Lost in the Forest [Open]

He shrugged off the words. Meaningless. Irrelevant. Just like everything those voices chose to say, they were a nagging presence in the back of his head that embodied his hunger and nothing else. So why was he still here in Karakura? A place where he knew Jian Oreachi patrolled and had told him not to be . . . because he hadn’t eaten yet. There was some condition here he was still obeying and still following.

These forests were special, he’d travelled in them before. He remembered, a hungry mindless beast running through the forests and chasing down Freylief who drew within herself boundless energy to push him away. That was the Iko before, the Iko who hadn’t realised what his potential was. The Iko that was a dulled blade in the sight of the trained blade that he was now.

Ah there, a scent. Familiar, definitely Shinigami. His brain played around with which Shinigami, methodically searching over all of them. Definitely not Robert . . . probably not the newly acquainted Sake-san. Oh, he remembered now. Alexander correct? Robert’s apprentice. It still amused the predator that Robert still hadn’t come across Iko again. What was he doing? You would think somebody as proud and as mighty as Robert Muhle would’ve encountered him again but hey, Iko totally understood why Robert wanted nothing to do with him. Quite simply when they’d met he was wild and childish.

A boom with his sonido. The predator arrived on the rooftops. Iko didn’t try to disguise his reishi, there was no point. Why would he do that? He let it seeps into the stones and bring back the memories of the warehouse. There was something about old places so mossy and overgrown that remembered everything that happened within them. It was quite fascinating.

“Almost as fascinating as us?” the voices whispered. Just out of the sight, right in his ear. He’d ignore them, like he’d always done. Iko didn’t often reply to the oncoming symphony, the signs that he was become unstable from not eating. No, he wouldn’t do that. Not today. Not right now. Not when he was so close to a Shinigami that could report back to Muhle that he was weak.

“Alexander” he whispered into the stonework. The beast let his voice carry like a cold blanket across the forest. Even the trees were chilled by the icy voice. The insects seemed to scurry away into their hovels and the animals to their burrows. Nature itself retreated at the presence of his bad tidings.

“Bad tidings we bring, to you and your kin, bad tidings we bring~”

The voice chirped in the background. It enjoyed this and so did he.

508

The Garganta opened in the forest moments before Ahau poked his head out to look around and let out a relieved sigh that it wasn’t Karakura Town. He had decided that the Spiritualist Nexus masquerading as a Town was just a horrible place filled with danger and death.

Stepping out into the world he let the portal close behind him before shutting his eyes and sending his senses flowing outwards through the trees around him and was awarded with two very different Spiritual Signatures. One was a Shinigami that the Hollow didn’t recognise but the second was one he was intimately familiar with, the Pack Alpha Iko was not too far away. Of course that wasn’t surprising seeing as how it was because of the other Hollow that Ahau had come here following the more powerful Adjuchas to the land of the living.

Lately Iko had been confusing Ahau with strange signs of possible instability, although the feline admitted to the possibility that his worries were getting the better of him however his obsession with certain humans was the greater concern right now. Such as the whole mess with the Quincy girl.

So lately Ahau had been trying to…well keep track of Iko’s movements and actions, it wasn’t exactly easy to do and he could only really make the effort from time to time or his leader might get suspicious.

Ahau was also curious about how Iko hunted, which was what he had suspected the other’s Hollow’s reason for being in this dimension was, which was quickly being disproven by the current location.

So why is he out here? The Jaguar pondered with a tilt of his head.

Despite his curiosity the fear of another confrontation with a Shinigami nearly overwhelmed him to the point of fleeing back to Hueco Mundo.

It’ll be alright. Iko had handle a mere single Shinigami he reasoned None of their important fighters would be in such an insignificant place as this surely.

Hearing a Sonído off in the distance Ahau followed using the high-speed movement technique as well but he stopped before reaching the other Hollow. The Adjuchas didn’t even bother trying to hide his Reiatsu knowing that a) his ability to do so was terrible and b) Iko’s ability to sense Spiritual Power far exceeding his own.

He looked at the decrepit building in front of him, wondering why anyone would waste their time in a place like this, the building was still a product of this new era by Ahau’s reckoning of things but it was clearly no longer being used by mortals and the forest appeared to be trying to reclaim the land as evidenced by the overgrowth.

The feline’s ears flicked as he heard Iko whisper something off in the distance…a name? The hateful Soul Reaper’s name?

Just how many mortals and Shinigami is he acquainted with? Ahau wondered, regardless hopefully it would be one less after today.

There's a rumble and a frozen expression falls across Alexander's face. A hand drops to one of his Zanpakutou. He stands there for a moment, paused, a weapon ready at hand and a Denreishinki up by his ear. Quite suddenly and with an all too recognisable sound, a powerful and familiar spirit energy had shuddered out, quaking the air with its presence. The voice saying his name was one he knew and belonged to this pressure, but the second signature, and he was picking up on one now, that was new. It wasn't as strong as this first one's, probably not on Alexander's level either, but definitely more than an average Hollow's.

[Iko]

He remembered the beast, how it'd fought. It struck at a distance with Cero and was surprisingly maneuverable. Up close though, it seemed to have little ability to damage with fang and claws. The approach he needed to take was to get in tight, hit it hard and evade its retaliations. This place was a good setting for it. The forest and the building provided plenty of cover. Last time they'd had to leave their fight unsettled, for fear of the surrounding collateral damage, but this time...

But then, there was that second presence. It threw a new unpredictable element into the mix. He couldn't run away, least of all because of the Seireitei's dim view of 'cowardice in the face of the enemy', but also because that wasn't Alexander's wish in these circumstances. There were enemies in front of him. He would do as he and his Zanpakutou agreed upon in these situations, slaughter and cut down the enemy to their last man, or in this case, thing. Still, there was no reason he had to do this alone.

"Scratch that. Enemy contact. Assemble and send through reinforcements."

He says it as calmly as he can, but the circumstances do have him slightly nervous. Despite having now accumulated a bit of experience on the battlefield, it is still difficult for Alexander not to feel anything in these sorts of situation. The knowledge that pain was inevitably about to happen was unpleasant, and all this had come upon him quite suddenly and unexpectedly, nonetheless...

He snaps the Denreishinki close and tuck it safely away in his inside pocket. It'd be a little while before help arrived. It was stupid, he knew that. They'd sent someone through to check out readings of enemy presence, but hadn't put together, on standby, an assault force to send through just in case. Guess it'd seemed a strong enough doubt that anything would actually be here. That or Alexander was disposable enough to put into harms way like this.

How to begin? He could feel the energy of this beast above him, but couldn't pinpoint its location. The sound of its voice had sounded as if it was coming from all around him. He couldn't see it, so that meant it was somewhere on the outside of the building. Presumably that meant it couldn't see him all that clearly, and while it could probably sense his presence, it probably had the same problem he had. An exact fix on his position would be difficult. Ah, but it was possible this thing was looking in through cracks or holes, and while he could keep an eye out for shadows crossing such windows, it was all too possible that he'd miss such a thing. So what then?

"Iko, been a while. Grown back that arm I lopped off last time?"

He speaks to try and buy himself some more time, but also in the hopes that a response might give him a better idea of where a potential attack might come from. Like his opponent, he allows his voice to reverberate off the walls of this abandoned warehouse, not wanting to give away his position either. The chosen topic of conversation is meant to intimidate, to some minor degree, but also to try and provide Alexander himself with some sort of assurance, the candidness of his comments to conceal his own discomfort with the situation at hand. 

He gives a thought to the second presence in the area. If he moved to attack that one, and got in close, it might prevent Iko from being able to fire a clean shot. Then again, these were Hollows he was dealing with. It might be all too possible that they, being as they were, would give little thought to attacking one another. Well, that was okay then. If he could have the attacks of the two creatures go for each other, then that would benefit him. He might even be able to use the weaker one as cover to fend off that first opening shot from Iko. It was fairly easy to get a fix on it. The second creature, like Iko, seemed to be giving little to no effort to hide itself. Yes. He'd go for the weaker one first, but first...

"Bakudou 21 Sekienton."

An eruption of red smoke to fill the entire inside of the ruined building, wisps of it pouring out through the gaps and holes. Alexander moves quickly, straight for the second Hollow. Travelling in a straight line, he lashes out to break through the wall in the way. He maneuvers only slightly, passing mere inches away from the intersecting trees. All too aware of the creature he was leaving behind him, Alexander has to fight the urge to look behind him, where he'd doubtlessly see Iko on the roof of the warehouse. Every sense was sharpened though, ready to hear and sense the approach of any oncoming attacks from that way.



Word Count (Total): 941 (1223)
Total GP: 24

Iko shrugged the words away. The desire was there but he’d made multiple pacts and conditions that he was bound. He was bound to not kill in Karakura and he was bound to encourage Ahau to succeed as per him being the other Hollow’s pack leader. If the Adjuchas had weighed up, that following him for clarify something? Well, Iko would let him. But the Hollow doubted he’d let anything slip. There was nothing right? Nothing obvious at least, he was as mad as any other Hollow.


Ahau Kin. His right hand, the potential in that Hollow was immense. In a few short weeks he’d surpassed any area of development covered by Depredador and enhanced his own combat further by training with Iko. The Hollow called Ahau would be a threat to Iko one day and whatever that resulted in, he would leave to the future to sort out. Why was it that he felt such a paternal instinct towards the other Hollow? Was it perhaps because Ahau was the only other Hollow he’d seen true potential in. Maybe.

He crawled across the rooftop of the warehouse. Listening to the Shinigami’s words with his finely trained senses. Ah so the man was calling in reinforcements? Let them come. It didn’t faze the alpha predator all too much, after all Ahau and him were more than equipped to deal with any encounter that was dispatched from Soul Society. Well, save Captains or lieutenant.

“If I recall dear Alexander, I burnt your pretty flesh to a crisp” he flexed the arm he’d regrown through the use of natural Hollow regeneration. Good as new and just as deadly. It was a mistake letting Alexander get in close, he wouldn’t let him do that again. “I assume the lack of the cooking bacon scent is because your healers did a good job at fixing your charred flesh” now what was this Shinigami looking to achieve? Keep him talking to his reinforcements arrived? Surprisingly Iko was okay with that. If they attacked him he had no reason to not slaughter each and every one of the Shinigami.

However it seemed the Shinigami was doing his magic and that just was not on. Iko didn’t like stupid magic tricks, especially Shinigami magic tricks. The Hollow could smell the Shinigami’s scent wherever he went, he could feel the tremors in the reishi that revealed his presence. Now where was he? Trace his movements. Feel the sensations on the wind.

His head snapped sideways as he saw Alexander make a break out of the warehouse and towards Ahau. Iko hissed. Of course a Shinigami wouldn’t go for the fair fight, he’d go after the weaker Hollow. Pathetic. But Iko expected as much from a Shinigami that was only bound by law and order. It seemed Robert’s little apprentice hadn’t learnt from his master at all.

He stood and stared down the Shinigami as he ran, two Cero manifesting in the air beside him and firing simultaneously the two beams overlapping and mixing into a double helix formation.

“Your battle is with me Alexander. Not him. Don’t trade the last of the honour your race has” the Hollow spat. The disgust was evident in his voice. He didn’t care if the Shinigami saw this as levelling the battlefield. This wasn’t desperation like a man trying to survive, this was a man going after the weaker target and he would pay for it.

“Our race has no honour Iko. We are all monsters. Why do you try fight what you are?”

“Because I’m better than what I am”

“Are you? Are you better? All I see is a hollow playing at nobility. Just give in to your hunger. Give in to the natural madness of our race. Even Ahau knows the inevitable”

750

A crack in the air in front of him, darkness swirling around inside, promising a better place than the dark sands of Hueco Mundo. Roy never paid much attention to where he was opening his garganta to, it was always a surprise to him as to which part of the world he would be hunting in. His foot stepped out before anything else, no sense of threat or danger in his immediate surroundings made him move slower than usual. The shadows of the trees covered almost everywhere, they looked familiar too - had he been here before?

Yes. This is the same forest those little shitty humans attacked me... he looked around, not noticing any of the previous ruins. There was no chance in hell he was going to approach that little monster again, lest he lost an eye.

The hunger was settling in, he hadn't eaten anything in a while, he was too consumed with tanning his never tanning skin. A gust of wind flew past him, making the trees dance and the leaves swirl down to the ground - his senses perked up. That wasn't a normal gust of wind, the trees hadn't been rustling since he had arrived, no, there was something more... spiritual to that gust of wind. His stomach felt like it was grumbling, though that was probably just a mental note that he was still hungry. Almost like a dog, his head turned in the direction the wind came from, taking in a deep breath he smelt something... He smelt multiple things, one smell he was especially familiar with was hollow.

He headed straight in the direction the smell was coming from, his hand unhooking the bat on his side to jump on the creature as soon as he came into contact, unaware of what he might encounter. As he approached, the sound of a sonido filtered out most other sounds, - Maybe it's that girl that spends time in caves? What was her name... Mary Poppins? - something stronger than your average hollow, then.

What looked like an old factory started growing in the horizon, the feeling of multiple spiritual beings made him dread his meeting them, he was hungry - not stupid.

It didn't take him long to get close enough to make out what was happening in the factory. "One of those weirdly clothed people, I see..." he whispered from atop a nearby tree, getting ready to strike. His eyes noticed something the the roof... It was definitely a hollow, he could feel the hideous creatures presence - it felt stronger, a lot stronger... Probably the strongest thing he'd encountered, one of those hollows that he usually felt roaming around Hueco Mundo but was smart enough to avoid. 

Seconds later, the samurai looking human was completely surrounded in red smoke, his shadow looking like it disappeared, running maybe? The strength coming from that hollow didn't seem like he would be able to get away, though... Maybe if Roy waited long enough he could sneak in at the end of the fight and steal the leftovers for himself - he had never tasted one of those spirit humans. He jumped down from the tree and carefully approached the factory, his hand on his bat ready to strike, just incase there was another hollow lurking nearby that could smell this. Just before he got too close, the ceros from the hollow shot down, they felt strong, too strong in fact Roy didn't really want to be caught in the middle of this. That human wasn't going to survive, much less have anything on his body left to steal.

"Shit! Fuck! My reiatsu!" he muttered as he hit himself on the head with his free hand. His hunger made him forgetful... He completely forgot about hiding his reiatsu before approaching, not that it would have made much of a difference anyway - the smell of blueberries would well and truly be smellable around the factory, hopefully it had been masked by the red smoke. 



[662/662]

Ahau watched from a distance, feeling relatively safe in the knowledge that the Shinigami would have to get past Iko before reaching him, wondering what would happen next.

Arrogance. Warned a voice, possibly his own.

Ahau sensed a flare in Spiritual Power from within the decrepit building as red smoke exploded out from every gap in the structure’s walls. Ahau didn’t understand what was happening and that made him afraid. As soon as he saw the figure of a Shinigami emerge from the structure the Hollow began to gather Spiritual Energy in his throat. It took all of the Feline’s will not to flee from the terrible sight of the Soul Reaper coming for him.

It’s alright, get some height on the attacker and wait for an opportunity to attack. He thought trying to calm down.

A single Sonido carried the Hollow straight up into the air and then a series of events happened in quick succession.

The Shinigami was still rushing towards him, Iko locked his gaze on the Soul Reaper and manipulated the Primal Energy of the Hollow to form two Cero which he fired at the Soul Reaper at once. At the back of his mind Ahau realised that there was a new Spiritual Aura registering in his senses but he didn’t have time to think about that.

Watching the twin overlapping beams tear through the air towards the Shinigami a plan formed in the Jaguar Hollow’s mind. Opening his mouth Ahau let the ball of red energy form which he fired down at the Shinigami however instead of trying to hit the Soul Reaper directly the thin red beam of energy would pass in front of him cutting off his advance. Ahau’s hope was that it would limit the target’s ability to outrun Iko’s attack.

As soon as the Cero left his mouth Ahau used Sonido to shoot to the left and try to get out of range from his enemy. He would attempt to circle around and join up with his Pack’s Alpha.

The Fearful Feline was quite content with playing cat and mouse with the Shinigami until Iko finished him off.

Just as Alexander had expected, there were cero coming his way. The weaker Hollow that he'd gone for had retreated upwards, apparently a ranged type as well. While it was obvious its attacks would be of little concern, the speed of the creature had been unexpected. It was even faster than Alexander himself, but the shot it fired seemed pretty harmless. None the less, this was a pretty big hitch. Clearly it wouldn't be capable of doing much to him, but it would be able to avoid his getting too close. If he'd planned to take this weaker one at a distance, he'd have the advantage with his Kido. However, he was dealing with more than one Hollow here and as such he'd clearly had other plans. Unfortunately those plans clearly wouldn't be possible now and, furthermore, he'd managed to place himself a distance from Iko.

Continuing onwards, regardless of the Cero being fired to block his path, Alexander turns his left hand, palm upwards, a flash of blue life springing to life.

"Bakudou 73 Tozansho."

The pyramid forms around Alexander, the roof closing in place just in time to shelter him from the Cero firing down at him from above. As one might expect, the feather weight blast breaks upon the top of the barrier, leaving little more than a scratch. However, the real challenge for the Tozansho was to come. He'd seen Iko's attacks in action in the past, and, as proficient as Alexander was with barriers, he knew that he lacked the raw power needed. Landing upon the inner side of the Tozansho formed just in front of him, he bends at the knees and leaps back the way he came, drawing his Zanpakutou just as the side of the barrier behind him grows to a darker shade in the light of the real threat bearing upon it.

Drawing his blade and swinging out, his counter comes just as the immense energy of his enemy's attack bursts through Alexander's insufficient shelter. Pouring his spirit energy into his blade, he strikes at the heart of the Cero. There is an immense blast at the point of impact, and it isn't entirely clear what had happened. Four walls of the barrier are seen flying clear, thrown apart, but it isn't until the smoke is clearing the the fate of the fifth is seen. Sliding back along the forest's floor, riding atop the last wall of the Tozansho, like some sort of undergrowth decapitating surf board, Alexander stands, battered but alive. As it slides, some of its edges come into contact with tree trunks and roots. Pieces break off, like shards of broken glass, leaving deep cuts in the woods. The whole pane shakes and shudders, but its rider is able to remain steady. The blue energy of the barrier fragments constantly crumbles and dissipates, but holds for many yards before coming to a stop and finishing its disintegration at a peaceful rest.

"Funny you should speak of honor, you being a Hollow aside. As far as I can tell, it's two..."

His senses pick up on yet another presence, but he hardly skips a beat as it occurs to him..

"... make that three, against one. What's the matter? You seemed so confident as to the outcome of our last bout. Thought you needed some back up to help you out?"

So now the question was, what to do next? Would he go after the newest arrival, and hope they were slow enough for him to catch? As it happens, Alexander was aware of the fact that he was, on occasion, somewhat negligent when it came to his speed training. Something about rushing quickly, headlong into battle never seemed to suit him. This was coming back to bite him now. If he was to fight a ranged type with high speed abilities, not being able to get close enough would be his downfall, especially since he himself was a close range specialist. He'd thought that learning some good binding techniques would be a way of balancing out such a disadvantage, but as much as he trained, his ability to actualise his spirit energy at a distance was still only a little better than his ability to move at speed.

So what now then? He could probably continue to ward off attacks from a distant with just his close ranged attacks alone, but there'd be no way of fighting back. It might be enough to have him still in one piece by the time help arrived, but that wasn't enough, he wanted to have been able to do something before reinforcements got here. If only he could get them in a smaller closed in space... Of course? It filled with smoke, the walls providing additional cover, he should have just stayed by the warehouse. Okay, so it's a full 180 degree turn, but having discovered the abilities of the second opponent and having a third on route, he needed to go back to a more defendable position. He draws his other Zanpakutou.

"That said. If you want to go one on one. That's fine by me."

Slash. Grab. Throw. This would serve as both attack and cover for him, to help him get back to the warehouse. Flying head first, like a very messy headed spear, Alexander cut down and launched towards Iko a tree. Its weaker and more fragile upper reaches would be trimmed off by the journey, clipped away by the sides of other trees during its flight. However, there would be less of this now, with Iko's last attack having nearly completely cleared the way. Under its shadow, hoping Iko could only get a rough idea of his location by senses alone, and relying on blocking a direct line of sight, Alexander ran, heading directly back for the hole he'd made coming out of the warehouse, which was easy enough to spot for the red smoke pouring out of it.

Word Count (Total): 992 (2215)
Total GP: 44

The voices chirped in the back of his head but he paid them no heed. Pretty smell? What were they even talking about? Probably irrelevant inconsistency as they often did. Whatever the reason to their motives the voices were always surrounded with deceit and treachery. Sugar-coated lies on a bed full of knives. Always ever-present. Always irritating. Always trying to drive his hunger to spear-head his downfall. Iko would not allow it. There was a time and a place for everything and it most certainly wasn’t now.

Iko really wished Ahau hadn’t shown up. His foolish right hand was far too curious about his affairs and surely that would only lead to a clash. If Iko had it his way Ahau would just stay in Hueco Mundo, but alas Ahau needed his freedom. Most of all, he needed room to grow and become the predator that Iko saw of him. A suitable right hand above everything else. After this? Iko would question why the Hollow hadn’t hidden his presence. Apparently despite the multiple Hollow that manifested in locations everyday randomly (including the five base Hollow that Iko could feel in the surroundings ambling about and watching the battle) this Shinigami had made a direct relationship between him and Ahau.

Naturally, Ahau had responded by firing a Cero at the Shinigami to match his own. Could this situation get worse? Probably. Considering how stupidly idiotic the Shinigami was for thinking there was a relationship between the two anyway. Then again, maybe he had met Ahau? Maybe there was something there that Iko was missing and his obvious disdain at the fact that the Shinigami had bee-lined at his comrade was masked in his own ignorance. That too was a well-known possibility.

He remembered when he’d met Ahau Kin, a Hollow who had been afraid in the desert. Abandoned by his pack and most of all narrow-minded about the truth of Arrancar. The meek and mild Ahau had changed a lot since then. His skill at Cero? Proficient. His fighting prowess? Exemplary. His skill at diplomacy? Unmatched. Ahau Kin was a worthy successor to take his life if the other Hollow grew strong enough to do so. So was the way of the Hollow pack.

As for the miscellaneous Hollow that were gathering on the outskirts of the area? They were nameless. Faceless. Iko was always surprised by the people who never noticed these faceless individuals on the borders of every one of his meetings. It didn’t take much to draw Hollow attention, especially Hollow that were as stupid and mindless as these. Iko called recalled an escapade in a park where he fought and ate multiple basic Hollow along with summoning a horde of Gillian. Man that was a time. That was back when Iko was a simple beast with a one-track mind.

The escapade in the park had ended with the summoning of a horde of Gillian in which he’d teased Freylief to the point in which she’d destroyed Gillian Menos after Gillian Menos. Burning away each of their souls in turn and leaving no trace. It was a memorable moment of manipulation in the Hollow’s life which he held in high regard as a true moment of positivity. The Hollow sincerely doubted his jabbing at someone’s weakness would ever result in something as impressive as the events of that time in the park but hey, there was always a time for more surprises.

The Cero that Ahau had fired was impressive. Obviously Iko’s teachings had really made an impression on the Hollow. His technique had greatly improved even since their training and Iko couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of pride in his chest as he felt the fearsome blast be fired. The impressive thing was that the blast was a tactical one, solely existing for the purpose of cutting off the Shinigami and leaving him to burn in the spiritual blast.

Then the Shinigami reacted, of course with the typical barrier that Shinigami often used. It sprung from the earth unlike most of the barriers which were created from their hands. It seemed this one was stronger and came in a new shape! A pyramid! How exciting. What was more exciting though was it seemed the Shinigami was performing some sort of trick, by utilizing the force of Iko’s Cero? Somehow the Shinigami used it as a means of movement? Being injured but surviving? Yet the barrier had done its job.

Whether the facts of momentum had a part to play, quite honestly Iko wasn’t sure. Did it matter at all in the end? Iko wasn’t sure and to be honest he’d never seen a response quite like that so he took a moment to just take it in. It sure was a sight!

“Three against one? What are you talking abou-“
The Hollow’s head snapped sideways towards a tree top to spy an Arrancar. Where on earth had this one came from? Why the heck was an Arrancar interested in his business? Was this some sort of recruitment plan of Souta’s? Hadn’t he told that fool of an Espada he simply wasn’t interested? Apparently he hadn’t made his intent clear enough. Whatever. Move on.

“Oh for Soul Kings sake. Can all of you just bugger off?” the irritated Hollow snarled. The voices were a pain enough and he certainly wasn’t defending some half-assed Arrancar from death. If Alexander wanted to go after him? Go for it. Iko would be chilling in the corner trying to wonder how his life had become such a mess. As for Ahau, well Iko had already processed those thoughts.

Iko was clearly very irritated.

Then the Shinigami thought it was a good idea to go back into that godforsaken Warehouse. The Warehouse he was still standing on. Iko couldn’t process it.

“First of all. Arrancar, I have no idea why you’re here, maybe you like watching Hollow fight. But I swear on Souta Suzuki’s name if you have any relation to him I will vaporize your existence faster than that man can make a lewd joke” he launched himself into the air and hovered for a bit. He had no clue what the Shinigami was doing. Probably taking cover in the Warehouse? At least he had the cardinal decency to offer a one on one despite getting the situation completely wrong.

“Ooohoo you’re really mad this time Iko~” 

“Secondly. Ahau, I get you like following me. But I swear after the encounter with Freylief I thought I told you go do your own thing. I have no idea what possessed you to follow me but I’ll allow you take this as a lesson since you haven’t seen it yet” the Hollow hovered in the air and energy began to pulsate through his body and up his limbs, the muscular flesh at the tips of his fingers seemed to ripple down his arms and along his back. His back twitched and the muscles pulled back revealing a glowing purple eye.

“You’re really going to do it!” 

“El Flor”

Black roots radiated from Iko’s body outwards into three dimensional space, casting the air in what appeared to be black cracks.

“Finally. Shinigami. I do not appreciate your kind trying to purify my Hollow kin through cheap tricks and sleight of hand, least of all a Hollow that is part of my pack. I do sincerely hope you went to Robert and told him my message because maybe he would’ve shown you a barrier that can withstand this”

He pointed downwards at the Warehouse and radiating from his hand like a spiral, flower after flower opened. Each with a purple eye glowing in the middle. The eyes all simultaneously staring downward at the warehouse.



And Cero rained downwards on the Warehouse from the hundred flowers Iko had created in seconds.

1316

Roy was struggling to keep track of everything that was happening, he had completely underestimated the human in this fight, he seemed to be putting out as much force as the hollow was. It was too late now, they had noticed his presence, obviously since he was stupid enough to let his reiatsu slip - not that he was too great at hiding it anyway. Before getting blasted by some stray Cero, he Sonido'd back up to the tree he was previously standing on, just so he was out of the way. 

He could feel there was some history between these two, but if that was the case, why wasn't one of them dead already. Hollow weren't the kind of creatures to let their enemies escape and be able to fight again. They are primitive creatures, if they get in a fight, they'll most likely die or kill their enemy, so what's the deal with these guys? Not to mention the two hollow working together - it wasn't unheard of but it seemed quite strange considering the circumstances. 

This new vantage point gave him a better view over what was happening, the smashed windows of the old factory letting him see inside to the human, which had previously charged at the weaker hollow now turning face and heading for the one on the roof. Roy was nervous. As much as he wanted to see the outcome of this fight, he didn't really want to hang around long enough for the victor(s) to spot him and decide they weren't done yet. He did have his love aura, but who knows if that actually worked on hollows, he'd never actually gave that much thought. 

Souta? Who the fuck is Souta?

The stronger of the lot was paying attention to him, speaking like a paranoid freak, typical of your usual hollow. He answered with a shake of his head, not planning on speaking any time soon, yes he had been noticed, but no, he wasn't going to throw himself into the spotlight this time. 

Maybe I could... Force the fight to end? That's wishful thinking, there's no way they would fall under my forced illusion... 

The boys aura flickered around him, clearly not hiding himself anymore and letting his scent radiate around him. He looked almost confused, somehow he felt like he could use this hollow to his advantage in the future, he seemed unstable... The perfect candidate for manipulation.

As he sat up on the tree watching the battlefield, an immense change in power suddenly flew across the area. The now floating hollow had said some words and... flowers grew everywhere? They were pretty cute, but Roy wasn't dumb enough to wait and see what would come from them considering a hollow made them - one of the ugliest types of creatures. He quickly backed up from the tree he was sitting on to one just further away, hopefully out of the distance of what those flowers were going to do but still close enough to hear and see what was happening. 

The warehouse was definitely gone. Fuck, maybe I should learn that, it's so... beautifully chaotic.



[523/1185/23]

Ahau paused in his retreat amongst the trees and breathed a sigh of relief as the Shinigami retreated back into the warehouse after weathering the assault from Iko. The Jaguar Hollow really couldn't care less than the Soul Reaper had survived after all he was no longer an immediate threat to him and that was good enough.

Ahau grimaced at the anger radiating from Iko and as he yelled Ahau only felt more concerned that he'd seriously angered his Alpha which was more of a concern in light of his worries about the more powerful Hollow's possible mental instability.

Ahau used Sonido once more to reappear next to Iko and stood behind him, his body language submissive as his tail hung down limply and he stood slumped with his head bowed so that he didn't look at the othe r Hollow's face. He did however watch as Iko used El Flor, and stepped back at the black roots spread across the air, his expression turning from contrite to one of awe at the power the greater Hollow was demonstrating.

The light produced by Cero Hora was almost too much to watch as it burned through the sky down towards the decrepit building.

Turning his attention back to the other Hollow he bowed his head again. "I apologise Iko. I did not mean to get in your way." he said sounding sorry but underneath there was a current of anger. Furious at himself for being so powerless in the face of the Hollow-Breed's eternal enemies. "I am too weak to deal with the dog of the Soul Society." he said at last with great reluctance. How he despised making the admission but it was the truth.

"Who is the other one?" he asked thinking he recognised the Arrancar's Reiatsu but unable to recall who it might be.

[This energy... I know it... ah... the warehouse... oh well, guess I need to scrap that plan.]

Raising his own spiritual output, energy radiating out and thrashing about around his body, Alexander tightens the grip on his Zanpakutou. This wasn't exactly a trick that Robert had taught him, but it was, Alexander supposed, something he could partially thank him for.

"Raid. Bla Nord!"

Alexander's golden spirit energy erupts outwards, filling every corner of the warehouse structure and forcing out the whirling clouds of red smog. In its wake blossoms a blue plume of energy, fiery in appearance, but flowing over stone and rock like water. Iko's attack raining down explodes through the ceiling above. Alexander lifts out from its hiding, in the swirling energy around him a large circular shield, held in his left hand.

"Bla Geri!"

There's another wave of energy, composed of the strange blue fire surrounding Alexander which rises up obscuring him from sight as he drops to one knee and raises the grand shield above his head. The whole dance of golden and blue energy disappears in an instant as Iko's brutal attack rains down, levelling the whole area and putting nothing in sight but that terrible dark light.

The smoke begins to clear. Still there on one knee, not completely obliterated, as one would expect, as perhaps judging by the surroundings, is the now much smaller looking figure of Alexander. Just like the shattered scraps of blue energy falling around the shield, so to is the torn, burnt remains of the clothing on this Shinigami's back. Blood pours down, but not as deeply or richly as one might expect. The skin along his back is radiating either steam, smoke or some combination of both and is badly roasted. This is the worst of the damage though, the shield, supported by Alexander's own strength, had managed to take what force of the attack it hadn't managed to dampen with its strange blue energy, which admittedly had been most of the attack's power.

[This isn't a matter of power. It's a mismatch. I'm a slow moving close range specialist. With the variables of speed, fast or slow, and range, either close or afar, all fighters fall into four rough categories. Of those four, this type here, it's the only sort I have a disadvantage against. If he fought close up or was slower, I'd have a chance. Instead he can just keep his distance and wear me down without having to get anywhere near me.]

A millisecond of hindsight, seeing where Alexander had been not long ago and how he'd progressed, and he finds it remarkable for him to have managed to do as he had just done. As it happened, Alexander, even today, still needed to be 'in the zone' to get his Zanpakutou unleashed, so to be up and running in such a short amount of time... It wasn't just about having himself able to fight without thinking, reacting quicker and all that, it was doing that, but still thinking clearly. Getting the brain and body working at full capacity, neither getting in the way of the other, but both functioning together. Normally it took him a while to get himself working that way during a fight. Perhaps it was something about fighting Iko again, for the second time, or the threat level he was facing here, maybe it was the brief little jog out of the warehouse and back in again, something had his blood pumping and this time, today, he was in focus. So things being that way, he would be able to put through his head all the information he was getting, processing, trying to come up with a plan. 

[His pack? Could it be that a Hollow has a care for someone other than itself? Well, only one way to find out.]

But how to do that exactly, and to what advantage? He'd already established that this other Hollow was also a speedy long-distance type like Iko and with it now by Iko's side... He'd come back to that. What of the Arrancar? It appeared that Iko didn't know it. The name of that other person Iko mentioned didn't seem familiar. What was its purpose here? Was it as Iko had suggested, an Arrancar that'd taken an interest in watching Hollows? Whatever it was, a thought occurs to Alexander. It was a resource, something he could use perhaps? But, first...

"Oh. That message you told me to give Robert. You know, I actually plum forgot to give it to him. Slipped my mind, can't even remember what it was you told me to tell him was now. Nevermind, Robert never mentioned you, so I assume you weren't that important, and now? Well, turns out Robert had been... misbehaving during his downtime and the higher ups in the Seireitei weren't all that happy with him. They found out that he'd been working and, hah, sleeping with the enemy. So... Might be a bit difficult for him to be getting any messages now."

Since his body was the one to do all the fighting and his mind, though it helped, tended to handle dialogue and strategy, it at this point recalled an old fable he'd read about.

[The Samurai defeated the deadly warrior with the Kusarigama, who'd already killed twelve other men, by pretending to flee and, by luring him into a thick Bamboo forest, was able to turn the tables and win. Could I do that here? No. It's no good. He's just leveling the area. The only way I can do this is by getting close somehow. What I need is a distraction.]

Still holding onto the object in his right hand with his fourth and little finger holding it tight to his palm, Alexander extends his thumb and two fingers. He'd already used two spells so far, it wasn't something he could keep up at this rate. He was already beginning to run out of breath. However, all he needed was one quick, low level spell.

"Bakudou 9 Geki!"

Aiming not for Iko, but for the one that was apparently called 'Ahau', Alexander summons this minor spell to hold it in place that, judging by the creature's power level, should be sufficient. Then it was time for the real trick but...

[Souta Suzuki, crap, which one's the last name? It sounds Japanese, so probably...]

His mind has to work fast, even more so than usual. At lightning speed he decides and giving a good loud bellow...

"Suzuki-san, he's all yours!"

Tightening his grip, Alexander lifts up, away from the ground and out of the ash and smoke the weapon in his right. Trying to attack in this moment, the Shinigami leaps up towards Iko, slithers of blue fire dancing from the sharp metal edge of his axe...

Word Count (Total): 1137 (3344)
Total GP: 66
OOC & Edit: Oh, forgot to mention. For the Shinigami that come to my aid, that is to say my 'reinforcements', do any of you mind if it's Kasumi. She and I have been threading and she said she might want to be the person to come and collect Alexander at the end of all this... Is that okay with other people, if not I'll have to break the news to her...

Cero.

He was their master. Their undisputed lord. When he raised his hand they obeyed him, coiled behind him, and formed a wall to shield him. The Cero were undisputedly his pets which he called at will, he understood their flexibility and let them lick his skin. A bond of blood? A mere contract to do more harm, otherwise they would purr and stroke his limbs and lick his flesh. As quickly as he had released the Cero Hora, the Cero vanished without a trace and his flowers vanished into the wind. In combat of his own devisal? Iko was unmatched. He had honed his potential with his abilities to its absolute edge.

His invisible eyes flickered briefly across to the Arrancar. Now what was that half-breed doing? Admittedly half-breeds were slightly better than Shinigami but he wasn’t going to go admit that to them.

“But look he’s adorable, he has blonde hair and cute eyes and look at that mask fragment? It’s cutesy as heck. Poor boy looks like he’s a deer in the headlights. Why don’t we go play with him Iko?”

Ignoring the comment he turned his head back, the Arrancar didn’t even choose to say anything. What was he doing? Aside from flickering that putrid odour of blue berries into the air, was he perhaps looking for a reason to sabotage the predator? No. Neither had he bothered denying the Souta accusation so it was perhaps possible he followed Souta. But he couldn’t sense the Espada and from Iko’s experience the Espada didn’t travel far from his tower because that seem equally unlikely. Not to mention there was nothing to hunt aside from Shinigami here which seemed to be Souta’s apparently stupid raison’d’etre.

“You Arrancar, what’s your name so I remember the Arrancar who I’m going after, after this battle”

To the other Hollow’s words, Iko’s head snapped jarringly back to the fight. As he continued to watch for the Shinigami by now he could already feel the man’s pulsing aura signalling that he had survived. The predator’s spiritual pressure began to spread out from his feet forming a five pointed flowerlike shape.

“Then get stronger” Iko’s words were curt and to the point. But they had held heavy meaning for his right hand. If you think you’re too weak, why are you delaying the inevitable? Evolve? Grow stronger! Expand your horizons. Don’t limit yourself to a meaningless existence. He’d explained this to Ahau when they had trained, Iko had looked into the eye of the storm. The predator had witnessed death incarnate and here Ahau was acknowledging his weakness?

“You see yourself as weak? Train. You see yourself as inferior? Get over it. You see yourself as not good enough? Jump that gap. You are my right hand Ahau Kin and it’s about time you started realising I picked you for a reason”

“Don’t be mean to him Iko. He can’t help himself” the voices snide comments jarred into his mental landscape. Once more he turned away from them, pushing them away and the inevitable hunger beginning to grow more and more prominent in his belly. This was just another hurdle to cross. Another chasm to leap and he wouldn’t be limited by this foolish incessant yammering. In fact, it just further fed the irritation he already felt.

“That’s fine Shinigami. I rendered one of your comrades a burnt husk and I’ll do the same to you. Hopefully that sends a message enough to your superiors why not to cross a Hollow or his pack. I’m actually surprised you thought I was here to attack you. But I can totally understand why” the irritation once more manifested in his voice. As for the comment about Robert, curious. How did a Shinigami who acted as if his words had such great magnitude annoy his superiors so much? And sleeping with the enemy? What in the world did that mean, did Soul Society have an enemy other than Hollow Breeds?

“As for “Sleeping with the Enemy” after I’m done rendering your body a charred husk I’ll make sure to keep the vocal chords functioning. I want to hear you scream about this mythical enemy because I for sure haven’t heard of it”

Of course the Shinigami was running, but he was buying valuable time. Time he needed before his thrice accursed reinforcements arrived and really that was a gamble. He remembered the time he’d encountered Freylief and tore off her arms. She’d been somehow reinforced by two Shinigami who vastly outmatched even Alexander.

The Shinigami threw a Kido and Iko went to dodge it but it wasn’t aimed for him. Instead it was aimed again at Ahau Kin. Really? Again? Had he not talked to him or anything? And what the Shinigami doing mentioning Suzuki? Had that thrice accursed Espada actually sided with a Shinigami? No that didn’t make sense. Suzuki was much too prideful for that and never left Hueco Mundo. A feint but –

The Shinigami leapt towards him.

“Obsession-fucking! Arrancar help my companion and I won’t question why you were completel-”

A flicker of surprise mixed with underestimation.

“This is actually getting fun”

He was fast.

“CERO ARMAMENT”

The Hollow raised his arms to block the strike as black and purple flickering flames began to grow along his arms and provide a secondary barrier upon his limbs.

“TOOTH AND CLAW”

The cero armour flickered to life on his limbs.

“Good name”

Why was it encouraging him? Could this day get any worse?

Worst of all?

It was partly Ahau’s fault.

925

A flash of blue and dark purple energy striking creates a breeze that'd sway the trees surrounding the leveled devastation below. Though the blow is heavy, and shuddering, throwing up a violent storm of wind and thunder, Alexander's plan isn't to waste time. Stepping as quickly as he can, maneuvering around, after the first collision, he immediately heads for his opponent's back. Bringing it close to his body and pressing the shield in his left against the right shoulder and arm of this Hollow, Alexander twists around as he moves into place. Using the momentum of his spinning movement, he aims the axe in his right for the centre of the creature's back.

This time would be different from last time. Before he'd had a sword that was good for cutting and lopping pieces off, but this time he had an Axe. It was a weapon he could really dig into his opponent with. Once buried in place, holding onto this creature's back, he could set to work doing some real damage. Either keeping a grip on the weapon with one hand and doing unarmed strikes with the other, or wrapping his legs around to do some more hits with the axe. The important thing was that he was up close, where it had little ability to deal with him (or so he surmised) and was not in a position to be easily shaken off. Getting on its back should make it difficult for it to fire anymore of those pesky Ceros his way.

He wasn't sure what would happen with the other Hollow, or the Arrancar. It didn't appear that Iko had gotten the suggestion in Alexander's little ruse, in which Alexander had tried to paint the Arrancar as being on his side. Perhaps he could have done better on that front, but it was something he'd come up quickly there and there on the spot. The fact that the Arrancar was quite clearly waiting, and not apparently up to anything at all didn't help. However, it seemed that Alexander's spell thrown the way of the other Hollow had been enough of a distraction to allow Alexander to get in close. From what he could tell, by the feel of its spiritual pressure, he had about as much to worry about there, with the Arrancar, as he did with the other Hollow. No, he'd gotten up close for the melee now and while he had no idea what the others would do, his sole focus had to be on Iko now...

Word Count (Total): 422 (3766)
Total GP: 75
OOC: Well, it's a relatively short post I'm afraid. I was going to wait for the others to see if they were going to post, but I thought even if I did do a post, in relation to my fighting Iko, it wouldn't affect either of them too much. Plus, it's been a little while and I wanted to get a response done today before I went off on Holiday to Southern Ireland. I should have internet, but it may have to be tablet updates. Anyway, hope this post works and may ask Kasumi to show up soon to be my character's reinforcements/ the way we get this thread ended/ how my character gets dragged out and away from this mess. In fact, I might just go ask her now if she wants to chip in, so you could wait to see if she posts before responding. Just remember, I am 'Robert's Apprentice' and referring to Roy as my 'Arrancar Friend' would be a really good way of causing me problems/ making things interesting for me.

The energy flickering to life around the Hollow-breed's body reminded Kasumi of Shunkō. A distant memory that had come floating in was stubbornly pointing out that there had been an Espada that was capable of a similar technique. The name of this individual escaped her mind at the moment. Not that it truly mattered. Even if this Hollow was an apprentice of that person or an Espada himself – Kasumi wasn't sure whether or not that title belonged to Arrancars only – she felt no fear. The creature was strong. He was certainly far above your average mindless beast, however, that didn't mean that he would win this fight.

'Never underestimate your opponents.'

As the artificial light of the Senkaimon faded behind her the young Shinigami took a couple of steps forward to get a better look on both the fight and her new surroundings. From the bits of information that she's gotten there should be multiple Hollow-breeds around, but only one appeared to be causing real trouble. Wondering if the other two were hiding out of fear or strategy Kasumi decided that the best course of action would be to hunt the creatures down and purify them after dealing with the biggest threat.

Let's go, I suppose.

Vör couldn't agree more and a moment later the white-haired Shinigami moved forward with the aid of Shunpo. Soon her feet came to a stop a few dozen meters away from the engaging duo. Only know did she recognize Alexander as he was trying to overwhelm his opponent by raining down blows.

His movements were calculated and deliberate; it looked as if he practised them every day, which would surprise Kasumi considering the conversation they've had during their last meeting. Shaking off various questions about his rather advanced skills, she used her left hand to generated the energy for the spell she that had in mind.

“Bakudō #30. Shitotsu Sansen.”

With a small burst of energy the yellow triangles flew towards Alexander's opponent. Even if the Bakudō would hit chances were still small that it would actually pin the creature against on of the trees in the distance. Kasumi simply expected it to hurl the beast back a bit, or at the very least get its attention.

“I see that you guys are having fun.”

Blue eyes jumped from her friend to the Hollow whose face was entirely covered with the mask that was so characteristic for its race. Though, unlike so many other Hollow-breeds that she had encountered his mask wasn't pure white. In fact, it was rather colourful and vaguely reminded her of a rainbow.

'I doubt that this is the best time to be comparing a Hollow mask to a rainbow.'

Thin traces of impatience could be felt coming from the Valkyrie but they never made it to the outside world. While their discussions, arguments and even fights were nothing new, Kasumi decided not to irk the blonde further and follow the orders she's been given.

“I'll take care of this one, Alexander.”

Reinforcements had been called for and now that she was here she wouldn't be sleeping on one of the tree branches even if a part of her wanted to be lazy.

“You go after the other two.”

Her voice was calm but she didn't bother hiding the fact that there would be no arguing about it. Of course she knew that she was taking his opponent, but he's had his chance to fight and beat him. Now it was her turn. Besides, she didn't quite feel like running through the forest for the rest of the day looking for the other two. Not to mention that they might be smart enough to run sometime soon.


Words: 617
Ooc: Hi there ~

“If I asked you what Hollow anger was? Would you say it was that moment where their jaws snap open and their saliva snaps with spittle spraying across the surface of your face? Where their rage is not just mixed with their predatorily heightened thirst but also their cannibalistic hunger? Is that a Hollow’s anger? Would a Shinigami know?”

The terrible voice squealed in delight, it spun and twisted through his mind. There was no flow of thought here, no fluidity and to be quite simple, Iko’s mind was devoid of energetic thought. All that was here was the joy, the sick thrilling satisfaction that right now the true act began.

“When a Shinigami draws their Zanpakuto for the first time against their most primal foe do they assume that the primal hunger is anger? Perhaps they are taught that, perhaps to them hunting Hollow is all but a game? But to us, too Iko? It’s a way of life. It’s a way of survival. It is his soul on the line”

A shallow breath in that moment after the Tooth and Claw, he let it disperse into smoke because then the armour to vanish as the Shinigami seemed to ignore his opportunity to gain purchase, to remove his arm. Of course. A Cero charged from the eye in the centre of his back and propelled him away from the Shinigami with the added momentum of the Sonido.


The Adjuchas had successfully made distance between him and his first foe. But now? His head snapped to the side as he saw the next Senkaimon open, the first thing he felt was the presence. A wave of water rushing over him, stronger than Alexander but surprisingly not as threatening. This presence despite being extremely strong was comforting even for a Hollow.

He heard the words, the crackling whisper of thrice accursed Shinigami magic. The way it bubbled and boiled, rolling up against him. In those few moments that spell had even came yet. No, this was her pressure, the sheer force of will that Iko had only felt when he had been fighting Robert Muhle. But unlike when fighting Robert Muhle, he was not afraid. The comfort this woman exuded? It was comforting, it dulled the edge of her blade.

One. Two.

Once more Iko gathered his Cero, once more he moved quickly away from the binding spell by calling them to his feet and constructing enough momentum to get away. Already the difference in their power was clear. This Shinigami? She was Robert Muhle class. She was a threat.

The lines and shreds of colour on his mask turned red, they coiled and danced.

The Predators claws idly dragged through the air.

One. Two.

His voice was a whisper.

“No”

“Alexander will not deal with the other two. You know Shinigami, I thought your race had honour, but it turns out I’ve been wrong all this time. I thought they could see the faintest bit of dignity in a Hollow body but apparently they only care about their jobs”

One. Two.

“I thought they understood about compassion and honour and companio-“

The Alpha’s voice caught in his throat.

“Instead of fighting fair, he goes for my kin who is substantially weaker and you have the nerve to say in front of my face that you want him to deal with them whilst you fight me?!”


“Both of you Cowards. I will die here before your kind purifies any more Hollow, half-breed or otherwise. I am done.”

The predator exhaled and the spores came, the flowed out of his mouth and formed visible clouds around him. His flesh seemed to sweat the toxin into the air, letting it drift idly the clouds weren’t fervent, not yet.

“Are you really offering us this dance?” 

“Come Shinigami, let me show you the Hollow who will be King”

736
[OOC: Post Order: Roy, Ahau, Alex, Kas. Me.]

OOC: Well, it seems fitting to at least give this thread a finish. Given how long it's been and how some of the people involved aren't even here on BG anymore, I think I can cut through the posting order and just jump straight to. I was thinking a nice little fade to black finish to the scene, though Roy and Kasumi, you might still want to add your finishing posts. For the explanation of what occurs, how about Alexander and Kasumi go in to fight Iko together. Roy watches for a little while, but leaves when he sees that the fight is going the Shinigami's way/once he sees that the battle is already decided. Iko continues to fight for as long and as hard as he can, in his defiance, and only gets away alive because Ahau drags him away, an act he is only able to do because Kasumi and Alexander get kind of beat up in the process of fighting Iko, and because by that time he's managed to break loose of the bindings currently on him. Everyone gets away alive, nobody's canon storyline that continues on after this is screwed up, this sound okay to everyone?

---

Squaring up next to his newly arrived reinforcements and ally, Alexander was pleased to see a familiar face. Kasumi, he'd not seen her or spoken to this much younger Shinigami since their last mission together. She was younger, a lot younger, than Alexander, but held a higher Officer's rank than he did, regardless. Her entrance and subsequent kido spell, did not appear to do much more than annoy Iko. While Alexander had had every intention to follow through with his orders, a renewal in Iko's already most fearsome appearance, had him hesitate. The creature appeared to be squaring up to take on the both of them. Alexander could hardly believe it, but in the circumstances he had to accept that a Hollow of all creatures was actively defending its own. 

"It's good to see you again, Shinoda, ma'am. I'm glad you could make it."

Still, ever the formal individual, even after the things they'd been through together. He noted as the creature Iko seemed to exhale a toxic cloud about its person, a power that Alexander had never encountered before. It spat out words as well, just as venomous. The creature was as vile as ever. He noted know how it seemed to be taking up a new defiance, not just preventing Alexander from going after the lesser Hollow behind it, but the Arrancar some distance away as well.

"It sounds like a good idea, however something tells me that Iko here isn't going to allow that. Might be best if we deal with him together first, after he's gone, the others shouldn't be much of a threat."

Given the way that their last mission went, Alexander felt that he needed to say something before they got started.

"You know, after the way things went last time, I might see this as you returning the favour. Then again, perhaps what I did last time... perhaps it seemed out of line. Well, I'm not going to apologise for it. There are just some things I felt you shouldn't have to do or see. You want to put me in for a reprimand, you can go ahead, it probably isn't right for a subordinate to protect a superior from such things. Still, I want you to know, I've got your back. So... that said... shall we get started?"

With that, Alexander tightened the grip on his Zanpakutou and, charging the blue fire of his Shikai upon the weapons, leapt forth once more into the fray, Kasumi hopefully by his side.

- Thread Exit -

Word Count (Total): 418 (4184)
Total GP: 83

The last thing she had expected was for the Hollow to rage about the opponent it was supposed to have. Was it afraid of her? It would make sense in Kasumi's eyes to want to fight the less strong opponent, however that meant that the Hollow was the coward, not them. Perhaps it was only instinct, but still..

Slightly annoyed by its words she gritted her teeth, figuring that not all Hollow were equally intelligent and getting mad about something so insignificant had no purpose – not that it helped her to calm down, he had hit a nerve already. To her surprise Alexander managed to make things even worse. While she had appreciated the idea behind his actions during their last mission, Kasumi still took offence to the fact that he had deemed them necessary.

“You're mistaken if you're thinking that he has a choice in this matter.”

Sounding a bit colder than usual, Kasumi gave her fellow Shinigami a short glare, though the man didn't appear to understand the hint. Instead of taking out their opponent from a distance he rushed towards him without any real protection but his blade. While she had to admit that she had no idea about his abilities, she didn't like the sight of the cloud the beast was spreading and didn't want to take any risks.

“Stay back!”

The order echoed across the area as she prepared to cast a Bakudō some levels higher than the previous one. A glowing rod soon formed in her hand – she charged it with Hebi; it sizzled from one rod to the other while they multiplied and formed a net of silvery-white reiryoku.

“Bakudō #62. Hyapporankan!”

Dozens of rods were fired into the direction of the enemy, and Kasumi hoped that Alexander was wise enough to stay back like she had told him to. Dragging a scarred Shinigami you had to back up to the Seireitei would earn her more than a couple of annoyed glares.


Words: 329/ 946
Ooc: Ahau, you're closing this, right?

So much was happening in a short space of time, Roy was running out of safe distance to keep from getting caught in the crossfire. One small slip-up and he would be losing his head. Fuck. That. Shit. Jumping off the trees as the fight began to explode behind him, a tear in space opened before him, promising the destination of endless sands on the other side. Without hesitation, he quickly jumped through, giving a quick glance in the direction behind a glimpse of the fallen combatants before his feet touched the sands. 

The garganta closed behind him, the sound of fire and explosions a mere distant thought as he had returned to his quiet home. Maybe one day he would be able to join in against the shinigami, but in terms of sheer brute force, not even the numbers of the hollows could overwhelm them.

// Thread Exit

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