Gin grinned as he watched Gavin descend from his vehicle. Pushing himself off lightly from where he leaned against the side of his car, he bowed deeply, his left arm as it always was, braced against Shinsou's hilt. "Gavin-han," he chimed, giving Hei a small motion to indicate that he should take Rhode's parasol from out of the car. "You are as punctual as always, naa?" As he spoke, he held a hand out and to the side, palm open to receive the umbrella that Hei eventually deposited there. With a smooth motion, he turned it and hooked it so that its handle hung around his wrist; its collapsed bell, with its edge of cream-colored ruffles, swung backwards and forwards lightly as he moved to close the space between himself and Gavin. "Hei has told you of the situation." He didn't need to look at his second-in-command to receive confirmation of this statement; Gin was always aware of what Hei was up to -- sometimes, even before Hei did. "Should be simple enough, naa?"
He gave Gavin a quick up and down, and though the man seemed harmless enough with his white gloves and his pressed suit, Gin knew that there were more than a few tricks up his sleeve. The prospect of seeing what the Vescovo was capable of certainly proved to be an added bonus to this little excursion. It was perhaps, he mused in the back of his mind, even more appealing than the prospect of rescuing his little soldier. Gin continued, a small nod down the darkened street indicating their destination. "Five men, maybe six, though mostly doctors and practically harmless."
At his mention of doctors, Gin raised an eyebrow over his shoulder at Hei, who stood slightly behind him and to the side -- his whole body still and attentive. "You must promise not to get carried away, naa, Hei? This is, after all, Rhode-kun's liberation." He leaned back slightly, one hand reaching out and giving a small tug to the young man's sleeve, fingertips ghosting barely across the back of his hand.
When he spoke again, it was with a whisper, even though Gavin would still plainly hear, and his voice was low, almost teasing. "I need you focused, Hei. After all, we must impress our guest, naa?" He flashed teeth.
Hei followed his commander's example and gave Gavin a bow-though it was not nearly as low as Gin for he would not show the man his neck no matter how much respect Gin had for him-but his eyes were just a little bit distant, just a little bit distracted. They focused again when Gin spoke to him, because Gin would always take precedence over his own thoughts, his own feelings, his own being.
Though under different circumstances Hei might have been insulted at Gin's implication that he might lose his hard won control, it was entirely warranted for this particular task. Of course, it had been a full five years since he had last been in the clutches of his own doctors-and only slightly longer since he had been under their knife-he could remember vividly nearly every moment of the years he had been theirs to control, theirs to experiment on, theirs to kill if it came to it. It hadn't-at least, not for him. His sister's face flashed through his memory for only an instant before Gin's light touch and softly spoken words called him back to the present.
"Hai, Ichimaru-sama," Hei intoned, forcing himself to focus. There would be time later-much later and without Gin or Gavin's eyes upon him-to allow the memories and self pity to swamp him. But not now. Gin had instilled self control in him with a ruthless hand, and he used it now and he would use it for the forthcoming task. "I'm sure Gavin-san will be impressed." Hei could already feel the thrum of electricity in his blood.
He strolled over to the two Monacellos, his pace leisurely, his loafers quiet against the asphalt.
"They were relying on stealth to keep all of this quiet? So few guards? My, they should know that it's impossible to keep something from the eyes and ears of this city for long." A quiet chuckle, his blue eyes flickering over to where Rhode was being captive. "I am sure," he said, not looking at Hei and Gin. "that I will be impressed with what you will allow me the honor of seeing. I surely hope I can also impress you with what little skill I may have in comparison."
Gin laughed, the sound more polite than actually amused; no doubt the night would be brimming with surprises. "Perhaps we are lucky that this operation is less than official, naa? Otherwise we might have our hands full." He looked towards Hei, and with a small exchange of looks, indicated that the young man should lead them to the appropriate warehouse. As they moved along the streets, they took a path through the shadows, avoiding the standing pools of light cast down by the occasional street lamp.
As they neared their destination, Gin spoke again, in a low whisper. "Ara, I imagine Rhode-kun would enjoy an opportunity to repay her doctors." The comment was directed towards Hei. "Restrain them, naa, but nothing too sharp." He turned to Gavin and gave him a short nod. "I imagine a few guards will prove insignificant between the two of us."
Rhode would get a revenge that he had never been granted, he thought, ignoring what could only be a curl of resentment in his stomach. He had escaped his own doctors and scientists, and had been hunted by their soldiers. And he had killed those who hunted him-and those he hadn't had been taken care of by Gin-but the flight had only distanced him from the men who haunted his nightmares, had not erased them permanently. He nearly frowned at Gin's words, but instead nodded his assent.
Focusing on Gin's orders and what was to come, Hei was almost surprised at how little effort it took to push away the memories that had previously threatened to overwhelm him. From the beginning Gin had discouraged him from distancing himself emotionally as he killed, from keeping parts of him separate, and Hei had always listened to his commander in all things. But as he led the way towards the seemingly abandoned warehouse, he allowed the calm and cool rationality that made him so good at what he was settle over him, the blank expression on his face more of mask than the one he usually wore.
Hei slowed as they neared the warehouse, reaching beneath his coat, his fingers grazed over the hilt of his blade before moving to his belt and pulling out one of the wire leads. Don't kill them, Gin had said. Just restrain. Moving silently to the door, he stopped and looked behind him for the other two men.
A quiet chuckle in Gin's direction, to his words. "Yes, I think so, Mr. Ichimaru. I imagine we're a very capable pair, mm?" A faint chuckle
Kristoph followed Hei, reaching into his jacket for his favorite weapon: two small steel posts, held together by a nearly-invisible wire. He held it loosely in one hand following Hei. There was no doubt that he was excited, almost thrilled about the prospect of a little stealth with one of his favorite people and without that sort of .... overcautious air Mazikeen tended to carry around to these sorts of errands. He shifted one of the posts into his other hand, shoulder hunched forward.
"Are you ready, Hei?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper towards the other man. "And you, Ichimaru?" He glanced over his shoulder as he reached, gloved hand silently turning the knob. The slightest pressure pushed the door open.
It had to be quick, before anymore help could be summoned. One guard, the one closer to the door and maybe only three steps in front of him, was idly watching the haphazardly-set-up operating table. Kristoph would have been impressed with the set-up if he didn't notice the further guard, who had most certainly noticed them and was probably going to shout in about four seconds.
"Gin!" He hissed behind him, not because of any other reason than that it was so much shorter than his surname. He cocked his head towards the guard staring at them, then turned to the less-attentive one. The guard began to turn at the noise behind him, but Kristoph struck out, gloved hands clenching the wire hard against the man's neck and pulling it back. This held a twofold purpose: he couldn't get shot due to his new shield, and the man was utterly silenced and was swiftly nearing death.
Gin didn't need Gavin's warning to know what was needed of him. Before the door opened, he had pulled his sword from its sheath, its blade catching the light as he they moved. It was true, Gin didn't have nearly the strength and agility of some of the altered soldiers out there, but still, years of fighting, the streets and the sword, and then serving under Aizen had made him quick and agile in ways that exceeded most "pure" types. Gavin's choice of weapon meant that in order to attack, he'd need to get close, so Gin's attention quickly went to the guard standing on the farther side of the room. He moved quickly and with purpose, both himself and Hei rushing with and past each other in quick determination. For anyone who took notice, there was strange echoing of their movements and purpose, betraying the years that they had spent growing as killers side-by-side.
When within a proper distance -- though for an outside viewer, seemingly still to far -- Gin braced himself hard against the floor. He brandished his wakizashi forward with a sharp glint of its length in the light, and with the sharpest of whispers, summoned it. "Ikorose--" And suddenly the blade shot forward, its tip aimed with deadly accuracy toward the man's gut. "--Shinsou."
It was one of the most familiar sensations for Gin, the feeling of his sword finding its target -- dead center -- the small thunk of the blade connecting with full force, that wet sound of metal against flesh. Gin laughed, a small laugh when he saw the man's expression -- a strange ballet of pain and shock dancing across his face. As he withdrew his blade, he pulled it out and to the side with a great tearing of the man's torso, emptying blood and entrails onto the strangely well-sterilized warehouse floor.
Perhaps not the most subtle of approaches, it was true, but by the time Gin was done, Gavin had found his mark. Pulling Shinsou back, the blade retracting how quickly and with almost as strong a force as when it was deployed, Gin turned towards Hei. His back to Gin, the hem of his coat billowing with a deft motion, there was that glow about him, that spark, and all around there was the smell of ozone.
When one of the doctors crumpled to Hei's feet in a limp pile, Gin beamed -- his expression a sick perversion of pride -- smiled the way a victor did at his prize.
[ ooc :: ikorose roughly translates to "impale him" ]
Hei's world narrowed to the three doctors. He barely heard the men behind him, even when Gin and Shinsou killed one of the guards. He threw the wire lead, easily wrapping it around the neck of the closest one, and yanking it tight enough to choke off his breath. He was surprised to find that restricting himself to rendering the man unconscious wasn't nearly as hard as he thought it would be, and the man collapsed at his feet. Stepping over him, he turned his attention to the other two just in time to see one of them pull a gun from his coat and raise it.
But not at him. At Gin. There wasn't a whole lot of consideration to be done.
Without a second thought, Hei threw himself between the doctor and Gin. He barely heard the shot as he was thrown back by the bullet as it slammed into his chest. The moment that followed seemed to stretch out for hours longer than it was, silent after the gunshot. And then it passed, taking with it Hei's blank expression and leaving behind one of pure rage. His arm was a blur of motion and his dagger seemed to all but sprout from the man's neck, cutting a scream of pain off practically before it had even started.
Still holding the wire the dagger was attached to, the young man muttered something under his breath. And then the glow returned, the red in his eyes returned, and blood exploded out of the doctor, splattering itself across Hei's face and chest.
He gave Gavin a quick up and down, and though the man seemed harmless enough with his white gloves and his pressed suit, Gin knew that there were more than a few tricks up his sleeve. The prospect of seeing what the Vescovo was capable of certainly proved to be an added bonus to this little excursion. It was perhaps, he mused in the back of his mind, even more appealing than the prospect of rescuing his little soldier. Gin continued, a small nod down the darkened street indicating their destination. "Five men, maybe six, though mostly doctors and practically harmless."
At his mention of doctors, Gin raised an eyebrow over his shoulder at Hei, who stood slightly behind him and to the side -- his whole body still and attentive. "You must promise not to get carried away, naa, Hei? This is, after all, Rhode-kun's liberation." He leaned back slightly, one hand reaching out and giving a small tug to the young man's sleeve, fingertips ghosting barely across the back of his hand.
When he spoke again, it was with a whisper, even though Gavin would still plainly hear, and his voice was low, almost teasing. "I need you focused, Hei. After all, we must impress our guest, naa?" He flashed teeth.
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Though under different circumstances Hei might have been insulted at Gin's implication that he might lose his hard won control, it was entirely warranted for this particular task. Of course, it had been a full five years since he had last been in the clutches of his own doctors-and only slightly longer since he had been under their knife-he could remember vividly nearly every moment of the years he had been theirs to control, theirs to experiment on, theirs to kill if it came to it. It hadn't-at least, not for him. His sister's face flashed through his memory for only an instant before Gin's light touch and softly spoken words called him back to the present.
"Hai, Ichimaru-sama," Hei intoned, forcing himself to focus. There would be time later-much later and without Gin or Gavin's eyes upon him-to allow the memories and self pity to swamp him. But not now. Gin had instilled self control in him with a ruthless hand, and he used it now and he would use it for the forthcoming task. "I'm sure Gavin-san will be impressed." Hei could already feel the thrum of electricity in his blood.
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"They were relying on stealth to keep all of this quiet? So few guards? My, they should know that it's impossible to keep something from the eyes and ears of this city for long." A quiet chuckle, his blue eyes flickering over to where Rhode was being captive. "I am sure," he said, not looking at Hei and Gin. "that I will be impressed with what you will allow me the honor of seeing. I surely hope I can also impress you with what little skill I may have in comparison."
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As they neared their destination, Gin spoke again, in a low whisper. "Ara, I imagine Rhode-kun would enjoy an opportunity to repay her doctors." The comment was directed towards Hei. "Restrain them, naa, but nothing too sharp." He turned to Gavin and gave him a short nod. "I imagine a few guards will prove insignificant between the two of us."
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Focusing on Gin's orders and what was to come, Hei was almost surprised at how little effort it took to push away the memories that had previously threatened to overwhelm him. From the beginning Gin had discouraged him from distancing himself emotionally as he killed, from keeping parts of him separate, and Hei had always listened to his commander in all things. But as he led the way towards the seemingly abandoned warehouse, he allowed the calm and cool rationality that made him so good at what he was settle over him, the blank expression on his face more of mask than the one he usually wore.
Hei slowed as they neared the warehouse, reaching beneath his coat, his fingers grazed over the hilt of his blade before moving to his belt and pulling out one of the wire leads. Don't kill them, Gin had said. Just restrain. Moving silently to the door, he stopped and looked behind him for the other two men.
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Kristoph followed Hei, reaching into his jacket for his favorite weapon: two small steel posts, held together by a nearly-invisible wire. He held it loosely in one hand following Hei. There was no doubt that he was excited, almost thrilled about the prospect of a little stealth with one of his favorite people and without that sort of .... overcautious air Mazikeen tended to carry around to these sorts of errands. He shifted one of the posts into his other hand, shoulder hunched forward.
"Are you ready, Hei?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper towards the other man. "And you, Ichimaru?" He glanced over his shoulder as he reached, gloved hand silently turning the knob. The slightest pressure pushed the door open.
It had to be quick, before anymore help could be summoned. One guard, the one closer to the door and maybe only three steps in front of him, was idly watching the haphazardly-set-up operating table. Kristoph would have been impressed with the set-up if he didn't notice the further guard, who had most certainly noticed them and was probably going to shout in about four seconds.
"Gin!" He hissed behind him, not because of any other reason than that it was so much shorter than his surname. He cocked his head towards the guard staring at them, then turned to the less-attentive one. The guard began to turn at the noise behind him, but Kristoph struck out, gloved hands clenching the wire hard against the man's neck and pulling it back. This held a twofold purpose: he couldn't get shot due to his new shield, and the man was utterly silenced and was swiftly nearing death.
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When within a proper distance -- though for an outside viewer, seemingly still to far -- Gin braced himself hard against the floor. He brandished his wakizashi forward with a sharp glint of its length in the light, and with the sharpest of whispers, summoned it. "Ikorose--" And suddenly the blade shot forward, its tip aimed with deadly accuracy toward the man's gut. "--Shinsou."
It was one of the most familiar sensations for Gin, the feeling of his sword finding its target -- dead center -- the small thunk of the blade connecting with full force, that wet sound of metal against flesh. Gin laughed, a small laugh when he saw the man's expression -- a strange ballet of pain and shock dancing across his face. As he withdrew his blade, he pulled it out and to the side with a great tearing of the man's torso, emptying blood and entrails onto the strangely well-sterilized warehouse floor.
Perhaps not the most subtle of approaches, it was true, but by the time Gin was done, Gavin had found his mark. Pulling Shinsou back, the blade retracting how quickly and with almost as strong a force as when it was deployed, Gin turned towards Hei. His back to Gin, the hem of his coat billowing with a deft motion, there was that glow about him, that spark, and all around there was the smell of ozone.
When one of the doctors crumpled to Hei's feet in a limp pile, Gin beamed -- his expression a sick perversion of pride -- smiled the way a victor did at his prize.
[ ooc :: ikorose roughly translates to "impale him" ]
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But not at him. At Gin. There wasn't a whole lot of consideration to be done.
Without a second thought, Hei threw himself between the doctor and Gin. He barely heard the shot as he was thrown back by the bullet as it slammed into his chest. The moment that followed seemed to stretch out for hours longer than it was, silent after the gunshot. And then it passed, taking with it Hei's blank expression and leaving behind one of pure rage. His arm was a blur of motion and his dagger seemed to all but sprout from the man's neck, cutting a scream of pain off practically before it had even started.
Still holding the wire the dagger was attached to, the young man muttered something under his breath. And then the glow returned, the red in his eyes returned, and blood exploded out of the doctor, splattering itself across Hei's face and chest.
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