Mutual Rescues
Title: Mutual Rescues
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Bleach
Spoilers/Warnings: AU. I am not very familiar with the Bleach anime, and Katen Kyokotsu's personality is based on the manga and my own suppositions.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or its characters.
Summery: A mysterious pair of swords draws Nanao into the shadows, and she finds that just maybe she belongs there as well.
Mutual Rescues
Nanao waited tense and uncertain for a sign of who was approaching her location. If she had to, she'd roll off the table before hand, but she'd rather keep the element of surprise for as long as she could. Her eyes were closed. People tended to underestimate you when they think you're helpless. She might not have her hands free, but at the very least she would be able to kick someone and run. But the footfalls she heard were familiar.
The door squeaked open, and then there were brisk footsteps across the floor. A gentle hand touched her shoulder.
"Nanao?" Shunsui's voice was low. "Precious, are you awake?"
Her eyes popped open, and she attempted to sit up. Shunsui immediately steadied her into a sitting position and set to work on the ropes that bound her hands. He held her gaze.
"Are you all right, sweetheart?"
She nodded. "Yes. Are you here alone?"
He shook his head as the knot came apart beneath his fingers. "Jyuu is already here, and there are more reinforcements on the way."
"Good. Let's get out of here."
Nanao moved to hop off the table found herself instead held tight in Shunsui's arms. For one moment, she allowed herself to lean against him. But they weren't out of the woods yet, and as much as she wanted to just stay here in his arms, they needed to get moving.
"Shunsui, we need to go."
He let out a soft sigh but helped her down from the table. The first thing she did was go directly for her sword. The moment she had unwrapped the silk Yamazakurakaze was wrapped in her familiar voice was back in her head.
Nanao? You're all right? We're going to carve that son of bitch into little bits.
She almost laughed. Right now she would just settle for getting out of here. She wasn't entirely feeling up to dealing with Stark right now, but she would do what she had to. She looked at Shunsui.
"What's the plan?"
Shunsui looked a little sheepish. "Jyuu and I didn't exactly have one other than break in and find you."
"I see. Where's Jyuushiro?"
"Distracting Stark."
The two of them slipped out of the room where Nanao had been held. They checked the corridor for any sign of Stark.
"Do we know if Stark has any minions around?"
Shunsui shook his head. "Not that we know of. Of course, he really doesn't need them for the most part. Have you seen anyone else besides Stark?"
She shook her head. "No. Let's find Jyuushiro and get out of here."
As it turned out, it was very easy to find Jyuushiro. The sounds of the ongoing fight were very clear as they headed down the corridor. Shunsui and Nanao shared a glance. She carefully drew her blade from its sheath. Both of Katen Kyokotsu's blades were already in Shunsui's hands. Shunsui arched an eyebrow at her, and Nanao nodded. The two of them edged their way into the next room.
Jyuushiro was in the midst of a battle with Stark. At Shunsui's nod, Nanao readied a kidou spell. The fire spell she cast disrupted the fight quite effectively. Jyuushiro glanced over at them with a tight smile. Stark stared at her. The look in his eyes was almost enough to make Nanao take a step back, but she refused to give him that satisfaction. Shunsui shifted closer to her. Nanao took a deep breath. This perhaps was not the best time for this particular fight, but Nanao didn't think that there was going to be a better one. It was time to end this for good. Hopefully, the three of them could manage that.
Shunsui traded a look with Jyuushiro. At some signal that Nanao didn't recognize, Shunsui joined the fray of the battle. Nanao hung back, readying another spell. She was at a disadvantage in a physical battle like this with the short range of her own sword, but her ability with kidou would be an asset. And if Stark so much as touched her, she was planning on stabbing him anyway. After all he had put her through, Nanao was feeling more than a little vindictive.
And Nanao could not help but notice the way that Stark's eyes followed her whenever he could. She was his target more than the other two, and that was both an advantage and a danger. While it was a good thing that Stark was not exactly at the top of his game in the fight since he was more focused on her than his opponents, Nanao also knew that his obsession with her might lead him to ignoring injuries that would normally affect him. She'd seen it before on an unrelated case involving a tanuki completely obsessed with a half-kappa girl.
The fight was not like any Nanao had engaged in before. For one thing, she had never seen either Shunsui or Jyuushiro this serious in a battle before. Its almost silent which is unnerving. Normally when they fight together there is banter and snark and witty taunts. There was none of that now. There was the stray comment here and there as Shunsui and Jyuushiro coordinated their attacks with each other and her, but for the most part that communication was nonverbal. That wasn't really that surprising given just how long they had been fighting together. Nanao's own integration into the team wasn't quite as seamless.
She could fight that way with Shunsui, but while she had fought with Jyuushiro as well, it was not a frequent thing, and it had been rare that the three of them fought together as a unit. Still, they were managing fairly well. Nanao was still worried. And then for one desperate moment everything seem to freeze. She saw what was coming clearly, though it was really happening too quickly for her to really understand. Shunsui was turned, covering Jyuushiro's back. Stark slid out of the line of attack, whirling towards Shunsui. Nanao knew the exact trajectory of the man's sword, and there was nothing she could do to stop it from slicing into Shunsui's side.
It was the sight of blood staining Shunsui's side that snapped Nanao out of the almost trace she was in. Absolutely cold with fury, she reached for a spell, anything that would hurt Stark.
Use this. Yamazakurakaze's voice held the same cold rage as Nanao.
The words flowed from her lips despite their unfamiliarity, and both her hands glowed with power. Nanao threw everything she had into the kidou spell, her eyes closing as a wave of power seemed to fill her.
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Bleach
Spoilers/Warnings: AU. I am not very familiar with the Bleach anime, and Katen Kyokotsu's personality is based on the manga and my own suppositions.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or its characters.
Summery: A mysterious pair of swords draws Nanao into the shadows, and she finds that just maybe she belongs there as well.
Mutual Rescues
Nanao waited tense and uncertain for a sign of who was approaching her location. If she had to, she'd roll off the table before hand, but she'd rather keep the element of surprise for as long as she could. Her eyes were closed. People tended to underestimate you when they think you're helpless. She might not have her hands free, but at the very least she would be able to kick someone and run. But the footfalls she heard were familiar.
The door squeaked open, and then there were brisk footsteps across the floor. A gentle hand touched her shoulder.
"Nanao?" Shunsui's voice was low. "Precious, are you awake?"
Her eyes popped open, and she attempted to sit up. Shunsui immediately steadied her into a sitting position and set to work on the ropes that bound her hands. He held her gaze.
"Are you all right, sweetheart?"
She nodded. "Yes. Are you here alone?"
He shook his head as the knot came apart beneath his fingers. "Jyuu is already here, and there are more reinforcements on the way."
"Good. Let's get out of here."
Nanao moved to hop off the table found herself instead held tight in Shunsui's arms. For one moment, she allowed herself to lean against him. But they weren't out of the woods yet, and as much as she wanted to just stay here in his arms, they needed to get moving.
"Shunsui, we need to go."
He let out a soft sigh but helped her down from the table. The first thing she did was go directly for her sword. The moment she had unwrapped the silk Yamazakurakaze was wrapped in her familiar voice was back in her head.
Nanao? You're all right? We're going to carve that son of bitch into little bits.
She almost laughed. Right now she would just settle for getting out of here. She wasn't entirely feeling up to dealing with Stark right now, but she would do what she had to. She looked at Shunsui.
"What's the plan?"
Shunsui looked a little sheepish. "Jyuu and I didn't exactly have one other than break in and find you."
"I see. Where's Jyuushiro?"
"Distracting Stark."
The two of them slipped out of the room where Nanao had been held. They checked the corridor for any sign of Stark.
"Do we know if Stark has any minions around?"
Shunsui shook his head. "Not that we know of. Of course, he really doesn't need them for the most part. Have you seen anyone else besides Stark?"
She shook her head. "No. Let's find Jyuushiro and get out of here."
As it turned out, it was very easy to find Jyuushiro. The sounds of the ongoing fight were very clear as they headed down the corridor. Shunsui and Nanao shared a glance. She carefully drew her blade from its sheath. Both of Katen Kyokotsu's blades were already in Shunsui's hands. Shunsui arched an eyebrow at her, and Nanao nodded. The two of them edged their way into the next room.
Jyuushiro was in the midst of a battle with Stark. At Shunsui's nod, Nanao readied a kidou spell. The fire spell she cast disrupted the fight quite effectively. Jyuushiro glanced over at them with a tight smile. Stark stared at her. The look in his eyes was almost enough to make Nanao take a step back, but she refused to give him that satisfaction. Shunsui shifted closer to her. Nanao took a deep breath. This perhaps was not the best time for this particular fight, but Nanao didn't think that there was going to be a better one. It was time to end this for good. Hopefully, the three of them could manage that.
Shunsui traded a look with Jyuushiro. At some signal that Nanao didn't recognize, Shunsui joined the fray of the battle. Nanao hung back, readying another spell. She was at a disadvantage in a physical battle like this with the short range of her own sword, but her ability with kidou would be an asset. And if Stark so much as touched her, she was planning on stabbing him anyway. After all he had put her through, Nanao was feeling more than a little vindictive.
And Nanao could not help but notice the way that Stark's eyes followed her whenever he could. She was his target more than the other two, and that was both an advantage and a danger. While it was a good thing that Stark was not exactly at the top of his game in the fight since he was more focused on her than his opponents, Nanao also knew that his obsession with her might lead him to ignoring injuries that would normally affect him. She'd seen it before on an unrelated case involving a tanuki completely obsessed with a half-kappa girl.
The fight was not like any Nanao had engaged in before. For one thing, she had never seen either Shunsui or Jyuushiro this serious in a battle before. Its almost silent which is unnerving. Normally when they fight together there is banter and snark and witty taunts. There was none of that now. There was the stray comment here and there as Shunsui and Jyuushiro coordinated their attacks with each other and her, but for the most part that communication was nonverbal. That wasn't really that surprising given just how long they had been fighting together. Nanao's own integration into the team wasn't quite as seamless.
She could fight that way with Shunsui, but while she had fought with Jyuushiro as well, it was not a frequent thing, and it had been rare that the three of them fought together as a unit. Still, they were managing fairly well. Nanao was still worried. And then for one desperate moment everything seem to freeze. She saw what was coming clearly, though it was really happening too quickly for her to really understand. Shunsui was turned, covering Jyuushiro's back. Stark slid out of the line of attack, whirling towards Shunsui. Nanao knew the exact trajectory of the man's sword, and there was nothing she could do to stop it from slicing into Shunsui's side.
It was the sight of blood staining Shunsui's side that snapped Nanao out of the almost trace she was in. Absolutely cold with fury, she reached for a spell, anything that would hurt Stark.
Use this. Yamazakurakaze's voice held the same cold rage as Nanao.
The words flowed from her lips despite their unfamiliarity, and both her hands glowed with power. Nanao threw everything she had into the kidou spell, her eyes closing as a wave of power seemed to fill her.