Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Nekomata (1)
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
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AN: There will be quite a few segments in this chapter, apologies in advance.
Chapter 31: Nekomata (1)
His back was laid against the roofing of Terumasa's residence, his pupils took in the sight of a clear night sky, one untouched by the polluting creations of man.
The urge to rip off his blindfold was stronger than ever, a chance to see one of the most notable points of his own country's history was right before him, just that one small action could grant that privilege to him.
But he couldn't do it, his desire for strength had trumped his curiosity.
"What are you brooding over?" She was cuddled up right next to him, with one arm on his chest and the other around his waist. She looked at him with a mildly irritated gaze, annoyed that his attention wasn't where she wanted it to be.
"Nothing" Seeing as he would have all the time in the world to deliberate once they returned, he thought it best to cast those thoughts aside for the time-being.
She hummed inquisitively as she pretended to believe him, she knew something was up but she wasn't keen on ruining the moment they were having.
"You know our ten minutes passed a while ago?" To his surprise, she had actually decided to bring it up.
"But you said thirty minutes didn't you?"
"Huh? No I said te—"
"No I'm pretty sure you said thirty" Her pupils widened upon realizing what he was doing, he turned to her with a faint smirk as he wrapped one of his arms around her neck.
"That's right, I said thirty didn't I?"
——
The return trip was nothing short of standard, leaving the Human World was far simpler than entering it. Shinigami could essentially use their Zanpakutō as a key, forming a Senkaimon in front of them alongside summoning another Hell Butterfly.
"Well, that was pretty underwhelming" Although he had looked forward to the trip, all the Hollow's he fought had been nothing but fodder. It was like slicing through butter, once he had gotten the hang of figuring out where their masks were without the aid of his vision it was practically a walk in the park.
"That's a good thing, wouldn't you agree? If Menos Grande were just roaming about all the time we'd be in serious trouble" Shunsui was of different opinion, the less fighting he had to do the better.
"Still, I would have liked to encounter at least one of them" Shunsui responded with a look of conjecture, unlike Ukitake he hadn't gotten completely absorbed in meeting Terumasa.
"Are you sure? It looked like you were having a pretty good time to me, Mr. Yachiru" Rather than being shocked, Koda was impressed. To think Shunsui actually had the balls to spy on them, or more specifically— her.
"It's not my fault you're unpopular with the ladies" He shrugged.
"I'll have you know that I'm practically drowning in women on a day to day basis. Isn't that right Ukitake?"
"I don't know about you but the sky is looking awfully interesting today" His ashen-haired friend stiffly tilted his head upwards, not wanting any hand in the conversation.
"Tch, you just don't want to admit that I'm right" They eventually returned to their dorms, each of them vying for their pillows after a long day of "tough" Hollow-slaying.
"Hey, Koda" Or at least that was the plan, apparently one of them had decided to be the exception.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing much, just wondering if you had any— tips?" Somehow he had the hunch that Shunsui was about to ask something incredibly idiotic.
"Tips…?"
"You know like…" He brought his head closer to Koda and lowered his tone, supposedly not wanting to Ukitake to hear him.
"With older women, but don't get the wrong idea, I'm just asking for a friend" He rolled his eyes as he proceeded to stuff his head back into his pillow.
"Go to bed Shunsui"
"Stingy" He snapped.
——
Something didn't feel right, Koda slowly got up from his bed with a look of prudence on his face. He peered out of the window, searching each square-inch of the property with his senses in an attempt to locate something, or rather— someone.
He failed to detect any foreign traces of Reiryoku in the area, but that alone wasn't enough to satisfy his suspicions. He could feel it, he was being watched and it wasn't by virtue of his usual stalker.
He looked towards his two sleeping peers, the fact that they appeared to still be comfortable meant that he was the only one who felt it.
'Either it's my imagination, or I'm the only one being watched…'
Careful to keep the noise to a minimum, he creaked the door open and slid through it. Intent on quelling his discomfort by any means possible.
"Who are you?" He quickly turned his head, catching a glimpse of a shrouded figure darting away from him. His natural instincts had him dart forward in chase, weaving through the halls as he tried to predict each and every turn of the escapee.
But he wasn't fast enough, he was fairly confident in his Shunpo but the lurker was in a different league. He had effortlessly escaped Koda's range, leaving the man helpless.
"Coward" He spat, angrier at himself rather than the stalker.
All of a sudden, a sharp searing sensation spiked through his right arm. Somehow a cut had appeared on his skin, it wasn't all that deep but it still felt like someone had used a hot-knife to create the wound.
He stood there in disbelief, at no point had the perpetrator gotten close to him but he had still been cut nonetheless. But the surprises didn't end there, his Asauchi started to tremble violently, its anger surging as Koda struggled to maintain his grip.
——
The world was dark, only the faint simmers of light that the moon offered could serve as one's guide. Its macabre radiance bounced off the frosted leaves of the trees below, illuminating the river below with a brilliant argent luminescence.
The landscape was riddled with fauna and brush, each individual segment of coppice sought to emphasize its allure— but also its rancor.
Corpses laid bare on its snow-like surface, scattered at random each with a sword impaled firmly into their chests. The scads of scarlet blood puddles stained parts of the thicket in a crude vermillion hue, the forest displayed a perfect equilibrium between bloodshed and accord.
But in spite of its allure, the land was barren of life. Save for the two souls that dwelled within its clasp, they were the only beings whom could enjoy the privilege of relishing in its eminence.
The first of them was a tall and thin middle-aged man with gray untamed hair that reached his shoulders. The bags beneath his eyes were deep and profound, most of his appearance suggested he was a rather worn man.
He sported a dark double-breasted trench coat alongside a copper dress shirt with a single cerulean tie to compliment his look.
There was a distinct scowl on his face as he let out a frustrated sigh, something bothersome had dared to enter his dwellings, something he had no intention of welcoming.
"We seem to have a talent for attracting unwanted attention…" He murmured as he opened his palm to the ground beneath him, causing it to tremble as a hilt popped out of the dirt as if it were a mere sapling.
He grasped his hand around the hilt, effortlessly pulling it out of the ground and resting it over his shoulders. At first glance, it seemed like nothing more than a simple Katana, the only noticeable feature being the bleak ribbon coiled around its alloy.
The sound of footsteps trotting through the snow caught his attention, he would soon have to confront his newfound problem.
The second entity was nothing like him, as a matter of fact it didn't even look remotely human. The creature appeared to be some sort of large nekomata, it wore an inverted trivet on its head like a crown and had two tails protruding from its back instead of one, each with small flames kindling on their tips.
"Of all the places, why would you come here?" The creature approached the more humanoid figure on all fours, for some reason it had a bamboo-shoot clenched between its teeth with smoke blowing out of both ends.
"Where is this place?" All it got in return was a scoff alongside a miffed expression, the winds picked up and began to howl as if they were cackling at the beast.
"You had the gall to invade our mind, yet you didn't even know what you were getting into?" The man turned his back to the cat, sitting down on a nearby rock as if the entity wasn't even worth his time.
"I pity you, so I'll give you one chance to leave" There was no need to elaborate, the sword in his hands made his intent crystal-clear should the creature refuse his offer.
"Our?" It took him lightly, convinced that he could do it no harm.
The threadbare man offered him no response, staring at the sky listlessly as he hoped the creature would soon come to realize the situation it was in.
"I asked you a question" It snarled, staring daggers into the back of the man's head as it began to approach him.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, I'll admit that I'm impressed you managed to get here. But that's the extent of your prowess, anything beyond that is far beyond your capabilities" His words were like hot air to the creature, it continued until the man was within striking distance.
It rose its paw, threatening to cut the man's throat as it started to voice out in a threatening tone.
"You know nothing of my prowess, start talking" He seemed unbothered by the fact that its claws were primed and ready to shred him to bits, even having the brass to yawn as he stretched his legs.
"I told you, one chance— take it or leave it" The nekomata scoffed, slashing at his neck intent on tearing his flesh out and making a meal out of the man.
But his attack had been stopped halfway, out of the blue it no longer had the ability to put any force behind its paw, or its entire arm for that matter.
"I guess I don't mind this either, I'm not one to turn down a fight after all" Its limb had been cleanly sliced apart, dropping onto the snow as it became yet another cardinal puddle within the forest.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Iguana32
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