Not a Mob: Psycho

While Ohta was being stalled by Starrk and Lilynette, Rukia and Orihime, tailed by Soifon, made their way to where Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Rangiku were facing off against an Arrancar with effeminate features and six whip-like tentacles protruding from his back. Nearby, Toshiro and Renji teamed up against a large, muscle-bound Arrancar with a bone mask covering his lower jaw while, more surprisingly, Kisuke fended off a child-like opponent with buck teeth who flailed at him like a mindless beast.
"Who should we help first?" asked Orihime, trying to appear calm despite her heart racing and a cold sweat breaking out across her body due to the powerful Reiatsus clashing in the vicinity.
"I'm most worried about Rangiku and the others," replied Rukia. "Captain Toshiro and Renji will be fine teaming up together, and Urahara should be more than capable of taking care of himself."
Drawing her Zanpakuto, prompting Orihime to do the same, Rukia said, "Dance, Sode-no-Shirayuki...!" even though it wasn't strictly necessary for her to call out the name of her Zanpakuto after attaining Bankai.
Following Rukia's example, Orihime shouted, "Cry gently, Kokoroyoi...!" as her Zanpakuto's blade shrank, transitioning into a coil of golden bells with three tiers, functionally identical to a Kagura Suzu, an instrument used by Shrine Maidens during Shinto rituals. The topmost layer had two bells, the second had four, and the third had six, matching the number of petals she had in her hairpins. As for the tsuba(guard) and hilt, the former resembled a six-petalled golden flower in bloom, while the latter was scarlet, affixed with red, gold, white, purple, blue, and black ribbons.
Swinging her instrument-like Zanpakuto toward Rukia, Orihime shouted, "Suzu-no-Kyoshin...!" causing the bells of Kokoroyoi to issue a pleasant-sounding chime. At the same time, a faint golden light enveloped Rukia's body, resonating with and directly amplifying her Reiatsu as she wielded her pure white Zanpakuto, stabbing it into the ground four times before lowering herself into a thrusting posture, taking aim at the Arrancar with six tentacles more than two hundred meters away as she coldly muttered, "Tsugi-no-mai, Hakuren(Next Dance, White Ripple)..."
As the temperature around her dropped rapidly, Rukia thrust forward with her Zanpakuto, unleashing an avalanche-like wave of energy that formed into a destructive vortex as it surged toward the effeminate Arrancar from his blind spot. The raven-haired Demihollow was caught off guard by the attack but managed to retract all six of his tentacles to block it, scowling as he hissed, "Underhanded wench...how dare you sneak attack the great Luppi!?"
Shattering the ice that had formed around his tentacles, Luppi intended to direct them at Rukia and Orihime like a rain of spears, but turning his back to Rangiku would prove to be a fatal mistake. A frigid numbness suffused his body after Rukia's attack, so he barely felt the gentle breeze heralding Rangiku's before a sense of existential dread washed over him.
"Gin senp-"
Before Luppi could finish his utterance, his body was abruptly bifurcated at the waist, his upper half consequently disintegrating while his legs fell to the ground with a sickening crunch. It was a relatively gruesome sight, causing Orihime's stomach to churn, but she managed to avoid throwing up as she and Rukia joined hands with Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika to provide support to Toshiro and Renji...
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Sensing the death of one of his comrades, Starrk's brows furrowed ever so slightly. Fortunately, the one that perished was the one they intended to use as a sacrificial pawn if things went south. Starrk only really cared about the Espada ranked two through five, so the death of Luffy, Luppon, or whatever he was called, was summarily dismissed in his mind.
Catching the gunslinging Arrancar slightly off guard, Ohta asked, "What's your and the other Arrancars' aim? You said that if it were up to you, you wouldn't be here. Is Aizen controlling you...?"
Scratching his head with his right pistol, Starrk deliberated momentarily before replying, "Those of us ranked three and above are immune to the effects of his Zanpakuto. At least, that's what he told us. As for why we're helping him..."
Interrupting Starrk's explanation, the pistol in his hand screamed, "Stop fraternizing with the enemy, Starrk! You know this bastard is going to run rampant in our home after this, right!? Is your head hollow or-"
Sheathing the pistols in their holsters, Starrk continued, revealing, "Aizen promised Lilynette and me an end to our loneliness and gave us comrades to protect. Once he claims the throne of the Soul King, Barragan, Harribel, and the two of us will become his Royal Guard, building a peaceful society outside the influence of the three realms..."
"Is that supposed to be some kind of joke...?" asked Ohta, brows raised in disbelief. "Aizen intends to supplant the Soul King and destroy the current balance. Billions will die for the 'peace' you're referring to..."
"But those who survive, the truly strong, will build a far stabler world atop the previous one's destruction," contended Starrk. "As someone born with tremendous power, you must have felt it, right? The pain and loneliness of being different from nearly everyone else. Having to continuously restrain your power so that you don't inadvertently crush the lives of those around you like ants..."
Casting his gaze at the moon overhead, Starrk softly but firmly asserted, "If you haven't yet, you will..."
With Ohta unleashing a far larger crescent of energy, Starrk unholstered his right pistol and fired a massive column of azure blue energy, piercing the former's attack and forcing him to evade.
Contrasting his threat from earlier, Starrk didn't immediately begin firing upon the town of Karakura. Instead, he used Sonido to keep a distance from Ohta, kiting him with weaker projectiles and periodically evading his opponent's destructive attacks while drawing the exchange closer to the ground.
"You fucking pansy ass mother-fucker...!" screamed Ohta, seriously considering going full postal without regard for his surroundings. The moment he crossed that line, however, he would be no better than the monsters that incited the war in his previous life, resorting to the use of nukes the moment they realized they had invited a global ass-whopping onto themselves...
In response to Ohta's shout, Starrk surprised him by appearing right in front of him, pistol leveled at his face and angled toward the sky as he pulled the trigger. The attack knocked Ohta's hood off, incinerating it in the process, but when the blue light faded, the jackal-eared youth was largely unscathed, the same blue light from Starrk's attack rising from his throat like a haze as he said, "You'll need to do better than that..."
Raising his brows, Starrk questioned, "Did you...eat my attack...?" before dodging as Ohta opened his mouth to unleash a similarly blue projectile. His body was tough enough to withstand the flames of the Sokyoku, and his ability to absorb and repurpose energy was frightening to the point that Yoruichi had warned him against exhibiting it in front of others lest he truly be labeled a monster. More importantly, with the majority of Starrk's attacks being energy projectiles, Ohta was, very nearly, the man's natural enemy.
Before Ohta could try and take a bite out of Starrk directly, a pillar of light abruptly descended from a crack in the sky, enveloping the gunslinging Arrancar in a nearly indestructible barrier. If an ordinary Shinigami were to strike it, not only would they be unable to affect it, but the energy within the light would rebound, seriously injuring or killing them. Ohta was aware of this, but instead of simply gnashing his teeth and allowing Starrk to get away scot-free, he Shunpo'd forward and landed a meteoric blow against the thin energy membrane, cracking it like bulletproof glass but ultimately failing to break through as blood erupted from his arm...
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Discovering Ohta lying in the middle of the road, staring listlessly at the sky with his right arm mangled, Orihime screamed, "Ohta-kun...!" before rushing over to heal him. Rukia and several others ran over to him as well, many wearing expressions of disbelief as they couldn't believe that he, of all people, had 'lost.'
Creating an unnerving disparity, especially with the condition of his arm, Ohta rose to a seated position, his expression a neutral mask of calm as he said, "Don't look at me like that. This injury is the result of punching the Negaci&oacute;n. Now, tell me, what happened on your guys' end?"
Instead of answering Ohta's question, Toshiro stared at him with even greater disbelief, asking, "You punched the Negaci&oacute;n? With your bare fist? Do you have a death wish...?"
"Yeah," replied Ohta. "More specifically, I wish that coyote bastard and his stupid talking pistols would choke on Aizen's dick..."
Interpreting the malice in Ohta's words to indicate he would be fine, Rukia exhaled a sigh of relief, placing her hand on his forearm as she said, "We'll get them next time..."
"Preferably on their home turf..." muttered Ohta, his expression and tone huffy. The fact this raid had occurred two days before their assault on Hueco Mundo concerned him, but it wouldn't matter once they received the order to attack. At that time, even if Aizen and his hypnotized holes escaped to the Human World, Ohta could unleash his full power without restraint...
Thinking of the final battle against Aizen, Ohta gave up on receiving an answer to his previous question and asked, "Where's the strawberry...?"
Shaking his head, Toshiro replied, "We don't know. We had our hands full with our opponents, but he should be okay if he were with those Visored. If they were defeated by a single Arrancar, they wouldn't be very useful in the fight against Aizen..."
"You're not wrong..." muttered Ohta, flexing his right hand since Orihime had just finished repairing it. He then used said hand to caress her head, replacing the concerned look on her face with a smile as he adopted one of his own...
Interrupting the moment, Ichigo landed like a meteor next to the group, not controlling his descent in the slightest. As a result, a large crater was formed in the middle of the street as he shouted, "Ohta, everyone, it's an emergency! We need to go to Hueco Mundo right now...!"
Before anyone could advise him to calm down or ask what the fuss was about, Ichigo, looking particularly desperate, barreled through them in an attempt to grab Ohta's collar, shouting, "It's Karin! She's been kidnapped! I need you to help me rescue her...!"
Though he initially shoved Ichigo away, Ohta's irritated expression turned to confusion as he asked, "Seriously...?"
"Does it look like I'm fooling around...!?" screamed Ichigo, the sclera of his eyes gradually turning black as Renji and Ikkaku struggled to restrain him.
Stepping between Ohta and Ichigo, Rukia shouted, "Calm down, Ichigo! We'll help you get your sister back! Just explain to us what happened...!"
Though he stopped trying to free himself from Renji's and Ikkaku's holds, Ichigo appeared no less panicked as he shouted, "Some asshole calling himself the Cuatro Espada attacked my house and took her hostage! He said that if I wanted to save her, I needed to come to a place called Los Noches and that I needed to bring Ohta with me. Now, let's go! We don't have time to waste...!"
Contrasting Ichigo's and nearly everyone else's expectations, Ohta rose to his feet, dusting himself off as he replied, "Sounds like fun. Let's go." in an almost casual tone. He was more than a little dissatisfied with how his fight with Starrk ended, so although this was clearly a trap to isolate him and Ichigo before the final battle, Ohta didn't care. The caveat was that if the enemy attempted to leverage Karin's life against them to compel their surrender, Ichigo would be losing a sister...
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(A/N: RIP Luffy. Also, here's your daily reminder that Not a Mob: Psycho is NOT a harem novel...)

"You will not go," declared Yamamoto, his form projected on a large monitor within Toshiro's room, a peculiar-looking device resembling a portal surrounded by fleshy vines.
"What the hell did you just say!?" screamed Ichigo. "Those bastards kidnapped my sister! We have to rescue her...!"
Showing no change in expression, Yamamoto stated, "Your sister is but one girl weighed against the fates of billions. Should you go and lose your life, everything, including the lives of your family and friends, will be lost. As such, you will stand by and await further orders while the members of the Advance Attack Squad, including former Captain Sui Feng and Kuchiki Rukia, return to Soul Society in preparation for the final battle."
Hearing her name mentioned among the group being forced to return, Soifon furrowed her brows and stated, "Forgive me, Captain Commander, but I cannot abide that order. My loyalties lie with the Shihouin Clan and my current Lord, Yamada Ohta..."
"Mmmm...I figured you, or someone else, might say that..." responded Yamamoto, tapping his cane against the wooden floor he was standing on. As he did so, a Senkaimon opened directly behind the group gathered in Toshiro's room, the forms of Byakuya, Kenpachi, and Yoruichi appearing from within, each donned in Captain's attire.
Raising her hand and waving as if the tensions within the room weren't palpable enough to be cut with a dull knife, Yoruichi mused, "Hey there, kitten. Long time no see, Ohta. Have the two of you been having fun while I was away~?"
"Yoruichi-sama..." muttered Soifon, elated to see her Mistress but more than a little confused.
Instead of Yoruichi, the next to speak was Byakuya, stating, "Come along, Rukia," before half-turning, his gaze briefly overlapping with Ohta's as the latter supplied a faint, nearly imperceptible nod. He knew both Rukia and Orihime would want to travel with him when he invariably invaded Hueco Mundo, but if he wanted to go 'all out,' he couldn't have allies nearby.
Unfortunately for Ohta, Rukia didn't follow her brother silently, placing her hand on his back as she whispered, "Wait for me..." in a faint but firm tone, her expression making it clear she wouldn't be happy if he ran off without her.
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With everyone, even the stationed members of Onmitsukidō returning to Soul Society, the only people left in the Inuneko Hotel were Ohta, Ichigo, and Orihime. The latter was concerned for Ichigo, but she stayed beside Ohta, believing he had a plan.
"Go home to your family, rest, and recuperate," said Ohta, causing Ichigo to raise his head. The orange-haired youth had fallen to his knees with a look of despair, but when he heard Ohta's words, life returned to his eyes as he bounded to his feet, screaming, "Ohta! Orihime! Please, you have to help me save my sister! Help me save Karin...!"
"Calm down, strawberry," said Ohta, his expression and tone neutral as he added, "We're obviously going to help, but charging into Hueco Mundo as you are is suicide. Go, talk to your dad, and get your affairs in order. Once Rukia returns, I'll message you to meet us at Urahara's Shop. He'll have a way to get us to Hueco Mundo. Guaranteed."
Though the thought of leaving Karin in the 'care' of the enemy for even a minute longer than necessary filled Ichigo with anxiety, he forced himself to calm down, replying, "I understand..." while balling his hands into fists. He was prepared to invade Hueco Mundo on his own if necessary, but he knew his chances of rescuing Karin increased immensely with Ohta's help. Thus, after a brief exchange of glances with Orihime, Ichigo turned away and returned home to have a much-needed discussion with his apparent Shinigami of a father...
Observing Ichigo's departure in silence, Ohta waited until the youth had disappeared completely before remarking, "That kid is going to need all the therapy when he grows up..."
"Ohta-kun..." muttered Orihime, throwing herself into his arms and holding onto him with her trembling body when he turned to face her. She was an exceptionally empathic woman, so witnessing others enduring pain and suffering caused her to experience a similar but lesser degree of anguish.
"You're such a crybaby..." remarked Ohta, his words not very considerate but his expression and tone reflecting at least a hint of compassion as he held the buxom beauty and gently pat her back...
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Staring at the sleeping face of Orihime, tears building in the corners of her eyes as she lay naked next to him, a faint sigh emanated from Ohta's nose as he returned his attention to his cell phone. Yoruichi and Rukia had been texting him about the timeline of the upcoming battle and their respective preparations. He wasn't particularly enthused to learn that Renji would be accompanying them to Hueco Mundo, but he didn't veto the suggestion as it would make his life marginally easier if the crimson-haired Shinigami were to die during the excursion...
Sensing a fluctuation in the barrier surrounding the hotel, Ohta rose to a seated position, spreading his senses throughout the structure to find two auras, one familiar, one not, presumably waiting for him in the lobby. Ohta was somewhat reluctant to leave Orihime alone in their bed while she was having a nightmare, but that didn't stop him from swapping into his spirit form and phasing through his bed, falling through the floor and continuing his descent until he reached ground level.
Emerging in the lobby, Ohta's voice echoed through the otherwise silent antechamber as he remarked, "You guys aren't very considerate, making me leave behind a crying woman to converse with your sorry asses in the dead of night..."
"Sorry about that," replied the man whose aura Ohta hadn't recognized, turning out to be none other than the father of Ichigo and Karin, Kurosaki Isshin. Contrasting his usual Hawaiin t-shirts, shorts, and doctor's coat, however, he was sporting the standard Shihakusho of a Shinigami, albeit with the addition of a white shoulder pauldron affixed with the remains of a Captain's haori.
Standing next to Isshin, wearing his usual dark-green samue, black haori, striped fisherman hat, and wooden clogs, Kisuke got straight to the point, asking, "Do you intend to wait, or are you planning to enter Hueco Mundo on your own...?"
"Things would be much easier if I went alone..." admitted Ohta, shifting his gaze to Isshin as he added, "Lucky for you, I don't think Rukia or the others would be too pleased with me if I ran off without them and failed to return with your brat..."
Understanding that Ohta was referring to going all out without regard for Karin's life, Isshin furrowed his brows as he remarked, "You know, that girl thinks the world of you..."
Shrugging his shoulders, Ohta casually retorted, "And I think the world of the world. Trust me. I intend to do what I can to save your daughter, but if Aizen tries to leverage her life against mine and Ichigo's, you know damn well the 'correct' choice to make, even if it sucks ass..."
"I understand that..." replied Isshin, furrowing his brows even deeper as he said, "But I want to hear you say it. Promise me you will do everything in your power to return my daughter safely. And do it using her name..."
Though he returned a frown, Ohta didn't deliberate for too long before answering, "I'll bring Karin back...you have my word..." in a resolute tone. He might not give two shits about Karin, but he could spare at least one. She was 'technically' his protege, so he wouldn't just stand by and watch her die if there was something he could do to prevent it...
Exhaling a sigh of relief, Isshin's expression relaxed considerably, a faint smile developing across his face as he said, "Then I can rest easy. Had you replied differently, I might have started believing it was a mistake to entrust Karin to your care."
"That's an interesting way of phrasing things..." remarked Ohta, adopting a half-lidded deadpan.
Waving his hand from side to side in front of his face, Isshin said, "Don't let it bother you too much. Karin might be young now, but she's maturing rapidly. Most of the girls you're involved with are hundreds of years your senior, so try not to dismiss my daughter's feelings outright. A three-and-a-half-year age gap means very little when you have lifespans measured in centuries."
Shaking his head, Ohta maintained a deadpan expression as he remarked, "I don't know if I should consider you very 'understanding' or a complete fucking moron. You know damn well I'm not a good person..."
Shrugging his shoulders, Isshin replied, "Few people truly are. Even more so when they have a duty to protect something 'greater' than themselves. So long as you can protect my daughter and help her pursue the path she has decided for herself, you don't 'need' to be a good or righteous person. Just being someone that she can depend on is more than enough..."
Shaking his head a second time, Ohta made a shooing gesture with his right hand, saying, "You can go now..." in a flat tone. The duo half-turned as if they were prepared to leave right then and there, but before doing so, Kisuke appended, "The Garganta has already been prepared. Come to the underground study chamber when you're ready to depart..."
Seemingly having completed their objective, Kisuke and Isshin Shunpo'd away, their execution nearly as instantaneous as Yoruichi's. In their wake, Ohta tarried in the empty lobby for almost two minutes before shaking his head, muttering, "These old bastards make me want to bash my head into a wall..."
Though he was tempted to ask why Isshin didn't volunteer himself to go and rescue his daughter, Ohta knew it probably had something to do with Kisuke's 'plan.' Thus, while he had absolutely no 'intentions' toward Karin, he was half-tempted to take in the sporty brat just to keep her away from her inept father and the creepy candy store uncle. If he refused, it wasn't difficult to imagine her going to Kisuke for lessons or work, becoming yet another pawn for him to manipulate...
"Someone seriously needs to kill that man..." muttered Ohta, turning away from the entrance to take the elevator back to his penthouse. Fortunately for Kisuke, Ohta wasn't oblivious to the man's 'usefulness.' Thus, until the threats of Aizen and Yhwach were dealt with, he would permit the man to keep breathing...
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With Orihime choosing to stay home from school, she and Ohta spent much of the day lounging about the penthouse, silently cuddling on the sofa as they watched movies on satellite TV. Orihime felt like they should be doing more, but as she could only provide support, she didn't speak a word about going to Hueco Mundo. Fortunately, just as the Sun started to creep over the horizon, a Senkaimon opened a few meters behind them, causing Ohta to remark, "I need to find a way to prevent that..." in a faint tone.
Emerging from within the Senkaimon, wearing beige cloaks and carrying large backpacks, Rukia and Renji briefly looked around, the former being the one to ask, "Where are Ichigo and the rest? Are we planning to meet them at Urahara's...?"
"Ideally, no," replied Ohta, adopting a smile as he added, "Unfortunately, Chad is a bro, and Uryu is a busybody, so I imagine they're waiting for us to arrive. I also just texted the angsty Strawberry, so we should be good to head over."
Nodding in affirmation, Rukia removed the pack from her back, saying, "Before that, take these. Hueco Mundo is a vast desert filled with Reishi that can be harmful to humans and spirits, so my brother prepared some equipment for us."
Pulling out a pair of cloaks like the ones she and Renji were wearing, Rukia had Ohta and Orihime try them on. They were surprisingly comfortable, so while Ohta didn't need a cloak to protect himself, he accepted it without a fuss. Then, as they could easily imagine Ichigo racing over to Urahara's at breakneck speeds, the group promptly departed without further delay...
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(A/N: I suppose for Isshin, who was 200+ years older than his wife, things like an age gap don't matter all that much (x _ x)...)

"Rematch! Rematch! I want a re-re-rematch~!" screamed Suzumebachi, rolling in the air and flailing her arms and legs after Ohta caught her for the seventh time in a row.
"You're starting to annoy me," remarked Ohta. "Our original agreement was that you would submit if I managed to tag you within an hour. Now we're seven rounds in and down to ten minutes. From the next round on, I'll be smacking the shit out of you instead of poking you gently..."
"Kuh..."
While it was true she had increased the number of rounds and reduced the time Ohta had to catch her, Suzumebachi felt aggrieved hearing his words. She regarded herself as being the stealthiest, quickest, and most agile Zanpakuto, so she couldn't accept losing in the categories she was most proud of.
"You must be cheating..." asserted Suzumebachi, glaring at Ohta with teary eyes and an indignant pout.
"Says the person who hid outside the boundaries she set..." muttered Ohta, returning the Spirit's teary gaze with a deadpan expression of his own.
"Ah! I can't stand you...!" screamed Suzumebachi, reverting to throwing a tantrum. As she did, Ohta couldn't help looking at Soifon with the same dead-eyed expression, causing the petite Shinigami to avert her eyes in shame.
"Chance...!" exclaimed Suzumebachi, vanishing mid-fit. She intended to take advantage of Ohta's inattentiveness to flee and conceal herself, but the moment she reached her terminal point, a giant hand closed around her body, followed by the man she hated the most holding her up to his face and saying, "That makes eight..." with half-lidded eyes.
Frowning deep enough that her chin formed wrinkles, a sour feeling built in Suzumebachi's nose until she began bawling as loud as her little lungs permitted. She 'really' hated losing. So much so that when Soifon initially beat her in a game of tag to earn her Bankai, Suzumebachi presented her with a giant missile arm that severely limited her mobility out of spite...
After observing the bawling Spirit for over a minute, Ohta loosened his grip slightly, using the index finger of his left hand to rub her head as he said, "You're a really poor loser..."
Instead of responding to Ohta with words, Suzumebachi abruptly tried biting the finger of the hand holding her. Instead, she bit the psychic membrane protecting it, causing her to tear up even more than before...
"Hmmm..."
As he was getting annoyed with chasing the diminutive Spirit around, Ohta sat down, maintaining his hold on Suzumebachi and continuing to caress her head with his finger. When she eventually demanded that he release her, he readily agreed. However, before doing so, he warned that if he managed to catch her ten times in a row, he would continue stroking her head until she submitted or became bald, whichever came first...
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Looking between the light-weight stinger covering her right arm, the kite-like shield hovering over her left, and the pointed metal greaves covering her lower legs and feet, Soifon couldn't help feeling indignant. For several decades, she had despised her Bankai as it was functionally useless in all but a few situations. Now that she knew the giant missile wasn't even her Bankai, she wished she could materialize Suzumebachi again, this time to strangle her personally...
"What's up with you?" asked Ohta. "Your face looks like you swallowed a fly."
"It's nothing..." responded Soifon, discarding her attitude as she looked to Ohta and bowed low, expressing, "Thank you for your assistance...even without testing it, I can state with certainty that my Bankai has become much easier to control..."
"You can thank me by never pointing it in my direction," replied Ohta. "I have confidence in my defense, but I can sense that the Reiyroku at the tip of your stinger has become much more potent. Is the effect the same as your Shikai...?"
Though it would be wiser to keep it a secret, Soifon eventually nodded, explaining, "The effect is similar, but I can fire a laser from the tip of my stinger to affect targets at a distance. Furthermore, I can leave marks using the tips of my toes and the stinger on my lower back. If the latter connects, it will leave a mark across the opponent's entire body..."
Imagining Soifon flying ass-first at an enemy like a genuine hornet, Ohta couldn't help smiling. She currently had crimson, wing-like attachments on the ends of her braids, seemingly permitting her to fly and dart about without the need to produce footholds, so it was certainly possible.
Misinterpreting the reason for Ohta's smile, especially when he began to caress her head, a faint blush involuntarily colored Soifon's cheeks. She presumed it was because he had used a similar method to subjugate her Zanpakuto, but her heart fluttered and started beating faster the moment he touched her head...
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As September transitioned into October, the days passing paradoxically slowly yet somehow appearing to fly by, Ohta was pleasantly surprised to receive a message from Yoruichi on his cell phone.
"Good news," said Ohta, caressing the head of the woman giving him a blowjob in the middle of the living room. "Yoruichi says the preparations for the assault are complete. The order to attack should come within the next few days, if not tonight."
Though she wanted to respond, Soifon continued sucking Ohta's cock like the dutiful servant she was molding herself into. It was only after she got him to cum, swallowing every last drop, that she pulled away, sitting with her legs tucked under her in a proper seiza as she affirmed, "That is good news. If things go well, you could be promoted to the position of a Lesser Noble and vested land within the central district of the Seireitei. Then you can start your own family or form a branch of an existing one, presumably the Kuchiki or Shihouin..."
"We'll see..." hummed Ohta, gesturing for Soifon to rise, climb onto his lap, and sheathe his cock inside her. It had become a part of his daily routine to fuck her at least once after dropping off the girls at school, so he gave her ass a light smack, prompting her to move as he picked up the remote and turned on the TV. He wasn't particularly bored, but he had a policy of only giving his full attention to Rukia unless he was on the offensive. This irritated Rangiku and Soifon tremendously, but Ohta viewed that as a net positive as it prevented them from getting too comfortable and compelled them to try harder to 'earn' his attention...
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[October 29th, 2001, 10:48 PM]
*beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep*
Hearing their alarms beeping incessantly, Ohta, Rukia, and Orihime woke immediately, the latter two practically leaping out of bed while the former grabbed his phone to read the alert.
"It says that six Arrancar have appeared and are presently engaging the Advance Attack Squad, the Substitute Shinigami, and an unidentified man in the vicinity. I'm guessing Ichigo's dad."
"We should hurry and provide reinforcement," replied Rukia, throwing Ohta his trousers. However, as he had been sleeping in his Gigai in preparation for this type of scenario, he simply transitioned into his spiritual form, fully clothed and ready to go.
"Get in here, Bumblecat," said Ohta, prompting Soifon to appear less than a second later. She had already yielded her position as the Captain of the 2nd Division, so the only two people that could order her to mobilize were Ohta and Yoruichi.
"Same as usual," said Ohta, surprising Orihime with a smack on her perky bottom as he added, "You're free to attack the enemy, but keep this one safe at all costs. If anything happens to her, it's your ass..."
"As you will," replied Soifon, cupping her hands and bowing respectfully before raising her head to stare at Orihime. The latter was seemingly able to heal 'any' injury, so even if Ohta hadn't instructed it, Soifon would have prioritized protecting her.
Turning his attention to Rukia, Ohta asked, "Should I go ahead, or do you want me to wait?"
"I appreciate your concern, but I do not need your protection," replied Rukia, adding, "Go. And be quick about it."
Emulating Soifon's usual response, Ohta mused, "As you will, Princess," before Shunpoing away. He disagreed with Rukia on the notion that she didn't need protection, but he didn't want to deprive her of her agency. She was actually fairly powerful after attaining and training to master her Bankai. It was just that, compared to the power he possessed, everyone else felt like they were fumbling about and 'needed' protection...
...
..
.
Arriving in the sky outside the hotel, Ohta Shunpo'd in the direction of the closest battlefield when a familiar figure with messy brown hair appeared, blocking his path.
"It's you..." remarked Ohta, losing the faint smile on his face as he clapped his hands together and shouted, "Bankai...!"
Though his outfit didn't change from his Shikai release, Ohta manifested a bandage-wrapped spear with a black and gold khopesh blade on one end and what looked like a tuning fork on the other.
Adopting his distinctly jackal-like grin, Ohta's voice echoed through the surrounding space as he brandished his spear and growled, "Kuroinu-no-Anpu, Souten-no-Seigyo(Dominion over Heaven and Earth)...!"
Seeing Ohta whip out his Bankai, the Arrancar blocking his path used one of his two pistols to scratch his head, stating, "I'd rather not have to fight you..." in a lazy tone.
"Then save us both the trouble by shooting yourself in the face," retorted Ohta, swinging the khopesh end of his spear to create a massive, crimson energy blade in the form of a revolving crescent. The gunslinging Arrancar had no trouble evading it with his unique variant of Shunpo, called Sonido. However, as he hadn't moved very far, his sole visible eye widened when a powerful gravitational force acted upon him, attempting to draw him into the blade's path as it reversed direction.
Evading much further away this time, the gunslinging Arrancar observed Ohta with caution as he used the tuning fork end of his spear to intercept the crimson energy beam, ostensibly reabsorbing it and causing his spear to produce a high-pitched humming sound.
"You're pretty fast..." remarked Ohta, his smile nowhere to be seen. His Bankai had the power to emit and absorb energy to empower his strikes, but the stronger the resonance, the fast and more destructive it became. That would be a good thing in any other circumstance, but as they were in the middle of downtown Karakura Town, he needed to be careful to avoid causing collateral damage...
As if he could read Ohta's thoughts, the gunslinging Arrancar leveled his pistol at a nearby residential complex, warning, "My only objective is to stall you. If you insist on fighting or attempt to flee, I'll start attacking the surrounding structures..."
Punctuating his statement, the gunslinging Arrancar aimed his second pistol at the sky, unleashing a destructive beam of azure blue energy that could presumably cut through a building like a laser slicing tofu. Then, as if to demonstrate the futility of trying to stop him from firing his weapon as he pleased, he unleashed nearly a thousand weaker projectiles in less than a second...
"..."
Seeing the hate-filled glower on Ohta's face, the gunslinging Arrancar sighed, scratching his head again as he said, "Don't look at me like that. I'm honestly not a bad guy. If it were up to me, I wouldn't be involved in this conflict..."
Shaking his head, the man added, "Unfortunately, I have a duty to protect my comrades. If you attempt to go for mine, I'll have no choice but to go for yours. You would probably be able to stop me, eventually, but at what cost...?"
"What's your name...?" asked Ohta, his voice a low growl that caused the surrounding air to tremble as his Reiatsu continued to compound.
"Coyote Starrk..." replied the Arrancar, thereafter raising his left pistol and adding, "And this is Lilynette Gingerbuck..."
"Nice ta meetcha, asshole," appended the pistol, causing Starrk to smack her against his head. Then, for the better part of six minutes, the duo had
an argument with one another while Ohta watched on in silence, seething with fury...
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..
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(A/N: Being the 'good guy' sucks sometimes...)

Chapter 74: Longing for Peace