Shinigami wore black and white. Mostly black. Bunch ofà what was that word that Makiuzu-kun used? àGoths.
Chousen Asagao looked at himself in the mirror. He was a Goth too, it seemed. Black kimono, black hakama, the only breaks being the white of his socks, belt and the visible edges of the kimono worn under the outer garments. Well, the sandals werenÆt black either.
Previously heÆd worn studentÆs uniform û white kimono and blue hakama û so the feel of the clothes was familiar, comfortable. But that was a little more cheerful than this scarcely relieved black. Heck, before that heÆd worn a panoply of colour û reds, blues, rich purples or subtle greys. Not that he was a clothesÆ horse but heÆd at least had a little colour to work with.
Not any more.
Now he was a Shinigami and had to be serious, professional. ôTch,ö he snorted.
.oOo.
Ake Senkotsu
The (Mis)Adventures of Chousen Asagao
.oOo.
Half an hour later he was out of Sereitei and ensconced in a little bar not far outside. One not quite reputable, or at least with the image of that. One that served students of the Spirit Academy, even if they werenÆt supposed to be there strictly. Probably the instructors made up that rule to get students to go to places like it, rather than to somewhere really dangerous.
Ah well. Asagao liked it. That was what counted.
HeÆd thrown a cloak over his kimono in a threadbare disguise of his shinigami uniform û enough to let people know he didnÆt want to be treated like one, not enough to suggest he was really trying to hide what he was. Everyone went along with that sort of thing û it was that sort of place and he wasnÆt the first Shinigami to do that there. Whatever he saw there, assuming it wasnÆt anything really important, was off the record.
For a few minutes he drank at the bar, acknowledging the congratulations of a few patrons who recognized him and bent the rules enough to æhave heard aboutÆ his graduation. Then he took a tray to one of the back tables and tucked into the platter of fired meat, cheese and peppers, washing it down with mugs of fragrant tea.
Tea wasnÆt all the place served of course, and as the night grew longer and the crowd shifted and changed, one corner of the bar was getting louder and louder. AsagaoÆs eyes narrowed speculatively: young Morino and his crowd were getting pretty sloshed tonight û probably *****ing about rival classes, who had been promoted and who had not. Fact was that Morino and a couple of his cronies had been in the Academy longer than Asagao, who wasnÆt exactly a prodigy, fairly obviously hadnÆt graduated this time either.
All that added to the distinct possibility that they would likely cause trouble if they saw him here. Morino wasnÆt a noble as such but he was from a good part of Rukongai û Asagao had moved around a lot but heÆd been in the outer districts for longer than the little snot had been dead. TheyÆd not liked each other from their first meeting and it was unlikely that that was going to get any better.
Fortunately, heÆd paid at the bar so all he had to do to avoid the more or less inevitable mess was get out without anyone noticing. Getting into a brawl right now would ruin what was left of his day.
Leaving a couple of coins on the table as a tip, Asagao stood and began to work his way slowly around the room, avoiding the booths being occupied by MorinoÆs little band. Most of the other patrons, seeing the purposeful look in his eyes and recognising his outfit beneath the cloak gave him the space to move.
It was the last obstacle that foiled him û unfamiliar with the cloak, he snagged it on the corner of the doorframe and was jerked to a halt. With a muttered curse Asagao freed the garment, but it was too late.
ôGutless!ö called Morino, loud enough to bring a halt to all activity in the bar. He was fond of that little play on Asagao's family name. ôWhatÆs the matter û donÆt you want to drink with us?ö
Asagao rolled his head back along his shoulder, a long, slow move that let him see Morino out of the corner of his eye. ôI think youÆve already drunk enough to regret it in the morning,ö he said coolly. ôAssuming that you can keep it down that long.ö
MorinoÆs face, already ruddy from the effects of the beers heÆd been downing, went almost crimson. ôYou think youÆre so hot?ö he snarled, rising to his feet. Almost a dozen more students followed his example.
Just û ****ing û great. ôIt is getting a little warm,ö Asagao said lightly, and stepped forwards. ôWhy donÆt you come out here and we can cool off.ö
.oOo.
The bar faced one of the canals that carried water through this district, Asagao stood with his back to the rail and watched as Morino and nine other students that Asagao had labelled as assholes over the years heÆd endured their company, filed out of the bar. A few heads appeared at the door to watch but most of the patrons wanted nothing to do with whatever was going to happen.
Asagao narrowed his eyes and stretched his fingers to work out any stiffness. ôTrust me, Morino. You donÆt want to do this,ö he warned the younger soul.
ôIÆve always said that a man who wears his hair in a ponytail is a man whoÆs not to be trusted,ö Morino sneered.
ôIndeed,ö Asagao said in a bored tone. ôAnd often without the slightest provocation.ö
ôHeh,ö the shorter man snickered. ôWhy wait for provocation, eh?ö
Asagao nodded. ôMy thoughts exactly,ö he said with a slight smile that was the last thing Morino saw before the ShinigamiÆs knee impacted in his face, dropping the student to the floor with a nasty sounding crunch.
For his part, Asagao was already moving on, doffing his cloak to flip it in the face of one of MorinoÆs pals and misdirecting his charge so that his throat ran into AsagaoÆs elbow. A whirling turn put the end of his scabbarded Zanpakutou into the gut of another student, doubling him over so that his neck was the perfect brace for the black-clad swordsman to flip himself into the air, somersaulting as he returned the sword to his belt and came down with his feet on the shoulders of another crony. Unprepared for the weight, the boy collapsed, but Asagao had already moved on to kick one of his buddies in the face.
The little gang wavered as Asagao landed on the street, turning slowly to face him, sleeves rippling in the wind. Thus far, their little game had not gone to plan. Instead almost half of them were on the ground û including their leader û and their target wasnÆt even scratched. In fact, now that they thought about it, he was carrying a zanpakutou û and even sheathed that was more than any of them could boast.
All things considered, they were beginning to see this as a bad idea.
Morino lurched to his feet. ôWhat are you waiting for!?ö he demanded. ôThereÆs only one of him! Get him!ö
ôIÆve got a better idea,ö Asagao told the group, smirking. He unlimbered a side kick into Morino that laid him out again. ôWhy donÆt you cool your head?ö
Then he picked up the groaning student and threw him casually over the rail and into the canal.
.oOo.
Southern Rokungai had borne the brunt of the Great Hollow War. Even after two centuries the land was still scarred by the marks left by Hollows and Shinigami alike. Tonight, as rain fell upon the great plain, one of those marks was occupied.
Chouzen Asagao drew his robes around him as he sat in the shelter of a large boulder that had been flung up when some long ago Shinigami's Shi Kai or Ban Kai had torn a long gouge through the ground. He could still see the mark - softened by time perhaps, but it had become a landmark stream for travellers in the area. The same was true of the boulder of course - hundreds of travellers had used it as a shelter before Asagao - one or more of them stacking smaller stones at one end to complete the windbreak effect.
As a result, although the rain was driven by the wind to sweep across the largely open plains, Asagao was largely dry. There was even kindling for a fire, although he'd decided against it. Whatever the comfort that he could take from it, he didn't really need a fire and he didn't really have the time to replace the firewood. No, better to leave it for someone who would really need it.
Instead, sitting crosslegged (the primitive roof provided by the boulder was a little too low for him to stand) he thought back to how he had come to be here.
He'd not been entirely surprised to graduate - the final exam had been easier than he'd thought in some ways. Which hadn't made sitting next to Kokuei-san and waiting for the results to be announced any easier - the red-haired youngster had been worried about his low Hakuda scores, although Asagao suspected that the Sensei would put less weight on that than upon his own deficiencies in Kidoh. It would be nice, he admitted to himself, to be able to use a Kidoh more powerful than a f***ing penlight some time.
Even after he himself had been given a pass, rather than being passed over (as he'd privately feared) in order to develop his spiritual pressure a little more, Diaz had still been nervous. Needlessly, of course. The younger student had also been promoted to join the Gotei-13 and in Asagao's opinion would do well if their training was anything to go by. The two of them were closely matched with their Zanpakutou's - Asagao's slight edge in speed more than balanced by Diaz's marked advantage in strength.
They'd parted ways shortly after, to change into their new uniforms and undergo the other official and unoffical rituals of graduation - to which Asagao had added a quick trip to a favorite bar and an unwelcome but not unsatisfying encounter with a couple of disgruntled upperclassmen who'd failed to graduate on this occasion. What satisfaction he'd reaped by dropping their leader into a canal was tempered by the suspicion that his first assignment had been a consequence.
Of course, it could have been a coincidence that rather than being assigned immediately to a Division he'd been sent out on a long and lonely patrol to watch for Hollow incursions into Southern Rokungai. In fact, it probably wasn't anything to do with Morino now that he thought about it. Assuming that he was being victimised wouldn't get him anywhere - however nice it would be to have a Division behind him someplace if he was going to tramp all over Rokungai. In fairness, it was probably the fact that he'd already done a fair bit of wandering in the South after the War that had got him into this. There had been a lot of rebuilding to do around here and he'd already spotted a couple of buildings that he had worked on still standing. If you're sending out scouts then someone who knows the area is a likely choice - particularly when most of the younger Shinigami hadn't gone all that far from Sereitei yet. But whining about it - to himself so he didn't make an arse of himself - made him feel a little better about the whole business.
So Chousen Asagao, two hundred or so years old and a Shinigami of the Gotei-13 sat and sulked in the rain, laughing at himself while he did so.
After a while he fell asleep. And if his dreams troubled him, there was no reflection of it on his face.
When he woke, the sun was low in the east. The rain had died away and although clouds still coved the sky, they had lightened considerably. Rising to his feet, Asagao brushed down his hakama and stretched, a few joints popping to remind him that sleeping was not something best done in seiza.
Leaping up to the top of the boulder he drew his zanpakutou and began to work through his kata. For a few minutes all that he could hear was the rustle of his kimono, the slap of his sandals on the wet stone and the whisper of the zanpakutou as it cut through the air.
For most of an hour he stood there, battling first one and then more imaginary foes, plucking his saya from his belt for the Steel Devil Dance kata, then running through the Fivefold Bulwark Stances and the Five Dragon Forms. Sweat trickled down his face and through his beard before he finally returned katana to saya and leapt off the rock to land on the track once more, feeling the wet ground absorb the impact of his landing.
"Well, quite a bit of distance to make up," he said out loud. "Can't see any Hollows here - but I'm sure I'll find one if I look hard enough." With that cheery thought he broke into a run, bounding down the track with all the enthusaism appropriate for a new and potentially glorious day. As if in recognition, the first break appeared in the clouds and the sun lit his path for hi, setting the night's puddles aglitter with reflected brilliance.
The small inn was a surprise to Asagao at first - he would have expected a few houses at least be be around it. Then he noticed the other track across his path and realised that the inn was well placed to serve not only travellers but was neatly placed between the nearest village and some of the further flung fields associated with it. Quite a neat bit of marketing really.
Ah... why not? It had been a warm day and a decent meal would be nice, he decided and turned to enter the building.
"A table for one?" the innkeeper asked as Asagao removed his sandals. "Yes sir, Shinigami... right this way." She ushered him to a tatami with a view out over the road.
Only a few minutes later there was raucous laughter from outside and several men walked through the doorway. "Innkeeper!" shouted the leader. "Put out a table for us! We struck it rich! We want servce!"
"Service!" chorused his coterie and laughed again.
"Hurry, innkeeper, bring sake!" the leader continued. "We want sake!"
"Y-yes sir," stammered the innkeeper, who was carrying Asagao's meal on a small table that she could carry like a tray.
"And keep it coming!" called another of the men. "We're celeberating. We're gamblers and we just struck it rich so we've got reason for merry-making! Bring on the drink!"
"R-right away, sir." Laying the food down in front of the Shinigami the innkeeper scurried away. She was not a small woman, but the gamblers were larger and there were half a dozen of them.
"Sake! Sake! We want sake! Bring sake! Sake!" the gamblers were chanting by the time the innkeeprrushed back, a tray stacked high with bottles and cups.
"Hurry, you toady!" demanded the leader. "Before we get mad and tear this inn apart!"
"Yes sir!" she answered, submissively and began to pour for them. It wasn't really necessary - half of them chose to drink straight out of the clay bottles.
"Bring more and keep it coming!" demended another man.
"Yes sir," the woman repeated. "Er... would you please keep the noise down? You're disturbing the other guests. Please."
"WHAT?" shouted the leader, discarding his cup, letting sake spill over the clean floor, to catch hold of the woman by the front of her kimono and pulling her downwards, tumbling her onto the floor.
"She's trying to spoil our party!" catcalled another.
"So! Trying to ruin our fun, eh?" the leader sneered. "Ho, fellows, what shall we do with this party-pooper?"
Asagao finished his fish and paused, considering possible courses of action.
"Throw her out!" came the cry and the innkeeper was flung out of the building, landing in the mud left by the recent rainfall.
Asagao decided upon the rice and swallowed the pickles that topped the bowl.
"That'll teach her to ruin our party," the chief gambler declared.
"Hey, you, slug nose!" called the man to his left, pointing at the only other customer at this early hour. "What are you looking at? You trying to spoil our party too?"
"M-me?" the man managed before the cry went up: "Throw the scum out!"
"Look! There's another who would break up our festivities!" This time the finger - all that could be spared from cluthcing a bottle - was pointed at Asagao.
"How dare he interfere with us!"
"He's a shinigami!" said the leader.
"They're the worst of the lot - he's probably one of those Keigun assholes, to boot."
Asagao chewed on his rice, considering how he should proceed, and contemplating the strange inability of most people to pronouce their ærÆs.
"Stupid shinigami!" "Get out while you have the chance!" came more taunts. "Your sword doesn't scare us!" "Well, get out! What are you waiting for!"
"Ho!" one gamber suggested. "He's too scared to move!"
"Maybe he wants to stay and join our party!"
The leader laughed. "But you'll have to be entertainment! All right Shinigami, dance for us or we'll throw you out like the others!"
Asagao picked up his rice bowl and scooped up another mouthfl, not even looking in the gamblers' direction. Then he washed down the rice with a sip of tea.
"DANCE, I SAID!" roared the leader. He glared at Asagao and then marched over to towards, him, face set in what was presumably an intimidating glare. Asagao couldnÆt tell without looking, which he didnÆt feel any great need to do. "Okay, shinigami, you've had your chance! Let's throw him out!"
He lunged at Asagao and there was a blur of motion as the shingami rose to one knee, zanpakutou flickering as it wove a cage of steel around the gambler, sending him staggering back - face going from the red of fury to a deathly pale in a fraction of a second.
Then, suddenly as if it had never happened, Asagao returned to seiza, sheathing his zanpakutou and resuming his meal without a word.
The gambler stared at the shinigami and then down at himself, patting at his grubby kimono to look for wounds. He didn't find any.
"Ha! Missed me! Not a scratch! What an inept shinigami!" he chortled. "We'll teach him to get tough with us! Come one fellows! Let's throw him out!"
"Err... wait a minute!" one of the gambler protested, looking down.
Another followed his gaze to the floor. "This fly's been cut in half!" he exclaimed, jaw dropping in surprise.
"This one too!" "Those three also!" "And another!"
Asagao sipped at his tea as the gamblers stared at him, their faces reflecting terror and awe. Then he turned to them, as if seeing them for the first time. ôOh, was there something that I could do for you gentlemen?ö he asked politely, a twinkle in his blue eyes.
He waited until they had fled the door and were well beyond hearing distance before he set down his cup and fell over backwards, laughing his head off at their reaction to that little parlour trick. "I only wish Hollows were so easily discouraged," he chortled.
.oOo.
tbc.
Chousen Asagao looked at himself in the mirror. He was a Goth too, it seemed. Black kimono, black hakama, the only breaks being the white of his socks, belt and the visible edges of the kimono worn under the outer garments. Well, the sandals werenÆt black either.
Previously heÆd worn studentÆs uniform û white kimono and blue hakama û so the feel of the clothes was familiar, comfortable. But that was a little more cheerful than this scarcely relieved black. Heck, before that heÆd worn a panoply of colour û reds, blues, rich purples or subtle greys. Not that he was a clothesÆ horse but heÆd at least had a little colour to work with.
Not any more.
Now he was a Shinigami and had to be serious, professional. ôTch,ö he snorted.
.oOo.
Ake Senkotsu
The (Mis)Adventures of Chousen Asagao
.oOo.
Half an hour later he was out of Sereitei and ensconced in a little bar not far outside. One not quite reputable, or at least with the image of that. One that served students of the Spirit Academy, even if they werenÆt supposed to be there strictly. Probably the instructors made up that rule to get students to go to places like it, rather than to somewhere really dangerous.
Ah well. Asagao liked it. That was what counted.
HeÆd thrown a cloak over his kimono in a threadbare disguise of his shinigami uniform û enough to let people know he didnÆt want to be treated like one, not enough to suggest he was really trying to hide what he was. Everyone went along with that sort of thing û it was that sort of place and he wasnÆt the first Shinigami to do that there. Whatever he saw there, assuming it wasnÆt anything really important, was off the record.
For a few minutes he drank at the bar, acknowledging the congratulations of a few patrons who recognized him and bent the rules enough to æhave heard aboutÆ his graduation. Then he took a tray to one of the back tables and tucked into the platter of fired meat, cheese and peppers, washing it down with mugs of fragrant tea.
Tea wasnÆt all the place served of course, and as the night grew longer and the crowd shifted and changed, one corner of the bar was getting louder and louder. AsagaoÆs eyes narrowed speculatively: young Morino and his crowd were getting pretty sloshed tonight û probably *****ing about rival classes, who had been promoted and who had not. Fact was that Morino and a couple of his cronies had been in the Academy longer than Asagao, who wasnÆt exactly a prodigy, fairly obviously hadnÆt graduated this time either.
All that added to the distinct possibility that they would likely cause trouble if they saw him here. Morino wasnÆt a noble as such but he was from a good part of Rukongai û Asagao had moved around a lot but heÆd been in the outer districts for longer than the little snot had been dead. TheyÆd not liked each other from their first meeting and it was unlikely that that was going to get any better.
Fortunately, heÆd paid at the bar so all he had to do to avoid the more or less inevitable mess was get out without anyone noticing. Getting into a brawl right now would ruin what was left of his day.
Leaving a couple of coins on the table as a tip, Asagao stood and began to work his way slowly around the room, avoiding the booths being occupied by MorinoÆs little band. Most of the other patrons, seeing the purposeful look in his eyes and recognising his outfit beneath the cloak gave him the space to move.
It was the last obstacle that foiled him û unfamiliar with the cloak, he snagged it on the corner of the doorframe and was jerked to a halt. With a muttered curse Asagao freed the garment, but it was too late.
ôGutless!ö called Morino, loud enough to bring a halt to all activity in the bar. He was fond of that little play on Asagao's family name. ôWhatÆs the matter û donÆt you want to drink with us?ö
Asagao rolled his head back along his shoulder, a long, slow move that let him see Morino out of the corner of his eye. ôI think youÆve already drunk enough to regret it in the morning,ö he said coolly. ôAssuming that you can keep it down that long.ö
MorinoÆs face, already ruddy from the effects of the beers heÆd been downing, went almost crimson. ôYou think youÆre so hot?ö he snarled, rising to his feet. Almost a dozen more students followed his example.
Just û ****ing û great. ôIt is getting a little warm,ö Asagao said lightly, and stepped forwards. ôWhy donÆt you come out here and we can cool off.ö
.oOo.
The bar faced one of the canals that carried water through this district, Asagao stood with his back to the rail and watched as Morino and nine other students that Asagao had labelled as assholes over the years heÆd endured their company, filed out of the bar. A few heads appeared at the door to watch but most of the patrons wanted nothing to do with whatever was going to happen.
Asagao narrowed his eyes and stretched his fingers to work out any stiffness. ôTrust me, Morino. You donÆt want to do this,ö he warned the younger soul.
ôIÆve always said that a man who wears his hair in a ponytail is a man whoÆs not to be trusted,ö Morino sneered.
ôIndeed,ö Asagao said in a bored tone. ôAnd often without the slightest provocation.ö
ôHeh,ö the shorter man snickered. ôWhy wait for provocation, eh?ö
Asagao nodded. ôMy thoughts exactly,ö he said with a slight smile that was the last thing Morino saw before the ShinigamiÆs knee impacted in his face, dropping the student to the floor with a nasty sounding crunch.
For his part, Asagao was already moving on, doffing his cloak to flip it in the face of one of MorinoÆs pals and misdirecting his charge so that his throat ran into AsagaoÆs elbow. A whirling turn put the end of his scabbarded Zanpakutou into the gut of another student, doubling him over so that his neck was the perfect brace for the black-clad swordsman to flip himself into the air, somersaulting as he returned the sword to his belt and came down with his feet on the shoulders of another crony. Unprepared for the weight, the boy collapsed, but Asagao had already moved on to kick one of his buddies in the face.
The little gang wavered as Asagao landed on the street, turning slowly to face him, sleeves rippling in the wind. Thus far, their little game had not gone to plan. Instead almost half of them were on the ground û including their leader û and their target wasnÆt even scratched. In fact, now that they thought about it, he was carrying a zanpakutou û and even sheathed that was more than any of them could boast.
All things considered, they were beginning to see this as a bad idea.
Morino lurched to his feet. ôWhat are you waiting for!?ö he demanded. ôThereÆs only one of him! Get him!ö
ôIÆve got a better idea,ö Asagao told the group, smirking. He unlimbered a side kick into Morino that laid him out again. ôWhy donÆt you cool your head?ö
Then he picked up the groaning student and threw him casually over the rail and into the canal.
.oOo.
Southern Rokungai had borne the brunt of the Great Hollow War. Even after two centuries the land was still scarred by the marks left by Hollows and Shinigami alike. Tonight, as rain fell upon the great plain, one of those marks was occupied.
Chouzen Asagao drew his robes around him as he sat in the shelter of a large boulder that had been flung up when some long ago Shinigami's Shi Kai or Ban Kai had torn a long gouge through the ground. He could still see the mark - softened by time perhaps, but it had become a landmark stream for travellers in the area. The same was true of the boulder of course - hundreds of travellers had used it as a shelter before Asagao - one or more of them stacking smaller stones at one end to complete the windbreak effect.
As a result, although the rain was driven by the wind to sweep across the largely open plains, Asagao was largely dry. There was even kindling for a fire, although he'd decided against it. Whatever the comfort that he could take from it, he didn't really need a fire and he didn't really have the time to replace the firewood. No, better to leave it for someone who would really need it.
Instead, sitting crosslegged (the primitive roof provided by the boulder was a little too low for him to stand) he thought back to how he had come to be here.
He'd not been entirely surprised to graduate - the final exam had been easier than he'd thought in some ways. Which hadn't made sitting next to Kokuei-san and waiting for the results to be announced any easier - the red-haired youngster had been worried about his low Hakuda scores, although Asagao suspected that the Sensei would put less weight on that than upon his own deficiencies in Kidoh. It would be nice, he admitted to himself, to be able to use a Kidoh more powerful than a f***ing penlight some time.
Even after he himself had been given a pass, rather than being passed over (as he'd privately feared) in order to develop his spiritual pressure a little more, Diaz had still been nervous. Needlessly, of course. The younger student had also been promoted to join the Gotei-13 and in Asagao's opinion would do well if their training was anything to go by. The two of them were closely matched with their Zanpakutou's - Asagao's slight edge in speed more than balanced by Diaz's marked advantage in strength.
They'd parted ways shortly after, to change into their new uniforms and undergo the other official and unoffical rituals of graduation - to which Asagao had added a quick trip to a favorite bar and an unwelcome but not unsatisfying encounter with a couple of disgruntled upperclassmen who'd failed to graduate on this occasion. What satisfaction he'd reaped by dropping their leader into a canal was tempered by the suspicion that his first assignment had been a consequence.
Of course, it could have been a coincidence that rather than being assigned immediately to a Division he'd been sent out on a long and lonely patrol to watch for Hollow incursions into Southern Rokungai. In fact, it probably wasn't anything to do with Morino now that he thought about it. Assuming that he was being victimised wouldn't get him anywhere - however nice it would be to have a Division behind him someplace if he was going to tramp all over Rokungai. In fairness, it was probably the fact that he'd already done a fair bit of wandering in the South after the War that had got him into this. There had been a lot of rebuilding to do around here and he'd already spotted a couple of buildings that he had worked on still standing. If you're sending out scouts then someone who knows the area is a likely choice - particularly when most of the younger Shinigami hadn't gone all that far from Sereitei yet. But whining about it - to himself so he didn't make an arse of himself - made him feel a little better about the whole business.
So Chousen Asagao, two hundred or so years old and a Shinigami of the Gotei-13 sat and sulked in the rain, laughing at himself while he did so.
After a while he fell asleep. And if his dreams troubled him, there was no reflection of it on his face.
When he woke, the sun was low in the east. The rain had died away and although clouds still coved the sky, they had lightened considerably. Rising to his feet, Asagao brushed down his hakama and stretched, a few joints popping to remind him that sleeping was not something best done in seiza.
Leaping up to the top of the boulder he drew his zanpakutou and began to work through his kata. For a few minutes all that he could hear was the rustle of his kimono, the slap of his sandals on the wet stone and the whisper of the zanpakutou as it cut through the air.
For most of an hour he stood there, battling first one and then more imaginary foes, plucking his saya from his belt for the Steel Devil Dance kata, then running through the Fivefold Bulwark Stances and the Five Dragon Forms. Sweat trickled down his face and through his beard before he finally returned katana to saya and leapt off the rock to land on the track once more, feeling the wet ground absorb the impact of his landing.
"Well, quite a bit of distance to make up," he said out loud. "Can't see any Hollows here - but I'm sure I'll find one if I look hard enough." With that cheery thought he broke into a run, bounding down the track with all the enthusaism appropriate for a new and potentially glorious day. As if in recognition, the first break appeared in the clouds and the sun lit his path for hi, setting the night's puddles aglitter with reflected brilliance.
The small inn was a surprise to Asagao at first - he would have expected a few houses at least be be around it. Then he noticed the other track across his path and realised that the inn was well placed to serve not only travellers but was neatly placed between the nearest village and some of the further flung fields associated with it. Quite a neat bit of marketing really.
Ah... why not? It had been a warm day and a decent meal would be nice, he decided and turned to enter the building.
"A table for one?" the innkeeper asked as Asagao removed his sandals. "Yes sir, Shinigami... right this way." She ushered him to a tatami with a view out over the road.
Only a few minutes later there was raucous laughter from outside and several men walked through the doorway. "Innkeeper!" shouted the leader. "Put out a table for us! We struck it rich! We want servce!"
"Service!" chorused his coterie and laughed again.
"Hurry, innkeeper, bring sake!" the leader continued. "We want sake!"
"Y-yes sir," stammered the innkeeper, who was carrying Asagao's meal on a small table that she could carry like a tray.
"And keep it coming!" called another of the men. "We're celeberating. We're gamblers and we just struck it rich so we've got reason for merry-making! Bring on the drink!"
"R-right away, sir." Laying the food down in front of the Shinigami the innkeeper scurried away. She was not a small woman, but the gamblers were larger and there were half a dozen of them.
"Sake! Sake! We want sake! Bring sake! Sake!" the gamblers were chanting by the time the innkeeprrushed back, a tray stacked high with bottles and cups.
"Hurry, you toady!" demanded the leader. "Before we get mad and tear this inn apart!"
"Yes sir!" she answered, submissively and began to pour for them. It wasn't really necessary - half of them chose to drink straight out of the clay bottles.
"Bring more and keep it coming!" demended another man.
"Yes sir," the woman repeated. "Er... would you please keep the noise down? You're disturbing the other guests. Please."
"WHAT?" shouted the leader, discarding his cup, letting sake spill over the clean floor, to catch hold of the woman by the front of her kimono and pulling her downwards, tumbling her onto the floor.
"She's trying to spoil our party!" catcalled another.
"So! Trying to ruin our fun, eh?" the leader sneered. "Ho, fellows, what shall we do with this party-pooper?"
Asagao finished his fish and paused, considering possible courses of action.
"Throw her out!" came the cry and the innkeeper was flung out of the building, landing in the mud left by the recent rainfall.
Asagao decided upon the rice and swallowed the pickles that topped the bowl.
"That'll teach her to ruin our party," the chief gambler declared.
"Hey, you, slug nose!" called the man to his left, pointing at the only other customer at this early hour. "What are you looking at? You trying to spoil our party too?"
"M-me?" the man managed before the cry went up: "Throw the scum out!"
"Look! There's another who would break up our festivities!" This time the finger - all that could be spared from cluthcing a bottle - was pointed at Asagao.
"How dare he interfere with us!"
"He's a shinigami!" said the leader.
"They're the worst of the lot - he's probably one of those Keigun assholes, to boot."
Asagao chewed on his rice, considering how he should proceed, and contemplating the strange inability of most people to pronouce their ærÆs.
"Stupid shinigami!" "Get out while you have the chance!" came more taunts. "Your sword doesn't scare us!" "Well, get out! What are you waiting for!"
"Ho!" one gamber suggested. "He's too scared to move!"
"Maybe he wants to stay and join our party!"
The leader laughed. "But you'll have to be entertainment! All right Shinigami, dance for us or we'll throw you out like the others!"
Asagao picked up his rice bowl and scooped up another mouthfl, not even looking in the gamblers' direction. Then he washed down the rice with a sip of tea.
"DANCE, I SAID!" roared the leader. He glared at Asagao and then marched over to towards, him, face set in what was presumably an intimidating glare. Asagao couldnÆt tell without looking, which he didnÆt feel any great need to do. "Okay, shinigami, you've had your chance! Let's throw him out!"
He lunged at Asagao and there was a blur of motion as the shingami rose to one knee, zanpakutou flickering as it wove a cage of steel around the gambler, sending him staggering back - face going from the red of fury to a deathly pale in a fraction of a second.
Then, suddenly as if it had never happened, Asagao returned to seiza, sheathing his zanpakutou and resuming his meal without a word.
The gambler stared at the shinigami and then down at himself, patting at his grubby kimono to look for wounds. He didn't find any.
"Ha! Missed me! Not a scratch! What an inept shinigami!" he chortled. "We'll teach him to get tough with us! Come one fellows! Let's throw him out!"
"Err... wait a minute!" one of the gambler protested, looking down.
Another followed his gaze to the floor. "This fly's been cut in half!" he exclaimed, jaw dropping in surprise.
"This one too!" "Those three also!" "And another!"
Asagao sipped at his tea as the gamblers stared at him, their faces reflecting terror and awe. Then he turned to them, as if seeing them for the first time. ôOh, was there something that I could do for you gentlemen?ö he asked politely, a twinkle in his blue eyes.
He waited until they had fled the door and were well beyond hearing distance before he set down his cup and fell over backwards, laughing his head off at their reaction to that little parlour trick. "I only wish Hollows were so easily discouraged," he chortled.
.oOo.
tbc.