Two? Two Who?
Toshiro approached Kai, concern etching his icy features. "What's the situation?" he inquired, the frost in his voice matching the chill of his gaze.
Kai merely shrugged nonchalantly, "I just got here." His reply was as dry as it was unhelpful, leaving the captains to puzzle out the situation for themselves.
Renji, bristling at the obvious dodge, stepped up, "Where's Rukia?" His concern for his childhood friend seeped through the hardened veneer of his warrior facade.
Kai glanced back at him, his eyes flickering with silent warning. Rukia's whereabouts were none of their business. His silence hung heavily in the air, stoking Renji's frustration.
Recognizing the brewing tension, Ichigo stepped in, his usual fierce determination softened by diplomacy. "Kai, let us fight this time. Last time you finished too quickly. We want to know where we stand too. If Aizen is planning to attack, we need to be prepared."
Kai regarded Ichigo for a moment, his thoughtful gaze somewhat out of character. Eventually, he shrugged, a non-committal gesture as he agreed, "Sure, whatever. Just don't kill them. I plan on adding them to my new zoo."
A fleeting wave of surprise swept over the Shinigamis at his odd remark, but there was no time to question it. Each of them squared off against an Arrancar. Renji faced off against Wonderweiss, Toshiro took Luppi, Ikkaku challenged Zommari, and Ichigo took on Yammy. Yumichika chose to stand back and watch.
Sitting on the air, Kai watched them. In short, it was boring. Their techniques, dialogues, and even their facial expressions were all too generic. For a second, Kai thought he was watching an anime and not a real-life battle. There were even some cliches such as getting a power-up in the middle of the battle.
Toshiro was facing off against Luppi, sending waves of ice against the Arrancar. Luppi, in return, deflected the attacks with his flexible tendrils. The action was intense, but their dialogue was far from original.
"I won't let you get away this time, Luppi!" Toshiro declared, his cold gaze locked onto the Arrancar.
"And I won't let you freeze me, Shinigami!" Luppi retorted, a gleam of anticipation in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Renji and Wonderweiss were embroiled in their own clash. Renji, his red hair a beacon amid the chaos, attacked relentlessly with his Zabimaru. Wonderweiss, on the other hand, parried each attack with his bare hands, laughing with the innocence of a child.
"Laugh all you want, Wonderweiss, but I will defeat you!" Renji bellowed, a fresh wave of resolve flowing through his veins.
"Buh-huh-huh... Noooo... Ayyyyeeeee!" Wonderweiss retorted, a strange yet creepy smile on his face.(I am going hell for this and you are coming with me.)
Just as the Arrancars were about to transform to their real forms, after about half an hour, Kai finally decided to intervene. "Yup, that's enough." He declared. Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked at him, but before they could even react, a bubble appeared around the Arrancars, and in the next moment, they were nowhere to be seen.
Kai turned to face the bewildered Shinigamis, his gaze critical. "Done. Now, go. You take damn too much time. This is not how you battle. Learn better!" His reprimand echoed in the suddenly quiet atmosphere.
He was about to vanish, about to return to his women, when he suddenly felt a strong, sinister spiritual pressure. His eyes widened, "Fuck!" He exclaimed, the usually lazy, indifferent Kai was visibly worried. "They're after your family, Ichigo!"
And then he was gone, vanishing at record speed, speeding towards the Kurosaki Clinic. But even his swift action wasn't fast enough. When he arrived, a Garganta portal was just closing. His eyes met the cool, emotionless gaze of Ulquiorra, holding Karin and Yuzu, disappearing behind the portal.
"Kai!" Ichigo arrived, panting heavily, his gaze darting around the house. His heart pounded in his chest, "What happened?"
Kai turned to face Ichigo, the usual amusement absent from his gaze. The news he bore weighed heavily on him, a burden he was reluctant to share. His dark blue eyes met Ichigo's, locking them with an unspoken dread.
"They took Karin and Yuzu," Kai said, his voice was low and dreadful, a stark contrast to his usual lighthearted tone. The sentence hung in the air, a suffocating darkness descending upon the two men.
Ichigo staggered, as if he'd been physically hit. His knees buckled, and he sank to the ground, disbelief etched into his features. "No... no," he whispered, his fists clenching in impotent rage and fear.
The clinic was silent, the usual vibrancy replaced by an oppressive stillness. The eerie calm was broken by the sound of Isshin's heavy footsteps, his normally boisterous demeanor absent as he surveyed the scene in front of him. Ichigo, his son, was kneeling on the ground, hands clenched and shaking from suppressed rage and despair. The sight of his usually strong-willed son so broken tore at his heart.
A moment later, Ryuken Ishida and Uryuu Ishida appeared, their expressions grave. Ryuken took in the scene in one sweeping glance, while Uryuu's gaze was drawn to the figure of Ichigo. The silence grew even more profound, broken only by the distant sound of Renji, Hitsugaya, Ikkaku, and Yumichika, arriving one after the other.
"Where the hell were you?" Kai's voice rang out, clear and accusing, cutting through the stillness like a sharp blade. His gaze was fixed on Isshin, the raw fury in his eyes a reflection of his mounting frustration. The older man swallowed, meeting Kai's gaze for a brief second before diverting his eyes towards Ryuken. He couldn't bear to face his son. The failure was his, and he had to carry its weight.
Before the tension could escalate, Kisuke Urahara made his appearance, his usually jovial tone replaced with a more serious undertone. "We need to calm down, Kai-san. We cannot let this divide us." He reasoned, stepping between Kai and Isshin, his gaze meeting each of theirs in turn.
Kai regarded the eccentric shop owner with an icy stare. "This move can cost us at least two strong fighters. Can't you even protect your own family?" His voice held a harsh edge, each word laced with a biting cynicism that mirrored his discontentment.
Ichigo, who had been silent, looked up, confusion clouding his tear-streaked face. "What do you mean by two?" He asked, his gaze meeting Kai's.
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