Isaaru
Under an everblue sky.
零 五
Tired and almost on his knees, Shinnosuke reached another dead end. Once again, he pulled the tarnished piece of paper with a sketched map on it. A red circle indicated his destination, but, that intricate web of alleys, and streets, and buildings, and plazas, did not resemble the real one in any way possible. He was as lost as a needle in a haystack.
"Maaaaan... Where the hell am I again...?”
Inspecting the map carefully, the lost boy tried to rewind the entire way, from Seireitei to that clueless nowhereness. The boy was pretty sure he turned in the right alley, that branched from the main street and crossed the right plazas. But then, the alleys and the directions became incredibly different from the map’s. It was impossible that the streets had changed that much since the last map update...
I’m screwed. They will make a temaki from my liver, wrapped on my fried skin....
Hopeless, Shinnosuke leaned against the tarnished wall of a modest house. His stomach growled. Hungry and scared, he couldn’t suppress the sobbing.
"I’m a failure... I don’t even do for a courier...”
Sliding his body down the wall, he started sobbing ever louder, as silly warm tears rolled down his cheeks. When he looked at the huge wagon, he started crying out loud.
The sound of a sliding door caught his attention. An old woman popped her head out, scoping the alley until she locked her grumpy gaze on him. Shinnosuke tried to put himself together, but he still had the hiccups. The old lady’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. A crying shinigami at her door surely wasn’t something ordinary.
"You! What ya want?” she darted, brusquely.
"O-o-o-o...”
"Spit it, boy!”
"O-Ohayo, oba-san...” he greeted, with a polite bow, "S-Sorry to b- bother... I- I got kinda lost here...”
"And that’s why ya cryin'?” she tossed, scornfully. He just hiccuped in return. "Oh, good Lord! And where tarnation are ya goin’, boy?”
"T-To... To the Sakurazuka manor, oba-san...” he explained, handing her his map. "It’s my first stop...”
The old lady looked at it, frowned and raised her grey eyes toward him, with a ‘duh’ expression on her wrinkled face.
"Whatcha think ya’re doin’, fool?” the old lady grumped, barely shoving the crappy map on his face. "How tarnation ya think ya’ll find yer way in Jurinan with a map of Hokutan??”
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”
Stupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupid!!
Without ceremony he snatched the piece of paper from the lady’s gnarled hand, looking at it, dumbstruck.
"Hooooow...??” he whined, tapping his own head with his knuckles, arching his back down, miserable. "I’m so stupid...”
The old lady simply giggled, placidly. Without previous warning, she yanked his head up by the hair, tapping his head firmly. Her invasive frown made Shinnosuke lower his eyes, timidly.
"Raise yer head, boy!” she said complacently. "You mus’ have somethin’ special in ya to be one of them.”
"But, I...” he tried.
"No ‘buts’,” she cut. "And ya should hurry to reach yer people at the Sakurazuka-shou...” she commented, staring at a distant horizon. "The people here are gettin’ outta sense, these days. Lots of weird foreigners around... Not like the good ol’ times... Not like the good ol’ times...”
"What do you mean, oba-saaaan?”
She darted her grey eyes at him, abruptly.
"I mean yer people will have a lotta trouble, boy.”
Miyamori-san!
He shivered. She grimaced.
"Go!”
"But which way?”
"Aaaarr... Just cut through that whole main alley and ya’ll end up seeing the tall white buildings and their sakura crops, ” she indicated, pointing the way with a finger. "I bet my nose ya’ll hear tha riot before ya see tha manor’s trees!”
Without wasting any more time, Shinnosuke grasped the handle of the heavy cart and jerked it around the narrow alley. Summoning the strength of a bull, he dragged it forwards as fast as he could.
"Thank you, oba-san!” he said, looking over his shoulder. She simply nodded before closing her door.
I need to get there fast. I need to get to Miyamori-san!
Pulling strength from a source he didn’t know he had, Shinnosuke speeded the creaking wagon through the main alley.
Red blotts inked the stone pavement. The noises of the skirmish echoed inside her dizzy head like it was a faraway riot. She was kneeled on the ground, with a hand over her swollen forehead, trying to staunch the blood. The young shinigami did not raise her head to see the conflict; she didn’t want to. She was afraid of looking and seeing more blood being shed in that senseless scuffle.
What should I do now...?
Hinome remained there, astonished, inert. Something heavy fell near her; a body maybe. She looked instinctively.
"How?” she exclaimed, shocked.
Gaspard, the blond shinigami that guarded the other gate was lying unconscious beside her. Blood flowed over his forehead and he had several bleeding lacerations on his left arm. How could he be defeated that easy by civilians? Something was just not right.
"Impossible...”
Hinome leaned over him, using her body as a shield and finally found the courage to look at the fierce skirmish. It was surreal.
"Can’t be...”
Several men, armed from katanas to pole weapons, surrounded Tanaka and Kijo and assaulted them with ferocious skill. The Shinigami were having a hard time to defend themselves. Sanguine wounds could be seen, even by that far. Blades were unsheathed on both sides; the civilians did not hold back. Hinome felt that her comrade’s reiatsu was about to flare. If things got any further, they would release their zanpakutou; they would end killing them all. That would be a grave offense to the laws of Seireitei, regardless the situation.
But something is not right here... How can the civilians fight like that? How can they flank us so easily?
Indeed, there was something out of the ordinary in that fight. Those men that stormed against the Shinigami surely weren’t regular civilians. Looking properly, Hinome noticed that she wasn’t slightly familiar with any of them. She rarely forgets a face, and she could swear those men were not from Jurinan.
Who are they? What should I do...?
A violent blow from a kanabo in Tanaka’s ribs made a bone-cracking sound, throwing the huge man to the floor. Kijo swung her long nodachi at the attackers, that dodged swiftly - too swift for a commoner - and stood by Tanaka, protecting him. Hinome almost screamed and ran towards them, but the muscular goliath soon raised with nameless wrath and sent one of the ruffians flying with a thunderous headbutt. Other three rampaged over him, clubbing the sturd warrior violently. A fourth one prepared the naginata for a killing blow.
"Spinner of fate... Unwind and cast yourself. Bakudou number four, Hainawa!”
Luminescent energy loomed around Hinome’s finger and the luminous serpent strived forwards, chasing its target like a lightning bolt. The man was wrapped and immobilized by the kidou. Furious eyes turned in her direction.
"Get her!” one howled.
Hinome raised on her feet and unsheathed her zanpakutou without a second thought. Four men came in her direction.
//
"Huff, huff, huff, huff...!”
He was reduced to a mass of sweat, meat and bones. His legs burnt from the painful effort he had endured to run through those endless alleys, with that huge ass cart, without rest. For someone as lazy and unprepared as Aida Shinnosuke, that was an herculean trial. Still, he did not weaken his resolve.
"I’m close... Just a little bit more...” he panted, heavily, striving forwards. "There...”
Shinnosuke could already hear the sound of screams and metal clashing. From behind a cerulean building, he could see the crops of the sakura trees. Those pale pink clouds announced his destination, the epicenter of what sounded like a fierce fight. His reiatsu sensing was not that sharp, but he could already sense the turmoil in his shinigami colleagues spiritual signatures. For a brief moment, he sensed a faint spark of a familiar reiatsu; warm and bright like the spring sun. It trembled with fear.
"Miyamori-san!!” he yelled in despair, luring the attention from within the few open shops. "Miyamori-saaaaan!!”
The young boy pulled the cart brusquely and took a hard impulse forwards. The wheels creaked and the heavy wooden chassis hammered on his back. Shit happened; the cart was moving on its own.
"Woooow... Wowowowow!!”
It was when he realised that the alley descended in a subtle slope; subtle but enough to make him lose control over the heavy cart, that started to rush its way down.
"No! Nonononononono!!!”
Shinnosuke tried to put a brake on it. Useless. His sandals didn’t do for a brake and he ended up ramrodded through the street in a crescent speed.
"GYAAAAAAAAAHH!!”
To avoid being trampled by the ungoverned wagon, he hopped over it, shoving his face in a bowl of bean paste. The cart wobbled over the stone alleyways. People screamed.
"Out of the way! Out of the way!!”
Shinnosuke was wiping the paste from his eyes when he realized that his ride was dashing through a plaza, forcing the transients to jump from its way. He saw the mob and the skirmish. He saw the blood shed on the ground. He saw ginger hair being assaulted by a bunch of thugs.
"Miyamori-san!!” he yelled aloud.
It was impossible to stop the speeding cart.
//
"Miyamori-san!!”
Aida-kun?
She only had the time to look over her attackers’ shoulder to see him coming on top of a speeding wagon. The riot was scattered by the wheeled torpedo.
"Out of the way!!” he yelled.
One of ruffians was about to brandish his pole weapon when Hinome jumped away, leaving them to be trampled by Aida’s speeding mess.
The impact was loud. Crouched, Hinome saw one of the men flying over her, while the others were spilled around by the heavy wagon that dashed towards the noble manor’s huge gate.
"Aida-kun! Watch...”
"...out.”
There was rice, noodles, fish, sake, bread, bowls, pots and equipments spilled everywhere. The wooden cart was a wreck and there was a huge crack in the manor’s once pristine gate.
"Aida-kun!!” she shouted, running towards the crash site.
Black robes, covered in a paste of ruined dinner and dirt, moved and moaned. With effort Aida Shinnosuke rose on his feet, vacillating and dizzy. He tried a step forward but his knees failed on him...
"Here!”
With a quick step, Hinome caught him before him plunged on the ground. The boy smiled vaguely. He had a big black eye and a swollen lash on his lips. Shaky, he unsheathe his sword and pointed the trembling blade at the furious aggressors, that already stood up and walked towards them.
"Get... Get away from Miyamori-san... You bastards...!”
They snorted and gripped their weapons. There was a ferocious glare on their faces. Hinome understood that those men were battle forged. She had seen that same look in the face of her division comrades. They were not common civilians; they were soldiers; from a militia, maybe. She rose her zanpakutou in their direction, in a fragile attempt of keeping them away. It was vain. They grinned and kept their slow, malicious approach.
"Miyamori!” Tanaka screamed, but he was already assaulted by several opponents. "Kijo!”
The woman was thrown in the ground and the men kicked her without mercy.
"After we are finished with them, let’s invade the noble house!” the one that seemed to be the leader of the riot bellowed to his cronies.
Crap... Kijo-san... Tanaka-san...
The men giggled maliciously, looking at them like wolves. Aida was barely able to keep his blade straight. Hinome gripped her even tighter and faced them.
"Just who are you?” she enquired, angry, scared.
"Fufufufu... We? We are the people...” a grey haired man replied, sardonically.
"Civilians can’t fight like this...” she retorted. "Just who the hell are you?”
"Aren’t you a loud annoying bitch?”
The silver haired hooligan jumped at them like a tiger with his poleaxe about to strike. Hinome raised her sword instinctively to parry the blow, but out of nowhere, a black hurricane struck violently, wiping the man away from Hinome’s sight.
"The hell...?”
She did not understand it at first. A black blur stormed around the closest rebels, knocking them away like rag dolls. It stopped sturdily over the last one.
"Kuroyama-senpai!” Hinome and Shinnosuke screamed in unison.
She never felt so relieved. The other thugs, seeing that their comrades fell, turned their attention on the mighty black mountain. Hinome meant to step forward, but Kuroyama’s huge palm halted her intention.
"Stay there.”
Putting two finger in his mouth, the lofty senpai blowed a loud whistle that sent a cold shiver down Hinome’s spine. What happened next seemed like an hallucination. Countless spectral white horses invaded the plaza from every alley and surface. They seemed like being made of an ivory flame, and Hinome could notice that their dorso was covered in some kind of plate armor with shining spikes. Their loud neigh, the noise of their hoofs clanging over the stone and their scarlet glowing eyes cast an instinctive fear over her. It was irrational. She noticed that the ruffians shared that feeling.
"What the...”
A lot of people ran away, screaming and scared. The violent attackers were put in turmoil, brandishing their weapons around, in the useless attempt of cutting the the horses that strode amongst them. In the middle of the blind strikes, they ended up hitting each other. Their focus and formation was broken. Taking advantage of their enemy’s tumult, Tanaka and Kijo punched some of them away and dragged themselves to Kuroyama’s side.
"They are not common civilians,” the horse whisperer commented, calmly. "Sorry for being late...”
"Tsh...” Tanaka simply grumbled. His pride was tarnished. "I won’t let them get away with this!”
With a sudden step forward, Tanaka gripped his zanpakutou’s hilt with both hands. A cobalt blue aura was lit around him, as his spiritual pressure snapped.
"Tanaka-san!” Hinome shouted. She knew he was going to release.
"Skewer them...”
The senpai’s firm hand pulled him back, disrupting the sword’s liberation. Kuroyama was taller than Tanaka and, even though he wasn’t as muscular, he seemed way stronger than him.
"Let go, Kuroyama!” the bulk Templar yelled, setting his shoulder free.
"No use risking your neck on this, Tanaka-san...” Kuroyama said, without raising his voice. "Didn’t you notice? They’re already here.”
A black blur moving in a nearby rooftop caught Hinome’s attention. Several dark blurs followed it, forming what resembled a moving shadow all over the plaza’s roofs. Her heart throbbed in her chest like it wanted to carve its way out. A cold clutch twisted her viscera around. It was fear; primal fear. A heavy, almost suffocating reiatsu hammered over them, making the belligerent mob kneel on the ground. Hinome’s legs weakened and she could barely stand on her feet. Aida plunged on the floor, trembling.
"Wha-What is this...?” she tried, but her words were choked.
She could barely keep her head up, but, by the corner of her eye, Hinome could see several black robed figures, wearing black masks, staring down from the rooftops. Some appeared in front of them. They stood firmly on their ground; rigid like black iron bastions. Kuroyama's white horses vanished, one by one.
"The Onmitsu Kidou,” Kuroyama muttered. "So they were sent here, after all.”
So those are the so feared Onmitsu Kidou, the Secret Mobile Ops. Seireitei’s covert executioners. What are they doing here??
It was the first time she laid her eyes on them. Those black masks of nameless fear inspired absolute dread. It was not clear to her which was their intent in there. Hinome, like every Shinigami, was aware of their fame as cold executioners. Would they be the danger her Captain spoke about? She wondered.
"Kuroyama-senpai...” she whispered, "what is this...?”
"Silent.”
"The surveillance of Rukongai will be handled by the Onmitsu Kidou,” one of the black robed men spoke coldly. "All members of the Eleventh Division must return to Seireitei immediately. This is the order of the Central Forty-Six.”
Tanaka and Kijo sheathed their zanpakutou silently, so did Hinome. Her hands were shaky. She didn’t dare to say a word.
"Disobedience of the official orders won’t be tolerated and extreme measures will be taken.”
"Understood. We’re already leaving,” Kuroyama replied, bowing politely.
"Were you trying to gamble your life by releasing your zanpakutou in civilian grounds, Kuroyama Kojiro?" the masked man hissed, coldly.
"Not my zanpakutou's release," Kuroyama replied, laconically. "It was the spirit's manifestation."
Without saying further word, he leaned over Shinnosuke and put him over his shoulder. Addressing them a silent but meaningful gaze, Kuroyama walked away. They followed.
"Your forehead, Miyamori-san...” Aida-kun muttered, staring at the aching gash with an exhaust face.
"It’s okay...” she replied softly, touching the wound, covered in dry blood.
With remarkable effort, the young boy reached his pocket and handed her a white clean tissue. She accepted with a kind smile.
Thank you again for saving me, Aida-kun.
And Kuroyama-senpai...
Thank you for being here.
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even without a shiny armor, you’re still a most valiant knight
even if you stumble, you are the bravest man i’ve ever seen
if you fight, if you cry, if you kill, if you die, it doesn’t matter
you ran that long, long way just for me...
even if you stumble, you are the bravest man i’ve ever seen
if you fight, if you cry, if you kill, if you die, it doesn’t matter
you ran that long, long way just for me...
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零 六
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零 六
Tired and almost on his knees, Shinnosuke reached another dead end. Once again, he pulled the tarnished piece of paper with a sketched map on it. A red circle indicated his destination, but, that intricate web of alleys, and streets, and buildings, and plazas, did not resemble the real one in any way possible. He was as lost as a needle in a haystack.
"Maaaaan... Where the hell am I again...?”
Inspecting the map carefully, the lost boy tried to rewind the entire way, from Seireitei to that clueless nowhereness. The boy was pretty sure he turned in the right alley, that branched from the main street and crossed the right plazas. But then, the alleys and the directions became incredibly different from the map’s. It was impossible that the streets had changed that much since the last map update...
I’m screwed. They will make a temaki from my liver, wrapped on my fried skin....
Hopeless, Shinnosuke leaned against the tarnished wall of a modest house. His stomach growled. Hungry and scared, he couldn’t suppress the sobbing.
"I’m a failure... I don’t even do for a courier...”
Sliding his body down the wall, he started sobbing ever louder, as silly warm tears rolled down his cheeks. When he looked at the huge wagon, he started crying out loud.
The sound of a sliding door caught his attention. An old woman popped her head out, scoping the alley until she locked her grumpy gaze on him. Shinnosuke tried to put himself together, but he still had the hiccups. The old lady’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. A crying shinigami at her door surely wasn’t something ordinary.
"You! What ya want?” she darted, brusquely.
"O-o-o-o...”
"Spit it, boy!”
"O-Ohayo, oba-san...” he greeted, with a polite bow, "S-Sorry to b- bother... I- I got kinda lost here...”
"And that’s why ya cryin'?” she tossed, scornfully. He just hiccuped in return. "Oh, good Lord! And where tarnation are ya goin’, boy?”
"T-To... To the Sakurazuka manor, oba-san...” he explained, handing her his map. "It’s my first stop...”
The old lady looked at it, frowned and raised her grey eyes toward him, with a ‘duh’ expression on her wrinkled face.
"Whatcha think ya’re doin’, fool?” the old lady grumped, barely shoving the crappy map on his face. "How tarnation ya think ya’ll find yer way in Jurinan with a map of Hokutan??”
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”
Stupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupid!!
Without ceremony he snatched the piece of paper from the lady’s gnarled hand, looking at it, dumbstruck.
"Hooooow...??” he whined, tapping his own head with his knuckles, arching his back down, miserable. "I’m so stupid...”
The old lady simply giggled, placidly. Without previous warning, she yanked his head up by the hair, tapping his head firmly. Her invasive frown made Shinnosuke lower his eyes, timidly.
"Raise yer head, boy!” she said complacently. "You mus’ have somethin’ special in ya to be one of them.”
"But, I...” he tried.
"No ‘buts’,” she cut. "And ya should hurry to reach yer people at the Sakurazuka-shou...” she commented, staring at a distant horizon. "The people here are gettin’ outta sense, these days. Lots of weird foreigners around... Not like the good ol’ times... Not like the good ol’ times...”
"What do you mean, oba-saaaan?”
She darted her grey eyes at him, abruptly.
"I mean yer people will have a lotta trouble, boy.”
Miyamori-san!
He shivered. She grimaced.
"Go!”
"But which way?”
"Aaaarr... Just cut through that whole main alley and ya’ll end up seeing the tall white buildings and their sakura crops, ” she indicated, pointing the way with a finger. "I bet my nose ya’ll hear tha riot before ya see tha manor’s trees!”
Without wasting any more time, Shinnosuke grasped the handle of the heavy cart and jerked it around the narrow alley. Summoning the strength of a bull, he dragged it forwards as fast as he could.
"Thank you, oba-san!” he said, looking over his shoulder. She simply nodded before closing her door.
I need to get there fast. I need to get to Miyamori-san!
Pulling strength from a source he didn’t know he had, Shinnosuke speeded the creaking wagon through the main alley.
// white horses //
Red blotts inked the stone pavement. The noises of the skirmish echoed inside her dizzy head like it was a faraway riot. She was kneeled on the ground, with a hand over her swollen forehead, trying to staunch the blood. The young shinigami did not raise her head to see the conflict; she didn’t want to. She was afraid of looking and seeing more blood being shed in that senseless scuffle.
What should I do now...?
Hinome remained there, astonished, inert. Something heavy fell near her; a body maybe. She looked instinctively.
"How?” she exclaimed, shocked.
Gaspard, the blond shinigami that guarded the other gate was lying unconscious beside her. Blood flowed over his forehead and he had several bleeding lacerations on his left arm. How could he be defeated that easy by civilians? Something was just not right.
"Impossible...”
Hinome leaned over him, using her body as a shield and finally found the courage to look at the fierce skirmish. It was surreal.
"Can’t be...”
Several men, armed from katanas to pole weapons, surrounded Tanaka and Kijo and assaulted them with ferocious skill. The Shinigami were having a hard time to defend themselves. Sanguine wounds could be seen, even by that far. Blades were unsheathed on both sides; the civilians did not hold back. Hinome felt that her comrade’s reiatsu was about to flare. If things got any further, they would release their zanpakutou; they would end killing them all. That would be a grave offense to the laws of Seireitei, regardless the situation.
But something is not right here... How can the civilians fight like that? How can they flank us so easily?
Indeed, there was something out of the ordinary in that fight. Those men that stormed against the Shinigami surely weren’t regular civilians. Looking properly, Hinome noticed that she wasn’t slightly familiar with any of them. She rarely forgets a face, and she could swear those men were not from Jurinan.
Who are they? What should I do...?
A violent blow from a kanabo in Tanaka’s ribs made a bone-cracking sound, throwing the huge man to the floor. Kijo swung her long nodachi at the attackers, that dodged swiftly - too swift for a commoner - and stood by Tanaka, protecting him. Hinome almost screamed and ran towards them, but the muscular goliath soon raised with nameless wrath and sent one of the ruffians flying with a thunderous headbutt. Other three rampaged over him, clubbing the sturd warrior violently. A fourth one prepared the naginata for a killing blow.
"Spinner of fate... Unwind and cast yourself. Bakudou number four, Hainawa!”
Luminescent energy loomed around Hinome’s finger and the luminous serpent strived forwards, chasing its target like a lightning bolt. The man was wrapped and immobilized by the kidou. Furious eyes turned in her direction.
"Get her!” one howled.
Hinome raised on her feet and unsheathed her zanpakutou without a second thought. Four men came in her direction.
//
"Huff, huff, huff, huff...!”
He was reduced to a mass of sweat, meat and bones. His legs burnt from the painful effort he had endured to run through those endless alleys, with that huge ass cart, without rest. For someone as lazy and unprepared as Aida Shinnosuke, that was an herculean trial. Still, he did not weaken his resolve.
"I’m close... Just a little bit more...” he panted, heavily, striving forwards. "There...”
Shinnosuke could already hear the sound of screams and metal clashing. From behind a cerulean building, he could see the crops of the sakura trees. Those pale pink clouds announced his destination, the epicenter of what sounded like a fierce fight. His reiatsu sensing was not that sharp, but he could already sense the turmoil in his shinigami colleagues spiritual signatures. For a brief moment, he sensed a faint spark of a familiar reiatsu; warm and bright like the spring sun. It trembled with fear.
"Miyamori-san!!” he yelled in despair, luring the attention from within the few open shops. "Miyamori-saaaaan!!”
The young boy pulled the cart brusquely and took a hard impulse forwards. The wheels creaked and the heavy wooden chassis hammered on his back. Shit happened; the cart was moving on its own.
"Woooow... Wowowowow!!”
It was when he realised that the alley descended in a subtle slope; subtle but enough to make him lose control over the heavy cart, that started to rush its way down.
"No! Nonononononono!!!”
Shinnosuke tried to put a brake on it. Useless. His sandals didn’t do for a brake and he ended up ramrodded through the street in a crescent speed.
"GYAAAAAAAAAHH!!”
To avoid being trampled by the ungoverned wagon, he hopped over it, shoving his face in a bowl of bean paste. The cart wobbled over the stone alleyways. People screamed.
"Out of the way! Out of the way!!”
Shinnosuke was wiping the paste from his eyes when he realized that his ride was dashing through a plaza, forcing the transients to jump from its way. He saw the mob and the skirmish. He saw the blood shed on the ground. He saw ginger hair being assaulted by a bunch of thugs.
"Miyamori-san!!” he yelled aloud.
It was impossible to stop the speeding cart.
//
"Miyamori-san!!”
Aida-kun?
She only had the time to look over her attackers’ shoulder to see him coming on top of a speeding wagon. The riot was scattered by the wheeled torpedo.
"Out of the way!!” he yelled.
One of ruffians was about to brandish his pole weapon when Hinome jumped away, leaving them to be trampled by Aida’s speeding mess.
The impact was loud. Crouched, Hinome saw one of the men flying over her, while the others were spilled around by the heavy wagon that dashed towards the noble manor’s huge gate.
"Aida-kun! Watch...”
*BRRRAAAAAAWWWL!!!!!*
"...out.”
*PEIM PEIM PEIM PEIM*
*PEIM*
*PEIM*
There was rice, noodles, fish, sake, bread, bowls, pots and equipments spilled everywhere. The wooden cart was a wreck and there was a huge crack in the manor’s once pristine gate.
"Aida-kun!!” she shouted, running towards the crash site.
Black robes, covered in a paste of ruined dinner and dirt, moved and moaned. With effort Aida Shinnosuke rose on his feet, vacillating and dizzy. He tried a step forward but his knees failed on him...
"Here!”
With a quick step, Hinome caught him before him plunged on the ground. The boy smiled vaguely. He had a big black eye and a swollen lash on his lips. Shaky, he unsheathe his sword and pointed the trembling blade at the furious aggressors, that already stood up and walked towards them.
"Get... Get away from Miyamori-san... You bastards...!”
They snorted and gripped their weapons. There was a ferocious glare on their faces. Hinome understood that those men were battle forged. She had seen that same look in the face of her division comrades. They were not common civilians; they were soldiers; from a militia, maybe. She rose her zanpakutou in their direction, in a fragile attempt of keeping them away. It was vain. They grinned and kept their slow, malicious approach.
"Miyamori!” Tanaka screamed, but he was already assaulted by several opponents. "Kijo!”
The woman was thrown in the ground and the men kicked her without mercy.
"After we are finished with them, let’s invade the noble house!” the one that seemed to be the leader of the riot bellowed to his cronies.
Crap... Kijo-san... Tanaka-san...
The men giggled maliciously, looking at them like wolves. Aida was barely able to keep his blade straight. Hinome gripped her even tighter and faced them.
"Just who are you?” she enquired, angry, scared.
"Fufufufu... We? We are the people...” a grey haired man replied, sardonically.
"Civilians can’t fight like this...” she retorted. "Just who the hell are you?”
"Aren’t you a loud annoying bitch?”
The silver haired hooligan jumped at them like a tiger with his poleaxe about to strike. Hinome raised her sword instinctively to parry the blow, but out of nowhere, a black hurricane struck violently, wiping the man away from Hinome’s sight.
"The hell...?”
She did not understand it at first. A black blur stormed around the closest rebels, knocking them away like rag dolls. It stopped sturdily over the last one.
"Kuroyama-senpai!” Hinome and Shinnosuke screamed in unison.
She never felt so relieved. The other thugs, seeing that their comrades fell, turned their attention on the mighty black mountain. Hinome meant to step forward, but Kuroyama’s huge palm halted her intention.
"Stay there.”
Putting two finger in his mouth, the lofty senpai blowed a loud whistle that sent a cold shiver down Hinome’s spine. What happened next seemed like an hallucination. Countless spectral white horses invaded the plaza from every alley and surface. They seemed like being made of an ivory flame, and Hinome could notice that their dorso was covered in some kind of plate armor with shining spikes. Their loud neigh, the noise of their hoofs clanging over the stone and their scarlet glowing eyes cast an instinctive fear over her. It was irrational. She noticed that the ruffians shared that feeling.
"What the...”
A lot of people ran away, screaming and scared. The violent attackers were put in turmoil, brandishing their weapons around, in the useless attempt of cutting the the horses that strode amongst them. In the middle of the blind strikes, they ended up hitting each other. Their focus and formation was broken. Taking advantage of their enemy’s tumult, Tanaka and Kijo punched some of them away and dragged themselves to Kuroyama’s side.
"They are not common civilians,” the horse whisperer commented, calmly. "Sorry for being late...”
"Tsh...” Tanaka simply grumbled. His pride was tarnished. "I won’t let them get away with this!”
With a sudden step forward, Tanaka gripped his zanpakutou’s hilt with both hands. A cobalt blue aura was lit around him, as his spiritual pressure snapped.
"Tanaka-san!” Hinome shouted. She knew he was going to release.
"Skewer them...”
The senpai’s firm hand pulled him back, disrupting the sword’s liberation. Kuroyama was taller than Tanaka and, even though he wasn’t as muscular, he seemed way stronger than him.
"Let go, Kuroyama!” the bulk Templar yelled, setting his shoulder free.
"No use risking your neck on this, Tanaka-san...” Kuroyama said, without raising his voice. "Didn’t you notice? They’re already here.”
A black blur moving in a nearby rooftop caught Hinome’s attention. Several dark blurs followed it, forming what resembled a moving shadow all over the plaza’s roofs. Her heart throbbed in her chest like it wanted to carve its way out. A cold clutch twisted her viscera around. It was fear; primal fear. A heavy, almost suffocating reiatsu hammered over them, making the belligerent mob kneel on the ground. Hinome’s legs weakened and she could barely stand on her feet. Aida plunged on the floor, trembling.
"Wha-What is this...?” she tried, but her words were choked.
She could barely keep her head up, but, by the corner of her eye, Hinome could see several black robed figures, wearing black masks, staring down from the rooftops. Some appeared in front of them. They stood firmly on their ground; rigid like black iron bastions. Kuroyama's white horses vanished, one by one.
"The Onmitsu Kidou,” Kuroyama muttered. "So they were sent here, after all.”
So those are the so feared Onmitsu Kidou, the Secret Mobile Ops. Seireitei’s covert executioners. What are they doing here??
It was the first time she laid her eyes on them. Those black masks of nameless fear inspired absolute dread. It was not clear to her which was their intent in there. Hinome, like every Shinigami, was aware of their fame as cold executioners. Would they be the danger her Captain spoke about? She wondered.
"Kuroyama-senpai...” she whispered, "what is this...?”
"Silent.”
"The surveillance of Rukongai will be handled by the Onmitsu Kidou,” one of the black robed men spoke coldly. "All members of the Eleventh Division must return to Seireitei immediately. This is the order of the Central Forty-Six.”
Tanaka and Kijo sheathed their zanpakutou silently, so did Hinome. Her hands were shaky. She didn’t dare to say a word.
"Disobedience of the official orders won’t be tolerated and extreme measures will be taken.”
"Understood. We’re already leaving,” Kuroyama replied, bowing politely.
"Were you trying to gamble your life by releasing your zanpakutou in civilian grounds, Kuroyama Kojiro?" the masked man hissed, coldly.
"Not my zanpakutou's release," Kuroyama replied, laconically. "It was the spirit's manifestation."
Without saying further word, he leaned over Shinnosuke and put him over his shoulder. Addressing them a silent but meaningful gaze, Kuroyama walked away. They followed.
"Your forehead, Miyamori-san...” Aida-kun muttered, staring at the aching gash with an exhaust face.
"It’s okay...” she replied softly, touching the wound, covered in dry blood.
With remarkable effort, the young boy reached his pocket and handed her a white clean tissue. She accepted with a kind smile.
Thank you again for saving me, Aida-kun.
And Kuroyama-senpai...
Thank you for being here.
つづく
// 2,848 //
// 2,848 //
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