Learning the Trade

He wished he could say he hated the way things had turned out. But it would’ve been a lie of the biggest calibre. Two years now Itazura had kept to Shin and his arrangement. And he had to agree with what his uncle had said afterwards. He got on with people more, though there was the odd occasion where he regressed to his old ways and gave someone who needed it a good old fashioned beat down. When he admitted that to his uncle the old goat just laughed! Said it was healthy to vent steam every now and then. Apparently someone forget the merits of their own advice. Not that it mattered much. Not now anyway.

It was a miserable day. Rain fell in diagonal sheets and the wind that blew was cold and crisp. It cut through his black kosode and hakama like a hot knife through butter and left him thoroughly soaked through. Even his bones felt cold! His silver hair was as equally soaked as his clothing and hung about his face like a mop. His companions consisted of Yuri Hiroshi and Heiwajima Taira, and both were as sodden as he was. Even Hei, who rarely complained about anything, was complaining today.

‘Okay, guys, let’s get this done and dusted, eh?’ Yuri spoke up. ‘I much prefer a fireplace over rain. The sooner we dispatch these Hollow the sooner I can get back to it.’

Itazura had no argument with that. It was bad luck that saw them assigned this mission in the first place, just like it was bad luck that turned a day where the sun had been splitting the stones into one where rain fell, thunder roared, and lightning threatened.

‘For once I support you wholeheartedly,’ Hei remarked. ‘The report stated Eastern Rukongai, correct?’

‘Yeah man,’ Itazura replied. The word had come in through the phone, ‘two miles away.’ He clarified with the others.

The eleventh division wasn’t usually tasked with patrolling the Rukongai, but they’d been the only Shinigami in the area when the report came in. Two years now he’d been a member of the eleventh, and only on three occasions had he been given assignments like this one. So they got saddled with the assignment of dealing with a Hollow that employed hypnosis, illusionary attacks, and simple cunning. Apparently this particular Hollow had evaded capture for close to twenty years now. Its form was that of a large feral wolf, though it could freely change its form to mimic parts of the environment. Not an enemy Itazura looked forward to facing. He much preferred the type he could see clearly, and fight normally.

‘Stay focused,’ Hei advised. ‘A Hollow doesn’t live for twenty years without being smarter than the average.’

‘Or stronger,’ Yuri added.

Itazura merely touched down and took several sideway glances around his position. They were on an open plain a short distance from a small settlement in the eastern area of Rukongai. If they kept walking much more he feared east would become west and they’d attack this mysterious Hollow from the side. Ha. If only! The report concluded that the Hollow was using hypnotic suggestion to claim its victims, while its illusionary powers gave a greater sense of realism. Once both were employed resistance was difficult.

‘According to the report I got phoned through, this thing has killed no less than twenty-seven Shinigami in its twenty years.’ Itazura revealed. ‘Let’s not give it the chance to make us three the thirtieth.’

Their search was fruitless. No matter where they looked or how they searched, there wasn’t any sign of the Hollow to be had. No spiritual signature, no trail to follow, or even a stench. It was as if it had completely masked its trail… or maybe they had already been caught in the snare? The report hadn’t specified what kind of illusionary combat the beast specialized in. It could be geared towards a single sense, like sight, or all five. Without knowing how the illusions worked the three prospective hunters’ didn’t really have much to go on at present. But it was clear that something was amiss.

‘Hei, do you feel that?’ Itazura asked.

‘Yes. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.’

‘Is it this Hollow?’ Hei had always had a keen sense for things. Itazura had learned to trust to his gut.

‘No it’s something elsewhere… elusive.’

‘Are we trapped?’ Yuri asked as he paced. He was in deep thought. The finger he pressed to his lip betrayed the fact.

‘I don’t feel anything wrong, at least not here.’ Hei answered.

Itazura wished he could say the same. He had a feeling he hadn’t felt since his days in Heisekai. Then he’d wandered Fortune Island seeking out information regarding the now dead Yoshinari Yasuhiro. All the while he felt like there had been crosshairs on his back, the owner awaiting a single mishap. The same feeling plagued him now. He moved closer to Heiwajima and Yuri as a precaution, hand on the hilt of his zanpakutō. He’d feel more at ease had he a Seele Schneider in-hand.

‘I don’t get it,’ Yuri said. ‘I mean, here we are, alone and without aid; the only Shinigami in the area. You’d think our Hollow would know that.’

‘Maybe it is just being cautious? You do not life long being brash and foolhardy.’ That was Hei to a tee. He was always in control and always gave good suggestions. Even if they where obvious.

‘… No…’ Itazura whispered more to himself than anyone else. The feeling was back stronger than ever and goose-bumps where rising on his arms. His neck hairs prickled and he began to tingle. ‘Yuri, get down!’ He tackled his friend to the floor quickly enough to avoid three bone-like blades surrounded by barbs! The second volley Hei repelled with a timely slash, while Yuri himself deflected the third with a Kidō barrier.

A tut tut sound could be heard. ‘I do dislike Shinigami who make things difficult for me.’ A white-as-snow wolf with many long tails walked towards them seemingly from a tear in the air itself. ‘And it’s such a shame, too. I really am very hungry, you see.’

‘Go bugger yourself, Wolf.’ Itazura told it.

‘Ugh,’ it replied. ‘I do hate impetuous youths. Oh well, no matter. You all taste the same.’

The three Shinigami made ready for an attack and even when time began to pass by they kept their guard up. Finally a mirror image of each appeared, blades ready, faces blank. There weren’t any features! No eyes, no mouth. Not even a nose. They where like body doubles without a face. Itazura met his faceless counterpart and parried his sword to the left before following up with a shallow cut across the chest. Pain blossomed in his own chest. Looking down he seen the same injury reflected on himself.

‘Don’t cut them!’ He roared to the others. ‘Any injury is reflected on you!’

‘Bind them,’ Yuri advised. But when he done so via long chains wreathed in golden light he too was held firmly in place. ‘I can’t cancel the spell!’

Hei was on the back foot also. His counterpart had purposefully cut its own leg in order to hamper Hei, who was now defending for his life. Forsaking his own adversary Itazura moved to his friend’s aid, where he intercepted what would have been an injuring blow. Hei in turn blocked the slash from Itazura’s counterpart, which would have opened Itazura’s ribcage!

‘Got any ideas?’ Itazura asked as he struggled against the Hei look-alike.

‘Yeah, but I’ll need you to hold them off.’

‘Do what you need to!’ From his inside pocket he procured his Seele Schneider. With both blades in-hand Itazura met both his attackers and gave both a good showing. They were too busy battling him to pay any heed to what Hei was doing. They didn’t even have time to injure themselves to thus injure Itazura.

Hei released his zanpakutō with a whisper, which changed into the shape of a sword with a a crescent-shaped hole halfway up its length, designed for decapitation. Hei’s counterpart disappeared suddenly, where Hei began to smile deviously. ‘They are simply pieces of us. Zura, pierce him, and then perform the ultimate taboo. Trust me.’

Not that Itazura needed convincing. He liked breaking rules. He parried with his Seele Schneider and followed up with a piercing strike through his target! He felt the pain blossom in his chest again, but he began to channel his spiritual power through the tip of his blade as though he meant to transfer his powers to his counterpart. Thankfully Hei had been right and the counterpart faded away into obscurity, never to be seen again.

‘Now, it’s time we got rid of this,’ taking a deep breathe Itazura sheathed his zanpakutō in iridescent silver light which he finally loosed into the heavens! The illusion shattered, revealing the wolf Hollow stalking towards them. In a fluid motion Hei cut it deeply through the shoulder, while Yuri cast another spell which shot a bolt of lightning through its hind leg!

‘I do hate cocky bastards,’ Itazura remarked before hefting his sealed zanpakutō. ‘Rei… Furashuu!’ The wolf disappeared with a howl as the silver veil of energy engulfed it wholly. ‘Shall we report back?’

Now free Yuri nodded his agreement. ‘I’ll phone in the verdict,’

The three where treated to praise when they returned, though all that praise meant little to Itazura. The only man he turned to when he returned to the eleventh division barracks with Hei and Yuri was his father, Tadashi Kori, and the captain of his division.

‘Mission accomplished, sir,’ he bowed his head respectfully. He’d learned a long time ago that he was to treat his father as his captain at the squad station, and only as his father whilst at home.

‘You three did a good job. Rest up, because I’ve got another assignment for you tomorrow. Tedasuke will give you the details.’

And so Itazura and friends settled into their lives amongst the Gotei 13, but deep down Itazura still longed for the adventure he knew he’d find in Heisekai…

Next Story > Fate's Intervening Hand.