Chapter 7 A Kept Promise

[Wilfora]

Time: Unbeknownst
Place: Kyoto

As the young man raced ahead, Prince watched as Dasuke’s hell butterfly tried and failed to keep up with the shinigami. Beside him, Red shook his head, as he kept pace with his own butterfly. Prince looked behind him and spotted the very quiet figure of Kuro, trying to blend into the shadows of the Senkaimon.

Prince sighed, and waved for Kuro to come join him and Red up where they were. He shook his head no, not bothering to look at Prince. Why does he keep to himself all the time? No one is going to bite his head off other than the hollows themselves, Prince thought to himself.

Coming out of his thoughts, he found that Dasuke has already reached the other side of the Senkaimon. Prince urged Red and Kuro on, and shortly they too stood alongside of Dasuke at the end of the Senkaimon. The doors slid open and sitting right in front of them was a hollow, Dasuke, having the quickest draw, jumped forward and slashed the hollow down his mask diagonally. The hollow did not even have time to wail before the spirit particles of its body disintegrated.

Kuro and Read stepped forward and Prince followed them shortly. The Senkaimon gate closed behind then, leaving no trace of the hell butterflies behind. Red pulled out his soul pager and flipped it open. He typed in a couple of simple commands then handed it to Prince after glancing at the screen.

“4 hollows left Prince. Who do you want after what?” Red asked looking into the distance. Beside him, Kuro fidgeted, looking around nervously. This was the first time he had been to the world of the living since he had been appointed the 3rd seat of division 9.

Prince confirmed that there were in fact, 4 hollows floating around Kyoto, then handed the soul pager back to Red, who placed it back into the folds of his shihakusho. Prince then closed his mind to the other 3 Shinigami and focused on the city itself, looking for the spirit levels of the hollows that he was on duty to get rid of.

Hmm… 3 weak ones and a stronger one. I’ll just split them accordingly, he thought. He then opened his eyes. “Kuro and Dasuke will be together and take out the 2 hollows roaming around town. Red, you’ll be on your own, but I’m sure the sunset and ocean waves will make up for the loss of a suitable partner.”

Red smiled at this, and inwardly thanked Prince for knowing the Shikai form of his zanpakutō. Prince nodded and turned back to the others, who were shifting nervously from foot to foot.

“I’ll be going after the strongest. If anything goes wrong with your fight I want you to flee and find me. This hollow’s power is under mine by quite a bit, so I should be done with him relatively quick.” Prince looked around at the shinigami that had been brave enough to tag along on this mission, during this time of war.

“It’s time we were going don’t you think?” Prince turned and looked at Kuro, who had finally shouldered his burden of a fight and had now spoken for the first time since they had left Soul Society, even if he was stuttering a bit. Prince nodded in agreement.

“Yes, let’s be off. I wish you all a safe but fun time here.” Prince grinned and, turning his back to the other 3, he left, using Shunpo to mask which way he went.

“We’ll go as well,” Kuro said, as Dasuke nodded. Dasuke had no voice as far as everyone was concerned. He had never spoken to anyone but rather liked to show his point in battle, where words weren’t necessary. This is going to be the battle that will decide whether or not keeping my voice hidden will continue, he thought to himself, following Kuro through the night sky.

Red on the other hand was headed the exact opposite of where the other 2 where headed. In the distance, he could faintly feel the hollow he was searching for. “So a Gillian eh?” Red picked up the pace, and taking the last few steps with Shunpo, he stood watching as an elephant tore a human soul from its body.

Red angered by this, gave up on stealth, and in a second was right before the Gillian. With one swoop of his sword, the hand holding the soul of the human was no more. The hollow looked at Red, with hungry red eyes that thirsted for blood. Red smirked and, looking behind the hollow at the ocean, began to plot against which form of his Shikai to use.

Kuro and Dasuke made their way downtown quickly. Dasuke sensed both of the hollows and pointed out to Kuro that one was near a temple and one was roaming around the alleyways of Kyoto.

“I’ll take the one in the temple then. I think you’ll do better with the one roaming the alleyways since you tend to like the back streets better,” Kuro decided and with a confirming nod from Dasuke, both parted ways, heading after their respective hollows.

Prince sensed that his comrades had engaged their battle enemies already, and smiled. They will win their battles, and they will be able to return home. Me on the other hand…he thought, remembering the power level that he had felt coming from a stationary spot on the south side of Kyoto.

He sighed and made his way there, now understanding what force he was going to be facing. I do have a chance though. I have almost released my Bankai. Maybe it will release today and I will be able to make it back to my sweet Maluni after all. He smiled at this. Maluni…he thought, hope welling up within him.

Dasuke stalked down the alleyways looking around for the hollow he was supposed to get rid of. He sensed around for Kuro then sighed, not feeling him anywhere near. “Stupid rules. You’ll pay for only allowing me to speak when no other Shinigami are around, Minami.”

Ahead of Dasuke, a human voice shrilled as its soul was pulled from its body, giving the soul the ability to see the hollow that was on its way to eat it in the first place. The hollow…Dasuke thought, as he rushed forward navigating through the different alleys. A few blocks down, he emerged at the beginning of a dead end alley.

In front of him stood a female feline chewing on the remains of the human soul. On the ground lay a human’s body, still, cold and now lifeless. Dasuke sighed, now too late to save the human soul from the hollow’s rampaging food hunt. The female looked up and swallowed, having heard Dasuke sigh.

“Oh? What’s this? A Shini’mi to play with as well? Oh goodie!” she squealed, looking hungrily at Dasuke. She glanced around the alley, and seeing only him, frowned. “Why din you bring anyone else to play too…” she asked quietly, sad that there were no others to play with.

“So you think I am not enough?” he roared at the hollow. “You think that Dasuke, Shatter Light, 3rd seat of division 4, is not enough!?” Dasuke puffed himself up, his posture full of pride, before charging forward at the Gillian.
The Gillian female who actually was quiet small, giggled at this, letting off little shock waves across the alleyway, not bothering to concentrate them at Dasuke. They would get to him eventually, since he has a sword.

“So yah t’ink your enough man power by yourself to take mes out? Sui of Gillian Death Tree? Hah! In your dreams little Shini’mi!” Sui took off at a light pace, bounding towards the oncoming figure of Dasuke.

Dasuke did not care enough to take notice of the bolts and unsheathed his zanpakuto, holding it angled back in his right hand, as the distance between him and Sui, a mere cat, diminished greatly. His mind, full of anger from the words that came from this lowly hollow, echoed through him mind, not allowing him to calm his mind for the battle ahead as he was taught in the academy.

Sui on the other hand was pleased, even with the horrid stench of the sewers strong here. She had a little Shinigami to eat, and fun to have. Flicking her tail back and forth, she began to charge up one of her more accurate ceros in her tail out of sight of the Shinigami.

Dasuke meanwhile crashed into her, her paw absorbing most of the damage but when Dasuke pulled back there was a red welt like across the front of her paw. He watched as it disappeared within a blink of an eye. He cursed under his breath and once more leaped forward and this time Sui tried to block with her tail.

Dasuke’s zanpakuto, Dark Moon, sliced through the end of her tail. Sui cried out turning it into a laugh that made him very worried. Dasuke turned back to the edge of the tail a bit too late. Sui launched her cero, which hit the 3rd seat in the lower shoulder, knocking him back against a wall where he crumpled to the ground, musty from all of the humans,

No! I’m not done yet! I will beat this hollow and win back my freedom! Dasuke thought, as he stabbed Dark Moon into the ground. From his shoulder dripped blood, oozing out over his shihakusho. Looking at it now, he found that the top of his shoulder had been taken off. Great…

Sui watched as the shinigami make it to its feet. So, he’s still alive. YAY! I can play more! She thought happily, rushing at him.

The 3rd seat managed to pull his zanpakuto in front of him in time to protect his torso from her tail, which had grown back by now. It was no longer just a normal cat tail, but now had an angled spade on the end, that was curved in even more, and held a bright turquoise color.

Dasuke threw her back with a simple kido, to buy him time, causing one of her ears to be taken off. Sui hissed at this in anger. He grinned and gripped Dark Moon in his left hand now.

“So what if you have taken my right arm from me in this fight? You have just forced me to use my left. My good left.” Dasuke sheathed his sword, and howled out, “Douboe, Kurai Tsuki!” {Howl, Dark Moon!} Dasuke quickly unsheathed his sword, Dark Moon and, for the first time since he was sentenced to no talking by her, saw his shikai.

From the rusty black sword that it has once been, it was now a deep white with a radiating red core. At the hilt of the blade was no hand guard, but a simple handle to hold the blade. Dasuke could feel the blade pulse in his hand.It has indeed been far too long my friend, he thought turning the sword over in his hand.

Sui watched, unhappy that the shinigami was giving more attention to his sword than to her. Out of rage, she leaped forwards, hoping to catch the shinigami off guard.

She fell for it, Dasuke thought, as he grinned evilly and slightly raised his sword. Since it had become light as a feather now, he was careful to only move it a bit, use to its shikai weight after all these years of not being able to use it. Dasuke lifted his head still smiling, and as Sui drew nearer, sheathed his sword.

Sui’s eyes grew wide; she couldn’t stop, she couldn’t change directions. She began yowling in fear, sounding like a small kitten to the ears of Dasuke.

“I’m sorry little kitty,” Dasuke chuckled. “But unlike you, I have a promise I intend to keep.” And before she could launch a cero or even a bala, Dasuke drew, and shattered the light that held her together. Dasuke watched quietly as the spirit particles slowly darkened and unlike the sun, said their farewells to the living world forever.