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Chapter 38: Cthulhu, Come Forth I
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What is destined is bound to come, "Show yourselves, you fucking perverts."
The wind blew cold tonight. A dry breeze that scraped across Karakura Town's rooftops like bones over rusted steel.
The moon was swollen, leering down in judgment, casting long shadows that danced and distorted with the movement of the night.
Akashi stood still.
The sky above remained silent, the wind paused mid-gust, and for a second; just a second; Akashi almost hoped that he was wrong.
That maybe the perverse sensation of eyes crawling over his skin was just paranoia, and the malevolence he felt on his skin was nothing but an illusion.
That maybe Karakura Town wasn't a stage and he wasn't the damned actor, bound to perform no matter how much he hated the script.
But he wasn't wrong.
Six signatures materialized from the void, cloaked in silence and malicious intent.
One by one, they emerged across the rooftops surrounding him. All were clad in black, but not the black of the Gotei 13; no, their shihakushōs were too pristine, too regal, as if tailored for nobles.
The air warped around them from the pressure of their Spiritual Power, their Reiatsu overflowing, seemingly uncaring about anyone noticing their presence there.
Indeed, they weren't worried. Akashi noticed the space around him changing ever so slightly. Nothing seemed to have changed, but he knew that it must be some kind of Kido that masks the surroundings.
Akashi stood alone in the center of a wide rooftop, his black haori fluttering slightly in the breeze.
He said nothing now. He only watched.
The six surrounded him in a loose semi-circle, five of them spaced evenly apart with the sixth; clearly the leader; standing directly in front of him. Their eyes were all visible despite the shadows. Cold. Disdain. Arrogant.
They did not draw their blades.
They didn't feel like they needed to.
Akashi could already feel it. High Spiritual Pressure, tightly refined and swirling within each of them.
If his own spiritual power was average, then theirs stood a grade above that, spiritual power that only high-ranked officers and lieutenants have.
The leader, an older Shinigami with silver-streaked hair and sunken eyes, stepped forward. His voice was calm and absolute.
"On your knees."
Akashi blinked.
Then he laughed; a short, disbelieving sound. Not out of amusement, but out of incredulity.
Was this how they operated? No introduction, no purpose, just a demand for surrender?
He lowered his head slightly, brow furrowed. Not in fear, but in restraint.
"I really don't want any conflict," He said, his voice calm, "You're clearly not from the Gotei 13, so I'll ask: What do you want from me?"
No answer.
The six remained still, unyielding, unmoved. Only the leader spoke again, this time with a trace of irritation behind the smooth mask.
"I told you to kneel."
Akashi's smile faded.
He'd wondered, more than once, if Aizen had orchestrated this. It would be just like him; deploying pawns without ever lifting a finger.
But deep inside, Akashi doubted it. Aizen didn't need to play games. And Tokinada… well, Tokinada liked to play. This had that reek to it.
But why? What's so special about him that Tokinada knows?
Still, Akashi didn't move. His hands remained open and unarmed at his sides.
"I just want some peace," He tried again, "So, please. If there's something you want, ask it. If it's not troublesome, I'll comply. No need for all this."
A pause.
Then a scoff; one of the six, a tall man with a hawkish nose and long tied-back hair, clicked his tongue in disgust, "Do we have to continue to listen to this one beg."
Akashi's eyes twitched.
"It doesn't matter what you think it is," He muttered, "As long as we reach an understanding. That's all that matters."
No one acknowledged his words.
The six stepped closer, the circle tightening. Their spiritual pressure increased; ever so slightly, but enough to make the rooftop beneath them creak from strain.
Akashi resisted the instinct to awaken Kurayami. Not yet. He still hoped; hoped; this could be avoided.
"Nothing? No answer?" He asked again. "Just why?"
The leader tilted his head, as if contemplating whether Akashi was even worth the breath.
Then, without malice, without hatred; just cold indifference; he spoke again.
"We can reach an understanding... As long as you kneel and give up all resistance. You are to be taken."
There it was. The answer. Or at least the only one they were willing to give.
It was the same as the last Shinigami that had targeted him. They want him alive. Tokinada wants him alive.
Akashi looked at them, one by one. He could see that they looked down on him.
No, they despise him, especially after his plea for peace. They're reeking of disdain, just like the Shinigami that targeted him before them.
Akashi sighed. The sound was tired, almost regretful.
"Do you truly expect me to kneel and allow myself to be taken to whatever unknown you've crafted for me?"
"You should."
"And we don't need your consent."
"We've given you a chance to surrender per Master's orders. Since you will not, we have no choice but to use more cruel means."
Akashi's fingers clenched slightly. His jaw tightened. He looked up; eyes darker than ink, not in anger, but in disappointment.
"I didn't want this," He said, voice low, "I didn't want any of this. I just wanted time. I just want to be left alone."
He took a deep breath. Raised his hands. Covered his face.
The world felt darker behind the veil of his fingers.
Kurayami...
All his life, humiliation and pain were merely processes to him, they mattered not.
His body was expendable. His pride even more so. He would offer up both like loose change if it brought him closer to the future he desires.
That's what he'd been doing. Putting down his dignity. Offering them the peace they didn't deserve.
But they didn't take it.
They took his plea for peace as a sign of cowardice.
They took his plea as a sign of fear.
Akashi would've preferred to make a friend than an enemy... It's only unfortunate that they did not understand.
The Reiatsu around him began to twist unnaturally. He rested his hand on the hilt of his blade.
Still, he didn't unsheathe Kurayami. Not yet.
He dropped his left hand, no longer covering his icy face, his expression void of any emotions.
"Fine... Fine." He whispered, "Let there be darkness, born from the darkest of dreams..."
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