Somewhere in Soul Society, Kenpachi Zaraki met the dead end for the 10th time. Veins popped up in his temple, his eyes wide with frustration.
"I am sick of this!"
"We're already close, Ken-chan! We can reach our destination if we go this way!"
Yachiru, the Lieutenant, was sitting on his shoulder, pointing in a direction. They had been trying to go to Sokyoku hill, but because they didn't know the way, they were stuck going around Seireitei like idiots.
Ikkaku and Yumechika that followed them said nothing at all. They already knew their Captain's bad sense of direction. And their Captain couldn't use Shunpo yet saying it wasn't necessary for him, so they ran on the ground or jumped on the roof, looking at their destination.
But they didn't move even a single step closer, and the execution was over a while ago. The clash of reiatsu that happened many times had now disappeared.
"Captain, are you sure we're going the right way?" Ikkaku asked, looking at the hill that was getting further away. He sighed in resignation when he saw his Captain grinning, "Nevermind, forget what I said."
The reason why he changed his mind was simple. They met two people as they arrived at an intersection.
A girl and a large guy, dressed clearly differently from the Shinigami uniform. They were humans.
"What's this? A couple of Ryoka?" Kenpachi asked excitedly, looking at the two with a grin, "You are here at the perfect time."
Both of them didn't say a thing. The large guy, Sado, stepped in front of Orihime in an attempt to shield her. He looked ready to fight.
Ikkaku and Yumechika also went in front of their captain, their hands on their sword's hilt. Their eyes narrowed and their muscles tensed up, ready to fight the enemy at a moment's notice.
However...
"Hey, you lot." Zaraki suddenly spoke up, "I remember something."
"Yeah?" Ikkaku asked curiously, not even turning around to face his captain, "What is it?"
"We can use them to find Kurosaki Shirou and his group." He pointed his thumb at Sado, who was confused and wary, "Why don't you two lead us?"
The two humans didn't respond. They only glared at him, not trusting a Shinigami.
"You have to pass through me first." Sado gritted his teeth.
He knew he couldn't defeat these people. The reiatsu coming from them, from that captain especially, was very strong and he couldn't help but feel fear. He couldn't just let Orihime be harmed, however. And his friend was in danger so he would do his task.
Which was to find a safe path for Ichigo to retreat to Shiba house.
Clenching his fist, Sado's right arm transformed. A black armor covered it, extending from his hand to elbow, and a red line went from the wrist to his shoulder. An eye-shaped symbol was etched to his wrist. He lowered his stance and was ready to fight.
"Sado-kun!" Orihime called him, wanting to tell him that fighting was useless, but she knew her friend wouldn't listen to her. He would fight to protect his friend, even though his opponent was stronger than him.
"Step back a little." The giant boy muttered, "You can go ahead if I lose."
"Sado-kun..."
"So you want to be beaten up first?" Zaraki stepped forward, "Then, come. Give me the best punch you can do. But if you don't give me a good punch then I'll beat you up."
Sado gritted his teeth and charged forward. He gathered his power to his right hand, and punched him in the stomach with all he could. A gust of wind blew from the sheer power behind it, creating cracks in the ground.
It was strong enough to break through any barrier, destroying everything on its path. And Zaraki didn't even put up a defense to protect himself. His hand wasn't even on his zanpakutou. The attack hit him straight on.
But...
"Is that all?"
The Captain stood tall without even flinching from the punch. His muscle bulged out a bit, and his shirt ripped a bit from his stomach area.
Sado couldn't believe what was happening, but before he could react, he was hit in the face by his enemy.
Boom!
A loud thud was heard and Sado's body was thrown into a wall. Dust flew down everywhere. His right arm turned back to normal and he looked pretty battered.
"Sado-kun!" Orihime shouted and ran toward him. She crouched and extended her hands, "Sōten Kisshun!"
Shun Shun Rikka flew from her hairclips and created a golden shield. The boy inside it was covered with a glowing barrier as his injury was being treated. She looked worried but didn't allow tears to flow from her eyes.
She had a job to do.
"Damn, Captain is not an opponent you can fight."
Ikkaku sighed and shook his head in pity. He didn't expect his Captain would beat the crap out of the giant boy in an instant. It was a disappointment. He looked at his Captain, who stood there, still grinning.
"I told him to give me a good punch." Kenpachi sighed, looking bored, "Why can't they ever do what I told them to?"
At that moment, the sound of footsteps could be heard followed by a gruff voice.
"Kenpachi Zaraki, good job at handling the Ryoka. Leave them to us."
The Shinigami turned their heads, finding 4 people walking toward them.
Two Captains alongside their Lieutenant appeared before them. A man larger than Zaraki himself, wearing a helmet made from bamboo was the one who talked earlier. He was Komamura Sajin, the Captain of the Seventh Division. He looked calm and collected.
Beside him was a blind Captain, Tosen Kaname of the Ninth Division. He didn't say a word, but he was looking at the area around him. His face scrunched up slightly as if he could sense everything in the vicinity.
Behind the Captain, Iba Tetsuzaemon and Hisagi Shuuhei stood with their swords unsheathed. Their expression was serious, the former looked at Ikkaku and Yumechika with a complicated gaze.
"What do you mean by that, huh? Are you telling us to step back?" Zaraki growled and glared at Komamura, his grin was replaced with anger and annoyance. He wasn't happy that the fun he was about to have got interrupted by someone. "These guys will take me to Kurosaki Shirou. Don't you dare interfere."
"They are Ryoka that need to be caught." Komamura stated in a hard voice.
"Then what?" Zaraki narrowed his eyes, "Are you gonna fight me, you damn mutt?"
Tension grew between them as reiatsu was released, blowing dust everywhere. Ikkaku, Yumechika, Iba, and Shuuhei stepped back a few steps, giving them room to move.
When meeting Zaraki who wanted to fight, confrontation couldn't be avoided. They had to clash or run, and the latter choice wasn't an option in this kind of situation.
Orihime looked at them warily, scared for the worst.
"Captain, leave these little guys to us." Ikkaku suggested as he looked at Iba and Hisagi. His hand was already gripping the sword on his waist, "They're asking to be beaten up. We'll take them down in your stead."
"You guys can handle these guys." Zaraki grinned and looked back at Komamura and Tosen, "These two are my opponents."
The two captains didn't make any move to attack Zaraki. Instead, they looked at each other and turned their heads at him.
And the Lieutenant moved as if they had agreed on something. They moved away from the hallway to their respective battlefield.
Yachiru jumped down from Zaraki's back and trotted toward Orihime.
"Hey, it's dangerous here. Let me help move your friend and your healing thing to somewhere safer." The Lieutenant smiled, not threatening at all. "I am Kusajishi Yachiru, what's your name?"
Orihime couldn't help but feel relieved when seeing Yachiru being friendly. Her eyes brightened and she introduced herself, "I am Orihime. Inoue Orihime."
"That's a good name." She giggled, "Nice to meet you, Orihime!"
After introducing themselves, Orihime decided to trust the pink-haired girl and deactivated her ability, allowing Yachiru to pick the unconscious Sado and put him on her shoulder.
Surprised by her strength, Orihime asked her how she could carry such a big guy. She was told that Yachiru had been training to become strong and she could defeat anyone with a single punch, which she didn't believe at all.
When both of them were at a safe distance, Zaraki unsheathed his sword and released his reiatsu. The zanpakutou was ready in his hand. His grin widened as he taunted the two captains in front of him.
"C'mon. Fight me."
Tosen shook his head in disappointment.
"You've strayed from justice." He muttered and raised his hand, "Wane, Suzumushi."
The sound of a cicada was heard and his sword glowed. In a flash of light, his zanpakutou transformed.
Zaraki immediately rushed to Tosen and swung his sword.
Crash! Bang!
The clash began between the Captains.
***Chapter End***
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