The Gathering Storm [Closed]

It didn’t cost Yua her life, but it cost her the immediate kill. She regretted her hesitation immediately as her blade sunk down into the mattress instead of Hidan’s flesh. Anger flickered in her eyes like a raging fire as she saw he dodged. Yua yelled angrily as she pulled her Zanpakutō from his mattress. She did not hear his words, only the heart beat in his chest. It needed to stop. As he went to grab his Zanpakutō from his dresser, Yua did not make the mistake many people in the past had. She charged him immediately, swinging her Zanpakutō straight down as if trying to cleave the man in two. “YOU WILL DIE FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HER!” Yua’s voice rang out in a terrible shriek.

The battle of strengths between them ended with Yua being pushed back. She recovered quickly, immediately going on the attack again, but he rushed off. “GET BACK HERE!” Yua screamed loudly, not caring if she woke anyone up. She wasn’t thinking logically. Her anger at just seeing his face had sent her over the edge. This was the man. He was the one who beat her, violated her, and stole her smile. Hidan was not allowed to live and Yua was going to make sure of it. She chased him down as he fled. They ended up on the porch. She went to attack as he jumped over the railing and her Zanpakutō hit metal. “STOP RUNNING FROM ME!” she screamed as she leapt over the railing after him.

Yua’s next attack was dodged with Hidan rolling away. “Damn it.” She cursed angrily as she watched him. She was about to charge again when his sword came out toward her. It was his first attack and almost caught her off guard. If she had actually been charging, she would have gotten hit. However, a quick change of direction allowed her to back out of his Zanpakutō’s reach. “Why the hell would I do that? You think you’re allowed to go around hurting people? You think you can do whatever you want and go on with your life like nothing happened?” Yua’s rage increased more and more, and an energy within her began to grow. Her reiryoku swelled and swirled around her as a Lieutenant level reiatsu pressed down heavily over the area. “You did it. You raped her. You beat her. YOU WILL DIE FOR IT.”

Yua vanished with a nicely executed shunpo and reappeared behind him. She suddenly shot forward with full speed and swung her blade down his back. Once again, she was trying to cleave him in two. She wanted this done and nothing was holding her back. In fact, with every passing moment, she felt herself getting stronger, faster, and her body was remembering exactly what it needed to do.

His denial was only angering her more. Yua believed Kei over anyone. She did not care if this pathetic son of a bitch wanted to pretend it didn’t happen. Yua saw the look on Kei’s face when she first found out what happened. Yua heard the seriousness in Lilith’s tone. Yua sees it every single day. Watching Kei walk around like a ghost of herself, stuck in that apartment because she feared leaving. Yua hated seeing it and despised this man more because he was the one who caused it.

Yua cut him and that made her feel damn good. The smile on her face proved it. She wasn’t done though. “Oh, I’m sure. I’m not mistaken. The same way I wasn’t mistaking when I saw her bruises, her blood, the fear… Hidan of the Seventh Division. It was you.” Yua’s breathing became a little heavy with the excitement of tearing this man limb from limb, “You will die for what you did to her, Hidan of the Seventh Division. You do not deserve to live freely while she stays trapped!”

Yua was ready to be on the offensive again, even when Hidan charged her. He was going for her legs, but the movement was a little too obvious for Yua. She took this moment to swing her legs around in a jumping round-house kick. As his blade went under her, her well-aimed kick came around in an attempt to strike him on the side of the head. If the first attempt were to miss, Yua would continue the motion by spinning around as her first foot lands and fling her second leg around quicker than the first now that the momentum had built up. If the first hit, Yua will merely land and ready her next attack.

An interruption. That is all Yua saw this newcomer as. Her foot slammed against the man's right arm. Seeing that their battle was being interfered with. Yua took that moment to shunpo away from the both of them, appearing twenty feet down the path. He was not getting the chance to push her back. She gripped her Zanpakutō tighter, her rage growing even more. "LIKE HELL!" Yua shouted angrily toward Seiji, his suggestion to use anything more than a deadly weapon was insulting. Seeing Hidan charge, Yua was ready for him, but this man was getting in the way. "Let him pass!" Yua demanded, but it only met on deaf ears. She heard Hidan releasing his Zanpakutō and her grip on hers only tightened.

"If you want him dead, remember my name." Yua heard a voice at the back of her mind. It was kind and strong, and it spoke like a Father to his child. As Hidan charged her, Yua's eyes began to glow a bright golden color, their make-up changing rapidly in appearance. "Bare your fangs, Minarai no Ryū!" Yua shouted mid swing as she went to block Hidan's strike. The blade instantly transformed in her hand and by the time her blade clashed with his, the transformation was complete. Yua's entire body was enhanced. Faster, stronger, and more durable, Yua was likely more than a match for him. However, a wooden staff of some sort slammed between the two of them, forcing their separation. Yua shunpo'd back and glared at Seiji. "KEEP OUT OF THIS! HE DESERVES TO DIE! WHAT IS UP WITH YOU PEOPLE!? WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING HIM?!"

The air quickly became thick with the feeling of reiryoku raging about somewhere near the Sixth and Seventh Divisions. A battle was going on. Head Captain von Zarkonheinz and Twelfth Division Captain Lilith Antonovich had their conversations cut short by the sudden increase in power. Lieutenant of the Tenth Division, Kei Makabe, quickly pointed out who the reiryoku belonged to and Lilith immediately had a bad feeling in her gut. The three raced through the Seireitei, closing ground quickly when suddenly Lilith darted forward to get ahead of the rest. She recognized the second and third reiryoku as she got closer. The three energies mixing with each other made it difficult at first, mainly because of the distance between them. Once she realized who it was, Hidan of the Seventh Division, Lilith was not going to take any chances. She ran ahead, leaving the two in the dust as if she had a new found goal.

Yua was having a hard time justifying her actions right now. Every time Hidan denied hurting Kei like he had, her anger grew bigger. The fact that he could deny something like that was disgusting. "Of course he'd deny it!" Yua yelled at Seiji as the man tried convincing her to stop, "He's a fucking psychopath! He's not going to admit it, especially in front of another Lieuntenant!" Yua gripped he Zanpakutō and brought it up in front of her. "He deserves to die and so he will. With my hands and power, I will avenge her! Hidan, you will never get the chance to attack anyone again!" Yua tunnel visioned onto Hidan in that moment. She was pretty much looking through Seiji to get to her target. When the tiles of cobblestone were disturbed by a strong shock wave of energy, Yua found herself flying back. She recovered only to attempt the attack again, her hand behind the eye of her Zanpakutō. "STOP PROTECTING HIM! ANYONE WHO PROTECTS A RAPIST MIGHT AS WELL BE-..."

It happened in a flash of red. Yua was cut off by the sudden blast of rock and wind that flew in all directions upon her arrival. Lilith appeared with her hand on Hidan's skull. She pushed him into the ground, fighting the urge to crush his head in her hand just to watch his eyes pop out. "For your own safety. I suggest you keep your head right here." Lilith spoke with a looming dark threat in her voice. It was as if death itself was knocking on Hidan's door. She hoped he had the guts to answer. "I won't hold back again." she promised and then brought her eyes from Hidan up to Yua, looking beyond Seiji in that moment. "Lower your weapon, or I will have to kill you. Understood?" Lilith commanded as she let go of Hidan's head and stood up. Yua nodded, her heart skipping a beat in fear. Yua lowered her weapon, it's power fading as her shikai re-sealed. "Good evening, Lieutenant Isobe. Nice night, isn't it?"

The scene was becoming more active as Shinigami after Shinigami made their way here. Multiple lower ranked and seated officers arrived over time, flocking to the area like birds to scattered bread. Nina and Eri from the Tenth had arrived. Hanae came from the direction of the Fourth and Midori appeared moments after her as well. Midori figured she would have been called anyway, especially with recent events. J had not made it all the way here. He instead stood on a taller building and watched from above, not caring to get too close to the action. The amount of arrivals intrigued him enough to push him to come and observe. Even Erina decided this was something she wanted to take a look at, but she was too shy to get involved, so she kept her distance the best she could.

Within moments of Lilith's arrival, Yua's attention was grabbed by Kei. Yua's eyes widened in horror at Kei showing up. Yua looked to Lilith in shock that Kei was allowed to come here. Did Kei not recognize Hidan's reiatsu? No, but she recognized his voice. The moment Yua saw that shift in Kei, her arm swung around Kei's waist and pulled the woman in tightly. She grip on her Zanpakutō tightened as well. "Haha. Oh, you know that can't happen." A voice that not many heard often slipped in from behind Kei and Yua. She popped into the scene out of nowhere and even with her standing there, no one could sense her reiatsu. That was normal. Well, not normal for most people, but for Reika Yamanaka it was.

"This unknown specimen, Lieutenant Hidan, and Lieutenant Isobe all fought without permission using their shikai." Captain Yamanaka shrugged lightly, completely uncaring toward the situation, "Not to mention that I do not have this one in my current database. Anyways, I expect these three to be placed under arrest soon enough. Releasing your Zanpakutō within the confines of the Seireitei? Foolish. Oh, and you... Girl. Who the hell are you?" "Uh, well... I..." "That is none of your business. The only thing you need to know is she is under my care and you will leave her alone. Understood, Yamanaka?"

"Fine. Fine, but that only makes me more curious I'm sure our Head Captain will want to know why some strange woman with unrecognizable reiatsu is at the level of a Lieutenant, within the Seireitei, and attacking one of our own though. Oh... Where is Captain Montgomery. I need to speak with him and Captain Arishima sometime very, very soon. It's actually quite important." Reika always seemed to come around with the intention to bother everyone else. She wasn't exactly disruptive, but her interest in anything that another person was doing was very low and her condescending mannerisms were frustrating as hell to deal with. Needless to say, most people thought her weird, ignored her, or (like Lilith) put that bitch in her place. "You wanna talk to Montgomery, do it on your own time." "Oh? And Arishima." "Yeah, you don't go near the Tenth. Ever." Reika just sighed and shook her head, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Fine, fine. I won't be the one regretting it."

From the moment of arrival, Kaminari was excited. She was looking around like she wanted to talk to everyone. The moment Reika showed up though, Kaminari was pretty much hiding being Genpaku and looking over his shoulder, even if she had to be on the tips of her toes to do it. Nina and Hanae stepped up beside their Captain and just listened in, whispering to each other about what was going on.

It was becoming too crowded. Midori watched as people who had nothing to do with this showed up. There were a few here that Midori was glad to see, such as Kaminari. However, there was one that she hoped to see, but Sakura Hayashida had not shown up. Seeing that there were a large number of Captains that showed up, J let his guard down and sat on the edge of the roof, patting the spot next to him so Maaya would join. The two could continue watching from afar. J was pretty curious about what was going on. Hanae and Nina were curious as well, but about different things. Nina didn't exactly like how close Kaminari was to Captain Arishima. Though she stayed silent about it, her eyes returned to the back of Kaminari's head every now and then. Hanae was too wrapped up in the action to notice.

When the Captain Commander showed up Kaminari, Erina, Hanae, Eri, and Nina all wavered, Kaminari the least. They weren't used to his presence and were automatically intimidated by it. Hanae felt the need to turn and leave, knowing this was none of her business anyway. However, she was kind of wrong. Tsubine's request was going to be quickly answered by Kaminari, but Genpaku shot her a look. She just withdrew her hand and nodded. "Okay, okay." she whispered to him, though she was mostly joking, "Party pooper. When do I ever get to talk to this many people at once?" Genpaku knew about her desire to befriend... well, everyone. This was the perfect opportunity, but she wasn't stupid enough to think it was a good time. She turned her attention back to the scene at hand and kept herself quiet.

"Well, I-..." Captain Yamanaka was willing to speak up, but she was quickly interrupted by someone that probably had a better chance of not getting people mad. "Before we go into what has been occuring, there are a few people that should just not be here right now. They do not have anything to do with the situation, and until the Captains have gotten to talk it over and decide what to do, they should leave." Midori shunpo'd next to Captain Yamanaka and lightly nudged Yua and Kei away from her in a protective manner. Once Reika got the hint, she sighed and leaned against a wall, arms crossed along her chest. "Now... Captain Saionji." Midori spoke to him first, my characters turning their heads up to see J sitting with Maaya, "I am sorry, but Lady Ishino should not  be here right now."

J narrowed his eyes, but seeing the stern look on Midori's face calmed him. He looked to Maaya and motioned for her to go. "I'll be home as soon as I can." he said before vanishing in a shunpo and reappearing beside his brother. "Yukina and Eri of the Tenth, Erina of the Sixth. Please, go." The three immediately did as they were told. "Lieutenant Isshiki and Seiji. I'm sorry, but you two as well. Go." If Seiji attempted to resist, he'd receive a 'do not argue' look from Midori. "Beyond the Captains, those that are able to stay: Lieutenant Makabe, Lieutenant Hidan, Third Seat Jukodo, Sixth Seat Hatakeyama. As for the rest of you, if your name was not called, I expect you to be out of the area within five seconds." Midori gave some time for the stragglers to make their way out before talking again.

Midori muttered an incantation and sent out a square barrier that surrounded those that stayed. The barrier kept all sound from getting out, so the group could speak in private. Midori looked to Tsubine, her expression hard. "What is going on here is hard to explain. As I'm sure Captain Yamanaka has things she wants to say, we all know she won't reveal anything until an official Captains meeting has been called." Midori said in annoyance, but that is how Captain Yamanaka was. She chuckled and just shrugged. "Anyways... Kei Makabe, Hanae Jukodo, and Kaminari Hatakeyama are three victims of recent attacks that have occurred throughout the Seireitei. There have been many more, but most were not as... destructive, or were in the unseated member ranks." Midori gently grabbed Yua's arm.

Yua was going willingly, so if Kei fought or tried to hold onto her, Midori just glanced to Lilith. "Kei." she'd speak up sternly and just stared at her. This was an official situation now. Everything needed to be laid out on the table. "This woman's name is Yua Ichinose." Midori said, showing that she had known the entire time, "She is the one who provided us with the information about the poison that afflicted both Sixth Seat Hatakeyama and Lieutenant Daigoro. She's been here for some time and both Captain Antonovich and I were keeping it hidden until it was time to reveal. We obviously did not see things playing out like this, so we do apologize for lying." Midori just glanced to Liliith again, who nodded in agreement. "Now, explain yourself quickly. Keep anyone waiting any longer and it'll be an issue."

"He was the man who attacked Kei." Yua spat angrily at Hidan and finally sheathed her Zanpakutō, "He can deny it all he wants. It's not like anyone would admit to that shit he's done. Since nothing was getting done, I decided to deal with him myself before he hurt someone else! It's not fair that the victim of his crimes has to walk around on eggshells, never able to leave her home, while the criminal gets to walk freely. He deserves to die for wh-" "That's enough." Midori interrupted Yua's emotional rant, "You're already going to jail for releasing your shikai and the attempted murder of a Lieutenant; keep talking and you'll make it worse." "W-Wait..." Kaminari spoke up uncharacteristically nervous, and stepped up, "So you know what the poison was that almost killed me and put Dai into a coma?"

"Well, not rea-..." "Kamina-..." "W-Wait! I'm not trying to be disrespectful. I was attacked too, twice now. Once a year ago and again just a few days ago. Kei and Hanae were attacked too from what you said, so why are they still happening? Why hasn't anyone done anything about them?" Kaminari was shocked, confused, and scared all in one, "You are all Captains. The most powerful people that even exist, s-so why hasn't it been stopped?" "Kaminari. It isn't that simple." "You say that, but you weren't the one attacked. You're powerful enough to fight off anything that comes at you." Hanae stepped forward suddenly and stood at Kaminari's side, "We're not. And something weird is going on here too. The person who attacked me is someone that would never have done so. It was obvious he was being controlled, especially when I watched him regain control of his body. If you're saying these attacks are connected then I'm smart enough to see the Gotei's been infiltrated. No one is safe."

The meeting began and the Captain Commander informed everyone of what was going on. Captains J Saionji, Antonovich, and Aizen were shocked at the announcement of a Captains death. Everyone's demeanor hardened when realizing how deep this actually went. Midori was called on right out of the gate, and like a nervous student giving her presentation, she stepped up to the Commander and handed him a copy of the file. From there, she went to Kazuo and handed him his, about five or six other files still in her possession, but none were about this situation. "From Lieutenant Makabe's report, after a meeting between the Commander, Captains Kazuo Saionji and Antonovich, and Lieutenant Nadeshiko... Lieutenant Makabe was struck on the back of the head and knocked unconscious. When found by Captain Antonovich, she had been brutally beaten and raped. When I questioned her, she said without hesitation that it was Lieutenant Hidan Genshiken. I took the samples needed and confirmed that yes, Lieutenant Makabe had been raped. There were many signs of forced entry and vaginal bruising. And yes, evidence of Lieutenant Genshiken's DNA were on her face, in her hair, mouth, and vagina. I have no doubt in my mind that he did commit this crime. The proof is in the file before you."

"Oh. Can I ta-..." "SHUT. UP." Lilith shouted angrily at Reika. She was not in the mood for Reika's shit right now and wasn't going to tolerate her antics. Lilith looked to Midori and motioned for her to continue on. Midori nodded in thanks and turned to the Captain Commander. "I know we're here to discuss the reasons behind Ichinose attacking Lieutenant Genshiken, so I am moving to have all charges of her attacking a Lieutenant dropped. Considering Kei's relationship to Lieutenant Makabe, and the image of Kei that even I cannot get out of my head..." Midori rubbed her forehead and looked away, taking a moment to regain her regular composure, "I would have done it too. Had it been someone I cared about like Yua cares for Kei, I would have killed him sooner. I hate to play the emotional game, but..." Midori looked to Captain Aizen, "Imagine it being one of your students?"  She skipped Reika intentionally, skipped Lilith for obvious reasons, and went to Genpaku, "Or Kaminari." To J, "Or Maaya." A swift glance to Kazuo and then spoke to Tsubine, "Or me. Could any of us really be patient enough to just sit back, relax, and wait for the rest to get off our asses? It's been over a week and nothing had been done. The politics behind dealing with it are understandable, but seeing things from Yua's point of view? I'm honestly surprised someone with her power waited as long as she did."