Returning Terrors

This article, , is a filler chapter attached to Bleach: Cataclysm, with a loose connection to the overall canon. It features Kentaro Hiroshi as the POV character, with Kay Hiroshi and Sanada Shirono, as support.

Kentaro's clothing fell off his body like a series of weights, dragging him down. His room wasn't large or decorative. He didn't need anything like that and neither did Akiye. The double bed they shared sat against the wall near the middle, a wooden dresser sat opposite the base of the bed with enough space between to walk past, a mirror was situated above a table where Akiye kept all her products, and a large wardrobe – filled to bursting with clothes they hardly wore – stood near the door, farthest from the bed.

He stepped into the bathroom.

The bathtub was looking pretty damn inviting right now. His muscles ached and he longed for an extended soak in the tub, but he simply didn't have the luxury of time. He choose the sink instead. The mirror above it cast his reflection.

“Huh. That's a new one.”

He traced his fingertip along a thin white line running along his abdomen. He couldn't even remember how he'd gotten that particular scar. But what was one more scar? He had plenty of them. The largest in particular was the one spanning his left arm. The wound had been inflicted by Ichihara during their final battle, and Kentaro had very nearly lost the arm. If not for his augmentation Kido to strengthen the bone and skin he would have. The scar consisted of several intersecting wounds that formed one large scar. A circular wound had been cut into his shoulder, a long jagged line snaked around his biceps which finished at his elbow, but another ran to his forearm.

“I've been lucky.” He said to his reflection.

He washed himself at the sink quickly and towelled himself dry. The moment he set the towel aside he stood bolt upright. A scream cut through the night! Kentaro pulled on a pair of trousers and scooped up his Zanpakuto He released it silently as he extinguished the lights in the room. Darkness settled in around him and he used his Zanpakuto to travel through the shadows to the source of that scream. When he arrived he caught the victim with one arm whilst pulling her away, twisted, and lashed out with a powerful kick that almost unhinged his targets jaw!

“Thank you so much!” The woman exclaimed. She only then realized who it was who had saved her. “Ryujin!” Her eyes nearly popped.

Kentaro erected a swift barrier around her position and turned back towards the attacker who had tried to pounce on him in the interval! They tumbled along the floor with the creature snapping and biting at Kentaro's head! He noticed a half-healed wound on his attackers forehead and growled in response.

“I fucking killed you!” He declared, his anger growing.

He heaved and kicked, pushing upwards with his knee, and the creature toppled over the top. It reacted with surprising speed however and quikly corrected itself, where it then lunged again! Kentaro side-stepped before grabbing the thing by the throat.

“I can't allow you to do what you please.” He declared.

With his free hand he slashed once with his Zanpakuto. As the creature roared in pain Kentaro released his hold on it before flash-stepping forward! He slashed a multitude of times, utilizing the Niten style of Zanjutsu, and the creature finally lay still. He then bound the thing using Bakudo #63.

“Now...” he said. “Are you alright?”

He dispelled the barrier protecting the young woman and checked her over for injuries. The only one he discovered was on her wrist, seemingly from being bitten. He knitted the skin together using Kido.

“Go the medical barracks and get blood samples took. Just to be safe.” She left in a hurry, again shouting her thanks. “But what am I gonna do with this thing?”

“Brother!”

Kay wore a white-coloured evening kimono with her chestnut-brown hair tied up in a ponytail. Her Zanpakuto – a katana with a circular guard and dark blue hilt wrapping – was held in he left-hand.

“I'm alright!” He called up to her.

“Is that the thing we seen the other night?” She asked. “You stabbed it in the head!”

“I'm aware of that.” He replied a little snappishly. “I should have burned it to ash.”

As they spoke the creature continued to thrash around despite being bound by Kido. It thrashed around so violently that Kentaro shook his head in irritation as he brought yet another binding spell down atop it, which he wrapped around its arms and legs, in addition to Bakudo #63.

“I'm going to end this thing!”

“Wait!”

The voice belonged to Sanada Shirono, who flash-stepped towards the two. Like Kentaro he only had time to quickly pull on a pair of trousers.

“I want to study this thing, see what it is.”

Kentaro rolled his eyes.

“Whatever! But if it gets out I'm tossing its ashes into the wind.” With that he turned on his heel. “And now I need to wash again.”

“... Brother...” Kay exclaimed sadly.

“I wouldn't worry too much.” Sanada said with a comforting squeeze of her shoulder. “He wants to protect the people but he hasn't realized yet that he can do that through knowledge, not just brute strength. He'll learn in-time.”