Prelude to War!

This article, , is the ninth chapter of the Kagamino City arc, which is part of Bleach: Sun and Moon Chronicles. From this point forward the Kagamino City arc runs in parallel to the battles fought between 's and the  in Fake Karakura Town.

By all indications it wasn't going to be bad day weather-wise. There was hardly a cloud in the sky and a warm breeze was blowing. It appeared like the Human who foretold the weather on the morning news was wrong. Kenji wondered how many times he'd gotten it wrong now? Enough that one did not plan their day based on his observations.

"It's begun."

Ino Choyo spoke this to Talia Kurokiri in reference to the battles just now being waged between the Gotei 13 and reigning Espada. Both woman where looking westwards, off towards where Fake Karakura Town stood, and they where clearly on edge. Luckily -- or unluckily one might say -- their mission lay eastwards, off towards Kagamino City.

"Kenji, Van! It's time." Ino called.

"Yeah, yeah! No need to rupture my eardrums." Kenji called back.

"Why is it woman never give you any bloody warnin' before shouting in your ear?" Said Kenji's companion.

Kenji, in the midst of nodding his agreement, turned his attention towards the girls.

Today Ino wore the traditional garb of a with her long blond hair tied into a single braid which rested on her right shoulder. Over the kosode was a protectively padded jacket. It was clear enough to Kenji that she was her to wage war. Talia was likewise dressed in her battle-attire. This consisted of a skin tight body-suit that leaves her shoulders and the top of her legs exposed, whilst sporting long black-coloured gloves to match.

"You ready?" Kenji asked.

He directed this question towards his companion whose partner referred to him as "Doggy". Van Satonaka sported a pair of animal-like ears which perked up in response to Kenji's question. The man in question had been lounging on the floor watching what little clouds where in the sky float by, but now sat up straight.

"Lucky for you that I'm plannin' to step on some toes today." Van answered.

"As long as it ain't mine." Kenji shot back.

Ino quickly placed herself between the duo before one of their famous back-and-forth banter-based arguments could begin in earnest. Kenji, as usual, was clothed in a blue-coloured kimono with the Yin and Yang symbol emblazoned on its back. Van was likewise dressed in a long blue-coloured kimono. The fact both where dressed so similarly was of course another thing they'd probably argue about later.

"Come on! We'll be late!" Talia called.

"We wouldn't want that now, would we?" Kenji whispered.

With their sights set on Kagamino City Kenji, utilizing a pair of Renkei he had made for just such an occasion, chimed in on Kei Yume and Shiju Shūdō...

Kei was eating outside a cafe with Masaki and Nerine when he felt a warm sensation emit from his arm. He stop himself from putting the delicious, aromatic food into his mouth and casually looked down. The bracelet Kenji had given him was now a scarlet red color. When he looked up, Kei saw Nerine and Masaki looking at him with a questioning gaze. He smiled, and brought up the Renkei. "I guess it's time." He said, pointing it. "You better finish the food; I don't want to hear you guys complain about being hungry when we're over there.

"Hello? Who is this speaking?" Kei joked around as he telephatically communicated with the Renkei. He knew who it was.

Kenji was likewise in a joking mood despite what was about to unfold.

"I'm terribly sorry!" He communicated, with excessive embellishment. "I intended to call my dear old mum, bless her, and must have dialled the wrong number! Deary me."

"Alright. Goodbye." Kei noticed Nerine and Masaki hungrily staring at the still full plate set before him. He sighed and motioned for Nerine and Masaki to eat his portion as well, to which they happily obliged.

"The bugger hung up on me!" Kenji exclaimed.

"You are the one who insists on talking right into someone's mind with that infernal contraption." Ino pointed out.

"Who asked you? This is a scientific marvel!"

As usual Van was on-hand to offer a flippant comment. Though Kenji had the foresight this time to point a warning finger at him, which prompted a slight smile from Van, but also silence. Kenji, meanwhile, was left skulking towards the back of the group.

"... No appreciation at all. Maybe Shiju will have a different opinion?"

Some moments passed and Kei deeply sighed. "I bet that idiot took it seriously." He commented, while tapping his fingers on the table. "Well, while we're waiting, might as well get some more food. Waitress! Another serving please!"

Ino, meanwhile, rolled her eyes in response to Kenji's supposed stupidity. "He was likely joking, you know."

He smiled. "I know. He was busy eating."

Van screwed his face up at that. "You interrupt me when I'm eating all the time!"

"I know that too."

Kei wasn't eating. He was watching Nerine and Masaki stuffing their faces while he leaned on his chair, relaxed.

Nerine and Masaki had completely finished eating and were now staring intently at the silent Kei, who was simply staring at the clouds. The two's face were etched with anxiety and Nerine pursed her lips.

"Kei, shouldn't we leave? Kenji did contact us after all." Nerine said to Kei.

"...." No reply from Kei.

"Are you listening to me Kei?" Nerine asked.

"...." No response.

Just then, Nerine angrily kicked Kei in the shin in an effort to catch his attention. His face scrunched up in pain as a burning sensation shot up from his injured shin. He let out a small cry of pain and surprise, as he was broken of his trance. Nerine got up from her seat and was beginning to kick Kei again when he raised his hands in defeat.

"Okay okay. Jeez. We'll leave right now, just don't kick me again." He said, standing up. Kei looked around and noticed the people around them were looking at them. He apologetically bowed to them and motioned for Nerine and Masaki to get ready. He then dug into his pockets and got out the payment for the meal. Seeing the large stack of plates before him, he also placed a hefty tip for the sorry soul that had to clean up after them.

"Let's go." He said. Nerine, Masaki, and Kei exited the establishment and made their way to the alley, where they were out of sight. There, the trio disappeared without a trace.

In the meantime, Shiju had seemingly met up with a man named Mukuro from the Soul Society's Onmitsukidō and one of Anika Shihōin's best subordinates. He was standing on the eastern side of Kagamino City, with a rather calm expression littered across his face.

On the other hand, Mukuro had seemed quite serious about the whole issue. He was surprised to see Shiju simply staring into the sky as they walked. "Aren't you nervous at all, Shūdō-san?" He asked the man, momentarily pausing.

"Oh, just call me Shiju, I insist." Shiju addressed Mukuro's tone first and foremost; this guy was remarkably serious. "As for nervousness...well, I am. But, if I let that nervousness show, it'll only give my opponent more of a chance to defeat me, right?"

At that moment, the bracelet Kenji gave him seemed to glow a faint gold. The moment it did, Shiju answered the call. "Ah, Kenji, we're on our way. I've also met up with Anika-san's student."

Kenji's calmness, tinged with a degree of joviality, was apparent even through the Renkei.

"Ino, Van and Talia are with me too. Kei and company are on the way too, though I imagine that Kei'll be digging into a second serving of something tasty right about now. I swear, if its noddles, I'll flip my lid if he doesn't bring us some."

Trust Kenji to be thinking with his stomach at a time like this.

An with long white-coloured hair and equally white clothes in the fashion of 's forces removed the hood that had been obscuring his face from those arrayed beneath him.

"Is it time, Averian-sama?"

The one who spoke this was an Arrancar with a number of shark-like features: blue skin, small slits resembling gills beneath his eyes, coupled with a streamlined physique dressed in a long black-coloured robe.

"Yes, Jarrett. I expect you and the others to be under way within the hour."

The one addressed as Jarrett bowed his head before rapidly departing the scene using. Averian watched him depart before turning his back and walking away across the sandy dunes of.

"Now we wait."

With that one declaration Averian too departed the scene...

"First here!" Talia exclaimed in excitement.

The foursome stood in the skyline above Kagamino City. Anika's contacts claimed that this was where the Privaron Espada would appear.

Talia was soon joined by Ino, who proceeded to throw up a number of protective wards and barriers in the immediate vicinity. One could never be too careful after all.

"Master... I'll do my best." Ino thought as she stared off into the distance.

Kenji and Van had been left to bring up the rear. Although the two had been bantering back-and-forth all day they where now all grim silence; Kenji had squared his shoulders, Van had a hard set to his jaw and both had their hands on the hilts of their Zanpakutō. If one had looked at the pair mere moments before you would have seen two fun-loving and joking friends. Now, however, the duo stood with eyes that reflected their murderous intentions. The killing intent that flowed from them was rough and intense.

They where men here to wage war.

"Don't give 'em a chance to breathe." Kenji whispered in an aside to Van. "This'll be far harder than when we fought our Inner Hollows."

"Heh! You should worry about yourself. I've got this." Van answered, ever confident.

Kenji could only grin in response.

"I've got your back." Van further stated.

"And I yours." Kenji replied.

As if on cue the sky parted like a curtain! A swirling vortex of black energy soon gave way to reveal nine figures. The right-most figure looked like a walking skeleton, whilst the man beside him appeared humanoid. Aside from the red dots above his eyes and the red lines beneath them, which Kenji concluded to be the Arrancar's mask fragments, you would have found it difficult to identify him as an Arrancar. The next figure caused a low growl to escape from Kenji's throat. He recognized him from Kusaka's description: Rozhar. He had almost killed Kazuma once. Rozhar, like the man beside him, could hardly be identified as an Arrancar; he looked like your everyday Human. Standing beside Rozhar was another Kenji did not recognize. He appeared like a teenage boy with silvery-coloured hair and a full mask cut off just above his nose. Standing near him was another silvery-haired man whose mask extended out like a large beak. The next two, one woman and a man, looked like they too could have been average Humans. The woman however sported prominent cranial horns on the side of her head which where obviously her mask remnants. The man's mask fragments where hidden, possibly underneath his dirty blond hair. The final two in the group where standing off from the others slightly: one had blue skin whilst the second sported turquoise-coloured hair. Today at least they all wore the standard white of Aizen's Arrancar army, excepting the blue-skinned Arrancar, who sported black.

"Ho, boy." Kenji declared as he shrugged his shoulders.

Van chuckled. "See how they can all arrive on-time?"

With little warning, two other figures from the vanguard made their way into the scene. The first was the surprisingly optimistic Shiju. "What a presence./. Aren't we a little bit lucky? Oh yeah, hey everyone, the name's Shiju."

The second was the much quieter Mukuro, who looked upon his enemies and only voiced. "Everyone, stay on your guard."

"Glad you could make it." Ino remarked, looking towards Shiju. "I guess we'll see if your earlier confidence will last."

"... She always has to have the last word..." Kenji whispered.

"... Anna's the same." Van answered.

It appeared that Ino was finished laying down the protective Kidō which had occupied her since her groups arrival. It was only then that she flash-stepped towards the others where she fell in beside Kenji.

"Kei won't have any trouble getting through the barrier." She claimed.

"Good. Because I don't think our guests are going to wait around for us much longer." Kenji claimed.

"True." Ino answered. "I don't think they're surprised we're here at all."

"Of course not! The spiritual pressure you guys exhibit make it fairly obvious." A voice rang out.

"We haven't put out enough power to impress you." Kenji whispered, knowing full-well who the voice belonged to.

Three figures suddenly appeared behind Ino. It was Kei, Nerine, and Masaki. The three new arrivals respectfully bowed before the somewhat surprised Ino.

"Kei and company at your service." Kei said with a relaxed expression. He then observed the enemy with a look of awe and wonder, whistling as he looked at them.

Kenji arched an eyebrow following Kei's whistle. "They haven't put out enough eith- Oof!"

It seemed that the Arrancar where tired of waiting around being mostly ignored. The blue-skinned shark-looking Arrancar lunged at Kenji, who drew his Zanpakutō in a hasty arc to parry his attacker. This resulted in a blade-lock with the momentum of the Arrancar's movement sending Kenji trailing backwards. Van, who attempted to come to Kenji's aid by cutting through his attacker from behind, was intercepted by Rozhar.

"Tell me: is that all a former Espada can muster? I went and got all worried for nothing."

Kenji shouted this loud enough for everyone to hear him and it proved to be the spark that ignited the powder keg! The remaining fourteen on both sides promptly leapt into the fray!

End.