The Sleeping Menace
The dim glow of lanterns flickered across the walls of Squad 4's barracks, casting long shadows over the assembled captains and lieutenants. It was the dead of night, yet no one looked the least bit tired. The air was thick with tension, and all eyes were fixed on the small figure sitting comfortably on Captain Unohana's lap—Anos Shihōin, the current head of the Shihōin clan.
Unohana's serene smile never wavered as she asked, "Anos-kun, would you mind telling us how you obtained your powers?"
Anos, without a hint of hesitation, lazily stretched his arms and responded, "Oh, I bought it from a grocery store."
Silence.
Every captain and lieutenant in the room froze, their minds struggling to process what they had just heard. Tōshirō blinked twice, Renji's jaw nearly hit the floor, and even the ever-composed Byakuya furrowed his brows slightly. Shinji looked around to confirm if he was the only one hearing things.
"...You what?" Renji finally asked, his voice laced with disbelief.
Unohana, still smiling, tilted her head slightly. "Anos-kun, I'll ask again. How did you acquire your powers?"
But before she could get a response, something strange happened—no one had noticed when it started, but Anos had already drifted off to sleep.
A sudden chill crept through the room.
Unohana's smile remained, but the air around her grew oppressively heavy, sending an involuntary shiver down the spines of even the strongest warriors present. It was a presence unlike any other—gentle yet terrifying, warm yet ice-cold. Even Kyoraku subtly adjusted his hat as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.
The pressure in the room snapped as Anos stirred. With a lazy yawn, he lifted a hand and lightly poked Unohana's cheek. "Good night, Miss," he murmured drowsily before closing his eyes again.
The room collectively held its breath.
He's dead. He's absolutely dead.
That was the shared thought running through every captain and lieutenant's mind. The way Anos casually treated Unohana—of all people—was nothing short of suicidal. The only thing left was to see how long it would take for his soul to depart his body.
Before anyone could react, Yoruichi's palm smacked down onto Anos' head.
"Wake up, you little idiot!" she scolded, her golden eyes burning with frustration.
Anos blinked a few times, looking up at his big sister before rubbing his head. "Ow... was that necessary, Big sis?"
Yoruichi crossed her arms, giving him a glare that promised more punishment if he kept acting up. Meanwhile, the rest of the room remained frozen, waiting for the inevitable fallout from Unohana.
But instead of snapping at him, Unohana simply giggled, pulling out a small pouch. From it, she retrieved a neatly wrapped piece of candy and held it up before Anos. "If you tell me how you got your powers, I'll give you some sweets."
The disbelief in the room was palpable. Tōshirō's eye twitched, Byakuya slightly exhaled through his nose in what could only be interpreted as mild astonishment, and even Kyoraku peeked from under his hat to confirm this was reality.
Did Captain Unohana just... bribe him with candy?
Anos, however, had no issue with the offer. His eyes lit up as he instantly snatched the candy from Unohana's hand and popped it into his mouth. Chewing contentedly, he grinned. "I want more."
Unohana chuckled, offering him another piece. "Then, why don't you start talking?"
The captains and lieutenants exchanged wary glances. This was not how they had expected things to go.
And yet, somehow, it felt even more terrifying.
Secrets Unraveled
Unohana's gentle voice cut through the stillness of the Squad 4 barracks. "Do you really not have any friends, Anos?" she asked, her expression unreadable, though her tone carried a hint of sympathy.
Anos, still lazily leaning against her, absentmindedly reached for another candy from her palm. "Yeah," he said between bites. "Most of the time, big sis Yoruichi is off on her missions, so I just wander around Seireitei. Watching the Shinigami patrol with their Zanpakutō... I thought it'd be cool to have one too. So I got two."
The entire room fell silent. Every captain and lieutenant present exchanged bewildered glances, their minds struggling to process the absurdity of his words.
Byakuya's brow twitched slightly, while Tōshirō narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Shinji, who had been leaning back, now sat up straight. Renji's jaw hung open, and Rangiku covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
"You got... two?" Kyoraku finally broke the silence, his usual laid-back demeanor giving way to genuine intrigue.
Anos nodded nonchalantly, popping another candy into his mouth. "Yep. I wanted one, so I got two. Simple."
Mayuri clicked his tongue in frustration, the sheer lack of logical explanation gnawing at him. "You're skipping quite a few details, boy. Acquiring a Zanpakutō isn't like picking fruit from a tree! Explain yourself properly."
Before Anos could respond, Unohana placed another candy between his lips, smiling sweetly. "Now, now, Captain Kurotsuchi," she said, her voice calm but firm. "We'll get all our answers soon enough."
She then turned back to Anos, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ear as she continued to feed him. "Go on, tell us more. How exactly did you 'get' your Zanpakutō?" Her tone was soft, but those who knew her well sensed the unspoken demand behind it.
Anos chuckled, seemingly unaware of the tension in the room. "Well, it's kinda a long story..."
The Boy Who Challenged Death's Smile
Anos grabbed another candy from Unohana's hand, popping it into his mouth without hesitation. The sweetness melted on his tongue as he chewed lazily, his violet eyes twinkling with mischief. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he glanced up at the captain of the Fourth Division and grinned.
"You're sweet, Miss Retsu-sama."
A wave of silence crashed over the room.
Every captain and lieutenant stiffened as if they had just heard the most blasphemous words ever spoken. Renji looked like he had swallowed his own tongue. Toshiro, ever cautious, shifted slightly, as though contemplating the best route to escape. Even Byakuya, whose stoic mask rarely cracked, narrowed his sharp gaze ever so slightly.
Nobody had ever dared to speak so casually to Unohana. And certainly, nobody had ever called her sweet.
The air in the barracks turned ice-cold. The room itself seemed to shrink under an invisible pressure.
Unohana's expression remained gentle, but the unsettling shift in the atmosphere told a different story. The way she lightly tapped her fingers against the tray of candies sent a silent message—a message that only the most foolish or fearless would ignore.
Anos, naturally, was both.
"How sweet of you to say that, Anos-kun," she murmured. Her voice was like silk draped over a blade. She delicately picked up another piece of candy, holding it between her fingers. "Then, why don't you be even sweeter and tell me everything?"
Anos, utterly oblivious to the silent, collective horror surrounding him, simply nodded. "Sure, why not?"
Yoruichi's golden eyes sharpened. Her fingers twitched ever so slightly. She could feel the weight of the situation shifting, the tension coiling like a drawn bowstring. If things went south, she wouldn't hesitate—she would grab her little brother and run.
But for now, she waited.
And watched.
The Secret Training and Yoruichi's Wrath
Anos leaned further into Unohana's lap, lazily munching on another candy as if he wasn't dropping absolute bombshells on the captains and lieutenants before him. His casual tone made it even worse.
"Well, it all started three months ago when Urahara visited Soul Society," he began. "I told him I wanted a Zanpakutō."
Silence hung in the air for a moment before Mayuri let out an amused chuckle, his eerie grin widening. "You? Asking Kisuke Urahara for a Zanpakutō? Hah! That must have been quite the spectacle."
Anos chuckled. "Yeah, at first, he thought I was messing with him. But after seeing my determination, he got serious. He trained me himself."
The reactions around the room varied. Shinji's eye twitched, memories of his own past with hollowfication stirring. Byakuya remained unreadable, while Kyoraku tilted his hat lower, concealing his expression.
But before anyone could ask further, Anos dropped the real shocker.
"You know, guys, I had a perfect clue that I could use Hollow powers."
A beat of silence.
"Actually, I got Hollowfied several times during my training. And Kisuke nearly killed me each time."
The room froze.
Yoruichi's breath hitched. Her golden eyes widened in shock before narrowing dangerously. The air around her crackled with suppressed fury.
Anos, still blissfully unaware of the storm he had just unleashed, reached for another candy.
And then—
SMACK!
Yoruichi's fist crashed down onto his head.
"You WHAT?!"
The force of her hit wasn't meant to hurt him too badly, but it sent the candy flying from his mouth. The entire room instinctively took a step back, fully aware that Yoruichi Shihōin had just snapped.
"Are you an idiot?!" she shouted, grabbing Anos by the shoulders and shaking him. "Do you have any idea what could've happened to you?! You got Hollowfied, and that bastard nearly killed you several times?! And you're just sitting here EATING CANDY and SAYING IT LIKE IT'S NOTHING?!"
Anos blinked, rubbing his head. "Eh? What's the big deal? I survived, didn't I?" he said with a small grin.
That was it. That was the moment Yoruichi broke.
Without another word, she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, holding him so tightly it was like she was afraid he'd disappear.
"You reckless little idiot," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I swear, the next time I see that bastard, I'm gonna kill him myself!"
Anos felt her arms tremble slightly. She was furious—but more than that, she was terrified at the thought of what he had gone through.
For the first time since waking up, Anos realized just how much his big sister truly cared.
The Birth of Hellking
Yoruichi refused to let go. She sat beside Unohana, still holding onto Anos as if he were a precious teddy bear that might vanish if she loosened her grip even slightly. Her protective embrace made it clear—she wasn't taking any chances after what she had just heard.
Anos, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed by her possessive hold. He casually leaned into her, as if this was the most natural thing in the world, while happily accepting another candy from Unohana.
Unohana, with her ever-gentle smile, watched him carefully. "You should think about how others feel when you act recklessly," she said in a soft, motherly tone. "It's not just about whether you survive—it's about the people who worry about you."
Anos blinked, pausing mid-chew as if he hadn't considered that before. But instead of responding, he simply shrugged and let her continue feeding him candy.
As he chewed, he resumed his tale.
"Before Urahara left for the World of the Living, he mentioned something interesting to me," Anos said between bites. "He told me about Tenshintai—the Three-Day Bankai Training Method."
At the mention of Tenshintai, the room grew dead silent.
Every captain and lieutenant present knew exactly what that meant. The technique was a forbidden and highly dangerous method, created by none other than Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi herself. It forced a Zanpakutō Spirit into the physical world, giving the wielder only three days to subjugate it—or die trying.
Byakuya's eyes narrowed, and even Kyoraku's usually carefree expression darkened slightly.
"And you actually used it?" Shinji finally asked, his voice carrying a mix of disbelief and intrigue.
Anos chuckled, completely oblivious to the weight of his words. "Of course. It only took me a moment to sense and find out where it was hidden."
The tension in the room thickened.
Unohana gently placed another candy in his mouth before speaking again. "And what happened after you used it?"
Anos smirked. His next words sent a ripple of shock through the entire room.
"That's how I obtained my first Zanpakutō—Hellking."
The name Hellking echoed in their minds, settling into the air like a phantom.
Silence.
The captains and lieutenants exchanged uneasy glances, trying to process what they had just heard. Even Yoruichi, who had been clinging onto Anos this entire time, slightly loosened her grip, eyes narrowing as she stared at him.
A Zanpakutō with a name like Hellking… what kind of power had he truly awakened?
Am I Going Deaf??
Anos continued speaking without hesitation, his voice calm as he ate another piece of candy Unohana fed him. "After training, I got my first Zanpakutō, Hellking, and its Bankai, Hellking Lucifero." The room remained silent, the captains processing his words. Hellking—just the name alone carried an ominous weight.
Byakuya's sharp eyes flickered with curiosity, while Tōshirō's expression hardened. Shinji leaned back slightly, eyeing Anos with a raised brow. Even Kyoraku, usually laid-back, had a serious glint in his eyes. Meanwhile, Yoruichi still held onto Anos protectively, her grip slightly loosening now that she saw he was safe.
But then, Anos casually added, "Oh, and I also obtained my second Zanpakutō, Kokui, and its Bankai—Kokui the Devourer."
At that moment, something shifted.
Anos continued talking, explaining how he obtained Kokui, but… no one could hear him. His lips moved, forming words, but no sound escaped. The captains blinked, glancing at one another in confusion. Rangiku furrowed her brows. "Uh… what?" she muttered under her breath.
Renji looked around, his frown deepening. "Wait… am I going deaf, or did anyone else not hear a damn thing just now?"
Tōshirō's fingers subtly twitched as he exchanged glances with Byakuya. Unohana remained composed, but her hand briefly stopped feeding Anos another candy. Even Mayuri, who had remained eerily silent so far, tilted his head, intrigued.
Yoruichi's grip on Anos tightened again, her golden eyes narrowing as an unsettling feeling crept up her spine. "Anos," she called, her voice unusually firm. "Say that again."
Anos blinked in confusion. "Huh? I just said I got Kokui and—"
Silence.
They saw his lips move. They knew he was speaking. But not a single sound reached their ears.
The captains and lieutenants exchanged looks, an unspoken tension settling over the room. Something was very wrong.
Yoruichi's heartbeat quickened as a terrifying realization struck her. Why couldn't they hear him?
The mystery
Why couldn't anyone hear Anos when he spoke about Kokui?
Is this some kind of curse, a forbidden technique, or something else entirely?
Did Anos unknowingly trigger a restriction placed on his own memories?
What exactly is Kokui the Devourer, and why does its existence seem to be hidden from everyone?
Will Anos realize that no one can hear what he's saying about his second Zanpakutō?