Looking Ahead

This article, , is the final chapter of the Impostor arc, which sets the full scene for Itazura Kori's adventures in Heisekai.

‘How does this help us?’ Akiye asked.

He’d yet to break this particular habit. For as long as he could remember he’d always left his plans so that only he (or maybe Kusaka) could hope to see their true depths. The truth was he’d made up his mind the minute he’d seen the state his impostor had left Shinrei. That sight had lent him all the fury he’d need to follow through with this plan.

‘Right,’ Kenji started, ‘the plan is simple: I’m going to kill my impostor.’

‘I would never have guessed!’ Akiye remarked sarcastically.

‘Then why ask?’ Kenji shot back with a grin. ‘Regardless, this bastard is after me. So I’m going to give him what he wants.’

When he felt Van’s forehead earlier and when he hugged Shinrei he had delved both. From them he had extracted the spiritual power of his impostor, which he now used as a tracer. Akiye watched her mentor vanish, reappear and subsequently vanish for close to one hour before Kenji returned with a flash of lightning to herald his coming! At his side was Kentaro, whose mouth was as wide open as Akiye’s own.

‘I just visited the Soul Society, Heisekai and Kōhai Tochi.’ Kenji divulged.

Akiye merely looked at him as if he’d sprouted six heads and a pair of wings for by! She then looked to Kentaro who nodded at her, his own disbelief clear to see. Three realms in the space of an hour!? It was unbelievable! Yet Kenji didn’t boast once. He’d performed a feat few others would be capable of, yet here he stood scratching his growing stubble as though the feat he’d just performed was something an ordinary person could perform!

‘You look surprised.’ He noted with a wide grin. ‘I might show you how to do that later.’

‘He just dropped from the bloody sky!’ Kentaro finally found his voice. ‘He appeared, caught me, turned and then kicked a crime lord flush between the legs! I never heard a man in Kōhai Tochi sing like it.’

‘You make me sound like a tyrant.’ Kenji jibed. ‘So I booted one man in the balls? So what?’

Kentaro’s shoulders slumped. ‘You killed his entire entourage!’ The young Hiroshi cried. ‘I’d been setting that up since I went to that accursed realm, and in two minutes, you undid my whole plan!’

Akiye separated them and then rapped both on the head for good measure. ‘Did you get the information, Kentaro?’

Kenji’s eldest was the subject of a head-lock courtesy of his old man when Akiye posed her question. Even with that Kentaro responded that he had the information, but would have gotten more had it not been for his old man appearing out of nowhere. Kenji constricted his neck tighter, saying he was going to make his head pop. Akiye became intangible and forced herself between them, where she suddenly became tangible again. Kenji backed away with a fool grin and Kentaro regarded his father with one just as fool.

‘Okay, let’s be serious then. The Quincy my father’s impostor is working with are called the Engelhaft Gewitter. My contacts also claim that they’re quite powerful and organized.’

Kenji harrumphed loudly. ‘If they want a war then I’ll give them one. I remember the Vandenreich Invasion.’

He had been there. It was the only time during his two-hundred-fifty year adventure around the Human World that he’d returned to the Seireitei. When he’d done so he returned to the news that Byakuya Kuchiki was close to death, Zaraki was in a coma and Head-Captain Yamamoto had been killed. He’d trained with Byakuya as a younger man and fought below Zaraki prior to leaving the Soul Society, and in his anger, he’d systematically hunted down and killed anyone he discovered to have had a connection with the Quincy in the following years; even when the Quincy Blood War was over. Looking back… it wasn’t one of his proudest moments, but he was bloody sure he wasn’t going to let another group of insane Quincy gain significant power.

‘You fought in that war?’ Kentaro asked.

Kenji nodded. ‘I guess I never told you about that then? I lost a lot of old friends, son. You only think I don’t like people with Visored powers? I hate Quincy more.’

‘I’d like to hear your war stories,’ Akiye cut in, ‘but not here. What else did you find out, Kentaro?’

‘When realm leaper here dropped us off in the Soul Society, I visited Yukimura while he spoke to Tadashi. Apparently, Lieutenant Kuchiki had his Bankai stolen, and he’s determined to get it back. I then did some snooping in Heisekai: things don’t look good over there. But that’s where the Quincy who stole Ryan’s Bankai is, along with my old mans impostor.’

‘I want you two to go to Heisekai for me. Hawke and David should be there by now, and Itazura’s planning something too.’ Kenji said, suddenly all seriousness. ‘I’m going back to Horiwari. I have some music to face, and this matter with the Quincy can't wait.’ The “realm leaper” then disappeared, leaving Akiye and Kentaro alone in the skies of the Human World.

‘He could have dropped us off at least.’ Kentaro complained.

‘Kenji would see that as being too easy.’ Akiye replied. ‘Come on, let’s get our gear together. We should probably send work to Lieutenant Kuchiki as well.’

‘Soon we’ll have in our hands.’

Takahara would like to believe that. He really would. But he couldn’t help but doubt his subordinate’s words. They’d been trying to capture or silence Itazura Kori since his arrival in Heisekai, though any success was minor. The young Kori clansman was taking no prisoners. Every person they’d sent after him had met the same gruesome end.

‘No.’ Takahara urged. ‘We need to change our plans. Capturing him through force has not worked.’

‘What do you suggest, my lord?’

He always thought his father a pompous ass for having his subordinates address him with that title. But now that it was he who was being addressed in that way? He had to admit that it felt good. Ever since taking control of his father’s criminal assets, he’d also come to understand his departed father all the more. Maybe that was why he was beginning to change so much?

‘Contact our mutual friend amongst Itazura’s camp,’ Takahara said with a grin.

‘Is that wise?’ Zenshin inquired. ‘His information has been very valuable.’

‘It wasn’t wise sending men to take him by force.’ Takahara countered. ‘No. Besides, I like the idea of a golden statue adorning my hall.’ He waved the messenger away.

‘What will we do with the Princess?’ Zenshin asked.

‘Keep her location a secret. It mustn’t be discovered that the “Princess” who sits beside her Majesty right now is nothing more than a decoy.’

Itazura pulled his Zanpakutō free of his enemy’s body and slashed it through the air to clean it of the day’s blood.

‘What now?’ Yori asked him.

‘They’ve found us again!’ Naoko said in disbelief.

‘Then we kill them all again.’ Hoshi added.

Itazura regarded his three young allies. The people he had arrived with had long ago been scattered to the four winds. It was safer for them to operate independent of one another in small groups. Right now they where spread across the five islands in five groups. Itazura, with his three young allies, had taken Knot Island where the capital city was situated. Yuri and Estelle had taken Boon Island, which was the center of medical technology. Chrono Island was where Fox and Hei had gone, as they where nobility already, and could thus mix with the crowd better. Fortune Island was the smallest though it possessed the warmest climate, which was where Tedasuke and Indra had gone. The final of the islands – Quest Island – was taken by Kyo and Kazeshini as the Jōren called it home.

‘No.’ Itazura said. He took his allies together and looked each in the eye. ‘We kill only when it serves our ends.’ This battle had been necessary. ‘Otherwise, we’re no better than those who hunt us.’

‘What do we do now then?’ Naoko asked.

‘We need to find Kain.’ Yori supplied.

‘That’s right.’ Itazura confirmed. ‘But it isn’t as simple as just finding him. Our enemies are obviously watching him too. No… we need to go one better.’ And he knew just who to go to.

‘You have a plan then?’ Hoshi asked.

‘Of course,’ he replied grinning. ‘We’re going to the Royal Palace.’

Impostor arc end.

For the next arc chronologically, please see the Restoration arc page.