[BleachITP Reborn] Episode 2: Hannibal's Past: Flashback to the Old!

[Terry576]

Karite coughs up a bit of blood, and tries to yank the sword out of Hannibal's hand, but it's stuck fast.

"Erm... Could you let go?"

[Frozen_Feet]

Hannibal's punching hand grabs Karite's from the breast of his Shihakusho and pulls him closer, so their faces are only few inches apart. The cold of Kuyashinaki's blade is starting to numb the captain's hand, but for the moment his grip stays firm.

"What's the matter? Ye have four limbs, boy!", the captain growls, so loudly every student on the yard can hear him. "Ye only need one to hold the sword!"

[Terry576]

Karite glares at Hannibal.

"True, but it's my sword. And nobody will ever take it away from me."

[Frozen_Feet]

"Ye think it's better to die with a sword rather than live without one?", the captain questions, grinning madly. "That line of thought will only get ye to early grave!"

Suddenly, Hannibal jerks forward, smashing Karite's nose with his forehead. At the same time, the captain drops the hand holding Karite, striking his wrists with a sweeping punch to loosen his grip of the sword, and drops his stance pulling Kuyashinaki forwards. It doesn't go as well as he intended, as the numbness causes his hold to slip, but it's still a decent attempt to wrench Karite's sword from him. "Hyah!"

[Terry576]

Karite's grasp remains firm. He glances at Hannibal, his eyes cold.

"Isn't that what your division teaches Captain? 'He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.' I'd prefer to die with it in my hand, then to die after releasing it in an attempt to reverse the situation."

Those watching are murmuring, wondering what the hell the unseated security is trying to do the Captain.

[Frozen_Feet]

Karite's words give Hannibal a pause. "Huh? What?" Realizing his grip isn't firm enough to try the same stunt twice, the captain opts to aim several low kicks to Karite's thighs and knees.

"Ye got the meaning all wrong! It just means that if ye fight, ye die fightin'! It's not about glory or . . . gah!" The captain has never been keen on philosophy, but even he can notice Karite's reasoning holds water as well as a broken sieve.

[Terry576]

Karite steps back, then thinks for a second.

"Huh. You know, I never thought about it that way. Alright then."

He drops his sword, and takes his fighting stance.

"Let's go then."

[Frozen_Feet]

The moment Karite lets go of his sword, Hannibal flings it away, over the heads of the students watching; few duck in panic as the blade flies past them. It embeds itself deep into the academy wall.

The next second, the captain is already upon Karite like a raging bull. "Fight! Don't talk!"

[Terry576]

Karite appears to be like water, flowing in the opposite direction of Hannibal's powerful strikes.

He throws a punch at the captain's gut, in an attempt to disrupt his momentum.

[Frozen_Feet]

To the surprise of the crowd, and perhaps Karite himself, he does land the punch. He could've as well struck a steel wall, but it's still a solid hit. The captain steps back and sprints to Karite's side. Karite can now see Kuyashinaki sticking out of the wall directly behind the captain.

"Heh. I knew ye weren't completely hopeless", the captain grumbles. "Come on! Show what ye've got!"

[Terry576]

Karite winces as the punch connects, and glances at the sword. He glances back at the captain, and shakes his head.

"If I go for my sword, he'll easily catch me. Better to keep fighting without it."

Karite runs at Hannibal again, and this time delivers a low kick to Hannibal's shins.

"If that connects, I'm gonna have a bruise tomorrow..."

[Frozen_Feet]

Karite hits, but Hannibal's stance is too firm for his sweep to be succesful - his leg is like a tree rooted to the ground. The captain answers by taking a rapid step forward and sending both his fist towards Karite's torso in a mighty two-handed punch. "Sõkutsu!"

[Terry576]

The blow hits, and Karite slumps over, unconscious. A combination of blood loss and being hit by a captain does that to you.

[Frozen_Feet]

Past:

Sayuri's eyes are wide open at the demonstration. Nervously, she tugs Kiku's sleeve. "That was a Shikai, wasn't it? Did... did that crazy man block a Shikai with his bare hands?" The small girl is feeling a little woozy at the display; the blood flowing from Karite's mouth and nose hadn't gone unnoticed. Sayuri watches his unconcscious body in horror. "How... how hard did he hit that other man? Is he... dead?"

---

"Aww, and here I was hoping he'd last a while longer. I even held back for him. Oh well, I guess the show's over" Hannibal exclaims and spreads his hands. He walks to Karite and kneels over him, to check if he's still alive. Fortunately, a quick check-up indicates the 13th divisioner has a few fractured ribs at worst. Nothing to get worked over.

As the captain gets back up, he gives a quick glance to Kuyashinaki, then looks at his own right hand and grimaces. The skin of his right arm is pale as paper almost up to his elbow, and feeling still hasn't returned to it fully. His fingers tingle painfully as he wriggles them carefully. Damn. That's one powerful sword. Any longer there and I'd have a nasty frostbite for m'self.

"So, now ye've seen first hand what I mean", the captain bellows to the crowd. "Not just that fightin' without a sword is possible, the other part too. Freeze up when ye lose yer sword, and BAM ! It's over for ye. If this fellow had focused on me instead of holding to his blade, this would've gone differently. It might be me on the ground here."

The captain pauses to pick up Karite. He hoists the 13th divisioner to his shoulder and takes a moment to spot other members of the security. "Next, we're gonna do some basic grappling. Same pairs as before. Get down and bow to yer partner. It's on when I clap my hands." He then walks to the other guards to ask them to get Karite back to his senses.

[horngeek]

Tsukami heads over, with a medical squad. "Check for any injuries before waking him up..."

He looks at Hannibal. "Well, that was an... effective demonstration."

[Frozen_Feet]

The captain grins. "Ye think?" He puts Karite down and lets the medics work their magic. "I hope the students found it enlightening. I'd love to show them more, but I guess I better spare some fellows for the trip. Hope yer little girl liked it."

[horngeek]

Natsuko nods, smiling.

[Terry576]

Karite jolts up, healed. He shakes his head and glances around.

"Eh? What happened?"

[Frozen_Feet]

"I kicked yer ass, that's what happened", Hannibal says, smirking, and stops to pat Karite in the back. Then he walks back to middle of the crowd, shouting advice as he does. "Okay kids, ye ready? Remember, stay on the ground. Try to win with a choke or lock, keep punching to minimum. Aaaand . . . go!" The captain claps his hands together.

[Innis Cabal]

((Hopefully this is ok there TGVA. Just didn't want to bog the thread down with having to get her cleared))

Takeshi looks over his shoulder as young girl finally comes down the intricate and complex stairwell to the lower holding zone, accompanied by a member of the Tenth Division. He smiles softly as he nods to the Ex-Captain, still enraptured by his story as he steps out of the jail cell. The mousy girl makes a quick bow to Takeshi, her hands moving in a flurry of motion as she rises, taking another bow towards Taiki. Takeshi keeps his eyes focused on Hannibal, taking the girl by her arm.

“May I take her in with me Captain Taiki? She will aid me in my work. And I am sure she would like to hear the story as well.”

Takeshi makes several hand motions to the young girl, who for her part nods, smiling softly.

[tgva8889]

(Yeah, it'll work. Just don't expect it to happen for anyone who has true plot significance. )

Present Day

Taiki looks up at the approaching girl and turns to block the hallway.

"Guard? How did she get in here?" "She was with me, sir. Your note requested her presence, I merely assumed..." "You're lucky it's an insignificant security risk. Anything worse and you'd be back on patrol duty. Get back to work." "Yes sir."

The 10th Divisioner walks away quickly, leaving the Kido Corp. member behind.

"You're free to go help your Captain. I won't stop you." Taiki moves to let her through. She should have no problem passing through the energy field with Takeshi.

[Innis Cabal]

The two stride into the jail cell with the Ex-Captain, the new arrival bowing deeply to Hannibal, making a flurry of hand motions before standing at his back, lifting her hands.

"If you'd like to take a few second breather Ex-Captain Hannibal. This is Unit 5 Aekami Shiru. A Junior Member of the Kido Corp. She is here to help finish the procedure on your bindings. Please treat her well."

Takeshi bows, lifiting his hands to match the slight girl, the thrum of energy in the air returning as narrow bands of lightning arc between the two Kido Corp Member's fingers.

"Please continue, we are all very interested. I am even sure Captain Taiki over there is secretly enraptured by your tale."

[tgva8889]

Present Day

Taiki nods at Takeshi. "Of course. That's why I have these visits every so often. I like to think of us as comrades, Hannibal. You know that."

[Frozen_Feet]

Present:

"Yeah. I know that", Hannibal mutters back at Taiki as Shiru and Takeshi get back to work. "I'm just tad bitter ye ain't helping yer comrade out of this pit. So don't expect any gifts when I get out."

"So, the next thing that happened . . . "

---

Past:

"Come on, kids, hurry up! Don't clog up the exit", Hannibal bellows to the students as they stumble out of the Senkai gate, guided by a cloud of pitch-black butterflies. Their sweaty forms are greeted by cold gusts of wind as they step forward to open air.

"Get in line! Is everyone here? We didn't lose anyone to the Cleaner, did we?", the captain shouts as the students line up before him. Most of them are weary and battered; the Captain didn't let them easy during the past hour. Sayuri is rubbing a fresh bruise on her right arm and giving Kiku murderous glances. "Ye all still in one piece? Good. Well, we'll fix that soon enough. So, welcome to the world of mortals, kids!"

The group is standing on a small, barren stone plateau, halfway up a tall mountain. The air is thin and freezing and no living soul seems to be nearby, though if one looks carefully, it's possible to spot colorful flags of a monastery fluttering in the wind some distance down the mountainside, and a particularly keen-eyed person might just barely discern farms and buildings of a small village even further below.

"We're goin' to hunt some Hollows, now", the captain of the 11th explains, savoring the looks on the students' faces, "so you can put yer newly-acquired skills to some test. There are some things ye'd better keep in mind, though, so listen closely."

"First, these are real beasts, kids. If ye give 'em a chance, they'll kill you. If ye think ye can't take 'em, run. Don't fight. If ye can't run, cry for help. We'll come to get ya."

"Second, keep each other in clear sight. Never get separated or left alone. Ye'll move in groups of four, three students and one guard each. If ye stay together, ye'll come out just fine."

"Third, stay far from any human settlements. I know ye want to take a peek at what them mortals are doing, but don't. We're trying to lure the Hollows away from them, not to them."

There's some uneasy whispering among the students as the Captain lays the rules for them. 13th divisioners step forward from the sidelines and start dividing the crowd into smaller groups. Hannibal frowns as he surveys the hassle. There's a strange feeling hanging in the air, like a scent of impending disaster, but he can't really put his finger on it.

Bah. Tis just routine practice mission, he thinks, scratching his chin obliviously. Things haven't gone sour in the past, they ain't gonna get sour now that I'm here. I should just relax.

[Terry576]

Karite glances at Hannibal after his speech, and cracks his neck a bit.

"Damn... You really did a number on me back there. Guess I should've payed more attention..."

He sighs and messes with his hair a bit. He then turns around to his small crowd of students, and grins.

"Alright! I'm Karite Mitsukai, and it looks like you'll be with me for this trip. Just remember what the captain said, and don't screw around. Any questions?"

Several hands are raised.

Karite's eye twitches.

"Not involving my fight with the captain?"

The hands go down.

"Well, if that's all, then all we have to do is wait for the captain to be ready, and we can go."

[riccaru]

As Karite finishes, the higher leveled shinigami feel a massive spike in spiritual energy far off in the distance down the mountain, the lights in the village flickering repeatedly. Moments later a flood of hollows pours from an extremely large garganta, followed by a large scorpion-esque figure giving off a torrent of black mists. The blood curtling screams of the villagers are barely heard over the malicious cackling of the Adjuchas scorpion. Soon the entire village is silent, and the black mist seeps its way up the mountain, hanging low to the ground.

"Shinigami swine! Your day of reckoning has begun. You come to destroy myself and my brothers, but it is you who shall be vanquished!" Is heard from inside the mists, followed by dozens piercing screams and cries of the affirmative. "We have devoured the village you so gallantly tried to protect by coming up this mountain. They are all dead, and it is your fault!"

[Frozen_Feet]

Past:

What the hell?, Hannibal thinks as he turns to look down the mountain side, his right eye twitching angrily... again. Many of the 13th divisioner's give the captain a restless look and grasp the hilts of their swords. The surge of spiritual energy is unnoticeable to most of the student, but from the reactions of their guards even they can tell something is wrong. In the crowd, Sayuri tugs Kiku's sleeve nervously. "Hey... is something wrong?"

Alerted by the distant cries of the dying townsfolk, the captain walks to the edge of the plateau and looks down. His purple eyes widen as he sees the garganta, and the massive form stepping out of it. "Brace yerselves! They're coming!", Hannibal shouts. "Keep the Senkai gate open! Prepare to fall back on command!"

Then, the captain drops Espirito de Ferro from his shoulder and grasps the hilt of the large, two-handed blade. Immediatly, even though he doesn't seem to twitch a muscle, there's a visible change in his bearing. The students and guards can't see it because his back is turned to them, but a devilish grin is spreading on the captain's face.

"Oh, is my prey feeling lucky?", he yells to the approaching mists, glaring towards them with gleeful contempt. "Come on, Hollow. Show what ye're made of!"

[Terry576]

Karite roars at the students, and glares at them.


"You heard the captain! What are you waiting for?!? Stay close to the gate, and do not engage the Hollows! Wait for his signal!"

[Krazddndfreek]

Kiku's eyes narrow and she murmurs back to Sayuri without taking her eyes off the arrancar, "Yeah. But I don't get it. That guy doesn't even look anything like a hollow, and yet he's acting like he is. I don't like it, and I want to find out what's going on. You go on back through the gate, I'll see you in a few minutes." Kiku turned grim-faced to Sayuri and hoped she would leave first.

[Frozen_Feet]

Hannibal glances over his shoulder at Karite. "What? That's not the plan. How can we train the kids, if we don't let 'em fight?" He's looking positively manic. "As long as I say nothing, fight and kill to yer hearts content! Ye're Shinigami! It's yer duty, for pity's sake!"

"So no fear, kids! Let's guide some lost souls to peaceful afterlife!", the captain bellows, facing the mists again and letting out a bloodcurling laughter.

"Gruhahahaha!"