Not a Mob: Psycho

"That's one big bastard..." remarked Ohta, referring to the giant Hollow that had plunged from the crack in the sky. It was easily between twenty and thirty meters tall, wore a white mask with beady eyes and a pointed nose, and its massive frame garbed in a black robe from head to pointed toe, giving it an appearance reminiscent of a demonic Nun.
"It's called a Menos," revealed Yoruichi, perched upon Ohta's shoulder. "More accurately, it's a Gillian-Class Menos. Their power allows them to go head to head with weaker Lieutenants, but their intelligence is low, and they're easy to avoid so long as you have a decent mastery of Hoho."
"Then, how's Ichigo supposed to defeat one?" asked Ohta. "From what I've seen, he can barely airwalk, much less execute a proper movement technique..."
"We've been over this before..." muttered Yoruichi. "Similar to you, Ichigo also possesses monstrous reserves of energy. Unlike you, however, his is spirit energy. If he could tap into and utilize it as he pleases, he'd surpass most Captains..."
Snorting through his nose, Ohta sardonically remarked, "Then let's hope he doesn't die..."
"He'll be fine," assured Yoruichi. "Just wa-oh, it's already over? That was much faster than expected..."
As Yoruichi noted, the defeat of the Gillian-Class Menos didn't even take twenty seconds from its emergence to its departure. All it managed was to fire off an energy blast eerily similar to the lasers Ohta unleashed in his Kusho state. Ichigo managed to tank the shot with his sword, and before the Gillian could fire a second one, he sent it fleeing with a slash from his blade that caused a penetrative energy wave to run up the Hollow's entire body, chipping its mask.
"How is this over?" asked Ohta, promptly pointing out. "The damned thing is getting away..."
"Just let it," said Yoruichi. "There is a functionally infinite number of Menos inhabiting Hueco Mundo. If you chased after it and somehow ended up on the other side, even you would be fucked."
"Whatever..." replied Ohta, adding, "I'm going to go find Rukia. If this ends up being our last night together, I'm putting it to use..."
"How enviable..." muttered Yoruichi, primarily as a joke, but there was a tell-tale glimmer in her golden eyes. It had been a few weeks since she and Ohta had 'resonated,' and it was starting to bother her...
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*pa* *pa* *pa* *pa* *pa* *pa* *pa* *pa* *pa* *pa*
"You're...being...too...rough...!" moaned Rukia, her brows furrowed and face contorted in vexation and pleasure as Ohta railed her from behind. She also knew their time was limited, but Ohta's passion left her feeling like her brain was going to melt, expelling her Soul from her body...
Pulling out of Rukia's tight snatch, Ohta turned her around, picking her up and slipping his cock inside her as she clung to him like a koala, trembling violently. He had told her they were fucking until the sun came up, so that was precisely what they did...
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"Haaaa....haaaaa...haaaaaaaa..."
Lying against Ohta with a completely blank expression, his hand, as usual, holding her ass, Rukia found it difficult to focus her gaze or form coherent thoughts. She felt like she was going to 'break' numerous times during the passionate intercourse, so the fact she hadn't scared her a little...
Alleviating Rukia's muddleheadedness in an instant, Ohta whispered, "I love you..." in a faint but deep tone that caused the diminutive Shinigami to tremble from her core. He often remarked that he loved specific parts of her, but this was the first time Ohta had affirmed his love directly.
Tearing up, Rukia buried her face into Ohta's chest, meekly whimpering, "You idiot..." in a sobbing tone. She was still hoping that Ohta wouldn't follow her into the Soul Society, but if her execution was announced, she knew he would find a way to reach her...
Cradling the crying Shinigami in his arms, Ohta found the idea of whisking Rukia away to safety increasingly difficult to suppress. Over the past few weeks, he had even started to suspect they were soul mates. However, as the person who most frequently appeared in his mind when it roamed was Yoruichi, it was difficult to be certain...
After deliberating for five minutes, Ohta attempted to lighten the mood by asking, "Want to go another round...?"
Hearing Ohta's question, Rukia slowly raised her face from Ohta's chest, revealing tear-stained cheeks, a lonesome expression, and watery eyes. She wanted to chastise him for making light of the situation, but after a moment of silence, she gave a slight nod, replying, "I want to feel closer to you..."
"There's no one else even half as close..." assured Ohta, adopting a faint smile as he teased, "But I'm certain we can become even closer if we put in the effort..." Then, even though they had already been going at it from around 8:18 PM to 5:49 AM, they made slow and gentle love until hunger compelled them to get up and eat...
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"Good, you're both here," said Yoruichi, phasing through the front door of Ohta's apartment in her cat form. Rukia covered her body with a sheet as she did so, but Ohta immediately got up, grabbed his boxers, and started to get dressed, asking, "Is it time...?" with a solemn look.
Nodding her head, Yoruichi directed her gaze at Rukia, revealing, "The Soul Society dispatched your brother, Kuchiki Byakuya, and his recently appointed Lieutenant, Abarai Renji. It won't be long before they discover this location."
Hearing that her brother, of all people, had come to retrieve her, Rukia's body started to tremble. She knew Ohta was powerful, but if he were to cross paths with Byakuya, he might not even be able to react before he received a fatal blow. Inversely, if Ohta turned out to be a match for her brother, seriously injuring or killing him, the Soul Society and the Kuchiki Clan would hunt him to the ends of the Earth...
Noticing Rukia on the verge of a panic attack, Ohta's expression softened as he said, "Relax...I promised I wouldn't intervene unless they attempted to harm you, remember? If their only objective is to arrest you, I'll stay out of it..."
As Ohta was 'usually' pretty good about keeping his word, Rukia exhaled a sigh of relief. She liked, even loved, Ohta, but she also felt an irremediable debt of gratitude toward Byakuya and the Kuchiki Clan. Renji was also a 'colleague' from her days as an impoverished youth stealing to survive in the Rukon District. They hadn't talked for more than forty years, but Rukia didn't want him to die at the hands of Ohta. As for the opposite occurring, she couldn't really imagine Renji harming Ohta in the slightest...
"Once you're ready, we'll set out and wait for them at a local shrine," said Yoruichi. "It's best if the Soul Society doesn't know the exact location of Ohta's apartment."
Directing her gaze to Ohta, Yoruichi narrowed her eyes and added, "As for you...I suggest you wait here. They definitely won't attempt to kill her, but there's a chance they will rough her up a bit. If you leap out to try and put a stop to things, everything comes crashing down..."
"..."
Glaring at Yoruichi with a fierce expression, Ohta was about to ask if she had gone senile in her old age when Rukia placed her hand on his arm, her expression soft and loving as she whispered, "I'll be fine..." in a faint, soothing tone. Soul Society wouldn't have dispatched her brother and someone she knew from her childhood if they intended to kill her. Rather, as Byakuya was the one coming to pick her up, Rukia believed the odds of her being placed under house arrest weren't zero...
("This shit better work out...") thought Ohta, responding to Rukia's words with a chaste but lingering kiss before whispering, "Then I'll see you on the other side..."
Though she returned a loving smile, Rukia caused Ohta's smile to cramp as she replied, "Just remember what I told you before..."
Understanding that Rukia was referring to 'permitting' him to see and sleep with other women if she was placed on house arrest, Ohta's smile faded as he asserted, "If you can wait, so can I..."
Standing on the tips of her toes, Rukia gave Ohta a quick peck on the lips before musing, "Then I'll see you around, dog boy..."
"Take care of yourself, spider-bunny..." replied Ohta, releasing his hold on Rukia and allowing her to depart alongside Yoruichi. Her departure made his small apartment seem much larger, like a barren and lifeless void, but Ohta did his best not to let his feelings show, stripping out of his clothes to take a long, scaldingly hot shower...
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Arriving a few hours after her departure with Rukia, Yoruichi found Ohta at his desk, his expression completely lifeless as he sketched the image of a familiar Shinigami in his sketchbook.
Exhaling a faint sigh, Yoruichi furrowed her feline brows and remarked, "You look like shit..."
"And your breath smells like rotten tuna..." retorted Ohta, adding a bit of detail to the sketch's eyes. One of the mistakes he had made in his past life was failing to keep a record of what little happiness he had been able to find. Thus, while the memory was fresh in his mind, he was attempting to preserve the image of Rukia's potentially final smile...
Realizing that Ohta didn't want to be disturbed, Yoruichi made her way over to his bed, leaping onto it before curling up near where he usually placed his head. The entire bed smelled of sex, but the scent of Ohta's pheromones served to both calm and excite her...
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"So, what did you come here for?" asked Ohta, interrupting Yoruichi's catnap.
Stretching her body like an actual cat, Yoruichi replied, "I figured you'd be relieved to learn that Rukia returned to Soul Society without sustaining so much as a single injury."
Though he was genuinely relieved, causing him to fall silent for several seconds, Ohta eventually questioned, "Is that all? I'm certain Ichigo got dragged into things somehow..."
"You're right," replied Yoruichi. "Since Rukia didn't attend school today, your favorite strawberry intended to come looking for her. Along the way, he happened to encounter Rukia being 'accosted' by two Shinigami, so he reacted exactly how you might imagine."
"He got his ass kicked...?" asked Ohta.
"Indeed," replied Yoruichi, adopting a catty smile as she added, "Not only that, but his Hakusui(Soul Sleep) was destroyed, and his Saketsu(Binding Chain) was severely completely. In other words, he no longer possesses the power of a Shinigami."
"..."
Before Ohta could ask what the point of having Ichigo lose his powers was, Yoruichi teased, "You should be pleased. I can't imagine you were particularly enthused, knowing a boy your age was running around with your girlfriend's spirit essence empowering his body..."
Though he had never thought about it before, Ohta did not attempt to refute Yoruichi's words. Instead, he asked, "So, what now? Kisuke makes Ichigo his pawn by offering him power and goading him into launching an attack on Soul Society...?"
"Something like that," replied Yoruichi. "However, Ichigo isn't the only one who will be participating in Rukia's recovery. During yesterday's incident, several of your former classmates awakened unique spiritual powers. One of the reasons I came over was to ask if you'd like to help me train them?"
Furrowing his brows, Ohta remarked, "If you tell me that Tatsuki's going to be there, I'm going to punt you..."
Exhaling a scoffing chuckle, Yoruichi flatly retorted, "You can try," before promptly evading Ohta's foot, landing atop his left shoulder as she added, "But no, Arisawa Tatsuki is not among those who awakened powers. She did receive a considerable boost to her spirit energy, but her 'rationale' is too grounded in reality. The duo who awakened abilities, becoming High-Spec Humans, are Inoue Orihime and Sado Yasutora."
"Hard pass," replied Ohta, not wanting anything to do with training the bubbly ginger. His limited interactions with Chad made the inordinately tall and taciturn Japanese-Mexican seem like a bro, but they had never been friends.
Shrugging her feline shoulders, Yoruichi remarked, "I thought you would say that." before leaping off his shoulder. "Anyways, I'm going to be out for a few days. You should use the time between now and our departure to center yourself. You have more than enough power to go toe-to-toe with most Lieutenants, and if you got serious, even Captains would have difficulty defeating you. If you can learn your Zanpakuto's name, you'll be a force to be reckoned with..."
Staring at the weapon resting on Ohta's desk, resembling a fairly modern bayonet, Yoruichi prompted the former to do the same.
"Right..." replied Ohta, his brows creasing to their limits. Alongside the cat he accompanied whenever he slept, an abyssal black shadow resembling a jackal had appeared in his soul space. The terrain outside the Japanese palace had also become a wasteland, bearing traces of ancient and modern battles. Unfortunately, no matter how he tried to coax the jackal into speaking to him, it immediately ran away...
Before turning to leave, Yoruichi narrowed her eyes and said, "If you need me, call Rukia's phone. She entrusted it to me before leaving, requesting that I look after you in her stead..."
"Just leave..." growled Ohta, not in the mood to deal with Yoruichi's antics. Fortunately, she did exactly that, disappearing through his front door and leaving him to his thoughts...
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(A/N: Poor Ohta (U ^ U)...)

Waiting for him within his soul space, the vestige of Yoruichi's Zanpakuto Spirit, which he had taken to calling Susu, bumped her head against Ohta as it said, "I'm sorry for your loss..."
Caressing the oversized cat on its snout, Ohta assured, "It's fine. I just need to go and get her back, right?"
Instead of responding to Ohta with words, Susu shrunk to roughly the size of a cow, rubbing her body against him and nearly knocking him over. She was similar to Yoruichi in the way she 'required' skinship, so Ohta let her do as she pleased, spreading his arms and rubbing his face against Susu's body as she used his like a grooming post.
Once Susu had gotten her fill, lying down, pulling her paws under her, and forming a 'cat loaf' next to him, Ohta scratched behind her ear and asked, "Seen my shadow recently...?"
"The shadowy one only comes out when you're present..." replied Susu, purring as she leaned her head into Ohta's scritches, effectively nuzzling his entire body.
"Then I'm gonna go looking for him," said Ohta, scratching under Susu's chin as he added, "Be a good girl and stay here. I'll come and play with you before I leave."
Though she wanted to go with him, Susu knew she was half the reason the 'shadowy one' wouldn't converse with Ohta. People weren't meant to be compatible with two Zanpakuto Spirits, but due to Ohta's regular Soul Resonances with Yoruichi when he first received his power, his soul was a half-step between a human's and a native-born soul. Those with attuned spiritual senses would even note he had a similar aura to a member of the Shihouin Clan.
"Okay, but don't take too long..." said Susu, nuzzling Ohta once last time before walking past him and leaping onto the boulder she usually napped on. There was no sun within Ohta's soul space, but a warm light radiated from above the Japanese-style palace, contrasting the perpetual twilight and gloom that loomed on the horizon...
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By roaming aimlessly through the battlefield surrounding the palace, allowing his instincts to guide him, it only took Ohta a few minutes to locate what he believed to be his Zanpakuto Spirit, a massive, shadowy jackal with wispy white eyes and an inverted triangle emitting a red light between its pointy ears.
As the jackal never allowed him to approach closer than twenty meters, Ohta stopped short of this, raising his hand and offering a curt "Yo," while the 4.5m tall canine observed him with an almost 'pouty' expression.
Exhaling a faint sigh through his nose, Ohta waited a few seconds before expressing, "You know, I can't tell why you're upset if you don't talk or try and communicate with me some other way..."
Like a tired dog throwing a tantrum, the shadowy jackal turned away from Ohta, lying its head atop its paws and exhaling a snort from its long snout.
"..."
Understanding the futility of trying to approach the shadowy beast, even with Shunpo, Ohta sat down and simply observed it in silence. According to Rukia and Yoruichi, he needed to earn its trust by overcoming a trial or coaxing it in some way, but even after weeks of trying, Ohta felt no closer to winning the damnable thing's trust...
"You know, I could really use your help..." grumbled Ohta. "Something important was taken from me. I want it back..."
Catching Ohta completely off guard, the shadowy jackal turned to face him as it asserted, "It was not taken...you relinquished it. You let others make decisions for you and must now suffer the consequences of your passivity. You are not worthy of my power..."
Furrowing his brows, Ohta argued, "If I had enough power, I wouldn't need to follow the plans of others..."
"Do you take me for a fool?" asked the shadowy jackal. "I know you better than you know yourself, John Alexander Doe. You do not seek power. You do not even possess the courage to 'live.' You merely exist, conducted by fate and the will of those you presume your superiors..."
"..."
Though he was tempted to ask what was wrong with simply existing, Ohta remained silent, locking gazes with the shadowy jackal for six full minutes before asking, "And what about you? What do you accomplish by refusing to lend me your power...?"
Without hesitation, the jackal replied, "I am your pride, the 'purpose' you have discarded. When you find me in the real world, my power will come to you naturally. Now, go. Your presence, as you are, sickens me."
"Yeah, well, you ain't exactly sunshine and rainbows yourself..." replied Ohta, rising to his feet and dusting himself off as he added, "I'll be back tomorrow..."
"And I'll be back to ignoring you," retorted the shadowy jackal, averting its eyes and exhaling a huffy, disdainful snort...
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With Yoruichi informing him that they would be departing on the 8th of August, Ohta had twenty days to prepare and gain the acknowledgment of his Zanpakuto. Unfortunately, after their previous discussion, the jackal had returned to ignoring him, covering its ears and eyes with its paws and disappearing if Ohta got too close.
"This fucking sucks..." muttered Ohta, staring at the ceiling above his bed, his motivation at an all-time low. He had gone out patrolling the previous night, but as a byproduct of the bait Uryu had used, it was expected that no Hollows would appear for weeks, maybe even months. In other words, he had nothing to take out his anger, frustration, and boredom on...
*tok* *tok* *tok*
Though he had sensed someone wandering around and walking past his apartment numerous times, Ohta didn't expect them to stop and knock on his front door. Since he was in soul form, he could easily just ignore them, but once he sensed who it was, he sat up and frowned.
*TOK* *TOK* *TOK*
After several seconds of silence, the person outside Ohta's door knocked much harder, shouting, "Hey, I know you're in there! Open up, already...!"
"I'm not in the mood for this shit..." muttered Ohta. However, despite this, he made his way to the front door, startling the person standing outside by sticking his head through and asking, "What do you want, bokukko...?"
Recovering from her initial surprise, the person standing outside, none other than Ichigo's little sister, Karin, adopted a serious expression as she replied, "My brother refused to talk, so I came here for answers. Open the door."
Exhaling a scoffing chuckle, Ohta mused, "You're a plucky little shit. I can appreciate that. But if your brother refused to explain things to you, what makes you think I will?"
"That's not the only reason I came here," revealed Karin, adopting the most serious expression she could manage as she said, "I want you to teach me. I've noticed that things seem to be getting more dangerous every day, and I don't want to have to depend on others to save me...if you hadn't shown up the other day, I would have died..."
"Unlikely," retorted Ohta, having previously learned that Yoruichi was nearby while Karin was being attacked, ready to intervene if he hadn't shown up. However, as Karin had no way of knowing that, not unless he told her, he added, "But, you're not wrong. Without power, you're fated to be a victim or a damsel in distress."
Dipping his head back inside, Ohta unlocked the door to his apartment, stepping aside as he said, "Come on in. I'll at least hear you out before telling you to fuck off."
Frowning, Karin was tempted to ask what was the point if he was just going to send her away, but she suppressed the urge and made her way inside. A sweet, somewhat musky aroma hit her nose when she stepped inside, but instead of concluding what most adults would, she gave the room a cursory inspection, remarking, "Nice place..." before setting her backpack on Ohta's desk. She didn't actually believe that, but she felt it would be rude to give her actual opinion...
Following behind Karin, Ohta said, "Start talking. You have until I finish making and drinking some hot cocoa to convince me..."
"Oh, you have hot cocoa?" asked Karin. "Make me a cup while you're at it."
Raising his brows, Ohta half-turned to give Karin an 'are you for real' look, prompting her to raise her own and question, "What? It's just a cup of hot cocoa. Do you not offer drinks to guests?"
"You're pressing your luck, boku..." muttered Ohta. However, instead of grabbing a single packet of cocoa, he grabbed two, pouring them into a pair of cups and mixing in hot water as Karin said, "Anyways, I took your advice and tried talking to Ichi-nii, but he completely blew me off. Now, he's run off to god-knows-where without telling any of us. Like, I get that he wants to keep us safe, but how does he expect to do that if he's gone and keeps us in the dark...?"
"I'm not a therapist," replied Ohta, handing Karin her cocoa as he added, "I'm also not inclined to explain things to people who have nothing to do with what's happening behind the scenes. Wanting the power to protect yourself is fine, but nosing around in shit unrelated to you is a good way to die young..."
Taking a sip from her cocoa, Karin frowned as it was more bitter than she was expecting. It didn't have a medicinal taste to it, though, so she didn't think Ohta had spiked it or anything, forcing herself to take another small sip before saying, "You say that, but I've seen your file. No one who minds their own business shows up at a family-owned clinic with cuts, puncture wounds, and bullet holes starting from when they were ten..."
Exhaling another scoffing chuckle, Ohta asserted, "You went through my medical file. Is that how you found me...?"
"My dad did you a ton of favors back in the day," said Karin. "Now, all I'm asking for is a few lessons so I can protect him, myself, and my sister. Is that so difficult...?"
Crossing his arms, Ohta didn't immediately respond to Karin's half-assed attempt at emotional blackmail. It was true that her dad, Isshin, had done him a lot of favors back in the day. However, he had made sure to pay the man for his services, depositing packets of money in their mail slot. Karin had no way of knowing that, but Ohta had long since paid his dues to the Kurosaki Clinic...
Seeing Ohta stare at her in ostensibly judgmental silence, Karin's mask of resolution began to crack. She was nervous just being in the same room as him, so her palms became sweaty, her heart racing as her fear of being turned away manifested as a suppressed panic attack...
Just as Karin looked like she was about to start crying, Ohta adopted a smile and said, "Fuck it. You want me to teach you? Sure. But whether or not you can learn anything depends on you. If you can't, don't blame me for your lack of talent."
Feeling tremendous relief, Karin exhaled a sigh that made her seem much older before adopting a pissed-off expression as she accused, "You enjoy messing with people, don't you?"
"You don't get shot in Japan without having a gift for pissing people off," replied Ohta. "Now, be specific. What, exactly, do you want me to teach you?"
"Well, what can you teach?" asked Karin. "I don't even know what's going on, so how can I know what to ask?"
"Hmmm...good point..." replied Ohta, moving over to the bookshelf Rukia had forced him to install. He still had the fairly detailed journal she wrote to explain Shinigami and the structure of Soul Society, so he tossed it at Karin, saying, "That should give you a general idea of what's going on with your brother. But don't think I'm giving it to you. Once you make a copy, I expect you to return it..."
Noticing the severity in Ohta's gaze, Karin swallowed hard and replied with a meek, "Right..." before placing the notebook in her backpack. Once done, she turned to Ohta and pointed out, "That still doesn't explain what you can teach me." in a marginally more confident tone.
"Then clear your ears and listen closely because I'm only going to say this once," said Ohta, subsequently explaining the basics of mental, spirit, and physical energy while Karin listened attentively and took notes...
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(A/N: Ichigo is not going to be happy...)

Unamused by Uryu's relaxed response, Ohta replied, "Then you should be expecting this," before disappearing in a flash. Uryu's eyes widened as he attempted to take evasive actions, but an invisible force restrained him like being trapped in a vacuum bag, preventing his escape as Ohta landed a devastating blow to his left cheek, sending him flying.
"Whatever you did, undo it right this instant," said Ohta, making his way toward the downed Uryu while rolling his right shoulder and preparing to give the Quincy's white, priest-like attire a paint job.
"I can't...!" barked Uryu, holding his rapidly swelling cheek and glaring at Ohta as he explained, "The bait has already dispersed to the wind! At this point, all we can do is eliminate the Hollows as they appear!"
Adopting a vicious smile, Ohta asked, "So, you lured hundreds of Hollows to a town filled with innocent people? Give me one reason why I shouldn't skewer your ass on a telephone pole."
Opening his mouth, Uryu tried to make his case but was precluded by Ohta's fist smashing into his face a second time, sending him reeling as the incensed Shinigami stated, "And you should probably make it quick. I'm not very patient when it comes to dealing with villains."
Holding his broken nose, Uryu was slightly teary-eyed as he shouted, "It's you, Shinigami, who are the villains! You hunt-"
Interrupting Uryu's senseless diatribe, Ohta tried to punch him a third time, but the former managed to dodge, vanishing in a manner similar to Shunpo.
Following Uryu with his spiritual sense, Ohta plainly stated, "I don't give a fuck what your beef is with Shinigami. I was in your class until just a few months ago. What does your vendetta have to do with me or anyone else in this town?"
Gritting his bloodied teeth, Uryu asserted, "No innocent lives would be in danger if you didn't interrupt me!"
"Are you seriously this fucking daft?" asked Ohta, a genuinely incredulous look appearing on his face. "I just had to rescue Ichigo's little sister from being shishkebabbed by one of the Hollows 'you' summoned. Do you not consider an eleven-year-old girl that has never done jack shit to you as an 'innocent' bystander?"
Unable to contend Ohta's words, Uryu exclaimed, "We don't have time for this! More and more Hollows are appearing as you stand here distracting me...!"
"Wrong response," replied Ohta, moving much faster than the last few times he had attacked. By the time Uryu actually heard his words, Ohta had the raven-haired youth's face in his hand, slamming him to the ground with enough force to produce a sizeable crater. The whites of Uryu's eyes showed, but thanks to some hidden force protecting him, he managed to survive having his head smashed into concrete.
"Fucking cockroach..." muttered Ohta, raising his foot to finish what he had started when a sensation similar to vertigo overtook him, his vision spinning for a moment before the image of Uryu decorating the pavement was replaced by a grass field.
"It's good to have conviction, but you shouldn't get carried away..." said Yoruichi, having thwarted Ohta's attempt to terminate Uryu by 'tackling' him with a variant of Shunpo.
Furrowing his brows, Ohta asserted, "He deserves to die. What he's done is no different from a terrorist holding thousands of people hostage with a bomb."
"Let's not get into this right now," said Yoruichi. "As we speak, hundreds of Hollow are emerging throughout Karakura Town. Leave the Quincy brat to me and focus on saving lives, not taking them."
"Whatever..." huffed Ohta, taking to the sky to continue hunting Hollow. He still believed Uryu deserved to die, but Yoruichi's intervention made it clear the raven-haired shitstain was part of their 'plans,' presumably one to deal with Yhwach. The latter was a much greater threat than a fifteen-year-old with a vendetta, so Ohta was willing to forestall Uryu's execution, at least for the time being...
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After scurrying around desperately in search of his sister, Ichigo finally tracked down Karin in the same lot Ohta had left her, the latter currently in the process of moving her schoolmates to safety.
"Karin...!" shouted Ichigo, racing over to his little sister after seeing the bloodstain covering her right side.
Before Ichigo could grab her, Karin caught him off guard with a shoot kick to the groin, surprising even herself. She was used to kicking their dad when he acted like a fool, so her muscle memory kicked in, quite literally, when Ichigo came charging at her.
Though he didn't fall, Ichigo's body shook as he struggled to stay upright, forcing a smile as he asked, "Why did you kick me...?"
"Force of habit..." replied Karin, adopting her characteristic scowl as she asked, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be hunting those freaks with masks...?"
"I was worried about you, obviously," replied Ichigo, forcing himself to stand straighter as he asked, "Tell me what happened to your side. Are you injured...?"
"No," replied Karin, telling the truth but neglecting to mention she was on the verge of death just a few minutes prior.
"Then what's with all the blood?" asked Ichigo, staring at his sister as if she had lost her mind.
"That's not important right now," asserted Karin. "What I want to know is what's going on with you and those monsters. Why are you a spirit, and what's the deal with that oversized sword and strange outfit?"
Furrowing his brows, Ichigo hesitated before asserting, "I can't explain things right now. We need to get you home and make sure Yuzu is safe."
"Wouldn't we be safer if you killed all those monsters?" asked Karin. "Just leave Yuzu to me and go take care of them."
"I can't just leave you...!" exclaimed Ichigo. Before he could say anything else, however, Karin sent him sliding backward with a superhuman kick to his guard, shouting, "Just go already!"
Staring at his sister in stupefaction, Ichigo muttered, "Karin...when did you get this strong...?"
Aware that Ohta didn't have the best relationship with her brother, Karin threw Ichigo's words back at him, flatly retorting, "I can't explain things right now. I need to get home and make sure Yuzu's safe."
"..."
Though he had numerous questions, Ichigo paused for a moment before nodding his head, his expression and tone serious as he said, "Fine...just be careful..."
"Worry about yourself..." muttered Karin, crossing her arms and looking away in a pouty huff. At least when Ohta saw her off, he wished her luck. Instead, he vested her with a strange power and trusted that she could take care of herself and her friends...
Scratching the back of his head, Ichigo wanted to say more, but he had never been good at dealing with Karin's rebelliousness. She was just as cute and affectionate as Yuzu when she was younger, but after the death of their mother, she became standoffish and often got into fights...
Shaking his head, Ichigo muttered, "Whatever...just get home..." before taking off to continue killing Hollow. Unlike Ohta, however, he had to run around like a jackass, making his exit significantly more awkward...
Seeing her brother run off, Karin exhaled a tired sigh and muttered, "Be safe..." with a conflicted, clearly worried look. She didn't know what her brother had gotten involved in, but it was clearly something dangerous. They weren't as close as they used to be, but she cared about him more than she was willing to admit. She wouldn't have based her personality on him otherwise...
Staring down at her right hand, Karin balled it into a fist, squeezing it as tightly as she could. As she did so, a notable distortion appeared around her fist. She had held back when she kicked Ichigo, so she couldn't help wondering just how strong the power Ohta vested her was...
Turning her gaze to a tree more than ten meters away, Karin got into a sloppy karate pose and shouted, "Ya...!" as she punched forward with all her might. She wasn't sure what she expected, but it definitely wasn't the ground between her and the tree being upheaved, forming a long ditch as the unfortunate tree twisted and splintered into thousands of pieces...
"Holy shit..."
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After eradicating his seventy-third Hollow, Ohta found himself beneath the strange phenomenon in the sky, wondering whether or not he should try and 'attack' it.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," remarked a familiar, annoying voice.
"What are you doing here, old man?" asked Ohta, turning to find Kisuke standing on the streets below.
Adopting a smile, Kisuke explained, "That right there is what's known as an unstable Garganta, a crack connecting to the void between worlds. If you attack it carelessly, you could cause a lot of destruction. It's best to wait for whatever's trying to break through and attack once it emerges..."
"That being said..." muttered Kisuke, placing his hand on his hat as he asked, "Any chance I can convince you to sit the rest of this battle out? It's no longer 'private,' if you catch my meaning..."
Understanding that Kisuke was alluding to the fact that Soul Society had sent someone to investigate, likely a member of the Stealth Corps, a deep frown marred Ohta's face. He wasn't the heroic type, but he also wasn't the type to sit around as his hometown was besieged by monsters only he and a few others could see.
"There were some mishaps at the start, but everything's under control now," assured Kisuke. "We moved everyone at risk of being targeted to safety. Without any targets to pursue, the Hollows will begin to converge on this point. Once they do, my pupils and I will take care of the fodder while Kurosaki Ichigo deals with the monster bound to emerge from that Garganta. Sound good?"
Landing next to Kisuke, nearly knocking the man's hat due to the air pressure, Ohta remarked, "Sure, why not? Just know that if shit hits the fan, Aizen and Yhwach will be the least of your concerns..."
"I'll keep that in mind," replied Kisuku, his eyes concealed by the shadow of his hat as he kept it in place with his hand, smiling creepily underneath. He knew Ohta's words weren't complete bluster, but he also knew that if shit truly did hit the fan, they would all be dead. Then it wouldn't matter if Ohta wanted to kill him...
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"I'm surprised you pulled out. I honestly didn't think you were capable of it..." mused Yoruichi, appearing next to Ohta as he stood atop the roof of a stumpy, thirteen-floor skyscraper to observe things from afar.
"I can see what you would think that..." replied Ohta, his expression and tone flat despite alluding to the many times he had cum inside Yoruichi. Her body broke down and converted everything to Reishi(spirit particles), so her greedy pussy had never spilled a drop, no matter how many times he painted her insides.
Making her way over to Ohta's side, Yoruichi moved to sit on the parapet in front of him, a position that put her breasts around level with his eyes as she stared down at him and stated, "Everything's going to be okay..." in an uncharacteristically soft tone.
Meeting Yoruichi's gaze, Ohta's eyes exuded a near-crimson glow as he asked, "And if things don't go according to plan...?"
"Well, I can't let you destroy Soul Society..." muttered Yoruichi. "But, once Aizen, Yhwach, and the other major threats have been dealt with, I'll take responsibility however you want me to..."
Narrowing his eyes, Ohta remained silent for several seconds, holding the golden-eyed woman's gaze and noting the 'seriousness' contained within. She had no intention of letting Rukia die, but if the rescue attempt failed, she was willing to accept 'responsibility' to avoid the scenario where Ohta went full-nuclear on the Soul Society. That included relinquishing her life, but if she were being completely honest, she would prefer it if Ohta held her accountable in other ways...
Seeing through Yoruichi's thoughts, Ohta exhaled a scoffing chuckle and said, "Fine. I'll continue playing along. But, if Rukia loses her life, I'll have you become mine...not my woman, but my cat. I will never view you as a replacement..."
Though Ohta's words made her feel a type of frustration she couldn't put into words, Yoruichi didn't attempt to argue with him. Instead, she turned into her cat form, making a cat loaf atop the parapet before narrowing her eyes and responding with a curt, "Fine..."
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Chapter 31: Simmering Fury