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This article, Frozen Sun, was added by Illuminate Void who determines its usage on this wiki. |
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This article, Frozen Sun, was added by Njalm2 who determines its usage on this wiki. |
Noble Introspection[]
An almost sinister laughter reverberated through the streets of Rukongai just outside the walls of Seireitei, many locals shivering at its hollow sounds, and others moving quickly away from the source as they scurried off to their business with increased haste. The nobles who would have ordinarily snubbed the man in question, instead quivered in fear. Afterall there were those with old memories who did not forget the mistakes of the past. They kept themselves guarded in their palace-like homes surrounded by their own private army, but even then, they knew the comforts of such security was an illusion at best. It was he who had put the fear in the epithet "Ryoka" in their hearts, and yet they had allowed such a monster into their ranks. It just goes to show, that even the mighty nobility had such little power in the machinations of Soul Society.
Hyuuga Majeh walked gingerly through the streets of the first district Junrinan, a light smile plastered on his face. He saw the looks they gave him and he waved at them. It was just another means of getting back at the pretentious bunch that had him imprisoned. Oh, he could forgive, and he had, afterall he was actually enjoying his lot in life, not unlike before. But there was a certain satisfaction in being able to visit Soul Society whenever he wished or when time would allow. He made it a point to visit the Central 46, at least one its members every so often. Afterall they were the ones who had condemned him to thousands of years in that damnable prison, only to be overturned by the Royal Guard. So it was with great satisfaction, that he could waltz in, unannounced however he pleased and let them know that their lives were in his hands. He wasn't petty by any stretch of the imagination, he had no intention of killing them or even meddling in their affairs, but he wouldn't let them know that.
The fact that he could visit them, was reason enough, for them to know that a man they had condemned could see them whenever he wished. That kind of psychological torture was just too much to pass up. For as long as he lived they would have to spend their lives looking over their shoulders as though he were the proverbial "boogeyman" as those mortals coined it. It was his way of keeping them in check, to let them know that they weren't "all powerful" and that they were not the final law in Soul Society. That was also the reason he frequently made his way through the first District, so that he could snub HIS nose at the nobility.
Unfortunately that was not the case this time around, he was here on business, unofficially of course. The Shinsengumi hardly ever did things officially, that just wasn't their style. Besides he did this often enough so it wouldn't look out of place for him to be here, hence the reason he was chosen to begin with. He pondered on the details of his investigation; it was known that the Arma Clan were dabbling into some questionable avenues, and given the past history of another clan, and the blind eye the Gotei 13 turned to these events as they happened, believed that their allegiance was still intact. Simple enough, just a meet and greet, a little exploration and confirmation, and he would have his report.
Easy right?
An indignated scream broke the usual sereneity of the First District of Rukongai as a young noble clad in an exquisite Kimono inwoven with strange and immaculate patterns bursted out of the gates of the mansion that belonged to the Arma Clan, closely pursued by an old woman who looked completely helpless and desperately attempted to stall the noble ---"Shigenaga-sama, please don't leave! You have so many duties to attend to!" the adressed person stopped mid-step; turning slowly to gaze at the old woman that clutched desperately to the sleeve of his elaborate Kimono, the noble snorted derisively as he raised his free hand up into the air before slapping the woman accross her face harshly; the intense concussive force of the blow throwing the old woman several yards backwards and crashing down into the ground, accompanied by several disturbing cracking sounds, where she managed to utter single inaudible syllable before falling unconcious.
The noble lowered his hand then, as a plethora of different emotions washed across his features, there was a sense of discomfort and regret in his bearing for a moment before it vanished as quickly as it came; as the noble brushed a hand across his facial features before he announced loudly "Serves you right, you little raisin-skinned bitch! I hope you broke your neck!" the offender made a casual gesture with his hands as he turned around abruptly, while other servants had begun to gather around the unconcious body of the old woman. The man then began to walk in the direction of Majeh, muttering beneath his breath "Oh, fuck it"
The mans face was once again clouded by a certain sorrowful and desperate visage as he directed his gaze at the ground, slouching closer to Majeh's position ---although he seemingly hadn't caught sight of him yet; and he didn't do so until he was very close to him at which point he frowned in disgust and gave Majeh a defiant glare before he walked past him; the immaculate robes draping behind him in the dirt, representing the noblemans complete disregard for his status as a Noble.
Majeh would easily recognize the nobleman as Shigenaga Arma ---the older brother to the current leader of the Clan in question, the dossiers that he had read would provide a good deal of information about his behaviour and violent habits as well as cold and dispassionate attitude to such cases - it would also state that he was in a tense situation in regards to his other clan members. Shigenaga turned his head halfway around to look at Majeh and was about to say something sharp and sarcastic when he seemingly decided otherwise and proceeded to give him another deadpan glare of disgust and loathing, before he turned back around and continued his angry stride.
Majeh ignored the man in favor of the downed woman, striding casually but with a sense of urgency, crouching down to examine her when he drew near. A hand withdrew itself from the long sleeve of his robe, hovering just above her body, a green light illuminating the aged features of her face. Within seconds her eyes fluttered open, as her spirit was rejuvenated, though it was largely a superficial. Her injury was still present, and would need rest but she was not to die this day. The servants quickly gathered her, hefting her up and bringing her back inside. Majeh still crouching stared at the estate as she was escorted into the manor.
"Ya know, I'm still amazed that I can be suprised, when a noble demonstrates just how blind they can really be. I mean, hurting a defenseless old woman? Bet ya feel pretty proud of yourself? I mean, the troubles you nobility have, living with all those luxuries, kami-sama its a real burden. Its not like you all have real problems." Shaking his head dismissively, Majeh stood up and regarded Shigenaga with a mixture of.....well it was difficult to say.
"You should apologize to her. Before you lose what scraps of dignity and pride you have left."
Shigenaga turned around as he regarded Majeh coolly from afar before he shifted the destination of his stride back to the old woman, when he saw that she breathed easily; a small flicker of relief flashed across his features ---his lips tightening into a single thin line and it would appear that he actually did want to apologize, but was simply too stubborn to do so, instead he proceeded to do the tenth best thing; he wrenched off his elaborate Kimono and once he had gotten the entire attire off, it was revealed that he wore casual clothing beneath it; holding the soiled garment in his hands he proceeded to throw the whole luggage beside the old woman, who was slowly waking up ---while he spoke harshly "When you're done with your catnip, please get this washed and prepare my dinner" Shigenaga then slouched off.
The old woman nodded at Shigenaga, her aged features beaming happily at Majeh "Please forgive Shigenaga-samas behaviour, he really is a good boy deep down. I know it; thank you for caring about an old woman ---it is much appreciated" the old woman was then carried off by several younger servants, back into the mansion behind them.
Majeh frowned. The old woman truly believed what she said, even after the honorable noble could have killed her. What he had done to earn that level of trust? What changed? Perplexed by her reasoning he filed away that information for later. Now was not the time to debate philosophy. He had a mission to do. Which also meant that part of his mission was currently walking away.
Damn. How to fix this? Hmm, maybe I can use that. He thought. He stood up, and called out to the young nobleman. "Oi! You! Tall dark and orange. You and I need to chat. Clan politics and all. I think I have some information, thats....whatta they call it?" He says the last part more to himself than Shigenaga. "Ahh yeah, pertinent, to your clan's situation." Majeh doesnt talk in the same manner as a typical Shinigami. It was somewhat rude, due to its lack of honorifics, and thick with a...foreign accent he couldnt identify.
Shigenaga halted mid-step as he sleazily turned around to face Majeh; his mouth once more having the shape of one single thin line of barely repressed loathing, although Majeh would notice that the loathing didn't seem to be directed at him personally --almost as if the young noble simply looked trough him, as opposed to at him. Shigenaga then directed his gaze at Majeh, studying him for several full moments, no, silently appraising him would be a better description for that lazy gaze that seemed to devour even the slightest detail, Shigenaga then spoke - but rather than to address Majeh's words directly... "By observing your body, and your build I can quickly presume that your talents lies within the more martial approach of combat --- and while I see your Zanpakuto, you don't seem to repedeatly check if it is present seems to suggest that your chosen way of battle is in the field of Hakuda. Your lithe but muscular build is also appearantly trained with agility in mind" ...but rather with an observation of his own.
When Shigenaga spoke again, it was a good deal more serious, and contempt was quick to color his tongue "Lets pretend for a moment that I give a rats-ass about those shambly old pigs, what kind of pertience would we be talking about?" Shigenaga didn't chastise Majeh for the informality of his words, on the contrary it would seem that Shigenaga loosened upon a bit due to them ---appearantly his rank and family obligation meant shit nothing to him: if that hadn't been established before. Shigenaga's eyes tensed somewhat though; he's confident and the fact that he dares to not use honorfics does suggest that he's fully capable of handling himself in a battle, even against me, interesting. Shigenaga smirked somewhat as he lifted his gaze to Majeh's face - Chestnut meeting Steel; while the lesser noble calmly awaited the Shinsengumi's response.
Majeh raised an eyebrow as Shigenaga made his assessment. So what? He stayed silent as the kid demonstrated his powers of observation. He considered interjecting after that, but he held his tongue. Wouldn't do to insult him anymore than what was necessary. Besides the kid seemed to need to vent his own thoughts, so he waited, and waited. And waited.
Finally the brat actually went on to address what he said, and then his plans fell flat. Hmm, so the kid really didnt give two shits about his clan. Odd, most nobles were all about family honor and crap. Well given what he saw before, it really shouldn't have been a surprise. Which meant that this kids emotional issues were more deep seated than just noble arrogance. The dossier did mention some bad blood between he and the rest of his family, which likely made him the black sheep, even with his supposed prodigal talent. But that was a point in his favor. Meant the kid was eager to prove himself. Whether it was for the benefit of the clan or his own personal enjoyment was at least for Majeh irrelevant. It could be used.
"I'm just passing along some info. I was told to meet with a member of the Arma clan, regarding the Satonaka's and whatnot. Given your history, seemed like it might be something of value. But we shouldn't talk here, too many prying eyes, need to know only. How bout we take this somewhere private?" He responded.
Shigenaga simply shrugged dismissively, before he spoke "Fine, I guess if there's any problems I could gloat at their misfortune, would be fun. So, lead the way I guess" Shigenaga stuck a single hand in his pocket while he silently muttered beneath his breath; urging Majeh to lead on.
Majeh shrugged in response, but smirked, as he led the Arma clansman into his own home. He glanced at a nearby servant, and gestured with his head to lead them through the house. "I'm sure mister servant here can find us a private area to talk in." When the servant gave Majeh a confused look, the narrowing of his eyes was the only answer given, as the servant squeeked like a frightened mouse, and bowing repeatedly. "Y-yes sir, r-right away s-sir!" The servant took the two into a private study, opening the door to let the two walk inside. It was furnished like most of the rooms in the house, out fitted with a small display case of various ceremonial weapons and of course luxury carpet and chairs. In the middle of the room was a small table, where Majeh sat to one side as he awaited for Shigenaga to take his own seat. The servant bowed once more before exiting, intending to bring food and drink to the "esteemed guest".
"So why don't you take a seat, and I'll start by explaining why I'm here huh?" Majeh began.
Shigenaga chuckled darkly behind Majeh's back while he was amused by the Shinsengumi members antics and once he had found them a suitable room, Shigenaga was quick to follow the other mans instructions without any objection whatsoever; sitting down at the opposite chair of Majeh while he leaned back and placed both feet onto the small table with the ettiquette of a Yakuza.
So he wanted to be a tough guy, well he cold deal. "Alright, I'll be straight with ya. I got nothin. Beyond the, "Satonaka's are in Hama Town", and all the crap that goes on there, I dont have anything. That was a....ploy, yeah thats the word, to get inside here. See, the Arma clan has been digging into some...forbidden research and whatnot, gotta make sure you're not plannin on use'in it for no, nefarious purposes."
He laughs to himself. "Nefarious, hah, I like that word. Sounds evil. Anyways, you obviously dont give two shits about your clan, so there's no point in beatin'round the bush. Oh." He stops himself mid-sentence to give Shigenaga a knowing look. "And thanks for that show earlier. Gives me, plausible deniability ya know, you being a loose a cannon and all. So you can either tell me what I wanna know, or," He shrugs.
"I can just look around, either way's fine with me." He finishes. It was obvious to Shigenaga, that Majeh was using his outburst to cover himself. If he attacked, Majeh could claim it was in self-defense, and if he tried to tell everyone he was investigating the Arma Clan, they either wouldnt believe him, or would be angered that he just let him inside the manor to begin with, and he could still claim to not knowing what Shigenaga was talking about. Regardless, Majeh had him trapped between the proverbial a rock and a hard place. But it seemed his intentions weren't necessarily there to infuriate him, he just seems to be counting on the fact that Shigenaga would rather piss his clan off more than whatever hate he may have for Majeh, so he'd reveal whatever it is he wants to know.
Shigenaga let out a guffaw, as he folded his arms across his chest, humming in obvious amusement at Majeh before he spoke gruffly "So you want to take a look around, hm? Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but you see - we've reached an impasse given how your recent behaviour has been utterly suspicious" Shigenaga took his feet down from the table while he scratched his chin in feigned befuddlement, before continuing his little speech, this time in a softer tune "I'm certain you're aware that alot of the items you find in this mansion is worth alot on the black market, no?"
Without waiting for an answer Shigenaga proceeded to come up with his actual argument "Lets go over the suspicious points, then.." to emphasize the gravity of the situation, Shigenaga feigned a discreet cough "A complete stranger walks up to me and claims to have information about my clans situation, furthermore - when this goes wrong you immediately change your argument to something that that you believe I might be tempted by? A coincidence? No fucking way in Hell" Shigenaga then leaned back more comfortably in the chair while he continued speaking in a monotone "Furthermore, earlier mentioned complete stranger proceeds to lead me back into my own home by his own volition, without being invited by the household even. This is a major transgression in the First District, as illustrated by appendix number six in section four "Regulations regarding personal property and privacy". Furthermore, you've been seen around this district many times as of late - snooping around and being very eerie overall" Shigenaga arched an eyebrow at finishing this sentence
"Lets add to the fact that you used blatant intimidation on one of the household servants in order to get your way, finally though; you're a former convict to boot - I can thereby assume that you're here for theft or some other dishonesty, I want no burglars in my home. I'll let you leave freely this time though, as I can sympathize with one of lesser birth, but.." Shigenaga abruptly snapped his fingers in the air, as each of the doors to the little office were quickly shooved open, revealing a small battalion of guards, carrying Katana at their hips. "Please escort our guest out of the grounds!"
"Huuuuuuh, seems the clans black sheep, has some fire afterall. I figured you as a more reckless, bull-headed type, but here you are taking things slow and usin your head." He taps his temple for emphasis.
"Then I guess its good that I'm not a stranger to these parts. Don't you know, not just anyone can come strollin through here like they got a pair. You need special, "permissions" and such ya know. Do you really think, no one bothered to ask until now?" He scoffed.
"And here I am." He pauses, looking at the guards with disinterest. "Still though, gotta get the info on your clan. You can tell me, or your neighbors can. I'm sure it would bad if word got out that they were being investigated, for suspicious weapons and technology." He folded his arms across his chest, and leaned back into his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"So then now ya gotta ask, how right? Former convict, with special permissions to enter the first district?" He chuckles. "Its like, they gotta be some kinda high rankin official?" He says mysteriously.
"You understand? Just doin my job. Hell I'm trying to protect your reputation as it is.I'm just here to confirm some things. Its in your favor right now. But if it looks like the Arma clan is out for blood, then well, its outta my hands, gotta shut ya down. If you wanted to fight thoug, well it wouldnt hurt to grab one of them lil projects and test it out, make sure its workin all right, a friendly spar, and then I can be on my way. And hey, you wont even have their blood on your hands!" He says pointing to the guards.
Shigenaga's eyes gleamed with a ferocity and bloodlust that was rather out of character for a nobleman, and Majeh could tell that Shige wanted to attack him then and there, but in a streak of magnificent willpower he absided - instead, he smirked wickedly at the other man before speaking with surprising eloquence "While I don't deny that the offer is tempting - friendly spars are resserved for friends and aquintances; you're neither of these. Hyuuga Majeh - and yes, I know who you are, we nobles are always well-versed in history. It'd appear that we've reached an impasse" drawing a deep breath, Shige paused.
"I'm aware that the Central 46 are very uneasy about your freedom and that they'd like nothing more than to lock you up, or perhaps more appropriately, execute you; the 46 are the true rulers of Soul Society and as every beggar knows, they're hardly fair, especially not to those whom they concider to be their enemies. So, they'd undoubtably be very interested in hearing my version of what has transpired here, your version however, will undoubtably be dismissed, assuming that they at all bother to hear it before sentencing you to death or prison" Shigenaga's smirk was wicked, and rather prideful, undoubtably due to the fact that everything he had said was the truth, the Central 46 would give alot to remedy the single breach of their authority ever recorded in history, to be absolute and unquestionable "Of course, this official organization of which you are part of, will also feel the brunt of the Central 46's judgement - history pertains to the fact that you were released on grounds that you became a member of this organization and under their responsibility. Take a moment to imagine the repercussions of such a failure at upholding their own given standards - ouch, I think that might stain their reputation abit"
Shigenaga paused once again, to let his words sink in before he continued his speech "So then, are you ready to depart with my guards now? I'd remind you that all my guards are innocent and hardworking individuals that work here solely to feed their families, essentially, if you harm them based on the grounds that they're going to escort you peacefully out of the building you won't escape judgement no matter how far you run - I'll personally see to it" the guards fidgeted nervously at the conversation that transpired.
Silence permeates the air for a moment, as Majeh sits apparently stunned by Shigenaga's response, which is abruptly broken by his laughter. It reverberates through the halls of the Arma Clan manor, sending a chill down the spines of the guards. His amusement was clear, but for what reason, that in of itself was a mystery.
His laughter recedes into a low chuckle, as he shakes his head in disbelief. "That was a good one kid. Had me going there for awhile. Are you an idiot? Or does that come natural? Cause if the Central 46 wanted to execute me, they'd have done so already you fool. Think about it, whats stopping them? The Central 46 are the head honcho's of the Gotei 13. What they say goes right? Obviously, that aint the case for me." He rubs his chin thoughtfully.
"You have no idea, how this "chain of command" works do ya? Those old geezers won't do anything, cause they can't do anything. Get it? I'm higher on the food chain. They have as much say over me, as my breakfeast." He pauses for a moment to let that sink in.
"Do you understand what the Gotei 13, and all these other divisions are supposed to do? It aint uphold the Central 46? We're not even supposed to protect the people out here in Rukongai? We're just here to protect a king. If we had to burn this entire place down to it, well we'd do it. Sad, but true. So when I say I'm here to investigate a possible threat, I want you to take that as seriously as possible. Why do you think they sent someone, who knows shit about politics for this? If push comes to shove, well, lets just say the paperwork's already done, if I gotta cut loose." He sits back in his chair relaxing, convinced that after what he said, Shigenaga was going to comply.
It was clear that Majeh believed wholeheartedly what he said. There wasnt a trace of doubt nor hesitation in his words. The fact that he seemed oddly at ease with wiping out innocent people despite his actions earlier does seem strange. Was this a bluff? Or...did he just place his duty above his compassion? If had reason to believe they were in fact a threat, according to what he said, he could retaliate and kill them all without any repercussions. Did his organization really think that a single man was strong enough to do that!? This was the Arma Clan! They had a slew of powerful Shinigami under their command, so he was either much more powerful than what Shigenaga believed, or he had abilities designed specifically widespread destruction. Neither of which was good.
Shigenaga laughed as well, the sound was pleasant and surprisingly bubbly. There was nothing forced over the laughter at all, it was completely genuine; despite the fact that his clan was being targetted by officials with suspicions that might cost them their nobility and get a fair lot of them executed or at the very least sent to the Maggots' Nest. "There's fire in you, Majeh - I appreciate that in a man, but.." Shigenaga made another casual movement with his hands as all the guards rushed towards Majeh at once, attempting to seize him and show him out, abit more forcefully than intended "I will have you leave now", he paused slightl while he smirked in triumph.
"By the way, cut loose all ya want, the guards are expendable after all ---I could easily get new, better ones for a decent sum of money. It'd be a pity though, many of these men have families to attend, families that sorely need them, but I take it that doesn't matter to you? You've killed fathers before have you not?" Shigenaga spoke normally while he uttered these sentences, he seemed unbothered by the fact that his already terrified guards turned from pale to deathly white at the prospect of possibly being killed - and the fact that Shigenaga didn't care one way or another what happened to them. Shigenaga leaned back in his chair comfortably while he watched the ensuing spectacle with great interest and curiousty.
Majeh simply quirked an eyebrow. So Shigenaga was gonna try'n call his bluff huh? Well he didn't particularly like killing innocent people, and tended to avoid it if at all possible. Didnt mean he wouldnt incapciate them. The guards barely took more than a few steps, when the room was suddenly flooded an aura so oppressive, they found themselves on the ground before they could even think.
The aura was not reiatsu, far from it, there was no increase in air pressure, not even a drop was released. Instead, what they found themselves experiencing was more akin to pure primal fear. Killing intent, like no ther washed over them, and their reaction was a response to when the body is faced with a predator unlike any other, left with only one choice; to cower and wait for inevitable death. Their breaths became ragged, many hyperventilating and passing out as their bodies seized up, fright overriding control over their bodies.
Majeh simply grinned in response, pronounced canines gleaming in the light. His face looked absolutely feral, like a wild animal, looking at its prey. It was hard to say whether Majeh wasn't going to leap forward and rip them all apart or simply take delight in watching them cower in fear.
"What a cold-hearted bastard. Throwing your men to their deaths? No wonder you're not clan head, you'd make one crappy leader doing dumb things like that. Well, looks like neither of us plan on budging. So cut the bullshit already. You wanna fight, lets do it then, if not, get the hell outta my way so I can do my job."
While Majeh had been busy with the small-fry, a woman had entered the room, another man was standing in the doorway - the woman had immediately rushed to Shigenaga's side and whispered something into his ear - the nobleman in question frowned in obvious disdain for a moment, a notion that was quickly remedied when the woman gave him a glass of wine in his hands. With a surprisingly fluent motion Shigenaga made sign for the newcomer to enter the room.
The man wore a dark kinagashi and was lanky and thin in build; what would undoubtably catch the attention of Majeh though would be the fact that the man was hideously deformed, his face was completely ruined ---unaturally wide lips were draped with certainly-not-charming lipstick and his eyes were droopy and unfocused, his skin was welted and malformed and glossy black hair fell down to his shoulders in a tuttered mass.
The man then spoke, his voice was surprisingly pleasant and exuded a sense of calmness, it was the voice of one who was used to nurturing and motivating his subordinates "Majeh-san, I hope that is your name, yes? A few minutes ago I got a rather distressing message from a courier that informed that there were some disturbances in the Arma Household and I-" The man paused as he saw all the limp bodies spread around Majeh, his features darkening as he turned towards Shigenaga, who was currently putting up a surprisingly good act as a terrified nobleman as he shouted out as he stood up from his chair so quickly that wine spurted in all directions, pointing an accusing finger at Majeh "Thank the Kami that you're here! This hooligan has dispatched my entire guard and is currently plotting something truly nefarious! You simply MUST stop him!" Shige then made a run for the doorway, like any pansy nobleman. It would become remarkably clear to Majeh that Shigenaga had actually taken well into account that Majeh would be likely to incapacitate the guards, and had set the stage thereafter.
Tsubasa was normally quite calm and resserved and took the whining of nobles with a grain of salt, however - to his eyes. The situation was indeed grave, the servants he had encountered on his way here were much wary of the man who had pretty much barged in and demanded this and that; the household was in a disarray and even the young Lord himself was scared out of his wits of this man, not to mention that the man had already dispatched of most of the guards - courageous men and women who were willing to lay down their lives to protect the household. That was unforgivable. Opening a Senkaimon behind Majeh, Tsubasa proceeded with releasing his Reiatsu, the force of which brushing towards Majeh like a flood of energy, threatening to trample and maim him if he weren't careful. Tsubasa then lunged forwards with great speed, Zanpakuto whistling trough the air as he attempted to drive Majeh into the Senkaimon behind him and thus elicite a change of battlefield, as fighting within the manor was obivously not acceptable.
Majeh's eyes widened as he took in the appearance of the 5th Division Captain, which only caused his surprise to increase as he saw the Arma Clan noble, literally run with his tail between his legs. His attempt at deflecting the blame seemed...pathetic, but was even more surprising was the fact that Tsubasa actually bought into it.
He reflexively stood up when Shigenaga began running, but was too stunned to stop the fool before he slipped through the door. Not that he wasn't preoccupied already, a Captain being here was a big problem.
Still, he couldnt believe the idoicy of Shigenaga. He had all but made it clear, that if their intentions couldn't be confirmed, the Shinsengumi were willing to eradicate them outright in the interest of protecting Soul Society! He didn't agree with such extreme's, hell he didn't even want to do this mission! Now he had to deal with an irate Captain, a lying sack of shit of a noble, who would probably run his mouth off, and the mounds of paperwork that awaited him when he had to report a "failure" on his mission.
He was greatly irritated by the turn of events, though he didnt let it show. Not when a Zanpakutou was heading his way. Sighing in both resignation and disbelief, he raised his right arm, a thick layer of reiatsu forming around it as he blocked Tsubasa's Zanpakutou. Shifting said arm downward he deflected the blow away. Tsubasa was counting on that as the wly Captain, shifted his own body into a shoulder tackle, as his sword was brought down, slamming into Majeh. The force of the attack dragged him off by his feet and into the now opened Senkaimon Gate.
He inwardly cursed, as things had gone from bad to worse. He gave the 5th Division Captain, a wary glance, raising a single eyebrow. "Che, how typical of the Gotei 13. Blindly rushin in without even thinkin bout the situation." He said coldy. "No wonder you fools have low retention."
He didnt wait for a retort before torquing his body, to let the Captain fall through on his charge, and slipping by as the changed positions, though given that they were traveling through the Dangai Precipice World at the moment, it really didnt matter. He wasn't sure where they were headed, but knowing the Captain, it was probably some abandoned or desolate area where they could fight. Trying to convince him of anything different was out of the question, and besides, he really wanted to beat somethin down at the moment. He did not attempt a counter attack, not yet anyways, not until they arrived at their destination.
Deadly Flora[]
Lights flashed around them in a thousand dazzling colors as they moved trough space, before their journey suddenly came to a halt: Majeh would suddenly find that he had been hurled out of the Senkaimon, and was currently fluttering in the air across a wooden landscape, the forests outside Soul Society had proven to be the intended destination. The Shinsengumi member quickly spun around aerodynamically so that his feet safely connected with the ground, sliding some yards backwards still.
Tsubasa emerged from the Senkaimon, his Daisho pair Zanpakuto already drawn. The 5th Squad Captain was not one to waste time, and this certainly showed when he ---just after having emerged proceeded to raise his Zanpakuto up in front of him and speak softly "Grow to Adulthood, Kouyuri!" - the Tanto gleamed with a greenish hue as it extended a few inches in length - the Katana he bore before vanishing completely.
Tsubasa then stabs the still glowing Zanpakuto down into the ground; nothing in particular happened though, and the Shinigami Captain withdrew the blade shortly afterwards before he used Shunpo to relocate himself so that he was all up and personal with Majeh; his sword then flashed trough the air in a deadly arc, before then seemingly multiplying into several dozen blades that all whistled trough the air in a whizzling flurry of steel and energy ---yes, Tsubasa's prowess with the blade was well known in Soul Society.
No pre-fight banter, not even a demand for an explanation. Seems like this Tsubasa thought he had everything figured out. Unfortunately for him he should have released his Zanpakutou out of sight. Majeh only needed the command, and name of a Zanpakutou to get a grasp of its abilities, afterall, those two things were a window into the soul.
Judging by his opponents Zanpakutou's name, Crimson Lily, the key word in its command phrase being grow, and the fact that he stabbed his Zanpakutou into the ground, could lead one to believe that its powers likely had to deal with plants. Glancing around, Majeh noted the terrain ---a nice big forested area. Meaning this area wasnt chosen randomly, it was by design for a tactical advantage.
Damn.
"Release me. Show this fool our power! Let him tremble as he gazes in awe before our divine flames!" A voice said. A spectral form manifested around him, a large three-legged crow perched on his shoulder a large crimson eye glowing on its forehead.
"Yatagarasu," Majeh replied dryly. Said response was entirely telepathic. "You know I cant do that, not here. You'd burn the whole forest down."
"That's because you are entirely inept at controlling my power." She quipped. "You dont listen to a word I say, and that is why you cannot control the divine fire of heaven. To think I would be stuck with such a bullheaded partner like you."
"Oi! I'm tryin alright!? Be-"
"Then try harder." She interrupted. "Release me. I want to enjoy the sensation of being in the physical world, and not through your Inner World."
"Fine, but let me enjoy this battle first, before you go and fry him."
"Make it quick." She replied.
The entire conversation happened in less than a second, long enough for Majeh's body to reflexively leap back as Tsubasa charged forward. He smirked a feral grin, throwing up his arms to block Tsubasa's onslaught, whirring steel clashing against reiryoku enforced skin. His arms were a blur as he deflected the ferocious attacks of Tsubasa, sparks erupting from the points of contact.
Majeh ducked low to evade a vicious swing that would cleaved him in half, and surged with a powerful leap, diving to the side, while swiping with his left hand. A translucent stream of spiritual energy shaped very much like a single claw, arc'ed from his hand towards Tsubasa who merely leaped over the attack, to continue raining death from above. Majeh rolled to the side momentarily disappearing into Tsubasa's blindspot, who turned to meet Majeh's attack head on, as both fighters clashed against one another once more, Majeh's claws blocked by Tsubasa's Zanpakutou.
"So you want to play the brave knight huh? Protect the noble from the big-bad thug? Hah, I can't believe you fell for that brat's bullshit! Heh, well too bad you had to piss me off! Dont worry though, I'll take it out of you. Piece. By. Piece!" He growled.
Tsubasa was not amused, not at all - the earth suddenly churned and tossed on itself beneath them; as it broke apart to reveal a rapidly extending tree that went roughly a houndred feet up into the air above them. Majeh would immediately note something odd though, the tree had no branches whatsoever and upon a closer inspection the "tree" didn't appear to be made of wood at all ---but appeared to be much softer in composition, Majeh's suspicions were confirmed when the tree crooked its upper part and looked down at the combatants, revealing a truly emormous jaw filled with ten rows of razor sharp teeth.
Majeh instinctively lept back from their clash as the creature burst through the ground towering over them. He let out a chuckle, as he appraised the monster as it looked hungrily at him.
"Hn. I was wonder'n when you'd use yer zanpakutou's power. Too bad fer you, this terrain also works in my advantage too!" He crouched low to the ground, and his form began to blur, like he was being surrounded in a hazy mist. His spiritual energy signature began to change, if that was even possibly, as it spread, seeping into the ground, into every plant and tree, until it was impossible to pinpoint his exact location. It was as if he was everywhere at the same time. Tsubasa only left his eyes wander for a split second, but in that time Majeh disappeared.
A disembodied voice echoed beneath the canopy of the forest, carried by the whispering winds. "Lets see how you deal with my Sorumaku Tsubasa-taichou!" An enormous four fingered claw of spiritual energy seemingly appeared out of the air directly above the plant creature, descending on it and Tsubsasa in an attempt to rip them both apart in a single stroke.
Tsubasa didn't bother moving; there was no reason, or need for him to do so; instead - he simply sat down in a meditative postion with Kōyuri positioned across his legs; soon the vegetation around him began to grow into a small dome that covered him completely, before then solidifying into a highly dense cocoon of vegetation, brambles and leaves - the dome working as sort of a miniature fortress to Tsubasa; in response to Majeh's attack, the gigantic plant-worm-thingy coiled itself around Tsubasa and protected him with its giant body. The energy claw carved into its body but stopped quite quickly, much earlier than Majeh had anticipated no less, proving any suspicions about its great hardness. But concidering how it was made out of spiritually soaked soil and inter-spiritual vegetation, it should hardly come as a surprise - it never uncoiled though; which provided Tsubasa with another highly sturdy fortification ---the 5th Squad Captain then attempted to communicate with his Zanpakuto, or rather - to communicate trough his Zanpakuto with the forest itself.
The process took a certain time, but it finally succeeded Tsubasa to create a link with the entire forest - making it into an extension of his own will - plants weren't fooled by optical illusions and light tricks, and as such, it was easy for Tsubasa to locate Majeh. The former convict was high up into the air and was rapidly descending towards the ground, Tsubasa decided to take an indirect approach: there was a great meadow of wildflowers close by where they were positioned, and as if by magic - all of the flowes released their spores into the air at once, resulting in a large cloud that were carried by the wind towards Majeh, when they would be passing him, the spores would attempt to attach onto his body and forcibly root themselves onto his flesh - before they'd proceed with vampirically draining his spiritual energy.
Furthermore, the earlier mentioned meadow of flowers quickly began to fuse together into a single massive plant; gigantic roots permeated the soil as the entirety of the meadow shot up into the air like a thick branch, a branch which soon started to sprout a myriad of highly unique flowers; they were moderately sized and sported peculiar elongated needle-like petals that were all pointed at Majeh, indeed, the flowers seemed to follow his movements precisely - and all of them at once quickly gathered their needle-like petals and released over a dozen blasts of energy at once --- in the form of a massive barrage that filled the sky, headed for Majeh.
Rising Sun[]
"Enough! I will not allow you to lose to the likes of him, Majeh! This is no longer you're kind of fight. Release me, and crush him!" Yatagarasu bellowed. Her warning came too late, as Majeh attempted to evade Tsubasa's cloud, by cutting it with Hagane Hasami, a surge of spiritual energy splitting the cloud in two. But as it was directed by the forest itself, his attack did little more than delay the inevitable, as they swept over him, the spores digging into his skin.
The effect was almost immediate as he felt their spores begin to drain his spiritual power. He dropped onto the ground rolling into a low crouch. Looking up he found the rain of needles descend on the area around him. With that many being fired, there was no real method of evasion so he did the next best thing. He uttered the incantation quickly, forgoing roughly 3/4 of it, in favor of a speedy if temporary defense. Instantly a triangular barrier fromed around Majeh, and just in time, as the needles rained across its surface, hitting the barrier with great force causing it to crack all over. He didnt have much time, and that kido drained more energy than it should. The fact that the damn spores were sucking his energy was no help either.
Without even a second thought, he drew his zanpakutou, whipping it out in a flourish, as he spoke the command.
"Under the sun, I am invincible! Yatagarasu!" Unlike before, where the flames simply washed over his body, Yatagarasu gave a triumphant cowl, as the flames that washed over him, erupted into a pair of translucent fiery wings. The spores that had clung to his flesh were instantly vaporized, turned unto raw spiritual particles from the intense heat. And like the fire they represent, as quickly as they came, they vanished, leaving Majeh as he was.
The ethereal form of Yatagarasu hovered behind Majeh, appearing as a bird of fire, than her orignal crow form, a definate smirk on her features as she gave her wings a single might flap, shattering his barrier, as a wave of pure plasma emanated outward causing the remaining needles to burn away.
"Now, Majeh, let us teach this foolish Captain, that those who reach for the sun, shall be burned by its brilliance!" Yatagarasu said. "Hmph, Yer just as eager to fight as I am. Hiding behind that noble nature is a beast waiting to be unleashed. There's a reason yer my partner, partner."
"Be that as it may, dear Majeh, there are times for eloquence, and there are times to smite those who would dare oppose me. Come, the battle has just begun. Focus." She replied. Majeh nodded in response, as he leapt into the air, a pulsating wave exploding beneath, granting added propulsion, as he soared high into the air. He wreathed himself in the fiery aura, as he seemingly flew, weaving and dodging the tendrils and vines that threatened to halt his ascension. With a final burst of power, he broke through the canopy into the undiluted rays of the sun. His spiritual power spiked, as the Yatagarasu began her work, gathering the necessary energy, a fire, unlike any other swirled between his hands until it condensed into a small orb.
Holding his hands above his head, the orb continued to rapidly grow in size pulsating with an ever increasing frequency. "Thats one....two charges...that should be enough, to start things off. Getting up here took two, so I've got two left. Hehe, that should last me fer a little bit." Majeh thought.
"Nanten Genshi Hadou!" He yelled, as he hurled the rolling sphere of molten energy at the massive plant conjured by Tsubasa. When it neared, he caused it to prematurely detonate, release an almost liquid like wave, emanating outward in a sphere-like explosion. There was no heat, radiating from the attack, but all that touched it, turned unto ash and then nothing. The explosion dwarfed the plant-creature, and was expanding to encompass Tsubasa as well in its death throes.
But that was not the intent, Majeh knew that even with the intensity of his flames, Tsubasa would only need to conjure more plants to act as a defense, but at the very least, it removed those damn spores from the air. Just as soon as the attack was released, Majeh could feel the tell-tale signs of Kagutsuchi begin to creep into his body. He was immune.
For now.
He was getting dangerously close though to reaching his limit. "Conserve my power for now. Watch as he prepares his next attack. He will no doubt try another tactic, now that his previous attempt failed." said Yatagarasu.
It was not due to his power alone that Tsubasa had become a captain ---no, tactics were nessecary. He hadn't expected his oppositions Zanpakuto to be so powerful, but then again this made his job all the more easier; concentrating his energy onto the biological sphere of plant-life in the area he proceeded to give birth to a rather odd piece of botany - a pretty flower sprouted forth from the earth just infront of the cocoon Tsubasa had hid himself away in, quickly followed by several others of its kind, positioned in a perfect circle around the small botanic fortress which housed the 5th Division Captain.
The attack released by Yatagarasu didn't have the hoped effect, at all - the new flowers seemed to suck in greedily of the great amounts of energy involuntarily offered by Yatagarasu; the energy was then quickly synthesized onto nutrition for the plants who then proceeded to grow greatly in size as each of the plants, now numbering four, proceeded to unroot themselves, leaving roughly eight long vines free to flail about them - together this meant 32 powerful tendrils whom could undoubtably strike with ferocious force: the amazements didn't end there though.
Majeh would immediately note the color of the roots in question, each of them being orange, with spots of red and with pink thorns and protrusions: they matched the color of Yatagarasu's flames! They had synthesized to the degree that they had adapted the Zanpakuto's properties; or more specifically, those of Kagutsuchi, and by that eliminating their weakness to fire altogether. As well as making them thrice more deadly, as they now would inflict fire damage upon a successful hit, AND afflict him with the radiation of Yatagarasu to boot.
Then they attacked; the vines moved at speeds equaling those of most Shunpo Practioners, with Tsubasa's tactical experience and centuries of knowledge behind them. Trails of fire blazed after them as the vines made use of a myriad of combat manuevers, almost as if he had been fighting an entire platoon as opposed to a single Shinigami. Majeh saw powerful sweep attacks, feints and coordinated assault being employed against him, but perhaps most fearsome of all was the fact that they drove upon their hive-mind; Tsubasa's knowledge and battle experience while they fought, and as Majeh nimbly dodged their blows he'd find that they slowly but surely began to learn from his battle style, and begin to anticipate his counters and manuevers.
Abruptly, two vines narrowly missed the head of Majeh by a few inches each, the former convict simply moved away from them and continued to respond to the aggressive botanies' ever relentless assault ---only to hear a whooshing sounds as the two vines that he dodged earlier were brought down towards him at great speeds; their initial attacks having only been a distraction! They aimed at his head and his right shoulder respectively, their incredible force being enough to easily shatter bones, and skulls, for that matter.
"Impossible!? There's no way his plants could adapt to both Yatagarasu's flames AND Kagutsuchi! This must be a trick!" Majeh raged in his thoughts. Even if the plants could somehow absorb spiritual energy, the effects of Kagutsuchi would have all but obliterated them long before they could synthesize enough energy to even gain a resistance let alone an immunity! But if the plants could...
Damn.
"His control over his spiritual energy, at least in regards to Kido far exceeds your own Majeh. Including the bond between he and his Zanpakutou. You could learn something from that." Yatagarasu quipped.
Majeh began moving rapidly, his legs pounding into the ground, as he lept through the maze of vines as they tried to attack him. He ducked under a vine as a cleaved the air above him, along with a dozen or so tree's before they became apart of this monstrous parade.
"Hm. Attacking him with long-range attacks wont work, those damn plants will pro'ly just absorb the energy again. But..." Majeh could feel his own reserves replenishing at an accelerated rate. The fool didnt know that he could absorb heat as well, adding its power to his own!
"You're finally learning I see. Having his plants absorb my flames was a mistake. The flames they emit are just raw power waiting to be absorbed! But how will you attack?" asked Yatagarasu.
Leaning to the side as he dodged another assault, Majeh somersaulted through another volley of attacks, landing in a low crouch, shuffling from side to side as he skillfully evaded the attacks.
"Easy, this guy thinks his plants are immune. But if they constantly use the flames, well..Kagutsuchi will eat'em up from the inside. Its already starting to effect em, they're gettin slower! Sides, I've got a lil strategy in mind."
Spinning through the air, whilst deflecting a combined assault from all sides, Majeh's arms and legs were a blur as they blocked and deflected the numerous attacks from the plants. Concentrating energy into his hand, he swept his arm out in a tearing motion, as a translucent claw of energy ripped apart the sneak attack that would impaled him from behind. Landing on all fours, he darted across the ground like an animal.
He slid under two vines that nearly clipped his head, but the distinct sound of another attack drove him to reconsider their initial threat. As they neared, the only thing noticably on Majeh's features, was a predatorial grin. His reiatsu flared, bellowing around him in a fiery aura, before it receeded into his body, until it was a dim red outline covering his body.
Twisting his torso, he half-turned, and literally grabbed both the vines by their ends, a shockwave erupting from the points of contact due to the sheer force the vines had in their attacks. They wiggled and writhed, yet Majeh kept his grip firm. With a tug, he ripped both vines out tossing them preemptively into the assault that would have been a deadly pincer attack.
"Interesting." Yatagarasu said in wonder, as she began to piece together the strategy Majeh claimed to have. She knew he couldnt have attacked the vines head on, not without wasting his charges, so instead, he decided to...hold the remaining charges, essentially amassing more and more energy, as time passed. By flaring his reiatsu, and then condensing it once more, he fused the immense energy potential of Nanten Enshin Kajiya with his Hagane Hasami, thereby allowing him to channel explosive amounts of power through his limbs, if only temporarily to exceed the limits of his own physical strength and durability, but without incuring the poison of Kagutsuchi, since no charges were being expended!
Yatagarasu purred with satisfaction, as she watched behind his eyes, as he began to physically dismantle the plants around him. Those that came too close were pulverized with a combination of punches and thrown into the other. It was like watching a wild beast; it was beautiful, elegant even ---primal. It was as though he were moving on pure instinct alone. The plants were using the flames to attack Majeh relentlessly, who didnt even bother to evade the fires, for they just continued to feed his own energy reserves. The spores couldnt affect him, because of the condensed layer of spiritual energy around him, which also served as a powerful defensive boon, since any attacks he couldnt dodge slid harmlessly off of his skin. The number of tendrils had been reduced from their original thirty-two to less than half, to just under fourteen, in the span of few minutes.
"You know that barrier goes "both" ways Tsubasa!? I might not be able to attack you, but you cant attack me. Heh, this forest sure gives you an advantage. But as it turns out...I don't need to fight you here anyways. Lets see how fast if your plants can keep up with me before I go back through a Senkaimon Gate huh?" Majeh yelled.
Without a second thought, Majeh flickered from his previous space, leaping through the forest. If Tsubasa truly had control over the forest, this little test would prove it, and if not, well the Captain would have to give chase to Majeh if he wanted to finish the battle. The man's rage was legendary, if anything, he'd probably try and find a way back to the Arma clan, and try to kill that noble. Either way, the battle was going to change.
The Bewitched Forest[]
While he ran, he'd note that the woods had become silent, much too silent. Certainly it didn't seem like Tsubasa could extend his influence this far? However, once the former convict rounded a corner and was about to move trough the clearing the forest suddenly "closed" itself off around him as large, thick vines and brambles formed into a perfect and undoubtably very durable dome-shaped prison.
Back in his botanic fortress, Tsubasa began to chant beneath his breath, at least a dozen different spells and effects, his arms moving in perfect rhytm and with great precision despite his closed eyes. Back at where Majeh was, he'd see that four of the vines he had previously fought against shot up from the earth around him - they had by now managed to completely assimilate or rather absorb the energy and Majeh could feel his spiritiual senses sky-rocketing at the sheer amount of energy the vines contained - before his very eyes they changed in appearance.
The vines split down at the middle as a remarkable metamorphosis took place, as four women blossomed out of the vines; their beauty simply unearthly - their bodies were slim and easy on the eyes with obvious feminine traits and made of smoothed bark - their hair was like a canopy of several wildflowers and bore a certain flowery texture to them. They appeared to be asleep at first before they each opened their eyes almost simultaneously: which shone with a vibrant green light -- Majeh would note that while they looked similiar, each of the "women" had distinctive facial features which set them apart.
The tallest of the women made a gesture with her hands towards Majeh while she spoke; her voice like a calm summer breeze, soft and comforting; the words were lost in the dazzlement that had accompanied their appearance - and abruptly, six wide thin beams of energy enclosed themselves upon Majeh's midsection at great speeds, attempting to completely paralyze him --- the second woman raised her hand and chanted something comletely inaudible as a condensed orb of pure air was conjured infront of her outrstretched palm; before it billowed outward in a fierce torrent of wind; threatening to inflict great collaterral damage unto the Shinsengumi member.
Afterwards, wether this attack was successful or not, the two remaining women each added their own spell to the onslaught; the first of them raised her hand up in the air as seven nearby rocks were levitated up into the air and sharpened and molded by her spiritual energy into the likeness of seven stone blades - and with a flick of her wrist the stones shot forth and towards Majeh; aimed towards his chest, legs and shoulders. The last one seemed to mumble for the longest time before she finally succeeded in conjuring forth a single long lance of violet spiritual energy; which was then propelled towards Majeh and set to trigger a massive blast of energy upon impact; threatening to dissolve the Shinigami into spiritrons.
Tsubasa's actions did confirm one hypothesis, but it also revealed another. While Tsubasa had the ability to control plants, his control in general was limited. He had a far greater amount of control, the closer one was to his actual location, but the farther one got, the more effort he had to put in to continue fighting. Majeh didnt even bother dodging the first spell, instead grabbing two of the six beams that slammed into his mid-section.
His herculean strength, coming to bear, he wielded the two glowing beams as clubs, smashing the one on his front, and another at his back, leaving only the two at his side. He would have finished them off, were it not for the torrential winds spiraling towards him. With a grin, he turned his body, but noted with some annoyance that his movements were hampered, if only slightly, but it was enough for him to hurl the golden beams with enough force that they went through the wind, as he weathered through the wind attack. The slicing winds, were powerful, they had been able to graze his skin through his Hagane Hasami. But such wounds were at best superficial. His counter-attack on the otherhand sped towards the second dryad, in an attempt to impale her to the wooden wall.
The dancing blades of earth converged on his spot, forcing him to jump and shift his body so that two of the earthen blades slashed through the remaining golden rods, freeing him while he simulatenously grabbed another two of the earth shards, and began combating the rest while the last dryad finished her spell.
He blocked a downward slash, with an upward block, then shifted his mass as he slid the his blade across the other with a vicious motion causing the offending blade to shatter. The other four circled him, intended to attack him from all directions, as the purple lance sped towards him. Still mid-air, he spun 360 degree's fending off the wild assault by the remaining blades, then hurled the one's in his hand at another two to destroy them. Immediately thereafter, he used his momentum to dive forward grabbing the last of the earthen blades, before hurling them at the two other dryads, as the lance neared. He scarcely had less than a second, when he swept his arms out to his front, and from his lips escaped a single phrase.
"Zero Dibaido!" A blade of wind and pressure so powerful it, cut the lance just as it detonated, slicing it cleanly in half, the explosion sweeping around him harmlessly while his own attack, cut a path towards the remaining dryad, intent to finish her off. Without waiting to see the results of any of his attacks, Majeh, leapt into the air, spinning like a drill as he slammed a devasting kick into the wall of earth and wood, surrounded by a cascade of swirling crimson spiritual energy. His attack carried him through and out the wall, and well into the air.
"For a centuries old Captain, you sure are dumb! Next time you pick a field, make sure yer opponent has to stay! Otherwise that lil advantage you got is worthless! You're gonna haf to do a lot better than that Tsubasa!" Majeh barked. He landed without missing a beat and continued his sprint towards the outskirts of the forest.
Tsubasa didn't bother to give chase, there simply was no reason for him to do so. At the very least he had forced his charge to flee, and he was much too busy a man to allow himself to be distracted by such a small issue. Furthermore, he also had a suspicion about where the former convict might be headed if he wasn't running into hiding, of course. Re-sealing his Zanpakuto, Tsubasa beckoned on the Dryads whom he had summoned and requested that they aided him with the next piece of magic he would perform --despite the vast distance between them at the moment they showed up shortly thereafter and in unison they proceeded to open a particularily potent and far-reaching Senkaimon; which they stepped trough and into the courtyard of Seireitei where one of the several great waypoints were located.
Without delay, he made his way towards the Arma household with all due haste; in order to report to the thoroughly unwelcoming and demanding nobleman who had forced him out onto this charade from the very begining.. ALMOST without delay at least, he saw a couple of earrings in a store which he simply HAD to buy! Pumpous nobles be damned!
Soon the tree's began to recede and the spiritual signature of his opponent dropped, Majeh knew he was in the clear, at least for now. He made it to the forests edge, having ample time for his body to accumulate more "charges" bringing him to full once more.
"Once this is finished, we are going to find a way of increasing our synchronization Majeh. He nearly outclassed you, and I refuse to be affiliated with a weakling. Especially one who cannot defeat a group of plants. Do you understand?" Majeh winced at Yatagarasu's reprimand. In a way, she was right. He did have his brute strength and martial arts ability, but when it came to utilizing her in combat, his skills were lackluster at best.
"After I repay my debt to that damned noble brat, I'll go see Unohana-chan and see if she's got any ideas." Majeh replied.
"The one in the Royal Guard Division?" Yatagarasu asked.
"Yeah, the very same. She moved up after the Winter War. I promise, this won't happen again. But there ain't much I can do until I find a way for my body to not, ya know, die by overusin yer power." He replied.
"....Alright. For now, crush that insolent whelp, and be gone." She said, before delving back beneath his subconcious. He tried to reach out again, but she remained silent. With a sigh, Majeh summoned the Senkaimon Gate to return him to Soul Society. He'd try a slightly different approach this time. But first, he quickly cast a Kyokko, to mask his presence, before entering the gate.
Frozen Sun[]
He arrived in Soul Society, at one of the waypoints near the 30th District. While under the effects of Kyokko, he made use of his Sorumaku, magnifying the effect several fold. It wasn't widely known, but his stealth capabilities were one of the best for his Squad. It wasn't long before he found himself in the 1st District again, standing in the shadows of the Arma Clan building. As opposed to his...direct approach, he instead opted for a stealthier one. His enemy thought he was gone, and would have probably lowered his defenses, assuming he couldnt have spied on him before hand. If not, than he may be walking into a trap. Well either way, it was useless. As he was right now, few if any physical or magical traps could hold him.
But, just to be sure.
His Sorumaku dispersed his reiatsu throughout the area, then with an application of Reihou, he could send "shadow images", brief manifestations, like illusions, but very difficult to otherwise discern since they were constructs of his own energy. With his augmented senses, with these "shadow images" he'd able to infiltrate the Arma Clan estate without ever having to step foot inside. With that he began his machinations to gain a visualization of the whereabouts of all of its occupants, where they had been, what they had been doing, and where that particular noble was hiding.
It took some time to find Shigenaga, just as Majeh had expected. The nobleman was currently idly chatting away with three other noblemen who had decided to pay him a visit; upon closer inspection it would be revealed that they talked about.. chocolate? There was talk about the different flavors associated with it and their favorite type of chocolate; and then Shigenaga suddenly began to banter about.. prices; the price for one chocolate bar seemed quite high, in fact, suspicously so perhaps - perhaps they weren't at all bartering about chocolate, but rather about something else entirely?
There would be no visible signs of traps of any kind, this hinted that Shigenaga likely hadn't expected him to return from his battle with the 5th Division Captain; which was arguably a good sign; once the buisness was wrapped up, Shigenaga called for one of his couriers and mentioned something about sending an invitation to another regional nobleman; in order to arrange for a meeting, and a dinner, seemingly. There was but the slightest hint of excitement and anticipation present in Shigenaga's voice. Diverting his chestnut-eyed gaze from his servant and allowing himself to glance at the other noblemen present, Shigenaga proceeded to open a secret room beneath his armchair, only to draw out three, unusually large and thick plates of what was at the very least shaped like Chocolate, but was wrapped up particularily tight; so that the packages most resembled three basketballs; an unusual set-up indeed.
Majeh has to resist the urge to jump in and attack the bastard. The beast inside of him demanded blood, thankfully his Shinsengumi training kicked in, and after a brief internal struggle reason was victorious. It would have been better to watch Shigenaga for the next few days, and attack when he was least suspecting. Unfortunately Yatagarasu was anything but patient, or she was, but after five centuries, he supposed she had every right to be irritated with his lack of progress. Which meant he had to end this quickly.
He decided to go with phantom approach, by stealthfully and systemmatically knocking out every single of his guards, generally through one of the more lesser known Kido designed to afflict the targets mind, or in this case, cause deep sleep. It didnt take long, by utilizing a wide area effect Kido he could affect everyone in the household. Shigenaga of course would immediately recognize what was going on, when his servants crumbled to the ground in blissful sleep.
Once this was complete, Majeh would begin the next phase of his plan; sneak behind the target, launch his attacks, his attacks will hit the target, the target will fall. It was a fairly simple plan. Yes he could attempt more complex and tactically sound plans, but that required time, time he didnt have. Time constraints, the fact that he really didnt want to harm the rest of the guards and servants and the possible impending arrival of the 5th Division Captain were things that didnt offer him a lot of time. Which left him with his only real option left. He was confident that an overwhelming sneak attack would put his target down ---for good, and then he could search the premises and be on his merry way.
He waited for his moment to strike, when it was apparent that Shigenaga's guard was down. In that moment, he would strike. A quick use of Kyoumeku to create a few speed clones to appear from his front, was the opening he needed as he sprang from his hiding spot, his spiritual energy wreathed around his hand in a signature Hagane Hasami intent on cleaving his opponents heart from his body.
Majeh's attack struck true, his arm went straight trough the chair and burrowed itself into something warm and squishy all the way up to the wrist, there was the sound of a wineglass being shattered and a scream echoed trough the room as he felt a warm fluid run along the length of his arm, blood no doubt. The sound of a man then echoed trough the room, screaming in desperation "Chikako! No!" the nobleman who screamed appeared to be a middle-aged man with a weatherbeaten and wrinkly face, now painted pale with pure dread. At his side stood none other than Shigenaga himself, appearing completely shocked and flabbergasted and at his feet there was the shattered remnants of glass, which had seemingly fallen from his hand a short while ago, a pool of purple liquor expanding on the floor.
As it turns out, the woman whom Majeh had at first believed to be Shigenaga was in fact the sole heir to a minor noble clan, she had accompanied his father to the Arma household in order to be formally engaged to Shigenaga Arma, so that her family could achieve a higher standing. Now her eyes were lifeless and blood gushed out from a large wound in her chest, dying her Kimono blood red in color, right at the spot where the heart was, or more accurately had been, before Majeh crushed it with his previous attack --- Majeh would register that he felt somewhat dizzy, as if someone had put a veil across his eyes for a brief moment, but now the sensation began to vanish and he felt much more clear-headed; to one of his age and experience, the answer to these odd feelings would be painfully clear; he had been bewitched.
Shigenaga masked his self-admiration almost perfectly and did his absolute best to appear horrified and shocked over this "ruthless assassins" brutal murder of the young noblewoman. The spell his grandmother had taught him had proved very useful; it was a simple but rather potent illusion which was employed to mislead others, affecting the senses of hearing and eyesight --- it worked similarily to a mirage in that it conjured forth a false screen which showed a prescripted activity or scene; the illusion being activated the moment someone entered the room: It took a good deal of time to set up though, so when Majeh had taken his time incapacitating his guards, he had gotten all the time he needed to set up a particularily convincing scene with himself doing shady buisness with two other noblemen; playing upon Majeh's suspicions of him.
Majeh's eyes were masked with bloodlust, as he crouched over the body of the woman. A part of him felt terrible over what he'd done. She was an innocent, just another poor soul caught in the scheme of Shigenaga. He'd lament though later, for now he had a mission to accomplish, and thats all there was to it. Still though, the fact that the bastard could use that kind of magic was quite surprising. He removed his hand from the spine of the woman, letting her corpse hit the floor with a dull thud, as he stood to his full height bathed in blood, glaring menacingly at Shigenaga.
The dossier made no mention of Shigenaga's ability to use that kind of magic. He was a noble, a powerful one at that, but compared to a member of the Shinsengumi? He shouldnt have this kind power, not enough to fool his own acute senses. This mission was botched from the get-go, no wonder this sniveling brat thought he could stand against him. Well he had to finish this quickly so with a quick mutter of the spells name, he gestured to the middle-aged nobleman. "Tanma Otoshi" He whispered. The effect was instantaneous, the grief stricken man crumbled to the ground, unconcious.
"Gotta say, had no idea you could weave an illusion like that. Too bad it aint gonna help ya. Now that I've killed her, I aint got much of a reason to not kill you or anybody else. Arma clan's a threat ya see, settin up innocent people to be killed like that. Gotta bring out the hand of justice ya know, clean up this filth."
He took a few steps forward. "But ya know what I pisses me off?" His words were hollow, empty, but a hint of anger, fury was beneath them. It was like staring into the face of a beast. His eyes were glowing yellow under his bangs, with his head hung low. A growl escaped from his lips, manifesting as steam from the fire burning within him.
"You tried to play me for a fool!" He literally spat the last word out. His fist smashed the wall, hitting it with such tremendous force that it before it had even caved in, the wall had already been hurled into the room behind, smashing that wall, caving it in and so on and so forth. The house shook violently, from the attack, a testament to the mans strength as the ceiling began to collapse all around them. But as quickly as it came, his anger vanished, instead replaced by the same smug expression he had when Shigenaga first met him.
"Dont worry though, I know how to play the game too. And I'm going to make your life a living hell Shigenaga, you can bet your ass on that!"
The Showdown[]
Shigenaga appeared mildly impressed by Majeh's display of Kido; especially as unusual a spell like the one he had just cast. He spoke softly though and despite what Majeh said he exuded an air of chilly confidence and cool indifference "Mhm, and I'll have you know that it was remarkably easy to accomplish. Also, allow me to compliment you, I've never seen the light leave the eyes as quickly as it did to Chikako ---you make a truly marvelous executioner. I'm impressed - then again, you have centuries of experience in this field I'm sure" Shigenaga looked down at the corpse of Chikako "Don't be too hard on yourself though, she was just a single woman among billions, she had no spiritual power to speak of and lived her life like an object, to be sold away to the highest bidder once she came of age" a deep loathing seethed with contempt laced Shigenaga's voice while he spoke "Also, don't pretend to be capable of matching wits with me, the only thing that got you was a nice trip to the forest and a wasted hour or two"
He then gazed back to Majeh, parting his lips to speak again; this time his voice was sarcastically comforting "I imagine that she'll live a better life as a human, if it makes you feel any better" the nobleman gently unsheathed his Zanpakuto, a long Nodachi which reached all the way down to the floor and wielded the blade with a single hand, while tucking the other one firmly into his pocket. As was customary in a battle between Shinigami. Shigenaga proceeded to release a good portion of his spiritual energy: an intense cold emanated from the nobleman and rime and ice began to paint the walls of the room, a thin coating of ice and rime also began to creep up the body of the unconcious nobleman on the floor.
"I admit I'm surprised though, you went to such great lengths to ensure the safety of my subordinates that you alerted me to your presence before the attack, I actually believed you to be dead or incapacitated - your assassination attempt would likely have succeeded were it not for your need to imitate Mother Teresa." For the moment, Shigenaga appeared to simply be idly chatting away at him and while he had taken on a combative position he was clearly waiting for Majeh to attack.
---
Contrary to Majeh's belief, Yatagarasu had not severed their connection, at least not completely. She had largely been awake during his assassination attempt, and while she could applaud him for choosing to keep the body count down, she was not entirely sure of his methods. After some thought she realized that Majeh's actions were not because he was worried about being discovered, rather he truly was looking out for their well-being. This Shigenaga, was more than willing to use his guards as nothing more than fodder, whether or not it benefited him. Majeh's strategy was for their benefit, not his own. She sighed, though more to herself than to Majeh. He truly was trying to become more than the beast he transformed himself into. The woman he frequented played a role in this development as well, whether intimacy was involved was beyond even her. Majeh was notoriously difficult to read when it came to his inner most feelings, something she found both astonishing and very much irritating at the same time.
But it was times like these, that he was very easy to read, every word the noble spoke seemed to add fuel to his growing rage. If she didnt step in soon, Majeh was liable to regress, and leave a smoking crater where this district lay. If he did that, he'd never forgive himself. She waited as she always did, his anger would reach its peak and then and only then could he be reasoned with. Before he could say or do something he would regret, she pounced, releasing a shrill cry in his consciousness, causing him to stop abruptly before he began his tirade...or genocide, he was likely to do both in his present condition.
"Enough!" She commanded as she forcibly brought him to his inner world. He looked around in confusion for a brief moment before his eyes laid on her true form, not the one she used in the physical world. Her form was an enormous avian creature, standing well over a hundred feet in height, with a wing span that spanned the sky itself. Her skin was like that of a sun, a harsh dichotomy of fiery gases and liquid fire. Crested on her head was a triad of crimson orbs peering below at Majeh. Realizing just who he was addressing, and more importantly where, he sputtered what may have been an accusation...or an apology. She was never too sure with Majeh.
"What the hell are doing!?" He demanded. Good, he still had his wits about him.
"Exactly what I am supposed to do! Keeping you from falling for that noble fools' ploy!" She shot back. That had shut him up. He turned his head indignantly to the side, muttering a curse. It took a few moments, but his breathing returned to normal, and she could sense that his emotions too were regaining some semblance of balance, or as close as they could get in regards to Majeh. It couldnt have come a moment too sooner either, the telltale signs of regression were in his left eye, black and gold...just like a Hollow.
"Majeh, its alright to feel remorse for killing that girl. But you will never,'" The last word was punctuated clearly for emphasis. "allow that man or any like him to manipulate you as he just did." He stared defiantly in response, but it was clear that the wisdom of her words had gotten through to him. Sometimes conversations with Majeh were just like this, at times he rarely spoke, most of what he conveyed was through his body language, he was very much a man of action. She supposed she liked that about him; always quick to act, very impulsive, spontaneous, but tempered by age and experience. She nodded in response, satisfied with his answer, and allowed him to return to the physical world. Now, he would be able to react in a manner befitting of his station, and power.
But even she couldnt hide the smile that threatened to break her regal poise. It was times like these that she loved Majeh with all her being, seeing him utterly dismantle and crush an opponent beneath him, using that brute strength of his to tear them apart limb from limb. She mused that perhaps Majeh was right, maybe she was a beast beneath all her noble bearing. Still, it wouldnt do to let him know that.
---
The entire conversation occured in a split second, as Majeh's view came rushing back to him. His body visible relaxed, all the anger and aggression evaporating instantly leaving him somewhat euphoric. Lazily he smirked at Shigenaga while settling into a loose stance; arms hanging at his side as he bent slightly over, crouching low to the ground. Releasing his reiatsu, a fiery aura sprang to life, engulfing Majeh. A red hue spread throughout the room, a gentle warmth countering and fighting for dominance against Shigenaga's brutal cold. Despite the fact that he had just fought another Captain and used numerous Kido to deal with his guards, it hadnt weakened his spiritual power in the slightest. If anything, it seemed to have more depth than it did before. He didnt respond with words, or a witty comeback.
But with a smokebomb.
Or rather the Kido that doubled as a smoke bomb. The red mist exploded between the two combatants, obscuring Majeh and his adversary. Of course, unknown to Shigenaga, Majeh didnt need to rely on sight to fight his opponent, his heightened senses allowed him to fight in complete darkness, and by spreading his own reiatsu throughout the room, and using the confusion to use sorumaku to hide his spiritual power, he had effectively removed himself from his opponents senses. Majeh entertained the thought of using Hado to finish off his opponent, but quickly crushed that thought. It was always a much more satisfying kill when he could rip them apart with his bare hands.
He stealthily slipped into his opponents blindspot, the space just outside one's peripheral vision, and leapt overhead, launching a single deadly swipe with his hand. Spiritual energy coated the limb, extending its reach and drastically augmenting its cutting power as he attempted to drag it across Shigenaga craving up the floor board, sending more dust and debri into the area.
---
Shigenaga let out a drawn out sigh as the red cloud obscured his vision; this setting was quite typical and predictable and therefore the Nobleman knew precisely what to do, making use of the spell he had been taught by his late Grandmother; Sutorobo. Shigenaga instantly translocated himself to one of the high-backed armchairs in the room; well outside the perimeter of the smokescreen --- to Majeh, the events which played themselves out from this would be quite peculiar: The masterful skills of Majeh, along with his near animalistic instincts and martial abilities had enabled him to land what would no doubt have been a perfect attack, his soon-to-be victim was turned away from him and would likely not have managed to react in time to his onslaught.
His attack had been so incredibly close to connecting with Shigenaga's exposed neck, only for the latter - at the last possible second (most likely a coincidence); to abruptly evaporate into thin air and reappear two yards from Majeh's location; sitting calmly in a chair and facing in his direction; although it was still evident that the nobleman couldn't see him.
Around them, the room had slowly began to tear itself asunder, as cracks tore themselves open at seemingly random intervals and after a while criss-crossed the walls, the floor and even the windows of the large room; Shigenaga knew the cause --- namely the nature of their Reiatsu; while Majeh and Shigenaga duked it out, the elemental energy they both harbored turned the room hot and cracked as both forces battled for supremacy - each threatening to overwhelm the other but none refusing to give ground: before long, the entire room would come crashing down upon them; the vast excess of energy which perpetuated the area had odd effects on the man currently lying facedown on the floor, it disrupted the effects of the spell that Majeh had previously placed him under, and, somewhat groggy and clumsily he rose up to his feet, only to stare at the destruction wrought in the Nobleman's home -- at this moment though, Shigenaga felt his Zanpakuto stirr to life, and felt that very same, endlessly chilly voice resound in his head "That cursed wench, how dare she fight me - how dare she fill the room with warmth!? I will prove that my frost reigns supreme. Child, release me!", responding in a way which was quite out of character for a person such as Shigenaga: He immediately complied without any questions whatsoever, not that complaining would've accomplished anything - far from it. Shigenaga knew his Zanpakuto (and himself) well enough to know that when Jizaiten was in that mood, it was best to be a good little Shinigami and do meekly as he commanded. and wordlessly released his Zanpakuto into its Shikai state --- with the level of co-operation they had in this situation, such things as release commands were unessecary.
Upon the release of Jizaiten, alot of things happened simultaneously. First, a tremendous wave of frigid cold and icy winds burst out from Shigenaga and his Zanpakuto with an incredible velocity and force, bursting outwards at quick rates towards the offending Zanpakuto and her partner and scattering the improvised smokescreen nearly instantly; the man who had so recently awoken only managed to utter half a scream before his face and the vast majority of his upper body was gruesomely peeled away by the sheer cold of the energy; leaving a red, featureless mask of crystalized blood and dead muscle tissue where his face used to be - his upper body being in a similiar fashion, as he fell to the floor with a thud; a floor which was now covered entirely in a complete sheet of ice, a sheet of ice which soon embraced the corpse of the man, and swept him away in a chilly grave. Confident that the howling wind of utter and complete cold and frost would hold Majeh off a bit, Shigenaga resumed to what he felt he did best, gloating: "I assume, my former convict that you wouldn't have been halfway as affected by the death of Chikako if she were a male, hmm?" without awaiting an answer Shigenaga continued his speech "Its a rather unsightly little mindset really, one which stems from the foreign desire to own the woman. Akin to how you own a nice trophy or trinket; I think you lack the capacity to see any woman as your equal, and don't care for her more than however your lower body is concerned" Shigenaga leaned back in his chair while he put special emphasis on the latter part - he hated to admit it, but toying around with Majeh was an awful lot of fun: playing with fire as it may be, he felt no cause for concern at the moment.
Majeh landed, clicking his tongue when the noble simply vanished. It took a moment for him to pick up on his scent again, and his attention zeroed in on the noble across the room sitting in a chair. He quirked an eyebrow, but did little else, aside from stand to his full height. He regarded what remained if anything of the old man he'd knocked out, with disinterest. It appeared that the cold weather didnt bother Majeh in the slightest, in fact he looked rather comfortable throughout this miniature maelstrom of clashing powers. Was it because of the abilities of his Zanpakutou or some innate ability he himself possessed was anyone's guess as huffed in response to the nobles gloat.
"Course you'd think that wouldnt ya? Heh, if anything, I bet you wish it was you that I killed. I mean, its not like yer better off right? Just one more sheep the rest of yer clan's gonna send to the slaughter." After a moment, Majeh dismissed the noble with a shake of his head as he headed through the hole his earlier attack had made.
"Well, if yer gonna run all day, I've got better things to do, like search this house. If you want to play, yer welcome to come at me anytime." He said from the next room. Despite that, his reiatsu had not vanished nor receeded in the least, if anything it had renewed its struggle in the clash against Shigenaga's own spiritual power. With that, the Shinsengumi assassin began searching the premises, the sounds of furniture being moved around, and the cracks and moans of worn wood echoing through the hall as Shigenaga was left sitting in his own makeshift throne, a king but without a castle or kingdom to rule.
Rising from the chair and dusting himself off, Shigenaga simply ignored the spiritual energy brushing up against his own in an obvious challenge; at this point he could no longer be certain if the odds were in his favor -- in fact, he was very sure of the opposite, Majeh was quite well known across Soul Society and the nobleman doubted his capability of killing him, besides.. should he by some miracle manage to kill him, it'd be highly improbable that he'd get away scathfree from his obvious involvement. Either way he looked at it, there was no profit to be had, it simply wasn't worth his time.
Shigenaga then walked over to his personal quarters where he proceeded to rummage trough his stuff, picking up things he deemed important to him; which included mostly jewelry and other objects of vanity; along with several books and scrolls he had inherited from his late grandmother. Tucking the objects away, he proceeded to use a spell to translocate himself outside of the mansion -- looking back at it once, Shige turned his gaze away, he was pretty certain that Majeh would destroy it as revenge. But that mattered little, over the centuries he had managed to amass himself no small fortune, the mansion could easily be replaced.
Stretching his body a bit, Shigenaga wove quick gestures across the air as his body shone up in a vibrant golden hue, before it vanished into an abrupt pillar of light; leaving only a singed patch of earth where he once stood; all traces of his Reiatsu vanished completely.
Epilogue[]
Majeh was irritated, no he was confused, and angry and many other uncomfortable things. Suffice to say, Majeh was entirely perplexed by the happenings of the last few hours. His day had started off wonderful, only to plunge halfway in a smoldering descent, only to finish off with one anti-climactic showdown. If he was honest with himself, he was disappointed. Intel sure as hell had dropped the ball on this one, but he wouldn’t put it past that rat-bastard from purposely withholding information for his own shits and giggles.
Sighing, he resigned himself to simply enjoy his bath while it lasted. After his investigation, which turned up virtually no clue at all for the enigmatic Arma Clan, he honored his word to Yatagarasu and had made his way to the Royal Guard Division barracks. Thankfully being a detachment, the Shinsengumi had exclusive access to their facilities, which is where he currently found himself; in one of their many luxurious hot-springs.
The décor was...well as one would expect for the direct guard of royalty; ridiculously lavish, strewn with all sorts of intricate designs, and state-of-the-art technology with just a little kido mixed in to make it the premier bathroom experience. Alright, so maybe it wasn’t so bad to begin with. In the end, things turned out alright; he completed his mission, did some fighting, snubbed a noble, blew up a house, hell he might as well call it a day, after his meeting with Unohana-chan.
"Enjoying yourself aren’t we?" A silky voice echoed within his mind. Yatagarasu’s spiritual body materialized appearing as a crow just a bit larger than usually, perched on his shoulders; its only distinguishing feature being that crimson eye peering at him curiously on its forehead.
More to come...