Tower of Night: Disaster Strikes

This article, , is part of the Bleach: Tower of Night story-line and follows Kenji Hiroshi as the POV character. It also marks the point of convergence with the author's main Bleach time-line on the sister wiki, specifically with the appearance of that time-line's main character.

“When did we get a dog?” Yuri asked.

He walked in through the front door soaked to the bone. Kugi and Indra followed suit and they too where soaked through completely. Indra looked thoroughly annoyed, Kugi showed as much emotion as a stone (which wasn't any different from usual) and Yuri looked positively drained. Their Shinigami garb was clinging to their limbs like weights.

“A what?” Kugi asked, looking around.

“Hey!” Indra exclaimed. “Is that a Gwyllgi?”

Lying atop the living room sofa was a large mastiff-like dog with a brown head, a black mask, brown paws and a predominately black coat with a silvery sheen throughout. Its eyes shone like dual torches but unlike average dogs these ones showed clear intelligence. This was no normal hound.

“Ugh... what's a Gwyllgi?” Yuri asked.

“Your knowledge of the races are deplorable.” Kugi snapped. “A Gwyllgi is a spiritual dog. They dislike Hollow as much as we Shinigami, but that is where the similarities end. The type you see before us, Yuri, is a Inpuryoken; a lover of mischief and a portent of death. What is it doing here?”

The last was directed solely towards Maya and Naoko, the latter of which began fidgeting awkwardly under her former instructors heavy stare. The stare, however, was redirected towards the Gwyllgi who was staring solely at Kugi. Maya, to her credit, never batted an eyelid even before Kugi looked elsewhere. She was ever the embodiment of calmness and stability.

“I can speak for myself.” It said.

“That voice!” Kugi exclaimed.

“Impossible!” Indra added. “It's a little different... but is that you Kenji?”

“Yeah, it is. And before you jump down Maya or Naoko's throat, Kugi, know that they knew nothing about this.”

“... The Central 46 will know of this. Mark my words!”

With that Kugi turned on his heel and left, slamming the door firmly behind him. He even managed to rattle the door in its frame. Indra and Yuri responded very differently. Indra connected the dots and finally realized how Kenji disappeared so quickly from the barracks whilst Yuri came to the conclusion that the large black dog sighted around the barracks was in fact Kenji himself. He was standing with his mouth hanging open.

“I believe I upset him.” Kenji said, with a wolfish grin.

“I take it this is how we're going to track the Hollow?” Indra asked. Maya nodded.

“I don't think I'll be able to disrupt the Tower's energy field.” Naoko revealed, sounding saddened. “This is really our only chance of tracking down any Hollow close to the Tower.”

“Kenji can explain the plan.” Maya interjected. “I have to talk to Kugi.”

“So, here's the plan. I'll handle the Hollow closest to the Tower.” Kenji added, leaping down from the sofa. He even rolled his eyes. “I'll be covering Naoko as she conducts further research, whilst everyone else patrols beyond the scope of the Tower's range. Kugi will be on stand-by to help whoever needs it most. That's it folks; we leave within the hour.”

“... It's too quiet.” Kenji whispered beneath his breathe.

Naoko was busy inspecting the Tower whilst the others where in and around the perimeter of the Tower's energy field. They had already dispatched a number of Hollow but so far Kenji hadn't had any luck. He smelled the Hollow the others had battled but so far none had appeared within the Tower's energy field. He had to admit that it was a little unnerving.

“This is so strange.” Naoko mumbled.

She did that when she worked. Maybe she thought he couldn't hear? He did have dog-like senses in this form after all. He chuckled as best he could in his Gwyllgi guise.

“... Is that a pulse? No... Wait. Could it be? Yes, it is. Oh my God!” She finally turned away to look at Kenji. “This Tower is alive.”

Kenji's worst fears where at that moment realized. Multiple Hollow seemingly phased through the Tower's outer walls and in mere seconds their numbers where beyond counting! He couldn't even hope to discern all the directions they took through their scent; there where just too many smells mingling together suddenly that he couldn't sieve through them all.

“... This is impossible...!” Naoko exclaimed.

Kenji did his best to derail them by projecting numerous illusions but all he did was slow them at best. It wasn't until Kugi intervened that they began to make progress. The instructor cut a bloody swath through the ever-increasing Hollow numbers but even he was soon surrounded and brought low through sheer numbers! He fell into the river and numerous Hollow dived in after him.

“No!”

Naoko dove down after him shooting streams of what Kenji could only guess was a form of Kido. He wasn't the best at the art; in fact the only spell he could perform at all was Byakurai. Any other detonated in his face. Instead Kenji circled in the sky and prevented anything else diving after Naoko and Kugi. His Gwyllgi form was speedier than his normal state and Kenji brought that speed to bear in a brutal fashion. He pounced on a Hollow's chest and sank his teeth into its mask before then burying them in its throat! His muzzle came away bloodied but Kenji was already moving to rip the throat out of another. He rinsed and repeated until he was fighting on the surface of the River Thames itself; having been forced to back-up.

“What happened!?” Yuri asked from above.

“The Tower is alive!” Kenji roared.

“Get out of there!” Indra shouted down from the heavens.

“Can't!” Kenji replied. “Kugi's sinking; Naoko went after him. If I move they're both dead!”

Maya and Indra appeared beside Kenji just then. Indra grasped Kenji by the skin on the back of his neck, spun, and then released! The result was that Kenji was sent hurtling through the water like a rocket. He soon caught up with Naoko who had successfully caught up with and was carrying Kugi, but she herself was barely holding off the Hollow who had followed the duo. Combine the numbers with the fact she was running short on air and you quickly realized she wasn't going to last. Kenji wasted no further time. He pounced on one Hollow and pushed it clean into another Hollow via his momentum, before then pushing off those to attack a third above him. He sunk his teeth into its shoulder and Naoko used the diversion to surface with Kugi. Maya and Yuri accepted him and Yuri flash-stepped him clear of the river and the battlefield.

“We need to fall back!” Indra roared.

“You heard him.” Maya agreed. “Retreat and regroup away from the Tower!”

“What about- oof!” Naoko was cut off halfway through her sentence.

The surface of the river was impacted by a scarlet Cero. Maya looked up in horror as a Menos Grande literally stepped out of the Tower's wall, and her vision soon scanned Naoko. She was sinking faster than a stone.

“GET AWAY!” Maya screamed.

Kenji, unhearing underwater, finished the final Hollow by tearing through its mask with his right paw, at which point he saw the Menos through the water. He then glimpsed Naoko falling down through the currents. He swam towards her, bit into her kosode and pulled her to the surface. He positioned himself below her so she rested on his back, but he ended up having to dive again when the fabric gave way and Kenji ripped the shirt literally off her back.

“Balls! I'll cover our escape. GO!”

Kenji threw up a series of illusions that strained his abilities to their limit. He showed the Hollow not only an image of him and his party rising to challenge the Menos, but also controlled their sense of smell and hearing to lend the illusion created a greater sense of realism. The result was immediate: instead of attacking the real ones the Hollow circled around to strike the illusions. By the time they realized what was going on Kenji had returned to his normal form – as naked as the day he was born – and dove again to retrieve Naoko. By the time he reached the others he was heaving for air.

“That was a fucking disaster!” Indra shouted.

“Don't look now.” Kenji whispered, tracing the outline of a large winged Hollow with his finger. “We aren't outta the woods- GET DOWN!”

A bolt of lightning struck the flying Hollow and with a roar and a shriek it was no more. The other Hollow surrounding it – still beyond counting – where likewise dealt a swift death by bolts of lightning from the heavens.

“Look! Up there!” Yuri exclaimed, pointing skywards.

“Illuminate the Far Heavens... Raijin!”

The speaker was Kenji's double only with more maturity. He had a spot of grey throughout his black hair, his nose was small and flat and didn't appear to have been broken before, and he was muscular. His clothing consisted of a sleeveless black kosode and black hakama and drifting through the air was a white haori which had been discarded prior to the storm. This man moved amongst the Hollow with a lightning-charged body and two blades and everywhere he stepped the blood flowed like water! His speed was excessive. He was moving so swiftly that he appeared to be in multiple places at once. What surprised Kenji even more was the fact he kept up that destructive pace for an hour and a half and when the Tower vanished and the Hollow ceased appearing from it, he didn't even appear to be winded.

“Thank you very much.” Maya said, bowing her head.

“No worries.”

The stranger disappeared to retrieve his haori and when he reappeared it was again draping his shoulders. Up close he was Kenji looking at you. His facial features where simply matured. He was the same height as Kenji himself and bore the same exact eyes and hair. The only difference was spiritual power. Whilst Kenji's felt depressing this man's was warm and kind, almost as if he wouldn't harm a fly with it unless provoked.

He started laughing.

“Ain't this a kick in the ass!” He exclaimed. “I cross the path to seal the Tower on this side and I meet my younger self. I don't even wanna guess the odds of that.” He then looked straight at Kenji. “I'm Kenji, and so are you. I'm you from a different world, kid.”

The hell!?