Cold Threats and Idle Chatter [Hirato]

[Deleted]

The midnight air blew gently in the seireitei as shadows moved in and out of the corners, making everything seem a bit dangerous even though the seireitei was supposed to be protected against such dangers. The crescent moon hung against the pitch black canvas that was the sky, with only a few stars littering the dark painted sky. There was one such shadow that moved exceptionally faster than the rest of the others and gave the impression of death itself moving about through the realm. The athletic figure of a tall man moved swiftly through the side streets of the seireitei, making sure to conceal his spiritual pressure and energy so that he wouldn't be noticed. Takashi stopped lightly in front of the 13th division, checking up on an old friend, though Takashi never really thought of him as such at first. The old friend was now the Captain of the 13th division, but that didn't sway Takashi's cold attitude towards the warmer and more friendly man. He and I are old men now, Takashi thought with a cold smirk as he turned away to walk into the shadows towards his targets barracks. Though, both Kyouya and Takashi only looked to be in their late twenties to early thirties.

Takashi's hair was dark-blond, long, and held back in a pony-tail. His eyes were an odd mix of red and gold. He wore a dark blue Happi jacket with black loose pants that went down to half of his calf. He wore black flat shoes that were easy to fight in. Takashi didn't wear anything under his jacket but having bandages wrap from his mid chest down to his waist. His thoughts jumped back through his memories as he ran through the streets towards the 5th divisions barracks. The reason for his visit was simple, he needed to collect more information on his target in order for his plans to move forward. Every month he'd slip through the protection of the seireitei to check up. His target was a seated member of the 5th division, if he remembered correctly, she was the 9th seat. His pleasure over learning of her promotion was evident several days ago when he first learned of it. This meant that she was progressing in her power and steadily moving away from her brother's bothersome influence. The name of his target was Kaoru Takahata, adoptive sister to Takashi's old friend, Kyouya Morinozuka. She was the key to his plan taking action against the seireitei with her having a large amount of power hidden away due to some serious circumstances and actions taken to protect both her and those around her. Takashi knew that the girls chains and shadows were closing in on her daily though she never would let on about her struggles. He knew just how to break her and how easy it will be to do so.

She will be my queen on the chessboard, and slaughter anyone who dares come in her path, Takashi thought with pure pleasure over the fact that soon she shall be squirming under his hand and under his control. His boredom had grown more and he thought often what he would do once he got his revenge upon those that had held him back from gaining more and more power. He stopped in front of the 5th division barracks and jumped into the shadows under the tree that hung over the north wall that blocked off the barracks from the rest of the seireitei. He was on the outside, but he could still feel the spiritual pressure of the young Kaoru Takahata. It was fluctuating, like she was injured and struggling against her chains and shadows. He wondered briefly what had happened recently for her to be in such a state. He had heard a sharp noise and his hand immediately went to the shorter of his zanpakto's blades and soon looked back to see the source of the noise. He was ready to kill any fool of a shinigami that would cross his path tonight.

[Hirato Murano]

Cerulean eyes opened slowly, indicating that the red-haired Captain of the 9th noticed something unusual in the quiet night of the Seireitei, shadows covering all and supposedly masking the presence of Enigma's agents, although Hirato had little trouble detecting them with his sharp reiatsu perception. For what purpose did they enter the Seireitei under the cover of night? Their regular routes and unique reiatsu signatures had allowed the tall man to capture one of Enigma's spies, subjecting to all sorts of stress before he provided the entirety of the relevant information he possessed. Of course, after that information was extracted, the spy was disposed of and his body left to rot on top of a base formerly belonging to Enigma and his organization. The body would be discovered, just as he intended, a message to Enigma that whatever plots he involved his spies in, if they attempted to access the private chambers of Hirato Murano for intelligence gathering, they would die. Hirato sensed the reiatsu signature of another spy intent on breaching the defenses of his private chambers and smiled slightly, realizing that the attempt would end as they always did: in failure.

As they were designed and created by his own hands, the protective countermeasures existed almost as an extension of himself, making them effortless to detect and trigger from any location within Seireitei. The ground spikes activated and pierced the spy's legs, completely immobilizing him and leaving him groaning in pain with blood pouring from the many wounds across the length of his legs. The crimson haired man tossed on his Haori and grabbed his Zanpakuto, sheathing it on the left side of his hip as always. His Shunpo carried him to the sight of the spy's failure, a few bloody smears from where he had crawled in a desperate bid to escape the fate of his predecessor, one whom the judge who now stood above had found guilty. Some pleads for mercy emerged from the mouth of the doomed spy, only further irritating the cerulean eyed man, who stabbed him through the throat with his blade and shook the blood off before returning his weapon to its sheath.

The Zanjutsu expert longed to do the same to Enigma himself, but after their meeting two months earlier, he had not found any method to contact or visit the master of the shadows. His "sixth sense" informed him that there was another shadow watching him, likely going to report the failure of his comrade to Enigma, and a cruel smile spread across the face of the Captain of the 9th Division. Before the shadow could disappear into the night and start its journey to its master, the crimson haired man appeared next to him on the rooftop and grabbed him by the throat, easily lifting the spy into the air with a single hand. Choking, the spy futilely made some feeble attempts to resist, struggling against one far more powerful than him in a pointless act of despair. His struggling ceased quickly and Hirato tossed his corpse onto an adjacent rooftop effortlessly, hearing the body land with a dull thud on the cold stone. Cerulean eyes flicked in the direction of the 5th Division and they narrowed quickly, perceiving another faint shadow there, icy and frigidly composed like a long-frozen sea.

A frown marked his countenance, his reiatsu signature immediately disappearing so as to not alert the icy shadow to his presence, if indeed it had not detected him already, which was unlikely considering that it was one of Enigma's subordinates. The muscular figure moved silently, swiftly yet gracefully approaching the shadow that lay in wait near the headquarters of the 5th Division. He arrived within approximately a minute following his departure, a respectable time considering he was concealing his physical presence as much as possible and closing in on a follower of the man who had earned his utmost dislike. Hirato smiled in amusement at the shadow's concealment and decided to begin the conversation with someone he did not care for in characteristic fashion: using a thinly veiled insult to anger them. "You're not nearly as invisible as you believe yourself to be, Rogue," said the red haired Captain with an amused smile, his tone one of blunt criticism and slight enjoyment of the situation. Seeing the shadow reach for one of his blades, the noble responded by simply resting his hand gently on the hilt of his Zanpakuto, prepared to cleave the spy in half when and if the opportunity presented itself. If it did, that would mean one less shadow scurrying around Seireitei and that could be an improvement.

[Deleted]

Takashi's hand went to the shorter of his two swords and had stopped instantly the moment he saw a captain's haori. The man in front of him was a captain, obviously, but not one Takashi was familiar with. The only captains that he bothered to remember the names of were Jushiro Ukitake (Takashi's former captain) and Kyouya Morinozuka (his old friend from long ago). The others didn't matter a bit to Takashi, unless he had need of them. Though, he did keep a small notebook on his person to write down important notes. Takashi was habitually noted for being bad at names and faces, so he writes everything down. This man had obvious features, which made it easy for him to flip through his notebook for a moment before he finally found the section on the captain's he made and the page for this particular one. Takashi scanned it briefly and soon tucked away the notebook back into his pocket.

The man gave a threat, but Takashi brushed it off easily and coldly like he would with anyone else. Nothing fazed this man who seemed to be made from ice and snow. Takashi didn't smile, but merely regarded the man with annoyance at being interrupted with his intel gathering. "I was invisible enough to get past the seireitei defenses and into the 5th division. It was those idiots that gave me away," Takashi said coldly as he spoke of Enigma's shadows. His voice was deep, yet light. Takashi had taken his own time to work on his own project, though he wondered why Enigma's target would be out and about so late at night. Takashi was sure nobody would be out. He had glanced back into the 5th division barracks one more time before resting his left hand on his swords at his belt and soon he was talking again. He'd shake off this captain and then go back to gathering information on his target. "Thanks for killing them; it saves me the trouble of having to do it myself. I came here to do something on my own and they just had to follow along," Takashi said unemotionally and without any remorse. If they died, then that was their problem.

Upon closer inspection of the man, Takashi pulled out his book again and flipped to a few more pages and then back again to another few. A cold smirk went across his face as he then looked back up at the crimson-haired man in front of him. "So you are Hirato Murano, eh? The head of the Murano clan and 9th division captain..." Takashi nearly wanted to laugh with what he said next. "You are the man who has spiked that brats attention? So she really is moving away from her bothersome idiot brother, perfect!" Takashi made a note inside his notebook. Of course he knew about Kaoru's newest updates. It was either him gathering them, or someone he knew and trusted gathered them. Recently he learned that she had met with Hirato Murano twice, once to talk and the other to fight. He noted the progress of her time it takes for her to lose her control. So far he was pleased to find it had lessened the last time it had broken. He had put away his notebook again and soon faced Hirato fully. His glasses giving a menacing glare in the moonlight as his reddish-gold eyes bore into Hirato's cerulean ones. "I must say, bravo a few days ago with making that brat lose her composure like that. The way she lost it all and savagely attacked you, absolutely beautiful. Did you know her dark side could be so ruthless, Hirato? Break her again and i'm sure you'll find an even more beautiful darkness even deeper. And the way you lost your own composure and attacked her the way you did, priceless," Takashi was intentionally trying to rile up the captain. It was a good way to gather information, as Takashi liked to say. "A word of warning, though, Hirato: don't break my toys." Takashi said coldly towards the man in front of him. Even though the fight provided good information and data, he ran the risk of Kaoru dying from the fight and that was something that Takashi would not put up with at all.

[Hirato Murano]

His face remained impassive, but some satisfaction was discernible when the Rogue's hand immediately ceased moving toward his blade at the sight of a Haori. So this Rogue might seem icy and frigid, yet he was intelligent enough not to openly threaten a Captain by drawing his blade against him and dooming himself to destruction. Even the most composed opponents experienced a moment of primal fear in the face of great power, the instinct necessary for one's survival. The Rogue was somewhat incorrect in placing the blame on Enigma's other shadows that passed through Seireitei, although they had certainly made it easier to detect their counterpart after giving his reiatsu detection their scent. Hirato had perceived the reiatsu of the blond man in front of him, a faint signal in the cover of night, but decided to attend to the other shadows before arriving at his location. The blond haired man thanked him for killing the other shadows, surprising him slightly, but he played along and graciously accepted the man's thanks.

"You're certainly welcome," replied the Captain, keeping his tone light and conversational and his expression one of enjoyment. The Rogue seemed to have a notebook cataloging information about the Captains and, far from concerning him, the noble found it rather interesting and wondered what sort of knowledge was contained within the thin book. His suspicions were confirmed when the rogue revealed that he was interested in developments regarding Kaoru-san, knowing that that was the only person he could be referring to with his impolite title. Kaoru-san may be moving away from the influence of Captain Morinozuka, yet she was moving into the influence of the 9th Division Captain and she would not be an easy target as long as he lived. Hirato spoke again, dispelling the notion that this Rogue had about pleasure at the thought of targeting her easily without the protection of Captain Morinozuka. "I wouldn't be too pleased. She's under my protection now," the crimson haired man said evenly, emphasizing that fact just enough so the Rogue would realize anyone who intended to do harm to Kaoru-san was the enemy of the head of the Murano clan. He did not want to reveal any more than he had to, leaving out that she was now his student in order to prevent Enigma from recognizing the connection, at least for now. The connection would become apparent soon enough when they fought together against Enigma's shadows; however, there was no reason to simplify obtaining that information for the Rogue leader.

The Rogue's words had the opposite effect of what he desired, for the cerulean eyed man identified the attempt to anger him and his composure increased, the flow of his reiatsu stabilizing and calm filling it. His cerulean orbs gazed into the red and gold hue of the Rogue's eyes, projecting a sense of complete serenity and composure. "You seem to have a taste for theatricality, Takashi," commented the muscular man, finally disclosing his knowledge of the name of the blond haired man who stood before him and attempted to anger him. Hirato waited a few moments for the reality of the situation to sink for Takashi and took a step toward him slowly, like a predator steadily approaching his prey and going in for the kill. Takashi's final comment about Kaoru-san irritated him, though, and he frowned deeply, annoyed that he referred to her as his toy. The blond haired man could not imagine the depth of Hirato's understanding concerning Enigma and overestimated his ability to produce an emotional reaction, making it fairly easy to counterattack in this verbal battle. "Would Enigma mind if I broke one of his toys?" queried Hirato, his tone serious and threatening instead of light and conversational as it was earlier in the discussion. Whatever his intentions, Takashi was Enigma's pawn, whether he wanted to accept it or not, and he was merely caught in the crossfire between the two true players. The crimson haired man watched Takashi closely with an expression of mild interest, not dismissing him entirely as a threat, but not accepting that he was as much of a threat as the blond haired man might think.

[Deleted]

Takashi was quite impressed with how well this captain was holding up against all that he was saying. Even though Takashi was intentionally trying to make the captain mad, all he seemed to be doing was making the man even more composed. Oh well, can't win everything, Takashi thought with some amusement. Had anyone not known the wiser, the both of them would have looked as if they were having a composed and polite conversation just outside the 5th division. Takashi's face remained emotionless and impassive as he regarded Hirato. He understood partially now why Enigma might have an interest in this man. However, Takashi wasn't here to talk to Hirato Murano, he was here to gather more information on his target and other matters that concerned him. Takashi didn't work well with others, once that wasn't true with Kyouya Morinozuka, and wasn't bothered at the others deaths. If they were foolish enough to attack this captain then they deserved to die, Takashi thought with a scoff.

He stared at the man with little interest as he stated that Kaoru was now under his protection. At this Takashi smirked coldly and flashed a brief mad smile. As quickly as it came, it soon was hidden away under Takashi's composed and calm expression. It was nearly impossible to get underneath Takashi's skin, though Kyouya Morinozuka certainly accomplished that every time they were around each other. Takashi really had no patience for happy-go-lucky idiots like the green-eyed man he once fought beside. Though, Takashi recognized the benefits of having the man around. He could enter a room without it falling quiet around him, no one gave him fearful looks, and other various things that were meaningless to Takashi himself, but knew that in order to get around in the seireitei one must have a likable air about them; at least in some small amount. "Under your protection? Don't make me laugh," Takashi said with a colder tone of voice. "I doubt you can protect her very long. To protect her, you'd have to kill her," Takashi said cryptically as he then went on as if he never said anything. "I wonder, what exactly is your interest in Kaoru? She's pretty, i'll give her that, but the only thing of interest about her is her rage and sorrow that she bottles up daily," Takashi frowned slightly at his question to Hirato, but then went on briskly.

Takashi was dissapointed that his words didn't have much effect upon the captain, but he doubted little words like that would have gotten under his skin in the first place. Takashi brushed this off and soon responded to the man's quick witted response. His response actually made Takashi chuckle coldly back. "It is merely because I am bored and you are actually standing my way towards progress at the moment. Both right now and your 'protection' of that brat. There is very little these days that can sate my constant boredom." Takashi replied evenly and composedly as his eyes flashed with annoyance. He was losing precious night-cover and soon he would have to leave the seireitei to avoid any unnecessary fights. "It would seem you know of me, Hirato, that makes this much more easier then." Takashi said as he pulled out his notebook again and wrote a few more notes into it and then put it back into his pocket. He noticed the captain taking a step towards him, but hadn't moved a bit in response. He wasn't afraid of this man, nor would he start any time soon. Takashi stayed where he was, though, he was not foolish. When Takashi had told Hirato not to break his toys, he was pleased with the fact that the comment had gotten some reaction out of the man, if only a little.

He wasn't trying to get an emotional response, but merely warn the man away from taking away what he claimed as his. Takashi smirked coldly at Hirato as he threatened to break him, one of Enigma's toys. Takashi knew he was a piece on Enigma's chessboard and accepted it by thinking of it all as a game to be played and won. Takashi had his own chessboard, though, and would only play along with Enigma's as long as it cured his boredom. "I doubt very much he would care at all. Nor would I. I merely wish for my toys to remain intact until I have no need of them and break them myself. It's more fun that way. I shall enjoy breaking Kaoru myself. Unlike you, Hirato, I know her inside and out," Takashi said matter-of-factly. He cared nothing for his own life and as such did nothing to preserve it more than necessary. He noted that Hirato was looking at him as if he were only mildly interested in him and it seemed to Takashi that he might think that Takashi thought he was a threat to the crimson-haired man.

"In any case, I have no interest in you, merely the woman you claim to protect," Takashi still thought that was amusing that he thought he was protecting Kaoru. His red-gold eyes turning colder with his threat. "While I have you here, I'm going to ask that you relay a message to an old friend of mine, Kyouya Morinozuka. The message is simple: Kaoru is mine, so it is useless to protect her any longer. Her hands will soon be stained with the blood of the shinigami in Soul Society and her heart be taken over by the madness and darkness within it." Takashi looked back at the 5th division and smirked darkly at the thought of the woman slaughtering her fellow shinigami. He regarded the man in front of him with disinterested eyes. "If you think you know that brat, you are sadly mistaken. Didn't you wonder what was happening to her in your fight? Check her spiritual pressure now, it has been diminished considerably from the last time you have seen her, yes? Don't you wonder why? You know nothing of the power that girl has within and the measures her brother takes to keep her in check. Had she been left to her own devices, i'm sure she would be drenched in the blood of the rukongai district and brutally slaughtered by the shinigami sent to kill the threat," Takashi stopped to let this sink in. "She struggles to fit into the seireitei because she does not feel she is apart of it. There is only a few ties that actually keep her within the walls of it. Take them off one by one, what do you think would be left?" Takashi asked emotionless as his eyes narrowed.

[Hirato Murano]

So Takashi did occasionally express his emotions, although it took quite a bit of coaxing. That was mentally filled away into the new folder that Hirato had created for information on the blond man who stood before him, unshakeable and frigid as a glacier drifting lazily in the sea. The man smelled of madness, not of an uncontrollable beast, but madness of a more refined sort, madness cultivated by darkness and shadows until it reached its optimal state and flourished under the careful guidance of Enigma. His mad smile disappeared quickly, a composed expression replacing it once again. Still, the glimpse into the madness surrounding this man, however brief, was an invaluable piece of knowledge that he was pleased to obtain and store away for future usage if he ever encountered Yukimura Takashi again. The noble returned his attention back to Takashi just in time to hear him question what his interest in Kaoru was, a question he did not intend to truly answer. His cerulean eyes glanced at Takashi and considered the best response to such a query from a man who seemed to know much about him already, a disturbing thought that bothered him all the more since Takashi was working with Enigma.

"You'll have to keep wondering, then," the crimson haired man replied evenly, entirely unruffled by the ice in Takashi's voice or the cryptic nature of his words. Deflecting questions was the optimal counter to the blond man with so much information, for it prevented him from gaining even more, at least for a short period of time. No doubt Enigma would soon learn of the nature of his connection with Kaoru and relay it to Takashi, but that time would come later and there was no reason to voluntarily offer the information to a traitor working for a murderer. His only option was to stay one step ahead, formulating plots and putting them into motion in utmost secrecy so that no one would become wrapped up in them unnecessarily. Hirato ignored Takashi's next set of words and took another step toward him, not to intimidate him but merely to gaze upon the 5th Division and the black haired woman who was contained inside it somewhere. She could not imagine the danger she was now in because he had decided to include her in his plots and a look of regret passed over his face briefly, the crimson haired man turning away to conceal it from Takashi.

The Captain stood fairly close to Takashi now, listening intently to his words but glancing left and right as he felt the familiar sensation of a threat just barely in the range of his perception, yet still too far to be identified. His gaze only focused itself when his icy voice paused briefly and he understood that Takashi was correct, no matter how much he disliked the inevitable conclusion. "Perhaps you only see in her what you wish to see, Takashi," commented the muscular man, unable to refute the fact that he did not know Kaoru-san as well as the red eyed Rogue next to him. Some threat was nearing him at an alarmingly speed, something difficult to detect with his reiatsu perception, something that easily evaded the notice of the Shinigami on patrol duty throughout the Seireitei. Vaguely, the cerulean eyed man nodded to Takashi, hearing the message and concentrating more on the approaching threat than the blond haired next to him, although his hand remained on the hilt of his Zanpakuto. Hirato listened to Takashi speak of the fight which left one guilt stricken Captain and one severely injured black haired woman to recover in their own ways, vastly different but similar in the fact that the fight had caused the damage. Takashi was right, of course, for the Shinigami would have killed Kaoru-san without the intervention of Captain Morinozuka and he would be pursuing his goals in the shadows completely alone. Instead of responding to his final few sentences, the Captain of the 9th Division placed his left hand on Takashi's bare chest and attempted to shove him roughly out of the way, three knives flying by the head of the crimson haired man.

No fewer than six shadows surrounded their target, the ultimate enemy of their master and the killer of two of their comrades in only one night, a slight frown marking the face of the head of the Murano clan. One shadow rushed him, brandishing his blade, but the tall man grabbed his wrist and broke it, finishing him off by quickly breaking his neck with both hands. Two attacked him now and slashed with their weapons, Hirato dodging the swipes of the blades quickly before using one of their own blades to open one of their throats and stab the other shadow in the chest. The crimson haired man drew his Zanpakuto now, stabbing an additional shadow in the heart prior to deflecting a strike from another one and slashing his attacker deeply from hip to shoulder. A final shadow unsheathed a knife and struck for Hirato's throat, missing and only slicing the cold night air of the Seireitei. One expert stroke later, the shadow's hand fell down onto the rooftop and another opened a gash in his stomach, blood trickling from the wound before the would-be assassin collapsed. A message, thought the man who now breathed more deeply from the exertion required to dispatch Enigma's shadows. "Give Enigma my message: his time is running out." He took some petty amusement from knowing that Takashi did not have the faintest idea of what he meant before he amended his statement. "He'll understand what I mean," the crimson haired man added, his expression composed and his tone even. If everything worked out, the muscular man would have now an untraceable method to keep an eye on Takashi and locate Enigma, a significant advantage in this shadow war. Hirato turned his back to Takashi to conceal his small smile, pleased with finally gaining some ground on the battlefield.

[Deleted]

Takashi eyed the man in front of him closely as he worked through his mind why a man like Enigma would target such a captain. While Takashi as indeed curious, he really cared nothing for the plans of the man he had allied himself with years ago. All Takashi cared for really was to sate the constant thirst that was his boredom and get his revenge upon the shinigami that had held him back from attaining more power. Despite Takashi briefly showing a bit of bit of his madness, he really was calm and composed within this situation. He also wanted to corrupt Kyouya's precious little sister as he brought her deeper into the darkness that already resides within her mind. There was little that Takashi didn't know about Kaoru, really. He knew about her past from Kyouya, including the parts that Kyouya did not know, and thought the both of them were the same. Both despised by the people around them for being different and having no one to rely on. Both were unfairly shackled by those around them. While his was a group of people, her's was really only one person. Kaoru was an open book to him, as much as she tried to hide herself away from others, and he knew exactly how to get under her skin. She was terrified of him, that was obvious, and that made him want to laugh with pleasure over such a fact. As much as Kyouya tried to protect her, he would always get what he wants no matter the consequences.

When Takashi had asked the crimson-haired man of his interest in Kaoru, the man had calmly brushed Takashi off as if the question didn't pose as much interest to him as he let on. There was a connection between them and Takashi was hell bent on finding it and destroying it. One less tie for Kaoru to have and soon she'd be his for the taking. Of course, the hardest tie to break would be that of her brother since she has so much trust and respect towards him built up over the years. On the other hand, the tie to her brother would also be the worst of them all since he was the one that saved her from becoming as dangerous as she might have been. Though, hearing from Hirato now and the information he had already collected about such possible connections, he thought there might be another tie that might be strong enough to break her and bend her to his will. Takashi knew for certain his calculations would be right on. "I doubt I shall be kept wondering for long..." Takashi murmured as he watched the captain closely, noticing little things about him that he found interesting and others that he would use to update his file on this captain. Despite the man trying to hide his brief flash of regret as he gazed at the 5th division barracks, Takashi actually noticed and took pleasure in the fact that it was there. Why such regret upon your face, Hirato? Takashi thought with malice mixed with curiosity.

The captain was close, but Takashi wasn't bothered by this fact. He used this brief moment to observe the captain more closely. The man was obviously a serious man who had a hard past, but what Takashi wanted to gleam from him was what drove him. Takashi was aware of the fact that Hirato had a dangerous and wild side to him, as Kaoru does, but he keeps it well under control, unlike how Kaoru struggles to. Perhaps he sees in her a bit of himself? Takashi thought with interest at such a thing. Takashi stepped a bit closer as he watched the captain look both left and right. He already knew what it was that the captain was sensing, and it angered him greatly. Enigma had more than a small group of shadows at his disposal. Why they were there in the seireitei, he did not know, but they were interfering in his personal business and that did not sit well with the icy man. Hirato seemed to agree with what he said about Kaoru and what could have happened if Kyouya had not found her when he did. The captain's answer amused him greatly. "Perhaps, but it is not just me. It interests me to know what it is that you see, Hirato Murano," Takashi said, not caring that the captain would have probably ignored him due to the shadows coming for the crimson-haired man. Takashi could feel them as well, and knew that there was a couple more than the six that had suddenly surrounded the captain.

Hirato had pushed him away, roughly, and soon knives came out just passed his crimson head. Takashi stood back, watching with uninterested and bored eyes as the captain dispatched the shadows that had come. Takashi was more interested in the fact that they hadn't bothered to hide their spiritual pressure. There were two coming up behind Takashi, not to attack him, but to rush the captain from a different angle. Sighing heavily, Takashi had pulled out both of his swords swiftly and soon spun around so that he cleanly cut both of the shadows heads off. Takashi's red-gold eyes seemed to spark with excitement over the thrill of taking another's life. As quickly as his swords came out, Takashi flicked them expertly and the blood came quickly off and he had sheathed them quickly. The other shadows didn't see what Takashi had done, but that was no matter since he did not care. They intruded upon my plans, so their lives are forfeit, Takashi thought a snarl in his mind. His face gave nothing away as to what he was thinking.

Swiftly moving back into place while watching the the captain fight the rest of the shadows, Takashi began to formulate the proper escape path out of the seireitei so he could make use of his information. Hirato had said to give Engima a message, Takashi titled his head and gave a cold glance at the crimson haired man. "No doubt he will. Consider it given, Hirato," Takashi said cooly, and moved to turn away, but there was another shadow in hiding and it had seen what Takashi had done to two of his comrades. The shadow was about rush back and no doubt tell his master what it was that he witnessed, but Takashi had plans to leave no witnesses to this meeting. The man lashed out with his knife towards Takashi and cut deeply within the blond-haired man's hand as he moved to grab his zanpakto. In rage over his having his own blood spilt, Takashi had silently moved closer to the man and proceeded to snap his neck cleanly. An audible crack could be heard. "You were in my way," Takashi had said coldly towards the corpse and had turned to walk away a few feet. There was a patch of flowers nearby, Takashi just walked right through them as if they weren't there. "No doubt we shall see each other again, Hirato. Whether it be me at the end of your sword, or you at the end of Kaoru's blade..." Takashi said with a cold look and tone. He let the last part hang off to let it sink in. He did not care if it made an impact, merely just telling what is to come. Takashi's hand hung down as he walked through the small garden. The clouds in the sky had now started to cover up the moon and hide the man once more in the darkness. Blood dripped down off his hand and splashed upon a small patch of white daisy's. He did not notice at the blood coated and dripped off the flowers like they themselves had been wounded. He walked away into the shadows while the woman who was his target tossed and turned with her growing nightmares. No matter what her brother did to seal her
power, he couldn't seal her past. Takashi used his shunpo to then make his way quickly out of the seireitei to come back again soon to gather more information.