Shifting Loyalties

Kenjiro Hiroshi detested what he had become. Under Oda’s thumb he was merely another pawn, merely another piece to play, albeit it an extremely powerful one. With the Quincy he had been respected and feared. Most of all, however, he possessed self respect and companionship. Now he had none! Well, not for very much longer, that was for sure. Oda thought him tamed? Bah! Not this lion. And it was time to bare his fangs.

‘He’s already a thorn in our side!’ Ichihara barked.

Kenjiro turned his attention toward one of Oda’s faithful dogs. The man sported long black hair and a simple black kimono, with a gunbai set upon his back. He was discussing things with Kitsui – another of Oda’s loyal dogs. He sported a flowing white overcoat with neatly combed white hair. He took the majority of Ichihara’s outbursts with his usual calm, and even now he done so. Kenjiro could’ve killed him. He could already envision ripping his Zanpakutō through his spinal cord. The thought made him shiver with anticipation.

‘Peace, brother.’ Kitsui advised. ‘Itazura would have made contact with Fujimoto soon regardless of what we done.’

‘Let me kill him!’ Ichihara spat. ‘The brat can act freely: Fujimoto can’t.’

‘That is precisely why we shouldn’t strike him.’

The new speaker was Nakajima – the third of Oda’s four dogs. Kenjiro spat across the room in utter disgust at the company he was being forced to keep. He much preferred Quincy. Nakajima sported brown curls, a brown jacket, and black trousers. To top it off he looked utterly at his ease with himself. How quick would that change should Kenjiro give his darker thoughts free reign? Now there was an idea. He could barely retrain himself!

‘Itazura aside,’ a fourth voice added, ‘we have some real lions to contend with.’

The fourth was a Quincy -- though even that couldn’t save him from Kenjiro’s scorn. He sported silver hair, red eyes and black armour that looked quite light.

‘What have you people been smoking?’

Kenjiro laughed in their faces! They could barely whip their own arses and here Oda’s so-called elite where referring to them as though they where all powerful? It was utter ridiculousness! Kentaro Hiroshi? Worthless! Akiye Hato? An Imawashī wannabe turned traitor! Hawke Kori? An inferior clone of his much superior father! David Kori? A Quincy who held to the old ways! He might as well not even bother drawing his bow for battle. These were the lions? The so-called thorn in their sides!? They where fucking children! Kenji Hiroshi? A shrewd tactician! Shigeru Yudai? A ruthless cold-blooded bastard! Kusaka Kori? A demon on the battlefield! They were lions. The others could barely be called cubs.

‘Have you got something to add, Kenjiro?’ Kitsui did not sound pleased.

‘In fact,’ he kicked off the wall on which he’d been leaning, ‘I do. This meeting or whatever you four wanna pass it off as; is a complete farce!’ He chuckled again. ‘These so-called lions are children. You respect them too much because of who their parents are.’

Ichihara snarled deep in his throat.

‘I’d call off your hound, Kitsui. If he snaps at me he’s like to lose his tongue.’ Kenjiro threatened. ‘Now, you’re probably about to ask what I would do, if I where you? First thing I’d do is slit my throat, because you have absolutely no self respect. But let’s get back to my original point shall we? I wouldn’t sit around and tell people what I intend to do, for one. Watch and learn. We know where they are and how strong they think they are, correct? That’s all I need.’

‘You received no such order!’ Nakajima interjected. To his credit he maintained his calm completely. He was merely loud in his protest.

‘… You’re welcome to try and stop me.’ Kenjiro replied with a mocking grin that echoed that of Kenji Hiroshi. ‘Oh! I almost forgot. I won’t be coming back.’

Kenjiro slashed through the ceiling of their base on Chrono Island, the debris falling into the room near the four brothers. Once airborne he snapped his fingers. Two human-sized shadows formed to his left and right respectively and, from them, stepped two Quincy. The first was relatively tall with light blond hair trimmed neatly atop his head with a goatee. His partner’s hair was also blond though his was long enough to reach the base of his back. They both wore similar white garb with accompanying white knee-length coats.

‘Are you ready for some sport?’ Kenjiro asked of the newly arrived.

‘Always,’ the first answered.

‘Who is our prey?’ The second asked.

‘Four cubs who think their claws can reach us. I want you two to watch and listen for me.’

If Oda thought him loyal simply because he restored his lost arm then the man was an idiot. Kenjiro owed loyalty to no man! He had Siegfried and Aldric Adler by his side, he had the Engelhaft Gewitter as comrades, and he had his self respect back. As long as he had either of those things he was a man bound to no authority but his own.

Itazura wasn’t going to be denied this time. Not by any guard, not by any Captain-General and certainly not by any assassin. Oh no. Not this time.

‘What is it with Princess’s housed in bloody towers?’ He complained.

Yesterday evening the Palace had been awash with rumours. Apparently Tomoko had once again been targeted for assassination, though the full details where currently unavailable. She hadn’t even made an appearance to let people know she was alright! So he decided to go to her. He rendered himself invisible and pulled his reiatsu extinguishing jacket closer to his body, before silently opening the window with a spell taught to him by Fujimoto for just such an occasion. The blood drained from his face.

‘They don’t suspect a thing.’

The voice wasn’t Tomoko’s. It was slightly gruffer than he remembered it being. Unlike with the rest of the people in Heisekai, he’d seen Tomoko as early as six months ago when she visited Horiwari. Either she had a very bad throat or the woman in front of him wasn’t Tomoko. He crouched down near the window. Thankfully there wasn’t much wind. He got in without even alerting her.

‘No, Rosa. I hope you can keep it that way.’

Rosa!? No way in hell! The assassin who spared him all those years ago? Of course! He never forgot a woman’s figure. It was one of his positive traits. But what was she doing here? Stupid question really.

‘They won’t be any the wiser.’ Rosa replied.

She was then surrounded briefly by a bright light. When the light faded away Rosa wasn’t Rosa anymore! She stood there as Tomoko, dressed in a red outfit with flowing blond hair. She even sounded like her when she laughed. What the hell?

‘Report back should things go awry.’

Oh this was too good. No wonder Fujimoto said that Tomoko had been acting strange when he joined him for dinner. She wasn’t Tomoko at all. The sly, sly bastards! Oda was really beginning to grate on his nerves. But at last they had a hand to play! And one thing Itazura could play was a hand. This chance was unrivalled. If Oda thought he could plot and play, then he was about to see how well Itazura Kori could play the game.

‘It’s so stuffy in here.’

The stupid bitch just gave him his way out. She opened the window and walked off towards the dresser, where Itazura promptly departed without making a single noise. Once outside he made his way slowly, deciding that caution was the best approach. Once sufficient distance had been established he flash stepped into the training yard occupied by Fujimoto Nakamura and Shiro Natsume. Shiro was busy rapping Fujimoto on the forehead as the latter lay clamped in a headlock of Shiro’s making.

‘You guys are either gonna kill me for attempting this and succeeding, or kiss me for attempting this and succeeding.’

Shiro released Fujimoto immediately and sighed.

Fujimoto echoed him. ‘What did you do?’

Itazura then secured their conversation. ‘I visited Tomoko.’ Fujimoto face-palmed!

‘He was right.’ Shiro whispered. ‘We’re gonna kill him.’

Itazura raised his arms in defence. ‘Wait, wait, wait a minute! That’s not the best part.’

‘If you came down here to tell us you caught her undressing then I’ll rip off your balls and feed you them.’ That was Hiei Yamashin who added that comment.

‘Where did you- Not important! Hold out your Zanpakutō because you won’t believe me otherwise.’

The three did so, albeit reluctantly. When the vision ended they each gave a gasp of complete surprise, which Fujimoto followed by slamming his fist into the floor! The ground shook from the impact. Shiro merely nodded, saying it made sense. Hiei just looked enraged.

‘How many others know about this?’ Fujimoto asked.

‘We four,’ Itazura replied.

‘Then it’s high-time we started fucking with Oda’s mind.’ Hiei added.

Kentaro shook his head in an attempt to clear his vision but he might as well not have bothered for all the good it did him. He was still seeing double. Wait! Was it triple? God his head hurt!

‘Stop lying on your ass!’

Was that Hawke? What the hell was going on!? He tried to get to his feet and immediately wished he hadn’t. His legs protested and only then did he see that he was trapped beneath a pile of debris. Eh? Oh right! The roof had fallen in on top of their heads and then a sword came in flying, then complete blackness. Come to think of it he could hear steel clashing right now. Oh shit! Hawke!

‘I knew it.’ The unknown attacker said.

Kentaro knew it too, only he knew the voice. Anger boiled in his veins, his vision cleared almost immediately and the debris lying atop him was pulverized by a blast of spiritual power! Kentaro burst forward reaching for his Zanpakutō and pushed back his father’s double with a heavy two-handed blow! The elder grunted before smiling. He diverted Kentaro to the side before launching a blistering one-handed series of strikes, promptly intercepted by Hawke! Kusaka’s son favoured a strict reverse-grip style of swordplay that was entirely one-handed, which was complimented with quick jabs from his other arm and powerful kicks. As Hawke fought Akiye supported Kentaro.

‘Not bad,’ the impostor complemented.

‘Now, David!’ Hawke cried.

Kenji’s look-a-alike vaulted back as solid blue arrows pierced the floor between him and Hawke, while Akiye fired needles from a summoned shield. By the time the impostor was about to launch his own attack however Kentaro and Hawke aimed to bisect him from two different sides! They ended up only clashing with each other before a single kick sent both flying into the far wall, where the remainder of the ceiling fell in about them.

‘I’ll admit,’ the impostor began, ‘I was wrong. I may have been a tad hasty in my judgement… but not overly so, I’m afraid. Yes, you four are strong, that much is clear. But you’re a thousand years too early to challenge Oda, let alone me.’

‘… What’s your point?’ Kentaro asked.

‘You don’t need to be strong individually.’ Hawke followed on. ‘We’re each weak in our own way, but we also have our strengths, just the same.’

‘When we work together our strengths and weaknesses don’t count as much.’ David continued.

‘… Well said.’ The impostor agreed. He then sheathed his Zanpakutō. ‘Oda’s schemes aren’t limited to Heisekai.’ He then caught Kentaro’s Zanpakutō bare-handed but only threw the young Hiroshi to the side instead of finishing him off. ‘Not today, Kentaro. Perhaps we’ll fight another time, when you’ve matured a bit. I look forward to it. In the meantime, I’ll provide you with some forewarning. Oda wants to merge the realms.’

‘How is that even possible!?@ Akiye asked.

The impostor turned to leave. ‘That’s for you to find out. I’ve played my part, though I’ll probably stick around a while to see how things play out. Or I might just obliterate the Soul Society. I haven’t decided yet.’ He then vanished.

‘… What just happened?’ David asked.

‘My father’s impostor just said that he won’t be interfering.’

‘I think we need to enlist a little more muscle.’ Hawke whispered.

‘Like who?’ Akiye asked him.

‘Like uncle Rosuto.’ Kentaro said, grinning. ‘He stayed in Heisekai after fleeing the Soul Society, after all, so he’ll be sympathetic. And he can’t very well turn down three of his nephews or his student, can he?’

Next Story >.