Bent- chapter one
“Toshiro-chan!” Shimizu called into her captain’s office.
“That’s Hitsugaya-taicho!”
“Whatever. I’m leaving early.”
“Just go! We don’t need you anyway!”
She huffed and left the room with a flash step.
“Don’t you wonder why she always ahs special assignments or leaves early?” Matsumoto asked.
“The earlier the better,” he muttered. She sighed.
“But isn’t it suspicious?”
“Not that I care. Do your paperwork.”
Shimizu flashstepped across the sereitai, reaching the forested area that no one ever entered. She fished a medallion out of her outer kimono, grasping the thick rope chain. At the end was a carved piece of wood, not unlike the substitute soul reaper badge. She pressed the engraving against the tree in front of her.
AS she was doing this, another soul reaper ran up.
“Akane-taicho!” he exclaimed. Shimizu glared at him. “I mean Akane. Sorry I’m late.”
“The rule is to get here before or with me, isn’t it? Technically you’re on time, Daisuke.”
“That is so favoritism.”
“Did you say something, Hikari, 5th seat of Squad 14 and 3rd seat of squad 9?”
“No, Shimizu-taicho!”
“That’s what I thought,” Shimizu replied, stepping past Hikari into the hole now present in the tree trunk.
“I really am sorry I’m late, Akane.”
“I told you, you’re not-”
“Ichimaru-taicho wouldn’t let me go.”
“Did he now?” Shimizu stopped, quirking an eyebrow. “Should I have a word with our former 4th seat?”
“Um…Akane? I think it’ll be fine.”
“Nah, I’ll go nag Gin later.” Most of the captains had once been in the 14th squad, so Shimizu usually had no problem with late subordinates. “And I told you, twice, that you aren’t late.”
“I know,” Masaru Nobuyuki, aka Daisuke, replied.
“Members of Squad 14, listen up!” Shimizu called upon entering the central area of the squad’s headquarters, donning her captain’s haori.
“You’re late, Taicho!” A man with black hair yelled.
“Did you say something, Takeru, 3rd seat of Squad 14 and 3rd seat of Squad 6?” She glared at him.
“No, Akane,” he yelled back, making her glare deepen. At the sound of her nickname, she glared even worse. Hikari gulped.
“What was that?” Shimizu asked. She moved her hand almost imperceptibly, and Masaru was off. He flashstepped behind Takeru, poking his sword into the man’s back.
“Makoto, please recite the 5th rule of the 14th!”
The named soul reaper stood. “Unless from specific personal experience and permission from Shimizu, no one, I repeat, no one, is allowed to call her Akane, under any circumstances. Punishment is sparring with Shimizu-taicho.”
“And what is your personal experience, Daisuke?” She asked the only soul reaper that actually called her Akane without fearing for his life.
“When I first met her as my captain, she was covered head to toe in blood.”
“So, Takeru, let’s spar after the general meeting. Observers welcome.” She coughed into her hand. “Now, any business pertaining to our squad that everyone should know about?”
“None, Ma’am,” someone yelled from the crowd, and Masaru confirmed it.
“Alright then.” She smiled crazily, grabbing the back of Takeru’s shinigami uniform. She dragged him down a hallway to a large underground arena. The members of her squad filled in the seats around the lowered center. Takeru’s eyes were wide as he gripped his sword.
“Begin,” Shimizu called in a clear voice, neither of her zanpak-to’s drawn. Takeru stayed back, waiting for her to make the first move.
“Ain’t gonna happen,” she told him. “You attack me, or we’re standin’ here all night. You choose.”
He clenched his jaw, then dashed forward. She dodged his swipes, again and again, not drawing a sword. He swung at her on the left, so she dodged to the right, only to find his fist flying towards her face. Quick as lightning, she jumped up, slamming her palm onto the top of his head and back flipping over him. The pressure of her body and hand sent him flying backwards. At the end of the flip, she half drew the sword with a red grip, Kagayoshi, and slammed his hilt into the back of Takeru’s shoulder. He flew forward, his head flinging back from whiplash. He lay sprawled on the ground for several seconds. She stalked over to him, drawing Kagayoshi fully. She pressed its edge to the back of Takeru’s neck.
“Naoki! When is sparring over!”
“When one of the combatants passes out, Katsumi-taicho.”
“So get up, Takeru,” she told him.
“What if I am passed out?
“Then you get the 2nd shortest knock out time ever.”
While he thought she was distracted, Takeru swung his sword at her. She dodged, refusing to block. Once either of her blades hit a different one, she was forced to fight until her opponent was dead, or as long as was inhumanly possible.
“C’mon, Katsumi-taicho!”
“Whip him with Shin Chiyo!”
“Beat him with Zenchizennou Kagayaki!”
“Just use his vial!” all of these statements and suggestions were heard from her company.’
“Thanks, Daisuke!” she yelled back, still dodging Takeru’s blows. She reached around to the small of her back and grabbed a small vial of blood: Takeru’s blood. She popped the cap and smeared some on Kagayaki’s blade.
“Kiai: Zenchizennou Kagayaki!” she said calmly, twirling the blade once around her body before sticking the point into the ground. She held tight to the hilt. “You will lose this battle. You will go unconscious for five minutes starting in 5 seconds,” she intoned in an ethereal voice. Five seconds later, Takeru collapsed.
“14th!” There were assorted ‘yes’s ‘uh huh’s and nods form the crowd. “Find this week’s sparring partner and battle somewhere. Hikari, move Takeru to his office.” She nodded.
Masaru and Shimizu left the rather large underground auditorium.
“You were toying with him, Akane.”
“What makes you think that, Daisuke?” she smiled at him.
“Well, first off, you didn’t release Chiyo. Also, you only used 1/3 of the power allowed by your Ban.”
“Hmm…you know me too well,” she told him, patting him on the shoulder. “Any applications?” Even though it was more like assignments of various shinigami 3rd seat or bellow to their squad.
“A few,” he told her, opening the door to her office.
“Who’ve we got?”
“4th seat of Squad 11 and 6th seat of Squad 13,” he said, laying two files on my desk.
“Kenpachi and Jushiro, eh?”
“Yep. They’re coming tomorrow.”
“Anything important for today?”
“Two seat challenges.” Seat challenges are unique to the 14th. Any member of our squad can challenge any seat or other position. Our official data-processing head and 4th seat was challenged 3 times last week. Shimizu was challenged once. Masaru was challenged quite frequently.
“Who?”
“Hikari and me.”
“Right now?”
“…Yes.”
“Then let’s go! Who cares about paperwork?”
“Captain’s are supposed to be responsible.”
“Technically, I’m a 3rd seat.”
He rolled his eyes, and then led the way out her office. They journeyed down the same corridor, coming to the same meeting place.
“ATTENTION!” Shimizu shouted from the dais on the front of the room. People started running in from the auditorium, some sporting wounds and others wearing blood.
“What is it this time? Beniko wouldn’t say!” Takeru asked taking his seat on her left while Masaru sat on her right. Then came Beniko, then Hikari, followed by officers 6-10, with 11-20 scattered throughout the crowd.
“Hey, squad 14!” Shimizu yelled, standing on the edge of the dais, her hands on her hips and her legs spread slightly.
“Hey what?” The veterans yelled back.
“We’ve had a seat challenge to Hikari Midori!”
“We have?”
“May the challenger stand!” A boy with purple hair and yellow eyes stood. “Name?”
“Nobu Minoru.”
“And you challenged our 5th seat?”
“Yeah.”
“We’ve got another challenge, to Masaru Nobuyuki!”
“We have?”
“Idiot,” Takeru snorted.
“Challenger stand.” A girl with dark purple hair, many shades darker than Beniko’s, stood. “Name?”
“Aoi Ayano,” she stated proudly.
“And you challenged our lieutenant?”
“Yes.”
“Follow me for the blood bath!” Shimizu screamed, using the same words she had used from the first seat challenge. Her squad piled out behind her, heading to the arena. First came Masaru and Aoi, then Hikari and Nobu, then everyone else. She stepped into the middle of the arena, Hikari and Nobu facing each other across the field.
“Only rule: no killing. You hear that, Hikari?”
“What is it’s an accident?”
“No accidents, or you might just be the victim of one too. Begin.” And Shimizu jumped away. Immediately, Hikari went on the offense. She sprinted at him, then just as he went to swing at her, she shunpo’ed behind him, continuing her swing. At the last second, she twisted her blade so the flat of it hit his head with a resounding ‘thwack’. He staggered to the side, and she put down her sword slightly, and completely lowered her guard.
In a split second, Nobu had fully drawn his sword, cutting Hikari’s arm. She whipped up her blade, laying a deep cut on his shoulder before he could jerk away.
For maybe half an hour, they both continued like this.
“Okay, bored now,” Hikari stated. “Chiru! Tsuzori hi!” Her sword extended, the tip belling out with a hole in the middle before coming to almost touch in a point. “Uzumaku hi!” The tip of her sword glowed yellow, a min-sun seeming to form in the empty space in her blade. The shining ball forced itself out and towards Nobu. The ball of light traveled at the speed of, well, light, and hit him before he could react.
The light served its purpose: it blinded Nobu. Hikari shunpo’ed behind to his side and hit his temple with the side of her sword. He was knocked unconscious.
“Our 5th seat remains as Hikari Midori and her zanpak-to, Hi!”
Most everyone, except a few new recruits, cheered.
“Daisuke and Aoi, come down here.” They did. “Now, Daisuke, don’t kill or maim her, okay?”
“Got it, Akane.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill him?” Aoi asked, smirking.
Shimizu glanced at her. “Not in the least. Daisuke, keep it short okay? Unlike some 5th seats of squad 14 we know.” She glared pointedly at Hikari, who stuck her tongue out. “Begin.”
Surprise surprise, Masaru kept with Shimizu’s orders and attacked first. “Hiku. Mure ki,” he stated calmly, and Shimizu smiled proudly as his zanpak-to took on the shape of a tree. Just as Aoi drew her sword, Ki glowed bright blue. “Arashi Kaden,” a cloud of bluish dust flew at Aoi, attracted by the metal in her sword. She screamed as the fog of electricity enveloped her, before passing out.
“Daisuke! You got the record for shortest match!” Shimizu screamed from her place in the stands.
“You said to keep it short, right Akane-taicho?”
She glared at him.
“Battle! Battle!” Takeru started the chant and most of our squad took it up.
“You guys just want to see her kick my ass, don’t you?” Masaru asked the crowd. There was general consent.
“Then here we go!” she shunpo’ed behind him and kicked him square in the butt. He went flying with a small yelp. The 14th cheered.
“Now everyone! Find your sparring partners again! Takeru, take these two fools to the infirmary, all right?” And Masaru and Shimizu left.
“What the hell happened?” Aoi asked about an hour later, or at 9 o clock, when she woke up.
“Masaru defeated you,” Takeru told her, sitting in a chair across the sick bay.
“Dammit,” she hissed, slamming a fist onto the bed she was laying on.
“It’s not surprising. You didn’t even know what his sword does.”
“Oh, and you do?”
“Yeah, I do. I’ve been with him and Shimizu almost since the beginning.”
“Huh?”
“At first it was Shimizu, then Masaru, then me, then some other people. We all came alone, or in twos or threes. Now, there’s all of the ones here now. We’re, or should I say Shimizu is, so selective it takes forever to build up our size.
“Why so selective.”
Takeru shrugged. “Shimizu takes only the best. They have to put up with seeing comrades die, killing mercilessly, and abandoning all their morals. And they have to put up with everyone else here.”
“Heh, she thinks she’s so great…”
“She is. She’s mastered two shikais and two bankais. And she completely destroyed her 3rd seat using 1/9 of her power. She’s nearly invincible.
“Nice to know you think so highly of me, Takeru,” Shimizu stated, entering the room.
“Oh hey, Shimizu.”
“You know why I’m invincible?” She asked Aoi, who shook her head.
“You heard of Kenpachi Zaraki?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“I’m like him.” Aoi’s eyes widened. “I have an extremely high reiatsu, and my Ban, to make me seem like a 3rd seat, takes away 2/3 of my power. Without my ban or me pulling my punches, nobody can cut me.”
“Hmm,” Aoi commented. Shimizu reached inside her outer kimono shirt, pulling out a piece of paper. As she was pulling it out, her hand slipped, and she got a paper cut.
“Oh, damn,” she muttered, sucking on the finger. “You’re on host duty tomorrow, Takeru.”
“Host duty? Why me?”
“Because. You’re showing 11th’s 4th around. Bring him to the arena at midnight for the decision.”
“Fine,” he sighed. “Who’s showing the other one around?”
“Beniko!” I smiled hugely.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Psh, no! She’s a good tour guide!”
“…Fine,” Takeru sighed in defeat.
“Did Nobu wake up yet?”
“No, he didn’t.”
Shimizu whistled in astonishment. “Hikari sure did a number on him.”
“No kidding.”
“I guess Daisuke got sloppy. Last time he fought in a challenge, his opponent was out for 2 days. Unless…” I looked at Sakana, who had just come in. She’s 14th’s 6th seat and 4th’s 4th seat. She raised her hands defensively.
“Hey, I did nothing,” she replied.
“Then Daisuke got sloppy.”
“Tsk tsk Akane, talking about your lieutenant behind his back,” Masaru told her as he entered the room.
“What? Sakana didn’t do anything! So you must’ve been sloppy!” She whined.
“Let me check.” He held his sword just above Aoi’s forehead. No blue electricity flew to his zanpak-to. “Sakana,” he said sternly.
“What? Remember that one girl who kept the electricity inside her? Her brain got screwed up!”
“She was always strange in the head,” Takeru scoffed.
“You’re strange in the head,” Shimizu told him, whacking him on the back of his head.
“What? She was! She kept fungusy apples in her desk! And she tie-dyed her socks!”
“So?” She raised an eyebrow and tapped her foot impatiently.
“Ugh, never mind,” he sighed.
“Takeru, do your paperwork. Sakana, wake up Nobu. Daisuke, let’s do our work.”
“Gin!” Shimizu called, banging on the door to his captain’s quarters. She heard footsteps and then the door opened. Gin stood there, his haori still on.
“Little miss 10-3,” he stated with his trademark grin.
“Hello, Gin,” she responded, then spotted Aizen and Tosen in the sitting area.
“What brings you here?” he asked casually, his blue eyes opening marginally.
“Your 3rd seat needs you,” she told him.
“Tell Masaru I’ll be there in a little while. I’m just gonna finish my conversation with Aizen and Tosen.
“He’s in your office,” she told him before shunpoing away.
Masaru, of course, did not need his captain. But what would Aizen and Tosen think of the 10th’s 3rd seat stepping in for no reason on the 3rd’s captain? Nothing good, that’s for sure.
“Oi, Masaru,” Gin called as he entered his office.
“Hello, Gin,” Shimizu replied, sitting on the edge of his desk with her uniform loosened.
“Oh, Shimizu! I didn’t expect to see you here!” he feigned shock as he shed his haori and moved slowly closer.
“Daisuke had to go, so I waited instead,” she told him, smirking slightly as she leaned back on her elbows. He leaned over her.
“Oh that’s too bad,” he kissed her throat gently.
“Isn’t it?” She lay on her back, her arms looping around his neck. You better think of a good excuse for why Daisuke needed you.”
