Last Quincy: The Estranged Brother

Hawke stood on the outskirts of the small town he and his family called home facing down an Arrancar with mask remnants consisting of three tear-drop shapes hanging from a circlet-like crown. Messy black hair blew in the wind and light green eyes where narrowed on Hawke’s yellow. The folds of the Arrancar’s white coat and trousers blew fitfully in the breeze as his hand went to the hilt of his zanpakutō.

Hawke mimicked the motion and brought his own zanpakutō to bear. There wasn’t any point attacking him in his Human state. He wouldn’t have the strength needed to defeat him, which was why he’d given Meiwaku – his father’s strange meerkat mod-soul – control of his Human body.

‘You will regret revealing yourself to me, brat,’ said the Arrancar.

‘No I won’t,’ Hawke replied with a casual shrug of his broad shoulders.

He started quickly by throwing his sealed zanpakutō like a boomerang which obviously surprised his enemy, for he waited, stunned, until the last possible second. A hasty high-speed movement took him to meet the weapon less Hawke, who calmly caught the killing edge between both his palms and gave a sharp twist! The Arrancar bowled over Hawke’s back, who went fully erect and kicked him squarely in the back with enough strength to crack his hardened skin.

‘You idiot,’ Hawke vaulted through the air and retrieved his zanpakutō from the ground some metres away. ‘Why are you here?’

‘To kill the man who killed my master.’

It was a chore for Hawke not to lose all that remained of his patience. Why couldn’t these assassin bastards leave his father alone!? ‘… So, you’re here after Kusaka Kori, then? Then I’m afraid to inform you that it’ll be you who regretted coming here.’

The Arrancar male got to his feet and shrugged. ‘What’s it to you, brat?’

‘What’s it to me he asks! Listen, you masked freaked. You should really do some research on your targets. You’d find the fabled Slayer of Gods has two sons -- one of whom in standing right in front of you.’

Understanding flashed on the Arrancar’s face, which then slowly began to shake his head. ‘Run along, boy. I have no business with a snot-nosed little stripling. It's your father, Kusaka, I'm after.

Hawke let his anger run loose. ‘... Are you done? Good. 'Cause I'm about fed up listening to idiots like you who can do nothing but yearn for the day you can lick your departed master’s boot again. You run around saying you'll kill my father, as if others haven't tried? Well, you have managed one thing, Arrancar.’ He narrowed his eyes and gave an intimidating scowl.

‘… and what's that?’ He’d pay for that smile of satisfaction.

‘You threatened my father right in-front of me. Inherit, Jitsunogetsu. Now burn this into your memory!’ Spiritual energy emanated from him in waves, which drove the Arrancar to his knees, while his zanpakutō sprouted a crescent-shaped addition halfway up its length. The level of bloodlust Hawke gave off was frightening, and the Arrancar kneeling before him was wide-eyed and fearful. ‘Rei…’ a black pulse formed in the centre of Hawke’s chest, ‘… Furashuu!’ The pulse engulfed the Arrancar completely, whipping him from the face of existence!

Resealing Jitsunogetsu, Hawke turned back towards home. He hadn’t walked more than five minutes however until he stopped all movement suddenly. ‘… That’s David.’ He concluded from the feel of the spiritual signature. But he wasn’t training or the feeling would be a lot calmer; not filled with bloodlust. ‘I’m on my way, bro.’ He was going to take his time going back but all thought of slowness left his mind in an instant. He unleashed Jitsunogetsu once more and proceeded to move through a series of black gateways.

David watched as his birth brother, Ricky Jones, snapped a piece of Hollow bait between his thumb and index finger. Ricky was tall with light blond hair and menacing golden-yellow eyes. He wore a white dress shirt and a pair of dress black trousers. ‘I come bearing gifts, David Kori.’ He made good on his comment by throwing a slim cardboard box bound by a paper seal. ‘The Hollow are simply the test.’

The training complex David and Hawke used so frequently to further their abilities was gradually filling with Hollow, which Ricky was purposefully summoning with his own overbearing spiritual power. David summoned his bow but against such sheer numbers he’d soon be overwhelmed.

‘Now go and die in whichever way seems best to you. Whether it be at the hands of these Hollow, the Shinigami you consort with, or by way of that glove I just gave you; it matters not to me.’ With his piece said Ricky vanished, leaving David alone to face what he could guess was upwards of three-hundred Hollow!

‘Don’t let him distract you, David.’ The voice was feminine, and only when he realized that Kireina had saved him did David break out of his trance.

‘… But that was… He was… Why would he…?’

‘I don’t know, son, but we’ll talk about it later.’ The two turned to regard the approaching Hollow. Kusaka was already amongst them armoured and with sword in-hand. Was it strange he had a look of utter rapture ruling his features? David didn’t think so. David summoned his bow, released his spiritual power in anger, and began firing indiscriminately! All he saw was older brother, Ricky, and all he saw as a result was red. He shot arrows until his hands bled and even then he didn’t cease. He moved and shot, moved and shot, dodged and punched, side-stepped and kicked. It didn’t matter what the Hollow looked like. To David he was hitting his brother.

It was only when they’d punched through close to two-hundred of the encircling Hollow that David noticed that Hawke was with him, stopping any hollow that attempted to attack him in his anger.

‘Not like you to lose your head,’ Hawke jibed. It was exactly like David to lose his head.

‘Wouldn’t dream of it,’ he replied. ‘Thanks, bro.’

‘You know it, Dave,’ Hawke shot back.

‘Bankai,’ Kireina intoned at last. ‘Sashizu no Tenmei,’ she became clothed in a different form of kimono with the addition of several fox-like tails sprouting from her back. ‘Zai,’ an ethereal warrior of epic proportions appeared, which was soon given physical form. Powerful muscles brandished an equally impressive sword, and most of the remaining Hollow was killed by a single slash from the colossal sword! David could barely believe it. He’d never seen his mothers Bankai before. Kusaka weaved his way through the remaining Hollow like a water dancer, his machete-like sword flashing, flashing, flashing.

When the fighting died away David was handed the cardboard box which Kireina had been holding onto. Inside it was a white and silver glove that would cover his entire arm.

‘A Sanrei Glove,’ Kusaka confirmed. ‘Using it a Quincy can increase their powers exponentially, but only when they keep the glove on.’ He began explaining upon David’s look of confusion. ‘I’m not surprised you don’t know what it is. It’s antiqued weaponry. With it, the Quincy can increase their powers, like I said. When they remove it they experience an abrupt increase in their ability to absorb reishi; allowing them to exceed the strength of most Bankai.’

‘… Sounds like what you did to defeat Averian, only different. I’m guessing there’s a downside?’ Hawke asked.

‘A pretty big one,’ Kusaka revealed with an angry tone of voice. He was even scowling. ‘A Quincy who removes the glove enters a state known as the Quincy: Letzt Stil. Or the Quincy Final Form, depending on who you’re talking too. It died out around the time of the Quincy Genocide, and was replaced with the Quincy: Vollständig afterwards.’ He made a pretty good attempt at the pronunciation too. ‘Any Quincy who removes the Sanrei Glove and enters Letzt Stil… loses all their Quincy powers.’

‘Why would that man give something like that to David?’ Kireina asked, worried.

‘That… was Ricky.’ David said at last. ‘He’s my estranged older brother. He disowned me when I was eight, and left home. I didn’t even know if he was alive until now.’

‘… I’m sorry, Dave.’ Hawke said at last.

‘… It’s up to David what he does with it. Keep it, or throw it away. Regardless, it’s your choice.’ Kusaka said finally. ‘When you’re ready to talk, you know where we are. C’mon, Kireina,’

‘He’s right.’ David said when he and Hawke where alone. ‘I’m going to keep it, but I’m not wearing it. I need to do some research on this Final Form, and see whether or not someone who loses their powers to it has a way to restore them again.’

‘A careful plan,’ Hawke agreed. ‘And I’ll give you a hand. Horiwari’s our best bet for intel. There’s a few Quincy with the Ryū Order.’ With their goal set the two brothers gave each other a tight hug before following their parent's example and leaving the battlefield behind.

Next Story > Whiskey in the Jar.