The Arrival (cont'd.)

(Continued from Sokyoku Hill)

The three reached squad 12 area in no time. They wanted to have this done well before sunrise. At the moment, they stood atop what looked to be a general housing unit for squad members. Two guards stood at the entrance to the area, which was about 90ft from the entrance to the housing unit. Gin crouched down, and began to scratch his chin with his right hand. As Ryu and Ken followed suit by both taking a knee, they patiently waited knowing that Gin was formulating a plan. Without speaking, he turned and gave hand gestures that signified he wanted to wait until the guard was relieved before he and the two would make their move. At the current time, Squad 12's Vice Captain was in route to the squad 12 area from one of his "dealings" outside of Seireitei. He was still quite a ways away, but Gin needed a little information from the roaming guards that were coming to replace the standing guards. Gin held out his hand as if to signal for Ken and Ryu to stay put. They both looked at him wearily, as the last time Gin did that, he burped up the smell of pure alcohol. Gin shunpo'd to the wall directly behind the standing guards. He leaned as close as he could to the entrance without being seen, and tilted his head so that he could listen in to the roaming guards report.

The two roaming guards stopped in front of the standing guard and gave report. "There was no suspicious activity in the area." It was just as Gin suspected. He shunpo'd back to the rooftop where Ryu and Ken were standing. "Hey, we're clear." he said in a whisper. With that, they were off once again.

They stopped at what seemed to be an out of the way desolate area. The Vice Captain had to take this way mainly because he doesn't want to give off any suspicion as to where he had just come from. Gin turned to Kenshin and gave the nod, letting him know everything is good to go.

Gin watched as Ryu took off to handle his business. He already had an idea of what Ryu had to "take care of". Now, it was time for Ken and himself to finish up the task at hand. Most wouldn't quite understand why they went through all these measures, but in the end, they each had something they wanted to protect. For Gin, with Soul Society still not fully recovered from events of recent past, he, along with other Captains, had become accustomed to handling things in his own way.

With the still of night as their cover, and no guard to roam outside of Seireitei, Gin released his bakudo, continued to suppress his reitsu, and prepared to take Ken and the unconscious VC to the forest outside the limits of Seireitei. "I'll carry him there Ken-chan. Follow me. Let's finish this before things get complicated, eh." Gin said as he knelt beside the VC. He then proceeded to place him over his right shoulder. As he stood, he gave Kenshin a nod, readying him to follow Gin to the forest.

The distance traveled was no strain at all for someone of a Captains caliber. They made their way through the trees of the forest as though they were in an obstacle course they'd completed hundreds of times, only stopping once they were 100% sure noone would, nor could, find where they were. As a just in case measure, Gin again cast Bakudo #26 Kyakko around their immediate area. He lay the Vice Captain against a tree and took a step back so that Kenshin may wake him up and get the information needed. "He's all yours Ken-chan." Gin spoke, with an unusual serious demeanor. Unusual to those that don't know him, but Ken knew this Gin all too well. The Gin that was prepared to do whatever needed to get the job done.

A Senkai opened up just above Kenshin and Kamina stepped out of it firmly into the sky. It had been a long time since he'd been in Seireitei and he felt the nostalgia of coming home; unfortunately there was a task at hand and he didnt have the time to bask in the nostalgia for too long. Looking down he saw his compatriot talking casually with a shinigami as another shinigami lay whimpering on the floor like a striken dog.

Kamina sighed, the whimpering shinigami was obviously kenshin's work and he wondered how one so dangerously violent could have been made an angel. Kamina shunpoed down next to Kenshin his cloak fluttering as he landed gracefully next to the so called Angel. "Apparently you have need of me" Kamina stated directly at kenshin before nodding silently in the direction of the shinigami he now recognised to be Gin Katsuoru.

Gin knew Ken must've been really serious if he called upon the services of Kamina Nakashiro. This was truly turning out to be a nostalgia filled evening. Had it not been for the "Hollowfication" events that took place, banning Ken and Kam from Soul Society, the scene here would have been a "typical" day for the four, Ryu included. With his usual humble demeanor, Gin smiled and tilted his straw hat to acknowledge Kam. Gin knelt beside a tree adjacent to where the Vice Captain lay. He full well knew exactly what was about to take place. Interrogating was Kam's specialty. He has a particular way of gettin people to talk, especially when they have no intention to. If this Vice Captain thought his night would get any better, he was sadly mistaken. His fate had already been signed, sealed, and was in the process of being delivered.

It seemed as though Kenshin wasnt gnna answer him for a while as the vizard general stared intently at the screen of his mobile phone, his finger moving at a blinding pace. Shrugging silently Kamina walked calmly over the grovelling shinigami, who was smart enough not to try and run while kenshin was distracted.

Kamina glared at the pitifull man before him, he had obviously been crying silently and a small puddle of what to kamina smelled like piss rested between his legs. "All of this could be avoided you know" he stated the kindness in his voice throwing the vice-captain of guard slightly causing a look of contemplation to furrow his brow. "I'm sorry but i just cant.. they'll kill me" he said looking down at the ground to avoid the annoyed gaze from Kamina. "Regrettable" was the only answer the vizard gave before reaching over his left shoulder and popped his zanpakuto out of its sheath slightly. "Suara anata tenrai ouza, Inazume Koutei" he mumbled as he placed the palms of his hands together. Almost instantly the sword at his back disappeared and a pair of black gloves adorned with yellow streaks materialised themselves on Kamina's hands.

Kamina bent down until he was face to face with the shinigami. "I'm sorry" he said the expression on his face truly apologetic. The shinigami raised an eyebrow before he was suddenly wracked with excruciating pain in his left arm.

For what seemed like several hours he fought against the pain in his arm but eventually it overwhelmed him, consumed his mind until he released a long high squeal of pain. "I can stop the pain" Kamina whispered "all you have to do is tell me". The vice-captain shook his head and gritted his teeth, a sign of his obvious fear of the people he was dealing with. "Fine, i'll just have to keep upping the voltage then" Kamina sighed as a lightning bolt crackled over his hand that held tightly onto the mans arm and crept up the mans arm burning away his sleeve completely as it travelled up the vice-captains arm.

Gin didn't so much as flinch as he listened to what was going on. As time had passed, he'd removed his straw hat from his head and slowly spun it between the thumb and index finger on both hands, all the while giving his complete visual attention to his twiddling. The agonizing screams of the Vice Captain were somewhat an attestation of his dedication to withholding whatever information he'd been entrusted to. In another time, another dimension, this would have been very admirable. At the current time, it did nothing more than signify a countdown towards his demise.

"Vice Captain-kun..." Gin spoke in a low, friendly, yet instructive tone "You're gonna die soon if you're not too careful." The air was still, the night continued on for what seemed like an eternity. It was as if night itself wanted this torture to continue without the interruption of so much as a hint of light. With Kenshin a few feet away texting on his cellular device, stopping every now and again when his thought seemed to be interrupted by the Vice Captains excessive whining, Kamina stopped to occasionally offer apologetic words to his ailing victim. While stopped, you could hear the Vice Captain wheezing and panting, slightly out of breath. The torture seemed to be getting to him, as his demeanor had started to change. As sweat trickled down his face, mixing with the blood that was a result of Kenshin's initial attack, a burgundy waterfall had run from his chin to the chest section of his Shihakusho.

Sensing the Vice Captain was about ready to talk, Gin stopped spinning his hat, now placing it back on his head, slightly tilted into his face so that his eyes barely shown. That motion alone signaled to Kenshin that things were progressing, again, this wasn't the first time they'd been on this type of mission. Cowardice now shown in the Vice Captains expression. The want to stay alive now glistened in his eyes, as though his words were somewhat of a beacon of hope. Finally, he began to talk.

Gin's green eyes came to life as he thought about the inscription on his scabbard and hilt "...she protects he who does as she...". He slowly stood up straight and grasped the hilt of his sword with his left hand, and in the same fluid motion, he bent his knees, stood on the balls of his feet, and prepared to make one quick dash that would be the last breeze this Vice Captain would ever feel. He covered the short distance too fast for the Vice Captain to even know what his fate would be. Most wouldn't have been able to explain what just happened. Anyone below, and even some on par with, captain level would have only seen a flash of green streak past the victim. In Gin's own eyes, it plays out in slow motion. From the moment he started his shunpo maneuver, his kimono and the haori underneath flapped violently in the wind as if a wind storm were only on him. His head straight forward, focused on the target, he quickly removed his zanpakuto just as he began to pass the Vice Captain. With the precision of the finest surgeon, he cut straight through the flesh and bone of the victims throat and spine, then with the grace of the finest swordsman, he turned his blade outward to let the wind remove the blood from its surface before rejoining the blade with the scabbard that it calls home.

Without so much as a final respect towards the Vice Captain, Gin stood with his back towards the headless body, never to look back again. His left arm rose and pointed firmly at the lifeless body as he spoke "Hado 54: Haien". The remains then went up in a purple flame, incinerating what would have eventually turned into spirit particles.

"Well, what's next gentleman?" He spoke towards Kenshin and Kamina, in his usual friendly undertone, as he turned to face them both.

Kamina's job was over, he'd gotten the man to speak and watched calmly from next to Gin as Kenshin gathered the neccesary information. Kamina opened his mouth to answer Kenshins question before closing it abruptly in the same manner as a fish out of water when he saw Gin grip the hilt of his zanpakuto. In the blink of an eye Gin disappeared from Kamina's side reappearing several metres infront of him, the vice captain's head flying through the air briefly before disolving slowly into blue reishi that floated in the night time sky. Kamina was slightly impressed, Gin could always switch between carefree womanizer to ruthless killer in the blink of an eye and his ability to react as if it was normal was one Kamina often admired. "Unless theres anything else required of me, i'll probably head back to home base" Kamina stated as an answer to gins question his gaze flickering to kenshin for confirmation.

Kamina waited patiently as Kenshin tossed a brand new iPhone to gin before giving him the lo down on who was on which speed dial, and casually adding the prospect of putting a strip club and a take out on the speed dials aswell. He also made mention of Ryusaki, another old friend of theirs, but Kamina paid this no mind it stood to reason that if Gin was in on the whole thing Ryusaki would be too.

Kamina kept his face impassive as Kenshin turned to praise him on his excellent job, simply mumbling an "Mhmm" in response. "We'll be in contact soon, Gin" Kamina called before turning to the newly materialised gateway to home.

Gin looked at the strange "iPhone & bluetooth" devices he was handed, with a smile, yet somewhat of a confused look. As Kenshin began to explain how to use the device for when Gin and Hisagi would need to get in contact, Gin stood motionless and took in all the information that was given in such a short period of time. Out of everything mentioned, the words "Strip Club" seemed to resonate through Gin's mind. Before going into somewhat of an information overload-type daze, Gin looked up, tilted his straw hat back, and spoke "The shini/vaizard alliance... we'll get that straight. Those who don't like it, will regret that they don't. Oh yeah, Ken-chan, I'll be in the Real World to chill with ya'll soon anyway."

Just as Kamina turned towards the gateway, Gin also addressed him "I'll catch up with you then, Kamina-san."

With nothing left to do here, Kamina and Kenshin now gone back to their sanctuary, Gin head back to the squad 3 barracks to get some rest after a long eventful night. He'd get Ryu's iPhone to him once he was rested. Something very interesting was brewing, would Soul Society be ready?