Eventual Breakthrough

Night had fallen a day on since Gin appeared with his helpful information and now Itazura was wandering the docks with that same man flanking him on the opposite side of the street. They had been wandering in and out of bars and social clubs, restaurants and cafes all day and the information they gathered once they knew who to look and ask for was incredible. Yoshinari was a tall man with greying brown hair, equally grey eyes, and was partial to the Shihakushō of the Shinigami. He enjoyed games of chance and was an avid gambler -- he was rarely known to miss the races at all -- and enjoyed fine dining. His wife had died a century ago, and many of the higher-ups dropped the hint that it was her death that caused his downward spiral into crime. Before his fall he was a wealthy and respected noble. The Yasuhiro family had been held as highly as the Nakamura clan, though Gin was quick t point out that they’d always been a little obsessed with power. Even had Yasuhiro’s wife not died he would have likely turned to crime at some point in time. Her death just sped up the natural process Gin maintained.

Itazura had also asked about Raiden, though here in Heisekai, he was known solely as Takahara. Apparently he and his father had a strained relationship which stemmed from childhood mistreatment. What type of mistreatment people were unsure of but it was widely accepted, so likely true. Kain had also confirmed as much after he done some digging. It was phenomenal how quickly you obtained information when you put your mind to it.

‘Shin,’ Gin called. Apparently he needed an alias, so he named himself that in memory of his uncle, and because his new title started with the same four letters. Gin had just left a gambling den. ‘We need to move. Now would be best.’ Oh great, this again? When you asked questions you always ran the risk of pissing someone off. He was just glad that it had happened to Gin this time and not him. He’d got the last two groups running after him. ‘Stay close,’

The duo took to the heavens but it was clear the moment they started to run that this group wasn’t going to be shaken. There where six of them and each had a zanpakutō in hand and wore the classic Shihakushō to mark their racial standing. Huh, just lovely; their six Shinigami against their two? He’d usually find those odds troubling but the chasers didn’t have the White Wolf on their side. He had.

Gin performed a step very similar to a dance-step, turned, and met their attackers. His zanpakutō flashed iridescent white as he blocked the first easily. Following his partner’s example Itazura closed the distance with the first step of Gomakashi and opened the unnamed Shinigami’s stomach. The second step took him to meet their second attacker, and Gin performed the same function Itazura had previously.

‘To your right,’ Gin warned.

‘I see her!’ The final step of Gomakashi was completed and Itazura and his attacker danced the dance of death, as Gin dispatched the remaining attackers. What amazed Itazura was the fact he done so with all the ease of a grown man taking candy from a baby.

‘You fought well,’ Gin’s zanpakutō sliced the woman across the back, where he proceeded to knock them unconscious with his spiritual power alone. ‘But we mustn’t tarry here. For now we’ll return to the barracks and sieve through what we have been able to learn.’

‘No argument here,’ fighting alongside Gin was almost the same as fighting alongside Fujimoto. The two had similar styles which meant he had only need employ the same tactics he did alongside Fujimoto.

‘I do not want excuses,’ a man with greying brown hair and gray eyes said aloud.

Raiden dropped his head and sighed with a defeatist attitude. Talking sense into his father had always been next to impossible since mother had died, and it had only gotten worse since the death of Hideyoshi, his younger brother, and Yoshinari’s second son.

‘… Yes, father. What is it you want of me?’ This would be good.

Father and son were within the Rukongai. Their meeting place was a location they had long used for such correspondences, and was one of the few Tadashi Kori and Shin Nagakura had left standing. The duo had yet to discover just how they had managed to catch wind of their plots, but Tadashi’s children, and Tedasuke Shiba, where watching them like hawks most of the time.

‘I want you to do something worthwhile for once in your life!’ Raiden flinched as though he’d been struck. ‘Make contact with Anko and Gengetsu. These Kori brats are beginning to grate on my nerves.

‘… And you on mine…’ Raiden whispered.

Though he had to admit that it would be interesting to see Itazura and Mariko again, if only briefly. He was curious to see just how far they’re powers had come in Heisekai. Hard to believe they’d gone there of all places. He had always liked the children, even if they had made his appointed mission to spy on the Gotei 13 all the more difficult.

‘What was that!?’ Yoshinari struck him hard across the jaw.

‘… I said nothing, father. It will be done.’ Curse the old fool!

‘Get out of my sight,’ he turned away and Raiden realized just how defenceless he was right now. If only he had the guts. He could bury his zanpakutō into the bastards back and be done with him. Yet he turned away instead and felt rotten all over again.

‘… Someday old man,’ he vowed as he retreated. ‘You’ll strike me once too many. Then we’ll see how well you strike a moving target.’

Some hours later…

‘It’s within those accursed families to be annoying. The Kori are the bramble to our hand while the Hiroshi, Shiba, or whatever they call themselves are the thorns in our side!’ Shuhen stabbed him between the eyes and watched as his body twitched. He had little need for complaints. They got him nowhere.

‘Gengetsu,’ the Reikon Kyuuban raised his head. ‘We have received word from Yoshinari’s son. The Kori children, Itazura and Mariko, are to be eliminated.’ The speaker was none other than Shuhen Kohai. ‘Anko, you will aid him in this.’

Bansui’s apprentice lowered her head and left the room with Gengetsu. ‘… I heard the children have powerful protectors.’

‘The Silver Wind, the Divine Onslaught, and the Illustrious Prince,’ Gengetsu confirmed. ‘And that’s only the boy. The girl has friends in Shiori Nakamura and Erina Ayaka -- woman who are not to be underestimated.’

‘We will need to break them away from the group… but how best to go about it?’

‘Strike one and the other will come running. It’s in their nature,’ sometimes Gengetsu could be devious when he tried. ‘Spread some false information amongst the islands. On Fortune Island we’ll claim to have Mariko in our clutches. On Boon Island, we’ll claim we have Itazura.’

‘Whether or not they’re told it’s a trap will mean little.’ Anko continued. ‘Their love for one another will cause them to seek each other regardless.’ It was no secret that brother and sister where close. ‘That bond will be their undoing.’

‘But first we need to lend some credit to our claim. Which do we attack first?’ Anko grinned as she looked out the window. It was almost morning. By evening they’d either have one of the siblings killed, or both running around like headless chickens.

Mariko walked the streets with a vibrant Ranmaru who was beaming from ear-to-ear. Kenshiro had lot slip earlier that all he ever talked about now was her, which surprised her greatly. He’d only met and already he was talking about amazing she was. Yes, it was flattering at first, but his general attitude was really beginning to grate on her nerves. The man was an utter idiot! He thought solely with the brain most men left the thinking to, and it wasn’t in his skull.

Yet they’d gleamed yet more information regarding Shuhen’s operations. Koga hadn’t been lying. A single night under interrogation and Kenshi had been broken. The apprentice had sung like a love-struck canary.

According to him Shuhen commanded using his seven apprentices as symbols of his power. Two of the seven where currently out of commission; Kenshi was their prisoner and Furin had already been killed by Itazura. There was at least one apprentice for each island and it was they who coordinated the rebel’s movements. Though it was clear that they where only acting under the orders of another. Who this mysterious figure was even Kenshi wasn’t aware of. Or perhaps it was the one thing he just wasn’t going to divulge. Koga maintained he pushed him well beyond his breaking point, and Kenshiro had helped. So it wasn’t a far stretch to say that he didn’t know. The interrogation hadn’t all been for naught however. Fujimoto had accepted whatever information they got him and thanked them in equal measure, before sharing what he too had learned. Shuhen was definitely back in Heisekai, but where was anyone’s guess. His plans where equally as mysterious, but Shiori and Erina ensured her that they’d get to the bottom of things, and Mariko trusted their word.

Ranmaru stopped moving suddenly. ‘Look,’ he motioned with his head towards the end of the path. Mariko saw what he meant immediately. It was the group of thieves they’d escaped earlier. ‘We can slip around easy enough-’

‘- but that will take longer.’ She cut in smoothly.

‘I knew you’d say that,’ he summoned his zanpakutō and grasped the hilt confidently.

‘Put the sword away, kid,’ a man with red and blue eyes flash stepped towards them and immediately exerted his spiritual energy!

Mariko felt like she’d been kicked in the stomach and dropped immediately to her knees. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t move, and her vision was beginning to blur. Her body trembled of its own accord and none of her limbs would obey her commands. Just what was this man!? He certainly wasn’t a Shinigami! Then the force was lifted as suddenly as it appeared, and she raised her head to see Ranmaru standing like a wall between her and the man.

‘Not cool,’ he said with his usual swagger.

‘I have no quarrel with you, boy. Move aside.’

‘No quarrel? Sorry fuckstick… but you have now.’ He dropped into a ready stance and immediately lifted his knee to block his opponents kick! Twisting, Ranmaru swept the man back, and immediately turned to kick away several blades flying straight towards Mariko’s back. ‘Chill out, what’s the Rush? Suiwa,’ the next volley of blades pierced his body but immediately fell as his feet soaked -- though not with blood. Ranmaru’s entire body became a pool of liquid in the form of a man, and he reduced himself to a liquid form before immediately falling over Mariko. He was taller and wider than she, and so she was completely protected when he reaffirmed his physical form. When he did he held a football in his left hand.

‘Don’t move,’ he told her. ‘I’ll ensure you can breathe normally, but please, let the water move you.’ He then went on the offensive and struck with timed Zanjutsu attacks interlaced with aerial Hakuda, while Mariko followed his instructions. Their attacker parried Ranmaru’s blows but couldn’t react to his speed when he used the bubbles to transport himself, which also allowed him to avoid the blades being thrown at him. ‘You look as if you’re standing still,’ he said cockily. ‘Your fist is slow old man,’ he then landed three consecutive punches followed by a back-flip! His feet caught the man in the chin and knocked him clean off his feet. Moving again, Ranmaru appeared beside the person who’d been throwing blades, and kicked her clean through several buildings. ‘I think that’s enough for now. Kihō,’ the jump he performed whilst in Shikai was noticeably larger than his sealed variant, and in mere seconds, he was within their base in the Shuuten’s barracks.

He returned to a liquid state and gave Mariko her freedom, where she stood to stare at him as though for the first time.

‘That was… that man had…’ if she was guessing he had spiritual energy in the region of a Captain! ‘Thank you, Ran.’

His breathing was laboured but he was otherwise unharmed she saw. ‘I made you a promise, remember?’ She thought he’d been joking! On their first night on the island Ranmaru had knelt before her, took her hand, and vowed he’d follow her anywhere. That it was his life before hers, that he’d protect her until he turned to dust. ‘I always keep my promises.’ Then he collapsed, but from what, she was completely unsure.

In minutes she had Koga in the room assessing his condition. ‘Poison,’ he concluded. ‘I warned him about that liquid form when someone was using throwing weapons! They could be dipped in anything.’

‘… He did it to help me.’

‘Koga cursed again and maintained woman would be the death of Ranmaru Shibata. But persevere he did, and when he left the room, Ranmaru was sleeping peacefully… Taking a seat at his bedside she began to read a book titled "Drink up me Hearties". Was this a pirate book? A little intrigued she began to read...

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