Intertwining Interests [Closed]

Harken to the darkness.
Harken to the soul.
Harken to the heartbeat.

Darkness was all Leon saw. The power was out for the entire Kinogaya district, sparks danced across the substation that stood before him. The fence surrounding it torn down, mangled and marred as if some horrible creature from a small child’s dream came to life and had fun. The Quincy looked at the scene, a black LED flashlight in his right hand, shining it over what once was a working station. When he was called here to Karakura Town as a spiritualist, meant to help the tormented spirits that prowled around the substation, he certainly didn’t expect something like this.

Scratching his head in wonder with his left hand, an exasperated sigh left him, his hands going to his hips as his torso dipped forward. The last thing he wanted to deal with was a Hollow and the signs were everywhere that that was exactly what he was going to have to deal with. What sort of Hollow was it? Leon couldn’t be for sure, but it was big. Those claw marks left long, deep gouges within the steel and it wasn’t too pretty. The man had gotten in over his head for what he thought was going to be quick money. Sure, throwing around a few seals, sprinkle some holy water, and chant a bit. That was all he thought he was in for.

Now, with the lights out, nothing but darkness clouded his vision. Checking his watch on his left wrist, the screen glowed a blue hue as Leon pressed the button. 21:30, the perfect time for a Hollow to stalk in the shadows. Lucky bastard. The man scowled, looking down the dark city street, seeing nothing but darkness and… something caught his eye. A faint glimpse of light seemed to flicker in the distance. What was it, another person walking down the street with a flashlight like himself? Perhaps it was the faint reflection off of something. The man couldn’t tell from here.

But, there it was - a soul plus. The hapless spirit floated through the empty streets like a damned beacon in the night. The soul might as well be a lighthouse in the middle of the ocean as well as it lit up in the night. Leon sighed softly, this poor soul didn’t seem to realize the danger they were in. He’d have to warn them to get out of the area before the unthinkable happened. “Hey!” His voice carried over the distance, echoing down the empty streets. “Get outta here! There’s a Hollow around!”

The spirit looked down the street, straight at Leon, raising its hand in greeting to the man, heading toward his direction. “Hello!” It yelled back. The Quincy blinked, giving a half chuckle as he raised his hand in turn. Once more he blinked and the soul plus was gone. There was no sound, no movement. All was dark once again. Leon shook his head in shock, looking back and forth in attempt to find the soul, but there was nothing.

Leon’s left eye twitched. Did the soul leave? Did something take it? Was it the Hollow? All that spoke up was the sound of his heartbeat, thumping in his chest. Shaky breath left him as focused his spiritual energy, summoning his bow to his left hand. Closing his eyes, he focused mentally, searching out for any signature of energy. Yet, he felt none. What kind of Hollow was he dealing with?

Suddenly, he felt it. Like hot knives raking across his back, something hit him from behind with a great force, sending the Quincy sprawling forward to the ground, his bow disappearing from his grasp, the sounds of wings flapping in the air was all Leon heard as a great beast took to the sky. It was the damn Hollow and it could… fly like a bird? The shell shock Quincy looked on as he winced, pressing himself up with his left forearm to try and get a better look at the beast that did this to him. But once again, the darkness greeted him.

Heavy haggard breath left the Quincy as he pushed himself up, his body swaying slightly as he tried to steady himself. This wasn't going to be an easy task. No, this was far above his head. This was definitely the one time Leon should have brought backup for himself. This darkness was nothing but a haze for him and the Hollow cloaked itself well within in. Perhaps this was all premeditated. Maybe it knew that someone was coming to hunt for it soon.

It didn't matter. This was definitely a fight for his life. There was no light; There was no moon. Leon only had his instincts about him. Pressing deep within himself, the Quincy's spiritual energy flared up around, a cascade of red light flooded the area around him. Surely, someone would feel it.

WC:823

Leon attempted to fight off the beast as his spiritual energy flared up. What glimmer of light the aura brought him still failed to help him in the slightest. All he could hope was that some spiritualist would sense him and come running. It was all he could manage to do as he fended off attack after attack, shooting his Heilig Pfeil at the hollow with every pass it made.

The man dodged an oncoming attack, rolling over the hood of a red car, his knees denting the hood as he did so. That was nothing compared to the hollow’s claws raking over the top of it, leaving deep gashes and serrated metal in its wake. Leon rested against the vehicle as it rocked back and forth from the impact.

“God damn it!” The man swore under his breath as pressed against the car, his breath ragged from exertion, sweat beading on his brow, trailing down his face, disappearing into his beard. Just what in the hell had he gotten himself into? This was suppose to be a simple little trip, something like this wasn’t suppose to happen.

In one fluid motion, Leon rose up, his bow drawn, ready to strike at the hollow or attempt to hit it in the dark, when suddenly the air was filled with the squawks, the harsh flutter of wings, and the cry of agony as electricity seemed to fill the air with arcs of power. “The hell!?” Leon’s words came nearly breathless, not knowing what had happened. What in the world had happened to the beast?

The acrid smell of burning flesh languished in the air as the Quincy cautiously stepped from behind the vehicle. Not knowing what to expect, the Quincy remained on guard. When out of the darkness, a lone figure descended from above. A man wearing a black sleeveless shihakusho, landing softly on the ground. No wonder why he couldn’t see what was going on, the man blended into the night like the hollow.

Masked, his identity concealed. Leon wasn’t sure what to think of the man, but he sure was thankful. The man even checked on him, asking how his wounds were. The adrenaline that surged through his system was slowly fading. Pain was slowly coming over him as his back began to throb, a dull ache setting in. It was more than evident that where the creature struck, the back of his shirt ripped from where he was struck. Along the top of his left forearm, yet another gash. Through it all, he failed to realize that he had even gotten that one.

The aches of the fight were setting in, yet Leon still managed to grunt, “I’m fine. Thank you for coming to my aid.” The quincy grabbed the bottom of his shirt, ripping off the bottom from the front of his shirt, he managed to wrap it around his wound on his arm, pulling the fabric taunt with his right hand and teeth. It was then he truly noticed the man’s complete attire. Was this man a shinigami, the mortal enemy of the quincy? Meekly, the man extend his right index finger, his head tilting slightly to the right as his left eyebrow raised. “Are… are you a shinigami?”

God, Leon began to wonder if he had walked out of the fryer and straight into the oven on this one. Seemed his luck was getting worse again. So much for the luck of the Irish.

WC: 579
Total: 1402

The Quincy was injured, but it didn't appear to be lethal- though, the damage was enough to be rendered noteworthy. As thanks was given, he would remain calm and quiet, waiting for the inevitable realization as the man inquired about his species, Mako simply inclined his head in agreement, "Indeed, though you have little worry, according to the idiotic laws I am only to become the aggressor against you if you were trying to 'destroy a soul', but all I saw was you running for your life," cooly evading the obvious fact that the man had clearly been firing his Heilig Pfeil, Mako would simply leave it at that before he would lift his hand up to his face, hooking a finger into the mask as he pulled it down under his chin.

No point remaining faceless if he wished to cut off the idea that he was an enemy. Instead, his blank face would catch the light, pale skin glinting slightly before he would place his hands behind his back calmly. "Your back is the more serious injury, I can apply first aid if you wish since you're not exactly capable of reaching it I would assume," as he made this offer calmly he would then glance around the dark- reaching out with his sensory to detect anything that may be a threat. Thankfully, it would appear this was the only Hollow in the area, he couldn't sense any further Hollow- unless they decided to utilize a rift to enter. Letting out a short breath he would turn his full attention back to the man.

He was relatively tall, though not as tall as he was, bearded, scar's edged along his skin that was visible told of a life of abuse to some degree- be it a soldier, hollow combat, or simply rough living. His emotions were in conflict at the moment, surface thoughts trailing along with the mixed emotions. Thankfulness, anxiety- likely over his species, excitement from the adrenaline, slowly Mako let out another breath as he would keep his hands calmly behind his back- not making a move unless the man clarified he'd like to have some assistance when it came to medical care. Mako didn't utilize kaidou, however, he did have quite a bit of traditional medical knowledge- it came in handy to know how to put a body back together when you wanted to take one apart.

Unconcerned over the fact the man still had his weapon out, Mako would remain patiently waiting where he was, making it clear he was no threat to the man- not unless he intended to attack him first over some idiotic racism. Which he understood was fairly common in the Quincy, he supposed it made some degree of sense if you wanted to be ruled by your emotions- but realistically, and logically, it made little sense. Most of the Shinigami that participated in the purge were long dead, there was no point holding grudges against people that did things to your ancestors. You'd think the short-lived humans would have learned that by now, but no, they never seemed to. Hopefully, this man would be one of the rare exceptions to the rule.

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Leon couldn’t help but laugh at the shinigami’s comment. So the man would strike against him unless he was trying to destroy a soul. Well, he was trying to destroy the damned hollow, only he had been failing miserably the entire time. After all, he was literally shooting in the dark. It was ill fated that he wasn’t prepared for a hollow battle. The job was suppose to be a simply thing, he didn’t need to bring any sort of quincy gear to deal with a battle like that. Yet there he was for want. This was something he’d need to change down the line - sooner than later for sure.

Finally the shinigami revealed his face. His skin was pale against that black mop of a hair that he had. This almost gave the illusion that he himself was a ghost, at least to the quincy. This shinigami seemed to be friendly at least - well compared to the stories that he heard growing up. The man even offered to tend to his wounds. The dull ache in his back was becoming harder and harder to ignore. Even as he rotated both his shoulders, the pain seared through his body, his teeth clamping shut, grinding against one another as the wave of pain surged.

The question was whether or not to trust the man. It’s not like the history between the shinigami and quincy was exactly smooth. Especially when you throw in the fact that they tried culling the entire species a long time ago. But there was the fact that the man had saved his life and even checked on him. This was something at least noteworthy in his mind. Leon turned to the man, getting a full look at his character. His eyes traveled from the shinigami’s sandals to his head. He towered over Leon by at least a few centimeters and was thin. Despite that, he could easily tell he was stronger than him.

Begrudgingly, Leon nodded. Channeling his energy, his spirit weapon simply disappeared from his hand. “Sorry. I can’t be too careful. To be honest, I can only go by stories told from the past. I don’t exactly run into shinigami everyday.” That was the truth. His run ins with the race was nothing more than a mere glance and then they were gone once the hollows were. Those were probably the best kind of encounters when you looked back at their races history together. “I’ll take your help. I appreciate it.”

Leon found his eyes wandering in thought for a moment. “Do I need to take my shirt off or do you have the ability to help even with it on?”

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Mako would calmly watch, his hands remaining behind his back as he waited for the affirmative or refusal from the man, the surface emotions that lingered through the man's mind of mistrust, uncertainty-- it was all understandable, really. Their species didn't exactly have the best history, but he'd always found the little conflict so overtly pointless. Then again, he didn't exactly care about the so-called balance either, pure souls were constantly having more children, new souls being created constantly. The Quincy, in his mind were there to help control the population of souls-- otherwise, they would not be a steady species that was growing.

Hell, the very souls that the Shinigami were so "desperate" to protect became the Quincy. They were an active part of the rebirthing cycle, of the balance. If they weren't supposed to exist then the natural world itself would have refuted their existence and they would have slowly died out. He had no reason to hate them, and certainly bore them no more ill will than any other species, he didn't even really give a shit about the Hollow-breeds. But that was another subject entirely.

These thoughts drifted in the back of his mind as he waited patiently for the man's response as obvious pain showed on his expression before finally, the spirit weapon would fade from existence, distributing into spiritual particles. His words were entirely fair, and Mako's head simply inclined slightly in agreement.

"If you had blindly trusted me after learning of my species I would call you a fool, but you would be a far greater fool if you turned down assistance when your species is so fragile against Hollow attacks," as he stated this he would step forward once calmly-- walking around behind him, no sound coming from his movements, careful, concise, like a ghost as he came behind the man instead. Examining the wound to his back he reached out carefully, focusing on the wound as he checked for any lingering reiatsu from the beast-- digging into his spiritual signature as his pupils dilated slightly. There was nothing, such things were rare, but it was possible-- thankfully it appeared the energy of the beast had been too weak to infect the man.

That was good, because he had no real way of removing it-- only informing him that he needed a skilled spiritual healer to have the taint removed. Lowering his hand he would glance at the man as he inquired on his shirt and shook his head.

"I'll need you to remove your shirt. Sadly, all of my knowledge is based on traditional medicine, I don't have access to Kaido spells or this would surely be much more painless for you. Still, I can provide first aid to ensure the wound doesn't bleed out-- and that you don't need to worry about infection, or similar complications," as he explained this he would wait for the man to strip, before he lowered his hand into the inner pockets of his uniform, pulling out a slim black leather pouch and sorting through it as he examined the damage. Luckily, though they were not simple scratches, the wounds didn't appear to bad-- a stitch or two would certainly go a long way, however.

"This will burn, and then go numb," he stated shortly-- before pouring pure medicinal alcohol over the wound, likely instantly causing searing, before a paste would be applied to the surrounding area. He had to thank Zabel and his medical studies for such knowledge, as the damage was numbed-- it would also encourage blood to build up to increase the healing and stop the bleed out. With that done, he would then pull out the crescent-shaped needle, and with practiced ease would give the center wound three stiches at its deepest location, the other two earning two each at their deepest location.

That done, another layer of paste, and he would then pull out medical wrap calmly, wrapping the mans torso and back-- the entire process only taking a few minutes, partially due to the fact the wound was beyond minor, but not lethal by any means, and partly due to his concise, calm, confident treatment. A few moments later, the man was wrapped up and treated as he tucked the materials back into the pouch, which was then added back into his uniforms inner pocket at his chest as his hands tucked behind his back once more.

"Don't strain yourself and they should hold without issue," he stated simply before he would then arch a brow slightly at the man, making sure that he was healthy before his gaze trailed along the area slowly for a few minutes-- before he would step forward calmly and motion them to head out of the darkness.

"I was unable to save the plus, sadly, but she was purified along with the beast," he stated simply-- making simple small chat, pretending to care about the girl would likely make him appear a bit more "human" to the man's eyes and ease a bit of tension out of him. Even with the medical treatment, he doubted that he trusted him in entirety. After a moment he would meet the man's eyes and make his move.

"Actually, I was searching for a Quincy-- I was curious about an ability your people apparently have for research, I was wondering if you'd mind answering a few questions? Naturally, if you have any of your own I don't mind answering them as long as doing so does not give me a punishment." Though, technically, communicating with the Quincy was already shaky ground-- it still wasn't that difficult to explain. He had done his job to kill the Hollow, and simply provided medical treatment to the injured party that was "following their laws and not trying to kill it". The Quincy's own ineptitude actually made things much easier on him.

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Oh, dear. Leon could have been a fool either way if he had simply trusted the man blindly or simply walked away. This was a shinigami who seemed to have a bit of bark to go with his bite. Rather interesting from the get go it seemed. There didn’t seem to be any nonsense about the shinigami. Were all the ghostly protectors of the afterlife like this? If so, they certainly didn’t seem to have shred of humanity left in them. But, who could he judge - this was his first close encounter with one. Especially one who was actually willing to help.

A soft sigh left him, causing his back to ache even more. Leon knew that the shinigami were capable healers, hearing the stories from the past. But, he didn’t know the full extent of what they were actually able to do. But, if it kept him out of a hospital and back into the field sooner, than he’d gladly take the assistance. This did seem the best option at the moment.

Being told to remove his shirt, a small curse left his lips. Grabbing hold of it from the bottom, he slowly lifted it up, feeling the sting of ripped flesh and torn muscle. Drying blood clung to his shirt, causing him to rip it free from the wound - it was like being attacked all over again. A grunt of pain escaped him as he lifted his shirt over his head, sweat building on his brow from the little excursion that was placed on his body for doing so. Was the wound that bad or was he being a baby about it?

It was when he held the shirt up by the shoulders that he saw the large slashes through the material and the copious amount of blood that trailed from the wounds and down the back of the shirt. Leon grimaced slightly at the sight of it. Now he wished that he hadn’t been so careless. Something like this could have easily put him out of commission for a while had he not had been so lucky. Thankfully, this shinigami came to the rescue at the right time or else he might have been toast. Wadding it up, dropped the shirt to the ground as the man said he was only capable of traditional medicine. “Great….” His eyes darted from side to side wondering if this was going to be worth his time, especially when he mentioned stitches. This wouldn’t be the last time he’d get those for sure.

Remaining quiet, Leon waited for the man to begin, hearing the words ‘this will burn’ didn’t quite prepare him for what would happen next. The sudden chill and pain nearly made him jump from his skin as his entire body tensed up at the pain. “Son of bitch!” He said through clenched teeth as both his hands tightened into fists, his nails digging into his palms as he leaned slightly forward as if trying to flee from the pain. The pain seemed to slowly fade as numbness set in, but the throbbing of the wound seemed to remain as a constant reminder.

There came a sudden pressure on his back, it seemed the shinigami was already going to work on his back. There wasn’t any pain as the man went to work on him. Seemed he wasn’t lying about whatever he was using on him. Leon was thankful for that as he relaxed, letting him finish his work.

Moments passed and it was all done. The man had wrapped him up and told him he was good. “Thanks.” He said, slowly bending down to get his shirt as he was informed about the soul taken by the hollow. “Shame.” As Leon stood back up, a small grunt came from him as he felt a slight tug at his new stitches. “There’s always a sacrifice in attaining peace.”

Gingerly putting his ruined shirt on ruined shirt on, Leon turned to the man as he spoke about needing to find a quincy. Great - there was always a catch when someone so readily hands out help. Why couldn’t it be as simple as, ‘I’m here to help because I want to and nothing else’? Rolling his eyes, Leon wasn’t even sure what to ask the man off the top of his head. “Eh - I guess we could start with your name. I’m Leon.” Extending his right hand, he hoped to at least shake his hand in thanks for what he did. But the lingering thought on his mind was what the shinigami wanted from him. Would questions turn into, ‘come back to my lab for research’? That wasn’t a pleasant thought at all.

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Mako would remain silent as he treated the man's injuries-- the reactions, cursing, and arching did appeal to him but he wasn't really here for pleasure. He blocked out the slight urge to smirk watching the flesh stitch itself back together underneath his hand, instead remaining blank as he placed his hands behind his back once more once it was done. Though as the man commented on a sacrifice while attaining peace, he would tilt his head and contemplate those words-- it was a logical way to view it he supposed. Though it was just another soul, he cared for it no more than he cared for any other soul or person-- it was purified in the end no matter what.

"Indeed," he finally replied with a calm tone, before the man would return to sliding the ruined shirt back on before his eyes turned to him-- and he felt the apprehension ripple from the man's reiatsu. A natural response, especially considering the tensions between the races, but he was in no rush-- and had no desire to cause the man to lash out at him in fear. The man would introduce himself as Leon-- lifting a hand, something that Mako would examine briefly, before raising his own-- surprisingly thin considering his height and frame-- black gloved hand and offered a single, firm shake before cutting off the connection as much as possible.

"Mako Fujita," he would return with a calm statement before his hands would return to being clasped behind his back, "You have no need to be so intimidated-- if I wished to simply snatch you up, then I would have done it while you were injured." He stated this bluntly, though he had no idea the specifics of the man's thoughts, from his expression and his reiatsu it was clear he was uncertain about everything-- especially his questions. He should at least try to put him a bit at ease with some logic-- and so he had tried to do so. With that done he would then continue forward in the conversation.

"I'm simply curious about an ability I've read your people have-- something called "Blut", if you have the ability to use it, of course." As he explained this he would remain calm as ever, hands behind his back as he watched the man-- the study of ability was going to help him master his Shunko much more effectively. From what he had read, the Quincy focused their reishi through their veins to amplify their offensive and defensive power, using the energy as a supplementary force. But if he wanted to mimic that ability with reiryoku or a kidou-- then he would need to see the flow of energy in person.

Analyzing something in person with his level of sensory always seemed the better approach to listening to others opinions or reading-- there was simply too much room for error when others tried to do these things. Focus and control was everything-- of that, he had little doubt he was one of the best, even if his level of power still needed improvement to support it.

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Well, this man certainly wasn’t a people person. Just another man on a mission wanting something - most likely for his own gain from the way he spot. Leon could tell this instantly by the way the man seemed to withdraw from the whole situation. The fact that he quickly withdrew from a simple greeting left him with a sour taste in his mouth. At least he had a name that he could finally put to the pale face. Mako Fujita, a rather strange thin man with a penchant for finding things out. Leon couldn’t help but feel less than thrilled.

‘Blut’, that’s what he was after. Something so simple to for Leon to do at this point that it really didn’t seem like much worth studying to him. Though, there was always room for improving on the technique. It was something that he’d have to think about later. Right now, he had to deal with the shinigami before him. Perhaps if he just flaunted the ability, the man might just go away and leave him be. A sweet simple exchange and Leon could be on his way home for a nice hot shower - something he was desperately needing right now.

“Fine. Fine.” The quincy said, giving a small wave with his right hand. “I’ll show you and then I’ll be on my way. I’d rather not keep you longer than you want.” Focusing, he began to channel reishi into his veins. Soon the blood vessels in his arms began to glow red, the process finally completing. “Happy?” He asked in a mono toned. There wasn't much thrill in this little process and not much that he could show off besides maybe picking up the battered car that was next to him, which he did with little effort. There was an already lingering fear that soon the electrical company might be sending out a team to look at the downed substation. "If not, I suggest we move so we don't get caught unaware by someone coming to look at the substation. I'd rather not draw any unwanted attention."

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Mako's eyes watched the way the man's responses rippled outward-- annoyance, distaste-- it would appear the man was a "people person", that was unfortunate-- he didn't get along with those too well. Still, he knew how to work with them, it was a key requirement in order to actually progress properly, after all. The man would, eventually, comment that it was "fine", and straighten as the technique began. His body burst with reishi-- Mako could feel the tug of the energy around them as it funneled into the man, and his senses reached deeper. As the notes had said-- he was infusing the reishi mixed with his reiryoku directly into his bloodstream, empowering the kishi that made his body up with reishi through the veins. It was effectively a spiritually-enhanced version of doping.

"Hm," he would comment simply-- watching as the man lifted a car calmly, considering the level of power he gave off, that was actually quite an impressive boost in raw power-- curiously he would watch the flow of reishi before the man would ask if he was "happy" in a very bland tone. Mako would shake his head slightly, and would simply motion for the man to lead wherever he wished to go.

"In return for the assistance, I'll be happy to answer any questions you have that won't get me court marshaled. I'm sure your kind lack much solid information pertaining to us as well, no?" With this, he would step forward, lightly walking along the air as he waited for the man to lead-- content to take his time. The technique itself was interesting to watch, but he needed more time to examine it-- and of course, asking a few questions back and forth with the Quincy wasn't going to hurt anything. Information was a key aspect of power, and he intended to quite fully make as much use of it as was possible for him.

If this study became worthwhile, he may even feel indebted to the Quincy for future instances-- if he could find a way to insert aspects of this blut into his shunkou-- then the improvement he could make in it could become quite substantial.

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Leon cast the car from his hands, it struck the ground hard, the frame hitting the ground with a loud crunch before bouncing up, teetering to its right sight. It landed back on its tires, bouncing on its squeaky shocks, swaying slightly until it came to rest. Now, the shinigami didn’t seem to be impressed by such a feat, only offering a simple ‘hm’ in response to what normal humans would consider superhuman to their standards. It left the man wanting to prove more of his ability to the shinigami. But, he knew that he was simply outclassed by the specter. This was the man that destroyed a hollow without breaking a sweat while he was struggling due to the limitations that his human body had - due to him being ill prepared for dealing with such a creature. His lips smacked together, realizing that there was simply no impressing such a powerful person such as Mako. Oh, well. Due to his small efforts, Mako was going to reward him. A wave of glee washed over Leon.

In an instant, a question did draw on his heartstrings. Something that weighed heavy on his heart for the past few years. Leon followed the man at a brisk pace, making sure to cast back an occasional glance at the substation that they were leaving behind. You never knew when those pesky humans could show up and cast their blame on the person nearest to the scene of the accident. As he followed, Leon’s eyes glanced over to Mako, the question lingered on his lips, his tongue as heavy as lead as he tried to bring the words to fruition. “Any question beyond that which could get you ‘court martialed’.” Without even realizing it, the men had managed to cover enough ground that they had finally managed to step into the dim light of the street lamp.

It was hard to say how much time had passed, but obviously, enough for them to cover enough ground to step into another block whose substation actually worked. The sudden glow of light hurt Leon’s eyes as he squinted to look at the shinigami until his eyes adjusted to the glow of light, pausing beneath it to ask his question. “I can only think of one thing…” Pausing, he found himself rubbing his left bicep, uneasy at asking for the request that burdened his soul. Leon’s eyes glossed over for a moment, fighting the tears that seemed to beg his eyes to be released. His voice choked for but a second. “Is it possible to find out if someone I know… is alive and well on the other side. A chill washed over his body as if an ill wind had passed over him, his hair stood on end as goosebumps rose on his skin. “I need to know if….” Leon’s eyes moved away from the shinigami, casting to the sidewalk as he fought to find the courage in his heart to ask. “I need to know if there is Sakura Wilhelm that has passed on to the other world. I need to know if she lives.” His words came out hurried, all for want as he begged the man for knowledge. Deep in his chest, the pain of an old wound opened, as if someone were to have ripped a scab clean open and poured salt upon it.

“Please, Mako. I know I could ask you a great many of things, but I need to know if she’s alright.” His breath quickened upon his lips. Leon felt as if he had run a marathon at full sprint without pause for breath. He had to know. He must know. There was no question to it. Everything hinged on baited breath as he looked to the shinigami. Surely there was a way for him to find out and come back to him with an answer. It felt as if his very life depended on it. “I’m begging of you to find out for me.” He nearly cried out.

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Mako felt the ripples coming from the man's reiatsu-- the feelings of remorse, pain, anger?-- it was hard to weave through them all, they appeared to be intertwined at the core. It caused the man to blink, only once, before he would slowly turn to face the man-- his hands tucked behind his back as his brow arched slowly in curiosity as he repeated the words that he had offered to him. The dim light of the lantern caused his gaze to glance up briefly, before returning his gaze downward to examine the man as he would begin to speak finally. The man was fighting with visible emotion, and the negative emotions flowed even stronger-- now mixed with brief instances of more positive effects.

Such troublesome things-- but in the instance of others having them, it made it overwhelmingly easy to read such things. Clearly, this meant a significant amount to the man-- and that meant by doing this he would be going well over just "breaking even", the man would likely feel as though he owed him quite the debt. It was a worthwhile thing to hold over someone's head, as long as he didn't make it clear that he intended to do just that. He'd store the favor away, and use it when it became something a bit more useful to him. Slowly, he would lean back where he stood several inches off the ground-- listening to the request as he specifically explained the details of it.

He wished to know if anyone had been sent through a konso into the other side, a name was given, and the man even went so far as to practically beg him of the favor-- his eyes slowly lifted upward as he contemplated the request. It wouldn't really get him in any danger letting a single Mortal know the fate of another soul-- in fact as long as the soul in question wasn't anyone of noteworthy power, no one would even blink if he went through the records-- especially if he said he wanted to research how to amplify the usage of a konso or some other line of thought. It wasn't classified information at all, really-- but he didn't need to say that. No reason to make it out as easier then it could end up being.

"I offer a single warning, Mister Leon. There is a reason that mortals don't know the next step. The information that I find may not be what you want to hear." Mako's eyes lowered, meeting his own calmly-- it was clear this soul was someone dear to him. He knew all too well-- the Rukongai was not near as nice as place as some Shinigami may try to pretend it was. "If you're able to understand that, and can accept the consequences of the knowledge, then I see no reason I cannot look into such a matter for you in trade. I will need the date of her death, and the location to narrow down the area that she may have been konsoed in for the proper records." That was step one-- finding out if she had even been found by a Shinigami. "--A general appearance would assist as well."

The next step was interviewing Rukongai residents, something that wouldn't be a problem-- he still had contacts within it, as did Yuuta. Slowly, he would lower himself from the air to land without a sound atop the concrete, remaining neutral both in expression and body language as he awaited the man's response to his statements. "Also keep in mind this will not be an instant request-- it will take time. Tracking a single plus soul through the Rukongai that I have never sensed before is a painstaking task, even for one with my specialties."

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