Swipe up, elbow, swipe down, dodge, kick, punch, stab. The trainee chokes after Ichigo uses her wooden knife to jab into their throat, crumbling to the ground.
Ichigo breathes heavily through her nose and stays centered with her knees bent for a moment before slowly standing back up. She pushes back the loose strands of hair that stuck to her sweaty forehead.
"I've been telling you this for weeks, Iwasaki. If you can't throw a good punch then learn to fucking dodge," Ichigo states, glaring sternly at the wheezing crumpled form of one of the many unqualified trainees, Iwasaki Kiyoshi.
She turns around with a huff and steps off the training mats, ignoring the murmuring audience she unfortunately gathered. It's apparently a sight to see when new recruits and trainees are put in the lion's den with her. And there's a betting pool on each fight, all against her at all times.
"Oi, Morimura. You gotta teach these idiots some actual fucking hand to hand combat before they get fucking killed." Ichigo ignores her water bottle that she placed next to her bag and grabs the hidden one inside.
"Hand to hand combat won't save someone from a vampire," Morimura Mutsumi, the main mission leader and the constant pain in Ichigo's ass, speaks up from the wall she was leaning against.
"Well I ain't training these idiots with weapons until they learn hand to hand combat. You don't pay me for this shit," Ichigo sneers hotly as she plops down next to her bag. She loosely crosses her legs so that she could fix the athletic tape wrapped around her left ankle.
Mutsumi pushes off of the wall and leaves the training room. The crowd quickly disperses after she leaves.
"Kurosaki shouldn't speak to Mutsumi-sama like that."
"Damn bitch. Central's favorite."
"Man, I'd kill to have my head between those thighs."
"Ew. Your taste in women is shit!"
Ichigo side-eyes the five trainees leaving the room before scoffing. She focuses back on fixing her athletic tape as she silently pinpoints the remaining people in the room.
Iwasaki was sitting on the training mats, talking with two others. Three had commandeered the weights and the practice dummies. One is in the shooting range. Two trainees are unaccounted for.
"Fucking hell." Ichigo rummages through her bag and grabs her rolls of hand wraps before standing up. She unfurls one while she walks towards the punching bags.
It was meant to be an all-day training lesson. If it weren't for literally no one actually training themselves to fucking throw a decent punch, Ichigo might have been in less of a sour mood. Teaching isn't her strong suit, but she doesn't want her co-workers to die because they were useless without a weapon. It didn't matter to her if they hated her or not.
At least she has five hours of free time to punch the shit out of all the punching bags she needs to let off steam. Ichigo hates coming home frustrated and making her sisters worry.
Ichigo huffs loudly as she starts to wrap her other hand. She doesn't even pause when she senses the two missing trainees. They were near her bag. Of course.
"So they're the ones. Great." Ichigo sighs heavily, already feeling more exhausted than when she had been trapped into training these weak assholes. At least she's found who keeps poisoning her water every time she teaches or trains by herself.
The ginger haired woman claps her wrapped hands before flexing her fingers. She widens her stance and pulls her fists up in front of her face. It's Satoko's turn to be Ichigo's imaginary enemy in place of the punching bag, but she's going to have to be on the back burner for Mutsumi.
Ichigo takes a deep breath and starts punching out her frustrations.
Yuzu would like to think that it was a good day. There is barely a cloud in sight and with a gentle breeze staying constant, the midsummer heat felt more like a warm spring day than anything else.
School is useless as usual so there wasn't any need to attend it. Yuzu was baking some of her twin sister's favorite pastries and that said twin was practicing with her crossbow in the backyard. Nēsan wasn't around unfortunately, but Yuzu is excited for any amount of time she can see her big sister, no matter how little that time is.
She would like to think it was a good day... a fantastic day, but unfortunately it wasn't. Not with it being the chosen day for every stupid, arrogant, pretentious, and misogynistic boy–and they were boys. Including the ones significantly older than even Mama and Oyaji–to come into the Kurosaki Household and attempt to manipulate, woo, or threaten to be able to be betrothed to, court, or align themselves and their families with the old and influential Kurosaki name. Gods, was it annoying.
It was much too common and normal, unfortunately, for the only three remaining members of the Kurosaki to be subjugated to these kinds of manipulative problems with betrothals and courting. Nēsan had been dealing with it since Mama had been killed almost nine years ago when she was only nine and the twins were five, and Yuzu and Karin had been dealing with it ever since Oyaji died three years ago when they were around 11 years old.
At some point, all three of them will be married and have kids of their own. They are the last Kurosaki after all, and they all refuse to let this old legacy die with them. But, they were able to choose who and when, or even if they got married. One of the perks of having Nēsan becoming the head of the family at the age of 11 years old.
"–families have been such good allies, even if it's recent. My son will provide a good service to the Kurosaki, Yuzu-dono..." The newest old man in line to assume he'll be able to convince Yuzu to continue this stupid bragging about his spoiled son sits uncomfortably in a poorly held seiza.
Yuzu casually takes a sip of the tea she has to make for all these "unexpected" guests, sitting perfectly in her own seiza across from the old man. If only their complete autonomy of their own lives, marriage, and wealth could be seen as what it is instead of everyone pretending it doesn't exist.
"Sir, I appreciate you coming today to speak for your son, but due to the... upsetting climate we are in, Nēsan has stated that there will be no betrothal contracts or courting until everything has calmed down," Yuzu lies easily and dully.
Her monotonous tone makes the old man fidget and clear his throat. "Y-yes... but–but Yuzu-dono... it's always good to be... prepared. With Ichigo-sama–"
"It is still Kurosaki-sama when Nēsan is involved, sir," Yuzu cuts in with a cold tone and sharp eyes. "And yes. With Nēsan being a hunter, there is a risk every day that she will be killed. Everything has already been prepared as much as it can. Is there anything else you need, sir?"
Yuzu feels her mouth twitch before she quickly stifles the smug smile behind her cool mask. Karin will be so upset that she missed the expression on this old man's face!
"I-I meant no–no offence, Yuzu-dono! It's–I... I just..." The old man trails off, flushed and stuttering to try and fix his foolish mistake. Yuzu smiles before she stands up, making the old man scramble to follow after her.
"Thank you for coming by, sir. I'm quite busy today, but I'll show you out," Yuzu states calmly as she already crosses the room and into the hallway.
"A-ah, but Yuzu-dono... we haven't even–"
"Like I said, this meeting is greatly appreciated, but everything has already been prepared and set for me, Karin, and Nēsan." The light blonde doesn't even slow her brisk and graceful steps through the wide halls of her home, sharply turning corners and walking through rooms of the puzzling architecture of the Kurosaki home.
She doesn't even look back to see if the old man was keeping up or not. Serves him right to just come by for the third time this month and go through his long and boring spiel about that spoiled brat he calls his son.
"W-well... Well, I greatly appreciate you taking the time to hear me out despite your busy schedule. How–how about I come by another time? Where we can fully discuss the benefits of this courting," The old man speaks quickly as he barely manages to keep up with the 13 year old lady.
Yuzu hums noncommittally before stopping suddenly in the atrium of her home. She stifles a giggle at the muffled curse from behind her after the old man trips over his own feet and stumbles to stop himself from running into her. She turns around and smiles pleasantly, giving the old man an elegant bow.
"I'll discuss it with Nēsan when she comes home. Thank you for visiting and have a nice day." Yuzu walks around the old man and leaves as quickly as they had entered the atrium. She sighs heavily once she gets out of ear shot and reaches up to rub her cheek in her exhaustion.
This is all so stupid and completely pointless... Maybe next time she'll have Karin deal with all these idiots. They'll all be kicked into gear and won't return to try again for a few months at least. But, it would hurt Nēsan more than what she could comfortably handle right now. The Central 46 loves to harp on her for the most idiotic things, and giving these old fools and spoiled brats a lesson will just plummet Nēsan's already rocky political influence even more.
"Aw man, did you already send him off?" A voice, brash and bold, speaks up from behind Yuzu. The 13 year old turns around and beams at her twin sister.
"Karin-chan! How was your practice? Do you need me to make you some tea? Those pastries you like are almost finished!" Yuzu exclaims brightly, rushing over to give Karin a large hug. The black haired girl blanches at the physical contact, but awkwardly pats Yuzu's shoulder as a "hug".
"I'm sweaty and you're making my shirt stick to me. Get off."
"Karin-chan~! You never let me hug you! And I just had to deal with some old fart alone! Please?" Yuzu leans back with a pout and wide eyes. Karin winces at the sight of Yuzu's ultimate weapon before quickly averting her gaze.
Her pale cheeks turn pink as a sigh leaves her mouth. "Fine. You can hug me for four to five seconds."
"45 seconds?!"
"No, wait–I said four to five! Four to–" Karin cuts herself off with a yelp when Yuzu tackles her in a hug, bringing them both down to the ground.
She rolls her eyes and stares at the giggling Yuzu's head before smiling softly. No one can withstand the puppy eyes from Yuzu, but it's not like she ever wants to.
"You know Nēsan will find out that you tackled me while I'm carrying my crossbow," Karin points out the small rule Yuzu broke. Ever since that bolt through Oyaji's thigh four years ago, the rule had been set in place. As if Yuzu would even listen to the rules that prohibit her from hugging anyone at any time.
"Like you'd carry your crossbow while it was armed, especially after that one training session," Yuzu retorts with a huff that clearly states she was pouting.
"Yuzu! That wasn't my fault!" Karin exclaims, on the verge of whining.
Yuzu giggles before snuggling closer to Karin. "Sure, sure~! I believe you, Karin-chan!"
This day couldn't get any shittier. The only reason it couldn't is because it's almost over. Of course, with this "emergency" mission, anything goes and Ichigo is regretting ever actually deciding to go to headquarters.
To make matters worse, there wasn't any hint of moonlight in sight and Ichigo is absolutely positive that those faint banging sounds are thunder. What a fantastic way to spend her entire night. Stuck in a goddamned waiting game with a vampire, soaked to the bone by the pouring rain, and an empty stomach. Absolutely wonderful.
Ichigo crouches down on top of the roof edge, resting her arms on her knees to hold up her chin. She doesn't move her eyes away from the alleyway below her.
While the entire "emergency" part of this mission was a load of bullshit, it's still a high-profile mission with a possible 3rd Seat Target–maybe even 2nd Seat. Ichigo was in District 67 in North Rukongai after all and Central 46 would rather keep funding closer to home than so far out here where it's needed. Desperately needed.
She's more upset that this entire problem hasn't been fixed yet. She was the one to report increased activity in murder victims and organ trafficking here–and increased activity in blood prostitution, but Ichigo understands how hard it is to make ends meet so she hasn't reported it. From Districts 61 through 67, there has even been a sudden spike of vampire sightings during the day.
Which, for Ichigo, means that the vampire she's hunting is in those seven districts. Good news.
But, that also means that whoever it is that is causing the increased activity has now gained some form of a solid foothold here. Bad news.
"Fuck. I'm not gonna be able to go home for at least a week." Ichigo sighs silently in her scowling frustration. Damn Central 46 and damn Mutsumi.
Ichigo's playing vampire den clean up once again! And she hasn't even been cleared for clean up missions by the doctors, and wouldn't have been cleared for another two weeks. Getting impaled through the stomach causes quite a bit of worry when involving the medical teams.
A door creaks open, snapping Ichigo back into reality. She lifts her head and pulls down her hood as she sees a bright light shoot out against the grimy alleyway from the opened door.
Stark white hair shines golden in the light before the door swings back closed. The woman takes out a cigarette and snaps her fingers, creating a flame.
Ichigo stops breathing as she silently reaches behind her shoulder, grabbing the sleek black handle. She pulls her crossbow over her shoulder and reaches towards her lower back for a silver bolt.
Lightning flashes behind her and gives the decrepit and overpopulated district momentary light. Ichigo easily pulls back the string into the latch with barely a strain before she loads the bolt.
The vampire hunter easily ignores the slight burning in her lungs as she holds up the crossbow against her shoulder. A gold eye stares through the sight, staring at the back of the head of the woman standing in the alleyway. The crossbow is adjusted to aim at the woman's upper back, slightly to the left.
Ichigo pulls the trigger and finally releases her breath. The woman jerks her head up and whirls around, revealing glowing red eyes. The silver bolt pierces through the breastbone of the woman, impaling through her heart and out from her back.
The woman convulses into a heap on the disgusting ground, smoke and ash spilling out of her mouth. She rolls around in any attempt to ease the horrific pain she must be feeling from being shot with a silver bolt covered in vervain. The hole through her chest grows bigger and flakes away in the form of dust before the woman's body goes completely limp. Her heart, dried and completely charred, rolls out easily and immediately turns to ash when it hits the ground.
Ichigo raises her crossbow vertically and stands up on the rooftop ledge. The wind blows her hood back and forces the loose strands of her hair to dance with it. Small droplets of rain fall and land on Ichigo's face, dripping down and washing out already pale skin when lightning lights up the district once more.
She takes one step off of the rooftop ledge and allows gravity to do its work, bringing her back to the ground. Ichigo throws her crossbow back onto her back before she lands in a crouch, jumping forward and somersaulting back on her feet next to the dhampir corpse.
Ichigo crouches over the body before rolling it over, pulling back one of her long sleeves to reveal a watch. "HQ, the Hunter you wish would die is reporting in. Mission has turned into a clean up. Requesting a sweep from District 61 through District 78 of North Rukongai. District 61 through District 67 is likely to hold the vampire den. Initiating immediate clean up."
A soft green light underneath Ichigo's ear appears before flashing blue. The report is sent and received–and most likely to be ignored. Ichigo covers her watch once more before she takes out her phone, pulling up her hood once more. She quickly takes a picture of the dhampir and sends it to Rukia before standing back up.
"Make it two weeks. Yuzu and Karin will be so upset," Ichigo thinks with a forlorn and exhausted sigh. She had foolishly hoped this would be an easy enough mission. It's been months since Ichigo last had any time to spend with her sisters for more than half an hour...
Ichigo sighs again before reaching for her lower back, underneath her trenchcoat. She pulls out two silver daggers and twirls them both in her hands. She walks over towards the closed door, taking a steadying breath.
No willing back up. 11 silver bolts left. And no safe house approved in case she gets injured. Ichigo really shouldn't have even come into work today.
"What is it?" A dark skinned woman sits on top of a cluttered desk, legs crossed and hands resting behind her. Her gold eyes, dilated and suspicious, watched with incredible focus as Kisuke moves back and forth between the other two desks in the room.
Kisuke blinks before looking up from the paper in her hands, the corners of her lips tilting up. "What's what, Yoruichi?"
"Don't play dumb, Kisuke," Shihōin Yoruichi scolds her best friend with a cat-like snarl. "What has you so intrigued? You're quiet and you haven't even answered that bastard's message with one of your own!"
Kisuke fully smiles at the mention of the new chess game she had initiated with Aizen Sōsuke. A hum leaves her mouth while she turns to continue reading the paper in her hands.
"Something... I find highly entertaining–or I will," Kisuke answers in her usual obscure manner. She giggles at the small growl and halfheartedly swipe Yoruichi aims towards her head, but doesn't explain further.
Ichigo was her doll. She doesn't want others to know about her until she's sure the pretty little thing won't even imagine the possibilities of a life outside of Kisuke's grasp. Of course, Kisuke has to set the plan in motion first. Which means meeting the beautiful doll once again. Unfortunately, her surname is still avoiding Kisuke's excellent hacking skills. Even Central 46 has it completely scrubbed from everything.
Kisuke keeps her face angled to appear reading the paper in her hands, but her eyes watch the security feed she's easily hacked into–around the 13th time. She has to keep an eye on Ichigo at all times after all. Well, at least when she herself isn't busy and she's actually able to find Ichigo on the security feeds of Seireitei, the Rukongai, and the rest of Japan.
"Besides, I've already sent back my reply to Aizen Sōsuke." The jaw of his little pet that Kisuke had ripped off with her bare hands. It's quite a funny joke, in Kisuke's opinion.
Kisuke's head fully turns towards the security feed when she watches Ichigo fully decapitate three dhampirs in quick succession. Her fangs start to protrude out of her gums as black veins slowly crawl up from underneath her eyes.
Reading the hunting reports she hacked into did not do any justice for the skills and prowess Ichigo seemed to hold with such mesmerizing grace. Watching Ichigo fight brought back the memories of a time before Kisuke ever became a vampire; when Kisuke was a shell of a human.
She was the embodiment of the only true vampire hunters–the dying breed in the Progenitor's late era before it slept. Nothing like the absolutely abhorrent mockery modern vampire hunters make of their lifestyle and legacy.
Flitting memories of starvation and disease and death fill Kisuke's head. Kisuke, a girl and an orphan, watching the vampire hunters slice and kill and brutalize dozens of vampires with child-like wonder and awe. Humans were capable of such hellish and horrific strength? Such thoughts had brought Kisuke to madness, starving, alone, feral.
It pushed her to take her dearest Mother's hand and eternally become what she is today in a childish hope that she could become a monstrosity like those humans. To be able to kill those humans. To be able to show those wretched humans that so desperately wanted to enslave her that she was more powerful than their so-called protectors.
What a lovely little doll... and Ichigo is all Kisuke's. Truly worth any and all possible injuries and death that may come Kisuke's way. And when she has the doll, completely and eternally, nothing can touch her, or even come close. Kisuke would truly be able to prove that she is better than Aizen Sōsuke for owning such a beautiful doll; a hidden remnant of horrific monsters in human skin never remembered and purposely forgotten in favor of morals and righteousness.
Kisuke licks her lips as she watches Ichigo get stabbed through her abdomen. Beautiful crimson flies out of the wound like a curtain when Ichigo suddenly twists and stabs one of her daggers through the vampire's heart. Without even batting an eye towards the wound, Ichigo dances around two other vampires that try to attack her from behind. She throws one of her daggers and it hits dead center in one of the vampires hearts.
Kisuke roughly stands up from her chair, barely glancing at the location of the security feed before she glides towards the door.
"...Kisuke?" Yoruichi is hesitant to follow the pale blonde, instincts screaming to hide.
"Handle everything while I'm gone," Kisuke orders over her shoulder before she leaves her heavily secured laboratory. She flits through her den, eyes glowing blood red and fangs revealed in a gnarled grin.
Kisuke so desperately wants to taste the blood that spilt from Ichigo, but that will have to wait. Ichigo looks beautiful covered in blood, especially her own. Even better to stake a claim on the beautiful doll.
Hey! Hope you all like the new chapter! Sorry for not updating. I had almost immediately gone on a break from writing (which I'm still on, but I'm writing when I get in the mood) after posting the first chapter.
Not much going on other than some worldbuilding, sorry about that. But, I still hope you all enjoy it nonetheless!
Some stuff (plot wise and romance wise and everything else wise) will happen pretty quickly, but I think after this chapter or the next, things will slow down in a flow of its own. Also, I have absolutely no idea when I will be introducing Aizen, but when I do it's definitely gonna be a bang. I know that for sure.
And for anyone wondering, I chose the title "Virtus Sanguis", because it means "Blood is Power". I literally spent two and a half hours relearning and remembering what I was taught in my Latin classes and using an English to Latin dictionary that my old Latin teacher required for us to download trying to figure out the proper way to write the title.
I can go into a Latin lesson of it all, but that will take too long and I'm tired.
I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Bye.
WhovianWhoudini