[Evolution of a Princess] A Window into the Past

[Shuren]

Part 2: The Princess Walks Alone

In the 25th District of the Rukongai the duo of youngsters arrived. Their faces obscured by masks and their bodies hidden in the shadows of the gambling den they were looking for. The female of this pairing was standing straight her body relaxed but she was more than ready to face the commotion pouring out of the building. The boy beside her however clutched his sword tight and seemed to be worried. His body trembled gently against the wood as he heard the grunts of men as they tossed someone out and then chased after him.

“If you are scared stay here. If not come with me.” was all Benihime said as she finally stepped out of the shadows placing herself between the redheaded man and his would be attackers. Although no one had touched him since he had been thrown out it would appear that he had been beaten pretty badly before. He had healing bruises all over his face and arms and looked as if he hadn't had a decent meal in ages. His spiky red hair was growing out of control and though he only appeared to be in his mid-teens his green eyes held deep shadows which came with sleeplessness.

“Get out of the way! That pitiful excuse of a man owes us still and we will beat every coin from his body.” Benihime remained calm only her red eyes showing to the man before her. She spoke slowly just to make sure he and the other men now surrounding her understood leaning against the pole before her with Shin standing at her back his sword drawn.

“His debts are void, he won't be back here and you won't harm him anymore. Either this or I beat you all worse than he has been beaten.” The man snickered and laughed pulling his arm from within his kimono as he stepped ever closer to the small girl. She in turn felt Shin stiffen behind her and knew that her surrounding attackers were closing in. She whispered to the boy.

“Remember your training and you will be fine. Remember they aim to hurt you, protect yourself as if you life depends on it.” she said an in that moment the man pulled a tanto from his kimono the blade shining in the darkness and Benihime sprung forward. She swung her stick which was made of metal and cracked the bones of his hand causing him to drop the weapon and thus the battle begun. She soon had to turn though, because another man attacked with a katana from her left. She jumped over his thrust landing on his arm and kicked him in the face. Planting her staff into the ground and using it as leverage against an unarmed man, who also took a bandaged foot to the face after he tried to capture her. Benihime's small body and feline flexibility gave her more freedom of movement amongst the men. She able to slip between them and continue to lay blows on the man with the broken hand who was now kneeling and screaming. She once all her own enemies were dispatched she had time to see Shin handling his own enemies.

Though he had started off shakily being pushed back by a man with a smaller blade, he soon remembered his training. He used the man's body weight against him and allowed him to fall forward before striking his back with the blunt side of his sword. The next man he handled similarly allowing his sword to sink into the flesh of his right side, but the cut was no deeper than an inch or two. Benihime noted something then. Even in a battle for his own safety Shin seemed incapable of dealing more than minor damage. As she watched one man grabbed her from behind and held her tightly allowing her to struggle against him and not be able to free herself. Shin too busy with his own enemy to notice could not help her and the man thought to gloat as he brought her back over to the boss. She did not have her weapon anymore and her feet were more than a foot off the ground. The man in the kimono picked up his tanto again and held it to Benihime's throat and the girl didn't flinch.

“I am going to kill you and no one is going to care.” She smirked though it wasn't visible and said one word which completely changed the dynamic of the space.

“Sai.” the kidou spell which she had spoken without incantation immediately caused the men's hands to snap together behind their backs and they fell to their knees this in turn caused Benihime to land on the ground and walk rather happily towards the man who had so recently held a knife to her throat. She kicked him then in the face, causing his body to fall backwards and then again in the groin and as he rolled around she stepped forward placing more and more pressure on the area. She spoke calmly and with certainty.

“His debts are cleared and you won't come after him. If you do, I'll remove what I am standing on and feed it to you before you die.” a genuine show of fear came from the unknown man his black hair stuck to his face as he sweated trying not to scream from pain. He simply nodded his head understanding that he was losing here. A moment later the girl turned around to find Shin helping her brother up and she walked over, picking up her dropped weapon and standing before him. She pulled off her mask and looked him in the eye. And after a moment Aritei recognized her and spoke her name.

“Hime-chan?” his question was met, not by words, but by action as the girl jumped vertically and kicked him in the face sending him flying backwards a couple of meters. Shin looked at her with his mask still on and eyes wide.

“We came here to save him, why did you do that?” he asked of her. She turned and said a single sentence. Looking at Shin with the utmost seriousness.

“Because he deserved it. He is older than me, he is supposed to be coming to my rescue not the other way around.” Shin frowned but nodded as he watched Aritei get up off the ground and in his relaxation he didn't realize there was one more person from the group he had yet to deal with. The man ran straight at him, blade drawn and though Shin was holding his weapon the only shot he had would have killed the man. He didn't take it and was utterly certain he was about to be injured. But he wasn't instead a red light engulfed his enemy and paralyzed him in place. Benihime walked towards Shin and he knew then that she had mind-cast a geki spell which kept him from harm.

“Tanchou-kun...if you don't make sure your enemy is completely incapacitated you will have to deal with such things a lot. And I will not always be there to save you. You had the shot to kill him, and you didn't take it. Are you some kind of pacifist?” she asked of him. And Shin only nodded. The real reason his father said he had no skill with a sword is because he never tried to kill anyone. He would take injury and even give up before he allowed himself to be the cause of a serious injury to another. Benihime looked at him and shook her head.

“I guess you aren't the proper partner for my night raids. You don't really have the stomach for the activities I need to complete. Let's head back before Saya-sensei notices we are missing.” she said. Leaving her brother and the men she had defeated to wallow in their mess. Shin followed quietly having nothing more to say.

[Shuren]

Part 1: What it Means to be Watched

Over a year later, Benihime had faced a young man by the name of Shusuke in his entrance spar. The lad had been a bit lanky compared to her, with startling green eyes and raven black hair. As far as she was concerned he wasn't a bad looking kid but then again she also didn't really care about that. No, his battle prowess had been what was important this day. And he had been surprisingly good showing skill in kidou that even she did not have initially. That being said he had also been in pretty bad physical shape after just the practice exercises, poor kid needed to work on his stamina.

'So much promise, though...' The tiny redheaded girl thought as she took a moment to look in the boys' direction from her perch in the rafters as he settled in his room which was on the other side of hers. The girl's tongue made contact with her teeth as she made a noise of slight distaste, raising a proper friend instead of a pet, would likely take a great deal longer... than she'd wish for it to. Besides that, it was as if Saya was trying to keep her from leaving at night by surrounding her with 'protectors'. Unfortunately for her neither of the two boys, who were also her peers, posed her any threat. She'd continue doing what she did.

A small smirk came to the girl's face. Not a mark showed on her pale skin and her pink lips had a cupid bow shape. Extra large crimson colored eyes seemed to accent her tiny facial features and though she didn't appear to be pubescent she definitely had a very female face. Her body lean and toned with muscle obvious because of her lack of womanly flesh. But there was hope for her yet as it seemed she had been doing at least a little bit of growing her frame lengthening a tiny bit in the last few years. Layers of red hair with gentle waves shifted as she made her way to the window she had to watch, because they were coming. She had felt them as she watched Shusuke and now that they were closer she could give them her undivided attention.

Who were they? One might wish to know...they were the 10th Division and the girl had recently begun watching their rounds through this area once a week. Her eyes were fixated on a singular individual who was surprisingly not the captain or vice-captain. This person was just a random seated officer, with tanned skin, golden eyes and striking white hair. She had no idea why but she was quite fixated with this individual and though he was only a seated officer she understood that she would probably never encounter him outside of these moments. And as she watched as he moved by, her concentration was broken by the clearing of a throat on the very rafter she was occupying. When she turned the new student known as Shusuke was crouched beside her looking out the Dojo's large upper window with a smirk on his face.

?Have you taken a fancy to that tanned guy? He seems to be the only thing your eyes were following.? he said rather plainly which of course caused the girl's face to go red. She wondered how he had been able to sneak up on her in the first place, and how he had so accurately pinpointed what had her attention even with the light of the setting sun burning their faces. She reestablished eye contact with seething glare, but managed to keep her spiteful nature a bay not even trying to poke the boy's eye out.

?Not at all, perhaps I simply noted that he was closer to the front of the formation today, as compared to last week when he was near the end. Perhaps I am simply interested in his progress and I've not taken a fancy to him at all.? she stated and the boy gave her a warm smile holding his hands up in mock surrender.

?Whatever you say...? the boy managed still watching but since the sun was setting it was time for Benihime to move on. She turned then standing on one beam in the rafters and heading for her bedroom on her little cat walk. Her balance never wavering a thick hardcover book tucked into her side. She looked as if she was going to spend the rest of the afternoon reading. And she was...but as she entered her room she noticed a piece of paper stuck to window sill with a small dagger through it. She pulled out the dagger and read the note. A smile came across her face as she thought about what the meaning of this note was, and it was rather obvious, it would be a Night Raid kind of day. And she would be going alone...

[Shuren]

Part 2: A Dragon's Curiosity

3 AM

Benihime was climbing into her bedroom window, and stumbled knocking into her desk. She dropped her swords onto the desk and hopped over it into the depths of the room. In a completely black uniform and a mask that covered her full head it wasn't obvious that there was anything wrong with her, but as she moved around the darkness of her room and began stripping away the upper bits of her clothing her pale skin showed several bruises. One large one in particular covering her right ribs. The girl's breaths were shallow and low as she turned the light of her room came on and standing her her doorway was the new student Shusuke. This she didn't expect, if anything she had supposed Shin would find his way to her right now... this new kid really seemed to show up at the most unexpected times. Was she really in so much pain that she hadn't noticed him there? Worse yet, her body was now being analyzed, not that she cared about him looking at her, she wasn't modest, it was the concern in his face, for someone he didn't know very well, that was confusing her. But before she could address her confusion she walked over to the boy, staring straight into his green eyes and rather close to his body she reached around him turning off the light and bringing her other hand to her lips to shush him. His face flushed a brilliant shade of red as if he hadn't expected her to come so close, but he seemed to understand because he didn't say anything as she started moving around her room, and soon with random items in hand went to move past him and towards the the shower. Looking back over her shoulder she motioned for the boy to follow along since she doubted he'd want to stand there in her doorway looking stupid.

In the community shower room she turned on the hot water in several stalls and the lights and since he had followed her in the door was closed so there was no need for quietness. Here it was even more obvious that she had been through hell. This girl who only appeared in looks to be at most 12 or 13 had bruises across her arms, back, and legs. The bandages over her chest, didn't cover the large bruise on her ribs and as the boy stared on he noticed that her body was also covered in a tacky dark substance. She noticed him looking but did nothing but wait for the boy to start speaking. Of course she fully intended to shower but it was best to get these really awkward questions out of the way first while she allowed the steam to build in the room. Shusuke looked at her oddly then finally drawing his eyes away from the horrendous injuries he began asking questions.

?I thought we were only allowed to leave the building on weekends to visit family?? he asked plainly as if testing the boundaries. The intelligence in those green eyes made a smirk come to Benihime's lips and allowed her to ignore more of her pain than before.

?We aren't allowed to leave except to visit our families. And if you are caught, coming or going, Saya-sama punishes you. Usually with extra chores and no lessons and gross food for snacks.? she said thinking back on a time she had been caught and given only rice after her training instead of her normal cookies. Of course while she did this the boy seemed to think over the statement. Bringing a hand to his chin in such a way that it was obvious he was thinking and no longer looking at the very beaten girl. Instead of waiting for the next question she knew was coming she asked him one instead.

?Why didn't you just tell on me when you found I wasn't in my room?? she asked of him. Wondering what on earth she had done to earn this boy's trust so much that he hadn't simply ratted her out to Saya-sama as soon as he discovered she was missing. After all it might have gained him bonus points with her for all he knew. The boy's hand came from his chin and he actually looked a bit perplexed at first, as if he wasn't sure why the little redhead was asking the question.

?Because I didn't know what kind of trouble you would get into for being gone. I only went to ask more about how this place was run, I didn't want to instantly betray you to the teacher. I'm no tattle tail.? he said a large smile on his face. And it appeared to be honest and genuine. Not like the faces Benihime made when she was trying to get someone to do what she wanted.

?Thank you then, Shu-kun.? she said with a small incline of her head, as it would have hurt her body too much to bow. When she straightened her posture she began pulling at the bandages on her hands, when one was free it became obvious that she had been punching people as well, her knuckles were scrapped and blue. Shusuke waved off her thanks and small bow and asked another couple of questions.

?Where did you go and why did you come into the showers to talk?? he asked of her wondering if someone would really strip down in front of another being just to be doing so. This sentence brought a smile to Benihime's face and she began explaining her actions fully without leaving out anything as she pulled off another set of hand bandages.

?I went to the 79th District of the North Rukongai. And I came in here for two reasons, because it's the farthest room from Saya-sama's and because I need to get all this dried blood off me and wrap my ribs again.? she said with a smile. Though the smile was fake, she was hurt, and as the steam built up in the room she motioned for Shusuke to turn around before she added.

?You can keep talking but I need a shower.? she said as she began pulling at the rest of her clothing. Shusuke turned immediately his face bright red as he realized that this young girl really had no problem being nude in front of someone else. And she was close to his age, so it was doubly odd to him. Regardless he would keep trying to have this conversation his voice carrying just a little louder as he began to question more about the girl's late night activities.

?So what exactly where you doing in the Kusaijishi, which ended in you being in such a state?? the boy asked, naming the Rukongai district that Benihime had only identified by number. This kid was becoming more interesting to her by the moment. And given how badly things had gone with Shin when she'd tried to include him, perhaps telling Shusuke ahead of time the kind of thing he had to look forward to if he made himself her friend, would help him make his decision much easier. As she stepped into the shower a rush of hot water made her body relax so swiftly her knees nearly buckled. And after she caught her breath she continued.

?Have a seat Shusuke-kun. This night's story is a long one.? she stated. Not even knowing if the boy would actually stay, but then she heard him moving about taking a seat on a bench near a locker and she sighed beginning to tell a story about her night.

?It started with a letter... from my older brother.?

[Shuren]

Part 3: A Lonely Road

Under the spray of the water her story continued from there. She explained how she had read that her brother had taken up gambling further away from home in a more dangerous area of the Rukongai to avoid dangers to the family. Of course her other brothers found out about it and knew that he would need saving. They found out that Aritei was being held captive in the Kusaijishi, in his most recent gambling den of choice.

7 PM

Benihime's small fist hit her wall as she read the note thrice just to make sure she wasn't being delusional. Her older brother had done it again, he'd really gone and gotten himself in debt with some group of unsavory characters and now it would be up to her to save him... again. A sigh came from her lips then as she realized at some point she wouldn't be around to save him, and then what would he do? She almost decided right then and there to let him deal with his own decisions. To allow him to live with whatever debt he was in for as long as his debtors allowed it. But she couldn't, she couldn't well let her older brother die just because she didn't agree with his life choices, though she could probably find a good reason to knock him out over it later. As such she waited for true darkness. Sitting up in her room without any lights on before preparing to leave.

11 PM

Sure that each of the kids around her had stopped moving around Benihime dressed swiftly and silently. Picking up her ninja mask and a staff wearing everything she needed to go out and find her brother and save him from whatever mess he had gotten himself into. Dressed in all black and completely covered from head to toe the girl perched on her open window and without hesitation jumped from it, landing on the nearest roof and taking off at a run. Her run would slowly evolve into the use of Shunpo, a talent which she had only recently learned. She would only work them in on occasion to get out of the line of sight of various people or to disappear into the shadows before people had time to think about what they had seen. She sent herself across various districts until she found the one she was looking for. Actually she had visited this place before but that was with Saya-sama when she was a bit younger and not looking for trouble.

?Saya-sama, would kill me if she knew I was out here alone for no reason...? she muttered to herself. Little did she know Saya, had actually followed her, watching as the girl left her window and keeping a cool distance behind her. She often found herself watching the young redhead's interactions wondering how she was managing all the things she was being taught. She always admired that this young girl didn't seem to have any qualms using what she was taught to teach people lessons, and even holding back enough not to kill ones who seemed not to deserve it. Yes Benihime had come a long way from the child who almost beat another child to death in the middle of the street, but that being said Saya, still felt the need to watch her. So from a few rooftops away the black haired woman's glasses were pushed up onto her face and a smirk came over it as she watched the young girl in the shadows take account of all who were in the building. She was using her most recent training in an apt manner but Saya had to stay and make sure this young girl's foolishness didn't get her killed. At least until she was sure the girl found herself a good new partner.

?Go ahead kiddo, there's no turning back now.? Saya said to herself, as if she heard the statement Benihime made her entrance, the building had at least 2 dozen unsavory characters in it. All of them armed with various weapons. Immediately they turned noticing the tiny black figure and one who seemed to be the ring leader sat towards the back, her brother Aritei chained up beside him. As Benihime's eyes began moving her right hand seemed to clasp the staff she held even tighter.

Aritei seemed to be in bad shape, he was starved skinny the bones in his back clearly visible to her and when he turned around and she saw his face she knew he had been mistreated at best. His cheeks were bruised and sunken his eyes looked hollow. It was as if the skin on his face was stretched as tightly as it could and gave him a rather gaunt expression. If she hadn't seen that red hair which to be honest dull and hadn't been taken care of, she wouldn't have thought this man her brother at all. His green eyes met hers and he knew who she was, still he didn't speak on his own behalf, so she did a devious grin on her face as she began sizing up the competition.

?Alright, let's make this quick because I have to be back before it's noticed that I am gone. You...? she said pointing the staff tip at the man lounging in the chair furthest back from where she stood.

?That man at your side, belongs to me. So, if you let him go now, we won't have any problems. The two of us will walk right out of here, and you'll never see either of our lovely faces again.? she said calmly the words somewhat melodic and likely giving her away as a girl, not that it really mattered.

?But if you don't, I'm going to have to beat you all viciously until you decide to go along with my initial offer. Some or most the men in here will be injured or killed. And then I will make it my personal mission to hunt down any and every man who calls you master and make sure they understand our arrangement.? she finished giving a respectful bow.

?The choice is yours.?

It was then that she heard it, the collective laughter of more than a dozen grown men, but to her surprise none of it was coming from the man in the seat. It was all from his minions. None of them believed that something so small and dainty could ever be so threatening and expected to be taken seriously. She stood still her back straight and she waited for this man to speak, because like many others he had heard something about a masked girl who came and rescued a redheaded man whenever he was in trouble. He had actually only taken this man so he could find out who this person was and make a bit of money on them. After all there were many who would like this young girl's head after she ruined the morale of their men and killed quite a few of them. She was a force to be reckoned with but he didn't expect a child. All the stories he had heard, were about some giant woman, with hulking muscles and Shinigami powers. This was just a little girl with a stick he couldn't believe such a child was the cause of all the stories he had heard. Of course there was only one way to find out. The man cleared his throat then and spoke taking a large cup into his hand and tilting it towards his mouth. All of the men's laughter quieted then as they waited for their bosses order.

?Kill the kid, and bring me her head.? were his only words. And every man in the room immediately turned their attention towards this small girl with a stick and began encroaching upon her. As she was surrounded she couldn't help but grin. They all wanted her dead, apparently they wanted her head, too bad for them. It would take more than a large group of second rate trash to part it from her shoulders.

[Shuren]

Part 4: The Whipping Girl

Benihime's small feet began to separate and she lowered her center of gravity as the men within the room began to converge upon her. She wasn't afraid, she was calm and thus dangerous. All of these men were excitable she could hear varying shades of ragged breathing and laughter as many of them drew weapons and drug them across the ground. Luckily enough there was no spiritual pressure here, aside from her own, so at least she didn't have to compete against any truly strong opponents. With this in mind her posture relaxed just a tad as the first five of the men simultaneously tried to attack her.

The redhead's strikes were swift, faster than the eyes could follow, that little stick of hers swirling left, right backward and forward all at once. In the singular set of motions she had managed to break the necks of two of her would be attackers and knock unconscious the remaining three. Beneath her mask her grin was way too wide. She was enjoying this a little too much. From the window Saya watched as the girl used her training in creative ways to down multiple opponents. The girl had made much better progress than the black haired woman had originally thought. A small glint showed as the woman pushed her glasses up on her nose and sighed.

?Damn, Kiddo still hasn't learned to control herself enough not to kill a few on the first strike.? she murmured to herself. It was quite obvious that watching Benihime's progress would mean that the woman was ready to interfere if things went wrong, but... it was pretty obvious Benihime didn't actually need help. While Saya had been thinking the small redheaded girl had made quick work of a few more peons until she was confronted by one with enough sword skill to disarm her. She was now standing within a circle of another few men still armed her eyes darting from side to side and she began goading them. A normal tactic to reduce her number of focuses for a few seconds.

?Not one of you brave enough to attack an unarmed girl? I didn't know Rukongai thugs were so... soft.? Benihime said, making sure the last word sounded just as disgusting as if she had cursed. Of course this was also done purposefully, if nothing else Saya always respected Benihime's moxie, for a girl so small she was about as ruthless as an individual could get. It was then that the man who had disarmed her attacked once more rushing the girl before the others could back him up aiming a downward slash as if he intended to cut the small girl in half. It wasn't going to work. Benihime's arm came up and she caught the man's wrist above her head, and aptly tossed him over her head, pulling back on his arm while shoving her foot into his chest. She would break 3 of his ribs with the manuever and dislocate every joint in his dominate sword arm, leaving him to squeal in agony. Her work would only continue from there as another man tried to rush her while she still held the other man's arm. She jumped over him landing on his shoulders the small girl would clamp her legs down his head and twist her entire body snapping his neck instantly. He was another dead one. By her own count there were now 7 dead men and 10 seriously injured ones. Of the 25 men in the room, not counting her captive brother this meant that there were still 7 men left and the leader. Of course before she could handle the last seven men a chiming noise could be heard as the leader's sword chimed against the collar surrounding her brother's neck. His words were calm and dilerberate. It was more than obvious this girl was too skilled to take by normal means. So, he'd have to improvise. He couldn't well let her keep destroying his men, so he'd have to threaten the man she came here for. At least that was his thought. And as the girl turned he spoke.

?Neh, I suppose it would be bad if I say cut his head off right now. So, stop moving little one and remove your mask...? He started laughing deep in his chest a sound that was both sinister and amused and Benihime's red eyes went wide as she considered how much time it would take for her to close the distance between her and her brother.

Saya watched the goings on in the room but still wasn't inclined to interfere. The girl wasn't actually in danger and her brother wasn't on the protection list. So, his current trauma wasn't one she was going to deal with. Of course, there was another more noble reason for her lack of interference... Benihime was cornered and it wasn't something that happened often, she needed to see how the girl reacted to the pressure of being caught off guard. What would happen if things didn't go according to plan. In most cases, Benihime's outings weren't threatening to her at all, she was able to play to her strengths to keep the dumb masses at bay. But it seemed that the leader of this group had a bit more intelligence than most so she needed the little redhead to think through the situation. She wasn't just physically trained, Benihime was mentally brilliant and Saya needed to know if this applied to the girl's battle prowess as well. Thus she silently watched the girl's reaction.

Benihime was at a point where she couldn't do much of anything. She couldn't well risk her brother's head if she had come after him in the first place to ensure his safety. So, she stopped moving and reached up pulling the black mask from her face and revealing her visage to the room. She was still young, her face proportional. She had large red eyes and an angular face, she was obviously very young and as her masses of crimson hair also fell into place it became obvious why she had come after this man in particular. The boss who was now standing right beside Aritei took one look at the girl and his eyes widened. After watching her fight he hadn't expected that she'd also be pretty, if not a bit young for his personal tastes. But the entire time Benihime was revealing her face she was making very direct eye contact with her brother, her eyes reassuring him that she could get them both out of this alive. Of course, the man's eyes didn't look as hopeful as hers did, he looked resigned to his fate, but Benihime wasn't taking a defeatist attitude from anyone least of all her brother.

?That's a good girl, and you're quite a pretty one too. I suppose that means this piece of trash at my side is your brother. Your older brother if I had to guess. Why are you saving him... shouldn't he be saving you?? he asked of the girl laughing still as the men left surrounded her, two of them capturing her arms and another two her legs. She let this happen she was preparing a strategy and part of it involved being as harmless as possible. Now that she was held the guy whose arm she had broken stood up as well swinging his good arm into her ribs and doubling her over immediately. She felt them crack but she didn't actually respond to it the way one would expect. The fiery little redhead spit out a bit of blood in front of her and grinned into the man's face.

?Is that all you got? I swear it feels like I broke both your arms.? she grinned at him and then tilted her head to look around him to the leader who was still grinning maliciously at her brother. She needed to get him away from her brother. Then she could recover.

?You know, I keep saying that every time I save him. But I obviously never need saving so it isn't really a problem.? she said staring at the man before her. She was being snide and cheeky offering herself up for sacrifice so that she could keep him away from her brother. But for some reason the man remained and gave an order to the remaining men.

?Beat her senseless.? and thus the hits started, the remaining three men beat the girl viciously. Luckily enough she was already used to taking quite a bit of punishment and she would do this, mostly because she needed to lure the leader away from her brother. He stood there watching her take what appeared to be the beating of a lifetime, punches to the middle of her body kicks to her legs but no one touched her face. It was like looking her in the eye, reminded whatever remained of their decency that she was pretty and they couldn't bring themselves to hit her there.

The whole time she took this beating Benihime stared into her brother's eyes. She needed him to understand as well, the amount of pain he put her through not being able to control his vices. She stood there and every time a fist or foot made contact with her person she'd suppressed the desire to scream. Minutes passed and when her body had gone limp the men before her stopped revealing her savagely beaten body, which though covered in black clothing was already covered in bruises. The men holding her let her fall to the floor on her knees. They had freed her thinking she couldn't possibly recover. Even though she had made no sounds during the entire ordeal. Of course, the leader was now confident that he would not have to fight the girl directly, he was after all very cunning and knew he couldn't beat her in combat. He stepped away from her brother his sword still drawn, dragging across the floor as he approached.

Now one might wonder why Saya remained where she was while watching this tiny girl take a major beating. The answer was simple, Saya had seen the girl use the same tactic before, allowing people to fall into a false sense of security by assuming they had beaten her or that they were better than her... just so she could come back a few seconds later and completely wipe the floor with them.

?Well, it's a shame, I'm going to have to kill you now. Hell, you're pretty enough that if you weren't so dangerous I'd keep you for a while.? he said shaking his head he drew the blade backwards and it was then that he met his demise. Benihime had utilized Shunpo, and even injured she was too fast for his eyes to follow. She positioned herself right below him grabbing his wrist she angled his blade and with superior strength, she shoved the blade upwards and into the man's chin killing him instantly. She had taken a beating just so she could kill him and the wicked smile that came over her face proved she had known exactly what she was doing when she did it. The other men who could move on their own ran, yelling about the Crimson Demon... the redheaded girl with the face of a angel who had killed all their comrades and their leader. Now that the place was clear, Saya was sure the girl would be safe, the woman began her journey back, after all, she couldn't have the girl knowing she had protection.

This left Benihime alone with her brother. She turned to look at him then and his face showed an honest bit of relief, though he still looked like hell... Benihime visually looked no worse for wear. But he could tell in her slow approach how hurt she was beneath all that black clothing. She removed the sword from the fallen leader's head and walked towards her brother, cutting him free. She also took the sword, she might as well take something from this.

?Ari-nii you have to stop this... If I was anyone else, I would have gotten my head chopped off.? she said. And with that she turned.

?Get your life together already, I won't be around to save you forever.? and with that she left picking up her mask she put it back on and disappeared. She had a lot of ground to cover and though she'd only been gone an hour it would take her twice that long to get back nursing broken ribs.

3:30 AM

The water finally stopped and the girl grabbed for the towel she had tossed over the stall. She had finally finished her story and she was fully clean. Her hair washed, no more blood stuck to her person. She grabbed for clothing, wrapping her chest first and pulling on an over-sized pair of hakama black in color. Once dressed she stepped out and grinned to Shusuke.

?So that is what I do at night. I save my big brother and from time to time, fight and kill people.? she said with a small smile. The boy sat there his eyes glued to her and managed to look just a little bit excited.

?You have to take me with you.? and with that Benihime stood in a mirror and began wrapping her ribs as well. Saying one more thing to Shusuke before she would consider this conversation over.

?You have to get better first.?

[Shuren]

Part 1: The Dragon's Claws

?Sensei, I'd like to challenge Beni-senpai for the number one student spot.? these were the words that came from the mouth of the slightly lanky raven haired boy. His green eyes were fierce and the determination in them was more than enough for the dark haired woman to push her glasses up on her nose, causing a glint to appear over them hiding the color of her own eyes behind it. Benihime seemed nothing but amused by the idea, for the year since this boy had arrived she'd been giving him lessons and pointers. She'd even taken to having the boy go out with her on nights she ventured into the Rukongai to test her skills against the deviants of society. He often took her punishments with her, and they were at the very least partners in their sprees. Even so the idea that he thought he could take her spot as the number one student was somewhat amazing. It had only been a year since he had arrived, and though he'd made amazing progress, Benihime had been here for half a decade and the difference between them... while not entirely obvious by the exercises the little redhead participated in would soon be made completely clear to all. The blonde haired boy Shin had once thought he could best the number one student, a small smile came to his face as he'd also wondered how long it would take for their newest arrival to try. Granted the boy had taken Shin's spot as the number two student within a few months of his arrival the blonde boy didn't seem to care. His pacifist nature let him congratulate Benihime's raven haired friend and his own personal rival, without the slightest bit of ill-will. Even so, the final say on whether or not this challenge would stand, would be Saya who seemed to be taking a long time to consider this. Finally she spoke, her voice sounding less distant that she normally managed. ?Sure thing Kiddo, but you know the rules of challenges... There are no rules. You can fight in whatever way you want using whatever skills you have to their full extent. And in the end it's up to the winner what happens to the loser.?

The world was a hard place to live, and Saya always wanted her students to understand this. It was important to her that his boy named Shusuke with the green eyes completely understood what he was getting himself into in a challenge against Benihime. A small smile came to the redhead's face as she kept a sword strapped to her back and began stretching as if she hadn't a care in the world. She'd had more than enough practice and had taught the boy all he knew about real fighting. With this in mind, she had absolutely nothing to fear from him, not that she feared anyone in the first place. As she moved across the room, the bandages on her feet made the only sound. Shin immediately vacated the area, taking his seat behind Saya to watch the coming battle. The woman had also moved up to the landing where the kids bedrooms were located giving them free range of the entire bottom floor and the rafters above. And neither the voice of the blonde haired boy nor the voice of Saya would be heard again. Instead it was the melodic tone of the Benihime's voice that filled the area. A smile on her face as she stopped moving and raised her right hand in Shusuke's direction. ?Come on then Shu-kun, take my spot from me.? her words an open challenge as if the boy needed some encouragement.

To his credit, Shusuke didn't flinch and instead drew the dragon sword at his side, already familiar with its weight he grinned turning towards the smaller redhead he dashed using a shunpo to close the distance between them and aimed to strike at the girl's legs, as if he wanted to cut them off. If he really wanted to win, he'd have to be trying like this the entire time, and he knew this to be certain, because the little redhead had told him so herself on the first day she'd been practicing with him personally. Her words echoed in his mind now, ?Someone like me, you have to strike fiercely. Aim to maim or kill on the first strike... the more time you give me... the easier it will be for me to murder you.? with this in mind the boy was quite ready for the girl's next move. Her body had hopped over his sword, as it moved her eyes trained on his sword arm so she could predict it's movements. And beyond that she was flipping in the air her right leg swinging in a quick circle to make contact with the side of his head. There was nothing to be done about this, the strike was simply too fast and the boy was sent flying across the dojo and into the wall with enough force that his body left a dent when it finally stopped. Even so, he was shaking it off and standing again with a large grin on his face. And Saya was watching behind the glint of her glasses.

'Oh my... a bit of self-control from Benihime. Perhaps she is actually fond of this one... that strike didn't break his neck.' thought the woman as the boy made his next move, this time utilizing a kidou spell from the distance which would leave the girl paralyzed after a red flash of light. Of course, the immediate sword strike there after a stab aimed directly towards the middle of her person would seem to go through her. Shock seeming to cover her face, for just a moment before her body vanished a simple after image...

Shusuke's eyes went wide as he knew then he was in much more trouble than he initially realized. He had known all along the small redhead was considerably faster than he was. He hadn't known she had gone so far in her training as to learn Hohou techniques aside from Shunpo. He didn't have much time to consider this as Benihime gave him a bit of a warning she was coming, the slightest sound of her sword dragging the floor in the moment before she aimed an upward slash at the boy's back. He turned then his own blade meeting hers as he stared into her ruby red eyes.

?Oh... heard my little warning then, hm? Shu-kun you realize I could have killed you at least 3 times between now and the time I made that noise. Where are your reflexes?? she asked as the boy pushed back against her and her smaller frame couldn't support the push and slid back a few meters. As Saya watched she grinned analyzing the situation at hand.

'He's stronger, she's faster. He's better with a sword, but she's got a balanced use of both sword and hand to hand combat techniques.' she thought as she watched Benihime kick the boy's sword arm while aiming to slash him immediately after. He was off -balance and fell backwards but there was nothing more to it than that, he recovered quickly watching the small girl's body trying to find an opening in her animalistic stance. This was fun, but he wanted to win. And as Shusuke tried to pick apart this girl's fighting style Benihime had already figured out all she needed to, in order to be able to beat him. Unlike Shin she was something of a strategist and she had no problem figuring out based on the boy's personality and his skills what he thought he could do against her. After all he'd already proved it... in using the Geki spell. Of course, in doing so he also realized he would need something stronger to hold her and actually land a hit. Given this information she could only think of one spell he might try and she knew he'd find it risky so the set up for it would have to be perfect.

'He knows as much kidou as I do... it could get problematic to allow him the opportunity to get past this point. I should... probably make sure he doesn't think to do this again, it would save me a bit of trouble in the long run.' the redheaded girl thought as she jumped into the air and quickly landed behind the boy her sword at his neck a smile on her face as she began speaking. She'd try this time, to finish this particular test without having to cause major injury to the boy before her, and perhaps it would work.

?Eh, Shu-kun. You are pretty good but you're not the best. How about we stop this before I have to do something I might actually find it in myself to regret?? she asked this with the side of her sword resting on the boy's shoulder. These words she spoke weren't just for this green eyed boy's benefit but also for the raven haired woman as well. She knew that Saya was worried about her social development and beyond that was probably trying to figure out if she should continue to let the little redhead live knowing that she was as manipulative and unfeeling as she was. Perhaps, she could trick this woman into thinking her plan of exposing her to others to mellow her out, had worked. And there was only one real way to test such a thing. While Benihime was having her normal manipulative inclinations. Shusuke was faced with a choice. He had to know, it had to be obvious that she could kill him right here and right now. A smile came over Shusuke's face and he turned those green eyes onto the small girl and shrugged holding up his hands in surrender.

?Fine, you're right. I can't win here. But god do you have to be so threatening I mean... look at you... so serious Beni-senpai.? he said and with this their match was over. Benihime withdrew her weapon and sheathed it once again as she did, choosing her next words to Shusuke carefully because she fully understood her actions and words were being judged. A small smile came to her face as she spoke next,

"I am only threatening when I have to be. You should well know that by now. Better luck next time... maybe later I'll show you that move I used... you're ungodly slow, Shu-kun." and with that she was done speaking of this supposed match between them. Shusuke was probably the closest thing to a rival she'd get for a while, so keeping him around and happy was among the best things she could do. Shin jumped down from the upper landing approaching her with his timid pacifism. He was also smiling seemingly happy that Benihime was still the number one student.

?Hime-chan how do you always manage to convince us to let you remain the top student?? he asked of her and with that the little redhead shrugged. She could think of lots of reasons she was still Saya's top student and they mostly had to do with the fact that she had both the drive and the mental capacity to make up for her weaknesses. What came from the little redhead's mouth there after was a small jab at the boys' pride.

?Eh, I let you think you have a chance, to take it from me... you don't let me keep it.? and with that the girl went to put away her sword and grab a book and a snack, she had an afternoon of reading ahead of her. Shusuke and Shin were left looking a bit confused as this enigma of a girl in their midst seemed to be something they just had no hope of reaching in skill or attitude. A smile on Saya's face after Benihime's interactions with the boy's was indication enough to the young redhead that her plan to deflect the woman's attentions away from her had worked. This had taken a great deal longer than deceiving her parents, but was also much more rewarding over all.

[Shuren]

Part 2: Obsessions

Late in the afternoon a small boy from one of the houses around the dojo ran by the large window where Benihime sat to read in the afternoon. He paused with a bit of a smile on his face and the sun glinting off his brown hair and pulled back his arm. In that second Benihime's eyes didn't leave the page they were on, she simply raised her left hand and opened it, catching a small orange with a note attached. A smile on her face as she finished the page and turned her attention to the small boy below offering him a smile. His blue eyes went wide and a small blush crossed his face as he ran off immediately thereafter. The girl sat the orange in her lap and pulled the note from it. She'd read it in a few moments, but right now there was something that had her attention, and it was just on the horizon.

The 10th Division was making their weekly rounds near the Dojo and she would still be watching the progress of her favorite divisioner, a man she'd found to be named Jinketsu Raizen. He was the Vice Captain of this particular division but she didn't see him. This worried her, because now he had a more permanent spot and hadn't moved from his place as the Vice-Captain in the year since Shusuke had arrived. The young redhead's brow furrowed as she went into deep thought about why she couldn't see the man she was presently looking for as the hooded captain and the new Vice-Captain led the members of their division down the street towards the dojo. As she went into this deep thought Shusuke joined her at the window and after a few seconds of watching her gaze figured out what she had, that the man she normally watched during her little afternoon voyeurism was missing from his spot.

“Beni-senpai... are you going to be okay?” he asked, not having any idea of how the girl would react if the object of her affections had been killed in the line of duty or had gone missing. A smile crossed the girl's face.

“Shu-kun you were coming to tell me you were leaving to see your grandmother right? No need to worry about me... I will find out if he is hiding among this group.” she said a look of full concentration on her face as she manifested Reiraku before her. These spirit threads were something she'd learned to conjure a while ago and used periodically to find people she was looking for. Of course, seeing this Shusuke immediately became curious and took a seat beside her to learn this new technique from her as well as figure out how she fully intended to find the man.

“Oi, what are you doing?” he asked of her curiosity in his voice and face. She turned to him then, the threads around her disappearing for a second before she realized he probably couldn't see them yet. She took this moment to explain what she was intending since the 10th Division was still a little while from crossing directly in front of the Dojo.

“I am looking for spirit threads, they show differently with different kinds of beings, and it's something you should be able to do as well. The normal souls, like us, and the people around us. They are white. But Shinigami ones are red.” she said after a few more moments of explaining how this was done, she and Shusuke both went to the practice and once he could see the threads too. He turned his focus towards the 10th Division as they made their way towards the Dojo. Benihime's attention was also turned towards the division, she saw the sea of red threads and knew that Shusuke had as well, but they weren't what she was looking for. It was the largest thread which caught her attention and lead her straight to the man she had been looking for, because his was different. It had been for as long as she had known about this technique for finding spiritual beings. It wasn't red like a normal Shinigami spirit thread, and it also wasn't white like a plus soul thread. His was unique and it was the only one she had ever seen before. And it was this which made the small redhead reach towards it, and when she touched it her eyes traveled directly to the front of the line where the man she had been looking for had been the whole time. The small redhead's eyes went wide as she realized she had been panicking for naught, because this man hadn't fallen in battle he had risen in rank and power.

“Damn.” and that was all she had to say. But as this word left her mouth, Shusuke was now looking where her eyes were pointed towards the hooded figure he now knew to be the man she'd been watching before. A wide grin on his face as he began speaking.

“Senpai, I see you found what you were looking for, his spirit thread isn't the same color as the others.” he mentioned with an easy smile on his face but Benihime's attention was now fully devoted to trying to figure out how this man had advanced so quickly.

“I know, it's weird it's always been that way... at least since I've been able to use that technique to search him out of the crowd.” she said and as she was speaking her eyes hadn't left this group now passing before her. But what she didn't know was that Raizen was also looking towards her, his eyes hidden by the shadow of his hood, a small smirk on his face. He seemed not to even take note of the boy beside her with the smile on his face except to narrow his eyes, but that wouldn't be seen either. Instead only a few words would fall from this man's mouth as he walked staring at the small redhead he knew couldn't see his gaze.

“She's still tiny.” The man said seemingly without thought for his Vice-Captain beside him who seemed to be quite curious about what he meant. Given the man wasn't much prone to speaking while taking care of his divisional duties. He couldn't help but question his Captain, who also happened to be his brother, in this moment because it seemed an odd thing to say in the middle of their patrol.

“Nii-san, what are you talking about?” he asked. Only to have a single commanding statement in return, one which wouldn't even begin to answer the man's question.

“Don't question me.” A look of shock passed the Vice-Captain's face. His own brother always spoke in such a way, but since he wasn't willing at this moment to challenge him he simply bowed his head and continued on.

“Hai, apologies. I meant no disrespect, Nii-san.” and with that the patrol continued on business as usual and after they'd cleared the horizon, Benihime went back to her conversation with Shusuke.

“Anyways... you should use that technique while you are gone. It will help you track better. And probably contribute to better reflexes for the next time you try and take my title from me, eh?” she said a sarcastic smile crossing her face. Knowing this boy was preparing to visit his grandmother.

“Hai, I'll practice it Senpai. Are you... staying here again this weekend?” he asked. Knowing that over the time he had been in the dojo he'd only seen the small girl return home a couple of times. She apparently didn't like her family very much, and this was something the green eyed boy simply didn't understand but being her friend he didn't question her motives. While she thought this over she began reading the note attached to her orange. And after reading it's contents a few times she stood smiling at the boy, in a way that would almost seem genuine.

“Eh, actually... I am going home this weekend as well.” and with that she began to travel across the rafters towards her room, where she would pick up a couple of items. With what she needed for traveling secured to her person she and Shusuke stood at the gate of the Dojo side by side ready to walk off into opposite directions Shusuke headed left.

“Ja ne, Senpai... don't have too much fun without me.” he said in his easy going manner. A wide smile spread across Benihime's face as she replied stepping to the right her feet covered in bandages as she still couldn't be bothered with shoes.

“Eh, it's never much fun when you aren't around. I'll bring you back something nice...” she said as she hurried off. All the while Saya watched from that upper window. These two had become the fastest of friends but she wasn't sure she could trust that friendship. She was at least satisfied that Benihime wasn't completely unfeeling anymore, the small girl even appeared to have a crush on the Gotei's youngest captain. Perhaps there was hope for her yet...

[Shuren]

Part 3: The Missing Boy

Having reached her childhood home Benihime stepped through the door, and unsurprisingly was greeted by all her older male siblings including her favorite Aritei as well as her mother and father. She put on a brave face, pretending to love the attention of various commentaries and head pats that came her way. The ?Oh you've gotten taller,? followed by the ?Eh, you're so strong now, you wanna wrestle?? and let's not forget the rather obvious ?Why are you still wearing Aritei's old pants?? not that any of these statements mattered to her. She answered them in turn, offering hugs to each of her brother's before heading back to her room. Claiming to be tired from the training this afternoon and her travels here. This of course would be respected, though not without a few groans from those who sought more of their only female siblings attention. She on the other hand, settled back into her room with the door closed and relaxed against the wall her bed was pushed against.

?Ugh, why do I keep coming back here?? she asked herself as her head hit the wall. Normally speaking she couldn't help but want to kill things whenever she was here. There was a reason she stopped coming home, and it mostly had to do with her inability to tolerate extended conversations with her family. They weren't bad people, but she couldn't stand them... they were boring. To the point that she wanted to kill them all and put them out of their misery, and she was pretty sure she could do just that at this point in her life. As she smashed her head repeatedly against the wall trying to numb herself, her mother walked into her room, stopping at the door to watch her daughter's behavior. She'd always been rather skiddish around this girl, unsure of how to speak to her. When the decision was made that she would go to the Dojo and live with Saya, she'd agreed to it under the pretense that it would help the girl grow into a better person. As she looked at the girl in front of her, she could tell... Benihime was stronger, but her emotional development was still something of a mystery to the older redhead.

?Hime-chan, I know you need some time. I just wanted to say... It's nice to see you.? the woman said turning as if she intended to leave. Benihime smirked as her head hit the wall one final time. She decided that perhaps she'd show this woman something besides spite and disdain, to see what would come of it. In that moment, Benihime moved forward, away from the wall hugging the woman as she tried to leave. A small smile on her face as she looked up into the slightly taller woman's eyes.

?It's nice to see you too, Okaa-chan.? she said sounding genuinely happy and sweet. So much so that it made the tiny redhead want to gag, but she had to finish testing all she had learned. In that moment her mother hugged her back and seemed completely shocked by the girl's change in attitude. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes and she squeezed once more before she pulled away.

?I'm making your favorite for dinner, then after you can do whatever you like.? her mother said to her. The innocent and sweet look remained on Benihime's face while she faced her mother.

?Arigatou.? she said but as soon as her mother turned the corner of her bedroom door a most wicked smirk appeared on the girl's face. It appeared, to her, that if she wasn't as openly manipulative as she had been before, she could well get her way and much easier. Oh the amount of fun she would have when Saya finally freed her from her training. She'd return here, and have everyone doing her bidding in a matter of days. A life free of chores, and with the power to kill anything that could possibly challenge her. This was what the young girl wanted, for now at least.

A few more minutes passed and a familiar face, and the reason for her visit home stopped by her room, entering and closing the door behind himself. Aritei stood before the small girl, who had been his savior on several occasions over the past couple of years. He'd grown some, now standing a great deal taller than his youngest sibling. And beyond that he was looking surprisingly healthy. His cheeks had filled in again, and he no longer looked like he needed to catch up on weeks of sleep. She stared into green eyes and found herself calmed by him, he was without a doubt, her favorite among her siblings and that was why she sat back on her bed and stared at him one hand in her hair as she yawned.

?Ari-nii, you look better than the last time I saw you. Why the cryptic note from the kid with the orange?? she asked of him. The note she'd read, which had made her decide to visit her childhood home for the first time in 6 months had simply read.

'I have something to tell you. I am not in trouble, but I could use your help. ~Ari'

Such a note could have meant anything but it was missing just enough details to make the young girl come to her childhood home and risk the boring speeches of her parents and other siblings just to see him. As he came further in her room he took a seat atop a trunk she kept at the foot of her bed. He took a few moments to gather his thoughts before he began speaking. ?Hime-chan, Enshou is missing.?

The words left his mouth and Benihime barely managed to look anything other than confused. Of course, there was a reason for this and it had nothing to do with her caring about the fate of her childhood tormentor. A snide smile came over the little redhead's face as she showed her brother who she really was. That person, she'd hidden behind stolen emotions and faked kindness. The person who was missing that key component which made people humane.

?I sincerely hope you didn't bring me back here just to tell me that. I mean I almost beat him to death myself half a decade ago... if you don't remember. He probably just left... why should I care?? she asked of the boy in front of her.

Aritei had expected such a response from his younger sister. He knew she cared little for the black haired boy with the corn yellow eyes who had managed to torment her throughout her childhood. That boy had constantly managed to start fights with the girl and continued to try and best her in combat. Of course, Aritei realized this was only because the boy had a crush on his younger sister, and though he thought no one was good enough for her, he could at least understand the kid's motivation. Which was something his younger sister obviously didn't get.

?I'll show you... after dinner. I know you didn't like him... but he liked you.? he said calmly seeing the disgust spread across the young girl's face he continued past this point so as not to lose her. Knowing his sister was prone to leaving in the middle of the night without notice if she was so inclined.

?Beyond that his disappearance was mysterious and you're the smartest person I know. I could use your help... so if you won't help for him. Just do it for me... please Hime-chan?? her brother practically begged her. The redheaded girl kept her head tilted to the side, bright red irises shining as she stared at the redheaded man before her his spikes of hair so long they'd fallen into something of an untamed mass of fringe around his face and shoulders. She could tell him no, and considered it at this very moment, but she also knew something such as this was probably the most interesting of things she'd get to do for quite a while. She couldn't well say no to something which had the potential to be entertaining to her and besides that...

'If I manage to foster Aritei's faith in me. When I come back and assume control of this whole family he won't deny me. He'll just fall in and help me. If I am nice to him... then everyone will continue to think that I am growing and changing... this will be helpful for later.' she smiled at her brother but before she could answer him, her mother called for all of them.

?Dinner!? and with it she looked towards the door and then towards her brother a small smile spreading over her face. This was easy... almost too easy now that she understood completely how normal people worked.

?Show me after dinner. If we disappear before Okaa-chan and the other boys will be heartbroken.? and it was with these words that the girl agreed to help her brother. The boy looked somewhat relieved and she couldn't quite tell why, but she figured she'd just pull that information out of him later. For now, she just approached the door of her bedroom and headed out of it. Out in the hall the rest of her brothers crowded around her and accompanied her to the dinner table. And Benihime put on the best show of her life. Pretending to be interested in the things said over dinner.

One brother found a girl he liked, he was planning to ask her to marry him. Another seemed to think he'd eventually have enough power to become a Shinigami. Cute. She smiled all the while Aritei spent all of dinner watching the little redheaded girl's mannerisms and he saw through them. He knew who she was inside, knew she wasn't interested in the things being said around her. But in the time she'd been gone, Benihime had gotten much better at the nuances of normal communication. It was almost as if she wasn't an uncaring, unfeeling sociopath. She was almost a kind and caring little sister. But he wouldn't be fooled, he already knew that people didn't change. And his sister was only playing along until she got what she wanted, as she always did.

[Shuren]

Part 4: Enshou

After dinner Aritei and Benihime fled the confines of their dwelling hand in hand. This was done in front of their parents and other siblings under the pretense of having a bit of fun out on the town together and Benihime acting as the older boy's escort.

?Neh, no worries we'll be home before it's too late.? she said as they walked off together, within a few minutes the girl had doubled back to grab her sword and her black mask. If she was going to be investigating she might as well do it under the persona she normally did these things under. Now more comfortable in her own skin, she caught up to Aritei with superior speed before taking on his pace. She spoke to Aritei, from his left side after catching up all but her eyes hidden behind the ninja mask.

?So tell me, what is so important about a missing bratty boy that I need to forego a weekend of extra lessons?? she asked of her brother who scoffed at the girl's rather uncaring nature. He couldn't believe after all this time she still really didn't care about anything. She'd saved him on numerous occasions, and he'd even seen her take a major beating just to kill a man. Anyone who could do the miraculous things he'd seen from her couldn't really be so bad of a person inside, right? As he wondered these things he answered her questions, he knew the rules of hanging out with his sister, and the first of them was that she needed to stay both amused and interested.

?Well, earlier in the week he was out with a couple of the other neighborhood boys. All of them together just didn't come home after that.? he started knowing that Benihime would be thinking now he just continued to relay the information as he had heard it, not sparing a single detail.

?They'd recently taken to doing some robberies and the like. They weren't good kids by any means, but they still usually came home every night. When they didn't their parents went out looking for them but found no signs of them in this district, and they couldn't get anyone but me to agree to go looking beyond it.? he said as they crossed from the first district into the 2nd without any hesitation. Benihime wasn't afraid of travel and her own reputation far proceeded her, and there were few within the margins of the Rukongai who could even claim to be able to take her in a fight, even unarmed. A wide smile crossed the girl's face beneath her mask.

?I take it by your words you did find something or else you wouldn't be dragging me across the districts.? she mentioned casually. Her brother's brow rose, it was easy to forget, given the girl's inability to show focus in anything, that she was actually quite brilliant. Besides that he hadn't had to give her any guidance she was already picking up on the cues left by his absence of speech.

?That is correct. It's here.? he said standing at the edge of the 2nd District right before it started into the 3rd. There was a grove of trees. They began walking into it, and after about a mile or so, there was a clearing. By Benihime's own approximation they were now within the 3rd District not that she cared a lot, it was just she didn't like wandering in the woods. Here, she'd see it soon enough, clothing, the clothing of 3 different sized individuals in piles on the ground. Her brow rose as she approached one hand on the hilt of the sword strapped to her back ever cautious. She'd never seen anything like it.

?Eh, well they didn't just get naked... and they can't be running around this way. Someone would have seen something and reported it. I am sure you asked around... you're that kind of ...? Benihime stopped as if searching for a word in her vocabulary before she came up with an appropriate one. ?polite.? she finished.

?Yes, I did ask around and no one as seen a bunch of naked people. I can't figure out where they went, it's like they shed their clothes and disappeared, but there is legitimately no trace of any of them after this point.? the boy said with a look of utter bewilderment on his face. Benihime smiled. And right at this moment she realized why he'd asked for her help.

?If they are still nearby I can probably find them... but if I do, you should probably lay low for a bit. It could be dangerous.? she said her hand still resting on the hilt of her weapon. Her brother looked utterly shocked, since when did she care about someone else getting hurt, and beyond that, why on earth should he leave her behind to face such a thing alone.

?Hime-chan, I can't leave while you take on something like this again. It won't be like it was that night you got beaten up for me. I can look after myself.? he said showing the kodachi he had strapped to his side hidden within the folds of his robes. A small smile spread across Benihime's face. She thought of trying to talk him out of sticking around but decided that it wouldn't be worth it. If he wanted to stick around, she figured she might as well let him. And if he died before they returned home, she simply wouldn't go back there.

?Fine, as you like, Ari-nii. But if you get hurt, not a whimper or I swear I'll knock you out.? she said with a knowing smile. It was at this moment that she began to use the finer parts of her training. Standing near the circles of clothing she could just barely feel the traces of Reiatsu near them, and they felt familiar but it wasn't enough for her to completely get it. She used her abilities to find the Reiraku, spirit threads beginning to appear in her line of vision all around her. And as they did she came to a startling conclusion within seconds. She stopped the practice and drew her weapon, to the confusion of her older brother who thought immediately that she aimed to attack him for some unknown reason.

She used a Shunpo subsequently to appear to the direct left of her brother. Her sword drawn it would appear she was going to stab him in the side of the head, and right before the man had time to look confused as the deathblow headed his way, his eyes caught up to his sister's movements and he looked his sister in her crimson eyes. But the blade went past his head, and it was then that he saw it. A jellyfish like hollow trying to engulf him in that moment who had just been stabbed through the head. But Benihime didn't have an Asauchi, so she couldn't cleanse the beast. Instead it was a simple electrical current flowing through her blade that was causing this beast to fry from the inside out before it exploded. It was the Kidou spell Tzusuri Raiden one of many Benihime knew but never had a practical reason to use before this moment. Aritei barely had the chance to look anything other than stunned.

?Hollows here but how?? Benihime stood at his back and frowned. She had a couple of ideas, the first one that came to mind came out of her mouth.

?That one, had similar Reiatsu to one of those stacks of clothes. I'd say it was born here, it snuck in here and fed on that boy. Or...? she paused there was another one immediately to her own right, which caused the girl to spin around a red ball of energy appearing in her hand as she said the name of another Hadou spell.

?Hadou no Sanjuu San: Shakkaho.? this particular spell would burn this creature down to nothingness. Leaving the small girl standing with wide eyes and panting just a little bit for breath.

?Or they are the boys. They somehow died here, and turned into hollows. Like a living being would.? Benihime realized that she probably shouldn't have this information by her brother's reaction to it. He turned and shook her. Staring her in the eye.

?God, Hime-chan what has that crazy woman been teaching you? That is information only Shinigami are supposed to have. You could be killed or imprisoned for mentioning such a thing casually. And that magic you use is also Shinigami specific, how do you have the reserves of Reiatsu and the skill to cast it without full incantations.? he said looking fearful. The same way he used to look a few years prior whenever he found her doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing.

?Eh, she taught me what I needed to survive. And when you are out of this and alive, you'll thank her. As for how I can do it, you know better than anyone else the types of things I can do when I set my mind to it. Learning Kidou is child's play, and keeps my mind occupied. You should be proud.? she said to her brother she could feel the last one. And it would take more killing than the other two had. She knew this for a fact...

While he watched the small girl seemingly prepare for battle with something stronger Aritei realized he was indeed very proud of his little sister. But he didn't want her to go down that road, only death waited at the end of the road to being a Shinigami. But he didn't have time to coney this information as a larger hollow than all the rest waited at the end of the line. It was specialized like an animal, actually it looked like the hyenas of the real world with a black body and a white mask behind it's fangs a laughing sound could be heard and when it turned its head those corn yellow eyes cemented a single thought in Benihime's head as well as the confirmation of her secondary hypothesis about what happened to the boys who had gone missing.

?Enshou.?

[Shuren]

Part 5: The Age of Innocence... Ended

A cackling laugh escaped this hollow being. And it was staring at the small girl with her black mask on. Even so, it seemed to know exactly who she was and began circling her and her brother. Benihime began turning, making sure to keep herself between her brother and this hollow as much as possible. She had no idea why it was her instinct to protect the man with her, but she was too far into to the practice to start denying it now.

“Couldn't beat me in a fair fight, so you decided to become a hollow instead. You're pathetic.” she taunted the hollow that only laughed. It seemed that speech was beyond it, so maybe it was running on instinct. Given what she had read about hollows this could be a good thing for her. An unthinking hollow could easily be conquered if an individual was strong enough and she could feel the Reiatsu leaking from the beast circling her and she knew she could kill it. It was only a matter of time, tact and skill. Her brother seemed both scared and dazed. This revelation about what had become of the boys from his neighborhood was a bit too much for him. He had known those boys all of their lives, and all he could do, was imagine such a thing happening to his little sister, as they were circled by this creature.

“I know what you are thinking and don't.” Benihime said to her brother who had placed his hand on his weapon and was gripping it so hard that he had broken the skin on his hand and his knuckles were white from strain. He started to speak but she stopped him with a quick noise her eyes never leaving the hollow before them.

“It will only get us both killed. And as uncaring as I might seem, I still don't like explaining to people that other people have died on my watch. It makes me look like a failure. So, do me a favor and be still. I have a plan and it should leave us both living at the end.” she said calmly as the beast finally pounced with a surprising bit of speed. Even so, Benihime tumbled backwards and kicked the beast over her head when her back hit the ground, sending it flying into a tree which subsequently shattered on impact. After such a display, her elder brother had no choice but to trust the small girl's judgement, she was obviously the more combat ready of the duo.

A wicked little grin came over her masked face, even if she hadn't yet admitted it, she enjoyed outwitting people and even more so than that, enjoyed winning fights. Proving she was better than others, was one of few things that kept life interesting for the continuously bored little redhead. The first toss gave her an idea how how strong this creature was physically, and much like the soul it used to be, it left a lot to be desired. The only thing it really had going for it, was the instinct to satisfy its insatiable hunger. And that would not get it very far with a meal like Benihime on the menu. When it stood it whimpered opening its mouth energy gathered there, in a swirling light yellow ball, this was what she recognized to be Enshou's Cero. A collection of energy and Benihime was prepared for it. Her sword now in front of her it began to spin at just the moment that the Cero was released and Benihime called out the name of another spell.

“Enkosen.” the swirling sword was soon backed by the girl's own Reiatsu, keeping the blast of the Cero from reaching her or her brother behind her. A large grin spread over her face as she realized what was necessary to take out this particular creature. She spoke a few words of warning to her brother, and hoped he'd understand.

“I am about to do something very dangerous and it will at the very least kill this hollow. But... I might not be able to move afterwards okay. So... in case this goes wrong I want you know... You're my favorite, I wouldn't even come home if you weren't there.” and with that she turned to the best who seemed rather confused about why the girl and her brother were still standing. And it began pacing that weird laughing sound escaping it's mouth as it prepared for it's final attack. Even so the small girl in front of it began talking at first just to the person he used to be.

“Look Enshou, I am a bit sorry you could never beat me. Being a hollow though, it's no one's fault but your own. I'll put you out your misery now... and you can burn in hell for irritating me so much.” she commented absently not even knowing if this creature would retain enough of itself to get what she was saying to it. It didn't really matter though as the next thing to fall from the girl's mouth would be the start of an incantation for a very powerful spell. What would in fact be the most powerful spell she knew, and as she began speaking she took her sword in a reverse grip in her right hand to free the area in front of her person for the flow of the spell. And though she knew she'd done way too much over the last few moments to think she could retain consciousness, she did it anyways, because it was the only thing to do.

"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!" she said these words with emphasis the power of her Reiatsu building around her as she aimed an arm at the beast directly, her finish as the yellow energy gathered at the end of her hand was the name and number of the spell.

“Hadou no Rokujuu San: Raikoho.” As she finished the spell a large yellow spike of lightning escaped from the end of her hand engulfing the hollowfied Enshou as well as the forest for a few hundred meters directly in front of the brother-sister duo. The body of the hollow Enshou melted before the girl and when she was finished she could feel nothing else of his Reiatsu. Even, more so than that there was an extreme amount of relief in her plan working and the thing the girl had realized was going to happen from the start happened. She fell to her knees then forward to the ground, completely unconscious but a smile on her face, her sword falling from her hand.

A few hours later and much to her surprise her body was leaned against a tree her mask removed and her brother standing guard in front of her. He could have moved her, but he knew she wouldn't approve of being carried and that she wouldn't want to explain what had happened to her parents. Benihime held her head as she woke, it was throbbing but there were worse possibilities than waking up in a forest after expending all of ones energy.

“Ugh, l you stood watch over me? Why?” she asked of her brother who seemed to turn and look at her a smile on his face. Those green eyes of his meeting her red ones as he leaned down towards her and patted her on the head.

“Well you've saved my butt more times than I can count. I figured it was the least I could do to make sure no harm came to you while you couldn't defend yourself.” he said with a smile. She looked at her brother and in that moment smiled in a way that was truly genuine. She appreciated his sentiments and honesty. A wicked smirk followed as she fought to make her body move the way she wanted it to.

“Eh, you say that, but you just didn't want to explain to Tou-chan and Kaa-chan what happened to me.” she said with a wide grin. Her brother's face went as red as his hair and in that moment they shared a laugh and he stood back offering the girl a hand up and fully intending to carry her back to their house if she couldn't support herself just yet. Once she was pulled onto her feet, Benihime stumbled just a little but soon was fine. Though she was leaning against the tree behind her. She'd be able to move soon the sound of her stomach rumbling became audible in that moment.

“Ugh, I over did it.” she said knowing that she was far too hungry to continue on her way right at this moment. Her brother smiled offering her his arm and a gentlemanly smile.

“Eh, you saved me again today... So, how about I treat you to a midnight snack. There is an Inn near here that makes your favorite kinds of sweets. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.” he said pulling the small girl into himself and putting her own his back sword and all. So that he could take her out for food. A wicked grin came over her face. And though she would have liked to protest the treatment she couldn't honestly say no considering she was so hungry her legs could barely support her body weight.

“Fine, lead the way, Ari-nii.” she said and it was like this that the siblings left the forest. Nothing was spoken of the fallen boys as both Aritei and Benihime chose to focus on what had gone right instead of what had gone wrong. A bit of sibling bonding could have definitely gone much worse, but as the pair exited Benihime couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.

They were. In the shadows of a tree, upside down his feet attached to a Reishi platform under his feet, Jinketsu Raizen stood watch over the pair. His personal research for the week, the creation of those hollows so easily vanquished by a girl who was simply a soul, both disappointed and fascinated him.

“Perhaps she isn't so tiny after all.” he commented in his absent way, he found this little redhead girl rather interesting. To be just a soul her use of kidou would rival that of the average Vice-Captain, and surpass it in some cases, had she only the Reiatsu needed to back up her knowledge she'd be something absolutely amazing. At the very least, she was interesting enough that Raizen would continue to watch her... now more so than ever before. He released his hold on the Reishi platform allowing himself to fall toward the ground where he righted himself. His hood fell away for a brief moment showing off a mass of white hair, his golden eyes and tanned skin. This man that the young redhead admired from afar had almost gotten her killed and she would never know.

“Hmph. These souls were too tiny. Perhaps... something stronger next time.” he said, as he stepped forward disappearing in a Shunpo so fast that he appeared to still be standing still for just a moment before he disappeared, back to his barracks in the Division he ran, before anyone would notice his absence.