Cutting the losses (London) [Sofia Bader, Kyojin / Closed]

Another day, another mission.

Sofia strode through the vacant walkways of the Seireitei with slow, purposed steps, left hand resting atop her Zanpakuto. There was a gentle breeze in the air, the slightest hints of warmth that signified the return of spring, and her gaze was, as always, empty, face calm and impassive as she went over the mission details on her Denreishinki. There wasn’t much, just the usual formalities, a location for rendezvous, and a note about her partner and his… somewhat brusque attitude towards superiors. All very standard apart from the piece of personnel information at the end, perfectly acceptable and expected- but also maddeningly unhelpful in telling her what she would actually be doing.

A sigh escaped the woman at the thought, her head shaking from side to side as she rounded one final corner, eyes lifting up just in time to catch sight of the man that was to be her partner. Her face went slack in an instant, limbs tensing up ever so slightly as she approached, gaze impassive but calculating. He was taller than her by a wide margin, with a well-built, rugged frame and a wild, though trimmed, mane of hair. Scars littered his chest, and she could see the faint markings of a bruise on his chin. Probably a sparring injury, didn’t think it important enough to drag anyone from the Third over to heal him.

For a moment nothing happened, the two Shinigami studying each other in equal measure until, without hesitation, her broke the silence with a proffered hand and a greeting, however cold and emotionless it was. After a second, she replied, her free hand grasping his for a brief shake before falling back to her side. “Sofia. Sofia Bader, First Division. Do you know-”

The question died in her throat when he spoke once more, expression twisting into a scowl as she listened to what Kyojin had to say. She didn’t bother answering his questions- a simple nod was all she gave before turning to face the Senkaimon, grip tight against her Zanapkuto’s hilt. People had died because of her. Innocent people, cut down because she had failed to complete her orders- orders that she could have followed out, if she had just been stronger. Smarter. Better. My mistake. Always my mistake. Have to make it right.

When the Hell Butterfly touched down on her shoulder, she didn’t wait, legs pushing her through the open Senkaimon at top speed. Kyojin would keep up, or he’d find himself left behind.

---

WC: 421

With a sudden dash Sofia ran towards the Senkaimon and through, in the very instant the Hellbutterfly touched her shoulder. Looked like she was indeed ready to go. Or she just wanted go get it over with this mission. Both was fine with Kyojin, as long as the job was done right. Because this was more or less the only thing that was left after the plage: the job. Almost everything in the Soul Society lay in ruines or was somehow damaged. Be it a damage that could be seen or not. A normal live was as far away as the palace of the Soulking right now. The only thing that had to be done, that the Shinigami must resume, was their duty, or sooner or later the balance of the worlds would tip. And Kyojin felt that he had to fight till the last for this balance, if it was necessary.

When the paper doors opened before Sofia and him they were greeted by a cold, wet and dark night. The sky way heavily clouded and a light but steady rain fell. They were standing on a bridge over a narrow river. Directly in front of them a steel bridge behind some brickbuildings. Big and colourful letters spelled 'Camden Lock', mementos to happier times when these streets were crawling with life, even in the nights. But not anymore.
A little to the left they could see some more brick buildings, towering like dark shades in the night. But they looked somewhat deformed, partiall, destroyed and burned down. Rubble lay on the ground everywhere, but no living (or dead) soul could be seen.

It didn't look like an explosion, though. Kyojin produced his soulpager and took a long look at the display. He still had his problems with modern technology.

"I think ground zero of the explosion is somewhere else."

He turned around and looked down a dark street.

"This way..."

For the first time there was something like an emotion in his voice: he simply wasn't sure if he understood correctly what this maschine told him on this small, glowing window. And he definitely didn't know what was meant by "Camden Town Station".
He looked back over his shoulder. It almost seemed like there had been some kind of market here. That would explain why Hollows chose to attack here. Many souls in one place.

"Listen..." He said, as he began to walk slowly in the direction he assumed was right. He kept his voice down and calm.
"I have been given next to no information about you, except basics like your name. I'd like to know who stands at my side, if it comes to battle. So who are you, what is your specialty, have you been to the world of the living before and how long are you serving with the Gotei?"

Kyojin's voice didn't sound pressing or gauging, and he didn't measure Sofia with his eyes (those where scanning the surroundings). If anything there was an honest, professional interest in who he was teamed up with.

---

510

Rain. Why is it always rain? The question lingered in Sofia’s mind as she exited the Senkaimon, a quiet echo of annoyance that dug at her patience and twisted her usual listless expression into a dull glower. Their trip through the Dangai had been silent and uneventful, a quiet sprint through the empty passage between worlds that deposited them atop a narrow bridge. There were buildings everywhere, brick and mortar warehouses decayed by time and neglect- but no evidence of an explosion, nor any sign of the pack of Hollows they had been sent to hunt down.

A sigh, soft and low, escape the Shinigami’s lips as she glanced around, grip firm against her Zanpakuto. There was no one nearby, living or dead. A bad sign, given what little information she’d been given. Local authorities would have been canvassing the area for suspects, cordoning off the blast zone, and in general being present to calm any frayed nerves that might have arisen due to the attack. That meant they’d been dropped somewhat far away from where the explosion had occurred, which was… not bad, but not good either. It meant more travelling, which would take time- time they could have spent handling their actual objective, if they’d been placed a bit closer. Oh well.

Turning to face her partner, the woman motioned as if to speak, her lips parting for a moment before clicking shut, gaze dropping low at the taller man’s words. His questions were simple, professional even; anyone would want to know the strengths and weakness of their patrol partner, especially now, when every mission held a not insignificant chance of killing those involved. But as much as she understood why he asked, Sofia wished he hadn’t. Not because she couldn’t (or wouldn’t) answer, but because those answers were quite simply embarrassing.

“I…” Her reply was swift, voice low and timid as she followed behind the taller Shinigami, gaze focused on the ground. “My name is Sofia, as I said before. I don’t really have any specialties, hence my Division, this is the fourth time I’ve been to the world of the living, and I’ve been with the-”

The woman turned mid-sentence, gaze lifting in the opposite direction for a moment before she continued on, voice colder and noticeably less skittish with every word she spoke. “We have company.” Her Zanpakuto was out in an instant, the soft scrape of steel against wood filling the air as she reached out with her spiritual senses, looking for anything concrete beyond “there are hollows coming” to tell Kyojin. She had it within seconds.

“There are three of them, headed this way. They aren’t bothering to their Reiatsu, and they aren’t stopping. It’s likely they know we’re here. Ideas?” There wasn’t much time to come up with a plan --a minute, maybe less-- but something was always better than nothing when it came to combat, especially against a numerically superior foe. She had an idea of what to do, but Kyojin was from the Fifth; she knew from her time with them that they tended to be more than the muscle-bound hotheads they were often portrayed as. If he had a plan, she would defer to his expertise- and if he didn’t, she would do her best to keep them both alive.

It was, after all, her job.

---

WC: 557/978

Funny thing, that Sofia too was in the First Division because she lacked a speciality. It wasn't a bad thing to serve in the first. There was honor in that, too. You could find your place there, even without specialisation, and perform important duties. But with Kyojin it hadn't been so simple. Back then he had fought against what he was. Now he had accepted it and found his place. He was a fighter, a warrior. Was it the same with Sofia? Was she also still looking for the real her? Or was it that she didn't want to be confined by what she maybe percieved as the singular mission of one of the other divisions?

He just thought about asking her about that when she turned and gazed into the distance. A moment later he felt it as well. She was right. Three...and they were bloody shure of themselves to roam a major city without even so much as trying to mask their presence. The Shinigami had neglected their duties for far too long.

Kyojin reached above his righz shoulder and with a sharp sound Gekido came out of her sheath. With it's 80cm the blade was noticably longer than a normal Katana like Sofias, bit it looked just right in the hands of Kyojin. With a few quick glances he scanned their surroundings. He could still feel no other beings besides themselves and the Hollows. Good.

"There."
He pointed towards the end of thr street, where the explosion had occured. They could now see that almost half a street of houses had been destroyed. Now wonder this whole neighbourhood was deserted and abandoned by the living. The dead had probably been devoured by the very Hollows that were advancing on them right now.
"We move to these ruins. Probably like a maze inside. Mask our presences, ambush them. Maybe we can lure them in, circle around them to opposite sides and destroy them between us, like hammer and anvil."
He looked at Sofia. She seemed not afraid of the confrontation, unlike a human he met years ago on the outskirts of Karakura.
"My Shikai enabled me to also attack from afar, but I'm no good at Kido. What about you?"

They started to run. If they wanted to hide their spiritual pressures it wasn't smart to use any skills like a flash step now.

"Comments and additions welcomed"

While they where running towards the ruins he waited for Sofia's answer. Behind them he could feel the Hollows come closer and closer.

---

423

Sofia frowned, grip tightening against her Zanpakuto as Kyojin spoke, face a mask of passivity. Her partner’s plan was… interesting, to say the least, though she wondered about it’s effectiveness. All it would take was a single Cero, aimed at the right angle, to engulf the entire street in flames, nevermind what it would do to them. She had managed, with difficulty, to hold back most of the Arrancar’s blast during their fight, but that had been luck more than anything else- she didn’t fancy her chances at a repeat attempt, let alone with someone else’s life on the line.

“Got it.” The words slipped out almost by instinct, voice devoid of feeling as she followed along behind the taller Shinigami, spiritual senses focused on the Hollows. Despite her misgivings, she would go along with the man’s plan; he was a member of the Fifth after all, and combat, regardless of the type, was their area of expertise.

A few seconds passed as the pair ran through the street, their footfalls barely audible over the growing storm- if they were going to ambush the pack, it would have to be soon, before the rain robbed them of any visibility. Coming to a halt at the edge of the blast zone, Sofia turned around, Zanpakuto held at her side as she faced the oncoming pack, which wasn’t far off.

“Just one: you be the hammer.” Her was soft, tone cold and empty, but there was an edge to it the brook no argument- he was the one to come up with this plan, and he would be the one to ensure it succeeded. Even with her limited skills, Sofia was certain she could hold out against three of the beasts long enough for her partner to get behind them; she was weak, but it didn’t take much strength to survive. Just stubbornness. A moment passed as she waited for the man to respond, then it was gone and the Hollows were there, their roars piercing the night sky as the charged towards her, mouths open.

Time’s up.

---

WC: 345/1324

Deafening screams came over them like an advance party before the main force arrived. Just in time Kyojin ducked away under some large pieces of debris that formed an arch and got out of sight a mere fraction of a second before the Hollows reached their position.

Like she said, Sofia took position as the anvil. She drew the Hollows to her and in moments they were upon here.
While they passed Kyojin's position, he turned a corner.

"All-out attack..." He mumbled to his Zanpakuto. It began to tremble in his hand, joy about the oncoming battle, impatience. He turned another corner and had a free line of sight.
"...Gekido!"

With a roar Kyojin came out of his hiding and let the hammer fall. Blue fire covered his arm, ran down and over his sword. When it dissipated, the Katana hat transformed into a broadsword, large, grey, with a bastard grip and a snarling wolfshead as a pommel.
In one fluent and forceful motion he swung Gekido forward and fired a blue fireball. Whoever could follow fast enough could see the vague shape of a wolf in the fireball.

With a deep thunder, the fireball impacted in the mask of the nearest Hollow, destroying the mask and it in the process.
Without stopping he swung again, firing another fireball. But the first hit was a surprise attack. An ambush. Now the Hollows reacted fast. The next in line ducked away and avoided Kyojin's attack completely, a long, sleek creature with tentacle-like arms. One of these lashed at him. He jumped, avoided the tentacle that smashed into the ground. But almost instantly the second one hit him, sweeping him out of the air.

With a thud he impacted in the dust next to Sofia, tumbled a few times before he could get up to his knees. With a jump he was fully up again and sped to Sofias side. The sword in his hand burned bright in blue flames. Out of the corner of his eye he tried to determine how Sofia was holding up, without ever letting the Hollows out of his sight. He only managed to destroy one but then again it was a success. In this rashly devised ambush it was the best he could have hoped for. They'd deal with the other Hollows.

---

386

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And there they came, screaming and screeching, mouths wide open, fangs bare. One, the tentacled thing, came low, tearing open the ground where he touched it. The other one was winged, like some ancient dinosaur, and vanished into the low hanging clouds.

With loud screams the tentacled Hollow came crashing through some debris. It lashed out, threw some pieces of rock with surprising speed and forced the Shinigami to dodge. Dust boiled up and impeded their sight.
Kyojin saw the attack almost to late. In the last possible instant he brought his blade uo and blocked the tebtacle that would otherwise have slashed him in teo halves. But then he saw the next one. In one flowing motion Gekido arched back down and chopped the next tentacle clean off.

An angry scream came from the dustclouds. Eyes flashed. Without hesitation Kyojin seung his sword at these eyes and with a satisfying crack it cut deep through the lower side of the mask, just as the Hollow tried to take a bite out of that Shinigami. It reared up in pain. That gave Kyojin another opening. The blue flames wirled around the blade and with another swing a fiery wolf-shade sprang towards the Hollow and crushed the last remaining bits of his mask.

That was two. Where was the third?

There. A red light somwhere above the dust. Then suddenly an explosion, total chaos. Kyojin felt that he was pushed off his feet. Debris, dust, whole building oarts flee with him. In the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Sofia. Then just darkness.

---

265

Darkness. Darkness and pain. Those where the first impressions Kyojin had when he woke up. What in all nine worlds had happened?

Oh, yeah. It wasn't nine worlds. It was just three. And he wasn't an Einherjer, he was a Shinigami. And he had fought...Hollows! A cero!
With a sudden flash of memories he sat up. And regretted it imediately. Everything was hurting, felt like a bruise or worse, except his stomach. Must have deflected some blast with Gekido there. Gekido! Another thought flashed in his mind. His hands were empty. Gekido, where was it?

Meanwhile Kyojin's eyes had adapted to the dark environment. Sonething like a cave. And there was something shining, like polished metal. It was his Zanpakuto. It had reverted back to a Katana. So he really had been unconscious.

Further examination of his surroundings didn't reveal much. Right in front of him was rubble from a cave in, probably as a result from the Cero. Behind him was a passage that led down. Might have been a staircase, now it looked like a hilkside after a landslide. There wasn't anything around. Or anyone.

"Sofia?" Kyojin called. Nothing.

As he crawled through the passage, until he reached a point where he could stand, he called a few more times. Still no answer. But he could feel her spiritual pressure. So she was alive.

There was no other way to go but down. The air that came from there was damp, mouldy and surprisingly cool. With his sword in his right hand he began the descent into whatever might await him there. His whole body ached. If it was another Hollow it could prove to be a problem...

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