my test bok for fanfiction so i can use the tts

Hiyori is watching. Of course she's watching; her stupid fucking captain and her stupid fucking not-friends are down there fighting for their lives, and her life, and even though she knows being here is important, some part of her still crawls with fury at being unable to fight. 

Hacchi has kindly set up a viewing portal--which, guess that's possible now, whoop-de-fucking-do, somebody should teach idiots with too much power what they should and should not do with it--and Hiyori is watching. 

Specifically, she's watching Shinji face off against Unohana. 

She knows that Shinji is old, and powerful, and tricky; it's one of the reasons she doesn't bother to restrain her violent impulses around him, because she knows full well that she'd have to get really, really serious in order to even put a scratch on the slippery fucker. It makes him laugh, anyway, more real than his usual creepy-ass fake grin. She also knows that he's a lot more powerful today than he was last month, they all are, but…

It's Unohana . Hiyori has only ever heard the rumors, she knows to be wary the way she knew to be wary of Kisuke or the Soutaichou, but she remembers very well the way Shinji had felt actual fear when they'd thought Unohana had come to take them out herself. That in and of itself speaks volumes, because he's the only one of them who has ever seen her fight seriously, not counting maybe the time travellers. 

She'd nearly stabbed herself in the foot when he'd announced he wanted to fight the former Kenpachi for real. There was no way he'd gone from terrified to confident in the minimal time between when Unohana had dropped Gin off with them, and now. 

She suspects Shinji is testing himself, pushing his new boundaries in a way a spar can't, not even with their leader, because not a single one of them could believe him capable of harming them, even with his overwhelming power. Urahara, maybe, but despite knowing that the other captain has become far more powerful, tricky, and experienced since the Incident doesn't necessarily mean Shinji feels comfortable going all out with him. Hiyori doesn't think he'd be comfortable going all out with any of them; the idiot is protective like that. 

Unohana is different. Like Hiyori could safely unleash on Shinji without fear of causing true damage-- she suspects that Unohana is to Shinji what Shinji is to her. The measuring stick, the ultimate goal… The Soutaicho might be seen as the pinnacle of strength that the Gotei can bring to bear, but Hiyori knows very well that anyone from before , the true Old Guard, are far more wary of Unohana than Yamamoto. She doesn't know why; no one born after the formation of the Gotei does, and it's one of the most speculated-upon mysteries among the lower ranks. She hopes they're not about to find out why almost as much as she wants to see the Fourth Division captain really cut loose. 

Shinji and Unohana are still playing around, she thinks. They're at a speed that no average lieutenant could see , much less match, but Hiyori gets the impression that they're still slowly escalating, testing boundaries and warming up. Shinji is tricky with a sword; zanjutsu is his specialty, and his style looks like a cross between traditional kenjutsu and something an assassin might use, feints and slip-thrusts and quick flurries of close exchanges before regaining distance, harrying an opponent until they slip and offer a fatal opening. Unohana uses a more fluid style, absolute precision and flawless defense coupled with surprisingly powerful strikes that would wear her opponent down to nothing.

Really, it's a matter of who slips up first, Unohana's defense or Shinji's dodges, but with the sheer amount of experience both of them have, it could be hours before that happens, even with the way every second of battle stretches time and drags at reserves. 

Unsurprisingly, Shinji changes it up first; thus far, Retsu has been allowing him to set the pace of the battle and its escalation. It makes sense--Shinji is the challenger, coming from the arguably weaker position, and Hiyori is certain it's some Old Guard reasoning or tradition that's keeping them from going straight to all out. 

From one moment to the next there's a glimmer of light and a wordless kido (maybe a Bakudo? Hiyori specializes in hakuda, not demon arts, but she's no slouch, either…. But she doesn't recognize this one at all ) that adds an odd blur to Sakanade's edge, making it difficult to see precisely where her boundaries lie. Looking at the sword, she seems to shimmer in and out of existence, sometimes wider or thinner or longer or shorter than she should be. The transition from pure bladework to mixing in kido goes so seamlessly that Hiyori would have missed it if she hadn't been looking for it specifically. She's fought with Shinji a lot , and she knows that even if she's never even come close to seeing his bag of tricks, she's got a decent enough grasp on his stupid slippery personality to look for the trick or the illusion. Goddamn magician . 

Unohana, not quite as familiar with her counterpart's quirks, almost misses the change due to the way he catches the rising sun on his blade to reflect it into her eyes. If she were any less experienced, the next thrust flickering past her would have torn a long, shallow gouge in her side, just under her ribcage. It's only millennia of combat combined with instinct and cleverly applied battle sensing that lets her catch the trick at the last moment and shove the blade wide with her block instead of simply misdirecting it past herself. 

Naturally Shinji takes the opportunity her change has created and slams his empty palm forward into her open shoulder, a Shakkaho swirling into fiery existence in the instant between lunge and contact. 

Unohana makes a two-fingered gesture around her sword and a golden Bakudo disc forms and then shatters instantly, scattering the focused energy of Shinji's attack with it. 

When the two separate again, Hiyori can see that Unohana is… well, it's about as much of a smile as it is a wolf's snarl, but her glee is evident, and Shinji is doing much the same, wide Cheshire grin as unsettling as possible. 

She'd call them bloodthirsty idiots, but she's been holding her breath since the fight started and even knowing how outclassed she is, there's a part of her--a now very vocal part of her--that wants to be right there with them. It really is a magnificent display of skill on both sides. She shakes the adrenaline out of her limbs and leans forward again, intent on the conflict in front of her. 

Yoruichi doesn't allow herself to slow down to focus on the rise and fall of reiatsu as the battle surges into existence behind her. It's not the hardest time she's ever had, forcing herself to focus, but it's up there. Only her faith in Kisuke and Ichigo alleviates the need to be there . 

She has other duties. 

The First division was built more or less around the Central 46's governing building, much like the Second was built around the Maggot's Nest. The members are inside, attended to by a small squad of First division's unseated retainers while the rest of Seireitei's forces are out on the "extermination order." Yoruichi knows they weren't prepared for the outright war they're getting, or even close in their threat estimates, or they'd have kept the entirety of the First--and Yamamoto himself--clustered around themselves as defense.

For a bunch of Clan Elders, they're pretty tactically stupid. 

She hasn't used this particular Onmi route in a while, but that doesn't slow her down. She slips through the tiny, high window and onto one of the vaulted rafters supporting the ostentatiously high ceiling, balancing there for a moment as she pinpoints each person in the building. 

Eh, they won't be a problem. 

She drops soundlessly to the floor and flares her reiatsu in a silent signal, identification and alert simultaneously. There's a rapid shuffle among the ranks of shinigami as they scramble for some sort of formation. Half of them are mid-salute when they realize exactly which captain has decided to drop in on them. 

Sheer befuddlement overtakes any sense of propriety on their part, and there's another flurry of activity as they choose a spokesperson by hurried gestures of "not it"s until the unlucky last is pushed to the front of the herd. 

"Good morning, Shihouin...taicho? Um, what are you doing here?"

Yoruichi adores baby Shinigami. Well, she adores screwing with them, which is basically the same thing. They have no idea what to do in a situation that deviates beyond their strictly-learned parameters. 

Bonus points because, while Yamamoto fills his seated ranks with specialists and rare genius, the unseated ranks of the First are full of pampered Noble children who have no idea what life is really like, and probably never will, given how sheltered and cushy their "jobs" are. 

Yeah, Yoruichi was a clan heir herself, but that didn't mean anything in the Shihouin clan. You kept or lost your position based exclusively on your own merit. 

She thinks quite a few Noble clans would benefit from that system, honestly. At least it would weed out the lazy and completely incompetent, if not the corrupt and greedy. 

Either way, it's not like she couldn't deal with the Council's sheltered relatives any way she wanted. In this particular instance, though…

"Under the orders of Soutaicho Yamamoto, I am hereby deputizing this squad in response to a previously unanticipated threat. You are each to pair off in teams of two. I want two teams by each exit and two teams stationed outside both doors to the main chamber. The other teams I want to sweep the First Division grounds. The most recent information received indicates that there may be an effort to cut the head off the snake, as it were. I will remain in this chamber in case anyone manages to slip by you. One of the traitors used to be in the Second-- if you see him, do not engage. I'll take responsibility for my wayward subordinate and put him down myself ."

Her reiatsu sharpens and hardens as she speaks, and the entire group straightens into a much more enthusiastic salute as she snaps orders.

She wonders if Yamamoto has figured out that some of the Second is actually on the battlefield… and not on his side, either. Damn, but she wants to see that. She'll have to hurry up here, then.Thank goodness no one felt the need to keep the lower ranks actually informed of anything--although even if they had been, it's not unthinkable that Yoruichi herself would have been undercover or off grid seeking out information. She's Onmitsukido. That's what they do , and she is the best bar none. Well, except maybe Kisuke. His capacity for predicting his prey's moves gives him an edge on her that she only balances out by literally having instincts bred for this. In speed, in lethality and ruthlessness and stealth, they have been well matched. 

She knows full well that they are no longer even close to matched, despite the way her little brother has been deflecting and hiding away his true abilities--as he has always done, but this time he has a presence to him that he has never had.

Yoruichi turns her attention to the spluttering Council elders, who want to know why they were not informed of this mission beforehand and why had it not come to them to authorize, and offers them her best politician's smile.

Just as the barrier wards etched just inside the edge of the room flare to life, as they do whenever the doors to the chamber are sealed. They will not open from the outside (without extreme measures, anyway).

"Honoured Elders, as I said to the ranks, there has been another threat issued, not against the Gotei 13 but against the Central 46 themselves. I thought it best to come directly before this august body to ensure your safety directly before any other party could reach this place. I am glad I arrived in time. I do apologize for ignoring you initially, but time was of the essence."

She bows deeply, and lets it cover her "fuck you" smirk. She's the Shihouin head; she doesn't actually need to stand on formality with any of them, but it's always good to keep them off-guard. If they think she's here on Shinigami business because she acts like a Shinigami, well… 

That would be their mistake, wouldn't it.

The council members exchange glances behind their veiled booths.

"You have come from observing the rogue former captain, yes? Tell us, Shihouin-taicho, how goes the extermination proceedings? We presume the exiles are feeling pressed, if your presence here is any indication."

Yoruichi thanks every single one of her family gods that she and Tessai and Kisuke used to make a game of trying to get each other to break composure; her poker face is flawless and she shows none of the languid, predator-still rage building within her. 

"Indeed, Honoured Elders. It is believed that they wish to make one last attempt at peace before they try to take more drastic action. The Shiba bastard seems to believe that simple coexistence is possible. Certainly, the captains destabilized by Aizen have been surprisingly responsive and appear wholly in control of themselves. The extra power they now have access to could prove… problematic for some of the younger Captains. It is my recommendation that only the Captain-commander, his proteges, and Captain Unohana engage with any of the hybrid shinigami."

That gets her a ripple of surprised murmurs. She doesn't know what they expected, if they thought that some of their strongest captains went off and got stronger and weren't going to be a problem to the Gotei's extermination squad.

"What about the other captain, the one that killed Aizen? If we recall correctly, wasn't he also once a part of Onmitsukido?"

Yoruichi nods in affirmation. 

"He was one of the most talented recruits we've seen in centuries. It is for this reason that simple assassination will not work on any of them-- he will have warned them what to expect. It is for this same reason that I am the only one capable of protecting your Honored selves, should he choose to come after you. I am the only Captain familiar with his methods and with a chance of matching him."

The Elders look delightfully uneasy now, shifting uncomfortably in their seats and whispering rapidly to each other. 

"Shihouin-taicho, given your… unique perspective on the capabilities of the outcasts, how would you recommend we proceed?"

Damn she's good. 

Kisuke should be a lot more worried about being on an active battlefield than he actually is. It's hard to feel properly threatened, though, with Ichigo's reiatsu singing across the battlefield and old comrades across from him. He offers Shunsui and Juushiro a cheerful smile as they square off. 

They look about as disconcerted as he's ever seen them, which is a rare treat given their even keels and long experience. 

They're also wary as hell but at the moment that's just bonus points as far as Kisuke is concerned. They're thinking of his Onmitsukido training, which is fair given his little display upon arriving in this timeline, but a little off base. Kisuke has no intention of killing them; he intends to shake their worldview and absolutely baffle them, but he doesn't plan to hurt them unless absolutely necessary, and he trusts that Ichigo won't let it come to that point. 

He also has a Bankai that designed herself to nullify any advantages that others' Bankai give them, but he'd rather keep that to himself if possible. The ninja in him insists that he keep all advantages hidden until the moment to strike, and despite the many decades since his time in Onmi, the instinct remains strong. Kisuke has lost count of the number of times that tendency tipped the hairline boundary of life and death when they faced Aizen. Even though that doesn't really apply here, he's still somewhat… reluctant. 

Benihime snickers in the back of his mind. 

You're shy , Kisuke, just admit it. 

He sends her a nonverbal growl-- he's a great deal better than he used to be--even as he slides her slowly, dramatically, from her sheath. 

It is deeply gratifying to see the way both of his opponents leap backwards in alarm. Hime purrs under his hand as her sealed form falls away to reveal the razor edge of their Shikai. It's been a long time since they've really needed a release command. 

He tips her blade towards Shunsui in silent warning. It doesn't look like the pair is going to go for their usual "one at a time" trick. No, they're being serious from the outset, and that's just about the biggest compliment they could have given him. That actually makes things a little easier on him, because while he could have taken out whichever of them was sitting out, it would have required a little more lethality than he really preferred. This way at least he won't have one of them looking for an opening to take potshots at, anyway. Besides, he's here to keep them both busy, and letting them split up won't accomplish that in the slightest. 

There's also the little factor that Kisuke knows very well how both of their Shikai and Bankai work, which negates another of their immediate advantages. With luck, they won't know how to deal with an opponent who isn't subject to the bafflement of trying to figure out the mechanics of Shunsui's games and Juushiro's returns while they figure out his abilities in return. 

Also, as tricky-sneaky as they are, Kisuke is a ninja . He was literally raised in the school of playing dirty. He knows what to look for and where to guard himself and how to turn his enemy's attacks and traps and strategies against them. He's never had to use it against these two, but that's all part of the fun. 

Neither of his opponents looks inclined to move first--clever of them, but not going to help this time. He's been weaving a subtle kido through his fingers since he'd first stopped in front of them. It's a little thing, practically invisible, but it seeps through the ground beneath him in an ever-spreading circle, augmenting his senses in that area in a mild feedback loop. It gives him just that split-second of warning that he otherwise wouldn't have. 

For someone like him, a split second is a hell of a difference. 

 He flicks Benihime in a tight circle, tracing a glowing red orb into existence. It's not Shakkaho, or a Bala, but something between the two, a spinning, compacted ball of destruction. It's deceptively fast and packs a decent punch for its size, but that's not why Kisuke chose it. 

It streaks toward Shunsui, leaving a brilliant afterimage trailing behind it. Shunsui, predictably, leaps backwards, allowing Juushiro to slide in sideways with a blade outstretched to catch it. 

And then Kisuke tugs on the reiatsu string attached to the orb, hidden in the glowing tail of its afterimage, just enough to change the spin on the attack. It curves wide, bypassing Juushiro entirely to resume its path toward Shunsui. 

All three of them leap clear as it detonates with a deafening boom. Kisuke is pleased to note that Shunsui looks faintly singed, the trailing edge of his haori smoking lightly. 

"What was that? You didn't modify yourself , did you?"

Kisuke laughs airily, waving a hand absently in the air. 

"No, no, there was no need for that. I was just playing around with recreating some of their attacks. With my own little twist, of course. I'm glad this one worked! Some of the others went wrong rather spectacularly, you know how it is."

His opponents exchange glances that say that no, they very much do not know how it is, nor do they want to know. 

Kisuke takes the opportunity to continue reinforcing Hime's net of landmines that they'd laid under cover of the explosion, and begin to weave together the very edges of the net, like a drawstring bag lying fully open. If either of them try to cross that boundary, the whole thing will snap shut and bring the explosives with it. Kisuke, on the other hand, can wander in and out of the net as needed-- it's his own reiatsu, after all. It recognizes him as a part of itself. 

He's trying to decide if a pressure- activated spike trap is a little excessive as a field deterrent when Shunsui makes his first move. As usual, the man tries to finish things in an instant; he flashsteps behind Kisuke and aims a spine-severing blow at his back. 

Kisuke isn't sure whether or not he should be offended or amused-- he's been a captain for a decade in their experience, and before that he was an Onmitsukido recruit personally trained by the clan head right alongside the Goddess of the Flash herself. To think that they would try to catch him in a contest of speed? 

They couldn't have done it even back when he actually was this age, much less after well over a century of experience and at least a decade of existence-threatening, endless combat. 

He only debates his next action for an instant before he gives in to the mischievous impulse and drops into a flashstep of his own. Before Shunsui can quite realize that his target isn't there anymore, Kisuke is standing behind him, turning Shunsui's straw hat over in his hands. 

As far as declarations of skill go, that was a pretty impressive one, if he does say so himself. It's a clear statement that he could have just done-- successfully--what Shunsui had attempted, and chose not to. 

He skips backward with a chuckle as Shunsui whips around with a wild slash and Juushiro attacks from the side, aiming to trap him between being skewered or bisected. He trips away lightly, keeping his attention ostensibly on the hat and feeling remarkably like a teacher once again as the frustration his opponents are feeling mounts. He tries on the hat for size, peering out at them from under the wide brim. The sharp spike of alarm from Shunsui and flat-out fear from Juushiro are being replaced by steadily growing avoidance. 

Good. They both need a reality check, but really, there's no need to fear him. It would take a lot more to drive him to that point. Something like losing Ichigo forever, for instance. 

Well. 

Maybe they're right to have a little fear.