Bleach: Ascension of a New Generation

[zerohour]

As always, the ceremony had been amazing.

They had sat patiently, through the long speeches and time honored traditions, had participated in the regal procession and had even managed to maintain a calm faþade as they were each acknowledged in turn for their accomplishments, and layed the traditional black robes over their Academy uniforms.

Finally, they were no longer simple souls, or even trainees.

They were Shinigami.

As the last student returned the their seat. The head of the Academy launched into a final speech, though it was soon drowned out by the sounds of celebration. For several minutes, the Captains of the 13 DIvisions watched amusedly as their newest comrades celebrated their success, even as their former teachers tried to quell their excitement.

However, as it continued to drag on, even their patience began to wane, until finally, they had had enough.

Yamamoto pounded his staff against the stage, and despite the noise, it echoed throughout the courtyard, and slowly, the cacophony of muttering, congratulations, and laughter fell silent and the recently graduated Shinigami gave him their full attention..

ôAs you are all fully aware, you have all me the exacting standards of the Academy, and have proven your worth as warriors as Seireitei.ö

At this point, he paused, as several rowdy graduates began to cheer, and soon, the entire crowd was swept up in the celebratory mood. After several minutes passed, Yamamoto once again banged the stage to silence the youths.

ôHowever, despite your competence, we are unable to place you into Divisions suited to your abilities. Much of your education focused on mastering the basics of all the necessary skills.ö Yamamoto resumed ôAs such, you will be divided into squads, and deployed to the human world to further hone your skills. A seated officer from the 2nd division will be deployed to evaluate your skills, so you can be placed appropriately. However.ö He continued, eyes darkening, ôThis also serves to weed out those who are unfit for this position, so that only the elite will stand among the ranks of the 13 Divisions.ö

He allowed his words to sink in, and noted that several of the graduates looked nervous. It was a good sign. They were expected to lay their lives on the line for the sake of duty, and it would be best to destroy fear and doubt now.

As silence settled over the crowd, Hawk, Captain of the Second Division, stepped forward.

ôAmong your graduation papers, you will find an Academy location, as well as a short list of graduates. These are your meeting place and squad members respectively. You are expected to head there immediately after the end of the ceremony. You will be deployed to a section of the human world, and will be responsible for Hollow eradication within it. The length of your deployment is one year. While not engaged in hunting Hollows, you will disguise yourselves and blend in with the human population.ö Hawk proceeded, his tone emotionless and to the point.

ôAll individual squads will be given additional information regarding their assignment details by their overseer.ö His duties completed, Hawk focused his spiritual power, and used shunpo to return to his division.

As Hawk all but vanished, Yamamoto called out one final time, decisively ending the ceremony.

ôShinigami of Seireitei, you are dismissed!ö


--- --- --- --- ---

In one of the many rooms set aside for the newly formed squadrons, several shinigami glanced at each other uneasily. For several minutes, an uncomfortable filled the room, until one of them finally worked up the courage to speak.

As one, the remaining occupants turned, completely focused on the speaker.

 

[Eyesxofxzero]

"So...it seems like we're gonna be a team from now on, and for one year too..." said Sao as he stood up.

"As we were told those who are considered unfit at the end of the year will be will not be assigned to a Division, and I'm sure none of you wish for that to happen, so my suggestion is to make sure those who are falling behind can improve enough to pass the evaluation from the 2nd squad officer." continued Sao.

Everyone seemed much more serious about this now, and Sao saw the determination on all of their faces.

"This also means that we will need some kind of leader, at least until we are all able to act in coordination. I warn you though, i may be a good speaker but im not fit to be leader. This may be sudden but if anyone wishes to lead this group now would be the right time to speak up." Sao finished.

Some people looked aroud wondering if someone was going to raise his hand...

 

[decibels]

Yakumo sat in the corner on a chair with only two legs on the floor snoring slightly garnering sweatdrops from the rest of the squad. One of the members scowled slightly having known of Hideyoshi Yakumo's habits in the academy fom having had classes with him.

"Hey! Yakumo! Wakeup!" The irate Shinigami kicked Yakumo's chair hard sending him toppling to the ground.

*crunch*

"Ow! hey, what's the big idea! I don't want to lead the squad anyway so why'd ya have to wake me up?" Yakumo scowled slightly his azure hair in its ponytail behind him a complete mess from his fall as he attempted to fix it.

"Besides if you let someone simply volunteer who knows who we may end up with as a leader? I mean you could end up with someone who doesn't know the difference between a microwave and a television." Several Shinigami stared at him cluelessly.

"Um.... What's a microwave?"

"Hey! I know what a TV is! It's one of those boxes that shows moving pictures!" Yakumo who had finally managed to regain his balance on the chair with only two legs on the ground again promptly lost his balance again as he yet again met with the floor and several of those present winced.

"Ow! ow! ow! did NONE of you take the real world familiarization classes? sheesh"

"Yeah well the only reason you took them was because they were easier than the alternatives Yakumo!" Yakumo scowled looking over the entrance at one of the most hated faces he'd come to know at his time in the academy stepped into the room.

 

[Eyesxofxzero]

"Ah shit, look like this is gonna turn in a fight...oh well, not like it has anything to do with me...and what's a microwave too?" Sao thought as he went and sat in a corner of the room and tried to have a conversation with his zanpakto, which he was unable to do due to all the noise around him.

As he opened his eyes he saw someone come between Yakumo and his enemy, surprised by this action, Sao waited for what would happen next.

 

[Preventer Squall]

Ryota took a moment to adjust his glasses as as he moved in between Yakumo and the man he seemed to despise, sighing in irritation. "Can we focus on the here and now? I'm all for watching any sense of decorum to straight to hell, but how about we save it for after we get out of the tiny room?" He quirks an eyebrow, turning his head to look at the two and making his hair sway from the movement.

Personally, he didn't like the idea of taking leadership. Far too much hassle and too little chances to put their sword to use. But in this case, he figured he may as well try and bite the sword. "Well, unless anyone objects, I'm willing to aim for the position. At least until someone better at it decides that they want it more."

With that said, he reluctantly heads for the nearest wall and leans against it, crossing his arms and looking around. "I know afew of you from classes, but not well enough to know more then your name. How about we all speak up, and find out what skills we're best in. It'll help us come up with combat strategies later on.

"My name is Takahiro Ryota. My best skill is zanjutsu, and I'm more or less below average in everything but kido. I suck at kido." He almost sounds embarrassed at the last part, but it passes quickly. "Anyone else want to tell us about yourself?"

 

[Jizzle]

Step 1Blatantly taunt him.

"Yeah well the only reason you took them was because they were easier than the alternatives Yakumo!" Sachiko said as she calmly entered the room. Direct taunting was kind of silly, but the guy with the mysterious past was hardly going to let clues about said mystery slip if he wasn't pissed. Luckily, ticking off Yakumo was a surprisingly easy task that Sachiko had her fair share of practice at.

Step 2: Ignore his existence. And be cutesy, if possible.

"I'm sorry to be late. The library can be downright persnickety about returning books on time. So, did I miss anything important?" Sachiko's cheerful question would go tragically answered. Her proceeding as if she hadn't just five seconds ago taunted Yakumo was too much, apparently, and he got up off his chair and in her face.

Step 3: Feign polite, even amiable indifference, as if he was a new acquaintance, or maybe the friend of an acquaintance. If possible, obliquely reference that one hakuda match between you two where a lucky backfist nailed him in balls and he spent 5 minutes rolling around on the ground, whimpering. Being reminded of that particular loss really ticks him off and always makes him forget all the matches he actually won.

The chance for such a reference never came, as a fellow graduate came between them well before either side could even get warmed up. Sachiko politely listened to the man's speech, speaking up only after he finished.

"Position? I guess I really did miss something important, but given that we're a newly gathered group about to go do something really dangerous, I take it you mean becoming leader? I support that. It'll help us survive, and a guy willing to break up a fight is a good choice"

"My name is Katou Sachiko. I've worked really hard at Hakuda, so Yakumo here is probably the only one in this room better than me hand to hand. (Ha! that should throw him for a loop.) I'm not bad at kido, though I spent more time studying the theory then practicing casting. My swordsmanship, well, is not great and my flash step is frankly pathetic. However, I look forward to learning a lot from all of you, and I hope you'll be able to learn something from me too. I think that's enough of me yammering."

With that, Sachiko bowed and backed away slightly, patiently waiting for the next of her now comrades to introduce themselves.

 

[Kerrus]

Nicholas looked up from his seat in the corner, then lazily stood. Most of the people in the room were of japanese descent, and it weirded him out to be one of the few white people in the Academy.

"My name is Nicholas Grey. I used to be a chemistry student until I was killed in an explosion," he said, reciting his cover by writ. "My best skill is my swordsmanship, and as of last month I successfully achieved Shikai- tell you me it was grueling work."

"Looking for extra credit, Grey?" someone piped sarcastically. Nicholas ignored the jibe.

"Actually, more like I was mauled by a Hollow before I found my way to the Sereitai- I'll never be able to mold Reiatsu to perform Kido properly- hell, I can't even manifest my Zanpakuto unless it's in Shikai," Nicholas shot back. He frowned. "Swordsmanship is all I have, that and low level reiatsu manipulation. I can flash step, though not particularly well. Everything else is closed off to me."

Nicholas sighed, then moved to sit.

"Have you really achieved Shikai?" asked Sachiko quietly. Nicholas nodded, then, realizing her request, he focused. To the shinigami that surrounded him, it felt like he was gathering Reiatsu, and to a degree he was. Alchemic energy flowed through him as Nicholas synchronized his mind with the Kakugane that held his spirit in check.

Nicholas had trained for years with this Kakugane- no longer did he need to speak the words, for they echoed in his mind unbidden.

Buso Renkin, Radiant Arms!

Golden energy snapped and hissed, forming in a shatter-crack of light before Nicholas's outstretched hand.

"The blazing sunlight, the screaming night, Radiant Arms..." he said quietly. The light snapped and shattered, revealing the intricately crafted polearm of his soul. "This is Radiant Arms, my Blade."

 

[decibels]

Katou Sachiko, how Yakumo loathed that name. He'd met her in his first year at the academy and her bookish ways had clashed harshly with his almost leisurely approach to study. It infuriated her even further than no matter how little he studied he was still always in the top ten percent of the class.

"...so since you're our leader should be call you captain?" Even the voice grated on his ears.

Scowling in irritation at her need to have everything labeled sorted and thoroughly identified he spoke up before she was allowed to permanently damage them all with a stream of incomprehensible technobabble.

"Does it really matter what we call him? he's the leader so just call him leader." Sachiko almost growled and began to use one if her patented concrete melting glares before she caught herself and calmed down enough to think logically and create such a terrifying reply as to make his ears bleed.

She opened her mouth to make a scathing retort before she was cut off and Yakumo realized he had made a mistake. He now had the undivided attention of their leader. Takahiro Ryota was giving him a piercing look and almost felt as if his soul was being read.

"Since you seem to be in such a hurry to get over the technicalities why don't you introduce yourself to the rest of us that might not know who you are." Yakumo glared lazily at the small smirk directed his way by Sachiko and the muffled snickers in the room around him before replying.

"My name is Hideyoshi Yakumo my past likes and dislikes you have no need to know about. I excel at Hakuda and Zanjutsu and I placed third in the use of Hohou in the entire Academy's history with only Shihouin Yoruichi and Soi Fon having better final scores then me when they took their exams. I also know only the required Hadou and Kido to graduate." He took a breath and prepared for the next part of his introduction.

"My Zanpakuto is unreleased and I do not know its name." Sachiko practically pounced on this chance to humiliate him.

"Ho? that's not what I heard. There's rumors going around that you achieved Shikai during your final practical exam and I know something has to have changed considering you now have two zanpakuto's." There was scattered muttering and gasps around the room. a two sword Shikai was rare enough but to actually have to unreleased was almost unheard of. Yakumo's glare could have melted a hole all the way to the real world if there was a equal amount of reiatsu behind it.

"I see, so that's what that spike of reiatsu was. Interesting though I wouldn't think a Shikai would change that sealed form of a Zanpakuto. Nevertheless we need to know whether or not you have shikai so that in the future we know if we can rely on you to fight tougher opponents." Yakumo redirected a lesser glare of doom at their leader as well as a slight scowl.

"Fine, yes I have Shikai are you happy now?" Takahiro Ryota nodded in satisfaction.

"Yes very much so and while I am tempted to ask why your zanpakuto's sealed state changed I can see it is a personal matter so I will refrain from pushing about it." He redirected his stare at the rest of those present pushing his glasses back up on his nose.

"Now, who would like to go next. If no one volunteers I will start selecting people at random. Be warned, while I do not particularly like being the leader I WILL do my job and excercise my authority so do not think you can just slack off because it's 'just us students.'"

 

[Eyesxofxzero]

"Hehe, already getting in the role huh? Well it seems to fit you anyway so i think it's fine, however remember that this role's purpose is mostly to keep us organized during real battles."

Sao was once again standing up, with a grin on his face he went on with his introduction.

"I'm Sao Akira, my past is long and boring so theres no point talking about it for hours, to sum it up I fail so much at Zanjutsu that I'm asked to repass the Academy exam every year, thats also why most of you guys have never seen my face before. I excel at Kido and i use it in ways some of you guys could've never thought about, as for Hohou, i cant use Shumpo however i can run fast enough to keep up with a with a few steps from the average shinigami at our level. And finally im training towards becoming a Hakuda specialist, right now I'm only average though."

Taking to time to analyse what he could from people's reaction, he could tell that all they really wanted to know was wether or not he could use Shikai.

"What about your Zanpa..." began Sachiko only to be intterupted by Sao.

"Yeah I was getting to it, this is my Zanpakto...Follow my will, Nenten-Oomi!" shouted Sao.

He had only grabbed the handle of the sword before releasing it, and a mere second after it was already swirling around Sao smoothly, almost graciously, it finally stopped after having spinned around his arm for a few seconds.

"Well, i believe im done, next!"

 

[Jizzle]

"I placed third in the use of Hohou in the entire Academy's history..."

Sachiko had to bite back a snort. What a blowhard.

The thing that frustrated Sachiko was that Yakumo was a natural a Houhou, probably in the top 3% of academy graduates. But a genius the likes of which was seen once a century? No. If he was, he certainly wouldn't be in this room right now. He'd be bowing to Hawk-taichou and accepting a 20th seat, or perhaps a position to allow hands on training by a higher seated member to set him up for a rapid rise through the ranks in a couple of years.

Still, Sachiko doubted anyone (besides herself of course) had ever looked through old academy archives, so it was best to let things be.

These musings didn't prevent Sachiko from trapping Yakumo in a corner, forcing him to confirm her suspicions that he had achieved Shikai. Interesting.

As another teammate (Sao) also revealed an initial release, Sachiko's nose wrinkled in a (adorable) frown. Three people with shikai. Three. 5% of academy students achieved shikai by graduation. Maybe 7% if you allowed a generous estimate for students who got it but hid the accomplishment for some reason or another.

This group was hardly for geniuses. Geniuses got snatched up by one squad or another. There was all kinds of potential in this room, to be sure, but no geniuses. Yet at least a third of the group already had shikai. That was weird. Weird was good. Sachiko smiled. This was going to be interesting.

 

[Jinxyspellkeeper]

Tsubaki, having been ignored so far, stood up to introduce himself.

"My name is Morino Tsubaki. I like Bakudo and Hadou. Zanjutsu is my second best skill." his voice is quiet and from under the wide-brimmed straw hat it looks like only a mouth moving, his eyes hidden by the shadow. "I just barely passed hakuda, i can hardly shunpo beyond a few feet, and to be completely honest, i much prefer to study Kidou theory." as he listed off his weaknesses, he kept his unseen eyes on the supposed leader.

"I'm not going to be pretentious ans claim some kind of title for myself. I'm From Rukongai. i like to read, think, and gardening. My goal is to join the 10nth Division or the 12th Division. As for my Zanpakuto, i suppose i can tell you it's name. Releasing it would be pointless." He drew his sword and let the light dance over the vine-etchings on the blade. "This is Obake Mori. If you have any questions ask them directly." And with his introduction complete, he sat back down, listening and watching the reactions of the people around him.

He didn't really think very highly of the gorup he was supposedly going to be working with for the next year. The Hohou person was presumptuous, the others were either full of themselves or were too busy showing off their Shikai, and some were grating of each-others nerves as much as they were grating on his...

"This is gonna be a looooooooong year." he thought to himself.

 

[Preventer Squall]

Oh yeah. He was in for a fun time, especially with Yakumo and Sachiko sniping at one another. Ryota made a mental note to keep an eye on them, and break them up if needed. Of course, quite afew others had the need to feed their egos, not that he was intent on testing their words.

They'd find out how much their word was worth when they got to work.

So far, everyone seemed to run a wide range of skills and abilities. He had figured he wasn't the only one with shikai, but so many in one room? If ever he had put stock into something like coincidence...now wouldn't be one of them. "Seems like we've got quite the collection here. As for me, I don't have shikai yet. It'd be nice if I did, so I'm still working towards bringing it out in the near future.

"For the time being, I don't care if you call me captain, leader, or anything like that." he glanced over at Sao. "Just like you said, I'm just going to point us at what we're supposed to clobber." That actually gets a chuckle out of him, glancing at Grey. He'd never heard of abilities like his before, so he made a mental note to ask about that later on. It was like having an internal zanpakuto, which could be as convenient as it could be damning.

Speedsters and kido-users, along with a good share of swordsman and brawlers. And with so many with shikai, he simply knew the higher ups had put them together for a reason. But that was later to worry about.

"Anyone have a clue when we're gonna depart for the human world?"

 

[daniel_gudman]

"We're going to need at least one more briefing before deployment, since we don't actually know where we're going yet, right?" Komono stood up from where he had been sitting in the corner. "Probably the one giving that briefing will be the second division officer who's going to be evaluating us."

Komono paused, and then realized something. "Oh! My name's Itou Komono. I floated right below the 60th percentile in everything, so my goal is to be an all-rounder type. I like Hado and Kido, but unlike Sao I focus more on application then theory. My flash step is almost as long as Yakumos, but it's predictable and slow. Well, for flash step."

"As for zanpakuto..." Komono grimaced as he pulled his sheathed sword, a wakazashi, halfway out of his belt and slid it back. "It's named Bodou Hagane and it's gonna be a while before I get to shikai." Komono shrugged. "My zanjutsu and hakuda are pretty average."

Komono sighed. "Listen, guys... is anyone else getting a bad vibe about this mission?"

 

[zerohour]

ôThat's to be expected.ö A new voiced filled the room, causing the rookies to flinch in surprise.

ôWho the hell are you?ö

ôWho I am is not important. What matters is that I have your final orders for your deployment.ö the covered figure responded.

ôAs for your 'bad vibe',ö it countered, turning to face Komono, ôIt is to be expected that you would be nervous about your first real assignment, wouldn't you say?ö

He didn't reply, merely grunting in assent.

ôAs for the details of your assignment, you'll find them here.ö he continued, tossing a packet to the designated leader,ôTo touch on the key point, you have been deployed to Karakura Town for the purpose of neutralizing any threats relating to spiritual forces. Your handler, who will relay all missions to you, will meet you there upon arrival, and will fill you in on the specifics. Now if you'll follow me...ö

Leaving the room at brisk pace, they had no choice but to follow him. As they jogged down the many corridors of the Academy, some of them harried him with questions, only to be ignored. Within a few short minutes, they had arrived at the primary departure point.

ôUnfortunately, due to Azer's unique spiritual signature, he does not read as a shinigami, and as such, your team will have to take a less.. orthodox path to reach the human realm.ö

ôAnd what does that mean?!ö one of them asked as the gate between worlds opened.

Beneath his coverings, their escort smirked, ôRun fast,ö and with that final comment, he gave them a slight push, and they fell into thew gaping abyss. Almost immediately, he took off to continue his duties, pausing only to ensure that the gate had fully closed.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

ôGOD DAMN IT!!!ö

That was the thought in everyone's head as they sprinted through the metaphysical passage, barely ahead of the collapsing walls. Aside from that unifying thought, there was a surprising variety of thoughts, ranging from a strange acceptance of the inevitable, to promises to change if they survived, and not a few stray thoughts about killing the cause of their current predicament.

These thoughts persisted throughout their entire journey.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Wi1th an unceremonious ôpoof,ö a small portal opened up and the shinigami stampeded through, trying to avoid being trapped inside of an extra-dimension space for all of eternity. The instant their feet touched solid ground, they collapsed from a combination of relief and exhaustion/

ôAzer, from now on, you're going by yourself...ö someone panted.

ôScrew...you...ö he gasped, struggling to his feet.

ôAh, it seems they've finally arrived.ö Immediately, the wary recruits spun to face the speaker, only to be stunned at his appearance. Rather than the strong and commanding shinigami they had expected, they were faced with an unshaven, goofy looking shopkeeper.

ôKisuke Urahara, at your service.ö

ô...you're our handler?ö one of them managed to ask, hoping against hop that this was a horrible, horrible joke.

ôNot only am I your handler, but I'll also be the supplier of your equipment, though I have to tell you, this quality craftsmanship won't be cheap!ö he laughed, waving his fan dramatically.

There was a collective sigh of disappointment, as the new shinigami resigned themselves to their fate.

ôWell, your gigai's are in the other room. I'll fill you in on all the little details while you get set.ö

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

ôAs you were already told, I'll be your handler. That means that I'll be the go between for you and the higher ups in Soul Society. What that means is I'll give you your missions, distribute your paychecks and bounties, relay reports, and all sorts of other boring things. Once in a while, I might have a job for you to do for me.ö

ôSounds about right to me.ö Yakumo responded, experimentally flexing his new body's hands. An attempted backflip resulted in an awkward yelp as he crashed to the ground. ôSeems a little weak to me...ö

ôThe goal of a gigai is realism, not power. We can't have you blowing your cover now, can we?ö Urahara chuckled, ôbesides, you'll do almost all of your fighting in your shinigami form.ö

ôI guess...ö he muttered, still uncomfortable at how weak he was.

ôDon't worry, you'll get used to it soon enough. Anyways, the gigai are completely identical to your spiritual forms, aside from the obvious lack of power.ö

Urahara snatched the envelope hanging from Ryota's hands, ignoring his protests at the theft, ôInside of the files you were given are your human profiles. It's meant to be fairly similar to your actual life, but I'd still recommend reviewing it before you start wandering around.ö

ôThat's the gist of your job, and I think you should settle in before ö

ôSettle in?ö

ôYep. I managed to get a place for you to stay, since I really can't make room for you here in the shop.ö

ôAnd just where is it?ö

ôThe first week has already been taken care of but you'll need to get jobs unless you want to live on the streets. I've got a couple of prospects, but there are plenty of other opportunities around town. As for when you'll be staying, I'm expecting a messenger about that to arrive at any moment.ö Urhara cackled knowingly, just as the doorbell rang.

ôWell, speak of the devil...ö

ôExcuse me, Mr. Urahara? My mom said that you had some people who needed a place to stay?ö a young girl with light brown hair asked, adorably uncertain about her intrusion.

ôAh, Yuzu-chan! That's right, they were just finishing up with some things that needed to be dealt with. They're all yours now!ö

ôWait, what?ö

ôHello, I'm Yuzu Kurosaki, and I thank you for choosing the Kurosaki Inn!ö the newly named Yuzu bowed in appreciated, further bewildering the unfortunates. Their confusion persisted, even as the young girl escorted them out of the shop.

ôHm... I can't help but feel I'm forgetting something...ö Kisuke muttered to himself as he waved at the departing group. ôOh well, I'm sure it's nothing important!ö

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

For their part, most of the shinigami were too busy adjusting to the rapidly changing scenario to ask Yuzu any questions. Those that did were told to ask her mother, Misaki, once they arrived at the inn. Fortunately, the inn was only a few blocks away from the shop, so their questions wouldn't have to wait long.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

ôHello, and welcome to the Kurosaki Inn!ö a melodious voice greeted them as they entered, emanating from a beautiful woman behind the desk. ôWe've been expecting you. Here are your room keys, and your things have already been delivered. Once you get settled, feel free to enjoy the artificial hot springs on the top floor, or come visit me in the main hall if you have any questions!ö

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

ôOh, NOW I remember!ö Kisuke exclaimed, slamming fist into palm as he finally solved the naggig mystery. ôSoul Candy! I forgot to give it to them! I'd better go dig them up before a Hollow shows up and slaughters them.ö

Sighing to himself, Urahara reluctantly dug through his wares, searching for the elusive product.

ôCan I help you sir?ö

ôNo, I've got it now. But now that you mention it...ö

ôSir?ö

ôWould you mind taking this to the Kurosaki Inn and giving it to the shinigami? I know it's a little sooner than I planned, but you have to introduce yourself to them anyways.ö

ô...of course sir, not a problem.ö

 

[GenocideHeart]

Fwhump-thwok.

Fwhump-thwok.

Fwhump-krnnng.

"...tch. I need to focus."

The woman who had spoken those words lowered the firearm which had been causing the noises in the soundproofed room, frowning. She appeared to be a Caucasian female in her mid-twenties, at least six feet tall and with piercing grey eyes. Her dark brown hair were cut short and rather messy, but she didn't appear to care.

The woman's name was Cressida, and her human looks were deceiving indeed, for she was something that should never have been alive in the first place. Her body had been born soulless, twenty-six years before, and the mother had died in childbirth. That was when Kisuke Urahara had come in, giving in to an impulse and inserting an experimental mod soul designed for long-range combat in the empty shell of flesh.

The experiment had been a success - as Cressida's existence proved. Perhaps even a little TOO much of a success, as the experimental mod soul turned out to have a strong attachment to the body it occupied - a mistake in its creation, apparently - and thus, it ended up having to 'grow up' like any other human.

Fortunately, Urahara had been inclined to see his experiment through to the end. Although, his child-rearing abilities left a lot to be desired, according to other people who knew him...

Cressida sighed as she straightened up, shouldering the huge rifle she had been shooting with as she looked upwards. She had felt a number of Shinigami appear inside Urahara's home - her home - and while her distaste for the category prevented her from caring about them beyond a strictly professional level, there was one Shinigami in this new batch who felt... off... and who made her curious.

She rarely felt curiosity. She believed it caused nothing but trouble. But this one... intrigued her.

Cressida waited until the newcomer Shinigami had vacated the premises before leaving the shooting range, busying herself with performing maintenance on her rifle. Due to her... peculiar nature, she was incapable of performing even the most basic Shinigami feats, but her incredible skill at long-range fighting and Urahara's hardware supporting it made her a valuable ally for newcomers to the human world. And while she had little love for most Shinigami, she was also very professional, and never questioned Urahara's orders, whether she liked them or not.

As she made her way upstairs, she noticed the sandal-wearing Shinigami rummaging through his merchandise, and raised an eyebrow. She had been living with the eccentric genius long enough to know that, as competent as he was, he also tended to be a bit forgetful where details were concerned, and correctly guessed he had forgotten to supply the newcomers with something. Clearing her throat, she made her presence known.

ôCan I help you, sir?ö she inquired, causing the man to turn towards her.

ôNo, I've got it now," the former Captain replied, then his expression lightened up. "But now that you mention it...ö

ôSir?ö

ôWould you mind taking this to the Kurosaki Inn and giving it to the shinigami? I know it's a little sooner than I planned, but you have to introduce yourself to them anyways.ö

ô...of course sir, not a problem,ö she nodded. While she wasn't enthusiastic about meeting the new Shinigami so soon, it had to be done sooner or later, and this was as good a chance as any to investigate the oddity she picked up earlier.

As she moved to leave, Urahara called her back.

"By the way, you may want to pack heat. There are a few stray Hollows in the area, and you never know..."

"Of course, sir. You know my motto. 'Hope for the best, but plan for the worst'. Although, the worst case scenario in this situation would be more than a little unpleasant for the newcomers..."

"I didn't know you cared about Shinigami, Cressida-chan. Has your icy heart finally melted?" Urahara teased her. Her stony gaze made it clear she found the joke unamusing.

"One of them feels... strange, sir," she replied coolly. "It piqued my curiosity. That is all."

Without another word, the woman turned on her heels, smoothly grabbed her rifle and left Urahara's shop, darting away in the evening and carefully avoiding being spotted. The Shinigami behind her stared at the spot she had been standing in, nonplussed.

"Cressida... curious? About a Shinigami, even?" he muttered. "Now that's something I never thought I'd live to see..."

 

[Preventer Squall]

Well, today was turning out less and less amusing.

Especially after the rather harrowing sprint just to get into the human world! ~Note to self: Invest time in shunpo training. Lots of it~ Ryota thought to himself, looking at the pamphlet that he had been given before getting booted out of Soul Society.

But their 'handler' seemed a pretty nice guy. Wierd as as a cockroach, but he knew his shtick well enough to at least give the unintentional leader some comfort. "I'd appreciate it if you could send us a map of the town, Urahara-san, and perhaps a list of where these prospective employment places are. The less we have to run around like utter idiots, the sooner we can start establishing patrols and get ourselves familiarized with the scenery." Takahiro tried to keep as polite as he could, considering they were the new kids on the block.

And who knew? Maybe if he was nice enough, he could get a discount!

He took a moment to look at his new body, noting how strange and colorful the clothes were. But since everyone seemed to have similar clothes, he was fairly certain this was the style needed to help keep them incognito. Unless Urahara was some kind of deviant that liked making them look like clowns, which wasn't something he could rule out just yet.

~Second note to self: Make inquiries about our handler. I'd like to know who I'm dealing with~ He thought to himself before turned his attention to the woman that was apparently their escort. "Umm..hello Kurosaki-san." Was all Ryota could muster out on short notice, quickly bowing in kind before following her out of the shop.

He knew there was something he wanted to ask their new Keeper about, but couldn't remember what it was for the life of him...Oh well. It couldn't have been that important, and could probably wait until the get to the Inn.

 

[~NGD OMEGA~]

The door rang with a soft jingle as Kokuen opened it with his bandaged hand, carefully balancing the pile of items he was carrying with the other. The girl behind the counter looked up from the television hanging off the wall to glance at him calmly for a moment before turning back to the commercials.

ôWhat took you so long?ö She asked while barely following the advertisement for the museum's new medieval exhibit playing on the screen. ôHisao was expecting that stuff a while ago.ö

ôSorry.ö Came his soft reply, as he walked to the back of the store in order to store away his load.

She glanced back at him as he began to open the door to the storage room, a slightly worried expression playing on her face. ôYou run into trouble?ö

A few loud thumps came from the back, and after a few moments later Kokuen opened the door and grabbed his work vest from a hanger. It took him a few moments of fumbling with the buttons before he actually responded to the question. ôNot really.ö

The girl sighed and turned her head back to the television, now showing an advertisement on the new clothing store that had opened not to far from the area. Unlike other girls she had no interest in such things, and thus pretty much ignored all the styles modeled by the mannequins and various actors that played on the screen, still waiting for whatever show she'd been watching to come back on.

Kokuen glanced at the television for a moment before he began to look for the manager. Not finding him in the immediate area, he figured he must have been in his room above the store. Moving past the shelves filled with various merchandise, he headed for the door to the stairway. Upon trying to open it, he discovered the old man had locked it behind him. He stared at the door with an emotionless expression for a brief moment, before turning back to the front of the store.

ôShinken-ö He started as he walked up to her, only to have her hand suddenly thrown up in front of his face.

ôI've told you before, it's Katsumi.ö She said, not even bothering to look away from the TV now that her show had come back on. He recognized it as a show filmed somewhere in the area, using animal puppets as a majority of the characters. He didn't really remember the name, but he did recall that it was supposed to be a show for little kids. Not that he cared much about her choice of shows. Given how late it was there likely wasn't anything else on.

Pulling his eyes away from the television, he tried to ask his question again. ôDid Ojii-san have anything left for me to do before my shift ends?ö

She turned to him for a moment to consider whether or not to answer him. ôHe did want that sign for the next festival put up on the third shelf, but I was going to have Yuu do it.ö

ôIt's alright, I got it.ö Considering Shinkyo was the only person who worked the night shift at the shop, it would have been smarter to have done it before hand. Granted a lot fewer people came then and he didn't really have much to do, but it was better than making a customer wait if they came in while he was putting it up.

He walked into the back of the store again, and grabbed the ladder leaned up against the back of the wall. Carefully leading it back to the front of the store, he set it up on the left side of the shelf he'd been told to put the sign on. It took him a few moments to locate the sign in question, but Shinken took that moment to point downwards behind the counter while her eyes were still fixed on the TV. Quickly grabbing it while causing as little a disturbance to her entertainment as possible, he brought it back over to the third shelf and began to bring it up the ladder. Prepared to get the task over and done with so he could go home a tad earlier than normal, he climbed up over the last rung, and looked up over at the top of the shelf.

He found himself face to face with a ghost.

He paused for a moment after he saw it. She, he corrected himself. A rather young girl, couldn't have been much older than he was really. He quickly turned back to his task, forcing himself to ignore it. Her. He had no business with that realm anymore.

However it seemed his pause was noticed. The ghost's previously dead eyes seemed to perk up for a brief instant. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed it, her, looking at him intensely. He steadily grew more nervous as the ghost's face came closer to him, as if trying to get a better look at him. He fumbled a little with the sign as he started to set it up on the top of the shelf. No matter how much he continued to ignore the ghost's presence, it, she, continued to stare at him. Still fumbling with the sign for a few additional moments, trying to deter any further interest from growing, he tried to set it up just right.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the ghost open it's, her, mouth, preparing to speak to him.

Just before she said anything however, Shinken's face popped up over the opposite side of the shelf. ôHey, stop spacing out. What's taking so long?ö

Startled, Kokuen jumped back, which turned out to be a really bad idea on top of a ladder. The back of his head crashed against the top of the counter behind him as both he and the ladder were flung away from the third shelf. After the impact he lost his grip and fell to the floor, which while not that high didn't do anything to lessen the amount of pain throbbing in his skull.

To add insult to injury, he heard a rather nasty crash as the shelf he'd rammed his head into tipped over and began to lean against the shelf connected to the wall, all the items on the other side falling off. He was semi relieved when he didn't hear any additional crashes after that, so whatever was on that side likely didn't break. However the still standing ladder which had remained upright after he'd fallen off took that moment to decide which direction to fall. Which just so happened to be the one that landed it on top of the still throbbing head he was cradling.

It was of course at that moment Shinken decided to speak again. ôWell... that looked like it hurt.ö

Tossing the ladder off him, still clutching his head painfully he asked the question that concerned him the most at the moment. ôWhat was on that shelf?ö

Still on top of the shelf herself, standing on one of the platforms containing merchandise, she thought thought it over for a moment. ôWell the side you rammed into had the glassware, but the other side had the stuffed animals. It should be fine.ö

Well, at least nothing was coming out of his paycheck.

When he found he could open his eyes without his skull throbbing in any more pain, he saw the hand Shinken extended out to him to help him up. Ignoring it, he looked at the mess he caused and winced. So much for leaving early. Getting up himself he prepared to tilt the shelf back over.

ôHey, be careful with that. You mess with the glassware on the side and you'll be paying off the old man for weeks.ö He glanced at her for a moment, waiting for her to continue. ôYou take the left side, I'll get this one.ö She said, pointing to the side currently leaning against the wall.

Prepared to take the more difficult part, he walked behind the leaning shelf, stepping over the fallen animals along the way. He accidentally stepped on a rather poorly made stuff lion, but got into place. He gripped one of the platforms tightly with both hands, preparing to push on his side. Just barely, he perceived the ghost that had been watching him earlier float behind him. Forcing himself to continue ignoring it's, her, presence, he waited for Shinken to say something.

ôAlright, start pushing.ö She said, and the noise that followed seemed to indicate that she had a good grip on the other side of the shelf.

It wasn't until they managed to lift the shelf up off the wall and begin leaning it back into place that the ghost spoke.

ôCan you see me?ö It was a simple enough question, but the implications were severe. He could feel the fearful hope in the ghost's voice. Perhaps she had died alone and wasn't even aware she was dead, only to find that no one could see her at all. A person who didn't understand her situation left to wander the world unnoticed by anyone around her and not realizing why. He knew this feeling. Not perfectly, having experienced a great kindness from the manager who allowed him to work at his shop, but enough so that he could understand in some small way just how it felt. However it was not his place to mess with that realm anymore, so he forced himself continue to ignore the ghost's presence.

They had lifted the shelf about halfway into place when the ghost spoke again, despair apparent in her voice, calling out softer this time. ôCan you see me?ö His hands started to grip the shelf even harder after the second time the ghost asked the question. He forced himself to remember why he did this. Immediately he remembered the looks on Meiun's family as they attended the funeral of his elder brother, the fact that the two of them had never been on speaking terms again, and the fact that no matter what he did, he would never be able to make it up to them. Glancing to the side a little, he saw the arm still encased in bandages ever since, a constant reminder to him self of what happened. He had no business ever messing in the world of spirits again. As he turned his head forward again and continued to focus on lifting the shelf, he didn't notice the bandages on his left arm turn black while he continued to ignore the ghost.

ôCan you see me?!ö

There was a violent snap as the part of the shelf gripped in his now blackened left hand broke apart. Immediately, he lost balance and fell to the ground while the shelf again fell against the wall with a resounding crash, this time sliding further down the shelf leaned against the wall, tipping the top platform forwards, and causing a few bundles of duct tap to fall to the floor. There was some violent cursing on Shinken's side, as the startled ghost didn't make any motion as Kokuen slowly turned himself towards her. However he continued to ignore her, even as he saw the tears begin to form in the corner of his eye. Trying to find anything else to look at, he glanced at his arm. He'd thought he'd seen black bandages surround it before he fell, but only saw his regular white bandages. Continuing to ignore the ghost behind him, he prepared to get up before Shinken got any madder.

ôKokuen, what the hell happened?!ö

He took a moment to respond as he got up and prepared to push again. ôSorry, Shinken-san.ö

The voice this time was softer, but no less annoyed. ôKatsumi.ö She said, in a no nonsense kind of way. She paused for a moment before speaking again. ôYou alright?ö

He glanced at his left arm, having thought to have seen the bandages change color for a moment before he fell, but saw nothing but white. The ghost behind him gave a small, choked sob.

There was a brief instant of calmness in the room, before everything was consumed in fire. He could only watch everything around him begin to burn. His family, his home, moving on to his neighbors, and even burning away at Taiyou, the one who'd sworn to protect him. Everything around him was quickly consumed in the ever burning flames.

His fist tightened for a moment, and he suddenly found it much easier to ignore the sounds the ghost made behind him. He paused a moment longer before answering the question.

ôYeah.ö He released his fist and relaxed his body a bit more, before gripping a new spot on the shelf. ôEverything's fine.ö

~*~

The cleanup had proceeded quickly, but he still hadn't been able to leave as early as he'd wanted. All the fallen stuffed animals had been placed back on the shelf, largely by him, and the broken platform had been repaired with duct tape. Closing the door to the shop behind him after giving a bored wave goodbye to Shinken, who had immediately returned to the TV, he prepared for the long path home in the middle of the night. He was perfectly aware of the ghost following him, however at this point he found it much easier to ignore. He had no place in the spirit world. This was the path he'd chosen, and this was where he'd stay.

A brief tremor ran down his spine as he felt another pair of eyes follow him. The ghost floating behind him reacted as well, turning it's fearful eyes to a dark alley in front of them.

If he'd realized at that moment just how quickly all his wishes to remain separate from the spirit world that would have become nothing more than a pleasant dream, he probably would have stayed in the shop and continued on to the night shift. Even if Shinken was there, it would have been much better than anything related to life or death. As things currently stood, he was about to get a rather rude awakening to just what he was dealing with.

 

[zerohour]

As night fell, Twinfang cackled darkly to himself. It had been such a long time since he had last eaten, and the unceasing hunger had grown from a dull ache to a blazing fire. Now, he would feast upon the helpless souls before him.

Once again, he thanked whatever dark powers watched over him for his heightened senses. The sudden appearance of over a dozen shinigami was something to be noted, but nothing to be concerned about. Twinfang departed, making sure to give the auras a wide berth. The was something similar on the other side of town, and a lone spiritually charged soul was worth a dozen weak ones.

 

[~NGD OMEGA~]

Kokuen felt sweat dripping down his neck as the two pairs of eyes stared at him. It couldn't be possible, something like that should not exist. The ghost behind him was frozen in fear, staring at the monstrous form before her with wide eyes. Desperately he tried to act natural as he continued walking forward. Something like this could only be a part of the spirit world if no one found out about this kind of thing by now. If he didn't show any signs of seeing it, he was sure that he could pass it by without any trouble. Slowly he walked past the alley the monster was in, attempting to ignore its eyes watching him. It seemed it would work, just a few more steps and he would be past the thing.

Just as he was about to pass it completely, the Ghost suddenly let out a shrill scream.

Alarmed but still focused, Kokuen kept his pace, showing no reaction to the giant monster. However he felt its eyes turn of him and turn to her as it charge out of the alley. The ghost let out another scream as she turned to move, trying to avoid the twin jaws of the beast. However its tail struck out at her, causing her to fall to the ground just as its jaws were about to enclose around her. Closing her eyes in fear at her last moments, the ghost screamed a final time. Just then an enormous clang was heard as the creature paused.

Both heads of the monstrous two headed snake settled onto Kokuen as both heads gave a monstrous grin. Stunned, Kokuen looked down in confusion at his now blackened hand. He'd moved without realizing it when he'd thrown the trash bin at the monster. He'd had the chance to escape, but now there was no way the creature would let him go. Sweat continued to poor down his neck as he glanced at the black hand again. Focusing hard, he forced the bandages back into their white state. He had no idea what this particular ability was, but he knew that he wasn't relying on that ever again. Even if he could win against the thing with it, the consequences would be dire.

Two tongues slipped into the night air as the tail lifted off the ghost. Slowly the creature shifted it's body around in the open street. Both heads glared at him as they stood at a standstill, neither daring to move. Finally after glaring at him for a few moments, the monster suddenly lunged.

Ducking into the alley the creature had come from at the last moment, Kokuen avoided the attack as he set off at the quickest pace he could manage. The ghost would run away while the thing chased him, so all he focused on was getting away himself. What he needed was an alley small enough for a human that it couldn't get into, but despite living in the area for a while, none immediately came to mind. Turning left at the next immediate turn, he kept moving as fast as he could while trying to figure out how to get away.

Suddenly realizing something in the middle of his run, Kokuen paused and turned around. He saw nothing but the empty alley. Did it give up? Looking behind him, he did not notice the massive tail swinging at him for a strike from above.

The bandages had hardened around his arm once again at the last instant, but even that couldn't save him from the force of the blow. He was flung out of the alley to the open street, ramming straight into the brick wall of a grocery store. Coughing slightly as his arm throbbed from the sheer force of the blow, he willed his body to move. Glancing upwards, he saw the creature slither across the rooftops as it charged forwards at him. His legs started to move forwards across the main street as he picked up speed, and he set off at a run again.

No longer paying attention to where he was going, he took turns at random while avoiding the lunges of the two headed snake pursuing him. All the while he continued to try and revert his arm back into the normal state, only to find it much harder than his previous try. Slowly he felt it, the power starting to converge and shape around his arm. Desperately he did everything in his power to stop that from happening. He'd never let something like that happen ever again. Looking up for a brief moment for a small alley to run to, he almost didn't notice yet another lunge of the snake towards him. Reacting instantly, he quickly ducked under it, the sharp scales of the snake grazing over his back as the twin jaws missed him.

The snake crashed into a condemned building, bringing the entire thing down on top of it. Still gripping his hardened arm, Kokuen tried to peer into the debris kicked up when the structure fell, trying to determine if the two headed snake had been killed or not. Moving closer to get a better look, he didn't realize his mistake until the massive tail swung out randomly from the dust cloud and struck him hard on his left left arm and flung him all the way down the street.

The pain from the strike sent him reeling, completely making him lose what little control he had gained over his left arm. Black smoke started to release from the bandages surrounding it, as the bandages themselves began to loosen and grow in size around his arm while he was still flying back from the impact of the blow. The half transformed arm slammed hard into the side of a building and reduced the full force of the collision, and Kokuen was forced straight through the wall, landing inside.

Disoriented, Kokuen tried to get a bearing on his surroundings, wincing in pain on top of the shelf of boxes he'd landed on while gripping his left arm tightly. Glancing around he realized that he'd been flung into some kind of storage room, boxes pilled high and sent on various shelves save the ones he'd rammed into when he'd been thrown in. Looking over several broken boxes and the dust that had been thrown up into the air of the dark room, he tried to figure out just how much damage he'd caused. It didn't look all that bad, everything considered.

Leaning against his left side as he tried to pull himself up out of the boxes, he heard a nasty crack followed closely by several taps afterwards. Turning to get a look, he noted that his elbow had cracked some kind of pill dispenser in half, and the pills had fallen out of the thing. Glancing at the new distorted and misshapen state of his arm he forced it to revert back once again. The previously loosened bandages tightened around his arm as it reverted back to the initial black state, the smoke released from them disappearing completely. Before he could revert it back to the white state, he began to hear noises. Someone's coming...

Not wanting to explain the mess, Kokuen gingerly removed himself from the now crushed boxes and steadily moved towards the hole he'd made when he'd been thrown in by the snakes tail. Peering cautiously outside, he looked around to find the snake missing. Suspicious still, he crawled out of the hole before the owner barged into the store, and then set off once again at a run. If he was lucky, he'd lost the thing, either way he wasn't getting yelled at by some pissed off store owner.

Glancing around himself as he continued to run down various streets, he still saw no sign of the monster. He wondered briefly if it had given up, or if it perhaps was afraid of the particular area for some reason. Turning into another street, he also wondered if it had died when the building fell and the tail strike had only been its dying attack. Slowing his pace to a walk, he decided to head back home and hope for the best. Trying to get a bearing of where he was and realizing that he was roughly right next to the museum, he prepared himself for the walk to his apartment.

The only warning he had was the deep hiss that pierced the silent night before the two headed snake lunged off the top of the building in front of him at the end of the street. Looking up in alarm, he watched as the creature rushed towards him. Struck by a sudden idea, he ran back quickly positioning himself just right as he watched as it twisted in the air, only to ram straight into the electric wires before violently hitting the ground. Electricity sparked out of the monster's body as it began to writhe on the ground in pain. Reacting quickly Kokuen turned away and ran while it was still occupied. The lights of the nearby buildings started to flicker off until finally they all simply cut off suddenly. Still running he didn't realize the danger until he turned past another building again and felt the sudden pulse of energy tear through the area. Feeling the pulse move through his body yet remaining unharmed, he turned around the building to get a look at what happened.

The two headed monster stared at him for a moment, rage apparent in it's eyes as one of the heads suddenly turned upwards, mouth open. The head launched forwards suddenly, sending a stream of something right at him. Leaping back he watched as whatever it was hit the ground and then begin to eat away at it. Acid?

The monster charged again as the other head this time prepared to attack him. Getting up, he suddenly noticed the hole made by the acid led to a tunnel. Putting his last hope that the creature wouldn't have been able to follow him down there, he jumped through it just as the second stream fired at him, missing him completely and hitting the building behind him.

Briefly taking note of the place as an underground parking lot, Kokuen ran forward quickly towards the nearest door. Rushing through it, he slammed it behind himself as he continued to run. Rushing through room after room in the dark building, leaping up a set of stairs and continuing forwards again, he finally relaxed against a pillar in another dark room. Relaxing against it and trying to catch his breath, he desperately hoped that the creature wouldn't be able to follow him here. Thinking it over, even if it did force its way through the hallways, it would be hard put to find him here. Then again, quite a few animals did not hunt on sight alone.

Looking around himself, he realized he was next to the new Medieval exhibit of the museum. Suits of armor were decorated across the hallway bearing quite a few different designs, and even a few for women as well, each standing along the walls and granting passage to the exhibit itself. Wondering briefly just how much trouble he would get into for breaking in here and why the alarms hadn't sounded yet, his left arm suddenly pulsed again. Gripping it tightly just as the bandages began to loosen and smoke started to rise from it, he forced it to revert back. Slowly, it settled back into its black state. Looking at the blackened hand, slightly thickened from it's usual state, and the sharp claws the tips of his fingers had become, he was about to force the bandages to turn white again when he heard the small clatter.

Looking down he saw a red pill resting on the floor. Thinking back to the shop, he wondered briefly if his bandages had wrapped around the little thing when it fell out of the pill dispenser. Picking it up and looking over it, he found nothing out of the ordinary with it. However he suddenly felt the glare of the monster in the back of his head again. Turning, he barely had enough time to register that the tail was flying towards him before he was slammed into the wall. The pill went flying, and quite a few suits of armor were crushed by the thing's massive tail, creating a huge clamor of noise.

Knowing what would come next, Kokuen lunged forward before the acid stream could hit him, watching as it ate through the suits of armor it hit, leaving nothing left. He felt the things tail come towards him again, and this time ducked under it. After it passed over him, he charged right towards the snake, hoping to get by it while it was still in mid swing and allow him to escape.

However one of the heads saw the motion and slammed into him hard. He was flung back yet again and then crushed into the wall when the thing's tail came by for another swing. The air was knocked out of him, and he started to feel his consciousness slipping. The tail continued to press against his chest, keeping him pinned against the wall. His arm pulsed once again, and he only barely managed to keep it restrained. Briefly he wondered over the point. He was going to die. One of the heads leaned forwards as if to take a bite out of him, only to avoid the nipping of the second one. Great... now they're fighting over who gets to kill me...

Just as both heads leaned forwards towards him, they both suddenly paused as a loud clatter sounded from the corner. They both turned to look at the source of the noise, a dark grin taking shape on both their faces. It seemed there was no reason for them to fight over which one got to eat tonight.

 

[troutpeoples]

Machigau groaned, voice coming out strained and wavery. Where the hell was he? And why couldn't he move? Shit! All he could see was darkness. No people, no bricks, no machines, nothing. But he could hear. Thumping. Crashing.

Oh, god!

The twelth!

"Don't tell me those bastards found me!" he rasped, straining against whatever bonds held him upright. A cry of pain. He stopped. Listening. Not too far away, the sounds of a fight. He grinned inwardly. A fight! If he was were he thought he was, then he couldn't wait to get out of here! Bust some heads! Fry a few old buddies, for old time's sake! Those bastards would have been better off leaving him be!

A low hiss sounded from his left.

Still can't move! Shit! One of Kurotsuchi's experiments got loose!

A large, snakey face came into view. It was huge. A huge, pale, bloody snake. No. That's not a snake.....

"Hollow....." So he was still on Earth. That was good news. They hadn't reached him. Good.

Acid dripped from its maw, sizzling on the ground. It drew back, staring at him, as if confused.

So if I'm on Earth......where am I? And what body am I in? A loud creak sounded as he moved. Slowly, his neck turned to the right. The Hollow jerked back.

Armor. Rows and rows of it, propped up.

So, either a museum, or some rich bastard's place. Judging by the expansiveness of this place, my vote goes for-

"-museum," he muttered, voice stronger. He moved again, taking a step off the stand. The Hollow promptly charged. A clever disguise for a meal to hide in! But all for nothing! With a shriek, it shot forward, mouth open, acid flying.

 

[~NGD OMEGA~]

As Kokuen's vision started to fade, his mind recognized the sounds of someone else being there, about to be attacked by the monster that had been plaguing him all night. Somehow he forced himself awake and charged after the thing. His arm pulsed once more and this time instead of suppressing it, he let it loose.

The suit of armor fell to the ground as soon as it removed itself from the stand, unable to support it's own body. The acid flew right over it, completely evaporating both the stand and the wall behind it as soon as it made contact. Unable to move, the suit could only watch as the twin jaws moved to strike at him. However merely a meter away from his body, the snake was suddenly jerked to a halt. Surprised, both heads turned to see what was holding them back, only to be pulled backwards even further with a mighty tug. The black haired boy jumped above the snake's heads and slammed his left hand right into their faces, sending the massive snake flying back down the hallway.

ôHow do you like getting thrown around like a ragdoll...ö Kokuen landed in front of the suit of armor, the bandages on his left arm now hardened shaped around a massive black and flexible claw surrounded by an aura of black smoke. The part of his face normally covered by bandages shifted to become something similar to a demonic looking helmet as he glared at the spot where he'd thrown the snake. Slowly however he gripped his left side in pain, having been crushed under the massive tail hadn't been good for his ribs.

Forcing himself to ignore what had become of his arm for an instant, he turned to the person in the suit of armor, noticing immediately that it was one of the female versions. He let out a small cough as he felt his vision swimming again. ôAre you alright, Mam?ö

ôPeachy.ö Came the voice in the suit. Slowly it lifted its hand up as Kokuen grabbed it with his normal arm. However upon tugging it up, the arm came off. There was a brief moment of silence as Kokuen noticed that there was nothing inside.

ôWhat the hell...ö Kokuen said, blinking as he held the empty arm.

ôHey kid, you might want to know that snakey is coming back.ö

Dropping the hand and ignoring the sarcastic 'Thanks', he rushed forward to meet the Two Headed monster that had been plaguing him all night. With a furious glare in both of their eyes, one of the heads charged straight forward while the other launched another stream of acid at him. Ignoring the pain in his side, Kokuen charged it, bringing his claw up to meet it head on as he continued to rush forwards. There was an angry hiss as the stream was deflected to both sides, eating away at the suits of armor on both sides of the talking suit on the ground.

The stream of acid ended, and the snakes prepared to snap at him as soon as he got near. Just before they clashed, Kokuen slammed his arm into the ground, launching himself above both the heads as they charged forwards below him. Bringing it down onto the snake's body he tore into the joint that connected both heads together. With a shout, Kokuen rushed forwards along the snake's back, slashing straight through the entire length of their body with his claw. Both heads of the snake continued moving forwards as Kokuen tore them in two, moving erratically as they felt the agony of the claw tearing through their entire body. Both of their heads rammed into different parts of the wall on both sides of the talking suit of armor, closely followed by the rest of their bodies as momentum carried them forwards, leaving a crater where both their heads hit. The two heads were split apart from each other completely completely and neither of the two parts were moving anymore.

Giving a sigh of relief after coughing a little as he turned to face the suit of armor, he hoped that he could get home before he was forced to explain this mess. Gripping his side painfully, he walked slowly towards it as his vision continued to fade. At least it's over...

 

[troutpeoples]

"They're not dead! Get out of here!" Machigau shouted. Hollows are supposed to disappear when they die! These were still here! Leaning against the wrecked stand, he grabbed the arm, shoving it carelessly back into place. Slowly, steadily (as he did not want to end up breaking completely), he shimmied his way into a standing stance, then began to shuffle his way over to the boy.

"What do you mean 'they're not dead'! I just tore the damn thing in half!" the boy shouted weakly back, stumbling.

He looked back at the supposed corpses.

"Oh shit." The bodies were gone. "RUN!"

Eyes wide, the boy complied, high-tailing it out of there. He was almost out of the room before a tail slammed into his midsection, skipping him across the floor like a pebble. Machigau had a slimy appendage whipped against his back, sending him to the tile in a similar fashion.

"You got a plan?" whats-his-face asked, arm wraps loosening once more, smoke filtering out as he sat up, rubbing his back in pain. The mod-soul stared at the assortment of weaponry not far away. If he had a mouth, the showing grin would be scary as shit.

"Yes. But it'll only work on one. Can you handle the other?" A nod was his answer. "Good." He stood up. And began murmering something incomprehensible. Energy seemed to dance around him. The weapons rumbled, jarred by some unseen force.

 

[~NGD OMEGA~]

Whatever the suit of armor's plan was, it was going to take some time, meaning he had the job of distracting both the snakes as he prepared it, while also getting rid of the one left behind. Glancing at his left arm, he waited a moment as both the snakes glared at him. Finally gathering whatever energy he had left, he charged at them.

One of the snakes charged him as the other sent another stream of acid forwards, both intent on finishing the wounded prey quickly. Slamming his claw into the ground on his left side, he threw himself sideways toward the wall to avoid both, getting ready to kick off and charge the second one the moment it passed him. Lunging forward with his claw ready to tear the snake's head off, he ducked suddenly as the other snake suddenly struck at his head. The swipe that would have torn the second snake's head off instead threw it aside. His plan ruined, Kokuen jumped back just as the first snake's tail slammed into the ground.

The tail didn't stop with just one strike and instead continued whipping around in a deadly dance, forcing Kokuen to defend with his left arm just to survive. However he realized he'd lost track of the first one. Looking around in alarm, he wasn't able to bring his arm up in time to block the blow to his right side. Once again he was thrown aside into the wall with the first snake now advancing on him, left to watch as the other snake charged at the suit of armor before he could finish whatever it was that he was doing.

Thinking quickly, Kokuen slashed at the advancing snake just as it lunged at him, forcing it to dodge to the side before it could strike him. In response however its tail came around to land yet another blow. Expecting it, Kokuen brought his arm up to defend, allowing the strike to throw him forwards at the Snake advancing on the armored body. Twisting in midair and trying to ignore the agony that his ribs were in, he prepared his final slash. With a final yell the claw descended and the second snake wasn't able to react in time as it tore straight through its massive skull as Kokuen passed it by. The snake began to fade away, a mere few meters away from where the armored body was preparing his last attack.

Landing heavily close to the suit of armor, he realized he was unable to move just as the remain snake struck at him, its fangs digging into his flesh. His vision faded as he started to lose all feeling in his body, the form of his claw beginning to distort as the darkness embraced him. But just before he lost consciousness, the hum in the air told him that he bought just enough time for the suit of armor to finish his attack. A small smiled appeared on his face as his arm reverted back to its normal state, and he lost consciousness completely.

 

[troutpeoples]

"Hope you like skewered meat, Hollow," he growled, glaring at the one that was making its way over to the boy, hoping for the nightly snack raid to come to an end. Then jerked around as a loud crash echoed through the expansive room. And hissed menacingly as around fifty blades of every size and shape, from scythes to arrows, soared into view, surrounding it omonously. With the command of a thrusted palm from Machigau, they whipped downwards, piercing every inch of its body. He grinned in satisfaction as it shrieked in pain, writhing around.

A few minutes late, it still hadn't died, instead attempting to pull out the numerous weapons that punctured its frame. "Okay, now this is just boring." Slowly, he walked closer, muttering again. "Dominator. Mask of flesh and blood. All living beings. Fluttering. That which has the name human. Truth and temperance, slightly imbed your claws into the walls of innocent dreams. Bakudo," he aimed his palm at the monster's thrashing head,"33." It was bombarded with a blue fireball a split second later, roasting it.

He watched with indifference as it disappeared in a burst of spiritrons. The armor creaked as he looked down.

"When the hell did that happen?" he cried, noticing a giant dent in his chest and a clean hole in his side. Man, being in a suit of armor was going to suck. No pain? Good in theory, but you could kill yourself if you're not aware. "Crap." Groaning, he walked over to the collapsed boy. He never did say what his name was. Whatever. He poked his shoulder. "Oi. Get up. We gotta get outta here before someone comes and sees how much we screwed them over in their collection." No response. "Oh. Right. Unconcious." He sighed. "Let's just hope I don't break this time." He picked the boy up, slinging him over his shoulder, then began his way towards the exit. "You know, if you had just ran when you had the chance, you could've gotten away safely. Didn't hafta help me." He walked past the busted stand where the body he was now in had once sat. "Stupid kid."

.......

"Now where the hell do you live? I would assume one would prefer not to wake up in a puddle of who-knows-what next to a dumpster in the nearest alley. Because with you drooling like you are, doing so is becoming veeeeeeery tempting.

 

[decibels]

((Gah, I've been so busy with other crap I completely forgot about this. :headbanger: Thanks for filling in for me abit during the transition to the real world I'll try not to forget about it again or get sidetracked))

Yakumo was sprawled inelegantly across the bed in his room. While it was an Inn the rooms seemed closer to the quality of a apartment than anything else. With a bedroom, a small kitchenette, bathroom and living room to accomodate them. The Inn also had a rather spacious common room with an entertainment center as well as a full kitchen attached making it seem more like a dorm than anything else.

He was scowling slightly as he tossed a orange stress ball up into the air repeatedly before catching it. He really wasn't looking forward to tomorrow. It seemed that he had been volunteered for school duty and by the smug if concealed grin on Sachiko's face he knew by who as well. Oh he'd been told the reasons behind why he was best suited and why they needed to keep an eye on the local school as well and glean rumors of any strange happenings going on that were set free from the flapping mouths of students.

It didn't help greatly that the reason behind his selection for this duty was his seeming immaturity from his pranking days as well as his lazy lifestyle that would supposedly allow him to blend right in with the rest of the average student body.

He caught the stress ball one last time before squeezing it tightly causing it to pop. He'd been frustrated with the lack of strength while in a Gigai and had experimented briefly with infusing his reiatsu into it and had found he was able to increase both his strength and speed. While nothing phenomenal and certainly not enough to stand up to even the weakest of hollows it did sooth his conscience some that he wasn't completely defenseless in this form.

Sighing slightly he flipped off his bed grabbing a white leather coat he had bought among other things that afternoon after seeing the clothes their handler had foisted off on them. There was no way in hell he was going anywhere looking like a seventies reject with multicolored knee high socks as well as shirts, shorts and jeans in varying eye searing color. He'd had to hit up several local gangs and criminals which wasn't really that hard when you could sense reiatsu and bought himself several pairs of bluejeans, various shirts and above said jacket. When he'd been told what his assignment was and saw no way out he'd already put down the extremely costly school uniform, honestly he'd picked the most expensive one on purpose, as a mission expense and planned on charging to to his handler as revenge.

Crossing the common room in his customary slouch he opened the door to see a brown haired girl staring at him flatly with her arm raised to knock. Her clothes were nondescript and seemed like what any other teenager would wear. What got his attention was the extremely large case on her back that must have weighed over a hundred pounds which she carried as if it were a purse.

"Uhhh...." was Yakumo's extremely intelligent reply.

"Urahara forgot to give you guys these." She stated almost blandly her gray eyes flickered slightly with interest before dulling again.

Yakumo looked curiously at the box before shrugging and taking it from her and opening it slightly to peer inside. He raised an eyebrow at what was inside, why on earth would Urahara be sending them...oh! oh! of course.

"Hey leader, our soul candy is here!"

Ryota looked up from the book he was reading titled 'human society for dummies' in surprise before a look of recognition lit up his face.

"Oh so that's what I forgot to ask him about! Thank you..." He trailed off realizing he didn't know her.

"Cressida." She supplied.

"Yes, Cressida thank you for bringing these over and please feel free to make yourself comfortable. Oh Yakumo are you going out? just hold on a minute." Ryota had taken the box from him and retreated into a small storage room off to one side having noticed his coat and assumed correctly that he would be going out. Reappearing he placed a couple of items in his hands quickly.

"This is a reiphone, I'm pretty sure you're already well versed in its use from the academy courses as well as a supply of soul candy. Please try not to use it up too quickly."

"Sure, whatever you say leader." Stuffing the items in his coat pocket he leisurely made his way out the door into the cool evening air.

"Oh and be sure to be back before ten! I want to have one last meeting before everyone starts on their assignments tomorrow and to go over last minute details!"

Yakumo waved lazily in reply without turning around as he headed down the street hands in his pockets the sun just beginning to set coloring the sky in various hues of red and orange.