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[BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
One day, an overdeity grew very bored.
It looked down at the struggles on many worlds and picked one with particularly interesting and funny characters. Its time had seemingly frozen, and impatient to learn the rest of the story, the overdeity decided to add a slice-of-life chapter completely out of their regular continuity just to watch the puppets dance.
And that is why one particularly inviting summer day, the mortal kids crew, the Shinigami, the Quincy, the Nonessentia, the Cult of the Threefold Eye and even the crazies whom belonged to seemingly no faction at all saw themselves at some sort of beachside festival off a nondescript coast, all properly 'equipped' with bathing suits, no way to go away, and no way to change into anything else.
"...I suppose a day of R&R isn't so bad every once in a while." Koutarou thought aloud. He could use a tan, after all. He was dressed in a very colorful pair of swimming trunks.
Setsurou was around not too far from there, His trunks were a red that matched his hair, and for once one could see that the guy had a ludicrously well-chiseled body. He seemed to be looking for something. Or someone.
Shinji was hanging out under a nearby parasol, reading a very thick book. He was in half-fox form, ears and tail peeking out, and he was wearing a fundoshi of all things.
Margrave was oiling his wife's back and getting ready for a suntan of his own.
Hasunaga was close to a nearby bar, in one of his younger forms, and in black speedos.
Sagarosso seemed to be trying to cope with the fact he couldn't use his shapeshifting to make him look like he was wearing any clothes other than swimming suit variations, so he decided to opt for an old-style striped male swimming suit, the sort that looked a lot like professional wrestling attire. He did, however, have a perpetual shadowy parasol following him around.
The overdeity watching the whole thing cackled as it foresaw the ensuing chaos.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
As Koutarou is lazing the sun, a group of young women dressed in almost indecently tiny string bikini are playing beach volley not far from him. They don't seem to be much good at it... especially when one of them strikes the ball way out of bounds and it threatens to fall right on Koutarou's face.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
There are many reasons for a skilled fighter to not dodge something coming straight at him.
Koutarou picks "it'll be funnier that way" and headbutts the volleyball back, sending it up, up and away back towards the ladies.
His face is flushed, but not from the sudden headrush. The fact is, you don't get to see girls in bikinis in Soul Society much...
...especially not THOSE bikinis, hubba hubba.
(He could've pulled a Vash the Stampede here, but not a lot of people are old enough in this forum to spot the reference.)
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
The ball is passed back to the girls and the game continues. "Thanks!", one of them shouts at his direction.
There something... off in the delivery. Koutarou can understand the meaning just fine, but if he tried to tell which language is being spoken, he would not be able to answer.
Of course, that could be just blood rushing to his head. Or maybe other body parts.
Eventually, the game starts to wind down, and Koutarou might notice some of the girls are giving glances at his direction, gesturing at his direction and murmuring amongst themselves. Then, they pick up their ball and begin to leave. One of them, a tanned, tall blonde in gold bikini, walks to Koutarou. "Hi there, handsome. It was very nice of you to pass our ball back to us. Would you like to join us for a drink?"
Some of the other girls are giggling on the background.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
This sounds like something done on a dare. Koutarou is not one to turn down an invitation from a pretty lady when he's relaxing, though. After all, flirting is supposed to be one of those things people do while on vacation.
"Well, I can't hold my liquor for crap, so if you don't mind me not getting drunk, sure."
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
The girl lets out a short chiming laughter. "Ha ha. Surely one little drink won't be too much for a big guy like you. Come on."
She beckons him to follow, towards the other girls who are already heading forth. There's a bar on the beach, a bald man in a Hawaiian T-shirt and sunglasses is mixing drinks and handing them over a counter which looks like its made of driftwood.
"Hey, bartender! Two Pina Coladas!", the girl yells as they approach, then turns to Koutarou and flashes him a charming smile. "Don't worry, it's on me."
Someone's brought a ghettoblaster nearby and music is blaring loudly through the area. It's your typical, bass-heavy club music with lyrics of questionable quality. (Something about doing someone on the backseat of someone's car.) Half-naked bodies are swaying to the rhytm not far from the bar counter. The bartender hands the drinks to the girl in gold bikini and she offers one of them to Koutarou.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
"Fine. One little drink." he emphasizes.
As a rule. Koutarou didn't really like the feeling of alcohol burning down his throat, rather than fearing intoxication. It was a matter of taste more than anything else.
He wasn't crazy about the music either. But what the hey, time for new experiences and whatnot, right?
He sipped his drink quite slowly.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
The girl merrily chats with her friends while sipping her own drink. There's a brunette in purple bikini, and a redhead in silver bikini, and... the rest just sort of blur together, like differently-colored repetitions of the same motif.
As the girl in golden bikini has her back half turned to him, Koutarou might notice a detail which was obscured by her hair earlier - a tattoo, of a snake biting its own tail, on her left shoulder blade. Something about its design like a hard poke on the forehead, trying to remind him of something he's forgotten. However, he doesn't get to admire it for long, for she turns back to face him.
"What, you still aren't finished?", she asks with a teasing tone. "Come on! Drink it quick so we can go dance!"
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
"Awww. I suppose I can't really enjoy a proper 'beach experience', huh?"
Koutarou sets his glass aside.
"That tattoo. The Ouroboros, a symbol famous among occultists, alchemists and others as the symbol of cycles, life, death and rebirth.
It's kind of a cheeky thing to show around a Shinigami.
It's not that I really mind who you are, but I can put to rest the notion that you're interested in me for my rugged good looks."
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
The girl blinks, then lets out a good-natured laugh. "Don't be silly, of course you'll enjoy! Come on! Let the rhytm carry you!" She reaches for Koutarou's hand to pull him towards the swaying crowd.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
As it turns out, Koutarou can't relax enough to dance well.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
The girl on the other hand seems to be having fun - at first. But as Koutarou's inability to feel the beat becomes ever more apparent, she gradually loses her interest. Soon, Koutarou finds himself abandoned in the middle of the crowd, the girls dancing in a circle that's drifting further and further away from him. The sun is setting and painting the sky in various shades of purple, orange and gold.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
That's fine by him. That tattoo upset him too much for him to really let loose and have some fun.
It'd have helped if the beat happened to be more to his liking. Koutarou is more of a classic rock kind of guy.
He does enjoy the sunset though.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
As he watches the setting sun, some of the dancers stop and point in the opposite direction. Other people on the beach have noticed as well, as Koutarou can see them packing their stuff and leaving.
If he turns to look, he can see dark, heavy clouds roiling over the coast town. The owner of the ghettoblaster picks it up and starts moving towards the town. Some of the dancers follow him, others dissipate and go on their own ways. The girl in the gold bikini briefly brushes Koutarou's shoulder as she walks past. "See you around, handsome."
It doesn't feel like she really means it. A cold breeze blows over the beach. It might remind Koutarou of his lack of clothes or, perhaps more pressingly, his lack of knowing where all his other clothes are.
On the background, a white van has driven next to the bar and the bartender is packing his remaining products in it. There some tall pale guy in grey jeans and a black motorcycle jacket helping him out.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
"Awww, really? A tropical storm? So much for the scenery..."
Koutarou needs not fear hurricanes. After all, he's immune to lightning and he can literally outrun a storm.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
It doesn't feel tropical. The wind's too slow. There's no thunder. On the background, the bartender and his helper finish packing the van. Koutarou can hear the engine start and the car drive away. The last sunbathers walk past him and he's left alone on the beach.
The setting sun continues to bathe the beach in red light, but it offers no warmth. The clouds hang above Koutarou like a dark grey blanket. A lone flake of snow drifts downwards towards him as the temperature keeps dropping.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
Temperature ain't nothing but a thang.
Koutarou decides to walk along the beachside. Because why not, nothing makes sense right now anyway.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
Snow keeps falling as Koutarou walks on the empty beach. The sand rises and lowers in dunes along the coast, untill it ends in a coniferous forest. The only sound are Koutarou's own footsteps and waves washing against the shore. Way, way behind him, the streetlights of the city have lit. They reflect from the clouds, giving them a dirty reddish hue. Ahead of Koutarou, the world is fading into blue and black.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
For once, he stops to appreciate the contrast. It's kinda like the border between nature and men that way.
It's really freakish weather out here though.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
As he watches, the sun finally sinks wholly below the horizon, with only its last rays lingering as a far-away glow at the sea. The snow slowly covers the terrain in a thin sheet of white, or rather, light blue in this meager light, hiding differences in color and texture from view. Because of this, it actually starts to look lighter than it was a few moments ago. If Koutarou looks back to where he came from, he might notice his own footprints have likewise been erased, though that is of little consequence, as the town is visible as ever. He just has to hope the snowfall doesn't get thicker.
Waves of the sea perpetually reach up and wash away the fresh snow from the shoreline, creating an evershifting black line between ground and water. As Koutarou waits, the sound of the waves gradually fades to the background of his conscious mind, creating the impression of deep, dark silence.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
For once, Koutarou appreciates the silence.
No sudden appearances of the Cult.
No sudden invasions of Soul Society.
No sudden rap battles of Chouko's.
No having to run after some deranged brainwashing Royal Guard.
Yeah, this feels right.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
Wouldn't it be fun if it was always this way? It would be easy. Just... walk into the ocean. Let the waves lull you into sleep. No more fighting. No more duties. No more bullshit. No nothing.
Koutarou might snap out of it due to sudden sensation of falling. Was he dozing off? Or did his left foot take half a step forward on its own volition? Snowflakes pile on his shoulders and then melt into water against his skin. It's completely dark now, or at least as dark as it can be, with the lights of the city in the distance.
How long has he been standing here?
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
Does it really matter? It's not like he has anywhere to be right now.
"This snowfall makes no sense though."
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
His words echo lonely in the air before fading into silence. The snowfall surely is not affected by them in the least.
If Koutarou looks closely, he can see the construction of each individual flake, unique in their beauty as they float down from the sky. Yet, they all melt into water just the same as they meet his skin, or turn into same grey slush when swallowed by the sea.
Except, wait, that's not right. Not each flake is unique. This snowfall is not as chaotic as it should be. Neither are the waves. There's a pattern to them, something Koutarou would've missed had he not decided to stay put so long.
And in the dead center of each ice crystal, is fractal-like repetition of a familiar motif: a snake biting its own tail.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
Koutarou blinks. And immediately tries to test his own responses to things like sound (by throwing pebbles at the sea), pain (by pinching himself mostly) and reflexes (by throwing up a pebble and trying to catch it again).
The suspicion being that he was drugged, of course. So if he can't do any of those, he might well be right.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
The pebbles don't fly very far. And pinching himself hurts a surprising amount even if he doesn't put much effort into it. He had one drink, but its effect has long since faded.
Rather, it appears he's in a material body. A human body. Without any of the tools he would ordinarily use to get out of it. Suddenly, he becomes much more acutely aware of how cold it is.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
"Clearly, this must be the work of an enemy Stand."
Koutarou just protects himself from the cold by wrapping himself in a thin layer of his own Reiatsu.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
It doesn't do all that much good. Spiritual power will keep him from freezing, but it doesn't do much about the sensation. He could as well resume walking to get his blood pumping again.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
That's as good an idea as any. May as well see if he can find the city again.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
It's a long walk back. Each footstep makes a faint grating sound as his weight compresses the fresh snow. The moisture in his breath condenses into a cloud of ice crystals with each exhalation.
By the time he reaches a road, the streetlight have already gone out. Only the meager light reflected from the snow gives any shape to his surroundings and serves to keep him on track untill he reaches the town proper.
There's no-one on the streets at this hour, all places are closed and the doors locked. Occasional glints of light among the dark silhouettes of the buildings turn out to be display windows for some of the shops. Apparently, conserving electricity isn't enough of a reason to turn them off for the night.
There are some cars parked by the roadside, covered and their shapes rounded by the snow. The atmosphere is silent and dead. Then, the heavy cover of the clouds abates, and a silver light falls on Koutarou. There's a full moon on the sky, and below it, a silhouette of a mountain that he can swear was not there earlier.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
Koutarou checks the manhole covers for wriggling tentacles.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
It's not exactly easy to find those covers from under the snow in the dark. He spots a few rainwater drains due to the holes in the covers revealing where they are. No tentacles, however.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
"Well let's see. No tentacles in the sewers. No one in the streets. No one at home, apparently.
Clearly they must have all been raptured. Enigma solved."
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
Once more Koutarou's voice is the lone thing piercing the silence. It echoes from the corners of the buildings, as if clinging to them, reluctant to let itself fade. But ultimately, like all things, it does.
If there's a man on the Moon, Koutarou better hope he's not looking, for he would likely find his antics quite ridiculous.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
All told, said man on the Moon may have found the notion of a beachside town getting snowed in on summer and suddenly losing every inhabitant it has that much more ludicrous first.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
All of a sudden, the silence is broken by a different sound: the distant rumble of an approaching car. Koutarou can't see its headlights, so it must be driving on a different street than he's standing. Maybe he could intercept it.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
Shouldn't be hard, no. And in any case, he doesn't have anything better to do.
He takes to the rooftops, like a betrunked Batman, and tries to find the car.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
Getting up is harder and slower than he remembers it being. The body he's in may not be as well-suited for antics like this as he'd like.
Climbing on the roof of a three story apartment flat, Koutarou can see the headlights of the car reflect from a wall few blocks away as the car slows down and turns a corner. He probably could've gotten before it just by running along the street, following the sound. Now, he more or less has to jump back down, if he doesn't want to play catch-up.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
Dude, he can just get a better air-view and get back down to rooftop level.
Like, seriously. It's not like he's overly concerned about being in a flesh-and-blood body. As a regular Soul Society plus, he doesn't have a Soul Chain to worry about.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
That decision gets him no closer to car, though. It looks like its only passing through the city to move from one big road to another. In a minute, it will be out of the town centre and speeding to who-knows-where, leaving Koutarou alone again if he does not follow it.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
Seriously? He's got Shunpou. He could be following the damn thing on foot in the open road if he cared to.
He's only slightly more curious about where the car is headed, so he keeps following at a distance. It stands to reason that, if he's in a flesh-and-blood body, he's not invisible to regular people.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
The car drives through an intersection and on the highway, its headlights cutting coneshaped holes in the darkness. As they get ever more distant from the town, other vehicles going to the opposite direction zoom past, mostly trucks. They must be moving east, because the horizon ahead is getting lighter. However, the snowfall is also getting thicker, the blackness of night slowly being replaced by near opaque whiteness. Koutarou has to get closer and closer to the road if he wants to keep the car, or anything else for that matter, in clear sight.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
He may as well. If all else fails, he can always disperse the clouds with a big burst of Reiatsu and find somewhere else to go.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
The visibility is getting really poor. Whoever's driving the car must only be able to see a dozen or so meters ahead, if even that. That's not a good thing at highway speeds, especially since the road is slippery from the piling snow.
The car slows down to shift to another lane, going through another intersection to move on a busier road. Immediately, it is almost blindsided by a white van coming from behind, with only good reactions on the part of the driver preventing disaster.
The journey continues. Koutarou, lacking benefit of a windshield or helmet, is now getting face full of snow at every step. From the air, he can see a string of red lights ahead - braking lights of other cars. They're all slowing for some reason? The car Koutarou's been following begins to brake too.
Except, the other cars aren't slowing, they are at dead stop. The driver in the car pushes the brakes to the floor, but even at reduced speed it's not going to stop them from hitting the car before them. Fortunately, it looks like there's empty room on the adjacent lane...
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
In a spurt of goodwill and reckless abandon, Koutarou dashes up to the side of the car and slams as hard as he can on the side, hoping that'll make it swerve towards the empty lane instead.
Finally! An opportunity to act that makes sense!
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
Laws of physics are unforgiving for material beings. In his hurry to help, Koutarou forgot that him slamming to the side of the car with enough force to change its course isn't much preferable to another car hitting it. He causes the front right door to cave in and sets the car swerving to the side.
Luckily, the driver's seat was on the left, and the driver manages to straighten the path of the car on the adjacent lane before hitting anything else. So it could be said Koutarou was successfull after all.
That's when he gets reminded, by the blaring of horns of cars fast approaching, that there is more traffic behind them. A passenger car is threatening to run over Koutarou, while a truck is rolling forward on the adjacent lane, threatening to crash into the vehicle Koutarou just moved there.
Both vehicles are already braking as hard as they can, have been for a while. It's just that with the road covered in loose, fresh snow and sleet, and the vehicles having summer tires, they have next to no traction. A pile-up seems inevitable...
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
Inevitability is something Koutarou has been trained to deal with.
The biggest issue is the truck. A car running him over is easily avoidable by his not being there. Though if it doesn't stop, it will eventually slam into the next one.
Thankfully, Koutarou has always been ludicrously efficient - if wasteful - with very basic spells.
"Hadou #1: Shou!"
He's already dashing, cracking the ice beneath his feet when he fires the spell almost without aiming at the car coming at him. His goal is to push back and therefore diminish the speed of the oncoming car. Under normal conditions, this would be tantamount to throwing the force of a speeding truck back at the car, with an area to match.
He's already in the air by the time he fires a second spell, this time at the truck.
"Bakudou #1: Sai!"
Again, the point is to slow it down. He can't use the same spell he used on the car, because the truck isn't coming at him head on.
"Bakudou #4: Hainawa!"
Koutarou tries to lasso around the middle of the truck's carriage, then dashes down towards the ground.
"Bakudou #30: ****otsu Sansen!"
And finally he tries to anchor it down to the nearby asphalt.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
Koutarou's first spell stops the passenger car as if it'd hit a wall. Its front crumples under the pressure, the airbags inside inflating to protect the passengers. Whether that's enough remains to do so remains to be seen.
Still, the effect is less than what Koutarou's powers should do "under normal conditions". Which may be good, since throwing the force of a speeding truck against the car would've completely obliterated it. This might not be immediately obvious to Koutarou, as he's preoccupied with the truck.
Speaking of which. It has way too much momentum to be stopped by Koutarou's first Bakudo. He can feel the metaphysical shackles breaking under the force even as he casts the second binding. The lasso of energy tears off protrusions such as the truck's side mirrors as it searches for a stable anchor point, then is pulled tight around the middle section as Koutarou attaches it to the asphalt.
His spell is strong enough. The asphalt isn't. Pieces of it fly everywhere as the anchor points are torn off by the truck's movement. But, the vehicle spends enough energy doing so that its tires sink into the snow and gain contact with the road proper. Its hydraulic brakes stop it a mere inch from the back bumper of he car before.
The cacophony caused by all this rings in Koutarou's ears for a few really long seconds. So it might prevent him from immediately noticing that the traffic has stopped for good. No new cars are threatening to crash into the line.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
Well, he'd done all he could given the circumstances. But he can't help but feel like he'd spend less energy (and got less of a result out of it) than he normally would. The realization he must have a limiter on quickly dawns on the Shinigami.
He takes a moment to realize there are no new threats, then rushes back to the car he'd first stopped.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
((Background music: Haloo Helsinki! - Sinisissä valoissa))
It turns out the car was packed full. In addition to the driver, there's one person on the front seat and four at the back. It doesn't look good what Koutarou did to the car. The front was so badly crushed that despite wearing a seat belt, the driver still hit his head against the windshield. More, both his legs and those of the girl sitting next to him are being crushed by the crumpled hull. Rescue personnel would need to saw through parts of the car to get them out.
Of the four in the back, three are mostly intact, but still dazed by the shock of the crash. The fourth... well, a car of this type only has seatbelts for three in the back. When the car came to a stop, the fourth person, a teenage girl who was sitting on someone's lap, was violently thrown against the front seats, then bounced back, causing her neck to snap. Just to name the worst of it.
"Oh gee, look at the mess you made", a voice comes from behind Koutarou. If he turns to look, he'll see a young woman in traditional black clothes of a Reaper, with magenta hair and mismatched eyes, sitting on the roof of the truck he stopped. No snow is piling on her, unlike everything else here, nor is the snowfall obscuring her in any way to Koutarou's sight. It's like she's a picture superimposed on the background. There's something familiar about her face.
"Here I was, expecting to reap just one soul today, but it seems like I'll have to settle with two. Well done."
Spoiler: Translated song lyrics
Show
You came fast
and fetched me from Hämeentie
you kept the front seat open
You made commuters eat dust
as you pressed pedal to the metal
And on the back seat we crammed four people
Must've been in a terrible hurry to get to Kontula
Then in the blue lights I looked at you
You were so beautiful
And in those blue lights you did not see me
You were already gone
We drove on the ring way and clapped our hands
as you sped past few SUVs
It was raining in Vantaa
and I was getting tired
In my eyes the markets flashed past
And from somewhere we came
to the railings of that bridge
And from somewhere we heard
how everything shattered into pieces
Then in the blue lights I looked at you
You were so beautiful
And in those blue lights you did not see me
You were already gone
Sirens singing "sleep my darling"
in those white sheets
Sirens singing "sleep my darling"
Long and in peace
Let's go into this film in slow motion
Then in the blue lights I looked at you
You were so beautiful
And in those blue lights you did not see me
You were already gone
Sirens singing "sleep my darling"
in those white sheets
Sirens singing "sleep my darling"
Long and in peace
In those white sheets
Long and in peace...
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
"They do say the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Koutarou replies. "So there is a Hollow nearby? That would explain the fact that absolutely nothing in this afternoon has made sense."
He doesn't seem too shocked that his attempt to save them has killed someone.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
The girl shakes her head. It's not clear if that is an answer to Koutarou's question or just a sign of general disapproval towards his actions.
From behind him, the sound of a car door opening and closing echoes. The driver of the car he was following steps out and stands up. The driver's a moderately tall, pale man wearing a black biker jacket. He looks over his car and his greenish-blue eyes fix on Koutarou.
"Who are you talking to?"
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
"Myself mostly."
Well, he can't exactly blame the guy he'd been tailing for not noticing when some dude in trunks starts flying all over the place and stopping cars with invisible things. Still, why make it easier on him?
"I'm Koutarou. What's your name?"
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
The driver furrows his brow. "No, I mean, who is that? You know. The pink-haired girl." He points squarely at her.
The girl lets out a weary sigh and shakes her head again. "Tut-tut-tut. This is why we don't go play Superman near the normies, Mr. Swimming Trunks. She waggles her finger at Koutarou. Has a bad tendency to cause spontaneous spiritual awakenings. Now I have to wipe this poor guy's memory, and who know who elses'." She looks past Koutarou and looks at the driver. "Oh, and my hair's magenta.Not Pink."
Not that the driver's really paying attention to him.
"Wait. I didn't crash into corner of that car. You crashed into mine!" He points at a car next on the adjacent lane, then back at Koutarou. "What... how the Hell, man?!?"
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
"We have protocols for that reason. And I can't discount the possibility we have supernatural interference at hand here. Until then,
we deal with the bridges we cross." Koutarou replies to the magenta-haired girl.
"...wait. Aren't you one of the recruits? Natsumi, I think?"
Oh, right. The mundy.
"You were going to crash into the other car if I didn't."
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
The girl rolls her eyes. "Well duh we have protocol. *I* was just reminding *you* of it", the girl snarks. "You referring to me as a 'new recruit' shows how hilariously out of it you are. Oh, by the way..." She leans to her right so she can have eye contact with the "normie". "He is technically right. You would've hit the corner of that other car and bounced to the next lane. Just, that wouldn't have killed you. The truck would've."
Not that the normie is paying much attention to either the girl or Koutarou. He's spotted that there are still people in the car Koutarou wrecked, slides over the hood of his own car and runs to it.
"Hey. HEY! You guys! Are you awake?"
Through the white haze, Koutarou can see distant flashes of blue lights. The sounds of the ambulance and police sirens grow ever louder.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
"Are you daft? I just told you this could be the result of supernatural interference. If it is, we have to find the source. We can deal with whatever else happens when we cross that bridge." Koutarou notes annoyedly. "I distinctly remember you being still enrolled in the Shinoreijutsuin. How long have you been a Shinigami?"
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
The girl turns her attention back at Koutarou. "See, that's just another demonstration of how clueless you are. Didn't you hear me say: 'I was expecting to reap just one soul today'? Didn't you hear what I just said to the guy over there?"
She points at the "normie" who, by now, has hurried to the right side of the wrecked car, torn the door open and is checking her vitals.
"This was all predetermined. I knew how it would go in absence of supernatural interference. You know. Standard operational procedure. The one thing that's interfering here, is you."
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
"Shinigami do not predict the future." Koutarou states plainly. "And even if they did, predetermined futures would account for my interference. You would know I would be here today and what would happen then." He points up at the sky. "In any case, it is uncommon enough for beachside locations to get snow, much less in the middle of summer." If she says something else about how clueless he is Koutarou is going to slap some sense into her face.
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Re: [BITPRē] Kyuukyoku Gaiden: The Beachdown Apocalypse
The girl's face looks like its struggling to decide whether to take Koutarou seriously. "Summer? Hey, genius, did it ever occur to you, while you've been here, to ask, like, anyone, what day is it? Or, like, where you are?"
On the background, the man in the biker jacket is still busy helping those in the wrecked car. "... please, stay calm. Keep her like that, do not move her head. Help will be here soon."
He looks up and in the direction of the flashing blue lights, as if to reassure himself that what he's saying is not mere wishfull thinking.
The girl on the truck shakes her head. "Oh, well. Have fun explaining it all to normie authorities." She points her thumb over her shoulder, back to where the cars came from. Undamaged cars in the line are making way for the rescue vehicles. An ambulance is just hundred meters away, followed by the police.
"I'm sure they will have a lot of questions to ask you."