a blade before she sheathed it. She wanted to snap at her subordinate but the sparkle in her eyes quelled all anger. Instead she just shook her head and motioned for them to slip inside.
Once in it quickly became apparent that most of the cave was manmade. Rough rocks faded into smooth stone walls. The Meta had achieved a lot in such a short space of time. How he could set up such a complex base while tirelessly hunting Kamina was beyond Rangiku's comprehension.
The tunnel opened up into a large stone chamber that was filled with tables and chairs. Occupying said furniture were several dozen men who all wore the spiralling star symbol of the Meta. All sound of banter stopped as the sight of the two shinigami caught their attention.
"Do you think that any of these nice men would help us?" inquired Nia happily.
Rangiku bit her lip. The only other door was opposite them, beyond the host of readied blades.
"We need to hurry through that door. To do that we have to get past these guys without a single one running off. If even one escapes then he could summon reinforcements of do something terrible to Kittan and the others to prevent us from recovering them." she informed Nia quickly.
"There are too many to defeat that quickly." frowned Nia.
"Get ready to run straight for the door on my mark. Your spiral senses are more honed than mine so find the Dai-Gurren boys as quickly as you can. Leave these asses to me." ordered Rangiku.
"Mark!" she shouted. Nia set off at a run toward the armed men. Before she reached the first, Rangiku had shouted a second word. "Bankai!"
Ash erupted from Rangiku's zanpakuto in great gouts, swirling together to take on the form of two giant tigers. Their figures flowed with moving ash as they prowled boldly around their master.
One shot forward while the other remained at Rangiku's side. The first quickly overtook Nia and smashed into the front line of men, tearing them to pieces with every swing of its giant paws. Nia followed in the beast's path of destruction as it cut a swath of death toward the door.
The ash cat swerved left but Nia continued forward, cutting down the last man that stood between her and the door with a nimble slash of her blade. With one single move she threw open the door, barrelled through it and slammed it shut behind her.
She stopped and listened. Screams filled the air as Rangiku's zanpakuto set about its deadly work. She focussed harder, reaching out for the spiral energy of her friends. There! It was faint but they were definitely nearby.
Something was wrong though. The energy felt…strange. Laboured. She ventured further, following the trace of power that led her through the crisscrossing corridors. It led her to another door, this one sturdy and metal. It was locked.
Nia gave the door an angry glare as though it should open or feel her wrath but it didn't move. Instead she pointed her fingers at it and blew the door straight off of its hinges with a kido blast.
Nia gave a startled yelp. Inside was a white room filled with electrical terminals and seven large tanks that bubbled away noisily. The tanks were connected to the machines with dozens of pipes and wires. Green water filled the tanks and within them floated the members of Team Dai-Gurren.
"My friends! What has been done to you?" she gasped, rushing to the closest container.
There was a thud behind her. She span to see a pale skinned man with a black afro. He was smiling at her in a bemused fashion. A sword hung loosely at his side. Nia readied her blade but the man didn't flinch.
"Please do not touch any of the equipment, it is very delicate and finely tuned. A single button could create a feedback that could terminate the lives held within." he told her nonchalantly.
Nia wasn't listening though. She stared with open eyes at his face, abstract horror filling her heart. She knew this man. He was the man in all of the reports. He was a Meta-Spiral. Belfay.
"I do not understand." Nia murmured. "You were fighting against Kamina. How can you be here?"
Belfay offered her a cocky laugh. "I, that is to say Belfay, was fighting with Kamina. Was being the past tense. Now I am here to kill your friends. Simple really."
At that moment Rangiku burst into the room to join them. The two bankai tigers still lurked at her sides. They growled angrily as they sighted the Meta. Rangiku faulted as she saw Belfay, her mind following the same path that Nia's had taken but upon looking past him to see Kittan floating in the tank, she pushed past him to reach the blonde haired gunman pilot.
"Another guest? Well aren't I popular." Belfay chuckled.
Rangiku rounded on him. "What have you done to them, bastard?"
Belfay smiled at her. "They are hooked up to spiral extractors. As these men are powerful fighters and potential spiral warriors, they produce vast amounts of spiral energy. While it may not be as refined as a captain, it is still enough to produce enough power to serve my ends."
"And what are your ends?" asked Nia, her tone now serious.
"Well, as you pointed out, I was fighting against Kamina. My purpose here was to get Kamina to kill the King of Spirits. The chances of anyone surviving such a venture were minimal at best. I obviously did not want to die after everything that I have worked for so I produced a copy of myself. The real Belfay was killed by Kamina while I am but an imprint of his spiral signature."
"This means that I am weak, only a sliver of a person. By gathering together enough spiral energy I will be able to force it inside of me and regain all of my powers. In effect, the true Belfay will be born again. It will cost these men their lives but it will be a worthy sacrifice."
"Like hell I'll let you do that!" Rangiku screamed. One of the ash tigers charged at the Meta but he disappeared from view, reappearing behind her with his sword raised. He was knocked back as the second tiger slammed into him.
Belfay retreated to a safe distance. "You have an interesting bankai, Lieutenant. A two part form, one for attacking while the other defends. Very useful."
"It is called Haitora. Each tiger represents Heaven and Earth. Earth shields while Heaven smites. I can attack my enemies without ever leaving myself open to a counter strike." Rangiku explained.
Belfay shrugged. "While tactically useful, it lacks the power to defeat stronger opponents." A drill tipped pickaxe appeared in his hand. "For example, my attacks far out power yours so should they collide yours will simply shatter before my might."
"Well see about that!" Rangiku hissed. Her tigers leapt at the Meta but he smashed them to pieces with an easy swing of his pickaxe. The beasts burst into ash clouds but instantly reformed to tear into Belfay's flanks.
"Quick! Nia! Free the boys! Leave this bastard to me!"
"You wish." laughed Belfay. "I may only be a fragment of the real Meta-Spiral but my power still far surpasses yours."
Nia rushed to the first machine but Belfay flash-stepped in front of her. He slashed at her but Haitora tackled him first. Nia scanned the machine but had no idea how to work the contraption. Electronics had never been a strong point of hers.
"Hurry up!" Rangiku snapped as her defence tiger only just managed to block an incoming kido blast. She retaliated with a barrage of her own spells that forced Belfay to dash sideways, right into the awaiting claws of Haitora. Ash claws ripped through his chest, causing blood to splatter the walls. He staggered but quickly recovered and shredded the tiger once again.
Following her instincts, Nia set to work on Kittan's console. A green light flashed which she took to be a good sign. Belfay saw this and stepped up his game. Haitora Heaven bounded at him, jaws ready to clamp down on his head. Belfay grabbed it by the fangs and swung the tiger, throwing it straight back at Rangiku. Haitora Earth dived in the way, its twin smashing into it with enough force to destroy both. Before they could reform, Belfay flash-stepped behind Rangiku and drove his pickaxe into her now undefended back.
She screamed in pain and her zanpakuto clattered to the ground after resealing itself. She collapsed into a puddle of her own blood.
Belfay wasted no time with this small victory. He moved straight onto Nia. She turned to face him. The Meta swung his weapon at her face, fully expecting to pierce flesh and shatter bone. Instead his arm was caught in a vice like grip and snapped like a twig under its forceful guidance. Before he could even yelp, Nia's fist slammed into his nose, smashing it completely.
Nia glared at him angrily. Fire burned in her eyes and her voice. "Just who the hell do you think I am? I am Nia, daughter of Lordgenome the Spiral King and wife of Simon the digger! I will not loose to you! Yoake no hana!"
Nia's zanpakuto flashed and transformed, the blade elongating into a spear tipped with a closed flower bud. Colourful petals drifted through the air.
"You think I care who you are? More than that, you think that a shikai can defeat me? I will destroy you!" screamed Belfay. "You are nothing-"
Without hesitation she stabbed him through the heart, her eyes never flickering as she applied deadly force. Belfay gasped but the smile never fell from his face.
"Is that all you've got, bitch?"
She twisted the handle and the bud shot open into a wide flower, shredding the Meta-Spiral's innards. He coughed blood weakly. He tried to reach for Nia but his arms dropped to his side half way. Nia twisted her spear then yanked it free. Belfay fell to the floor coughing up puddles of blood. Brightly coloured flowers began to sprout from the wound to rapidly consume his body.
Her foe dead, compassion flooded back into Nia's eyes as she rushed to Rangiku's side. "Rangiku, are you able to move?"
The lieutenant hissed in pain, the large cut across her back still spewing blood. Nia knelt beside her and placed her hands over the wound. Green energy pulsed around them. She had always been told that she had healing hands. If not for her being deemed as a VIP then she would have been placed in the Fourth Division long ago.
"Forget me." Rangiku managed to say. "Hurry and free the boys. Those machines are still draining them."
Nia ignored her for a few moments until she had stemmed the blood then swapped her attention back to the terminals. Luckily, her time spent around Leeron had manage to give her an instinct on electronics…and several mental scars. Learning the birds and the bees from Ron was an…interesting experience.
The terminal beeped then powered down. The green liquid began to drain through a grate at the bottom of the tank causing Kittan to slowly fall to the ground. Nia moved to check on him. He had a pulse but it was weak.
Rangiku crawled to his side. Gently she stroked his cheek. The soft caress caused Kittan's eyes to flitter open. He looked up at Rangiku, clearly thinking that it was a dream. The peace on his face was so unlike the usually gruff man she knew. Then the pain kicked in and he realised that he was awake.
"What the hell is going on?" he coughed. "Where is that Meta-bastard? I'll kick his ass for putting me in that damn contraption!" Kittan looked past the two woman and saw the corpse of the Meta-Spiral. "Oh."
He struggled to his feet and stretched out his limbs. It was only then that Kittan noticed the gash along Rangiku's back.
"Rangiku! What happened to you?"
"It's just another war wound. A bit of rest and attention from Orihime and I'll be fine. What about you?"
Kittan snorted. "A few scratches from our fight but most of that's healed up. I'm feeling a little weak, but hell, all he took was some spiral energy. I can regenerate fighting spirit easier than I can breath after all." he grinned.
As the couple spoke, Nia continued to release the other Dai-Gurren members from their tanks. One by one they awoke from their slumber, all of them filled with a groggy rage that threatened to boil over there and then. Informing them of the situation with Simon and the fragmentation of the universe didn't help to calm them.
"Damn it! We're out of action for a few days and the entire universe starts to crumble!" grunted Kittan. "Looks like we have no time to rest up. What's the plan?"
Rangiku was now sat in one of the chairs in the main area where the group of thugs had been stationed. Nia stood at her side further healing her wounds. "The captains and lieutenants will likely have just travelled through a rift into Earth. If we hope to defeat Simon then we will have to follow them through."
"So this is what it has all come down to then?" injected Kidd dejectedly. "Fighting for our lives against Simon at the edge of the apocalypse. Not how I imagined my future."
"We born to fight so fight we do!" chanted the twins.
"Yeah. Quit your whining. You can't tell me that you've never wanted to try your hand against Simon." smiled Kittan to the nods of his companions. "This will be the ultimate test of manliness and fighting spirit! Who is with me!"
"Yeah!" boomed the members of Team Dai-Gurren as one.
"Let us go then." announced Nia resolutely. "We will face both Simon and destiny. Just who the hell do they think we are!"
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A/N: Grrr, I've been wanting to get this chapter out for two weeks now. It has basically been finished since then but the last few paragraphs didn't seem to want to be written down. Oh well, here it is.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter as it was a change to the usual Kamina/Simon driven chapters. If it goes down well I will start to add more side character chapters to help fill out the story more.
Thanks for reading, please leave a review with your thoughts and feelings. Omake ideas are still welcome.
P.S. - If you are a fan of Vic Mignogna, (Voice of Edward Elric in FMA and Tomaki Suoh in Ouran Highschool Host Club among others), then I recorded his panel at the 2012 Manchester MCM Expo so if you want to check it out at: watch?v=lZotTVRbR7k or look on my Youtube channel: firewolffred.
Also, if any UK readers are planning a trip down to the London MCM Expo this October then drop me a line as (money providing) I intend to venture down there.
Until next time, sayonara
- FWF