Bleach: Azashiro

***Akihiko Azashiro***

"And you grew up." said Shika as soon as we came to the surface.

-That happens, people grow. -

"Haha, Aki, you clearly need to work on your facial expressions." she advised, making a funny face. I didn't comment on this in any way.

This interrupted our conversation. Unfortunately, I often had problems communicating with other people. But unlike most, the silence between us did not cause feelings of awkwardness. This is one of the reasons why I continued to communicate with her at all, after our sudden acquaintance.

And so, following the girl, we arrived at one of the verandas, near the guest house.

"Wait for me here, I'll talk to my uncle to get a room." - as soon as she finished her life in the dump.

Leaning on a wooden beam, I began to look at the stars. Another oddity of this world. The stars must assume that we are in space, but this is the world of spirits. At first it seemed to me that it was located in a fold of space, or in another dimension. Whether the presence of stars in another dimension is possible, I did not know.

I remembered the lines from the book that I read: "The King of Souls divided the current world into three: the world of Reishi, the world of Kishi, Sand Paradise. In the future we will find names: Society of Souls, World of the Living, Hueco Mundo". Why it was necessary to divide the world is not clear.

Presumably to create a cycle of soul and make a clear division between life and death. Now, souls after their death are moving from one world to another, so to speak. They live a new life, die and are born again in another world.

The question arises: where do new souls come from then?

Not often, but children are born in the Soul Society. I, like all current members of noble families, were born into the company of souls. My case may be an exception, but the rest are not. And a natural unanswered question is brewing: how are souls created?

"Aki, let's go". - my voice distracted me from thinking. - Hey, what are you talking about, let's go say. I agreed.

They took me by the hand and dragged me inside the room. Before I even had time to say a word, I found myself in front of the door to my new room. I have never moved so often before.

"Here, don't forget, we have a mission tomorrow". Bye-bye. - Without allowing me to say anything, she ran away.

Entering a room that was no different from the officer's, except perhaps the lighting and the presence of a window from which the same stars in the sky were visible.

The day turned out to be difficult and I was very tired. Therefore, as soon as my head touched the pillow, I fell asleep.

***

In the forests of the 4th district of Rukongaya, in a not large clearing, there is a camp. Ten tents arranged in a circle lit up the morning sun. The camp began to come to life, and little by little the Shinigami got out of their tents. Someone was cooking food over a fire in a huge pan, someone just woke up and went to wash themselves by a small stream.

All this was observed from trees nearby by four silhouettes hidden in the shadows of leaves. One of the figures belonged to a tall girl with white hair, the other three men were located slightly behind her.

"Is the barrier ready?" asked Chic quietly.

-Yes, ready. -

- Toshi, come in from the creek. Mit right. Akihiko, you activate the barrier at a signal and get out of here. I'm on the left. Questions? - the girl said in a commanding tone. - No? Then forward, in a minute we start.

The moment and three silhouettes disappeared, leaving Akihiko alone.

***Akihiko Azashiro***

Standing on a tree and hiding his presence with the help of a kido. I watched the swarming shinigs in the camp. According to what our captain said, there should be no one strong among them. But caution will never hurt. It was not difficult to set up the barrier. A couple of minutes of work, most of the time spent, on moving imperceptibly from one end of the camp to the other.

*Chirik-chirik*

And here is the signal. Folding my hands in front of me, I concentrated on the beacons I had placed in advance and prepared to activate the barrier.

- Kiten no Kabe. -

As soon as I finished, a second later, transparent red walls formed around the camp, forming a square. The barrier was specific, it could be entered, but to exit it was necessary to either destroy it by force or be the creator of this barrier.

Having stopped using the kido that hid my presence, I went into shumpo.

-You who the hell are you?!! - as soon as I landed on the edge of the camp, two dozen shinigami swords were pointed in my direction, running out of their tents on alarm.

I had no desire to talk to them. No one will leave here alive anyway, I didn't see the point in talking to walking corpses.

Slowly taking my zanpakto out of the sheath, I figured out how to kill them. I wouldn't like to use Kido. Maybe you should use the chic.

"Don't you dare use shikai against these nonentities" - Dakukuin's voice was heard, full of contempt, in my head.

-Hey, you're deaf, I'm your mother, I'm talking to you!!! - and the meat kept screaming.

-Yes, you're right, they're not worth it. - from my words, the Shinigami who managed to encircle me looked at each other in bewilderment. And why am I talking to them.

- What are you...-

- Bakudo №9: Geki. -

The red kind of energy enveloped twenty shinigas around me, paralyzing them.

God, they are so weak that one low-level bakud was enough for everyone at once.

After the first severed head, nineteen pairs of frightened eyes stared at me. Apparently, it has only just dawned on them why I am here.

Cutting off the head of the last of them, he sheathed the zanpakto and remained standing in the middle of twenty decapitated bodies, in the middle of a pool of blood. The corpses, blood and smell did not bother me at all.

I had no desire to go help the others. These bandits are so weak that Toshi alone would have dealt with their entire camp alone. I don't understand what people were thinking, what they hired and secretly placed here, this garbage.

Looking around the works of my hands, I was once again convinced that in this world strength means everything. The difference in our strength did not give them a chance to win. Once again I understand that most Shinigami are simple cannon fodder, unable to resist, as soon as they meet at least a slightly strong enemy.

- Aki. - two minutes later, Shika landed next to me. - I see you're already done.

- Yes. -

"So how do you like the first task?" - apparently she was not embarrassed by the headless bodies and pools of blood around her, since she decided to start a conversation here. Well, I think there is nothing surprising in this. She has been serving in this unit for several years and has clearly seen worse paintings.

"Nothing." replied her.

"Well, I think you'll like the next ones better". -

I hope there will be normal opponents in the future. I didn't come here to kill useless shinigami. Of course, I understood that such tasks would inevitably occur and I had no problems with this. Kill a couple of other weak shinigami, even if it sounds wrong, but at times it's worth cleaning the Soul Society from this trash.

"Something they've been long". - Shika expressed her doubts, after five minutes of waiting.

I couldn't help but agree with this. The enemies were too weak to spend so much time on them. And the sounds of battle were not heard.

"I'll go check it out." I said as I left for the shumpo.

Landing not far from the place where the brothers' reatsu was felt, I looked at the couple that were walking in my direction, from the barrier wall. Only six dead bodies were visible nearby.

It's strange what they've been doing for so long and why they're together. The main part of the Shinigami, as I understand it, was interrupted by Shika and I, they were left with at most fifteen bandits.

"Akihiko-san, did something happen?" Meat asked me.

- No, it's okay. The captain calls. - calmly answering him, I once again glanced at where they came from. I'll probably see what's there. - Go ahead, I still need to remove the barrier.

Without answering me, they left.

Not reaching the barrier a couple of meters, I felt a familiar trace of the reatsu. I looked around, trying to find the source, but found nothing. I already wanted to spit and come back when I felt a sharp decrease in the level of reatsu to my right.

Minutes later, these round dances around, they didn't give me anything. I never managed to find anything.

-Stop, Toshi. - looking at all the trees again, trying to find some mark.

Found it. One of the trees had a small horizontal line, clearly left with something sharp. It will completely pass the mark.

***Schika Shihoin Hang***

- Captain. - Toshi greeted me for two.

"Where's Akihiko?" - the anxiety hasn't left me for the last few minutes.

"Removes barrier." Meath replied.

Removes the barrier? To remove the barrier he just needs... Stop. Does he suspect anything? And since he lied to them, this suspicion concerns the brothers.

Standing in a more comfortable position to attack, still remaining relaxed in appearance, I was ready to blow my head off both at any moment.

*Boom*

The entire camp was covered by monstrous spiritual pressure. Horror, death. What's happening!?

"W-what's that?" asked Toshi in a trembling voice, stuttering slightly.

Both brothers could barely stand on their feet, clenching their zanpakto and furiously turning their heads, trying to find where the danger was coming from. They were very disoriented once they could not understand which way the source of the reatsu was.

Unlike them, it was easier for me to resist this. Having dealt with the first attack of horror and fear, I looked in the direction from which the pressure of the reatsu came.

- AAAAAA -

- AAAAAA -

Hearing the terrible screams of the brothers, I turned sharply in their direction in order to freeze in place from what I saw.

Above two brothers lying in blood, Akihiko stood. A black reatsu hovered around him, taking the form of an Oni mask. It was just the feeling of his reatsu from such a close distance that he wanted to spit on everything and run away. His reatsu was so terrible now.

- A-Aki. - all I had enough to do was call him in a barely discernible voice. Gritting the zanpakto tighter, I was ready to rush into battle. It's better to sell life at a higher price than to die fleeing like a coward. These are the thoughts that were spinning in my head.

But as soon as he looked at me, with his face expressing nothing and icy eyes, everything stopped in the next moment. Reatsu dissipated, the horror and fear that bound me disappeared.

- Haaa...Haaa...Haaa. - I didn't even notice that I was holding my breath all this time.

- Bakudo №62: Hyapporankan -

Dozens of luminous poles formed over the groaning brothers. A second later they descended on them, nailing them both to the ground, depriving them of the opportunity to move.

Not daring to remove my hand from the zanpakto handle, I looked at all this and tried to come to my senses. Only now I noticed that Akihiko managed to cut off their legs, but she didn't even notice. Everything happened so quickly and quickly.

Imagining himself in the place of the brothers. I came to the conclusion that I would not have had time to react if he had attacked me. This thought made me feel somehow offended and sick at the same time.

"Sorry". - Akihiko's voice reminded her not to relax. Nothing's finished yet. - I found this hidden in a tree trunk, near the place where they were leaving.

He handed me a bundle of paper. Carefully, trying not to take her eyes off his sword, with her shaking hand, she took an outstretched piece of paper. Having jumped to break the distance of a couple of meters with him, I froze.

"Shika, please don't be afraid of me, I won't do anything to you" Aki's sad voice sobered me up slightly.

Having met his gaze, I wanted to slap my head for my actions. Only now has it dawned on me what it looked like on his part. I immediately felt uneasy. Was so little enough for me to be afraid and ready to fight him to death, trying to sell my life at a higher price. With the only friend she had. Weak.

His sad, apologetic eyes looking at me hurt me almost physically, from knowing what I was going to do. Distasteful memories poured in treacherously.

My arms hung limply along my torso, I had to lower my head so as not to show him tears rushing outward. I didn't have the strength to look him in the eyes.

"Shika, are you all right?" - no, not okay, Aki, not okay.

***Akihiko Azashiro***

Looking at her now, I didn't know what to do. She looked so weak and defenseless. This somewhat disrupted my original mood. Did my spiritual pressure really have such a strong effect on her. Damn, I wanted to do better, it turned out as always.

"Everything is fine, quieter, quieter". - hugging and pinning Shika to me, I tried to calm her down. - I won't do that again, you hear.

So we stood for about five minutes. The picture is certainly so-so. Against the background, two legless people groan in a pool of blood, corpses and heads separated from bodies are scattered around. And in the middle of all this, I hug a crying girl. Glitter.

I underestimated the influence of my reatsu on others. I thought she was strong enough to stand it. Miscalculated. I hope she doesn't hold a grudge against me.

"That's it, I'm fine". - said Shika quietly and got out of my arms. I picked up a piece of paper from the ground and handed it to her. It's worth distracting her with work. She will still have to decide what to do with them. Still, she knows better how to deal with spies.

-Clear, take them and take them to the nearest shelter. They will be taken care of there. - after finishing reading, Shika picked up Mita and threw her over her shoulder, having first knocked her out.

Approaching Toshi, I did all the same actions as her. He kicked him in the head and threw the unconscious carcass over his shoulder. He left his legs lying here, they won't need them anymore.

***

Leaving the crippled brothers in one of the detachment's secret hiding places in the fourth district. We went back to the Shihoin estate.

All the way back, Shika never said a word.

So far I didn't want to bother her. Let him calm down and come to his senses, and tomorrow he can talk normally.

As for the second task, I hope I can persuade Chiki-san.

"In two hours, be ready." - saying this, she hid in the shumpo without waiting for my answer.

Great, I have a couple of hours to find and talk to Chiki-san.

"Could you let Chiki-san know that Akihiko Azashiro wants to talk to him." said the first servant he came across.

"Of course, sir". - the man answered me respectfully, bowing.

About thirty minutes later, another servant came to me and asked me to follow him.

He walked me to the door of the clan chief's office, bowed and left. Well, you don't need much intelligence to knock on the door.

- Come in. -

Opening the door, I entered the office. It was quite different from my father's office. One closet, a tea table, two sofas, a desktop and a bunch of paintings. No, seriously there were a lot of them. Most of them were portraits. I think these are past clan heads or just members of the Shihoin clan. A couple of paintings depicting execution using Sokyoku. I even took a closer look; this halberd has never been used in front of me.

"Akihiko, did you want to see me?" the owner of the office reminded of himself.

"I'm sorry". - coming to my senses, I bowed to the man sitting at the table. - I wanted to make a report.

- Hmm? Why do you report to me, and not an officer? - Chika-san asked with a little anxiety in his voice.

"She's fine, but there were unforeseen circumstances". - I answered.

"Well then report." reclining on the back of the chair, Chika-san relaxed.

- While on assignment, I noticed the unusual behavior of two members of the group, Toshi and Mita. After a short search, I found a hidden note inside a tree. I can guess, hidden with the help of the abilities of the first. - I stopped at this moment, thinking about what to say next. - I single-handedly made the decision to capture both.

- And? - frowning, demanded the continuation of Chika-san.

"I was able to quickly neutralize them by exposing them to reatsu and cutting off their lower limbs". - continued the story. - But in the process, I really scared Shika.

After my last words, his face stretched out in surprise. A second later he was already looking at me in bewilderment, as if not understanding what I had just said.

- What? Did you scare Shika? - He asked, raising his voice a little.

A couple of minutes later, I finished telling him what happened there from my point of view. After my story, he withdrew into himself, thinking.

-Hmm, come on, let your spiritual pressure go to the maximum. - Chika-san asked his own, nodding something.

Shrugging my shoulders, I released all my spiritual pressure on him.

My silhouette disappeared into the sea of black reatsu, and behind me, I'm sure a mask similar to Oni has now formed.

"That's it, that's enough." said Chika-san.

Only after hearing his words did I stop.

- Fuckin', kid. Your reatsu is just something. I have never seen spiritual pressure have the property of conceptual zanpakto. -