Ch 86: The Thunder Gods.

It only took Shikoku a dozen seconds to travel through the shadow dimension and return to the place the Eight Thunder Gods had claimed as a base.

As she rose from one of the shadows, she saw three of her companions. Jaku'un, Fukuma and Kuusetsu were sitting around a round stone table and were playing a game of cards.

"Welcome back, Shikoku… You're injured!" cried Fukuma in alarm, and they dropped their cards to surround her.

"What happened?" asked Jaku'un.

"There are two Arrancars twenty kilometers south." winced Shikoku, looking at her arm. The bleeding was slowing. Within an hour, skin would cover the exposed flesh, but as none of them had any healing ability capable of regrowing limbs, her right hand was… gone, forever. Tears welled in her eyes.

"They know we're here?" exclaimed Jaku'un in alarm.

"I don't think so… But they will search the surroundings. We'll need to leave. This place isn't safe anymore."

"You managed to escape, so they shouldn't be too strong, right? Should we try to fight them, Shikoku-nee?" asked Kuusetsu.

"No. They are too strong. I only escaped thanks to a Shinigami. One wearing a kitsune mask for some reason."

"A Shinigami? Why would they protect us?" asked Fukuma. "Wait, that's not important right now. I'm sorry for your arm. Is there anything we can do?"

"We need to pack the thing we want to bring with…" Shikoku stopped talking as someone appeared near them.

The masked Shinigami. He had a katana in each hand, one of them broken, and a bleeding gash on his left shoulder.

"Hi again."

"You… Who… How… How did you get there?" asked Shikoku warily, as the other took a defensive position around her. She had almost asked him who he was before remembering the answer he had given to those Arrancars.

The masked Shinigami stared at Fukuma for a while instead of answering.

They saw the Shinigami's broken katana disappear, and he placed his free hand against his shoulder. A soft blue glow surrounded the wound.

"I followed you to fix your arm. And I can teleport using people as homing beacons, so to speak. But I have plenty of questions. Would you mind answering them, as a reward for me saving your pretty butt?"

"Pretty b… Yes, but, what do you mean, fix my arm?" Shikoku's eyes widened as she saw the gash on his shoulder was almost healed.

"I mean regrow your limb. I can fix it, but I want a few questions answered first. Why were you fighting those two?"

Shikoku took a deep breath and bowed.

"First, thank you, for saving me from a fate worse than death. Without you, they would have brought me to their base, to be tortured, interrogated and very likely killed at the end. My name is Shikoku. My friends are Kuusetsu, Fukuma and Jaku'un."

Noah examined each of the four Thunder Gods in turn as he wondered if it had been a good idea to save Shikoku after all.

Kuusetsu seemed to be the youngest, and her most distinctive features were eight small horns surrounding her head like a crown. She had long light blue hairs with red streaks and wore a white kimono with long sleeves and gloves wrapped around her two middle fingers. She also had two black dots under each light blue eye. Overall, she was quite beautiful.

Fukuma was, for a strange reason Noah couldn't understand, almost identical to Ren Yamashiro, the Commander of the Anti-demon Corps. But the colors were reversed. Fukuma had white hair and light brown skin, a blue cord tying her hairs as opposite to Ren's red cord, and she wore a white and blue version of the ADC's black and red uniform. She was a mystery Noah firmly intended to solve.

Jaku'un was a male, tall and slender, wearing a black outfit with a flared-up collar reminding him of a trench coat. His head was covered by a featureless black helmet.

Noah had been hunting Hollows to grind Yin Points, as buying the shared immortality skill had wiped his stockpile, when he had felt a discharge of energy far into the distance. Using the Promise skill he got from Nei, he saw the scene of Shikoku facing two people from the Bleach fiction he recognized instantly. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow.

On impulse, he decided to save Shikoku. The fact that she was a pretty young woman had nothing to do with it. No, it was completely unrelated. A mere coincidence.

Not wanting to implicate the Anti-Demon Corps into trouble that would involve someone as powerful as Aizen, Noah quickly changed into the Shinigami outfit he has prepared for his future raid into Soul Society and put on a mask to hide his identity.

"Nice to meet you all. Please call me… Kuro, for now." said Noah at last, referring to the Japanese's translation for the color black, in reference to his mask and his Shinigami's outfit. "Depending on how our conversation goes, I might remove the mask and introduce myself properly. Why were you fighting?"

Shikoku took a deep breath.

"Kuusetsu was born recently, but Fukuma, Jaku'un and I, as well as the others who haven't returned yet, are humans. At least we were. A Shinigami named Aizen kidnapped us, to perform some sick experiments."

Noah sheathed his Zanpakuto and listened attentively as Shikoku described what had happened to them. As he did, he reflected that illegal experiments really were a recurring theme. SAO's brainwashing experiment, whatever had given birth to Lost whatever his name was, the stuff with Koneko and Kuroka, and now this…

In the middle of her explanations, two more Thunder Gods came in together. Rairen, who he already knew, and a young woman dressed only in knee-high boots, two pieces bikini, boxer and open trench coat, all made of black leather. Her golden and black hairs were styled in shoulder-length twin-tails with a headband, from which protruded two small lightning bolts, and she attacked Noah the instant she laid eyes on him, trying to punch him.

Noah had evaded while using a judo sweep to send her to the ground, and after getting back on her feet, she didn't attack anymore and simply quietly watched Noah as Shikoku made a strange smile and introduced her as Naruhime. None of the Thunder Gods seemed to think anything of the short violent outburst, making Noah think that girl had a loose screw or two, if that kind of scene happened often enough not to faze them anymore.

"… and so, we were hiding far away from Aizen. But it seems he has found us, now." said Shikoku, finishing her explanation.

"It seems so, yes... Show me your right arm, please." nodded Noah.

With a hopeful expression, Shikoku walked closer to him, extending her right arm. Noah extended a hand near the stump, not quite touching it, and activated Greater Healing.

Tear welled in Shikoku's eyes as she saw the bones and muscle fibers erupt from the recently created layer of skin and the other Thunder Gods watched with interest and happiness. Fifteen seconds later, her arm was whole again, and Shikoku opened and closed her hand repeatedly.

"Thank you, Kuro-san. Thank you." said Shikoku heartfeltly.

"Now that this is done, I have two more questions. First, Fukuma, you look a lot like the Commander of the Anti-Demon Corps. Why is that?"

Fukuma started fidgeting, her face reddening a little.

"Fukuma-nee is a fan of Ren Yamashiro. She admires her strength greatly." said Kuusetsu with a fond smile.

"…Okkayyy. Lastly, for the really important question. Why have you guys attacked the Anti-Demon corps?"

"H-How do you know that?" asked Shikoku. "And now that I think about it, how did you know about my ability to use the shadows to flee back then?"

"…Answer my question first, please. Depending on your answer, I may end up leaving you to deal with the Arrancar alone." said Noah firmly.

"…We don't want to stay confined in Hueco Mundo. There is nothing to do in this accursed land." shrugged Jaku'un. "But because we are, changed, the Anti-Demon Corps, the Devils, the Fallen Angels and countless other factions will try to kill us on sight. We wanted to defeat the Anti-Demon Corps as an example, to deter the others from messing with us."

Noah didn't say anything for a while, looking at them like they were a bunch of idiots, and they seemed to feel it despite the mask as they collectively decided not to meet his gaze.

"This reminds me of a movie called Deadpool 2, where a kid going to prison figured that no one would be after his butt in the shower room if he took down the nastiest inmate, to make an example. It… didn't go as he planned. He got the shower room incidents and the beatings. Just for curiosity's sake, how do you intend to deal with Ren Yamashiro?

"We know she's strong, but against several of us, and if Shikoku could take her by surprise by emerging from her shadow and inject her with her paralytic venom…" started Jaku'un.

"I think you are seriously underestimating her. But since we're speaking about your hostile actions against the Corps… Have you actually killed any member of the ADC? Or anyone, for that matter?"

Their uneasiness grew. Fukuma, Shikoku and Naruhime turned their heads to stare at Kuusetsu.

"Well, we didn't kill anyone, but…" started Kuusetsu, stopping as Noah's head swiveled toward her.

"…buuuut?" insisted Noah.

"I… may have swallowed a couple of people, in order to be born and evolve…" admitted Kuusetsu, patting her flat belly.

"You ate people?" asked Noah in disbelief.

"They are still alive, don't misunderstand! They're, inside of me. And I wasn't awake at the time! You can't blame me for something my body did on instinct!"

"Release them." commanded Noah, staring at her.

"Why should I? Shikoku-nee worked hard to find them. I'll become weaker if I release them." protested Kuusetsu in a pouting voice.

Noah started tapping the ground with his foot.

"If you release them, I will help you become stronger. Possibly strong enough to face the Arrancars, depending on the sacrifices you are willing to make to become stronger. I will also contact a Shinigami I know, who lives inside the human world and is one of Aizen's enemies. He already helped a group of people who had fallen prey to his experiments, and he might be able to offer you a safe place. I'll also talk to Ren Yamashiro and somehow convince her not to attack you on sight."

"If you refuse, I will just go home, and good luck with the Arrancars."

"I'll do it!"

Kuusetsu did something, and the space around her belly and torso distorted. The muscular body of a large man with a bald head slowly emerged from it and fell to the ground. Seconds later, a pretty blonde woman wearing a nun outfit came out as well.

"I feel empty now…" complained Kuusetsu.

"Thank you, Kuusetsu." smiled Noah. "There are two Thunder Gods missing. Do you know where they are?"

"Yes." nodded Shikoku. "They are searching for another place to turn into a temporary home, in case this one would be discovered. They likely aren't coming back for a while."

"That should be good. Even if the Arrancars discover this place before they return, with you gone, they will conclude that this location must have been abandoned and won't keep an eye on it. I'll be taking those two to a safe place and talk to my Shinigami contact. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"We'll be waiting. Thank you for your help, Kuro-san." replied Shikoku.

Noah smiled has he crouched beside the two unconscious humans, put a hand on them, and disappeared.

"Hey, Shikoku-nee, doesn't that scene reminds you of that girl from the Inquisition?"

"It does. But that must be a coincidence. We should pack our belongings, not that we have much, in case the Arrancars would find us before he does, or this Shinigami acquaintance of his doesn't want to help us."

"Yes."

As they got busy, Shikoku thought about her mysterious savior's gray eyes. She was sure she had seen him somewhere. He also had yet to answer about him knowing she could use shadows to travel. But the only Shinigami she knew was the one who had died years ago, consumed by Aizen's experiments.