My Heart Starts Missing a Beat [Hakuyou, Kanae]

Some would have expected the captain of Realm Enforcement to be on the frontlines in the case of an emergency of this caliber. Hakuyou Shiba, however, was a smarter man than that. Other captains could handle the things up there; he had duties that were his, and his alone, to attend to. If the Maggot's Nest broke open, everyone within it would likely escape. He couldn't promise that wouldn't happen, and so he had no other choice but to enact emergency executions of those few interred that couldn't be risked escaping.

Tsubasa Unabara, even under all the effects of the Maggot's Nest, had hardly been an easy man to kill. It was a draining affair, and Hakuyou's footsteps were just a faint bit more tired as he slowly walked back toward the surface. There were still others he would have liked to see in here, others that he would be sure were in here in time. The investigation into the bombing had seen new leads courtesy of that young Koizumi man, and perhaps he would have used this opportunity to put down the culprit of that, too.

Would it have been a circumvention of the law? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, it was only a passing thought as he continued on his way. Despite his exhaustion, he had no intention of simply ignoring the rest of this invasion.

When Hakuyou reached the exterior of the infamous Maggot's Nest, he would be greeted by a sight straight out of a nightmare. Littered across the ground were limbs and heads, cut in so many different ways no two were alike. Blood seeped into the ground, dampening it as if there had been a downpour. Standing about two dozen feet from the prison's entrance was a raven haired woman wearing a crimson-dyed haori with the Fourth Division's emblem on the back.

The very same moment a gigantic foreign Reiatsu had been felt in the Seireitei, Nagoshi Kanae guessed at what was happening. Her theory was quickly proven true as suddenly many other Spiritual Pressures were detected and chaos seemed to break out in Soul Society. She wasn't absolutely sure who was invading, but the Gotei's upper echelon was aware of Arrancar movements in the living realm, and so they were a possibility. The Reiatsus did have a disgusting Hollow taste to them.

Kanae had no doubt her compatriots and subordinates would expect to see her fighting the good fight on the front lines, but she had a different plan in mind. At once she shot across swaths of the Seireitei, a newfound freedom to act as she pleases filling her with glee, or at least the closest to it her mind could muster. After a short time she found herself just outside the Maggot's Nest where a number of guards and Sixth Division members stood waiting. They appeared confused at her arrival, though not unhappy with her presence; after all, in a war where else were they safer than near not one but two Captains? She greeted them with a kind smile, one that instilled confidence and a sense of safety in them.

Minutes later, Kanae turned to face the emerging Hakuyou with that same smile. "Sixth Squad Captain Shiba, what is it you were doing in the Maggot's Nest whilst invaders sack the Seireitei?"

Hakuyou was not a man who idled around. He was not a man who cared about the glory of a match, or who had any sense of personal pride that compelled him to test his mettle against an opponent. He was a pragmatic man, one who cared about results above all else. The moment he saw the sight before him, his hand simply moved once again to the zanpakuto at his hip. He'd certainly had no fondness for a convicted murderer as a fellow Captain, and had been fully prepared to deal with her just as he would have any potential threat. He didn't even take a single moment to consider a response.

"Bankai."

Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps their forces had simply attacked the 4th Division Captain without warning. That wasn't a realistic assumption to make, however. In a time of emergency like this, there was no reason for the 4th Captain to be anywhere other than the front lines. The rifle of his release formed even as he raised his hand to aim it, and he spoke out the moment the barrel had pointed forward in a single motion.

"Getsuga Shikishou."

He would sign the paperwork for his own trial after this was over, if he survived. The Getsuga Shikishou was forbidden in both branches of Soul Society, simply for the unspeakable destructive power it unleashed. Given his exhaustion, he couldn't guarantee that he would survive. But that didn't mean he had any intention of rolling over and dying. The beam that exploded forward from Hakuyou's bankai was nothing short of cataclysmic in nature; the unison of the four elements simply obliterating everything struck by the unthinkably massive beam.

He didn't necessarily expect it to be enough, however. And if that annihilation failed, he would still fight until he was simply unable.

Having hoped she could use the element of surprise, or perhaps shock, to kill Hakuyou in an instant, her false smile morphed into her more typical frown. Evidently this man was quick on the draw, ready to shoot first and ask questions later. The moment that word left his lips Kanae's own sword released its form, though one could be forgiven for not noticing; outside of the massive uptick in Spiritual Pressure emanating from her body, little else changed. Her skin glowed faintly green, as did her sword though it was hidden within its scabbard. It was the world itself that would make this change clear as the locale became draped in darkness, lit only by a full moon distant in the sky.

Though she had heard of Hakuyou's abilities, having done her research into every Gotei Captain, seeing was a whole other story. Kanae understood the threat his technique posed the moment the Reishi gathered at his gun, but she was not without her own ultimate technique.

"Sazaeta - Tengoku Taishokukan."

Faster than a blink, Kanae drew and slashed with her weapon, releasing a great arc of horrifically corrosive acid that cut through the very air itself. Only, it wasn't alone; another verdant arc, and another, and another, and then a dozen and two dozen more followed in its wake. A torrent of Tengoku Taishokukan filled the air like a raging river of acid, each a deadly blade in its own right. The consequence of their culmination was forming of a blast of her own, which collided within the overwhelming Reishi beam Hakuyou fired. It appeared to Kanae to be...not enough.

"Tengoku Taishokukan - Owari"

A singular swing of her Zanpakuto. The arc of acid, entirely vertical, climbed further and further into the sky, a blade to split the world itself. It was her foremost acid in Bankai, its causticity dwarfed only by that which her final release could create. It left a massive gulf in its wake, and upon colliding with the blast of energy which had overwhelmed her previous technique, split it in twain. The land for as far as any could see had been reduced to ash behind her, but amongst the dust and smoke, Kanae still stood, panting from her exertions.

Hakuyou would be given no time to regroup as Kanae shot forward like a bullet, suddenly reappearing in front of her prey, knees bent to keep her low. Then she struck, her acid-soaked blade seeking to split the other Captain in half from hip to hip.

It didn't feel likely that this fight would have been as much of a struggle if he weren't so worn out. Then again, that was probably why she'd chosen now to attack. For a combat captain, this was a rather subtle way to handle the issue, wasn't it? Well, 'subtle' was a relative term, he supposed. There wasn't any situation where two captains in release could be called 'subtle.'

It seemed like even Getsuga Shikishou hadn't been enough. He could only blame that on his own exhaustion, he supposed. Though Hakuyou's senses told him the woman was coming, he knew just as quickly that he wouldn't be able to avoid her for long. His bankai may have enhanced his speed well beyond his other traits, but he didn't think he had the energy to try and race this woman.

So be it. Four Earth charges loaded into Hakuyou's bankai, as he took only the slightest step backward, just far enough that he wasn't unilaterally bisected. The sword cut deep into his midsection, blood and viscera spilling out at volumes he knew would likely be fatal before long, but he wouldn't let that dissuade him. Gun pointing at the ground, he pulled the trigger once more.

Four Earth shots barrelled into the earth, boring a massive 土-shaped crater into the ground below that grew deeper with each shot. Most opponents struck by even one Earth shot at this caliber would have found themselves unable to move for a while, the paralyzing effect of a single bullet overwhelming to the senses; four was something he'd never put to the test. He didn't think it would likely be enough to secure him a victory, but at the very least, it might have bought him some time.

Acid would immediately begin eating away at Hakuyou's stomach who had either made the mistake of not dodging her sword, or was incapable of such a feat. Either way, though he wasn't immediately split in half, Kanae had felt her acid-coated steel cleave cleanly through him and knew what that meant for his survival prospects. She could probably flee, removing any and all risk of sustaining injuries from her backed-into-a-corner prey. Perhaps she could find what she needed at that other prison, the one responsible for ripping a thousand years from her life; but where's in the fun in risking him surviving?

Still bent at the knees and close to her prey, Kanae was positioned well to continue her onslaught. Bankai or not, exhaustion or not, Kanae was faster and she knew it, and so she immediately pivoted to dodge below Hakuyou's rifle and to his left. The very same moment he pulled that first trigger, a flash of steel would fill the Sixth Division's peripheral vision as her sword was swung again, this time seeking to glide cleanly through his ankle and tendons. More acid sprayed out from Tosatsusha, covering the area around them in burnt divets.

What Kanae hadn't counted on was the increased volume of space the earth shots would cover, with each starting far wider than the muzzle of Hakuyou's gun. She felt her left arm consumed by the blast, sending resounding pain throughout it and her shoulder. The extra concussive force from the blast knocked her away from her prey, far enough so that she now stood a couple dozen feet to his left. The sleeves of her Haori and Shihakushō had been burned away, leaving a black-marked limb that could barely move. On top of that, the partial paralysis effect could be felt extending from her shoulder as well, putting her in a precarious position.

Though her movement had been affected, Kanae's Spiritual Pressure flared to its maximum, proving greater than Hakuyou's. She refused to be put on the back foot by this rifle-toting fool, and so the index finger wrapped around her Zanpakuto raised and pointed as she hissed out "Hadō #4: Byakurai", sending forth a bolt of azure lightning aimed at his skull.

It was no longer a question of whether or not he would die here.

Hakuyou Shiba knew that this would be the battlefield where his life came to an end. The acid that burned through his body was nothing short of excruciating, agony that would have sent even a strong man to his knees.

But Hakuyou was not simply a strong man.

He was the eldest son of a proud house. And if he was to die here, then he would die in a way that his family and his ancestors would be proud of. He would die in a way that he was certain would fill him with no regrets. In spite of the pain that burned through every fiber of his being, Hakuyou allowed himself a faint smile.

"Bakudo 81: Danku."

The wall that shot up in front of Hakuyou deflected the lightning bolt with little trouble. He raised his rifle yet again, four Sky charges loading into the chamber as he began muttering another incantation under his breath. She was fast, certainly, but was she so fast that she could evade four shots without presence? Without warning?

Blood soaked the ground beneath the captain now; he could no longer move. Of that, he was absolutely certain. But in spite of that, his smile widened, as he spoke words he had not heard in many years, words that were all but foreign to the Seireitei. To cast multiple kido at once was trivial to someone with his understanding of the art, something any experienced combatant in Soul Society should have been prepared for-

But this was not kido.

I apologize, Sonia, for stealing your tricks. I'll repay you when we next meet.

"Magic 68: Supernal Jail!
Magic 88: Absolute Dragon Shatter!"

Hakuyou pulled the trigger on his rifle, four Sky shots flying toward Kanae hidden away until the moment before impact. At the same moment, twelve magic spears formed overhead, launching thsemelves downward and burying in the ground around Kanae. A chain began to form the moment they landed, fully intent on locking the woman in place if she could not resist.

All was further covered by the beam of destruction that had launched forward from the tip of the gun itself, which seemed to burn the land it passed over even without touching it. There was no destruction in that thin laser itself; but the moment it made contact, a detonation of catastrophic proportions erupted upward. Whether he succeeded or failed, there was nothing more to be done.

The captain's eyes closed as he accepted his imminent death, be that from the acid eating through his very being, or the blade of Nagoshi Kanae. And in that impending darkness, all that Hakuyou saw was a different life from the one fate had cast in front of him.

His final thoughts, which made even such a grim death feel peaceful, were simply of that dutiful woman's warm smile.

Kanae knew his powers, she understood them well from battle reports and 1st and 2nd hand accounts. Yet battling against them was an entirely different story altogether. Anger began to consume her, anger aimed at a man who somehow managed to remain standing despite acid burning through tissue, organs, and bone alike. Anger at the pain in her arm. Anger at what should have been a simple and easy kill made difficult and bothersome.

It wasn't surprise Kanae felt to see her Byakurai blocked, it was further annoyance. One last hit would end this arrogant child where he stood, it was only a matter of time until he fell. Maybe if she had a different Zanpakuto she would simply leave, once more thoughts of taking the safe route creeping into the back of her mind...but Tosatsusha's dark whispers blocked them out. All that mattered was the kill.

The spears that landed around her were potentially bothersome, but their purpose was of little concern to Kanae who's focus was on the Reishi she sensed at the muzzle of Hakuyou's gun, which seemed to vanish as quick as it had appeared. Opting to turn the man's strategy back onto him, she quickly said aloud "Bakudō #81: Da--" Her words caught in her throat as a chain erupted from the spears, swiftly moving to wrap itself around her. Seeing now what the still-breathing corpse's plan was, Kanae desperately pulled at the chain to gain enough freedom of movement to finish her spell. She did not know when the shots would reach her, only that there was no time to spare.

A massive pillar of energy erupted where Kanae was standing, ripping apart the land and stabbing into the sky like a blade aimed for the Heavens. The Spiritual Pressure from such an explosion could likely be felt for a mile or more, staining the Seireitei as much as anything else had in this war for Soul Society. As it dissipated, all that remained outside the ruined Maggot's Nest was the Sixth Division Captain's rapidly fading Reiatsu, and all was quiet.

SHING

A flash of steel. Hakuyou would find himself suddenly on his back, only...why wasn't his lower half where it should be? Why was blood dripping onto him from above? A form stood above him, one bloodied and burnt with blackened skin. Violet eyes, furious eyes with as much hatred as the world itself, glowered at him from above, still standing while he did not.

Having at the last possible moment conjured a Dankū, Kanae had been spared a direct hit by Hakuyou's shots. But when it cracked and shattered and the pillar of energy consumed her, her scream of pain had been overshadowed by the roar of Reishi lighting up the sky. It was through a breathtaking feat of willpower did she overcome this pain inundating her body long enough to Flash Step out of and away from the inferno, and without taking time to heal herself she split her prey in two.

"Die knowing...that I blew up that pathetic little..hospital. That I murdered Obana Danjirou...simply because he was in my way." Replacing her Zanpakuto back in its sheath, and satisfied Hakuyou was truly felled, Kanae turned on her heel and began walking away from the fallen Captain. "Same as I did to you, Hakuyou Shiba."

A sound of wind.

Then, silence.