The Monster Knocking at The Door. [Open] [Pg-13] [Group]

He had felt it before it had started moving originating from the direction of the Taicho's house. This wasn't good an arrancar this far into Rukongai and what of the captain? He had not felt her Reiatsu for a while and was getting worried.

The night had started like any other Lucas had left Seireitei to talk to the people of Rukongai as an equal, it was what he always did, always had and yet here he was going after an unknown Reiatsu.

He hated this, being so near this foe and yet being devided by this forest his Zankaputo was hungry it hadn't tasted the glory of battle in a while and it was growing restless "Hurry up" it's tongue slithered out it's mouth deep in Lucas's mind.

The trees seemed to fly past as he sensed the reiatsu he had thought it was an arrancar at first but it was more. . . hollow like? How was this possible a simple hollow? Yet, it wasn't a simple hollow it's reiatsu was powerful perhaps a Menos?

These questions confused him the closer he got trying to figure out who this being was and whether it posed any immediate threat.

Words 200

4

It was cold, that night. Cold and dark.
Mitsutaka walked along the Rukongai path, reminiscing as he went. Not so long ago he'd walked this road in the other direction. Starving. Alone. Adrift.
Well, that wasn't quite fair. He'd always had Kowareta, far before any other Shinigami he knew. From the moment Mitsutaka had arrived in the Soul Society, he'd felt less alone than ever. He gripped the handle of his Zanpakutou tighter, and felt an answering spark of pain in return. Still, there was something about this night... he'd come out here to think, and to plan, but something was preventing him. It felt like a storm on the horizon, fading at some times and returning with stronger force. It made the hair stand up on the back of his neck, something that hadn't happened in a long time. As far as he could remember, it had done so most recently when he'd met his first Hollow, overwhelmed by a spiritual pressure far beyond his capacity to comprehend. It felt like... it felt like...
Felt like that.

Mitsutaka whipped around, eyes wild. He felt a vast source of Reiatsu coming nearer and nearer to him, and it frightened him. It frightened him more than he cared to say. He shivered and stood stock-still as the terrifying source of power came near him... and passed, clearly more than a mile away. The feeling gradually faded, prompting him to let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Wait, wait, he thought, that was definitely a Hollow's signature. What is a hollow that powerful doing here? No, it's not quite that simple, Kowareta interjected. After a moment of reflection, Mitsutaka realized he was right. There was a more complex flow in that Reiatsu... at times, it felt more like Shinigami energy did, but just as often that feeling was overwhelmed by a tremendous burst of Hollow power. Fascinating! I suppose it's my duty to take some closer examination, he thought, but didn't move immediately. He stood there for another few moments before the researcher could bear to go towards that terrifying spiritual pressure. When he finally did, it was with trembling legs and a dry mouth.

The going got easier as he grew more accustomed to the feeling, though, and soon he was moving with Shunpo, trying to catch up to that oddest spiritual signature. It had stopped abruptly, and Mitsutaka was very careful not to show himself to it. He wasn't excellently skilled at hiding his Reiatsu, but did his best anyway. He had a feeling it was the difference between life and death. He circled around the area holding that terrifying Hollow/Shinigami mix until he found a likely ledge. Ascending to it, he hid his pressure best he could before sitting on the cliff's edge. Something like half a mile away stood a small, female Shinigami. She wore a Haori that identified her as a captain, though he couldn't see which Division she was leader of, and she seemed most distressed. Her body language, what he could see of it at least, was erratic and complex. She seemed to be switching between rage, terror, and a dozen other emotions. It would be fascinating if it wasn't so damn terrifying. He hoped he was hidden well enough. A captain like her fighting him would likely take less than a moment to dispatch her subordinate. Still, he decided to be careful. Still masking his Reiatsu as best he could, he cast a protective spell on himself. "Seki," he whispered. "Repulse." A small orb of energy appeared by his left hand. Should an attack find the sphere, it would hopefully block it. In that way he might keep himself alive against such a powerful foe for a while longer, at least.

He hoped, whatever the girl down there turned out to be, it wouldn't want to hurt him.
But he couldn't quell his curiosity.

[655 words | =13GP | Σ13GP ]

"Ooh, pretty lights!"[/i] This was the thought went through Ketsueki Ryuu' s head as he sent his gaze upwards and looked at the star- specked sky. It was also the most advanced statement he was capable of producing at the moment- a fact more than hinted by his shaky steps and the large, but half- empty bottle of sake dangling in his hand.

The third seat was standing all alone on a narrow forest path, completely oblivious of how he actually got here. Within the blurry depths of his mind memories of a drinking contest emerged, but if they were from this evening or a past one, Ryuu couldn't tell. Lifting his hand towards his forehead, the shinigami was treated to a dull feeling of pain. Fixing his gaze on his palm, the young- looking man noticed that there were traces of blood on it. So that 's what kept getting inside his left eye all the time... he had figured it was just sweat. Now that he thought of it, Ryuu could almost swear that after the drinking contest there was a bar brawl- the image of a bottle flying towards his face flickered to life, only to once again disappear into the depths of alcoholism a second later.

Staying put for a while, the shinigami finally figured out that he was supposed to go home now. How that elusive place could be located, however, was beyond him. Hell, he didn't even remember how he ended up where he was now in the first place. So, figuring out in his drunken stupor that he had a good, one in four chance to guess the right direction, Ryuu started spinning in place until the whole world became one blurry slick. Then, just as he was about to topple over, the shinigami stopped dead in his tracks, waited for everything to stop moving and headed forward, confident that he would soon find himself in the comfortable warmth of his bed in the fourth division barracks. Little did he know, however, that the path he had just taken led right into the depths of the forest. And this time, contrary to his beliefs, he wasn't the most dangerous thing lurking in the shadows.

This, however, was just one of the many facts his exhausted mind could not comprehend at the moment. Trudging along the forest floor, Ryuu suddenly felt something that, if he was of sound mind, would have made him think twice before continuing forward. The only thing that happened however was that suddenly, the third seat felt a strange sensation- as if something was trying to drill through the veil of warm dizziness that was still shrouding his mind, like a scream, muffled by a large pillow. Nevertheless, dismissing the strange sensation as the beginning of hangover, Ryuu continued forward, completely sure that he was very soon going to find his way home.

Truth to be said, this feeling of complete certainty in himself was something that never quite left the third seat, no matter what situation he found himself in. This, however was something that could not be said for the remaining 90% of his mind. Had most of his brain cells not been completely knocked out, Ryuu would have already detected several things, neither of which were pleasant nor comforting. First of all, there was the chilly breeze that was howling through the trees, sucking the heat out of everything that stood on its path. Second, the shinigami had somehow strayed off the path and was instead walking towards a small clearing, which glowed in a ghostly silver color under the pale moonlight. And to top this all off, he was heading to what was the source of a strong, unstable reiatsu, that every few seconds flickered between a shinigami's and a hollow's.

One might think that this was all a rather strange coincidence, Ryuu just stumbling upon the now probably most dangerous being in the whole Seireitei, but in fact this was quite usual of him. A true magnet for trouble, being at the wrong place at the wrong time was a gift and a curse to the fourth division officer, one that more often than not led him into the sort of sticky mess where he would often find himself with his back against the wall, trying to figure out how to stay alive. And, as things were developing, this was exactly what was going to happen very, very soon.

Walking into the circle of moonlight that light up the clearing, Ryuu's gaze stopped on the small female figure, who had apparently just punched an innocent tree. Instincts from times immemorial immediately triggered inside the shinigami's mind as he raised the bottle he was still clinging to and uttered: "Hey, babe, want a dr... The man never got to finish his sentence though, as an explosion of pain erupted inside his head, accompanied by a familiar voice that tore through the dizziness, washing away all traces of alcohol inside Ryuu's mind: SHE'S A HOLLOW, YOU MORON!!! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! [/i]

Blinking a couple of times in surprise, the shinigami finally started to fully perceive everything that was going on around him, from the shaking of his body under the cold wind to the leaves falling on top of what appeared to be the second division captain. The worst thing was, however, that the person standing in front of him was the second division captain and somebody else[/b] at the same time, Ryuu could feel their presences shift every couple of seconds- one being that of an ordinary shinigami, the other, that of an extremely powerful hollow.

Dropping the bottle with a low thud, the third seat grabbed the hilt of his Zanpakutou, letting out a short swear, wondering how he always managed to get himself into such messes...

Words: 969, 19 Gp

[align=left]“Fuck it all of you. Use are dumb, possibly even brainless! Why do you even consider yourself a equal member in this group!” Epyon was screaming, screaming at...HIMSELF, again he failed to observe the reaction of two atomic protons clashing together creating the smallest and most beautiful collusion one would normally ever see. But then again this was just a day’s work for him. Epyon sighed, it was already late and he needed a break. A good night’s sleep would do the trick as he sighed walking to the grand steel doors, opening them and walking down that dreaded corridor that still seemed like it went on and on. Reaching his office which also happened to be his room for the night he pulled out a rug laying it down on the floor it covered most of the left over carpet space. Grabbing another one out of the large closets which were filled with mountains of papers, boxes of research equipment and Epyon’s personal notes on all the other members of most divisions. Not many people knew he kept records about them, however this was not for any use of his but for development use in one of his later projects.

As he laid down he closed his eyes with the other rug over him, falling into a trance also known as sleep. His subconscious began to work, picturing many exotic girls on the beach. The yellow sand was hot as the sun was beating heavily down, the sea was a clear crystal blue and just like the area he was dreaming about the girls were too. Tall ones, short ones, blonde ones you name it Epyon had a thought of them all. The dream was going great, sunbathing as many girls came around him and started talking to him. Epyon wasn’t a full pervert which was odd; he just liked looking at girls rather than being a touchy, feely guy. Epyon was in heaven, until it happened. The skies turned a pitch black, thunder storms rolled in and the girls well they just started turning. Into the size of elephants, Epyon couldn’t even tell if it was a female anymore. Sweating from the dream he finally woke up with a large sigh. It was weird nothing like this had ever happened to him before so why now? Was it a sign? Possibly he thought, the monks always said that the mind knows what happens before it did. So that worried him as he got up, folding the blankets away he sighed again, whipping the little droplets of sweat that started to run down his forehead with his arm he spoke as if he was trying to reach out for someone, that someone being his zanpakuto spirit, ‘Golom’. “Golom, what is happening?” There was no reply straight away, Epyon repeated. This was when he started to get worried, not once in his one thousand and so years of living had Golom ever ignored Epyon. They were tight, partners, friends, family you name it they were it. Epyon tried to reach him again finally breaking through Golom replied, “Can you feel the raw power?” Epyon stood there trying to take it in. It was faint like a calling for him to go near, closer if you will.

“Yes,” Was all Epyon needed to say before using a shunpo leaving the forth division and his office. He jumped from building to building trying to find the source of this power as he kept getting closer and closer until he could feel it. The screams the power was admitting like one thousand souls were being purged at once, all coming from most likely a group of people in the forest. Epyon knew he wouldn’t need back up as the amount of raw spiritual energy that was floating around here would draw people in. There was no need to worry, what ever this disturbance was soon going to be dealt with. Possibly they might even let Epyon do some experiments on these people. He smiled thinking about the twisted things he could do.

Finally reaching far enough in the forest to feel the power consume him, Epyon felt frozen. He couldn’t move a muscle; his heart feeling like it was slowing down as he saw it. It wasn’t even a group of people nor a hollow but a fellow shinigami captain. Kasumi. Epyon and Kasumi had a little history; normally they would just have some idle chit chat here and there. He considered her a friend and a very sexually appealing one at that. “Kasumi, darling what is wrong. It as if you have lost your way, so why don’t let me be the compass and show you where to go?” Epyon spoke in such a flirting way as he saw it. A large difference, her eyes were not ‘normal’. They looked as if they were changing from the natural colour, the colour was changing. As if another soul was trying to emerge from the body, attempting to take over. Epyon at this points was worrying, shunpoing right next to her Epyon could feel the presence of the others but paid no attention. He wanted to sort this out and fast. Reaching towards Kasumi Epyon looked down trying to plant his hand along her face, against her soft, delicate cheek. “Kasumi what has happened? You are not the same, what is happening to you?” Epyon was extremely worried for the sake of her, the sake of the others around her (including him) and the rest of Soul Society. Her power levels were off the chart at this time and most would feel very distressed under this situation however Epyon kept his cool.

“Why don’t we go back to the lab, I can help you, the forth can help you Kasumi.” Epyon spoke again this time his voice holding symphony as he could feel the pain of everyone suffering from this including Kasumi. She looked distressed, disorientated and right now Epyon had no idea on how to help her.[/align]

Total Words: 1,001
GP: 20

Kasumi panted softly as her hand rested against the tree that she had hit, looking at her hand it felt perfectly fine. Not a single cut nor bruise, after all she was a dangerous monster at the moment. Her natural resistance to things was astounding. It was like wearing dragon hide from stories, nothing could pierce it unless beaten away at. Such a strange feeling was filling her body, it felt like she was being torn apart from the inside, little pants escaped her mouth for a moment, the amber eyes closing as it felt like the inner ocean had calmed. Find a zen... She needed to do this. She couldn't let the beast control her like it was trying to, although she felt more out of place than before. She couldn't lose control. No, she would more likely opt herself to being locked up than being a threat to those around her. But the shinigami captain doubted she'd fall that far down into her own despair. Where was Kirin? She needed the spirit of her sword at a moment like this, fighting in a turmoil, trapped on the island. You can't stop me, you imperious bitch. Remembering these lines from her nightmare Kasumi felt a thrum of fear expand through her heart.

Then crack! Her eyes shot open, her lean form whirling into motion as she peered around herself. There was an enemy near? Her reiatsu had settled for a moment into the gentle lull that it usually held, her raven hair swaying slightly.

The darkness of the forest seemed to be taunting her, the trees creating shadows everywhere. With her vision failing in one eye the petite taicho looked concerned. She felt her nerves rising, which felt like a thousand little bugs crawling around in her stomach, swaying slightly, she scrambled to the edge of the bush, crouching down, and tossed her cookies. It hurt to exude the vomit from her mouth, the stomach bile was a nasty red shade like there was blood mixed into it. After she finished vomiting, Kasumi swiped at the sweat on her brow. Maybe she had one hell of a fever going down, that had to be it. Shifting slightly so that she was standing up, Kasumi rummaged in the pocket of her haori, pulling out a small little container. It held mouth wash inside of it. She always carried one on her since her first mission as a shinigami. Something she was grateful for remembering. Taking a swig from the bottle she swished it about, the mint taste sharp, burning at her mouth before she spat it out, replacing the lid on top of it.

Watching a figure in the darkness move with a sauntering step which suggested her was drunk, Kasumi felt concern. Officers shouldn't be drunk openly in public like this one. Hearing the words that were obviously aimed toward her the petite captain arched an eyebrow, her blue eyes holding a worried look for him. Although she did not know she was still emitting the hollow like energy, it was strong, almost suffocation to anyone around. She ruffled her raven hair, which was showing streaks of white within it. "Either you are a fool or you can not sense danger when it looks you in the face! Hahaha! WONDERFUL!" Kasumi's eyes widened, the words that had left her mouth were not her own, she would've scolded the officer for being drunk, she didn't know where the spiel about danger came from, nor did she want to at that moment. Noticing he stopped his approach and drew a blade towards her Kasumi blanched slightly.

"Ooh, look, the little boy wants to play a game! Oh oh oh! Which one should we play!"

"Run."

The word was yelped from the young woman's mouth panic showing in her eyes. Whatever was talking about games was not her. The fear which gripped at her was getting worse, her left eye was amber once more, but the right one remained a serene shade of blue. Peering at the shinigami before her she noted that the pain was numbing her senses. She was lost in confusion not sure which way was the right one, or whom the shinigami before her was. Did she know the man whom held a drawn sword towards her. A drawn blade towards a captain could be a serious offense if not handled properly. Slinking forward, Kasumi's hair seemed to turning whiter steadily with each passing second. Freedom, control of the throne was what the other half wanted, but Kasumi was not relenting. Which meant she had to take what she could.

Gently her hand went forward, grasping the blade of the shinigami. The blade did not cut her nor did she believe it would be able to. A haunting grin which showed on her face almost seemed like death was looking him down. She leaned forward, her breath sweet with the scent of mint from the mouth wash. Staring to the man she scented him briefly, picking up hints of chemicals like he was a fourth squad shinigami. Releasing the blade, Kasumi stepped backwards, before snarling at Ryuu. Damn fourth squad shinigami, she knew what they could do and were capable of, she contemplated drawing her own blade which was at her side hanging freely. Lowering her hand she lightly touched the hilt of it, the heat that thrummed under the tips of her fingers made a sadistic grin show on her face. Maybe sharing the throne would be useful.

"This is going to be your last night alive, I'm afraid."
"Leave him alone."
"Shut-up, bitch."

The reiatsu that seeped from the young girl felt like ice water, it was cold, freezing, yet when the shinigami's slashed through it was fiery, filled with anger, hatred, and fury. The two differed strongly, opposites to be exact. Pausing for a moment, the eyes flickered into the trees once more, another shinigami was approaching?

Epyon! Relief washed over Kasumi for a moment, but the other half found this curious. Maybe she would use him for her own gains, she had been watching Kasumi for a while and knew of all their interactions between one another. She could use the old fool for her advantage, the beast was cunning, knowing where to playing, and what to do. So when Epyon played his line on her, Kasumi batted her eyelashes playfully, letting out a soft giggle. Her hands clasped together away from the blade she was about to draw out, she glanced towards Ryuu with a threatening look. If he spoke, she'd gut him like a fish, no mercy was held within her small frame at the moment. She would not regret slicing him up if he ruined her chance at escaping this night, getting away with power that she felt she deserved. The beautiful shinigami turned her gaze once more to Epyon as he asked her about what happened? Had something happened? His hand felt warm against her cold flesh. She literally felt cold as ice, her eyes glittering in the dark like an angry animals.

Leaning forward, the shinigami's pale pink lips lightly caressed against the vice-captains of the fourth squad.

"You wouldn't let them take me away to a scary place like that, would you Epy? You know I have a fear of doctors, needles, etc." Her voice shook slightly, she was playing the man as a fool. It was a typical predator move.

I would suggest leaving now hollow from Kasumi, before you get her in to too much trouble. You'll both be put to death if word of this spreads out.[/color]

The voice of her blade warned from the silence it had been locked in.
____
[1317/50=26]

Lucas ducked under a branch his footsteps nearing the hollow presence and then, suddenly he came out and then he cursed under his breath. There stood the captain her reiatsu not her own but a. . .but. . . a hollows? She was sick she had to be she still had the captains appearance, she was ill!

That's it ill and every good seated Shinigami knows that defending their captain is the top priority "Little one" Haries voice boomed "Your laws of justice know no grounds here she is plagued by an unknown force, open your eyes"


"Look Haries she hasn't drawn her blade yet, this means she still has some self control over herself" it seems that Lucas's own rules of Justice were interferring with everything else "She can still be saved but we need to quarantine this area"

Lucas called a hell butterfly to him "Attention the Captain of Second Squad Kasumi Suzumei has been afflicted with an unknown illness all who are within the region of her residence are being advised to stay clear, I repeat, stay clear"

He shunpoed quickly in front of Epyon and Kasumi "I'm sorry Leutenant Captain Suzumei is not feeling. . . well today" he looked at the Captain "I've warned every Shinigami in a radius as well as the Captain Commander that you are suffering from an Unknown Illness, I do not expect any other Shinigami to appear except the ones already here and Lieutenant Duriel"

He untied the strap holding his scabbard to his uniform and held it in one hand "However your hollow presence shows that you are a threat as of this time and should be contained till we can figure what in gods name has happened to you, I'm sorry captain"

Of two things Lucas was certain 1. His hollow Captain could kill him easily and 2. Of all people that he wished were here right now a Lieutenant of Fourth Squad was the lesser on that list.

Words 331 6 GP

10 GP

Mitsutaka cursed. This odd situation was getting rapidly worse. What's more, he was the only one who seemed to know anything about what was going on. It was a common refrain in literature and stories- a powerful individual being overwhelmed by their inner darkness. He moved to dash down to the group, intending to stop them from approaching that most dangerous friend of theirs. He paused. Is this a necessary thing to do? He asked himself. It's perfectly possible that she will repress her inner demon, rendering my aid useless. Kowareta, as usual, played Devil's advocate. And what if she doesn't, he asked accusingly. What if she goes insane and butchers all those around her? Hell, she could wreak havoc on the whole Seiretei, a crazed captain. She might even destroy that precious library in her tantrum. And wouldn't Akimoto be... Mitsutaka twitched at the last two. As important as his home was, that knowledge and his friend were more precious to him. However, he still wasn't convinced.

And what if she kills me for interfering? Kowareta gave the mental equivalent of a snort. Foolish boy. If she's that far gone, she can surely sense you here, and will of course kill you after she slaughters them. Your best interest lies with interfering. Like it or not, Kowareta's reasoning seemed sound. But still.... that terrifying Reiatsu... Sweat dripped down his forehead, and the hair on the back of his neck still stood. Every time Mitsutaka thought he was getting used to that spiritual pressure, hovering like a knife over his neck, it warped again in a way that the researcher knew spelled doom for them all.
So he waited, and watched until he could stand it no longer.
A drunken idiot staggered over to the girl and hailed her, then pulled out his Zanpakutou and was thankfully subdued by her.
His fool Lieutenant, looking to all the world like a helpful old man, walked closer and closer to the girl, saying something Mitsutaka could not hear.
Then he heard a voice, transmitted from the Hell Butterflies.
"Attention the Captain of Second Squad Kasumi Suzumei has been afflicted with an unknown illness all who are within the region of her residence are being advised to stay clear, I repeat, stay clear"
Mitsutaka cursed. That damned sentence could be the catalyst for her fall! Take a broken, halved girl and make her think she is afflicted, that it was a disease...
There was nothing for it. He had to intervene.

Several quick Shunpos later, Mitsutaka stood near the group. He took a deep breath and hoped he wouldn't misspeak. It would take every bit of conversational skill he had to engage, let alone stop, this madness.
The girl was even more terrifying up close than he'd feared.

"Wait!" Obligingly, they lent him an eye or more each. He took another deep breath, bolstered by Kowareta's encouragement. "Let no one move within five feet of her! Give her space! Ware your selves!" Quickly, he turned to the white haired man standing between the two groups; Shinigami and...
"Move, fool!" he hissed. "Your captain suffers from more than a mere illness!" He turned to the Hollow-girl slowly, carefully, wanting to appear as little a threat as possible. Her eyes were a beautiful mixture of terror and anger.

"Captain-sama, what you are experiencing is something very rare that I have only read of. I'm sure you can feel the monster writhing inside of you even now, desiring to eat you from the inside and wear you like a shell. YOU MUST FIGHT IT!

"This is an extreme of something most feel all their lives. There is a demon inside you, Captain-sama, and it seeks to overpower your angel. Suppress it!

"This is unique, but it CAN be dealt with! There is an imbalance within your body and soul, and the darker parts of it strive to overthrow you! Your humors are in turmoil! Your Yang is restless! Shiva is attempting to rule you! Be wary, but have hope!

"There is a demon inside you. It strives to take your place, but you must not let it. That monster is an important part of you, Captain-sama. Do not reject it, but relegate it to its proper place. Rule it with kindness. Ignoring it and hating it only makes the darkness stronger.

"Captain-sama, there is a demon inside of you. And you know full well what it can do without your restraint. That power is all that is keeping it in line for the moment, and you are frightened of losing that battle. You are losing the strength to fight it, Captain-sama. You must let us help you so we can suppress the demon. You must calm yourself. Remember your true strength, Captain-sama! Remember your kindness and hope! They are the most important things in this world!" Mitsutaka blinked. Was he merely reading a script, or did he actually believe it? His eyes felt moist, and he blinked the wetness angrily away.

"With your permission, Captain-sama, I would activate my Shikai. It will show you happier times, and return your mood to a calmer one." He gripped his Zanpakutou's hilt tightly, hoping she would agree. It all came down to this moment. She would either listen, or spit them all upon her sword. His legs felt boneless, but he stood stock-still.

He continued to look into her eyes, still captivated by the battle raging within them. They might have been innocent were it not for the hell he knew she was experiencing. It really was a beautiful night, he realized with a start. Kowareta had been telling him so for hours, but he'd failed to notice it. The stars were twinkling like diamonds, and the full moon cast a pale light on the doll-like captain's face. Time seemed to stop. Strange how these knife's edge situations bring out the beauty in life, neh? How sublime is the moment before pain, and the moment before the release of it. Mitsutaka smiled, briefly. I think for the first time I see what you're getting at.
The wind blew quietly through the clearing, and the researcher waited with his heart in his throat.
He hoped none of the others would do anything too stupid. It was difficult enough just calming her.

[1033 words | =21GP | Σ34GP ]

Seiretei slept calmly between the night's feathery wings. Kimihiro Koichi always enjoyed toying with an idea of a dream world, a realm where sleeping minds entwined, leaving behind a footprint of fantasies, fears and daily troubles. If existent, such a place would be both beautiful and terrifying.

Captain of the third division as waking up slowly, as if from a drug-induced sleep. His head was heavy, so were the eye lids. Beads of sweat glistened on the body that was exposed to the light breeze that seeping in through the open window. As the man opened his eyes last whisks of night's visage faded from the clouded mind. Koichi felt outright crappy. He hasn't had a nightmare since the incident eight years ago and that night was not the case of one either. His nightmares were always violent, they were aimed to disturb the mind and crush the heart. Wat he experienced before awakening was more of a faint echo, but it was enough to stir up the presence within, reviving the sensation he had hoped to never experience again.

Kimihiro picked up his zanpaktou and stepped onto the terrace just outside his private quarters. The night's embrace was no longer soothing or welcoming, but foreboding, sinister. The wound on his right breast became possessed with ghost pains. The wound, where his own fingers dug into the flesh, from nearly a decade whined and he was half expecting pitch-black blood to start seeping through the white robe he had hastily put on before stepping outside.

"Is tonight the night, Joshua?" - Niso o Hoki sounded distressed, her voice trembled on the edge of shinigami's psyche.
"No, he is still well-contained. I don't like this feeling nonetheless."
Kimihiro wanted to sat down and meditate, in order to calm the troubled mind down when he felt it - distant wave crushing down not so far and licking the of his shoes. Faint taste of rust crawled under his tongue and smell of blood assaulted his nostrils. Koichi could swear he caught a muffled chuckle resounding in his ears.

Captain turned towards the source of the tainting presence - it was not far, beyond sight but within the range of several flash steps. Kimihiro had little to no time to think - the presence was getting stronger, soon enough even those who did not carry that curse will be able to hear beast's heavy steps. Shinigami concentrated reiatsu below his feet and began slicing his way through the night Seiretei. The air rushed past him in cold currents yet he could not help but feel hot as he was getting closer to the source of the distress. Metallic taste in his mouth became stronger, almost tangible, Koichi could hear the cage inside his soul creaking, giving way to the primal excitement of the creature inside.
"Not this time, mate!"

Kimihiro arrived at the scene of the unfolding drama. As soon as his feet touched the ground his reiatsu, released from bounds, rang in the air in attempt to dilute the foul aura captain of the second division was spreading. The place was more crowded than he had hoped - 5th seat of the second division and three members of the 4th, including the Lieutenant - Eypon, who Kimihiro gave a quick glance and a nod, letting him know that he understood the situation. It also seemed that the events were steadily escalating out of control. Kasumi Suzumei was lapsing into the inner hollow's possession: her eyes were dyeing into dark orange while whites were turning black. He remembered himself in the similar position, only he was weaker back then and the alter ego took over without as much as a transition stage. His own hollow reacted violently, throwing himself against the built defenses, reaching out to its sister few meters away. The others wouldn't feel it but he was sure Kasumi and the creature she was host to would be able to sense the similarity. Koichi didn't feel there was a need to introduce himself so he got down straight to business:

"Gentlemen, please step away from the Suzumei-taicho and allow me to take a look at her." Dealing with these people came second, right now everything depended on how far had Suzumei gone. In theory he could try to resonate with her through a healing kido, perhaps share a little bit of resilience. Although if it was not a shinigami standing in front of him there was little hope to avoid an open confrontation. The perspective of confronting a possessed captain was by far not the brightest one. Kimihiro took a careful step towards the girl - right hand close to the blade's handle, left one outstretched, cradling warm green light of the healing kido. "Would you allow me to examine you quickly, Kasumi-san?" Another careful step, eyes fixed on the woman's gentle features. He hoped dearly that his presence would be beneficial rather than damaging.

WC: 843
GP: 17 {total: 17}

Drawing his blade towards the small female captain, Ryuu assumed a defensive stance- he wasn't going to attack unless he was left with no other choice, but there was no way he would stand unarmed against an uncontrollable force like that. Making a few cautious steps backwards, the shinigami felt the comforting rigidity of a tree trunk against his back. Just as he was about to scream out that he meant no harm, however, the apparently possessed woman walked towards him, grabbing the tip of his sword with her bare hands. A surge of panic passed through Ryuu's body as he realized what was going on with the second division captain- she was being taken over by a hollow.

As the woman started talking, it quickly became clear that she was fighting whatever had taken over her- bursts of mixed reiatsu continued to erupt from her as the young- looking woman brought her face closer to Ryuu's and... smelled him? Not only that but her breath was also minty- fresh, which actually came as a relief for Ryuu, as by now he was already expecting a Cero or something. Now that he was able to take a good look at her, the third seat was actually rather surprised that despite the internal struggle that was twisting her face, the young woman was still rather attractive- her long, pitch- black hair, firm, graceful figure and pale, oval face would make most men turn their heads around if they met her on the street. Pity that such a gentle creature had to be afflicted with such a deadly curse.

Then, with one fluid movement, the captain jumped backwards, letting out a low growl and grabbing the hilt of her Zanpakutou. She was losing control and something had to be done, fast. Luckily for the third seat, just as he thought he was about to get ripped apart by the madwoman, her attention was distracted by the arrival of another figure. From the nearby shrubs appeared the last person person Ryuu was expecting to see- nobody else but his lieutenant. The two had not had much contact, the third seat rarely staying for long in the laboratory, but from what he had managed to learn about his superior, the old man was nothing but a perverted, but good- hearted fool, in other words- completely out of place here.

Blinking a couple of times in surprise, Ryuu watched as the idiot actually tried to comfort[/b] the possessed woman, which, although completely useless, at least gave Ryuu a moment to look at the problem from a different perspective. That moment, however did not last, as suddenly more soul reapers came pouring out of everywhere. And then everything started quickly turning into pure chaos. Three of the shinigami bundled around the unfortunate captain, in vain trying to be kind and compassionate, one of them even started babbling something about " banishing the hollow with kindness and hope". What a bunch of pathetic losers... The biggest danger, however, came from the buffoon who actually sent a hell butterfly, carrying with it the message that the captain of the second division had fallen ill to an unknown disease.

With a quick flash step, Ryuu slashed the insect in half, putting an end at least to this immediate danger. If Central 46 got a word of what was going on here, the captain of the second division would have to pay with her life, since she was clearly a huge threat to the Soul Society in her current state. And the third seat had already made up his mind- there was no way he was going to let an innocent die because of the narrow- mindedness and stupidity of others. But first things first, if things continued to go on like this, chances were that the young woman was going to snap, killing them and dooming herself. Ryuu now had a plan and according to him it was the best possible course of action. All the shinigami had to do now was convince his colleagues that this was also the case.

Stepping forward prepared to do what he had to- what he was going to proceed with could well be interpreted as treason but he already had an escape plan for himself ready. It was a risk worth taking. Suddenly his spiritual pressure rose to its limit, engulfing him in a blood- red glow, bright white light erupted from his hand as he shouted out the name of a spell: "Byakurai!" The bolt of lightning exploded on the ground next to the group of soul reapers, so carelessly bundled around the afflicted captain, sending lumps of earth flying in the air. If this didn't get their attention, nothing would.

Not giving anybody a chance to gather their mind, Ryuu rose his voice, accompanying every word with a small blast of spiritual pressure: "Step away from her, you bloody fools! She can hardly be called a captain any longer and does not belong here any more, there's nothing we can do about it. The only options she has are to go away to world of the living, where she will bot be an immediate danger to us or die here. And I personally vote for the first option." Stopping for a second to take his breath, Ryuu then fixed his gaze on the now former second division captain and continued with his unrelenting tone, concentrating all his spiritual power towards her: "Daisy, you heard what I said. I suggest you and your imaginary friend leave either now or very soon, or you'll both die, taking lots of innocent lives with you, that I guarantee. I think if everybody here works together we can get you out of the Soul Society but it's ultimately your call." Drops of sweat ran down the third seat's forehead as he finally stopped speaking. According to him the only ones that could save the girl's life were the ones that had already been through this. He knew he could get her to them with a little help but he wouldn't be able to do it alone- it was both for her and everybody else to decide whether to trust him or not and he had no power over their decisions.

Words:1021 20 Gp

[align=left]Her lips just like sugar against his. For that one moment Epyon felt alive, young and strong. He could feel it through her body language Kasumi was trying to stay strong, take back control of her own body and spirit was helping. The fulcuating reiatsu flooded the area, drawing more and more in as they came to stop Kasumi who they assumed had some sort of illness. It wasn’t however though until Epyon thought about it and spoke to Golom to assume a answer about what was happening. Kasumi wasn’t sick or under the weather she was experiencing a force that no one but herself could beat or stop. It was Kasumi’s battle not Epyon’s or anyone else’s that came to help. Epyon flinched as he stood beside Kasumi, his cheeks flushing red and his palms getting sweaty as he heard the third seat officer of the forth Ryuu speak but before he did he conjured a Byakurai that instaly exploded against the ground right next to other shinigami.

"Step away from her, you bloody fools! She is a soul reaper no longer and does not belong here anymore, there's nothing we can do about it. The only options she has are to either seek help from her kind in the world of the living or die here. And I personally vote for the first option."

Epyon laughed a tad before saying, “Ryuu stand down immediately. We can’t help her, it is Kasumi’s battle not yours or mine nor anyone else. This goes for you too second division member and you too Mitsutaka. Ryuu you should also know that casting a Byakurai at another officer is not tolerated.”

Epyon sighed taking a glance at her; she changed so much since he last saw her. She was only a seated officer working hard to achieve her dreams. Epyon wanted to know what had happened to her he wouldn’t know but Epyon felt much remorse for her. Epyon just wanted to help her; he did not care if she left Soul Society but as long as she left in one piece and knew what she was doing.

Calculations ran through his mind, taking every possible outcome into play. His mind working overtime however the words from Kasumi stilled plagued his mind too clouding the calculations. “You may be afraid Kasumi but you know that you need to face that fear in order for me to help.” Epyon spoke with such a stern voice, holding it strong while others were worried. He needed to tell the others it would be alright but would it? Only few have seen this before and Epyon was not one of them however was this the same thing that happened to; Satine, Artix and even the old ‘Mister fourth’ himself Kyosuke. Those three experienced something like this according to the reports and they soon left after. Again Epyon didn’t care if she left but he had this strange feeling like as if he wanted her to stay. Why was he contradicting himself?

“Kasumi, or if I can even call you that. I’m sorry for doing this.” Epyon lifted his hand as he spoke looking directly in the changing eyes, he looked away as without the incarnation he conjured Shō (衝, Thrust). His reiatsu manipulating a strong pushing force that would most likely hit her because of the distance they were at. Epyon sighed as he said, “Go, find yourself Kasumi. Then come back here.” With that he flash stepped with incredible speed to the tree sitting opposite from where he was lifting his hand up giving her a signal, a wave.[/align]


Total Words: 605
GP: 12
Total GP: 32

Words - So many of them. They were irrelevant to her inner turmoil, but she tried to focus on each word that escaped the shinigami that seemed to appear around her like ghosts from the night air. She could feel the pace of her heart start to pick up for a moment, before she rocked back on her heels, the silken raven hair whirling around her. The pain fading for a moment, as she stared at Kimihiro, her head tilted ever so slightly, she heard the other words of finding peace, but the other captain. She could feel something afflicting him akin to her, which made her snarl slightly. Another one? He was a beast no better than herself although it appeared he had subdued that part of himself. If he could do it then she certainly could, correct? But the people seemed to be forming a half moon circle around her, making her nerves go up, did they think that cornering a wild animal was the smartest move that they could make. Her eyes closed for a moment, her breathing even, gentle, a lull of what it had been only moments before. Her reiatsu suddenly vanishing all together from the shinigami around her so they would be scared of her any longer. That factor needed to be ended. Her captain, former captain Satine had showed her this.

"Inflected with an illness that one cannot cure. But, whom ever released that hell butterfly is going to be in trouble. I do not have a disease, or anything akin to that."

Her voice broke in a smooth harmony between their voices, she had heard the hell butterfly clearly. Her eyes opened to the serene blue, only washed with the faintest trace of amber to them, almost a back light. Her eyes scanned the crowd before her, she knew each of the shinigami that were standing here from the files in her office. Each of them held their own pasts that she could more or less repeat word for word, or at least the relevant parts of the shinigami years. Trying to remember what could've caused such a thing to her, her eyes held a melancholy look to them for a moment. She knew the source of this inflection was caused from the fourth Espada. There was anger in her for a moment, she'd like nothing more than to kick his skinny ass when she saw him next. That was if she actually lived that long, she did not care if there was a death sentence on her head. She had not harmed a single soul that night, only her's was wounded in a manner no one could see. She could see the fear, and confusion on all of them, but she merely stepped away for a moment, looking at Kimihiro's green glowing hand from the kido he was prepared to use. The ground felt soft under her feet before she grinned gently.

They were all so ready to see her flee into the night like some coward, but little did they know she would never take that path. She would go to the chamber 46 herself if she had to, anger showed in her keen eyes, the testing Satine had been placed through was a warning enough that the place was corrupt. Missions she was sent on were all for those smug bastards, she would've like to go in there and kill them all. But at the same time, she respected them. Damn herself for having Samurai roots, she would die for her employer before becoming a Ronin. Her blade would never shed the blood of innocents, specially those around her whom seemed so keen on helping her. Surprise flicked in the petite taicho's eyes as a shinigami of the fourth squad released a kido, making the ground around her crack as if someone had hit it too hard. She didn't know if it annoyed her or not, so she merely nodded her head towards the lot of them for a moment as she stepped further along the tree line. Little did they know they were pushing her away from them, what happened if she actually entered one of the villages of the Rukon when she was walking on a hair thin wire that was about to snap? But they did not seem to recognize that the shinigami was winning her inner fight, instead they were insisting she'd flee this place. Something she did not enjoy in the least.

Afraid? She flicked her stare to Epyon, a tired look flashing across her face for a moment before she sprung forward into the trees. Kasumi was standing in a tree above them now, with a glare, they held no faith in her then? Telling her to flee, she would never flee, even when she was put to death. She was noble in her aspirations.

"I hate to see what happens when someone seeks the lot of you for help." Her voice echoed through the trees above them as her blade glinted in the darkness giving away her position. Madness was thrilling if only a small amount but she had her fair share. Then she suddenly used a shunpo, flickering from view away from them, landing on the ground, her feet hit it, and were light against the grassed vegetation of the large Rukon forest. She was heading toward the largest of the Rukon town's her raven hair swaying some more before she flickered from view all together. It was impossible to tell where she was going with her reaitsu restricted in the manner it was. They would have more luck searching for it.

But, in the middle of her advance towards society, she fell. Her whole body hitting the ground, and hard, her eyes slightly open for a moment. The hollow had slight control at the moment, the hand with the blade moving silently, before it struck in a viper like motion, stabbing through her own gut. The taicho's eyes widened.

I told you I would never go away, that I'd haunt you. Obviously you're not going to let me hurt others, so I will allow myself to draw blood from us.[/color]

Kasumi merely shifted slightly, pulling herself against a tree. As the arm fell limp, she cocked her head back against the tree, her eyes closing. Either she got a healer or she bled out, so, she released her reaitsu while the blade remained inside of her. It was pure shinigami reiatsu at the moment, but it seemed to be dwindling. She needed help, and most certainly couldn't help herself at the moment seeing as how she was afraid that the other half of her would strike out once more.
____
[1129/50=23]

Mitsutaka watched in helpless anger as his worst fears came true. Another meddling fool appeared - so Mitsutaka thought at first, but he turned out to be the Third Division captain. The researcher thought things might finally be moving to an end, with a truly powerful ally present. But then the captain moved close to the Hollow-girl and asked to examine her. Mitsutaka cursed in disbelief. How can this all not be so obvious? How can they make these foolish mistakes? Are they all so ignorant? Then a bolt of Hadou lightning struck the ground and Mitsutaka found even he could desire to tear out a man's throat. He listened in hope as the drunkard with his blade unsheathed told the group to stay away from the slipping captain, but his faith turned to seething rage as the fool actually told her to run away.

TO RUN AWAY!

These goddamned idiots! How can they be so ignorant of the human psyche? If they're not careful we will all be slaughtered. Aaah, I wish there was a spell that bound all their mouths so no further condemning words could be spat out. Kowareta agreed. They're all trying to be her special person. It's like a contest to see who can get to her first. That revelation nearly made Mitsutaka snap, but he held his control and waited for the inevitable conclusion. Next, Epyon stood forward and spoke kindly, and the junior researcher felt his hope return. The lieutenant laughed quietly and began. He said it was her battle- possibly true, thought Mitsutaka, but we can help if no one makes any other blunders- and told the girl to find herself, calmly explaining that she needed to face her fears before he could help her. Then, to Mitsutaka's complete horror, he cast Kidou at her, attempting to push her away from the group. It missed, but the damage had been done. All of his words had been erased. Mitsutaka wanted to scream in impotent fury.

As it all transpired, the researcher watched that most dangerous captain's face. Her emotions were clearly visible, façade lifted by the stress she currently was in. Her mind was an open book for the moment, and Mitsutaka took note of what flashed across it. He saw the widening of her eyes as she heard the Hell Butterfly. Then her eyes flicked down and to the left, and he saw her pause, lost in memory. When they suggested she flee, Mitsutaka cursed once more. The girl was not a coward, and her eyes reflected her anger at the suggestion. He watched as the momentary magic he'd tried to work was completely erased. Then the girl spoke. "I hate to see what happens when someone seeks the lot of you for help," she said, and Mitsutaka sadly nodded. That was what it had come down to. She leapt off into the night, and he sighed. It's too late now, unless- but as he sank into depression, he felt her Reiatsu reappear. The other Shinigami gave similar starts as they felt her signature reappear. It was closer to Rukongai, and it was weak. It was fading; she was dying. What had happened was, at the moment, irrelevant. Mitsutaka decided to try one last time.

"Fellow Shinigami," he barked, all trace of politeness gone. Anger had swept away the mask he often wore, and now he spoke bluntly and without mercy. "The captain is dying. She will be lost if we do not help." He didn't mention the more likely event of her being swallowed by the demon inside her, were she to become so weak. "We need a healer. And we need one or two of us to make sure she is comfortable and calm. We can help, but only some of us have the skill. For the moment, I will make that judgement." He pointed in turn to his companions, eyes icy. First, to the white-haired youth. "Not you. Your goal is the same as ours, but your connection to the captain is meaningless now. She needs healers- of words and of body." Then he turned to the captain, hesitating briefly. The way he now spoke to such a high-ranked individual could have dire consequences. He shrugged them off and continued. Right now, she was more important. "With respect, Captain, your approach is wrong. Examining her will find nothing we have not already, and will only push her farther. With time, you could help. We have no time." He turned to the drunk and bit out his words. "I will mince no words with you. You have caused perhaps irreparable damage with your words and actions. You are drunk, though likely sobered by this ordeal. You can help the captain in no way." Finally, he turned to Epyon. "Sir, you have the right idea, though she needn't be so isolated. You I would permit to help her, if I can give you a quick summary of what we need to do. I think you are the only one in this clearing who has knowledge of the human mind like I do."

He turned to the group, eyes blazing. His words were quiet, now. "Careless involvement will only make this worse, and all the deaths she will likely then cause will be on your heads. I will NOT permit that to happen." Slowly drawing his Zanpakutou, he assumed a ready stance. "I will attempt to stop anyone but Epyon and myself from following her. It will likely mean my death, should I fight against the stronger of you," he gave a quick nod to the male captain, "Or should I fight against several of you. She is important right now, and needs help from those TRAINED TO GIVE IT." He coughed, unused to such long dialogue. It had been an interesting night, and stood to be more interesting. He held Kowareta ready, waiting for the decision of the group. He knew it would mean the difference between the girl's life and death. Or... life and undeath. Life and unliving hell, he thought darkly. From all he'd ever read it was a painful thing to be overtaken by one's inner demons.

The night's air washed around him as he waited. Likely, he'd pay the price for his narcissism and self-righteousness, but for the moment he didn't care.
He hoped his companions would make the right choice.

[1059 words | =21GP | Σ55GP ]

((OOC: Just so you know the existence of Vaizards have not been revealed to the masses yet. So far the only people who know they exist are Captain Commander, Central 46, the Vaizards themselves, Tova, and the select few who they have personally told about their existence. So all comments about them should be null and void and I would appreciate it if the rest of the thread was treated as if this big revelation wasn’t just dropped. The captain was just acting…Crazy. An official announcement was posted while I was typing this so please refer to that if you would like to see Admin ruling on the matter. Also my forcing of Kasumi to leave the thread like she is has been approved by Riko.))

Walking amongst the people in the Rukongai had grown too difficult for the Captain Commander, he had realized that the last time that he had tried walking these streets with Kasumi. Jun had hoped that his connection to the people had remained the same. That despite his promotion from Captain the people of the Rukongai would continue to see him as one of their own, despite his upbringing, and treat him like such. However, it seemed that both his station in life and his position among Soul Society had grown too much to handle by the citizens of the Rukongai and Jun really couldn’t blame them. It was a miracle that they had treated him so earnestly to begin and to continue with that tradition long into his captaincy years. It was part of the reason why he cherished them so much. These wonderful people were in many ways more extraordinary then any shinigami within the divisions and more noble then any member of any house. How could someone like Jun ever fault them for finally being cautious around the Captain Commander? This revelation had motivated Jun to try and avoid the people of the Rukongai all together. The shinigami still of course went out on official walks through the streets and did the whole kissing babies and shaking hands thing that a leader was expected to perform. However, the days of casual strolls were over. Even now, although Jun was in the Rukongai he lay comfortably atop the roof of someone’s home taking extra care not to damage it or alert its residents that someone was even right above their heads.

His perching was Jun’s own attempt at compromise with himself. Jun knew that he could no longer just hang out in the Rukongai, but at the same time he just couldn’t give it up. Therefore, he decided that if he just remained hidden from the people then it should not be an issue how long he relaxed among them. It deprived the Captain Commander of socialization that he would have adored, but it still let him peek into their worlds, be humbled by their hardworking natures. So there Jun lay, on the roof while enjoying some pop rocks. For everybody else this act might have been boring and certainly very limited, but Jun was not confined in the same ways they were. He was a master of all of sound and the Rukongai was full of it. Jun carried conversations on the wind and listened to them intently as if they were being whispered directly into his ear. The act would have been considered eavesdropping by any civilized person, but Jun justified the deed to himself by simply avoiding and instantly ignoring any conversation that was taking a more private route. Indeed there were more than a few times where Jun instantly blushed at what sounds he had picked up and quickly silenced the feed so he wouldn’t be privy to such intimate moments any longer.

Jun continued like that for a long while hearing the citizens of the Rukongai discuss the various facets of their lives. No doubt the shinigami would have continued like that for the rest of the night had he not picked up on a very disturbing conversation. Everything was happening so quickly, but the major parts Jun did not miss. One second Jun lay lazily on a roof and the next he vanished. The Captain Commander was gone in a flash of speed that could only be matched by very few fellow members of Soul Society. He used shunpo to cross the distance that separated him and the source of all the commotion. Jun was moving as fast as his legs could take him, possibly as fast as he had ever moved in his entire life. Only one thought reverberated back and forth off the walls of his head like a terrible ominous pendulum, Kasumi was hurt and in danger. Whatever was going on had caused chaos among the other shinigami who had either witnessed what had happened or had come on to the scene shortly after. Jun wasn’t about to wait and leave it up to one of them to finally make one move or another. He would handle this before it went too far.

As the Captain Commander got close to his destination he could make out all the individual shinigami. Some he recognized like the captain of third division, Koichi, while others he was not so familiar with. However, all would know who Jun was when he appeared and all better damn obey him when he did appear. Jun used shunpo one last time and put the remaining distance behind him. One moment a young man was brandishing his zanpakutou at the others by himself and then in a blink of an eye Jun was standing right behind him his hand on the man’s shoulder. Jun whispered, but his voice came out like thunder, “That is enough.” The powerful shinigami then walked calmly and with concern to his wounded beloved. Jun wasn’t exactly sure what was going on himself either, but if she tried to attack him Jun was confident that he could handle her. She may have been tough as rocks, but she still wasn’t strong enough to compete with Jun. He lifted the small woman easily into his arms carrying her like one would a child or a bride. He then turned to the others and said in a voice so devoid of emotion that it was scary, “Koichi you are with me. We are taking her somewhere safe for medical attention. I will make sure that she stays still while you attend to her. Everyone else forget what you saw here. Whatever is going on with Kasumi will be addressed by either her or me when the time is appropriate. To cause rumors and gossip now would be detrimental to the stability of Soul Society. If I discover such talks are being made I shall put a stop to them and you trust me when I say you do not want me to. That is all.” Jun was then gone again bringing Kasumi along with him. He made sure though to move just slow enough that Koichi would be able to follow him and not be left behind.

[Jun Left Thread]

GP: 1,051/50=21
GP Total: 21

"Then you better pray I don't shoot the next one in your head", Ryuu almost inaudibly hissed at the old lieutenant. Idiots. That's what everybody here were in the third seat's eyes as they dismissed his proposal. The fools had apparently forgotten their priorities- what was going on with the second division captain was like nothing he had ever witnessed before and it was clear that she was as dangerous to herself as she was to the whole Soul Society. And there were only two sane things to do- kill her on spot and end her suffering or send her over to a secluded area in the human world, where even if she snapped, she wouldn't pose any immediate threat. The lives of many innocents were at stake here, something the so called "soul reapers" here apparently didn't care about.

And then the guy with the "kidness and compassion" started talking again, this time insisting that Ryuu just left, even accusing him of actually hurting the woman. Insolent fool- if he had stopped to look at things from a perspective, he wouldn' t be talking so big right now. Gripping his blade tighter, the third seat stepped forward, intending to enlighten the twerp about what was important and what was not. Whatever he was going to say, however, remained unspoken, because suddenly, the Captain Commander himself appeared as if out of nowhere. Startled a bit by the appearance of possibly the most powerful person in the Soul Society, Ryuu silently re- sheathed his Zanpakutou, watching as the leader of the Gotei 6 carefully picked up the afflicted woman and started speaking. His words sounded hollow but strong in the cold night, prompting everybody to basically pretend all of this never happened. With a loud sigh, Ryuu flash- stepped next to the Captain Commander, letting out a low whisper: " You need to know something, sir. There was hollow's reiatsu coming out of her, everybody here can confirm it. Make of it what you like but I think that in her current state she poses a danger to us all."

The third seat then made the smallest of bows and disappeared into the forest, concealing his presence with a Bakudo. He didn't dare disobey a direct order coming from so high up, but he knew that today's incident had at least shown one thing- The Gotei 6 were a joke, a bunch of individuals who lacked a common goal and only strived to further their own ambitions. There could soon come a time when everyone would be forced to pick their sides and Ryuu wasn't exactly sure that he wanted to be in the same lot as all the other losers here.

[Ryuu Left Thread]

450 Words 9 Gp (Total: 48)

Kimihiro's head started feeling dizzy from irritation. "Too many cooks truly spoil the broth. Gosh darn it!" Every of the present shinigami tugged on the duvet at their respective directions and, unfortunately, it was captain of the second division who would end up getting the cold. They threw over-dramatic words and kido around, clearly aggravating both Kasumi and her hollow. The fruit of the 4th divisioners' overconfidence and narrow-mindedness became ripe before Kimihiro could put the buffoons in place - Suzumei disappeared with a swish of a wind. When he thought their actions or words couldn't get any more dumb they did. Completely ignoring presence of a superior officer was one thing; surrounding the poor Kasumi-san as if they were going to rape the girl was another; but drawing a blade on fellow officers was plain ridiculous. Koichi peered at the pretentious boy with devastatingly-cold eye, sharp blue tones have completely purged remnants of the benevolent green. His hand reached for the zanpakto. Cutting down that idiot wouldn't take much time and would definitely teach him a valuable lesson, but it would still be time lost. He could still feel the defiling presence nearby, having to rely on his own corruption in order to track the nimble captain. As the blade was beginning to slide out of the sheath the final actor of the absurd tragicomedy has arrived.

Koichi has immediately recognize the reiatsu signature, the same one he felt on the night he and Niso achieved the final level of unity and his first true step to captain-ship was taken. His hand released zanpakto's handle ad head came down in a polite bow: "Captain-commander." The appearance of this man could spell both doom and salvation for the captain of the second, Kimihiro sure hoped for the latter. He was well aware that the leader of Gotei 6 was on a completely different level even from the rest of captains but the speed at which he appeared and then returned with the wounded Kasumi still left him speechless. In the next moment thoughts of the naive and the selfish shinigami around him were gone as he noticed the state his colleague was in. Suzumei has pretty much gutted herself, the amount of blood on her clothes and the smell in the air gave the trained medic a fairly precise assessement of the severity of the woman's condition - in a few moments she will start circling the drain. Koichi could only imagine what consequences would follow was she to faint from the blood loss and resign the control over her body.
"Koichi you are with me." Thankfully, Captain-commander seemed to be able to keep his cool, although captain of the third would rather describe it as glacier-freezing. It seemed that there was some personal involvement there, but digging into personal affairs of the fellow captains came last on Kimihiro's list even on a good day, that night such issues were completely off the agenda. He gave the fool who drew his blade another stern glance before disappearing into the darkness.

Koichi could feel how much will it took Jun to restrain his speed to the third divisioner's level. The burden of the bleeding girl on his hands seemed to be too much to bare. Kimihiro's own heart skipped a beat when he imagined Ane in Kasumi's place. When they have finally arrived at a safe location he got down to business without a moment of hesitation. Katana in his hand transformed into the blade-staff without him uttering a single word. He placed the palm of his hand directly on top of the wound, not caring of the blood that started soaking the sleep of the rope quickly. "Arashi no ijisu" Reishi particles, infused with a powerful anesthetic and blessed with lightning's binding power rushed to seal the horrid wound from worsening. It should have soothed the pain greatly, removing the strain from both body and mind. Kimihiro bit on his lip - he had to be careful as not to further contaminate Kasumi's already disturbed spirit with the male shinigami's own affliction, it took him quite a bit of concentration, but he had to strain his reiatsu manipulation further. Healing the wound was not a problem - it required minimal attention since decades of practice took care of the task pretty much by themselves. On the other hand the other two tasks he had to perform were rather taxing. "Niso!" Woman's figure, weaved of cyan mist and crackling threads of lightning appeared from the tip of the staff. She crouched by the patient and put the ghostly hand on the hilt of female captain's zanpakto. Kimihiro looked in Suzumei's eyes and spoke, as much for her sake as for the captain-commander who observed from the side: "Kasumi-san, I will have to shut you down into a coma for a couple of hours. My zanpakto will try to communicate with yours, so he is prepared. Please assist her now if possible." Man's breathing became heavy, reiatsu began trembling - he had to deal with it quickly. Electrical rope extended from his weapon and weaved itself the healer's hand, dyeing the green of a healing kido with blue. He touched girl's temple and pushed her gently into the deepest of sleep, the one beyond dreams and nightmares, thoughts. No human or beast could reach her mind or spirit during that time.

Some five minutes later he was done with closing up the wound and stood up before the captain-commander on shaking legs. That was the most tolling procedure captain of the third division had ever performed in his entire carrier due to having constantly keeping the damn creature inside at bay, the bastard was going insane inside the cage. Koichi's eyes were empty, skin pale, but still he spoke: "She will be fine. In a few hours she will wake up with a terrible headache. Do not let her perform brisk movements or use reiatsu for the next five to six hours. The scar tissue can be removed with a short course of treatment, two to be precise if performed by me or my lieutenant. Also... - Kimihiro reached into the inner pocket and extracted a small sphere of black marble and handed it over to the other shinigami - This hell butterfly cannot be traced and the message will surely be delivered straight to me, no middle men. Feel free to inquire my personal assistance. Commander." He nodded politely and, feeling the mood, disappeared from the site with a quick shunpo. After returning to his private quarters shinigami opened a bottle of sake and drank directly from the bottle. Then another one. He took a small mirror and peered into the reflection - several of the veins in the eyes have popped with black. "Dammit!" He did not regret his actions, since he was able to help, but the price was payed. It seemed that he would need some time away and help of his bankai. Shinigami took another couple of gulps from the bottle and stared up where, he knew, the cruel crescent moon was mocking him through the ceiling.

[Kimihiro has left the thread]

WC: 1189
GP: 24 {total: 41}