LibThorne
03-24-2007, 03:00 AM
The Arrancar
<1990>
His dreams were dark and dreary, but nothing new. He saw her. Black hair shimmered in the afternoon sun, and eyes gazed into his with love reflected in their dark pools. Her perfect little half-moon face, her smile, her breathing. All of it like she'd never left him. Just as he thought of it, he saw it. The bone white smile.
“Yasu!”
His dreams faded again, a sea of darkness wiping away all the images, all the memories.
“Wake up! Don't worry, he does this all the time...” The bunk creaked as she climbed up. He bolted up, suddenly.
“Sharrup, Haru. I'm 'wake.”
She sighed, a half-smile on her face. She dropped down the two steps she'd climbed, her uniform sweeping out underneath her.
“This is Yasuhiro Nobunaga?” said a voice he didn't recognize. One eye slowly crept open, and he stared down at a shinigami. He stood next to Haru, who currently had her hands folded across her chest. His Zanpakutou was strapped across his back, and his blue eyes stared up at Yasuhiro with something almost like disdain. Yasuhiro glared down at him, returning the look. A lock of black hair covered the shinigami's other eye. “This is the man that singlehandedly defeated thirty Hollows? You must be kidding me.”
Harumi laughed. “You don't know him, Hidetada. There's no more stubborn shinigami. Once he sets his mind on something, it gets done. Isn't that right, Yasu?”
He grunted in reply as he dropped off his bed, landing heavily on the hard wooden floor. He grabbed his Zanpakutou and roughly slid the sheath into his sash as he pulled on the top of his uniform. It covered his most recently acquired scars, save for the three large, dark marks on his right forearm. He yawned loudly, his tongue almost hanging out of his mouth. Scratching his head, he walked towards Haru and Hidetada. “The Tai-cho want something?”
Haru reached into the folds of her uniform and produced a rolled up piece of paper. With a smirk, she pressed it into his chest. He took it from her, and opened it up. His eyes moved back and forth as they read the order, then stared incredulously at Haru. “You've gotta be joking me.”
“''Fraid not.”
“The Tai-cho seem like someone who's a fan of jokes, Yasuhiro?” said Hidetada.
Yasuhiro scowled, a look made all the more intimidating by the scar on his face. “I dunno, anyone ever told him a good one?”
Hidetada rolled his eyes. “I can't believe the Tai-cho has me wasting my time with two unseated shinigami.”
“I can't believe he's wasting my time with some noble rich boy who wants to play with his sharp toy.”
Anger flashed in Hidetada's eyes, matching the emotion shown in Yasuhiro's. Haru spoke up, her voice sibilantly cutting the air. “Look, the both of you need to check your egos now, or we may as well go to the Tai-cho now and report failure. I don't think either of you wants to do that.” Silence greeted the end of her sentence. “Good. Now, we'd better get going.”
The trio made their way out of the Court of Pure Souls at a good clip, one that broke into a full out run as they entered Rukongai proper. It was at this point that Yasuhiro spoke up. “So, could the Tai-cho have been more vague? What's this spiritual disturbance thing?”
“If he knew, he wouldn't have us scouting it, now would he?” said Hidetada, a note of bitterness in his voice.
“Much as I'm sure you hate it, the Sixth seat is right, Yasu. Since someone killed the only thirty leads we had on this disturbance, now it's up to us to locate it. Second Division ruled out anything near West Rukongai after they investigated your report, Yasu, so the Tai-cho now thinks it's somewhere near North Rukongai.”
Haru's voice had calmed Yasuhiro. Before long, they found themselves rushing through the forest that seemed omnipresent on the outskirts of Rukongai.
Another few minutes, and this time it was Hidetada that spoke up. “First rule here, if we encounter any Hollows, we're not to fight them. This is purely reconnaissance, and we can't risk letting them know we're here. Second rule is, you're to follow my lead at all times. Am I perfectly clear?” Both Harumi and Yasuhiro nodded curtly. “Good.” With that, he became a blur. Yasuhiro and Harumi stopped dead in their tracks.
“Kozumi-san?” said Harumi, her brown eyes looking left and right. Above her, leaves rustled. Both unseated shinigami looked up to see Hidetada Kozumi's head, one black eyebrow cocked in what could only be his own amusement.
“I hate flash step,” muttered Yasuhiro as he leaped into the thick branches. Harumi followed him, and the trio raced through the thick tree branches. Leaves rushed by them, a blur of green. Soon, they came upon a large, meadow like clearing. Sunlight illuminated the green glass, and the slight, rolling hill underneath it. It also shone upon a lone figure in white. Its skin was a chalky brown, and to its waist was strapped a sword. Dreadlocks fell over its face, but beneath them could be seen the bone white jaw of a Hollow. In the middle of the being's chest was a dark hole, and through it the forest could be seen.
Hidetada whispered one word. “Arrancar...” The reiatsu the three felt was almost suffocating. Beads of sweat coursed down Hidetada's face. He looked behind him, at the two unseated members of his Division. Harumi looked down, her hands grasping the branch she sat on tightly. Yasuhiro was different. He looked with calm eyes directly at his superior, but the sheer force was affecting him, too. Sweat matted his long hair to his head, and he was visibly struggling to remain upright in his kneeling position.
When he spoke, his voice betrayed none of the weakness his body displayed. “You have a plan, Kozumi-san?”
Hidetada looked forward again, at the Arrancar. “It knows we're here. These things are as strong as the Tai-cho, there's no way we can win. You need to take Harumi and get the hell out of here. I'll hold it off as long as I can.” He looked behind him, and Yasuhiro nodded. “Good. Now get go-” He felt an impact at the base of his skull, and his vision swam momentarily before all was taken by darkness.
Yasuhiro gripped the body of the sixth seat. “Haru, listen to me. Take Hidetada, and run as fast as you can. Do you hear me, girl?” She nodded, and accepted the unconscious body of her commanding officer. She spared one look at Yasuhiro before turning and running across the branches. Yasuhiro smiled at her, then turned, his face becoming a scowl. He leaped from the trees, unsheathing his Zanpakutou as he did. He landed in front of the Arrancar, sword held in front of him with both hands. It was only then that he truly appreciated the sheer size of the man before him. Yasuhiro was unusually tall, but the Arrancar had at least a foot on him, if not more.
When the Arrancar spoke, it was like the word of God. He didn't speak, so much as syllables crawled their way from the depths of his throat. “You do not truly believe you can defeat me, do you?”
“Let's find out, Arrancar.” He rushed forward, swinging in close, his sword a flash of silver in the afternoon sun. The Arrancar didn't even seem to move. One minute, its left arm was resting at its side, the next it had interposed itself between the Arrancar and Yasuhiro's attack. A wave of air shot out from the impact. The Arrancar stared dismissively down on Yasuhiro. Yasuhiro was caught in the black eyes of his opponent, the pressure of the reiatsu around him so fierce and intense that he could hardly move. He didn't see the right cross that took him on the cheek. He saw only stars as he was catapulted from the clearing, smashing through a grove of trees before coming to stop. Using his sword as a crutch, he brought himself up. His back ached. His face ached. But he smiled through it. The pain meant he was still alive, that he could still fight. A shadow appeared above him, its legs cloaked in white. He looked up, his vision swimming with stars. The Arrancar spoke.
“It would be rude of me not to ask your name, shinigami.”
“I am Yasuhiro Nobunaga, member of the 11th Division of the Saishuu Gotei 13,” said Yasuhiro through clenched teeth. He had struggled to his feet, and once again held his Zanpakutou in front of him. The Arrancar's eyes widened with something like recognition.
“Yasuhiro Nobunaga?”
Yasuhiro narrowed his eyes. “Did you not hear me, monster? I'm in no habit of repeating myself.”
“Husband of Sakura Nobunaga?”
Her name slammed into him like a sledgehammer. He felt his body tighten up, tensing like a coiled viper. He could feel the air around him, its pressure and weight. And then he felt a fire, like nothing he had ever felt before. Something that burned hot, bright and fierce in his chest.
“YOU DON'T GET TO SAY HER NAME!” he roared as the world became a blur. He didn't see the blade of his sword vanish. He didn't notice how fast he was moving. He didn't feel the power flow into him. He saw only the Arrancar in front of him. He heard only the sound as his sword cut through the air, then through the Arrancar's chest, a bright red gash diagonally from his collarbone to his waist. He felt only satisfaction as he saw the shock in the Arrancar's face.
<1990>
His dreams were dark and dreary, but nothing new. He saw her. Black hair shimmered in the afternoon sun, and eyes gazed into his with love reflected in their dark pools. Her perfect little half-moon face, her smile, her breathing. All of it like she'd never left him. Just as he thought of it, he saw it. The bone white smile.
“Yasu!”
His dreams faded again, a sea of darkness wiping away all the images, all the memories.
“Wake up! Don't worry, he does this all the time...” The bunk creaked as she climbed up. He bolted up, suddenly.
“Sharrup, Haru. I'm 'wake.”
She sighed, a half-smile on her face. She dropped down the two steps she'd climbed, her uniform sweeping out underneath her.
“This is Yasuhiro Nobunaga?” said a voice he didn't recognize. One eye slowly crept open, and he stared down at a shinigami. He stood next to Haru, who currently had her hands folded across her chest. His Zanpakutou was strapped across his back, and his blue eyes stared up at Yasuhiro with something almost like disdain. Yasuhiro glared down at him, returning the look. A lock of black hair covered the shinigami's other eye. “This is the man that singlehandedly defeated thirty Hollows? You must be kidding me.”
Harumi laughed. “You don't know him, Hidetada. There's no more stubborn shinigami. Once he sets his mind on something, it gets done. Isn't that right, Yasu?”
He grunted in reply as he dropped off his bed, landing heavily on the hard wooden floor. He grabbed his Zanpakutou and roughly slid the sheath into his sash as he pulled on the top of his uniform. It covered his most recently acquired scars, save for the three large, dark marks on his right forearm. He yawned loudly, his tongue almost hanging out of his mouth. Scratching his head, he walked towards Haru and Hidetada. “The Tai-cho want something?”
Haru reached into the folds of her uniform and produced a rolled up piece of paper. With a smirk, she pressed it into his chest. He took it from her, and opened it up. His eyes moved back and forth as they read the order, then stared incredulously at Haru. “You've gotta be joking me.”
“''Fraid not.”
“The Tai-cho seem like someone who's a fan of jokes, Yasuhiro?” said Hidetada.
Yasuhiro scowled, a look made all the more intimidating by the scar on his face. “I dunno, anyone ever told him a good one?”
Hidetada rolled his eyes. “I can't believe the Tai-cho has me wasting my time with two unseated shinigami.”
“I can't believe he's wasting my time with some noble rich boy who wants to play with his sharp toy.”
Anger flashed in Hidetada's eyes, matching the emotion shown in Yasuhiro's. Haru spoke up, her voice sibilantly cutting the air. “Look, the both of you need to check your egos now, or we may as well go to the Tai-cho now and report failure. I don't think either of you wants to do that.” Silence greeted the end of her sentence. “Good. Now, we'd better get going.”
The trio made their way out of the Court of Pure Souls at a good clip, one that broke into a full out run as they entered Rukongai proper. It was at this point that Yasuhiro spoke up. “So, could the Tai-cho have been more vague? What's this spiritual disturbance thing?”
“If he knew, he wouldn't have us scouting it, now would he?” said Hidetada, a note of bitterness in his voice.
“Much as I'm sure you hate it, the Sixth seat is right, Yasu. Since someone killed the only thirty leads we had on this disturbance, now it's up to us to locate it. Second Division ruled out anything near West Rukongai after they investigated your report, Yasu, so the Tai-cho now thinks it's somewhere near North Rukongai.”
Haru's voice had calmed Yasuhiro. Before long, they found themselves rushing through the forest that seemed omnipresent on the outskirts of Rukongai.
Another few minutes, and this time it was Hidetada that spoke up. “First rule here, if we encounter any Hollows, we're not to fight them. This is purely reconnaissance, and we can't risk letting them know we're here. Second rule is, you're to follow my lead at all times. Am I perfectly clear?” Both Harumi and Yasuhiro nodded curtly. “Good.” With that, he became a blur. Yasuhiro and Harumi stopped dead in their tracks.
“Kozumi-san?” said Harumi, her brown eyes looking left and right. Above her, leaves rustled. Both unseated shinigami looked up to see Hidetada Kozumi's head, one black eyebrow cocked in what could only be his own amusement.
“I hate flash step,” muttered Yasuhiro as he leaped into the thick branches. Harumi followed him, and the trio raced through the thick tree branches. Leaves rushed by them, a blur of green. Soon, they came upon a large, meadow like clearing. Sunlight illuminated the green glass, and the slight, rolling hill underneath it. It also shone upon a lone figure in white. Its skin was a chalky brown, and to its waist was strapped a sword. Dreadlocks fell over its face, but beneath them could be seen the bone white jaw of a Hollow. In the middle of the being's chest was a dark hole, and through it the forest could be seen.
Hidetada whispered one word. “Arrancar...” The reiatsu the three felt was almost suffocating. Beads of sweat coursed down Hidetada's face. He looked behind him, at the two unseated members of his Division. Harumi looked down, her hands grasping the branch she sat on tightly. Yasuhiro was different. He looked with calm eyes directly at his superior, but the sheer force was affecting him, too. Sweat matted his long hair to his head, and he was visibly struggling to remain upright in his kneeling position.
When he spoke, his voice betrayed none of the weakness his body displayed. “You have a plan, Kozumi-san?”
Hidetada looked forward again, at the Arrancar. “It knows we're here. These things are as strong as the Tai-cho, there's no way we can win. You need to take Harumi and get the hell out of here. I'll hold it off as long as I can.” He looked behind him, and Yasuhiro nodded. “Good. Now get go-” He felt an impact at the base of his skull, and his vision swam momentarily before all was taken by darkness.
Yasuhiro gripped the body of the sixth seat. “Haru, listen to me. Take Hidetada, and run as fast as you can. Do you hear me, girl?” She nodded, and accepted the unconscious body of her commanding officer. She spared one look at Yasuhiro before turning and running across the branches. Yasuhiro smiled at her, then turned, his face becoming a scowl. He leaped from the trees, unsheathing his Zanpakutou as he did. He landed in front of the Arrancar, sword held in front of him with both hands. It was only then that he truly appreciated the sheer size of the man before him. Yasuhiro was unusually tall, but the Arrancar had at least a foot on him, if not more.
When the Arrancar spoke, it was like the word of God. He didn't speak, so much as syllables crawled their way from the depths of his throat. “You do not truly believe you can defeat me, do you?”
“Let's find out, Arrancar.” He rushed forward, swinging in close, his sword a flash of silver in the afternoon sun. The Arrancar didn't even seem to move. One minute, its left arm was resting at its side, the next it had interposed itself between the Arrancar and Yasuhiro's attack. A wave of air shot out from the impact. The Arrancar stared dismissively down on Yasuhiro. Yasuhiro was caught in the black eyes of his opponent, the pressure of the reiatsu around him so fierce and intense that he could hardly move. He didn't see the right cross that took him on the cheek. He saw only stars as he was catapulted from the clearing, smashing through a grove of trees before coming to stop. Using his sword as a crutch, he brought himself up. His back ached. His face ached. But he smiled through it. The pain meant he was still alive, that he could still fight. A shadow appeared above him, its legs cloaked in white. He looked up, his vision swimming with stars. The Arrancar spoke.
“It would be rude of me not to ask your name, shinigami.”
“I am Yasuhiro Nobunaga, member of the 11th Division of the Saishuu Gotei 13,” said Yasuhiro through clenched teeth. He had struggled to his feet, and once again held his Zanpakutou in front of him. The Arrancar's eyes widened with something like recognition.
“Yasuhiro Nobunaga?”
Yasuhiro narrowed his eyes. “Did you not hear me, monster? I'm in no habit of repeating myself.”
“Husband of Sakura Nobunaga?”
Her name slammed into him like a sledgehammer. He felt his body tighten up, tensing like a coiled viper. He could feel the air around him, its pressure and weight. And then he felt a fire, like nothing he had ever felt before. Something that burned hot, bright and fierce in his chest.
“YOU DON'T GET TO SAY HER NAME!” he roared as the world became a blur. He didn't see the blade of his sword vanish. He didn't notice how fast he was moving. He didn't feel the power flow into him. He saw only the Arrancar in front of him. He heard only the sound as his sword cut through the air, then through the Arrancar's chest, a bright red gash diagonally from his collarbone to his waist. He felt only satisfaction as he saw the shock in the Arrancar's face.