Chapter 10: A Matter of Respect
Xcution Hideout, Naruki City
Ginjo is sitting at the bar in the Xcution hideout, thoroughly enjoying some liquor when there is a knock on the door matching their secret code. The Fullbringer sighs before jumping off his seat and walking towards the door. Upon opening the door, he is greeted by a tall man with long black hair wearing a white shirt and black suspenders. The man has a scar above his left eye, currently hidden by a book he is reading. The man closes the book abruptly and slips a bookmark in between the pages once the other man redoes all of the locks.
The Xcution leader states casually, "Well would you look what the dog dug up?"
The tall man snickers, correcting, "Kugo, I believe you meant to say, 'Would you look what the cat dragged in?' Truly, you should read more books to better familiarize yourself with the sayings."
Ginjo shrugs, "I don't care about the sayings, Shukuro. Get to the point and tell me why you are here!"
"Shouldn't that be obvious? You called me twice yesterday. The first time was to explain how we would be training 'Kurosaki' and 'Sado' to become our newest recruits so that we could later steal their powers to use against the Shinigami. Then, all of a sudden, I got another call from you late last night saying that plans have changed without elaborating."
The Xcution leader takes a swig of his liquor before responding, "I didn't think you ever needed explanations from me, Shukuro."
The man, known as Shukuro Tsukishima, shifts about a bit nervously. "Of course, I don't require an explanation from you. Never. I will follow you without question… I'm just curious what led to the sudden change in plans."
Ginjo sighs and looks a bit disappointed, "There are a couple of reasons for that… It might be too dangerous for me to try and absorb a Fullbring so closely related to Quincy abilities. I doubt Quincy Reiatsu mixes well with Shinigami and Hollow Reiatsu—I'm not willing to chance it if I don't need to…"
The takes another sip before continuing, "Another, much more important reason is that kid sitting over there."
Ginjo then points to the corner of the room where Yukio is sitting on the sofa, playing his video game.
Tsukishima raises a brow, "I don't follow. How is Yukio involved in this?"
The Xcution leader smirks in amusement, "Well, he wasn't… until after the girl left yesterday. As soon as she and Sado left, he was on me like a hawk, begging me to let her keep her powers. He insisted that we can find another way to get stronger… It was quite precious, actually…"
The other man still has a confused look for a moment before his face relaxes into a smile. "Ah, so Yukio has found a girlfriend. That is precious indeed."
Yukio overhears this from the other side of the room, prompting him to immediately pause his game and shout, "She's NOT my girlfriend! I just met her yesterday!"
This causes the two men to chuckle as Tsukishima corrects himself, "My apologies, I meant to say, 'Yukio is crushing on her'!"
This causes the blonde boy to become even more flustered about it.
Riruka, who is still fixing her dollhouse from last night, states in an uncharacteristically casual tone, "Just ignore them, Yukio."
Yukio's eyes widen, about to thank her, but is cut off by what she says next, fully facing the boy with a proud smile on her face.
The pink-haired girl gives the boy a thumbs up, "I'm so glad you were able to find your sweetheart! It's adorable!"
This causes the boy to groan in embarrassment, hiding his tomato-red face under his hat and within the collar of his jacket.
"Well, this visit sure has been entertaining… Are Jackie or Giriko around by chance? I'd like to see them before I go.", Tsukishima states casually.
Ginjo shrugs with a disinterested expression on his face, "Last I heard, they were both out of the country. I could give them a call to summon them, but I honestly don't feel we should… not with so many Shinigami around…"
The scarred man nods in acceptance, "I understand…"
"By the way… I met with some Quincies last night who have an interest in Kurosaki as well. I blackmailed them into cooperating with me, but I'm still going to meet them tonight to finalize the details," the Xcution leader explains.
Tsukishima raises a brow, "Alright… why are you telling me this, though? It sounds like you have it handled…"
Ginjo gives his friend a serious look, "I don't trust them… if things go south, I want you to use your powers on them."
The other man nods as he narrows his eyes, "As you wish. Can I assume that means I will be getting a phone call from one of you if the worst does indeed come to pass?"
The other Fullbringer nods, prompting the man to wordlessly acknowledge with a nod of his own.
Tsukishima then lets out a sigh, "I really should be going now. I had an interest of my own that I was pursuing."
The Xcution leader raises a brow, "Another Fullbringer?"
The tall man shrugs, "Probably, although it is too soon for me to say for certain."
"Well, I'll leave you to it, then. See ya later.", Ginjo responds as Tsukishima turns to leave.
Karakura Elementary School
Ever since she got to school, Yuzu's thoughts had been occupied by what her uncle told her earlier. By the time the class was having lunch, her thoughts were interrupted by her friend calling her name.
Yuzu regards her friend with widened eyes, "What?"
Before her is a girl around her age with long black hair and matching black eyes. The girl's name is Midoriko Tono, a mutual friend and classmate between Yuzu and Karin.
The girl looks at the blonde girl in concern, "That's the tenth time I said your name… Are you feeling alright, Yuzu?"
Yuzu nods, "I'm fine, I just have a lot on my mind…"
Midoriko nods slowly, feeling a bit guilty, "That makes sense I guess…"
The two sit and eat their lunch quietly for another moment.
The black-haired girl grabs Yuzu's attention once more, "So what kind of exchange program did Karin get into? I'm pretty sure the whole class wants to know…"
She answers automatically as her mind is still focused on her conversation with Ryuken, "She's going to be an undead samurai…"
Midoriko gawks at Yuzu, who is now alarmed, having just realized what she said.
The blonde girl scrambles to come up with an explanation, waving her hands defensively, "That's the name of some western band our dad is into, I think! The two of them are going there together! They didn't really tell me that much…"
The black-haired girl nods, now smiling in understanding, "Oh, ok! For a second, I thought you meant that in a literal sense! That'd be crazy!"
Yuzu wears a neutral expression as she watches her friend giggle for a few moments.
The blonde's expression tilts to the ground slightly as she clutches her mother's Quincy Cross hanging around her wrist, "Yeah… that'd be impossible…"
Kurosaki Clinic
After school, Yuzu is dropped off at the Kurosaki Clinic by Midoriko's parents.
Midoriko waves to the girl as she walks off alongside her parents, "I'll see you tomorrow, Yuzu!"
The young blonde gives a soft smile as she waves back, watching her friend leave with her family. As soon as Midoriko's family is out of sight, she turns to walk into the house.
The girl thinks to herself, "It's a good thing Uncle is too busy managing the hospital to pick me up today…"
Yuzu wears a guilty expression as she walks through the house and into her room before retrieving a white cape from the closet, "He won't be happy… but I have to do this!"
She balls her hand into a fist, eyeing the cape intently, "I know I want this, but I'm still intimidated by Ms. Bambietta… still, someone else's life is on the line! I can't just stand by and let them be killed because of me! Even if there's a chance that they won't be..."
Yuzu states with finality, "Yes, it's what Mom would do…"
The girl immediately flings the cape around her shoulders without further hesitation. Soon after she does this, she can feel a presence behind her, causing her to freeze up.
Bambietta's voice rings throughout the girl's room, "Nice place you got here, girl…"
Yuzu slowly turns around to see the woman, once again wearing glasses and her modified black suit, nonchalantly sitting on her bed with her legs crossed. The woman is looking around the room with a curious expression before noticing the girl's stare, which she returns with a smirk.
"It's nice to see you've decided to join our side of the Quincy hierarchy!", Bambietta states as she gets up from the bed, walking towards the younger girl.
The woman proceeds to pat Yuzu on the head, which makes her flinch.
The black-haired woman chuckles, "Good obedient girls like you deserve a treat. Oh, I know! How's ice cream sound? Kids love ice cream, right?"
Yuzu normally would be all for something like that, but as with everything with this woman, she feels squarely uncomfortable.
Bambietta notices the girl's unease, "Why the long face, girl? I'm just offering you a reward… so you'd best speak up, it's the polite thing to do."
The Sternritter clutches Yuzu's hair again making her yelp lightly.
After a moment, the girl's expression turns serious as she looks at the woman with eyes full of resolve, "I'd rather you teach me how to fight."
Bambietta's eyes widen at this for a moment before they soften, a pleased glint shining within them.
She lets go of Yuzu's hair and starts wearing one of her smug smiles, "Seems like a fire has awakened in you girl—that's good. Because you'll need it to survive training with me!"
The woman promptly marches towards the exit of the room, barking, "Follow me! We'll need to run a small errand before beginning your training!"
Yuzu nods as she follows Bambietta outside of the house towards the front gate.
Once the pair of Quincies reach the street, the girl can hear a familiar voice calling out to her, "Yuzu?"
Yuzu is startled, turning to find a familiar boy, "Oh Chad, hey! Sorry, but I'll have to cancel our plans for today..."
Chad glances at the woman next to the girl with a curious look in his eyes.
Bambietta returns the boy's look with a smirk, "That's right! Yuzu and I are going to spend some quality time together today—a girl's night out!"
The tall boy scrunches his brow before looking back at Yuzu questioningly.
The girl gives him a reassuring, albeit nervous, smile, "It's ok, Chad. Ms. Bambietta is..."
Yuzu pauses briefly, "I don't think Ms. Bambietta would treat Chad well if she knew he was with Ginjo..."
The girl notices Chad and Bambietta's stares, forcing her to think of something to say, "She's an acquaintance of my uncle."
Chad raises a brow, glancing at the woman who stands there with a bored expression on her face.
After a moment, the boy nods in acceptance, "Alright... see you later then."
Yuzu waves at the boy, which he returns, before turning to leave alongside her new mentor.
5 Minutes Later
It isn't long before the duo of Quincies reach a nearby two-story apartment building. Bambietta leads the girl up a staircase before walking two doors down from the stairwell. Yuzu raises a worried brow as she hears Candice's voice inside, moaning, as well as grunting noises from a voice she doesn't recognize.
After a moment, the girl's eyes widen, "Candice is in trouble!"
Bambietta frowns, gritting her teeth in obvious anger.
Yuzu flinches, noticing this as the woman points towards the stairwell, "Go wait over there… I'll deal with this…"
The younger Quincy immediately does as ordered, creating distance between herself and the entrance as Bambietta pulls out a key and opens the door.
As the door opens, empty beer cans come rolling out, prompting the black-haired woman to wear a scowl, "She's so dead…"
After the woman marches inside, the girl can hear some shouting, which causes her to become worried before a young man she doesn't recognize comes running out in his underwear, holding his clothes balled up in his arms. The man doesn't even seem to acknowledge her presence as he bolts down the stairs with a fearful expression.
Yuzu can still hear Bambietta's shouting, "You SLUT!"
The girl gulps before walking towards the doorway to see Candice slumped down on a couch, clothed in nothing but her undergarments. The woman lazily holds her belt and a lime green, heart-shaped buckle in one of her hands. Yuzu looks to the floor, finding beer cans littering the ground inside as well.
Bambietta stands in front of the other Sternritter with her arms crossed, wearing a scowl in disgust, "Unacceptable! This isn't just your apartment, Candy—you're making a mess in my space too!"
Candice angrily retaliates, "Oh yeah we'll you're *hiccup*... not much *hiccup* better..."
"I don't have the drinking problem here!",the black-haired Quincy retorts.
The lime blonde slumps back on the couch before looking at Yuzu, her eyes widening. The strawberry blonde girl's expression becomes concerned when she sees the poor state the older Quincy is in. The woman looks like she hasn't gotten much sleep, as there are dark rings under her eyes. Furthermore, her usually well-kept green hair is disheveled. All in all, the woman looks like a wreck.
Candice calls, weakly, "Hey... you wanna learn from us after all! Color me surprised! But you *hiccup* shouldn't want to... we're... no good—"
Bambietta suddenly kicks the woman in the shin, causing her to groan in pain, "SERIOUSLY?! Stop doing that!"
The black-haired Quincy scoffs, "Only after you stop talking like a dummy!"
The green-haired woman shrugs, "I don't think I'm talking like a dummy… you're the dummy!"
Bambietta growls, her face turning red as if she is about to throw a fit. Yuzu takes a step back, bracing herself. Surprisingly, however, the black-haired Quincy exhales slowly, forcing herself to calm down, before returning to her previous scowl.
"In His Majesty's name, would you get your shit together girl? Your girl has come back to learn from us! You should be jumping for joy, with lightning crackling throughout the sky and all that! …all I see is a sad, drunken mess!", the Sternritter hisses in disgust.
Candice snarls at the other woman, rising off the couch, "You want lightning? I'll show you lightn—AAgghghuu"
The lime blonde pukes on the floor, causing Yuzu to look down at the vomit with a horrified expression. The woman stumbles a bit before slumping back on the couch again.
"Hmph. I rest my case.", Bambietta states with a nod, before shifting to a thoughtful expression, raising a finger as if to dictate, "I'll take care of training her today. You focus on getting yourself cleaned up. I want the apartment cleared of your beer cans and vomit by the time we return or I'm kicking you to the curb!"
"Why you—", Candice starts to counter but is unable to finish her sentence as she feels more vomit coming, making her hold her hand over her mouth.
The black-haired Quincy retrieves something from the table in the back of the room before turning her gaze to Yuzu, "Come with me, girl. We're heading out of town for today's training. The Shinigami don't focus on unpopulated areas, so we should be fine to do some basic training out there."
"I understand.", the girl states with a nod.
Yuzu follows the woman to the stairwell, pausing at the top to glance back at the door to the apartment once more before following Bambietta down the stairs.
Still within the apartment, Candice muses, looking at the heart-shaped belt buckle in her hand, which houses her Quincy Cross, "A mess, huh... bitch. What do you expect when you're reminded of how shitty your life really is..."
1 Hour Later, Karakura Outskirts
After about an hour of walking through the forests outside Karakura, Bambietta stops in the middle of a clearing.
The woman regards Yuzu behind her with a bored expression, "Good. There are a lot of shadows here, just as I thought. We can begin your training now, Yui."
The blonde girl huffs and pants as the distance of the trek here and the many up-hills without any breaks did a lot to wear her out.
She looks up at the woman, confused, "Huh? But we just got here… I need a break… also, my name is Yuzu, not Yui."
Bambietta shrugs, "Well I asked Candy last night if Yui would be a cute nickname for you and she agreed to it."
Yuzu stares at the woman blankly, sweat dropping as she mutters between her breaths, "That's probably because she was drunk…"
The older Quincy glares at the younger girl, "What was that?"
The young blonde waves her hands defensively, "N-nothing bad! I just think you probably should wait to give me that nickname until I'm a proper member of your group…"
It's Bambietta's turn to look unconvinced, "Really?"
Yuzu starts sweating nervously before the woman shrugs, "Well, fair enough, I guess. But Yui, dear, you still have to show me what power you currently have. Please understand that the Shinigami are more active at night, so we're on the clock here."
The girl still has her hands on her knees, "But I need water—"
The young Quincy suddenly finds herself doubling over in pain as the older Quincy woman knees her in the gut.
She yelps as tears fill her eyes due to the pain while the woman glares down coldly at her, "Your reaction speed sucks. We ought to work on your defense."
Yuzu is still crying from the pain, trying to get up off the ground.
Bambietta rolls her eyes at the seemingly pathetic display, "I thought you said you wanted to learn how to fight, but you can't even take a kick from me! I wasn't even using any of my powers! Talk about pathetic!"
"Why are you being so mean to me?! What'd I ever do to you?!", the girl asks, wiping the tears out of her eyes as she finally manages to get to her feet.
The black-haired woman wears a cold expression as she addresses the girl's question, "Exist."
"Huh?!", Yuzu gasps, completely confused.
Bambietta snorts at the girl's confusion, "Oh, don't pretend you don't know, Yuzu Kurosaki. I listened in on the conversation you had with Ryuken Ishida this morning to ensure you made the correct decision."
The girl's expression turns to one of dread, somehow becoming even more terrified of the woman in front of her than she already was.
The Sternritter takes this as an opportunity to walk up to the girl, lifting her chin with her hand as she speaks in her ear, "I might not seem it, but I am very protective of my friends, Miss Kurosaki. That said, if you chose not to train with us, that would only leave me with one choice—abduct you and force you to awaken your hidden potential. As for Kugo, he and all of his friends would die too. I won't stop until all traces of you have been eliminated from this world. No one will suspect us of having taken you. I refuse to let one of my closest friends and one of the most powerful Quincies in existence be tossed aside like garbage because some sniveling little girl refuses to awaken her power! Now, either you show me what you know right now, or your 'break' will be something a little more literal…"
Bambietta grasps the younger girl's right shoulder, beginning to clutch down on it harder than she did even the night before.
"Are we at an understanding?", the woman asks, with a cold, threatening look in her eyes.
"Y-yes Ma'am.", Yuzu manages to respond with a quick nod.
Bambietta lets out a sigh, the look fading from her face as she releases the girl's shoulder, "Now then, this should be far enough away from the Shinigami's gaze… just for good measure, I brought this."
The Sternritter pulls a scroll out of her black coat, which the girl eyes curiously, "What is that exactly, Ms. Bambietta?"
The woman wears a bored expression, "It's a scroll, obviously. Just be a good girl and watch quietly."
Yuzu nods as Bambietta unrolls the scroll, beginning to chant its contents in German, "Verstecke uns mit deiner himmlischen Kraft in den Schatten."
The young girl gasps at what happens next. The area around them, at least a mile in diameter, is consumed by some sort of black magic dome. Once the spell has finished, she can see that the surroundings are nearly identical to before, the obvious differences being the blood-red sky and the significant drop in temperature.
Bambietta huffs, "This is a shadow dimension that hides our presence from the outside. You can safely use all of your powers here. Don't be shy—show me what you're made of Yui!"
Yuzu proceeds to demonstrate what little control she has over her powers by manifesting her green Reishi bow and shooting equally green arrows at a nearby tree, although they completely miss their target. The girl prepares herself to be berated for her horrid aim, but instead, she hears the woman gasp.
The girl is even more concerned by this, her face wearing a worried expression, "Did I do something wrong?"
Bambietta breaks out of her momentary shock and shakes her head, "Besides having perhaps the worst aim I've ever seen? No…"
Yuzu sulks at the comment about her aim.
The woman observes the green bow with great interest, "Have your bow and arrows always been this color? Candice didn't mention this. Your Reiatsu feels… weird. It's unlike anything I've ever felt before…"
The younger Quincy starts to answer, "Well, I guess my arrows were blue when I first activated my Quincy powers in the cemetery where I met Candice. My arrows turned green yesterday when I…"
Yuzu pauses, prompting Bambietta to narrow her eyes and ask, "When you what?"
The short-haired blonde girl considers her next words carefully, before settling on a half-truth, "…after I had a life and death encounter with a Hollow."
Bambietta hums and ponders to herself, "Non-blue Reishi arrows are not unheard of among the Sternritters... although the color change is typically associated with that form… And the fact that she is emitting this weird Reiatsu from her arrows is particularly troubling. Perhaps this has something to do with what His Majesty sees in this girl..."
Yuzu looks at the woman, nervously awaiting her next words.
The black-haired woman takes notice of this, "Relax. What color your arrows are doesn't matter too much. But I will have to instruct you on how to control the Reishi around you better… as well as in marksmanship, apparently. Although, I'll have you know in advance that my preferred styles of combat are close-quarters and ranged attacks outside of the bow and arrow specifically. I should still be able to instruct you on the basics, though."
The girl nods slowly with a smile, still eager to learn despite being slightly thrown off by the woman's admission.
1 Hour Later
After about an hour of explanations by Bambietta and practice of Reishi control techniques on Yuzu's part, the Sternritter was impressed to find that the girl had a near-insane level of talent for Reishi control that she was starting to expect to be unnatural, especially after the girl's arrows suddenly turned back to the natural Quincy blue and she stopped emitting that weird Reiatsu about 30 minutes in. Her marksmanship was still desperately lacking, but that would improve with time and practice.
Bambietta, satisfied with her student's offensive progress, calls out, "Alright, you can put the bow away now. We're done with that for today."
Yuzu does as she is told, curiously awaiting further instructions from the older Quincy.
The woman explains, "Now, as I said before, your defense sucks too. So, your next lesson will be Blut Vene…"
"Considering she is still alive; she should be able to use it…", the Sternritter adds mentally.
The younger Quincy tilts her head, struggling to pronounce the term correctly; "'Blut Vene'?"
Bambietta nods, "Yes, it is the primary method of defense for the Quincies. Observe."
The black-haired woman rolls up the sleeve of her suit revealing her bare arm. Shortly after, blue lines of light flash across her skin as the woman pulls a knife out of her jacket pocket and jams it in her arm, causing a crunching sound. The girl looks away, not particularly wanting to witness the woman cut her arm open.
Bambietta scoffs at her student's apparent squeamishness, "Oh please, you really think I would cut my arm open after going through the whole explanation of a Quincy's best defense? Look here, the knife hasn't even punctured me."
Yuzu looks at the woman and gasps in shock, seeing the blade of the knife smashed completely, the metal having buckled in on itself leaving what's left of the knife a crumbled slab of metal, not unlike crushed soda cans.
"Woah! How can you do that?!", the blonde asks with stars in her eyes.
The Sternritter huffs, not believing what she just demonstrated to be impressive in the slightest, "It's super simple. You just make the Reishi flow through your blood vessels instead of forming a weapon. That's why we call it Blut Vene… it greatly enhances your defensive abilities against any type of attack—physical or spiritual."
Yuzu nods excitedly, "Alright! I think I'll give it a try!"
Bambietta scoffs, "While it may be a fairly simple technique, no one is bound to get it on their first try. Even I took four—"
"I think I've done it!", the girl squeals in delight as blue lines appear on her skin.
Yuzu tries to bite down on her arm but squeals in pain, "MY TEETH! I thought you said this ability was defensive?!"
Bambietta sweat drops, "Well, a good defense is the best offense, so they say…"
The woman mentally snorts, "At least that's what that bore Cang Du says… as if he could beat me in a fight, though… hmph…"
The blonde girl nods before giving her mentor a big smile, "So, this only took you four tries to learn without any help? You must be a genius in the Quincy Craft, Ms. Bambietta!"
"Uh sure, yeah… Let's go with that…", the woman gives the girl a nervous, crooked smile as her thoughts betray what she said, "I can't let her know I was actually about to say fourteen tries! Defense has never been my strong suit..."
Bambietta shifts to a serious expression, "Alright. Now I want you to try using Blut on your entire body."
Yuzu before closing her eyes and focusing. The blue lights along her veins flicker briefly before extending down her legs and up to her neck.
The black-haired Quincy takes this as her invitation to strike, attempting to land a hit on the girl's midsection for the second time. The younger girl's reaction speed was still too slow, so once the Sternritter lands the hit, the girl is sent crashing against a tree. Yuzu wears a surprised expression as she sits on the ground in front of the tree. She expected the strike to hurt greatly; however, she only feels a mild numbness.
The girl gets up, seeing Bambietta clutching her knee, "Verdamnt! This kid's Blut is strong! Where does she get it from?!"
"Are you ok?", Yuzu asks the woman in concern.
The Sternritter narrows her eyes as she briefly glares at her student before rising from the ground a bit more slowly than the younger Quincy expected she would.
Bambietta casually shrugs, attempting to save face, "Just a bruise. It's my fault for underestimating your Blut by not using my own. Who'd have known a novice's Blut would be as hard as rocks…? Scratch that actually, kicking you with your Blut felt like I was kicking a steel slab!"
"I would know, I tried it with Cang Du…", the woman notes mentally, cringing at the reminder.
Yuzu looks down, "Oh, uh… I'm sorry."
"Don't you ever apologize for your strength, Yui. You'll make a fine Quincy one day.", the woman states genuinely, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.
The blonde looks into her eyes and at present, fails to see the predatory glare she has seen in them thus far.
Bambietta removes her hand from the girl's shoulder before ordering, "Now turn off you Blut. It's time for us to head back."
The woman chants a different spell this time, which deactivates the shadow realm around them.
Bambietta starts to head down the hill before pausing and rummaging through her pocket, "Oh yeah, catch."
The woman, with her back still turned, tosses Yuzu an object. The girl catches the object, finding a small bottle of water.
Bambietta elaborates, "You have 3 minutes to rest before we head back down. I'll be waiting up ahead…"
Yuzu stares at the back of the Sternritter woman, her eyes softening as she starts to think that she maybe isn't all that bad.
45 Minutes Later, Karakura Town
The walk back to the apartment didn't take Yuzu quite as long. She noticed that she also wasn't nearly as winded compared to the trip up.
"I wonder if this is as a result of my training?", the girl thinks to herself.
Bambietta stops suddenly a distance away from the apartment, causing Yuzu to bump into the woman by accident, lost in thoughts.
The Sternritter turns on her heel, looking like she is ready to slap this girl.
"Watch where you're going!", she hisses in a hushed tone.
"Sorry!", Yuzu nearly screams but forces her voice from doing so, partially out of fear of the Sternritter.
Bambietta turns her glare from her student to the road in front of the apartment, where two tall figures stand.
"Looks like we might have a fight on our hands…", she remarks, narrowing her eyes.
The words of the older Quincy cause the girl to widen her eyes, starting to feel fear for her life, "But I can't—"
"Calm down. I said we might have a fight on our hands. You wait here. I'll confront them and see what they want.", Bambietta states, giving the younger girl a wink and a smile.
As the woman approaches the figures, her eyes widen in recognition of them.
Before her are what appear to be a young Hispanic boy and an older-looking, Japanese man. They observe the woman's approach, the Hispanic boy assuming a particularly cautious stance.
The boy turns to talk with the man, "So, she's the Quincy you were talking about…"
The two seem to be discussing something when Bambietta starts to break the ice, "It's not a good sign when you see young men just standing in the street in the middle of the night. Perhaps you decided blackmail wasn't enough and that you would have your way with me, is that it, Kugo? You even brought backup…"
This causes the boy to stumble back and wave his hands in denial, "N-no, I was just wondering where you and Yuzu went to… it's getting late and I'm starting to get concerned…"
The man accompanying him elects to remain silent; however, instead staring at the woman dubiously.
"Likely story…", the Quincy woman states with a frown before acknowledging the other man's stare.
Bambietta is about to say something offensive to the man before pausing as she starts to wear a seductive smile, "Oh? Did I actually hit the nail on the head? You want me, don't you?"
The Quincy woman starts to unbutton her jacket, revealing her features, which causes the man to chuckle, "As tempting as that might be, I'm afraid I'll have to pass."
Bambietta huffs at this, "A shame… although, I'd rather not do it outside either…"
Ginjo's face becomes stern, brushing the woman's comment off, "You should know, I'm interested in hearing what exactly you did with Yuzu Kurosaki. I shouldn't have to remind you what happens if I don't see her alive and well…"
The black-haired woman stares silently at the man for a moment with a blank expression, before her mouth contorts into a smile, "Why don't you ask her that?"
"What do you mean?", the Fullbringer asks carefully.
This prompts Bambietta to call behind her, "Yui, come here sweety!"
Ginjo raises a brow at the pet names while Chad looks uncomfortable at them, not liking the implications. The two males watch as Yuzu hurries to Bambietta's side. As she stops next to the Sternritter, her eyes widen in recognition of the two men in front of them. She opens her mouth to speak but clamps it shut when she feels a, now familiar, but equally unwelcome, sensation of a hand running through her hair.
Chad's eyes widen in disbelief before his expression shifts to one of rage as he watches the black-haired woman begin to gently stroke Yuzu's dirty blonde hair as if the girl were her child or little sister. The younger Quincy wears a frown and flinches at the woman's touch, indicating she is quite uncomfortable. The Hispanic boy takes a step forward, but Ginjo suddenly puts a hand in front of him, stopping him. The tall boy looks at the man, the expression of rage on his face demanding to know why he was stopped.
The Xcution leader shakes his head and elaborates, "Let's just hear her out first. Besides, it would be a bad idea to provoke her while she has a hold on Kurosaki."
"Handsome and smart, can't say I dislike that… anyway, why don't you tell these two what we did today, Yui?", Bambietta states, still running her hand through the girl's hair.
"O-of course! I was spending the afternoon with Ms. Bambietta here to learn how to control my powers.", the girl answers honestly.
This causes the Sternritter to stop stroking her student's hair, cocking her head to the side in slight confusion, not fully aware of the Fullbring training from the day earlier.
Chad and Ginjo's faces become neutral at this, the latter commenting, "I see…"
Bambietta stares at Yuzu with an annoyed expression, "I should've known… you learned that weird power from them, didn't you?"
The girl nods, "Yes. It's called Full—"
"I'll cut you off right there, Kurosaki. Talking about such things in the open can be… problematic… in any case, I'm not the average human, as you must've gathered by now.", the Xcution leader explains.
The Sternritter glares at the man, "What do you mean not the average human? Are you saying you're a Quincy too?"
The man shakes his head, chuckling, "No, nothing like that."
"Then what are you?", the woman growls at him, beginning to lose her patience.
Ginjo carelessly looks to the side with a bored expression, "Did you listen to what I just said? Also, why would I tell that to someone I just met last night? I have to keep these things a secret to ensure the privacy of my peers is preserved. ~"
"Why you—!", Bambietta hisses, looking ready like she wants nothing more than to kill the Fullbringer where he stands.
Yuzu feels the woman next to her begin to draw Reishi into her heart-shaped belt buckle, making her widen her eyes in alarm.
Deciding she doesn't want a conflict to break out between the two factions, she steps in front of the woman, "Wait, Ms. Bambietta! I will explain everything to you! Please don't attack Mr. Ginjo and Chad—they also hate the Shinigami!"
Chad grumbles, "I don't know if I'd go that far…"
Bambietta glares at the girl like she is nothing more than garbage, but ultimately decides to back down, giving a huff as the Reishi around her disperses, noting mentally, "I already knew that…"
Ginjo then decides to approach the woman, digging through his coat pocket.
"This must be your apartment, then.", he gestures to the building next to them.
The woman eyes him carefully, raising a brow as he pulls a cup of instant ramen out of his pocket, "Why don't we finish this discussion over a steaming hot cup of ramen?"
1 Minute Later
Candice hears a knock on the door followed by Bambietta's voice, "Hey Candy, open up!"
Luckily the hangover mostly faded away within a couple hours, making it so she could get the place cleaned up before her coworker's return. The lime blonde opens the door, raising a brow at the scene that greets her.
"The hell are these guys here for?", Candice blurts out.
Before she can protest or say anything more, Bambietta declares, "They're here to finish the discussion from last night. We treat them as guests."
The black-haired Sternritter then pushes the other woman out of her way, letting the two males and Yuzu follow in after her. The girl gives Candice a brief, apologetic look as she walks through the doorway. The lime blonde is motionless for another second before she slowly closes the door, watching the guests make themselves at home. Chad leans against a wall in the corner by the window, crossing his arms, while the young blonde Quincy sits on the sofa next to him, where the green-haired woman had been sitting previously. Bambietta now sits at the kitchen table, watching with great interest as Ginjo peels back the lid of the ramen cup, beginning to fill it with water from the sink.
Candice can hear the man explain, "The convenience of instant ramen has revolutionized the day-to-day meal experience. Preparing ramen is as simple as boiling water and pouring it into a cup! Momofuka Ando is a real one."
Bambietta nods her head, with some degree of childish enthusiasm, "I see…"
The lime-blonde Sternritter watches the ramen guy and her coworker talk for about another minute until she can practically feel a vein pop out of her forehead.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!", the woman shouts as sparks of electricity come off her skin, causing the lights to flash on and off briefly.
Bambietta finally turns her attention back to her companion, a bored frown on her face, "Calm down, Candy. We're just gonna discuss Yui's training. He was even polite enough to offer some food!"
Ginjo passes her the hot cup of ramen he just removed from the microwave, prompting her to start slurping it down with a fork.
"Y'know, I could teach you how to eat it with chopsticks.", the Fullbringer offers casually.
Bambietta looks up at the man, giving him a slightly condescending smile, "That's sweet of you to say, but forks are clearly the superior utensil—they're much easier to use!"
This seems to light a fire in Ginjo's eyes, "That may be true, but chopsticks can be much more versatile. Plus, if you are planning on staying in Japan for an extended period of time, knowing how to eat with chopsticks would be an invaluable tool to have."
The black-haired woman nods her head, looking up thoughtfully, "You just may have a point…"
Candice's eye begins to twitch, only becoming more agitated at how the two are interacting with each other so casually.
Bambietta shifts her attention to the lime blonde, "Get over here, Candy. Kugo said you can have some ramen too."
Candice sweat drops, "No thanks…"
The electric woman adds mentally, "I want as little to do with your ramen boy toy as possible…"
The black-haired Sternritter then points at Yuzu, prompting Candice to shift her gaze as well.
"Well then, Yui, why don't you explain to Candy and me what your weird powers are about.", Bambietta states, causing everyone's attention to shift to the girl.
Yuzu gives Ginjo a look, who shrugs in response, "Tell them if you want. They'll find out eventually anyway…"
The girl nods before loosely explaining what Fullbringers are, with help from the Xcution leader here and there, and how she is also a Fullbringer.
Yuzu concludes, "…my special Fullbring power is connected to my mom's Quincy Cross somehow…"
Bambietta nods in understanding, "I see… that would explain your green arrows and almost unnatural talent for the Quincy Craft. Your Fullbring must enhance all of your Quincy abilities…"
Ginjo decides to add to this, "Not only that. By combining the Fullbring ability of Reishi Subjugation with the Quincy ability to absorb and manipulate Reishi in any manner they choose, Kurosaki here could, in theory, operate at 100% Reishi efficiency."
The others in the room stare at him, a bit confused as to the meaning of the technical wording he used.
He takes this as an opportunity to dumb things down, "What I mean is that she wouldn't experience any major losses of spirit energy, having effectively unlimited stamina."
"So, you mean she could fight forever?", Candice asks, scratching the back of her head, still confused at the complex terminology.
Ginjo takes a slurp of his own cup of ramen before answering, "That's the idea."
Bambietta quirks her brow, "Are you sure you're not a scientist or something on the side?"
The man chuckles, "No, that would be way too much work for someone as lazy as myself. It's as I told you before: I've been around. You pick up a thing or two the more places you go."
This seems to satisfy the black-haired woman, who finishes off her cup of ramen.
Candice decides to address the elephant in the room, "So then, how do we proceed with Yuzu's training? Is it the kind of thing where you guys keep her for one day and we get her the next, or what?"
Yuzu attempts to speak but Ginjo beats her to it, "That would be ideal, but I'm afraid the constant moving around may be more likely to alert the Shinigami."
The girl tries to speak up again, but Bambietta raises her voice this time, "So, it's settled, Yui will stay and train with us! She'll get more powerful that way."
"Not a chance! Need I remind you I have the Soul Society on speed dial?", the Xcution leader snaps at the woman.
Bambietta pouts before adopting a sly expression, "Well, in that case, what if I let you do anything you want with me, including sex?"
Ginjo replies immediately, a scowl on his face, "No deal. I'd rather not do something like that with you."
The black-haired woman widens her eyes in surprise, caught off guard, "H-huh? What did you say?"
Candice huffs before shaking her head, "Bambi really doesn't know how to be patient with a man… you can't just ask for sex like this…"
The man continues to elaborate, stating bluntly, "I don't want to have sex with you… you look young enough to be my little sister…"
The lime blonde laughs at this, finding the man's opinion of her colleague hilarious, "Now that's funny! He thinks you're a little girl, Bambi!"
Bambietta rises from her seat, her face completely red as she begins to throw a tantrum, "WHAT?! I'll have you know I've lived for roughly three of your lifetimes! You should be honored that I even consider such an act with a little boy like you!"
Ginjo sends the woman an amused smile, "That's a new one. Usually, women don't brag about being older. Seems like a dork move…"
The green-haired woman holds her sides as she laughs so hard she cries, having never seen a man call Bambietta out so bluntly.
The black-haired woman pulls off her glasses as steam comically shoots out of her ears, the look in her eyes even more furious as she sees Ginjo and Candice find amusement from her, "D-DORK?! THAT'S IT—!"
The Fullbringer suddenly remarks with a genuine smile, "I think it's cute though…"
Bambietta blinks, caught off guard by the man's words, her face still as red as a tomato, "H-huh?"
The man urges, his face still showing amusement, "That dorky, direct side… it's cute. It's honest, and in that regard, I can't say I'm not a fan… so keep it up, and who knows, maybe I'll fall for you…~"
The black-haired Quincy widens her eyes before looking away and crossing her arms, still flustered, muttering, "In that case, I'll make you fall harder than Humpty Dumpty…"
Candice straightens her posture, wiping her eye and teasing, "Well, I should warn you she's a brat… acts super needy and thinks everyone likes her, but we really don't…"
Bambietta then glares wrathfully at the other woman, the rage returning.
The lime blonde's eyes widen, realizing she overstepped, "Oh shit."
The black-haired Sternritter raises her hand beginning to form some kind of blue Reishi ball in it, however, before she can do anything with it, Yuzu cuts in, "PLEASE STOP FIGHTING!"
Bambietta doesn't hear the girl as she begins to step up on the table in front of Ginjo and Candice, whose eyes widen in a mild show of fear.
The Fullbringer begins to explain carefully, "I'm sure that was just a mean joke—let's not get ahead of ourselves, now—!"
The scene causes Yuzu to lower her head, disappointed at being ignored like when she's around her family. Chad has been taking note of the girl's behavior since they arrived, keeping a close distance to her to prevent the black-haired woman from laying a finger on her. The boy decides to take initiative on her behalf, walking up to the table and slamming his fist on it, shattering it to pieces. Ginjo and the Quincies glare at him, speechless and in momentary disbelief.
The boy elaborates, "Sorry, I'll pay for the table. It's just, Yuzu would like to say something."
Bambietta, who looks like she is about to leap at the boy and tear his head off, shifts her gaze to Yuzu, her expression softening slightly, "So, Yui's feeling left out? Go ahead, say what you will, sweety."
The woman's expression appears to be friendly on the outside, but neither Yuzu nor Candice missed the way her fist clenches into a ball.
The young girl gulps, "Why can't you all just train me together? Xcution's hideout has a way of cutting off most of the Reishi from the inside from the world outside, so we wouldn't need to go out to the woods for my Quincy training or use that spell. And wouldn't it also be good for Xcution to become more friendly with the Quincies in Japan? After all, the Shinigami outnumber us more than ten to one."
Bambietta places a hand on her chin while Ginjo also seems to be in thought.
Candice decides to give her two cents, "Whatever you decide you are comfortable with, I'll go along with it. Remember I told you I'm not forcing anything on you."
Yuzu's expression sours slightly at this, as she looks away from the lime blonde briefly.
"What's with that look?", the green-haired Quincy asks, genuinely thrown off by the reaction.
The girl shakes her head, hardening her gaze, before looking right back into Candice's eyes.
"No, this is my decision. I will get as strong as it takes, Ms. Candice. I swear this in both the memory of my brother and mother—I will save you.", Yuzu monologues without thinking, but it is effective, as the older Quincy's expression shifts to one that is a mixture of confusion, dread, and joy.
Candice turns to look at Bambietta, raising a brow as if to question her.
The black-haired Sternritter shrugs, "She didn't hear it from me. Trust me, she already knew."
The lime blonde turns back to face the girl, feeling a wave of emotion she hasn't felt for a long time. The figure of the girl shining brightly like the sun in front of her at the display of altruism.
"This girl would sacrifice everything for the sake of a stranger she just met, even in the face of Bambi's constant harassment… someone like this…", the woman's thoughts trail off.
Bambietta interrupts Candice's thoughts, "So that's settled. I don't suppose you have room for us at your place, Kugo?"
Ginjo groans in annoyance, "I never agreed to take you two in…"
The black-haired woman begins to pout, but Yuzu cuts in before something can come of it, "I thought you said your goal was to make a safe haven for the spiritually inclined? Especially those who face prejudice! Well, from what I heard, no group has had it worse from the Soul Society than the Quincies! They may be different than you, but the Quincies are still people!"
The man flinches at the girl's insistence as she continues, "Or are you saying you don't take in Quincies? In that case, I'm leaving too—"
"Wait.", Ginjo cuts in, making the girl look at him with a hopeful expression.
The man lets out a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck, "You have a point… I guess… I guess I can take them in… but only if you two promise to keep a low profile and be well-behaved."
Bambietta snorts, "Of course! What would make you think I wasn't well-behaved?"
Everyone in the room rolls their eyes as she says this.
Ginjo pulls two cards out of his pocket before handing them to the Quincy women, "Call the number on that card later tonight. I'll have you two go through our traditional onboarding process… it will test your patience, so keep that in mind… Ms. Basterbine."
Bambietta pouts, "I told you that you have nothing to worry about!"
Ginjo grunts with a frown, "Good, then I'll hear no complaints about it when you two are done with it… happy now, Kurosaki?"
Yuzu nods with a smile on her face, "Yes! Thanks, Mr. Ginjo, you won't regret having them on our team!"
Candice eyes the card carefully before something hits her, "Wait… Bambi… What's wrong with the apartment?"
"Nothing at all, Candy… it's just…", the woman trails off, averting her gaze from her colleague.
"Just… what, Bambi?", the green-haired Quincy asks slowly.
Bambietta sighs before she purses her lips, "It's just that the landlord will be coming for rent again in the next few days."
Candice cocks her head, "So what, you're just being cheap and want to freeload off of Ramen Man over here?"
The black-haired woman picks at her nails, "Well, I can't say that isn't a part of it…"
"What is it then? I thought you said you had money?", the lime blonde asks, confused.
Bambietta shifts somewhat nervously, "I did… it's just…"
The black-haired woman pulls out some old, foreign-looking currency from her pocket, "These are no longer a valid method of payment anywhere."
Candice deadpans, sparks of electricity erupting from her body.
Bambietta waves her hands defensively, "Now calm down, Candy. There's no reason to get mad."
"Of course, there is, you dumb bitch! How could you be so stupid?!", the electric woman shouts.
Chad and Yuzu sweat drop as the Quincy women banter while Ginjo just smirks, watching the chaos unfold.
"Now that I think of it, I do think having these two around will make things a lot more interesting.", he thinks as he finishes off the last of his ramen.
Author's Note:
If it wasn't evident by now, I am aiming at something quite ambitious in that I am not only aiming to have three main characters, but three main supporting casts, one for each of the Kurosaki children. Think of it like Ichigo's inner circle in canon (Rukia, Uryu, Orihime, Chad, and Renji… debatably characters like Nel and Urahara too).
For Yuzu, this group will include the two Bambies, Chad, and the three members of Xcution I have introduced thus far. There are also a couple others who will come in later, but I won't comment on that just yet. Given that, I want to develop these characters and their relationships early on if possible, so that it really feels like Yuzu is growing close to them and perhaps is changing them for the better, as Ichigo did with his group.
With that, I think we've spent enough time with Yuzu for now, so will shift focus to Karin and Isshin in the next few chapters.