Ch 2: Dine at your own risk
Akumu sat down on the over cushioned chair of the Ramen shop, careful as ever to be sure to suppress his spiritual power. It wasn't long before a server walked up to him, and he took all his restraint not to shake his head at the sight of her. She was young and relatively naive looking, her nametag read ‘Urami‘. For all he knew she was probably just another random ditz.
Urami was visibly disappointed in the customer sitting in front of her. It seemed to be just another emo child to her. His face was infinitely desolate "Hey." She said over-casually for her job. "How may I he-he-he-" Akumu had just enough time to quickly glance at her and wonder if she had some sort of speech impediment before she sneezed.
That's when it happened. For a split second, Urami's spiritual suppression wavered, and Akumu was engulfed in her spiritual pressure. From that point on out, he looked over at her with an almost resentful expression. "One beef ramen” He said rather flatly before she walked away.
Urami was no fool; she clued in the man's change in disposition. Even an amateur like her knew that sneezing would distort her suppression levels, and basically flag her for all Shinigami, or Hollows in the area. And just that happened, Utsuro had felt the sudden burst in Reiatsu.
Utsuro wove his way between the streets of the city trying to work his way towards source of the Reiatsu believing Akumu was the cause, "He better not do anything stupid, even though he's not the one that is likely too." Utsuro was halfway between speed walking and run trying to get there before anything bad happened.
Urami instantly assumed Akumu knew that she knew he knew and began a conversation as she dropped off his meal. "Seems that my Zanpakutou hungers to make yours' acquaintance” Urami said as she set and scooted his bowl towards him.
Akumu was crazy, not stupid. He looked at her for a moment curiously before casually starting into his soup. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Urami apparently wasn't satisfied with this answer, as she swiped her arm across the table, launching his ramen off into the street. He sat in shock for a moment before glaring at her, "I'm not paying for that now." "Meet me behind the store, now!” She snapped back and with that she stomped off, waiting for Akumu to follow with her.
After a few moments of deliberation, Akumu found himself walking behind the shop. He barely had time to glance at Urami before she struck. As soon as she saw the boy she released her spirit form, letting her body fall to the dust. Akumu changed himself to his soul form as fast as he could, her blades just barely stopped by his as it materialized. With a satisfied huff, Urami leapt back as Akumu did, smirking at the boy. "So, I was right. The question now is what sort of warrior are you? Shinigami, Vizard or Arrancar?"
Utsuro slowed down as he felt an another equal force of Reiatsu appear this one he for sure knew was Akumu‘s, "Stupid is as stupid does... Hope he has fun before I break up his little play-date..." Utsuro turned down an alley to change into his soul form to not freak out anyone out on the street, a guy just disappearing would cause some mayhem.
Akumu didn't answer her question; he just held his sword out before her. "Ask not what I am." His voice was cold, distant.... Hollow. "You wanted a fight, and you found one. Now don't disappoint me."
Urami just smirked at his answer. "Have it your way." She flipped her Zanpakutou, so the blades of each knife were facing as a normal sword would. "Scream forth, Hiraishin! (Lightning Rod)" She called before her trench knives grew into sabres with spiked handguards, which went flying off at Akumu like oversized bullets.
Akumu barely had time to react; managing to stop four of the six projectiles shot at him and watching them fly back to their point of origin as the other two hit him. They weren't necessarily devastating, which meant it was time for Akumu to counter.
Then it hit him, unmeasured amount of electricity flowed from point to point within his flesh caused his legs to give out, and he landed on his knees, using his Zanpakutou for support. He felt the spikes that he'd failed to block wrench themselves back out from their entry wounds, and a small spray of blood followed each.
"You cheap little..." Akumu growled as he got to his feet, knocking Urami’s next charge aside with quick swing from his sword. "You'll pay for that… Down falls the rain, Kurai Kumo! (Dark Cloud)" He bellowed, releasing his Shikai. The blade of his sword grew three hooks on the back side as he jumped into the air, bringing down a fierce vertical strike over his foe, but not one fast enough to hit her. "Ha!" Urami cried in response gloatingly. "Your attack missed completely?"
"Oh?" Akumu was rather smug now, leaving the tip of his blade in the earth as it had been when he swung it. "Did it now?" "Wha-" Before Urami could even finish the first word of her question, a beam of pure Reiatsu shot down upon her, and she screamed out in agony.
About halfway through the attack's normal duration, Akumu snapped his fingers, and the beam disappeared. He casually strolled over to Urami, being sure to kick her once-again-unreleased Zanpakutou far beyond her reach before firming his grip on his own and kneeling beside the smoldering wreck that was Urami. "Now, little Vizard." He practically hissed down at her. "Have you gotten your fill, or do I have to kill you where you are?"
Utsuro quickly slowed down to a stop, not far from Akumu, "That was a quick battle... Too quick..." He quickly went back out to the street in a mad dash towards Akumu not knowing who‘s Reiatsu disappeared.
"Akumu!" Utsuro yelled as he looked around after making his way down another nearby alley and seen Akumu hunched over Urami, "Let her be... She's not the enemy we're after, remember?" Akumu turned to face his partner, blade still held at the ready towards Urami.
"Aw..." Akumu whined, knowing where he stood in the ranking system here. "But she started it! She even jumped me when I thought we were coming out here for a discussion! She brought it on herself Utsuro… What's a little Shinigami blood to us?"
"We're not like THEM, Akumu... They would do what you were about to, but since we broke away from them, we broke from their ideals... You should know that!" Utsuro looks at Urami, "Watch yourself and never go easy on an opponent you know nothing about. Sheath your swords, both of you..." Utsuro quickly looks at Akumu.
Urami coughed a few times and winced and Akumu sighed himself back into his senses. "Alright, alright, the stupid Shinigami lives. But I can't promise the same for the next warrior to blindly attack me. I understand that we don't live by the same blood-thirsty creed that they do, but you cannot deny me the right to kill. It's not like I'm running rampant slaughtering right and left, I just wish to reserve the right to slay those who wish the same of me."
"Well maybe if she was a fair match for you I'd have let you... But slaying those who are this far below your combat level proves nothing to your strength... Head back to the HQ..." Utsuro points towards the way to the street from the alley.
Akumu started walking, changing back to his living form and passed Utsuro out to the street. Utsuro looked at Urami then followed after Akumu also changing. “Did you even manage to get anything for your mission Akumu?” Utsuro called out. Akumu was a few feet further up the street, “I got food alright… For myself that is. A warrior like me can‘t be running around on an empty stomach.”
Utsuro scratched his head, “Well that’s helpful for the entire group.” He let out a sigh, “I haven’t been able to get anything since I had to save that Shinigami from you, and I had to fight off a Shinigami myself earlier.”
“Shinigami, eh? Did you kill‘em?” Akumu stopped walking for Utsuro to catch up who replied, “No.” Akumu looked at him with a look crossed between surprise and disappointment, “Did you rough him up at least?” Akumu was now walking backwards in front of Utsuro egging him on for details.
“I gave him enough to make up for the trouble he caused me… At the very least he passed out from the trauma and wounds he suffered.” Utsuro looked down an alley that lead to the street his fight had taken place on, no traces of the Shinigami were there.
Akumu shakes his head and turns away from Utsuro, “Ah, your lame. Leaving someone like that alive is a mistake. It would have been nicer if you had just killed of that poor excuse for a fighter. You‘re too soft hearted.” Akumu began to increase his pace again and was again making distance between the two.
After a whiles more worth of walking they were getting close to home, “We can’t show up empty handed or Kazu with throw a fit. We should at least find some Bananas somewhere for him.” Utsuro says as he looked around the store where they were.
“What do you care if he gets mad or not? You‘re the leader right? He doesn‘t deserve to eat if he has to depend on others for it.” Akumu waved his hand and turned a corner, taking a shortcut to get back to HQ.
“If that‘s how you‘re going to act…” Utsuro stops in front of a bakery he visits often, “Then a lock is going on the cabinets and fridge then…” He smirked as he opened the door to the bakery and walked in waving to the baker.
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by Terminar777 Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:32 pm
