Beasts Within, Initiation

Pilot...
A dark, murky night sky sat above the forests of Soul Society.

A full moon shined brightly in the skies, illuminating the area in a faint, silver hue. Trees brushed gently in sync with a smooth breeze, making a smooth sound of ruffling leaves and branches. A couple of small streams added the sound of rushing water to the already smooth noise, and a few night dwelling birds also gave the area life.

All seemed peaceful....

SIIIIING!!!!!!

A blue streak of light shot out from the trees, silencing the birds as it flew off into another set of trees. Sticking into the side of a large rock, the object was revealed to be a blue...arrow of some sort. It appearead as if though it were trying to hit something...but what?

"What was that!?". A tall, statuesque silhouette, illuminated by the moonlight, stood in a small clearing. John Shinomori, a powerful Shinigami, stood perplexed at to what had happened. He however quickly realized what it was. Its purpose though, was what intrigued him.

Dressed in his familiar white coat, he exclaimed "Who's there!?!". The surroundings became silent, only a faint breeze blew across the ground, and an eerie chill was felt in the air. It was as if the fates were signalling an impending storm.

SIIIING!!!!!

Another arrow shot out from the trees, this time soaked in red liquid that drifted off as it flew through the air. After going into the sky and out of vision, a hulking hollow like creature fell from the trees where the arrow had originated, several holes in it's chest indicating that the arrows had killed it. But who fired the arrows?

" A Quincy, here?", John said in his head. A shocked and confused look encompassed his face, as he examined the familiar reishi arrow from a safe distance. Why here, why now he thought to himself. He knew Quincys never frequent the area, so he was both taken aback and concerned as to the reason, especially knowing of their hatred towards Shinigami. But this arrow sent feelings up his spine, feelings he never felt before, feelings of fear.

The arrow exuded an energy, one like never he experienced. It was both powerful yet had a sense of impending doom written over it.

"What is it sir!". John was not alone. He came together with his right hand man and trusted friend Yang Shinrei, a Chinese born soul, who was more or less his personal lackey. "Stay close and be on your guard Yang, there is trouble about to happen". John had no idea how true his words were going to be.

Out from the trees, a hooded figure with a white robe and the standard Quincy attire appeared, a cross shaped spirit bow in his right hand as his hidden expression looked up at the two Soul Reapers. "Shinigami...I would advise that you both leave this place, for this is Quincy business." he said in a serene, and somewhat lowly menacing tone.

Due to his natural and own personal hatred towards them, John was furious at this man, a mere peasant in his eyes, talking to him like he is some boy. "Quincy business!!", he proclaimed with a grimace on his face. Teeth grinding, sweat coming out his pores and a tensing of his face, John just wanted to kill this man, just for the mere fact of his presence disgusted him. This was his area to patrol, he was the boss here, and this Quincy was an enemy in his view that John needed to take care of.

"Yes, Quincy buisness." the being replied in the same tone, narrowing his hidden blue eyes at the man. "So please, leave before I am forced to resort to acts that I would prefer not to utilize at this time."

"Destroy, Excalibur!". John's zanpakuto transformed itself into its Shikai state. A simply, yet shiny Gothic designed sword now took its place. At the same time he lunged at his opponent with a quick slash. "You cretin, you think you can beat me!!, Shining Slash!!!", John cried out after his attack. He was overcome with rage and anger by this man, this Quincy.

To this, the Quincy immediately raised his bow and fired off a strong volley of small, and yet incredibly deadly blue arrows from the three circles of the center of the cross shaped bow, intending on overwhelming John's form with such a powerful onslaught, as well as end this fight quickly.

Hopefully, without anyone dying.

John effortlessly brushed the arrows aside. Even though they had precise accuracy, they weren't in his league. With minor bruises he exclaimed, "Is that it, is that the best you got!". Overconfident, and with a cocky grin on his face he continued his attack. His arrogance would eventually lead to his downfall, as he approached his impending demise.

It would appear to be so.

TANG!!!!!

The man's blade slammed against the Quincy's left arm with force equivalent of a sword slamming into steel, however, there was no pain or blood apparent on the impact strike, as if nothing hit him at all. The Quincy's expression did not change as his light blue eyes, lightly concealed by his hood eyeballed the man with a calm menace to his glare. "I will warn you only once more, and then I will kill you. Your intervention here is unneeded and unnecessary, and it will result in your demise should you continue...."

SIIING!!!!!

The Quincy then whipped out a white handle that released a light blue blade of spiritual energy that cut across John's stomach with great cutting force.

John was taken aback by the sheer force of the blade. huge gash now stretched across his stomach. He could feel his life force slowly slipping away. "By the sweat on my brow and the blood of my forefathers, I will not fall to YOU! YOU QUINCY DOG!!!". With the last ounce of his strength, he uttered the words "Bankai" His new form shone brilliantly. His sword now twice in size, look in place with his new knight themed armor. "Hey, Quincy", he barked at his assailant. "You're strong, but I'm stronger. You're gonna die now, I'm gonna go home and f@#k my woman, and no one would remember you even existed" John lifted his sword in the air, as waves of energy began to concentrate at its tip. He was preparing for his ultimate attack, which in more ways than one, fit its purpose as the "ultimate" of final attack.

"I grow tired of your mettling." the Quincy replied, pulling out a medallion with a star shape in the center of it's circular form. "I tried to get you to go away from this place peacefully, and leave me to my work. But you insisted on causing havoc and destruction, with no intention of being reasonable."

His eyes then narrowed. "For this, I shall put you through the most painful thing that a Soul Reaper can possibly feel. The loss of their Bankai..."

The medallion then released a black cloud of energy that surrounded John's form...

Bwoosh...

...and when it cleared, the man's Bankai was gone, the black energy returning to the Quincy's medallion.

"What the....." John had the most perplexed expression on his face. He armor was gone, even his sword returned to its sealed state. He could feel nothing from it. "Excalibur, EXCALIBUR!!!" "What have you done, TELL ME!!", he said to the Quincy. For the first time in this encounter, John was actually petrified. The reality of the situation slowly sunk in. He was powerless. he had no Kido skills, his Hakuda and Hoho skills were average at best, all he had was his magnificent Bankai. But now it was gone, no stolen. With fear in his heart, and desperation in his eyes, he made one final attempt at his enemy. "Why don't you just die!!"

With a raising of his bow....

CHITOOWWW!!!!!

The Quincy sent a larger, more powerful arrow into the man's chest, sending him careening into a rock wall, the same rock wall that his first arrow had struck, and pinned the man to it's large, cold and stale form.

"I am sorry, Soul Reaper." the Quincy said, his bow fading into spiritual dust. He glanced up at the fearful appearing lackey that John had brought with him briefly, before turning away from the two of them, placing the amulet in his pocket. "But your recklessness has cost you this fate. Perhaps, in your reincarnation, you will understand the power that the Quincy hold over your kind..."

Light turned to darkness. The heat from his body slowly dissipated, only to be filled with the cold of death. Rain began to soak his limp body, thunder and lightning filled the air, as if signalling his agonizing defeat. With the shadowy figure turning to walk away and finishing his statement, John realized his mistake and gave the Quincy a surprising smile. With his last breath, sadness in his face he shouted, "My Love, My Queen!!". Then all was silent once more, John Shinomori was dead.

Yang, spared from the onslaught, ran off into the darkness. He eventually made his way to John's queen, his one love, former Captain of the 11th Squad, Fiona Duvalier. "Fiona, where's Fiona!!" "Oye, hold it there shrimp", Emma, Fiona's sister exclaimed to him. "She's in the shower". Yang didn't get the message as he bolted into her quarters. "My lady, he's dead, John is dead". The buxom beauty stood up, soaked and completely naked, she didn't care however, as the news of her lover's death struck her heart, as if a stake was driven with poison through it. "How?". Yang, blushing at the sight of her large breasts, drops of water flowing down her every curve, told her "He was murdered my Lady, murdered by a Quincy"

Knowing of the location, Fiona quickly left for the sight, now with a hoari on, with her sisters Emma and Amara not far behind. There she found the remnants of the night's gruesome dance. Slumped over, almost faded away, John's lifeless corpse was found. She was able to hold him only briefly and shed a tear, before he vanished into nothingness.

The Quincy watched the sight in the distance, atop a large cliff that overlooked the area. Looking at his medallion one more time. The Bankai that this man used against him, or better yet tried to use against him was indeed amazing, in both appearance and levels of power.

"Excalibur...such a paculiar name for a Zanpakuto..." he said to himself quietly. The medallion briefly sparked with black energy, a sign that the Bankai was now totally ensnared.

Having no more interest in the affair, the hooded Quincy turned, and vanished from view.

Two Years Later....
Yamato City sat basking in the warm sun, with a clear blue sky above it's rather large skyline. Several large mountains dotted behind the great city, with a lush forest on it's outskirts. Within it's city limits, cars drove steadily and slowly along it's roads, and people of various expressions and ages walked along it's sidewalks at steady, and at rare points, hasty pases. Some would walk across an intersection when a sign told them to stay where they were, and made it to the other side without harm. Cars would occasionally honk their horns at each other over minor irks of speed limits or of them passing, but otherwise, it seemed to be a normal day for the city.

At least, physically speaking.

"AAAAAAAGH!!!!!!"

Spiritually, however, one little girl was wishing that she was somewhere else.

The young child with short blue hair and brown eyes, along with a pair of glasses and a standard black Soul Reaper kimino was running inside of a rather large park in the center of the city in a comical fashion. Just behind her was a large spider like Hollow that was chasing her at a fast pace.

"COME HERE, LITTLE MORSAL!!!!" the hollow shrieked. "LET ME EAT YOU AND I SWEAR I'LL MAKE IT PAINLESS!! BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!"

"No no no no no no!!!!!!" she yelled aloud comically, picking up the pace with a fast sprint.

''"Oh man!" ''she thought inwardly with a bitter, whiny tone. "What would my big sister think of me if she heard that I was running from a Hollow?! I should be trying to purify it instead of running!!!"

She then looked back at the monster and she remembered...that she had a fear of spiders.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!! Someone help me!!!!!!" she screamed with her arms flailing about comically.

"Why did you have to die". From on top of the balcony, the former Captain Fiona Duvalier remembers her former love. It was her first and only true love, a man that wasn't intimidated by her, and who lover her for her. A simple picture of John's face adorned with a silver frame, was held close to her heart.

Having been thrust into battle at a young age, Fiona never had the time for love. Men always viewed her as strong and independent. But secretly, she wished to settle down with someone, and live her life in peace. From her days as a human in the French Revolution up to her Captain years as a Shinigami, Fiona's only true loves were her sisters, until she met John that is.

A strikingly handsome man, with a boisterous yet honorable personality, John Shinomori quickly made an impact in the 11th Squad. He frequently made glances at the then Captain, which then turned into subtle flirting. Fiona admired his attitude and his courage for approaching him like this. Slowly but surely, she was drawn to him. At first she didn't know what it was, but over time began to realize she was falling in love with him.

Many people were against her relationship, especially those within the Gotei 13, a Captain fraternizing with her subordinate. Nevertheless, they continued their whirlwind romance, and Fiona was close to her dream of peace. However, fate would scar another Duvalier sister, as it seems to do with all of the girls. She always new John would get into trouble, he has in the past, but to be killed in the manner that he did, was never in her dreams. A single tear ran down her cheek, and as she turned to walk back inside, Fiona was alerted to the commotion below.

"A Hollow, that girl........Emma, Amara get ready!!!" Fiona was already in her battle mindset and lept from the balcony into the fray below. ---

Upon seeing the three women land in front of her, Tai stopped and gave a comically fearful face. "Wh-Who are you people?!"

But before they could react further, the massive spider like Hollow leaped over her and in front of the three sisters, standing between them and the girl.

"My my! How marvelous! Three Captain level Soul Reapers, all capable of sating my appetite!!" the beast roared.

"Ugh....I have to waste my time fighting this clown", Emma retorted. "He's kinda scary, but looks funny too" Amara chuckled. Always by their sister Fiona's side, Emma and Fiona were powerful and capable Shinigami in their own right.

A history stretching back together in France, all the way up to now, the Duvalier sisters are inseparable. Emma, was Fiona's right hand as the Lieutenant of the 11th Squad under her sister, while Amara was the squads third seat and only Kido user. Emma was the fighter, the first into battle, and usually the one to do or take the most damage. Amara was hidden from battles however as much as possible due to her fragile mind, but when Fiona and Emma could monitor simultaneously while fighting, she was allowed to. It bothered Amara though that she had all this knowledge, training and skills, but she couldn't use it. She always wants to prove herself to her sisters, rather than just be a burden or treated as a handicap.

"Emma, take Amara back, I can handle this one, make sure the surroundings are safe." Fiona told her sister. Visibly annoyed at another possible chance to to fight with her sister, Amara was led away by Emma back to the house. She obeys her sisters even through her annoyance, because they love her and care for her like no one else, and knows that they are only looking out for her and doing what is best for her. However, she still harbors that longing to ride into battle headstrong like Emma or stand proudly in victory like Fiona.

"Alright you beast, its time you felt the cold steel of my blade!" She brandished her notorious sword in front of the Hollow and uttered the following words, as it if were the creature's epitaph, "Furueru, Zetsubo!!!!"

"Buwahahahahaha! A mere Soul Reaper like you? Defeat me!? Fool!" he roared out, opening his fangs and preparing a rather large cyan colored Cero that would threaten to engulf her when fired.

BOOOM!!!!!!!!!!

"FACE MY ALMIGHTY POWER, WHELP!!!!" he bellowed, as he released the Cero from his mouth, the beam flying towards Fiona's form and threatening to engulf her if appropriate counter measures weren't used on her end.

The huge cero could be seen from far away. "Fiona!!!" Amara exclaimed as she watched from above her balcony. Emma just had a smirk on her face as if saying not to worry.

"Is that the best you got". The striking figure of the former Captain, in her Shinigami attire, stood in the path where the cero had struck. Un-phased and unimpressed, without a scratch, she began to talk to the Hollow creature. " I respect all things even Hollows. I view them as lost creatures, seeking to find some place in a world that doesn't fully understand or want to accept them. But with all things, when you threaten an innocent life, you are not worthy of respect. Only death!."

"Impossible!!!" the creature said aloud in shock and horror at seeing the woman virtually unfazed by his almighty Cero. He had never seen anyone just take the blast outright, without even blocking or dodging, and come out unscathed. "Worthless maggot! You'll be the one who dies this day!"

After finishing his sentance, he jumped at her once more, fangs and claws open and ready to devour her in one fell sweep.

Nothing was left to chance. Wind speed, her enemy's trajectory, her relative position, the location of the girl she intended to save were all calculated in an instant by the talented woman in the black short skirt. Fiona adopted an all too familiar Battojutsu stance. Usually when she does this, for enemies like her Hollow friend, it means the end.

With a swift strike, she unleashed her first attack of her Heaven's Flower style, Heaven's Judgement.

Silence...............

BLUNK!!!!

...and the creature fell before her, severed completely in two from the sword strike. It's massive and bleeding form quickly began to fade into blue spiritons, signaling his purification.

"W-wow!!!!" the girl beamed, standing up from her previously sitting position, standing in an excited manner. "That was awesome! You just cleaved him in two! How did you do that!?"

"Way cool, sis" Amara shouted from the balcony. She was brimming with pride at her sister below. She dreamed to be in a similar stature and position like her some day. "Hmmph, showoff", Emma smarked with a smile. Fiona glanced up at the two with a smile and then turned her attention to the young girl.

She was pleasantly surprised to see the young girl, as it has been a while since she last saw a Shinigami, especially one this young close to where the sisters lived. "Are you alright sweetie?" she asked the frightened yet somewhat relieved young girl.

"Oh yeah! Don't worry about me!" she continued to say happily. "Just a little embarrased that I was the one running from the Hollow and someone purified it for me is all." she said with a sheepish expression, sweatdropping and rubbing the back of her head.

"You're so young for an active Soul Reaper, come in inside and rest, and let me take a look at you and make sure everything's all right." Fiona calmly asked the young girl with a smile. "Maybe you can tell me why you're in this area and how that thing started to chase you" She stretched out her hand for the girl so she could escort her back safely inside.

"Oh, I'm not so sure..." she replied with a hint of embarrassment. "...but I guess there's no harm in it..." she then sighed as she took the older woman's hand to leave for their home.

Fiona took the girl's hand and in flash, she was at her home's front door. As she made her way up, they passed the first floor of the house which was wear a friend of the Duvalier sisters stayed, Yuki. Yuki was a modified soul who was intended to replicate everything of the notorious Yoruichi Shihoin. But the experiment completely backfired, with the exception that she is the spitting image of the person she intended to be. Other than that she is very different in terms of her biology, skills and mannerisms. She and the sisters became friends after Yuki went into hiding from the research division of Soul Society. Yuki was relaxing through all the commotion on her porch, as she usually finds herself doing a lot, when she saw Fiona and the young girl walking by. The girl had a strange similarity about her, resembling a somewhat familiar face. Yuki also saw the same look in the girl's face as she passed by her.

"Say...." Tai said with a curious expression and tone, typically for a young girl like her. "...you look kinda familiar...."

By this time Fiona had already figured out the resemblance of the little girl to her famous elder sister. "Oh no sweetie, she's not who you think she is. She may look like but its not, I'll explain it over some tea". Fiona led the girl upstairs and checked her over making sure she was alright. With some warm tea they both sat down, with the former Captain intent on learning exactly who she was and why was she out there, and most importantly what was she she doing running away from a Hollow like that.

"So...who are you exactly?" the young girl asked as she sipped the tea. "And who is she exactly if she isn't Lady Yoruichi? She looks almost exactly like her!"

Fiona explained to the young girl of her time in Soul Society as Captain of the 11th Squad, along with her sisters. She also went into Yuki's history as a modified soul, much to the girl's amazement. However she didn't go into any details as to why they were here, what Yuki did and anything of the sort. Instead she retorted, "So what's your name little one, and what happened with that Hollow?"

"I'm Tai-Feng. I'm part of the 2nd Division." she said with a slight hint of pride in her voice, before letting it become rather sheepish and embarrased. "The old Captain, Sui-Feng, is my older sister...I wanted to try to purify a Hollow for the first time so I could be like her...but well....you know how it happened....."

"Hmm, Soul Society must be going through tough times to send someone so young out on Hollow duty, especially one so inexperienced" Fiona said with a rather concerned expression on her face. "Yuki, do you know about this?" Yuki was a specialist at gathering information and is usually pretty knowledgeable about various dealings that goes on around her. She hand-signed a message to Fiona stating she was aware of Soul Society gaining a bunch of new members recently, but had no idea they would be going into active duty here in the Human world.

"Tough times?" the girl asked in a curious fashion. "No, we're actually doing just fine, from what I recall. We all have to learn how to slay our first Hollow at some point in time, or else we'll just be sitting around doing stupid paper work! Which would you rather do?"

"You're a feisty little one, like your big sister", Fiona replied with a confident smile. "But you still look like you need some more training, even though he was no match for me, a well trained Shinigami shouldn't have no problem with him" But Fiona was still curious. There hasn't been a Shinigami near the sisters vicinity in quite some time, in fact Soul Society has no idea that they were in that location. Both perplexed and concerned at the matter, she continued to question the young girl and eventually asked, "But why this area, any particular reason?"

"Well, I was told to keep an eye out for any suspiscious activity. They were saying to look out for a guy named Akira or something...." she trailed off into thought, trying to think of who she was to look for.

"Another Shinigami?" Fiona said in her head. Was Soul Society tracking her, or was this just random coincidence. "Emma, Amara, come and keep Tai company, I need to do something downstairs" Fiona was really going to have a conversation with Yuki, who had quietly slipped away earlier back downstairs. "Yuki, you know secrets not even I are to tread, who is this Akira?". Yuki had heard rumblings of a young, hotshot stud Shinigami in a neighboring district, but nowhere close to where they were. Maybe he wandered off nearby or did he have an ulterior motive, Fiona was unsure, but was now on high alert. Her sisters upstairs know their sister well, and realized she went to get information from Yuki. AS she made her way upstairs, the young girl appeared as if she was ready to leave. "Leaving already?"

"Yeah...i'd better get back to the Feng estate before my sister finds out that i'm laying around on the job. But I appreciate your hospitality Fiona-San." she said with a bow and a smile.

"It was nice to meet you too, Tai-chan", as Fiona bowed back in respect and a smile. "Bye sweetie", chimed in Amara, "Later runt", Emma said with her usual smirk. "Tai-chan can I have a word alone with you before you go?" "You're welcome here anytime, but just promise me one thing, you must never tell anyone you met us or where we are for now, as it might lead to a lot of conflict, especially for Yuki, please" she said in begging tone to the young Shinigami.

"Um...sure. I won't tell anyone. I promise!" she said happily as she left the door open and she quickly Flash Stepped from view.

"You know what to do Yuki", beckoning to the hidden Yuki behind her. Fiona and her friend had an innate understanding of one another, just like she has with her sisters, and Yuki knew exactly what she had to do, and was summed up in one question "Who is Akira?". Yuki in her all familiar tight ,one-piece swimsuit like outfit, quickly lept up to the adjacent buildings, and went on the hunt.

At that same time, a young white haired youth could be seen walking down the streets of Yamato city. An easy going expression could be seen on his face, a slight smile and half lidded eyes, hiding his shining blue orbs that were as standoutish as the sky nearly. Wearing a white jacket with a white t shirt, along with blue jeans and white tennis shoes, he appeared to be an everyday average teenager. Some people glanced at his white hair as if it were odd, and some others (girls mainly) found it to be adorable, much to his annoyance since he didn't like being thought of as adorable.

Hands in his coat pockets, and keeping an even pace along with several other bystanders, all seemed normal for the boy....

Concerned for Yuki over this Shinigami and the possibilities of who he was and his purpose, and also for her sisters, Fiona looked up at the setting sun, as the night veil began to lay its shroud over the city. As the stars illuminated the vast sky, she pondered and worried from the balcony about the potential upcoming events, although still maintaing her calm aura to not alert anyone.

"Ah....man..." Akira sighed to himself quietly, not caring if anyone around him heard him speak. "...today's been so boring it's killing me. All i've done is just walk around and talk to myself like an idiot..."

Yuki was an expert tracker and highly skilled in the art of espionage. She knows how to gt what she wants, all the while being a ghost. She had her Hunter's Instinct ability active, and due to her highly advanced smell, she had no problems in picking up a trail on Fiona's mystery Shinigami. She quickly followed the scent, but as to her intentions as what to do when she find him, remains to be seen.

Of course, Akira wasn't all that bright, but he knew when something was up.

"Hmm?" he mused quietly, turning around instinctively to look above the people coming his way and up to the top of the buildings. After looking around for a little bit more, and due to his spiritual awareness not being near as high as he would normally want it to, he could feel nothing. "Huh...must've been the wind er something..." he said to himself, before turning back around and continuing his routine.

Little did the Shinigami know that Yuki was right above him, camouflaged, as well as the fact she doesn't give off any indication of reiatsu, she was completely masked from view. Analyzing his movements, his looks, body language, she made a summary of the young man to report back to Fiona. With a job completed she was about to leave when suddenly.........

WOOSHH!!!

A beam of energy went pass her head. It wasn't meant for her as no one knew she was there.

"Huh?" this time, Akira's focus shot up almost immediately, seeing the dark skinned woman just above him. This motion, as it could only be seen by him, caused several bystanders to look at him in a funny way. Looking around at them and stuttering a few times, he finally got out what he needed to say. "I uh...I gotta go....over there!" he pointed at the alley next to Yuki's building, immediately being obscured from vision as he began climbing a latter up to the building to reach the same level as Yuki.

"Hey!" he said aloud to her, a frustrated and annoyed expression and tone in his figure. "Are you stalking me or something?!"

Her location compromised by the energy beam and now the Shinigami aware of her existence, she was caught between a rock and a hard place. To make matters worse, the attack came from a rampaging Hollow, who had gone berserk nearby. Deal with this guy now or the Hollow. She sprang from where she was perched, and in one attack, destroyed the Hollow. Little did the Shinigami realize, he had been marked with one of Yuki's Kido seals, used for her Phantom Flash technique. In the same instance from when she landed her fatal blow, Yuki was right back in front of the young man. Staring at him with a stern look, she also did him no favor with her figure and choice of outfit, especially the way she was perched close to him.

"Ah!" he yelled comically as he jumped up from the woman's insane speed in getting behind him. Quickly whirling around and raising his fists up as his face was rather red from embarrasment from being so close to one as curvy as Yuki. "What's the big idea?! You trying to smother me to death or something!?"

Her face became a little angrier at the remarks as she eased off from being that close to him, her well endowed assets hitting his face accidentally. She knew how she looked and what she had on, and took the comments in the end as a typical young male attitude. What was more of a concern for her is what to do now, stay or leave with her report, and if she decided to stay to further investigate the young man, how was she to communicate, Yuki couldn't speak!

"Uh...hello??" he asked, holding one fist in the same fighting pose, while using another one to snap his fingers a couple of times. "Are you listening to me? Or do you think you're just some kinda badass who doesn't like speaking to guys like me? Is it my white hair? Go on! Insult it one time and see what happens!"

Yuki had a sort of a lost expression on her face for a moment. She decided to stay a bit to see if she can extract any extra information. With a big sigh, she tried hand signing to the young man.....

"..." Akira's face went blank for several seconds as he watched the woman oddly move her hands around, feeling as if though she were trying to tell him something. But if she wanted to, why couldn't she just say so?

"...What are you doing?" he finally asked with an annoyed face mixed with confusion.

Annoyed with herself, and a little on edge, stemming from the fact that the Shinigami found her out, something which is very hard to do when she's in camouflage, Yuki smacked her head as if she now remembered something. Her arm-guards, while used to enhance her attacks, has a secondary function. Stolen when she escaped the Research Division, her arm-guards had a secondary property of producing seven Kido infused cybernetic sprites. Linked to and controlled by her spiritual essence, each of the colored sprites could perform a different function. One such sprite, code-named "Whisper", had the ability to break codes and translate any language. Yuki activated the device and summoned whisper to speak on her behalf.

In a soft female tone, Whisper simply said "My name is Yuki, what's yours?"

"Uh....." he simply stammered as he didn't honestly know what she was doing, simply hearing a whisper originate from a place he couldn't see. "....name's Akira Amarante...Pleased to meet you....I guess?"

Still annoyed at Akira's earlier comments and concerned at how he might be looking at her now, far less at what he's thinking, made the whole thing even more stranger and awkward for Yuki. Although Whisper's function is a translator/decoder, she never used it before in this manner, because quite frankly she never had to communicate with anyone, past the hand-signing she does with the Duvalier sisters and Amelie. She continued in an attempt to extract further information, from, well at least in her eyes, a rather arrogant young man who should be watching her face instead of the rest of her. "What are you doing here?"......

"Trying to get you to tell me why you're here, duh." he replied in a rather blunt and somewhat of a wise-crack manner, retaining his pose. "Look lady, i'm not sure if you want a date or something, but you're a little old for my tastes, no offense."

"What, you ass..." Yuki opened her mouth to yell at Akira, but realizing no words came out, ended up having a rather embarrassed yet furious expression on her face. She had never met quite a character like him. Her face red, fuming at the mouth, she made one last attempt to communicate with him. She put away her sprite Whisper as it was making matters worse she thought, and with a combination of sign language, grunts and physical touching of Akira, she tried to convey a message of who she was, and why she was here, with the intention of getting a positive reply, so she can take back to Fiona. Well at least she hoped anyways.....

"Dude! Quit touching me!" he suddenly hopped back a few inches away from her hands, his face annoyed as he was clearly losing his patience with the woman. "Okay look, I ain't sure what you got goin', or what you're planning, but i'm not sticking around to find out."

He then began to sidestep towards the door that led to the lower levels of the building, holding his fists up in a fighting pose. "Don't follow me, alright?"

Yuki herself was visibly upset and stormed off back home. When she arrived, she told Fiona of the news and the information she got. Angry, she undressed and went into her bathtub and probably stayed there for hours cooling off. Fiona however was intrigued by Akira, despite the negative remarks made by her friend. She wanted to find out more and made it her mission to do so.

---

"Ma?" Akira stated calmly and bluntly as he arrived at his home, of which was a fairly large and ancient japanese shrine that had been modernized to accomodate current living standards. His mother actually kept the place cleaned up as best as she could, as the building was often a source of tourism for travelers and guests, of which brought the money for them to remain there to live.

"Ma, I'm home." he continued, taking off his shoes and setting them neatly to the side of the door, before taking off his jacket, revealing his plain white t-shirt, and hanging it on a coat rack as he walked to where his mother usually stayed.

"Oh, hello Akira." the calm and soothing voice of his mother, Masane Amarante, spoke out as she could be seen at the end of the hallway, lighting a couple of candles that hung up next to the side of some sliding doors. She was a fairly tall woman, just a few inches above Akira, as she wore a traditional violet kimino with yellow flowers on it's surface. Her short brown hair was tied up to a short pony tail on the upper back of her head, and her closed eyes not looking in his direction. "How has your day been?"

"About the same as usual." the boy sighed, leaning up against the wall a little ways next to her and placing his hands in his jean pockets. "Summer has been so boring, it's almost torture. I'm actually wishing my sophomore year would hurry up and come around for a change."

To this, the blind woman chuckled slightly. "And here I would wager that just when your next year of high school comes, you'll be begging to come back and hold up the shrine with me, hm?

"Yeah, probably." he smirked, before getting off of the wall and walking a little closer to her. "So how has your day been? Did many people come today?"

"Yes, quite a few came, actually." she said with a smile, opening her brown and yet dull eyes at him, showing her blindness as she blew out the fire that she used to light the previous candles. "From their voices, I believe we had over forty visitors today. More than we've had all month."

"Wow." he smiled casually. "You must have really pulled some neat stuff to get that many people in here, huh? Heck, the largest number we had before today was at least twenty."

"Maybe some of these boys find me more attractive than I really am." she said with another giggle as she passed him, in which he began to follow her. "Though, admittidly, some of your old teenage girl friends came here purely to see you, but were kind enough to tour the shrine even after hearing that you weren't here."

"Ah geez..." he facepalmed quietly. "I kinda wish they'd just leave me alone sometimes..."

"Oh? And why is that?" she asked him without looking as she set her candle lighter on a table next to the main living room. "If you ask me, a good female compatriot would do you some real good, get rid of all of that boredom."

"Yeah, it would, but you see...i'm kind of a one man show honestly." he said in a little bit of an arrogant voice. "And I can't stand to hurt a girl's feelings. If I choose one girl, the others would get upset. You know how it is, I try to please everyone."

This time, Masane almost laughed quietly. "Oh, Akira. The way your mind works almost always brings a little tickle to my own mind." she said as she smiled with a bit of her clean white teeth visible.

"What can I say?" he said as he went and sat in the floor next to her mother, who was sitting on a small rocking chair. "I'm gifted at making others laugh."

His gaze then began to become a little serious. "Also, just a little while ago, some older chick named Yuki came to me, said she was looking for me and wanted to know more about who I was. Any idea what her deal is?"

"Yuki?" the woman said, perplexed as she looked at him. "No last name or anything? I've heard of plenty of Yuki's before...."

"Nah, she didn't give me one." he replied. "But she had dark skin and short purple hair. Kinda weird huh?"

"Purple hair? My goodness, what these children get into nowadays to get attention." she chuckled slightly. "Well, it could have been a simple mistake, there are hundreds of Akira's in Japan, after all."

"Yeah..." he said as he trailed into though. "...yeah it's probably a misunderstanding or something..."

He then looked up to her curiously. "Ma? I thought you liked to stick out from other people. So why did you give me such a commonly used name?"

To this, she just smiled as she leaned back in her chair. "It may be common...but I didn't name you that because I didn't have anything else to name you. Akira stands for "Bright" or "Great." I thought it fit well with our last name, "Amarante," which means "Flower that never fades."

"Great flower that never fades..." Akira smirked in response. "Wow, my name is actually awesome sounding when it's defined."

"Well...it's not just-"

However, before Masane continue, she heard a knock at the door. "Hm? I wonder who that may be?"

"I'll get it." Akira quickly hopped up, putting his hands in his pockets as he went to the front door and opened it to see a particular blonde headed woman being the source.

"Howdy." he said with a rather bored expression and voice. "If you're here to tour the place, then you'll have to wait til tomorrow. We're closed.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know", the woman said with a shy, sad expression on her face. It was Fiona at the shrines entrance. By using the information she gained from Yuki and her own skills, she was able to track him down. Burt rather than make a grand entrance and announce herself as a former Captain, she tried her best to hide her reiatsu and play it up as a lost, lonely woman, hoping to gain insight into the soul of Akira.

Dressed in of her usual tight, cleavage heavy tops and min skirt, she was soaked by the rain that started not to long ago. Her clothes drenched and clinging to her form, she asked with her forlorn expression, "Please, may I come in from the rain?"

"Of course you can, dear." Masane said as she stood up and came next to her son, opening the door a little more. "Forgive me, I had no idea it would start raining so soon." she said with a slight smile.

"Thank you, you are so kind Obāsan" Fiona said quietly as she made her way inside. She was quite taken aback by the location, its beauty and tranquility. She was pleasantly surprised to find Akira here, and was curious to find out if he was so rude as Yuki put it and still lived in a place like this, what kind of character he must really be.

"Akira, would you settle a place for her to sit? We can't have a guest standing all the time, can we?" Masane said to the boy, who quickly replied by setting up another chair.

"So, may I ask your name?" The blind woman continued as she sat back in her chair.

Soaked, cold, but finally inside Fiona calmly said "May have a towel to wipe off some of the water please Obāsan, and the name is Sara". Trying to hide her true self as much as possible, the ex-Captain familiarized herself with her surroundings as to not show any signs of her real intentions.

"Yeah, here you are." Akira said by placing a town around her back and then walking back towards the other end of the hallway.

"Akira?" Masane said rather stern like as her closed eyed gaze looked in his direction. "Are you not going to introduce yourself?"

"Name's Akira, lady." he said back out of view.

In response, Masane sighed. "I apologize, he isn't very fond of meeting new people." she said to Sara, smiling. "My name is Masane Amarante. It's good to meet you, Ms. Sara."

"Oh no the pleasure is mine Obasan, I mean Ms. Masane" Fiona knowingly stumbling in her reply. She observed Akira from a distance, reading his every movements, studying his very essence, picking up every detail as possible. "So is Akira your son, he's quite handsome I must admit"

"Why thank you." she replied happily. "I do try to keep him cleaned up as I can, he can be quite stubborn."

She then placed both hands on her lap. "So...what brings you here, Ms. Sara?"

"You know far be it from me to tell you this, but don't you think you wanna play this one smart sis?" Emma told Fiona before she left.

"Emma's right, what do we really know of Akira, I mean who is he, where is he from, oh my......" Amara nervously chimed in.

"Thanks for caring guys, but I'll be fine, you know I will" Yuki stood in the back with a rather concerned look on her face as well. They all knew it had been quite some time since a Shinigami was seen near where the ladies lived, and now with Feng and this Akira showing up, who knew what danger lurks in the shadows of the city. "At least you have on decent underwear this time" Emma chuckled at Fiona's simple yet sexy black lace underwear visible under her short skirt blowing in the gentle breeze. Fiona loved her sisters and appreciated the fact that they cared for her safety, but was also relieved that they trusted her to do what she had to. She then left on her mission.

Reminiscing of her last moments before she left home while the woman was talking, Fiona sipped her tea, pleasantly surprised by its heavenly flavor, "I came to pay my respects to my late family" She went on to explain that a few people told her of the tranquil nature of the place, and that she had to visit. Fiona sounded ever convincing as usual in her speech, also frequently glancing over at Akira, examining his every movement, creating multiple images in her memory for use later.

"Oh? What was their last name? I don't recall a family with a relative as Sara listed before..." Masane said with a raised eyebrow.

Hoping to trigger a different kind of response from them, Fiona replied, "Oh their last name, my last name is Duvalier"

"Sara....Duvalier...?" Masane said with sudden, slightly opened eyes, almost as if she were shocked to hear such a name. "Well...I can check on my records."

She then looked down the other hallway. "Akira? Would you come keep Ms. Duvalier company while I go to my room real quick, dear?"

"Yeah, sure." the pale haired youth replied as he came and sat in the floor next to Fiona, his hands behind his head as he leaned back in the open space of the sofa, while Masane left from view.

"So...what's your name again, Lady?" he asked without looking at her.

Sipping her tea, and with a confident smirk, she told Akira "I think you already have an idea of who I am"

"Um....no, I don't. That's why I just asked." he said with a somewhat annoyed tone, comical, of course.

Perplexed by his response, Fiona thought to herself if Akira really was in the neighborhood because of her or if he was any trouble at all. However she felt something from him, and it was a good one. She decided to reveal herself to him and see what happens. "Well Akira, I am Fiona Duvalier, former Captain of the 11th Squad in the Gotei 13" And with a stern look on her face as if to intimidate the young man, she awaited his response.

"...Um...the what 13? Is that some kind of convention or something?" he replied with an honestly confused face.

Was she wrong, mislead, either way Fiona was very confused. She felt great power in him, and his features and mannerisms has a vague familiarity about them. But, this Akira seems clueless to who he actually is, or did he. Many a theory ran through Fiona's head, different scenarios and outcomes raced through her keen mind at what to make of the whole situation and what to say again. Still soaking wet, her shirt almost see through, Fiona stood up in front of Akira, "Are you sure?"

"Nnnno, lady, I have no idea what you're talking about. What's the Gotei 13?" he replied, now with a bored tone and expression.

There could only be one explanation Fiona thought to herself. "Sorry, must be the cold, um Akira where is Miss Masane, may I speak with her moment please"

"Ms. Sara?" Masane said from the back hallway out of their view. "Could you come in here please?"

Fiona made her way towards where Masane was. Fiona took off her wet shirt, while looking around to see if Akira was watching, and wrapped the towel she had covering her black lace bra she had on. She sat quietly with Masane and said, "Obasan, I know what the boy really is, but does he know?"

"Hm?" she said with a slight hint of confusion. "He's just an ordinary boy, meaning everything in the world to me. What is it you find so special about him?"

"There is something quite unique about him Masane, something very special, and I think you what I'm talking, so please stop the act" Fiona said with an increasing urgency in her voice.

Here, Masane's closed eyes barely opened to reveal a dull, and yet menacing gaze. "I think you'll want to cease asking about my son, Duvalier Fiona..." she began in a rather stern voice. "He is doing fine just the way that he is."

"Hmm, so you do know who I am, Masane-sama" Fiona replied with a stern grin. "I don't seem surprised, you do have a mysterious aura about you, combined with your noticeable years of experience". Fiona chose her next words carefully, trying not to trigger something drastic. "I'll take my leave very shortly Masane, but tell me one thing, what exactly do you know of me?"

"You're the old Captain of the 11th Division, I remember watching your initiation several years ago." the blind woman replied plainly. "And I know why you're here. My son is not of Soul Society's concern, and neither is he yours. He is living a good life, away from the violence and chaos that our kind brings, and I will die before I let him be taken from here."

Fiona smiled with a much calmer demeanor than before, impressed and heartfelt by the love showed by Masane. "Don't worry Masane-sama, I'm not here to cause any harm, I just wanted some information, because I too am trying to stay far away from the same chaos and trouble that follows our kind" "Its the reason I stay here, and no one knows it, and I hope it stays that way." As she made her way to leave, Fiona turned around to say one final thing to Masane, "Thank you Obasan, you showed be true kindness and respect, but don't you think you should show the same to your "son", he needs to know who he really is, before its too late." She departed the temple with those words. The sky parted, the sun peeked behind the receding black clouds, as if a new journey was about to begin for the former Captain.