Morning Prince Exiled

This article, , is a side-story entry set during Renascence Beginning and serves as the immediate sequel to Clash of Twins? The Lord of Chaos Rules. Akira Hiroshi and Ashido Kanō serve as the main characters.

Akira fell from his open with a heavy thud! In addition to the pain blossoming in his stomach he felt no small amount of discomfort in his left shoulder. Whilst his destination had been planned -- he was lying on the floor of the in  -- his descent had not. He had intended to drop out on the floor but instead ended up falling from the ceiling to the floor.

"Yeah... that's gonna bruise."

Only when he heard his voice aloud did he realise that his Hollow mask was still donned. With mere conscious thought the white mask with a lightning bolt passing through the right-eye vanished, and just like that he felt his pain increase. Though the pain in his heart outweighed any physical injury.

"Hotaru doesn't have a clue." He thought sadly. "He's my brother... my twin... but I'll have to face him again."

The only sickening part of that thought? Akira knew full-well that if he and Hotaru ever met again then it would likely result in one of them dying.

He struggled to his feet and inspected his surroundings.

"Wow, it took you lot absolutely no time at all, did it?"

He was, of course, addressing the various Hollow currently encircling his position. Yellow eyes shone out at him from behind skeletal trees and he could see several muscled shapes, like predators stalking injured prey, moving in the shadows.

He briefly tested his left-arm and winced immediately.

"How the hell did he ever survive here for so long?"

Ashido's day began much like how his last had started: he fought and cleansed, rested when he was tired, and then went right back to cleansing Hollow when he had sufficiently recuperated. This cycle had repeated itself unabated for centuries -- the only distraction Ashido had had in that time was when passed through the Forest with her friends.

How different would things now be if he had successfully fled the Forest with them? Not for the first time he caught himself thinking just that...

''Ashido was turned out like a new pin -- gone where the days when his outfit was scuffed and torn. His feet where nestled comfortably in white tabi, and the Zanpakutō hanging from his waist was un-chipped. Although he -- and the Soul Society -- was at peace he hadn't quite gotten out of the habit of carrying the weapon around with him. Everywhere he went however he was the subject of intense interest. How could he not be? He had survived for centuries in Hueco Mundo, alone, and completely cut-off. He still was't sure how to deal with being in the lime-light like this, but the fact his oft-serious expression was beginning to give way to an easy smile was indicative of his shifting mood.''

He shook his head to dispel the fantasy. He did not regret his choice to cover their retreat -- his sacrifice had allowed Rukia and the others to escape and, he hoped, rescue their friend. Besides he still had his own promise to keep to his own fallen friends. His place was here.

And so his crusade continued.

But today had more in store for him than Ashido initially suspected. It was brief -- had he not been so used to sensing Hollow reiatsu he would likely have missed it -- but Ashido sensed something new. Something was the best he could manage at the moment because he could have sworn the Hollow signature he detected was mixed in with that of a Shinigami.

He looked northward. The swish of Shunpo barely audible, the blur of brown fur gone just as quickly.

Akira slid backwards and leapt high into the sky! He swiped his Zanpakutō down through the mask of a pterodactyl-like Hollow before the swish of Shunpo indicated that he had once again changed location. His movement took him towards the back of a gorilla-like Hollows head, and the upper portion of its skull and mask departed the rest of its body as Akira struck.

He landed lightly upon the ground and pinpointed the next of his targets.

"Okay, that's two more. When will these guys get the message!?"

He saw a Hollow slither up to him too late. Its tail impacted his left arm and pain overloaded the rest of Akira's senses. He failed to slow his trajectory and slammed hard against a thick tree with the air thoroughly knocked from his lungs! Through vision beginning to blur he saw several Hollow approach him all at once.

He braced himself! But the attack he was expecting never came. Instead all he heard was guttural roars and the barely audible sound of a sword being sheathed.

"Can you stand?"

"Ashido!! Yes, I can!"

The man's usually serious expression revealed surprise for but a moment before his stoic nature reasserted itself.

"Follow me."

Akira did as he was told. In truth this was what he had been hoping for -- so far this new world he and Hotaru had been sent to had been similar in many respects to their native world. Whilst some events where notably different Akira could barely contain his joy at having found Ashido alive. In Akira's own world the man before him had taught him and countless youths how to fight after having escaped from the Forest.

Where better could Akira hide and bide his time?

End.