Chapter 91: Shirokage
The doors of the 4th division Taishou burst open as the blonde haired bottle of energy barrelled out, his destination almost entirely unknown even to him. Why or where he was running so hard, he didn't know. He wasn't getting that same feeling that he did when he'd forgotten about a date, or when he was running behind. But there was somewhere he had to be, somewhere he was needed. And so his feet carried him as fast as he could move, determined to find out the source of this anxiety.
Southward he went, going faster and faster and faster the longer he ran, no longer caring for the burning in his lungs as he moved. The walls of Seireitei began to blend in one another, a never-ending stream of white that made it easy to lose ones direction if they weren't careful. Time lost meaning as the sheer size of Seireitei came into play; minutes, seconds, hours, his only indicator of how far he'd gone was Senzaikyuu to his right, the massive central area slowly rotating as he made his way around it.
Hoping over one wall, Kyou surveyed his surroundings quickly, getting his bearings with the other landmark buildings that he could possibly see in the distance. He was finally making his way past the 6th division Taishou, which left a rather sizable chunk of the land left to traverse if he his senses were telling him anything. He landed once more in the alleyways, not slowing down a wit as he hit the ground running, he in fact picked up speed again. Definitely why he hated hopping the walls and rooftops, you could only go so fast in the air unless you were constantly using shyunpo. But with your feet on the ground, you were in control of how fast you were going without making yourself a target.
The general alert was coming through his radio now, leaving him torn as to whether to heed the warnings or not. On one hand, he might find himself placed and have to cease what he was doing, on the other he was pulled by simple obligation and duty coupled with the wanting to know what was going on. Focusing less on speed and more on what was being broadcast, Kyou filed the details away so he would know where to go once this was finished, he wanted to go where he was most needed. The Hot-zones were where he loved to throw himself into the mix after-all.
"kkkttt... Multiple insurgent forces reportedly entering Seireitei from the South Gate. There are reports of Eskkkttt-vel arrancar in their ranks, kkkttt bulk of their numbers being rogue shinigami. Approach wi-kkkttt-tion, as there are those who possess strength levels comparable with a captain..."
It went on from there, detailing where some of the Rogue's had gone or where they had last been seen. He wasn't too worried about them, he just needed to be aware of the Espada so that they could be avoided, the rest were small details that fell to the back of his mind until he heard the request for assistance for Kori and her location, then things became clearer.
He heard an affirmative from the nearest team as he pocketed the radio once more, knowing that it would likely have called for a seated officer specifically if it was that large a threat. His sudden change in pace from 'frantic speed-demon' to 'worried brother' is all that kept the dagger from embedding itself in his head as it planted itself into the wall beside him, sending thick spider webs cracking through the polished white stone.
The barest hint of red flowing through the lower cracks, carrying a small touch of Kyou's blood from the cut it had placed on the bridge of his nose. Looking to his left, where the dagger had come from, revealed nothing, as whoever had thrown the accursed weapon had already concealed themselves and their spiritual pressure. They'd likely already moved from the spot they tossed the dagger as well, expecting their target to either already be dead, or charge straight at the spot it had come from.
There are more than one... they wouldn't be using an ambush set-up if they were alone unless they were here that much longer and had the time to set traps. But there can't be that many of them, or they would have simply sprung out on me. So I'm looking at... two... maybe even three enemies. And I can't even find them. The his eyes narrowed as he grit his teeth, a low growl already escaping from his throat. "I hate this hide-and-go-seek bulls***..."
A movement to his right caught his attention at the last moment, revealing nothing but the empty corridor once again, except the sound of something cutting the air. Hopping backwards to his left, Kyou dodged yet another dagger that had been thrown at him, leaving him with his back against the wall as he waited for the trap to be sprung simply because the dagger had been thrown to lead him to where he was now. After all, the first step to defusing a trap is knowing its there in the first place. Right?
No warning this time, no sounds or movements gave away the attack this time, just the warm feel of his own blood as it soaked through the front of his uniform. Looking down at the blade protruding from his side, his blood on the white polished stone accenting the tip of the zanpaku. With almost sickening slowness, the blade was pulled out from him, leaving him to fall to his knees with his back against the wall, breathing already becoming laboured.
His eyes wavered between opening and closing, as if fighting against losing consciousness, allowing him to watch as the three white-shadow's emerged. The first leaping over the wall behind him, the blade still in hand with the tip slick with his blood. No wonder I'd had trouble tracking them, they're completely in white... the black of our garb might as well be a beacon for them for all we stand out...
"If they're all this stupid, I don't see us having any real trouble until we find the captains." They all looked so similar it was impossible to tell who was speaking because of the face masks covering their mouths. And each of them were going to lengths to disguise their voices, leaving them all speaking in a monotone that sounded the same coming from each of them.
"Not that it will matter soon enough..." He could hear the amusement despite the attempted disguise, unable to look into their eyes to see which one it was. "...the Espada will wipe them from the face of the planet before turning this place into a smoking crater..."
"So lets get a move on. I wanna kill some more of these *******s before the Arrancar take all the fun." Kyou's hand fell away from the wound in his side, his wrist falling limply on his thigh. "Let's finish this one off before we go, there's not enough blood..." The hissing sound of the blade leaving its scabbard chimed through the passage, no hurry evident in the movements as he moved towards the downed Shinigami.
He wanted to aim for the shinigami's neck, wanted to make a fountain of blood from the man's decapitated stump. Keeping it from splashing the white of his uniform would be tough, but that didn't change that it was worth it, watching the life-blood exploding from the body so fast that the man barely felt the sting of the blade before it occurred. Taking an wide swing with his right at the man, the manic glee shone in his eyes in anticipation of the killing.
Eager to disappoint them, especially since they'd only garnered the information one would expect from a grunt, Kyou's right hand clasped the hilt of his zanpaku before pulling it straight up, halting the sloppy swing in its tracks. Eyes opening into a glare, Kyou gave a feral smirk to the man as he pushed himself up from the ground with the hilt. "You guys are finished talking so soon? I hope you didn't hurry on my account..." All of his teeth were bared as a manic grin of his own crossed his face. "I'd hate for those to be your last words."
The doors of the 4th division Taishou burst open as the blonde haired bottle of energy barrelled out, his destination almost entirely unknown even to him. Why or where he was running so hard, he didn't know. He wasn't getting that same feeling that he did when he'd forgotten about a date, or when he was running behind. But there was somewhere he had to be, somewhere he was needed. And so his feet carried him as fast as he could move, determined to find out the source of this anxiety.
Southward he went, going faster and faster and faster the longer he ran, no longer caring for the burning in his lungs as he moved. The walls of Seireitei began to blend in one another, a never-ending stream of white that made it easy to lose ones direction if they weren't careful. Time lost meaning as the sheer size of Seireitei came into play; minutes, seconds, hours, his only indicator of how far he'd gone was Senzaikyuu to his right, the massive central area slowly rotating as he made his way around it.
Hoping over one wall, Kyou surveyed his surroundings quickly, getting his bearings with the other landmark buildings that he could possibly see in the distance. He was finally making his way past the 6th division Taishou, which left a rather sizable chunk of the land left to traverse if he his senses were telling him anything. He landed once more in the alleyways, not slowing down a wit as he hit the ground running, he in fact picked up speed again. Definitely why he hated hopping the walls and rooftops, you could only go so fast in the air unless you were constantly using shyunpo. But with your feet on the ground, you were in control of how fast you were going without making yourself a target.
The general alert was coming through his radio now, leaving him torn as to whether to heed the warnings or not. On one hand, he might find himself placed and have to cease what he was doing, on the other he was pulled by simple obligation and duty coupled with the wanting to know what was going on. Focusing less on speed and more on what was being broadcast, Kyou filed the details away so he would know where to go once this was finished, he wanted to go where he was most needed. The Hot-zones were where he loved to throw himself into the mix after-all.
"kkkttt... Multiple insurgent forces reportedly entering Seireitei from the South Gate. There are reports of Eskkkttt-vel arrancar in their ranks, kkkttt bulk of their numbers being rogue shinigami. Approach wi-kkkttt-tion, as there are those who possess strength levels comparable with a captain..."
It went on from there, detailing where some of the Rogue's had gone or where they had last been seen. He wasn't too worried about them, he just needed to be aware of the Espada so that they could be avoided, the rest were small details that fell to the back of his mind until he heard the request for assistance for Kori and her location, then things became clearer.
He heard an affirmative from the nearest team as he pocketed the radio once more, knowing that it would likely have called for a seated officer specifically if it was that large a threat. His sudden change in pace from 'frantic speed-demon' to 'worried brother' is all that kept the dagger from embedding itself in his head as it planted itself into the wall beside him, sending thick spider webs cracking through the polished white stone.
The barest hint of red flowing through the lower cracks, carrying a small touch of Kyou's blood from the cut it had placed on the bridge of his nose. Looking to his left, where the dagger had come from, revealed nothing, as whoever had thrown the accursed weapon had already concealed themselves and their spiritual pressure. They'd likely already moved from the spot they tossed the dagger as well, expecting their target to either already be dead, or charge straight at the spot it had come from.
There are more than one... they wouldn't be using an ambush set-up if they were alone unless they were here that much longer and had the time to set traps. But there can't be that many of them, or they would have simply sprung out on me. So I'm looking at... two... maybe even three enemies. And I can't even find them. The his eyes narrowed as he grit his teeth, a low growl already escaping from his throat. "I hate this hide-and-go-seek bulls***..."
A movement to his right caught his attention at the last moment, revealing nothing but the empty corridor once again, except the sound of something cutting the air. Hopping backwards to his left, Kyou dodged yet another dagger that had been thrown at him, leaving him with his back against the wall as he waited for the trap to be sprung simply because the dagger had been thrown to lead him to where he was now. After all, the first step to defusing a trap is knowing its there in the first place. Right?
No warning this time, no sounds or movements gave away the attack this time, just the warm feel of his own blood as it soaked through the front of his uniform. Looking down at the blade protruding from his side, his blood on the white polished stone accenting the tip of the zanpaku. With almost sickening slowness, the blade was pulled out from him, leaving him to fall to his knees with his back against the wall, breathing already becoming laboured.
His eyes wavered between opening and closing, as if fighting against losing consciousness, allowing him to watch as the three white-shadow's emerged. The first leaping over the wall behind him, the blade still in hand with the tip slick with his blood. No wonder I'd had trouble tracking them, they're completely in white... the black of our garb might as well be a beacon for them for all we stand out...
"If they're all this stupid, I don't see us having any real trouble until we find the captains." They all looked so similar it was impossible to tell who was speaking because of the face masks covering their mouths. And each of them were going to lengths to disguise their voices, leaving them all speaking in a monotone that sounded the same coming from each of them.
"Not that it will matter soon enough..." He could hear the amusement despite the attempted disguise, unable to look into their eyes to see which one it was. "...the Espada will wipe them from the face of the planet before turning this place into a smoking crater..."
"So lets get a move on. I wanna kill some more of these *******s before the Arrancar take all the fun." Kyou's hand fell away from the wound in his side, his wrist falling limply on his thigh. "Let's finish this one off before we go, there's not enough blood..." The hissing sound of the blade leaving its scabbard chimed through the passage, no hurry evident in the movements as he moved towards the downed Shinigami.
He wanted to aim for the shinigami's neck, wanted to make a fountain of blood from the man's decapitated stump. Keeping it from splashing the white of his uniform would be tough, but that didn't change that it was worth it, watching the life-blood exploding from the body so fast that the man barely felt the sting of the blade before it occurred. Taking an wide swing with his right at the man, the manic glee shone in his eyes in anticipation of the killing.
Eager to disappoint them, especially since they'd only garnered the information one would expect from a grunt, Kyou's right hand clasped the hilt of his zanpaku before pulling it straight up, halting the sloppy swing in its tracks. Eyes opening into a glare, Kyou gave a feral smirk to the man as he pushed himself up from the ground with the hilt. "You guys are finished talking so soon? I hope you didn't hurry on my account..." All of his teeth were bared as a manic grin of his own crossed his face. "I'd hate for those to be your last words."
[Word Count] ~ 1,386