[BitP:R] Gaiden: Do you feel lucky, punk?

[Kayne650]

Yahiko glanced at Kazuma as they walked. "I know that, I'm not a kid." He scoffed, though it didn't take a genius to see that he was lying. He walked much more carefully after Kazuma told him that.

The way led through a narrow passage between two buildings that turned out to be the entrance to both of them, which where actually connected. It was doubtful that either building had other entrances. As they walked, Yahiko responded to Kazuma's question.

"Oshisho is the coolest person ever! He protects us, and makes sure that we're all fed and clothed, and he makes sure that we never have to worry about anything! He's like a dad, and a big brother, and an army all in one!" It was obvious that Yahiko had a lot of respect for this man, but Kazuma wasn't going to get any objective information from him. Thankfully, Mayuko had also heard the question.

"Oshisho is a confusing man." She said, stopping but not turning around. "It seems like he lives his solely life to protect others, and does so without any thought of compensation. Whenever he's asked to accept a gift or reward for his services, he refuses, and simply states that the survival of the children in here is thanks enough for him. Before we truly get inside, you should know that it's more or less an orphanage for the children of Zaraki. Oshisho and myself run it, and it's protected by Oshisho and few other men and women who have a shred of decency left in them. All he asks in return for giving a chance to all of these children is that we don't use his name. I've asked why, but he refuses to tell me."

Once they arrived inside, Kazuma would see that it was in fact an orphanage, and probably one of the happiest places in all of Zaraki. Children ran all over the place, and they were barely kept in check by a few older children and two adults, both of whom looked like they belonged in a battlefield instead of a nursery, but were doing a good job of keeping the children happy. Once there, Mayuko told Yahiko to go get some rest, which he did, albeit reluctantly. Mayuko said a few greetings to the people taking care of the children and hugged a few of the children, then brought Kazuma to a room off to the side.

It looked like a teacher's office, and once there, she closed the door and sat in a chair behind a desk. "This office is the one request I made of the good people here. Now, Kazuma-san. What are you doing here?"

[Kuroimaken]

"You shouldn't need to worry too much. I won't be staying long. Are you familiar, by chance, with a man by the alias of 'Onizuma'?" Kazuma led with the most important question. If she knew that name, then it wouldn't take her long to connect the dots.

"I'm not here on duty. And I don't plan on troubling your orphanage by sticking around. I just came here because Yahiko told me there was someone he thought I should meet... that's all."

[Kayne650]

Mayuko's eyes narrowed when Kazuma mentioned the name "Onizuma". Her hands steepled under her chin as she considered his words. "I see," she said at length. "That would explain a great many things. This is who Yahiko believes you to be, though he doesn't know all the details?"

"I don't believe that you mean to cause us trouble; the fact that you haven't started slaughtering children speaks to that. However, that isn't what I was talking about. I was asking why you are in Zaraki at all. This is not a place in which Shinigami are often found. This is where angels fear to tread, and yet here you are. You have a reason, and a damn good one."

She leaned forward just slightly when Kazuma mentioned that Yahiko thought that there was someone he should meet. "And, assuming Yahiko told you, who is it that you're meant to see? I hope it's not one of the children." Her tone and expression gave no sign whether or not she actually knew who it was that Kazuma should see. Rather, her gaze was back to being as full of steel as before, though it had warmed in front of the children.

[Kuroimaken]

"I'm not sure he knows me by that moniker, no." Kazuma replied, before he took a small bag of candy from his pocket and chewed on one. "He mentioned someone he knew, who had an acquaintance from Zaraki that became a Shinigami and broke a promise to return." Gulp. "I wager the one he's talking about is this Oshisho he keeps mentioning. As for why I'm here, where angels fear to tread...

...would it suffice if I said I used to be a demon in my own right?"

[Kayne650]

When Kazuma took out the bag of candy, Mayuko eyed it warily. "Don't let the children see you with that, they'll tear you apart to get to it," she muttered under her breath. But she listened closely to what he had to say, her expression never changing, until he called himself a demon.

Then she laughed.

"You have no idea how many times I've heard people say things like that," she said once she'd stopped laughing. "If you are Onizuma, then you certainly had great power. But the Shigokuou run the show now, and I think that it's them that want you dead. The men that attacked you were not ours; they had come to help us take care of the children recently, but none of really trusted them. I'm not sorry to see them go, though I do wish I knew who had sent them. I don't suppose that they told you anything?" She hadn't addressed the point of the person Kazuma was supposed to see, but it was impossible to tell if she'd changed the subject on purpose or no.t

[Kuroimaken]

"Note to self, bring more candy next time." The Shinigami said out loud.

He wasn't surprised at Mayuko's incredulity. If he didn't know any better, he'd be laughing along with her.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I could get the job done. I actually wished that I could reason with them. But I'm not a diplomat. I'm just a soldier. And a soldier does what a soldier knows. Believe it or not, Seireitei is not exactly at its best right now, and the Shigokuou think that gives them the green light to expand their influence. I can't let that happen.

I don't have any standing orders. I'm just doing what I can. And what I can do is fight.

Luckily... I'm fairly good at it."

[Kayne650]

Mayuko looked Kazuma square in the eyes. He was a man who looked like while he might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, he was honest, and truly meant what he said. That carried a lot of weight with her. "I appreciate your confidence, and I'm sure that you're quite good at fighting. It seems to be one of the few things at which most Shinigami are good. However, don't expect that alone to take you very far, unless you truly are very good. The fact that you have been targeted by the Kings and have yet to die is testament to your skill, though I can't say how far that will take you."

Her hands moved from below her chin to in front of her mouth, a sure sign of nervousness. "I don't know how far they intend to go, but you're right: the Shigokuou are attempting to extend their influence, and no one really cares to stop them. I've heard tell that they intend to take a district for each of them, but that one's harder to confirm. I don't suppose that the Shinigami know more?" She looked at him expectantly.

Unfortunately, whatever response Kazuma might have given is cut short by the cries of children shouting "OSHISHO!" Mayuko looked towards the door as if expecting someone to burst in, but when no one did, she turned back to Kazuma. "Let's go see if you really are the person Yahiko thinks you are," she said, moving to and opening the door for Kazuma.

[Kuroimaken]

That was the good thing about Kazuma: his looks of ignorance and brutishness played his hand for him more often than not.

He didn't know for certain exactly what the Shigokuou's plans were. He only knew that they couldn't possibly have worse timing. But he didn't get the chance to tell Mayuko that.

At the children's cries, he turned and looked at the door - but didn't step through it. He awaited until "Oshisho", whoever he was, stepped in.

If it came to a fight with an old acquaintance, he wanted the children to have a clear way out.

[Kayne650]

Mayuko waited by the door, but when she saw that Kazuma was making no moves to join her, her expression became somewhat softer. "Do you expect a fight, Kazuma-san? I appreciate your concern for the children, but I can assure you that Oshishio would never start a battle in here."

Just then, Yahiko opened the door and poked his head in, his eyes wide and excited. "There you are, Kazuma! Hey, come see Oshisho!" Without another word, the boy left, walking back to go talk to the man who had just arrived. Mayuko sighed. "I'll go speak to him, Kazuma-san. I'll make sure that he actually wants to see you before this happens." Mayuko left the room, and the sounds of muffled speaking could be heard through the wall. If Kazuma listened hard, the following exchange could be heard:

Mayuko's voice: "I don't know if it's really him, but it certainly seems like him."

A man's voice: "What is he doing here? Who in the hell brought him here? Get him out of here, now. Tell him that I'll meet him somewhere else, anywhere else."

Children: "Aw, are you leaving already?"

The man again: "I'm afraid so, kids. But I'll be back soon, don't worry."

A pause, and then Mayuko re-entered the room. "Can I assume that you heard all of that?" She asked, her expression somewhat exasperated.

[Kuroimaken]

"It's okay. I felt my welcome would have been overstayed as soon as he arrived anyway. Especially if he's who I think he is." Kazuma stood up and pulled his equipment up against his back again.

"Tell him to enjoy the kids a little more before he comes to meet me - there's no rush for us to talk." Of course, it's about then that Kazuma realizes that the only way is through the front door... and whoever Oshisho is, he's right there.

[Kayne650]

Mayuko sees Kazuma eyeing the door. "You needn't worry, he's already gone. Who are you, that you make him so angry? I've never seen him so emotional." Mayuko opened the door for him. "You'd better go. Oshisho says that he'll meet you tonight, if you go to the bridge on the south end of the district. I'm sorry that you had to leave so quickly. If you need assistance, you know where to find us. Just try not to come when Oshisho is here." She spoke with a wry grin, and led him back outside.

[Kuroimaken]

"I have only the faintest idea... and if I'm right, it's not my place to say. Maybe next time I see you and these children, he and I will be under better terms. Be well, Mayuko-sensei." Kazuma said, moving out the door, but not without giving Mayuko's shoulder a light tap, as if to say 'thank you for the hospitality'.

[Kayne650]

Mayuko sees him out the door, then sighs to herself. If he was truly who he said he was, then Oshisho might be getting in over his head. A Shinigami was no one to trifle with, and people who had no reiatsu could barely hope to combat them. She really hoped that it wasn't what Oshisho was thinking.

[[OOC: Feel free to timeskip to the bridge meeting if no one else objects, Kuroi.]]

[Kuroimaken]

Spoiler

Show

It should be okay. Kazuma set up the big meet for them in a couple of days; so if they meet at the bridge at night, that still leaves the rest of the night plus the day after for the Shigokuou to try anything.

Sides, it's MY episode, dangit.

There was seldom a more poetic meeting spot than a wooden bridge under the full moon. Kazuma, being the kind of man he was, made sure to arrive an hour early. He checked for potential hiding places, blind spots, anything. It wasn't that he expected an ambush by Oshisho so much as he expected others to eavesdrop. Besides, caution was always the name of the game in Zaraki.

Oshisho would find Kazuma awaiting at the middle, quietly puffing from a pipe.

[Kayne650]

Kazuma might be slightly surprised to see the man that they called Oshisho walking right up to him on the bridge. Ambushes did not appear to be this man's style. As he came into view, Kazuma would see a face that he probably already expected to see.

"I'm not surprised that you actually came, Kazuma. You never could back down from a challenge, could you?" Shin'ichi said, his face unreadable. "I don't want to know how you found the orphanage. I don't want to know how many people you met there. All I want to know is what the hell you're doing back in Zaraki. You're not welcome here. No one wants you here. And you have no business here." As Shin'ichi spoke, he ran his hand over the bridge's sides, looking at anything but Kazuma until the last statements. His face seemed completely calm, except for his eyes; the black irises burned like coals with what could only be hatred.

"If you were just going to leave before, why did you come back now?!" Shin'ichi said quietly, but powerfully.

[Kuroimaken]

"It amazes me how you could grow up like that in so many decades and keep the same mentality, Shin'ichi." Kazuma noted. "I didn't come here to fight, though I won't hesitate to teach you a lesson about respecting your elders if you choose that. I came back here because Soul Society is in crisis, and it's exactly because I'm not welcome here anymore that I'm the only one that could talk sense into the Shigokuou.

I guess I'll start with the newest of the bunch, won't I?"

[Kayne650]

"So that's it. You believe that you can just waltz back here after so many decades and decide that you know what's right? How can you possibly judge us, Kazuma? That's the one thing that I never liked about you; now and back then, you always knew that you were right. No one but you could ever know what needed to be done, and you always had to go and do it yourself. You know, Kazuma, I'm really tired of that." Shinichi took his hands off of the bridge and stared at Kazuma, his hands balling into fists.

"You're here to 'talk sense' into us? What makes you think that we need your kind of sense? We're changing the status quo. We're making lives better here, or at least I am. And now you've decided that what we're doing is wrong. That's your problem, Kazuma. You can't see that what we're doing is good, because you're blind."

He seemed to calm down from his outburst then, his hands relaxing and laying by his side. "If you try to stop us, I'll fight you. I have nothing more to say to you."

[Kuroimaken]

"You had a lot of time to resent me. And frankly, if you want to just let it all out by clocking me in the face, go ahead. But I'm sure you've learned by now that things are more complicated than that.

I got nothing against the work you're doing. You're giving those kids a home, and that's something respectable. It's more than I ever did for you or anyone else.

The other three, though? They couldn't give a flying rat's ass. They are trying to expand their turf while Soul Society's at its shakiest, nothing more.

I was honestly surprised to learn of where you'd gotten by yourself. Made me wonder if my absence hadn't changed you. If you hadn't become someone I'd have to take down.

I don't want to fight you, Shin'ichi. All I want is to make those three help the rest of Rukongai the same way you're helping those kids. If that's something you want to hit me for, go ahead.

But I'm not going to stop either."

[Frozen_Feet]

[Some time earlier]

After Kazuma left the tavern with the kid, Kuruda finished his drink and left to walk outside.

It didn't take long for a shady figure to stop him.

"So, are the rumours true?", a voice calls from a dark side alley. The old man turns to look at the voice, giving a surprised look at a cloaked person standing there, before narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"... what the heck are you doin' here? I thought you were supposed to lurk only in the North these days", Kuruda grumbles. The shady figure shuffles slightly, leaning to a wall to its left.

"Answer my question."

Kuruda frowns. "Bah! Ain't telling you nothing. Go and find out yourself, sucker." Then he continues walking, leaving the figure alone. It stays put for a while, before straightening up and picking something up from the ground next to it.

"... I take that as a yes, then", the person mumbles, loading a heavy crossbow before sneaking into the coming darkness...

[Kayne650]

"Do you honestly think that I'm the only one helping people? I'll admit that it's harder to see with the others, because they're not out petting puppies and feeding orphans. But they're still necessary. Maybe you've been gone too long to remember, but Zaraki is a jungle. There is an order to things, and the order is only kept if there's a top. A head. A king. If you go to the Kings, they won't talk to you. They'll only fight you. And either you'll kill them, and destroy the balance of Zaraki, or they'll kill you, and I'll never be able to punish you for what you did to me."

Shin'ichi took a step towards Kazuma, then stopped. He seemed hesitant to approach Kazuma, as if after all this time he was still afraid of the man. Old habits are hard to break.

"You have no place here. Zaraki has been doing just fine without you, and if the influence of the Kings expands, then it'll only bring order to more places, and that's not a change you can stop single-handed. But if you try anyway, then you can watch as Zaraki, and the surrounding areas all fall back into the awful chaos that you left me in. But don't expect me to lie down and watch you do it. You say you won't stop? I think that you're underestimating me."

"I don't want to fight you either, Kazuma. But don't think for a second that means that I won't."

[Kuroimaken]

"You're kidding, right? People fighting each other for a glass of water is your idea of positive influence?! Don't be so stubborn!

Zaraki's the same as it has always been! All the backstabbing and ruining of lives... you can't possibly be this naive! The rest of Rukongai is heaven by comparison!

I can see you won't understand until I beat it into your skull. Stop talking and come face me already!

If you truly believe that the other Kings are doing the same as you are, then I'm sure you won't have any problems defeating me."

With that, Kazuma's stance shifted. It was slight, almost imperceptible - one foot crossed behind the other, that was all.

That, and Kazuma had removed his shades.

Shin'ichi knew that gesture meant he was willing to take his opponent seriously.

[Kayne650]

"I know that it's not perfect, but it's getting better! And I know that it'll be so much worse if you get rid of the Kings! People still fight over what little food we have, and so many people die every day because other people are so desperate. But I'm working to fix that. And I'm not going to give up what progress we've made because you decided that you know better!"

At Kazuma's challenge, Shin'ichi's face hardened. "Very well. I didn't want to fight you, Kazuma. I'd really hoped you'd reconsider. But I'm done talking. I'm tired of trying to reason with you. If fighting is the only way to make you listen, then so be it!"

When Kazuma's stance shifted, Shin'ichi's moved to match. His was more obvious than Kazuma's, with his weight shifting back and his left leg moving back to rest on the balls of his feet, and the message was just as clear; he was ready to battle.

"Age before beauty, Kazuma."

[Kuroimaken]

"I take back that bit about not respecting your elders. Too bad you're still too damn ugly!"

Kazuma was sure he had to fight Shin'ichi with every ounce of his strength. His former follower wouldn't accept his defeat otherwise. Which still didn't mean that Kazuma intended to kill him, of course.

Which is why Kazuma's first move was a burst of shunpo to cover the distance between them.

He finished the step right in front of Shin'ichi, his right foot stepping forward, right into his personal space. It'd feel somewhat like a kick, although not in the traditional sense. His left hand quickly came forward in an open palm strike aimed where the ribcages join and the sternum begins. In all likelihood, Kazuma intended to paralyze Shin'ichi's diaphragm.

[Kayne650]

Shunpo? Of course, he's a Shinigami now. Shin'ichi thought as Kazuma closed the distance. When Kazuma reappeared, Shin'ichi allowed the force of the blow to push him back enough to give him the time to see Kazuma's next strike coming. As Kazuma's hand came close, Shin'ichi's body shifts to the left as his hand snakes to knock Kazuma's hand away as his leg shot out to strike at Kazuma's solar plexus. It seemed like Shin'ichi wasn't striking to kill either, rather to show Kazuma that he had the strength to back up his words. Kazuma might also notice that something seemed oddly familiar about Shin'ichi's movements...

[Kuroimaken]

It doesn't really faze him or distract him long enough to be struck, however. As Shin'ichi's leg comes up, Kazuma's weight shifts, and his hips spin slightly in place. The hand rebuked closes up as his elbow moves where his solar plexus was a moment before, even as his right hand shoots towards Shin'ichi's side.

[Nicklance]

The old but powerful gangster who was roughing up a cheater had his eyes on Kazuma the second his cover was blown, and it was he who sent a runner to report to Qing Di about his reappearance in Zaraki, as a Shinigami at that.

Qing Di arrives at the fight between Shin'ichi and Kazuma, a distance away from the bridge, but the full moon provides more than ample lighting even from that distance. He could feel his thigh and calf muscles twitch, not from the exertion of running a long distance to catch the fight, but from the warm up that the running gave and the eagerness to launch a few strikes of his own.

But he will wait. His men are on the way, but they will not strike until he gives the signal. Zaraki is doing well, he gave his arm to make sure he would carry on the work to provide order, he would not fail, if Shin'ichi does.

[Frozen_Feet]

Meanwhile, a figure crouches on a roof of a building two hundred yards or so from the bridge, cocking a heavy crossbow and placing a sharp steel bolt in its tracks. Attached to the bolt is a dose of Shinten, a powerful tranquilizer the sniper had acquired from a couple of careless 4th Division Shinigami wandering in the lawless Rukon districts. Few drops would be enough to knock out anyone of low Reiatsu, though it's said it'd evaporate from the skin of more powerful persons before having a chance to take effect.

That's why the sniper is intent on making sure the drug will get past Kazuma's skin.

Through the cool night air, it'd been easy eavesdropping the two on the bridge. It'd been a bother to sneak there while Kazuma had been snooping around, but for the last few minutes his attention has been solely on Shin'ichi. Now it'd be just a matter of taking aim and waiting for an opportune moment.

Listening to the Shinigami foam had been irrating, though... not that Shin'ichi's naive idealism is any more tolerable. Law and order in Zaraki? That's missing the whole point. In a world with no hunger or need to sleep, anyone can walk where ever they darn well please. And the sniper had chosen Zaraki precisely because there were no laws! He'd gotten enough of that crap in life.

Anarchy, uncertainty, thrill of danger... those were the things he'd yearned in life. But he'd led a stable life, paid his taxes, yadda yadda, because he'd been told that's what a good person should do. For that, he'd earned his place in "heaven".

Pain, hunger, thirst, threat of death? Small prices to pay for freedom. He's sick of Shinigami, and the other Kings, trying to screw with that. It'd never been their place to judge. Good and evil, right and wrong are concepts for people still lingering on the mortal realm.

"So get off your high horse and out of my turf", the sniper snarls to himself as he observes the battle through the scope of his bow, ready to pull the trigger...

[Kayne650]

It doesn't really faze him or distract him long enough to be struck, however. As Shin'ichi's leg comes up, Kazuma's weight shifts, and his hips spin slightly in place. The hand rebuked closes up as his elbow moves where his solar plexus was a moment before, even as his right hand shoots towards Shin'ichi's side.

Shin'ichi's leg slams into Kazuma's arm, probably with more force than Kazuma expected, and as it does, Shin'ichi drops to the ground, landing on both arms to dodge Kazuma's next strike as his other leg shoots back up to strike Kazuma's forearm.

Unfortunately, Shin'ichi's attention is so focused on Kazuma that he completely fails to notice either of the observers. Thankfully for him, he's not the one they're aiming for...

[Kuroimaken]

The power behind Shin'ichi's kick ends up being close enough to Kazuma's elbow strike that the Shinigami doesn't lose balance. (Which doesn't make him any less impressed about his strength.)

The way he's using his feet... the way he kicks... I'll be damned, he has my moves.

When Shin'ichi's foot comes up, Kazuma twists his hip again, his back leg shooting up to meet Shin'ichi's own - their legs cross in the air, though whether either of them will yield to the other remains to be seen.

For what it's worth, Kazuma hasn't stopped training a day in all those decades away - but Shin'ichi probably did the same. There's no telling who'll have the upper hand in such a contest.

[Kayne650]

He does in fact use Kazuma's style, but if Kazuma is expecting to only see his moves, then he'll be surprised.

As Kazuma's leg comes up to meet Shin'ichi's, the young king's mouth twists into a smirk. The initial clash is powerful, but neither side yields for a moment. Then suddenly Shin'ichi's leg moves up and bends at the knee to wrap around Kazuma's leg as one of his hands also grabs Kazuma's leg, and Shin'ichi actually brings his entire body rotating around Kazuma's leg, with his other leg coming up with him in a roundhouse kick aimed at Kazuma's face. It was a risky move, but it was happening extremely quickly, and it's not the kind of thing that you would expect.