[BitP:R] Soul Society 2

[InyutheBeatIs]

Well Sigint-kun, you're familiar with that annoying little....girl Suzume. Yuuki says, biting his tongue for almost saying something very disrespectful indeed. She insists on playing games, and quite frankly, your surveillance abilities would could in quite handy. You think you can find her? I would myself, but it's better that you be the one to find her and let me know...then I can shoot first and ask the questions later. He says with a shrug. Hey, that's just how he rolls.

[Onmitsukido]

Sigint probably wouldn't be so kind, but he does agree with Yuuki. He scratches the chin on his mask, before nodding his head. "I might be able to assist. However, if she's invisible, she'll be harder to track, and I'm already a bit stretched trying to contain the apparent invasion forces. I'm not omniscient. Should I send forces to the points of conflict and redirect my efforts towards watching the cameras?" However, already he's silently assembling teams to send out to assist the other Shinigami fighting. He's also paying particular attention to Yuuki on the cameras, expecting Suzume to suddenly appear behind him.

[KnightDisciple]

[Rukongai, battle against Genoveva]

As a hole was torn in the blue pyramid, it seemed to pause a moment, shudder, then simply fade into blue dust that scattered on the wind.

In all the confusion, Captain Masaru had seemingly gotten "lost in the shuffle". I mean, multiple 11th Division officers, the Commander-General arriving on the field, Michiko preparing to re-enter the fight. Not hard to understand why.

Still, one had to wonder...Oh, there he was, on a rooftop...with his sword sheathed? The glow from his shikai leaked through the very top of the sheathes, indicating he was still in release. The motions of his hands revealed why he had put his swords away. Well, the motions, and the words from his mouth.

"Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō!"

Fully-chanted, fully-powered, six rectangular rods of light slammed in from every side of Genoveva, seeking to restrict her motion even as the Commander-General sought to impale her.

As soon as his lips finish the kido, his swords are drawn, and he blurs into the air, appearing at approximately the same altitude as Ryouichi, albeit further to the other Captain's right. He turns and gives his old friend the briefest of nods, before directing a light frown at Genoveva's form.

[tgva8889]

Spoiler

Show

"Oh dear. You don't seem very receptive. I think I'll need to hurt you a little to clear your head." The stranger snaps his fingers demandingly a few times. Now, torture might not be the best way to squeeze information out of a person, but what comes to making them do what you tell them... well, that's another story.

In addition, after a while self-preservation would kick in, and the tortured person might start to sympathize with his captor in order to avoid further beatings, leading to a phenomenom called "Stockholm syndrome" by Mortals. Now it'd just be a matter of time to see what mix of pain, drugs and suggestion would finally break the hapless officer.

"Of course I have a point... the point is to make you hear my part of the story, see things from my side of the fence. Knowledge is power, don't they say? So listen closely, pal."

Seeing Karashi is really determined to not eat the chocolate bar, the stranger takes a break from talking to eat it himself. "Now, I have more of these lying about. Just say when you want some", the stranger says. "Like said, I'm not out to make you suffer... well, you will suffer, but only so much as is necessary. So lets co-operate, shall we?"

"As I hope you remember, I'm not some grand enemy here. I'm not a traitor, not really. I'm just following orders, like I guess you are at the moment." The stranger pulls out the silvery ampule again, playing with it and stopping to stare at it occasionally. "You see, two years back - you remember what happened two years back, don't ya? The ugly demise of the ol' Commander General? Akiyama Hideaki? Led to certain criminal being labeled 'Public Enemy Number One?' " There isn't a hint of sarcasm in the stranger's voice... and neither is there any explicit belying that he's talking of himself.

"Ever thought how a single man could get to do such a thing? Shouldn't such things be impossible? Well, here's the thing - it was an inside job, just like this thing here is an inside job."

"You see, this... Tsukada... Ryouichi? Yeah, that's the current Commander General, isn't it? Personally, I only recall him as a Vice-Captain. Really swell guy, him. He wanted to challenge Ol' Man Akiyama... but realized he wasn't stong enough."

"Oh, you must be thinking I'm out of my mind now, speaking **** to just mix your brain up. But that's not the case, man, I'm telling you!" The stranger grabs Karashi's head with both hands, looking deep into his eyes, his own purple eyes reflecting a mix of despair, sadness and pity... but no obvious signs of insanity, at least for now. "You see, while I've been calling your leadership with names here, they're not all such monsters. This Ryouichi guy, he saw the things that were wrong - and like any idealist, wanted to fix 'em."

"You see, Ol' Man Akiyama - he was holding progress down! I know, it's hard to believe, he was such affable guy, outwardly... but consider what I said prior. Consider that the man had been in power for one thousand years - he was next only to the king himself!"

"Oh, I know, he was nominally under the command of Central 43 - but think for a moment, what could they have done to keep such a man under check? They had no raw power comparable to him! Even the Onmitsukido, it's been wrapped under the little finger of Gotei for so long it isn't even funny... no, the Central 43 had no power, not really. It was all Ol' Man Akiyama calling the shots."

"That's why Ryouichi fellow had to move outside the scope of Seireitei... think outside the box a bit to arrange the incident that saw the Ol' Man's demise. Oh, I know it pained him to do it, but really, what other way was there? Akiyama was too set in his ways to hear reason, too powerful for his own good. I mean, how do you argue with someone over a millenia old? They can always shoot you down because you 'don't have perspective'. We're all just kids to people like 'em."

"That's why Akiyama had to go. It was for the Greater Good. And you, my friend, are going to help me to facilitate Greater Good this time 'round. What's your name, by the way?"

Officer Karashi

Immense pain coursed through Karashi's system, but it wasn't very much. Karashi was used to it, the pain and the suffering. The wise don't choose a profession that puts them in constant danger without a good reason. Karashi was just a fool by that definition. Time and time again. This, this was nothing.

Karashi scoffs. "If you're gonna talk to me about @$*%^#!$, you should try talking about the right man. And maybe try asking a guy his name before you start spouting your words at 'im. He might be more receptive." He turns his head and spits away from the stranger, trying to clear the taste out of his mouth. "He might also be more receptive if you used better tactics than pain and torture. Some @$*%^#!$ already tried that on me, didn't take."

Despite everything, Karashi smiles. "You're #$%^$#@ hilarious, though. Just #$%^$#@ hilarious."

Meanwhile, with Officer Hayashi...

...Execution Squad 5 chanted continuously. The one on the rooftops ended his first Kido and readied himself to chant another. "Ye who rule over the skies!..." Meanwhile, the one on the ground who cast the first binding draws his sword, preparing for the approaching beast. Neither seems prepared for Goro to simply charge forward, however. The third calls out to him, "Officer Hayashi! Stop!" Though he runs after him, he is too slow to stop him before Hayashi begins attacking directly. Quickly, he draws his sword in preparation to directly assist his superior officer.

A fourth 10th Division soldier rushes towards them, her sword already drawn. She holds a hand in front of her, chanting repetitively as she walks forward.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Abandoned building somewhere in Seireitei]

The pale stranger lets go of Karashi, leaning back while frowning slightly and biting his lips. "Not impressed by pain? Fine, let's end it then." The stranger snaps his fingers, expecting Soushi to pick the cue. He digs up a tattered notebook and a pen, checking they work, then glances back at Karashi.

"... 'cept, we both know that's not how it works, am I right? You're a police officer - I'm sure you know the drill. Put enough pressure on them, and everyone talks. Everyone breaks. You must've seen it a thousand times."

The stranger leans closer to Karashi again, sympathetic look in his bloodshot eyes. "And we both know that pain... pain isn't necessary. That bit there... it was just a demonstration. I will go that far, and further, if I have to. Because I'm in a hurry. But I'm not enjoying this any more than you are. We're on the same side here. We don't need to jump through all the hoops here. You can make this easy for yourself."

The stranger is scribling down notes while he speaks - Karashi couldn't see anything if he wanted to, but Soushi should be able to see the text over the stranger's shoulder. It reads:

"Need to talk 'bout where we take it from here. Can you make sure the patsy ain't doing anything while we talk and can't hear anything? Preferably so that he's awake, but not in pain. Wait till I say a spell name."

"You can call me hilarious if you want. Don't they say no-one's a prophet on their own land?", the stranger continues, putting his pen aside. "I admit, if I were in your place, I wouldn't believe me either. But I swear, it's the truth. I'll tell you rest of the deal after I've fetched us some food and water. It'll only be few simple things. Then you're off the hook and will never see my ugly face again. Think about it."

The stranger stands up and dusts his clothes, closing the book and putting it to his pocket. Then he walks to the door, before glancing over his shoulder and pointing at Karashi. "Rikujoro", he says, before vanishing behind the corner.

[Kuroimaken]

Karashi would feel undescribable pain shooting through his chest. It becomes hard to breathe as the blood vessels in his lungs suddenly pulse in an abnormal way, his heart giving him a scare as it stops for a fraction of a second, or at least feels like it does. Soushi picks up the cue about Rikujoukourou and ensures Karashi's utter immobilization - but not before he sends his system in temporary shock. While there is no pain, it feels as though his senses have simply dulled, like his mind's gone blank with disorientation. What Soushi did, in fact, was change a small amount of Karashi's own blood into another blood type - making it so his body reacts to it as a foreign agent. While the amount of it isn't by any means fatal, it is enough to send him into shock. Even if he CAN hear anything, he would feel too sick to properly process it - if he didn't simply go delirious.

[Terry576]

[Battlefield]

Karite glances at the immobile Genoveva. A strange feeling is coursing through him, almost manipulating him. A bead of sweat falls, slowly, quietly, from his cheek.

Come oooon Kari-chan. You can kill her. She can't even mooooove....

Karite twitches slightly, the fingers on his bandaged arm jumping slightly.

Feh. Just as I thought Kari-chan. You're a no-good bastard.

You're worthless.

Karite starts to move towards Genoveva, losing control, unable to resist the allure of the voice.

Don't worry Kari. Once you attack her, it'll all be better. You won't feel inadequate, like a worthless piece of trash. And even better.

Karite breaks out in a run towards her, lifting his fist in rage.

You'll be mine.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Abandoned building somewhere in Seireitei]

The pale stranger waits for a brief moment, before peeking back to the room. Seemingly satisfied he pulls back to the corridor. "I take it he's out for now. Good", he rasps. "I need you to tell me everything you know of the guy - you certainly know him better than I do, and I need all ammunition I can get. This guy's a tough cracker, we'll be here till sun freezes if we don't find the right strings to pull. But first..."

The stranger jerks slightly, his eyes wandering around empty area. He knows Soushi's there somewhere, but obviously can't pinpoint him if his life depended on it. "... now that we have time, I need to make sure we're on the same line here. Can't have you ruining your own best chance by roasting my behind at the wrong moment."

"So, Nagamichi Soushi, do you believe in fate?"

[Moon Wolf]

Yuuki grins. Knowing you, you're already figuring something out. That'd be good, Sigint-kun. It's just more efficient to have more than one person looking for her. Don't follow me. He then shunpos away to the...right!

[Kuroimaken]

[Abandoned building somewhere in Seireitei]

The pale stranger waits for a brief moment, before peeking back to the room. Seemingly satisfied he pulls back to the corridor. "I take it he's out for now. Good", he rasps. "I need you to tell me everything you know of the guy - you certainly know him better than I do, and I need all ammunition I can get. This guy's a tough cracker, we'll be here till sun freezes if we don't find the right strings to pull. But first..."

The stranger jerks slightly, his eyes wandering around empty area. He knows Soushi's there somewhere, but obviously can't pinpoint him if his life depended on it. "... now that we have time, I need to make sure we're on the same line here. Can't have you ruining your own best chance by roasting my behind at the wrong moment."

"So, Nagamichi Soushi, do you believe in fate?"

"I believe that you and I have different ideas on what 'cooperation' means. I also believe that you have dirt on me and that your life would be less threatened if you didn't." Soushi replies in something of an annoyed tone. "And I believe that if anyone is going to change Soul Society, it's gonna be me. By changing it into a collection of burn marks in the ground. I don't give a damn about your utopia or whatever. If you get in my way, I'll eliminate you like all the rest."

The source of his voice seemed to change from time to time, though there was no outwards sign of movement. No sound, no bent grass. It was not unlike the feeling that the walls were talking to him.

"I don't actually have that much on him that I recall offhand would be useful. Taiki makes it a point to mantain as much secrecy about his operations as possible, and this includes information on his subordinates. Can't say I blame him when it's his job to keep hold of the most dangerous elements to the Soul Society way of life. He's particularly touchy-feely about information regarding one Hannibal Magalhães, information he doesn't trust any of his subordinates with - we can perhaps use his boss' distrust to our advantage, but it's a bit of a long shot."

[Frozen_Feet]

An ugly grin spreads across the stranger's face. "My utopia? Oh, you're priceless." He covers his mouth with his hand and shakes for a moment, his breath becoming spastic and wheezing - it looks like some bout of illness, until Soushi realizes the stranger's just trying to keep himself from guffawing madly.

" *snort* You really don't have a clue then, it seems. Let me educate you." The stranger draws his sword, slowly as to appear non-threatening, and levels it towards a nearby wall - approximately opposite from where Soushi is, based on his voice.

"I'm not here for any of that **** I just told that fellow. I ain't here for some great cause of my own. Don't think I am, even for a second", he rasps. "Instead... consider this fate. Consider me your guiding angel, a tool the powers-that-be have blessed you with to make your ambition come true."

The stranger's face becomes like stone, purple eyes becoming still and soulless. He continues with an utterly flat tone. "Now, I don't know of this Nest as much as you do. I'm not up to date. But I've heard it said it's strong as the Wall of Seireitei itself. Even the Commander General would be hard--pressed to get in on his own, let alone get out."

"Good thing this blade here is more powerful than any Shinigami. Bring the firmament crashing down... Ranmyaku."

The perfectly ordinary katana in the man's hands... suddenly becomes darker than the darkest night, wreathed in such a disgusting shade of unlight it's almost painful to look at it. It's like a hole in reality.

At first, nothing else seems to mark that the blade's been released - there is no surge in Reiatsu, no impressive lightshow or catchy theme music... then, the wall the sword's pointed at grows a face, and then arms... countless of faces and arms. They reach out, mouths open wide in mute howls of agony. Then they collapse to a fractal-like display of butterflies, changing colors across the spectrum in an eyehurting pulsating rhythm.

"I know you think about stabbing me in the back every moment there. But I think, deep down, you know there ain't gonna be 'nother chance. The cards've been dealt and stake's been set - if you turn down the hand you've been given, you'll never win. I mean, an imbecile like me could put one and one together and find you... sooner or later, someone else will manage it too. You're living on borrowed time. You gotta strike when the iron's still hot."

The blackness fades from the extended blade like a bad dream, and the stranger sheathes it hurriedly - almost as if he himself was afraid of the thing. The wall settles down and returns to normal - before crumbling to pieces, with each piece turning into a large snail.

"The Nest... it's strikes me as a place defended from all known things. But this blade here - it cannot be known. It cannot be defended against. I don't give a **** what happens after we crack that place. I only need you to smugle me and my blade there - until that moment, you'll follow me, and trust me, and I'll follow you and trust you in turn. Without mutiny or needless questions asked. Because you're a smart guy, and you've prolly figured out who I am by now."

The stranger looks Soushi in the eyes - it's a pure coincidence, it has to be, but it's unnerving nonetheless. He pulls out the silvery ampule he was playing with earlier. "Now, the problem with torture is that it tends to drive people mad, and the problem with mad people is that they can't be trusted." He's now whispering in a sickly sweet, happy-go-lucky type of voice, smiling derangedly all the time. " 'cause of that, we can't afford to go overboard with pain when we ask him stuff. He might swallow up his own lies and start thinking them the truth. We need those parts of his mind intact. If that'd happen, we'd need to get a new patsy - 'cept, we can't afford that. We're on a thight schedule. One chance only, pal."

"That's why I'm going to give him this - you wondered what this is, didn't you? It's a special concotion of mine - kinda like alcohol. Something to make him a lil' more talkative and lil' less... stubborn." The stranger shakes the ampule before where Soushi's face presumably is... or at least was, some time ago. "We still gotta be careful - gotta take notes so we won't mix up drunken babbling with the real stuff. But before we get there... let's smash our pretty lil' heads together and see what we know of this guy and his workplace. Compare our lil' secret diaries. Every single thing that could be of use, no matter how remotely. Let's start with... his name. Surely you know his name? He's your peer, right? Secret department or no, you must've seen him on a roster once or twice. Think hard, pal - lots gonna depend on this..."

[Kuroimaken]

"...that's it. That's all you've got. You and your blade?"

The voice was coming from a different place altogether. A place right behind him.

"You underestimate these fools more than I do. You know the reason why I'm doing things the way I am? It's because I've died to them once!"

"Even if you and your cute little bauble of a sword could take into them the entirety of Seireitei, which I very much doubt... what then? What would happen the instant it all came down? When all were said and done, you'd have them all turn on you. The mortals call it mutually assured destruction - fire the first shot, and you die from the retaliation.

If I want all of Seireitei vanquished, I must do it in one fell swoop. I must make it so that not a single Shinigami survives. I must wield a blade of such proportions that no thread of life remains uncut!

And that sword, you poor, gullible fool, is the blade known as HUECO MUNDO!"

After he calms himself slightly, Soushi continues.

"You fell onto my secret by sheer, dumb luck. Which after you're over and done with I will take steps to ensure never happens again. And besides, I've my own contingency plans for my inevitable discovery. Because unlike your belief, I have no illusions that everyone will think of me as the creepy yet hardworking Shinigami Nagamichi Soushi until every step of my master plan is complete.

Now back to the issue at hand," the troll collaborator continued, "I can actually do a lot more than simply give him pain. I control his body, after a fashion. About the only thing I can't do is search into his noggin for every bit of info I can find. But to answer your question, his name is Ren Karashi, head of Execution Squad 7. A fairly hardworking fellow, if prone to a bit of cussing. I have my doubts that anything like getting him drunk will get him to like us more, but I can just purge it out of his system if it doesn't work."

[Frozen_Feet]

"Hueco Mundo? Please", the stranger chuckles, but doesn't extrapolate. "Ren Karashi, you say? Execution squad 7... I'll keep that in mind. You still have those leaflets around? Put down any general facts you know about this Nest and other detainments facilities for me. If you've got nothing else on your conscience, let's prepare for kicking things up again..."

---

Karashi's had quite some time to linger in his torpor before his interrogator returns to him. The pale stranger casually walks up to him and jabs his shoulder with the silvery ampule - there's a slight sting as something is poured into his bloodstream again, but the feeling soon abates.

Then he can feel his spirits lifted - as if a healing hand was working him up from the inside. The stranger snaps his fingers, and the pillars of light fade, leaving Karashi bound with only a few lesser spells. The stranger lowers a pitcher of water and a loaf of bread before Karashi.

"How are you feeling now? Hopefully better", the pale man says solemnly. His picture seems curiously sharp to Karashi, as if a veil had been lifted from his eyes. "I apologize for that thing there, just had to make sure you wouldn't try to escape... I'm sure you understand, you'd done the same thing for me. So..."

The stranger pulls out his note book and pen again, giving a pained sigh. "... Ren Karashi, Execution Squad 7. Let's talk about Maggot's Nest for a while. You know how... people are put there for life. And life is a long time in this world, like we both know." He gives Karashi a sympathetic look from under his brows.

"Have you ever thought that it'd be more... merciful just to kill them? End their lunacy here and now, let them rejoin the cycle? Isn't trapping a soul to this plane in such awkward state as insanity cruel?"

"I mean, I guess it'd be more acceptable if we really tried to cure them... make them whole again so they can be let out. But are we doing enough... anything towards that end. After all, many of them have lingered there for decades, if not centuries - if they weren't crazy going in, they surely are now. But looking at the mortal world, heck, looking even at this place, slow to change as it might be... it isn't hard to notice that our concepts of mental health and justice have evolved. Yet the cases of many people in the Nest have never been revisited. They don't benefit from the change. And, it really pains me to say this, I'm not trying say it's your fault... I think some of you, the wardens, want to keep it that way. I can't say why, I'm sure you have your reasons, but... one's gotta wonder if it's right."

The stranger pauses, glances at his notebook and frowns slightly. "My orders are to get into the Maggot's Nest. Liberate a select few prisoners. I need you to tell me how and when, Ren. You have the requisite information. Help a friend in need, will you?"

The stranger flips a page and looks the officer in the eye again. "Let's start with location. We know it's one of the mountains north from here - but which one, I'm afraid, is only known to you. You blindfold and befuddle even your own workers, after all. No-one, not even Captain Takahashi himself, is allowed in from the maingate without a check-up, so that won't be an option. What side-entrance could we use?"

The strangers tone is jovial as he asks the question, and he's patient to wait for the answer. He isn't expecting one, though, not yet. This is only the first time of the great many he'll be asking this same question - along with multitude of others, each which would be repeated time after time untill Karashi would finally break and supply correct information.

They'd be in the small, abandoned room for a long, long while. Outside, the numerous fires and battles across Seireitei rage on...

((tgva8889: pick up as planned. The ball's on you now.))

[Callos_DeTerran]

Genoveva vs. Lots of People

As the steel net blossoms above her, Genoveva slows for a fraction of a second before her direction takes a ninety degree turn as she blazes towards the edge of this make-shift barrier. And still hellish pupils are turned on the 11th Division members trying to close in on her as they cross the threshold into range of the cancerous black aura she had taken upon herself. The net as well was behaving oddly, sagging in spots as rust spreads across it's surface to weaken it's integrity. Those shinigami that cross into it find their skin seeming to crawl and shift, a disconcerting sensation as the corruption sweeps over them.

"Huh? You're the big cheese?" comes the disbelieving remark as the six blades swarm in on her. Abruptly her path becomes erratic and dangerous, twirling and dodging about in every which direction like a mad woman to attempt to avoid the blades careening in on her. They didn't stop, but she was gaining more and more distance on them. That is, until a familiar bakudo slams in around her to bring her flight to a halt in mid-air as the 11th Division shinigami swarm erratically about trying to make sense of what was happening. Something wasn't right though, the pillars of light were flaking away from the moment they slammed home, turning black in other parts as Genoveva's reiatsu taints and corrupts the bakudo. With it falling apart around her like that, it doesn't take much longer for her to break the spell then it had the first time, though it seems to take more out of her.

But it had allowed the sextet of blades to close and they stab home into the Primera's vulnerable flesh...

Just for her to disappear into nothingness as the speed clone vanishes into thin air, the petite arrancar re-appearing in the midst of the 11th Division shinigami as her falchion flicks out of it's wrapping for the briefest of moments. When it slams back at the small of her back, there's a brief pause before fountains of blood erupt from the gouging cuts she had put in the shinigami with a feral smile on her face.

"Can you afford to keep playing with me then?" Genoveva teases before her form abruptly breaks apart...into six more copies of herself, spread apart and leering at those who had assembled to put her down like the rabid dog she seems to be. "If so, then let's play the shell game shinigami!"

[Frozen_Feet]

The 11th Divisioners start to fall back, catching their wounded and taking them back to ground while others reform in a wide circle around the Primera, doing their best to stay away from the black field of decay... with the possible expection of Karite, who doesn't seem to be in on the plan.

The, Genoveva's clone formation is disrupted by thrown rocks, of all things - rocks thrown with enough force to deform iron and knock wind out of her lungs should they hit. Down in the ground, air shimmers around Himura Michiko as she gathers sharp granite shrapnel from the ground and launches them towards each of the clones, and the air between them - she can't tell which image is real, if any, but if she'd put enough shots in the air at once, it'd seize to matter - either he'd hit something regardless, or Genoveva would run against the shrapnel herself.

Hopefully, it'd provide enough of a distraction for Masaru and Ryouichi to come up with something better.

[strawberryman]

[vs. Genoveva]

Gears tick in Ryouichi's head in fractions of a second. I could simply attack them all with a area hado... but that is probably what she's expecting. Destroying them could be harmful. Best to handle this delicately. The Commander General holds his hand out again.

"Tenran." A blast of wind buffets the six Primera. However, of more concern should be the charging Commander, a hand on the hilt of one of his three zanpaktou, looking for the right place to strike, or perhaps...?

However, the motive is obfuscated somewhat by his next bellow. "Iron Lobster!"

[riccaru]

Suzumes' seemingly random flash steps and running around lead her to none other than Sixth Division territory. Upon her arrival she begins her primary objective: Chaos!

A few whispered words and a little bit of rieatsu leave a symbol on stone and wood. These symbols will slowly glow brighter until eventually, they will explode, releasing the equivalent of a hado 43 worth of power.

Without a word or gesture to a single soul she's gone, heading for third division in the sporadic manner she came to Sixth.
She prepared explosive runes today.

[KnightDisciple]

"Iron Lobster!"

[Rukongai, battle against Genoveva]

Masaru's eyes widen slightly at the yell from the Commander-General...then narrow with resolve.

His form naught but a blur, he also takes off, curving out to the wide left of Ryouichi himself. At first, it's almost like he's trying to circumvent Genoveva and head somewhere else...until he hangs a sharp right, his turn punctuated by the sudden presence of a spinning blade of concentrated energy flying on a course bound to strike 2 of the visible Primeras. Anyone willing to look closely will see Masaru's swords in hand, though his wakizashi seems to be just a hilt and cross-guard right now. His katana still blazed in his right hand, though, as he move to do a fly-by attack on yet another Genoveva, this pass timed to just barely cross Ryouichi's path before the First Captain strikes his own target.

It seems these two have had practice fighting side-by-side before.

[InyutheBeatIs]

[Onmitsukido]

Sigint nods his head. "Yes Captain."

At that point, he waves his hand, giving the teams another order. "New plan, ladies and gentleman. Head to the established coordinates, but be sure to take various detours in search of this woman." He shows a picture of Suzume to the teams. "Don't take too long, but this woman is a priority. She's extremely dangerous, however, so do not drop your gaurd. Report to me on sight. Do not, I repeat, do not engage. If combat is absolutely necessary, do not hold back."

He then stands up, and pulls out his sword, holding it in his left arm. "Anata no Mewohiraki, Taganjuu." At that point, his right arm transforms into a clawed arm, while his sword only gets briefly shown before being stuck into the ground behind him. However, it is clear that it is much longer than before. Each member of the team is lightly scraped in the back of the head, causing a gate that not only can Sigint see through, but also teleport to. He also gives each member a strange mark; three magatama in a triangle formation surrounding an eye. After marking 25 of these members, they dissappear, spreading out throughout the Seireitei and part of Rukongai in teams of five.

Sigint then sits down, his left hand wandering to the now nodachi-sized blade's hilt. He grabs it and pulls it out of the ground, letting it rest on his shoulder as he watches the screens. His now semi-organic right arm rests at his side, kanji spiraling around it like a phantasm inside a flame. Ahhh, it is good to be released again. It has been a while.

"Well old friend, let's hope it wasn't in vain."

Rest assured Sigint, it won't.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Meanwhile, 10th and 13th Division HQs]

While battles rage on and criminals sneak around in Seireitei, 10th Division receives a hell butterfly from the 1st.

"This is a warrant from Yamoto Sayuri, Vice-Captain of 1st Division.

Akio Yama, 3rd seat of the 13th Division, is to be immediately sought out and arrested for unlawful use of Senkaimon and assault against fellow officers. Vice-Captain Yamamoto will come over and keep his hearing once the current emergency is over.

This note has also been sent to 13 Division and they know to expect you. Proceed as normal. Over."

[Kayne650]

[Wherever it was that Nasumi took Shishimaru]

"Ah, that's right! Evacuate the Rukongai! Um..." Nasumi jumps up, almost shoving Shishimaru to the ground as a side-effect. Then, her eyes widen and her enthusiastic smile freezes on her face - Shishimaru can almost see the gears in her head slowly grounding to halt. "Um... um... which way in the Rukongai?"

Shishimaru stumbled as Nasumi rocketed upwards, regaining his balance and sighing to himself as she voices her question. "I suppose that depends on quite a lot, Nasumi-san. Most tellingly, where are we? Where did you take us?"

"Perhaps we should just return to the 3rd division headquarters. Koishima-sama didn't actually order us to return to the evacuation, after all."

[Frozen_Feet]

"Uh.... Uh..."

Nasumi's gaze wanders a bit more - then she turns to look down on Shishimaru, mismatched eyes wide open. "I don't know!"

[Kayne650]

Shishimaru looked up at Nasumi, a mixture of worry and helplessness on his face. "Perhaps we should just head back to the 3rd headquarters, then. I believe that I can find my way there, and once there we can find the Rukongai, or just wait for Koishima-sama to return."

He looked around, searching for a landmark. Surely there was something. Hopefully, Nasumi wouldn't have any more objections.

[riccaru]

Suzumes' seemingly random flash steps and running around lead her to none other than Sixth Division territory. Upon her arrival she begins her primary objective: Chaos!

A few whispered words and a little bit of rieatsu leave a symbol on stone and wood. These symbols will slowly glow brighter until eventually, they will explode, releasing the equivalent of a hado 43 worth of power.

Without a word or gesture to a single soul she's gone, heading for third division in the sporadic manner she came to Sixth.
She prepared explosive runes today.

As Suzume nears third division she slows her movements, dispelling her Kyokko and taking off the cloak and her Haori. Her mouth curls into a viscious smile as a low rumble is heard from Sixth, the ground trembling underfoot. Smoke floats into the air, covering the area in debris.

"One down, two to go." She smiles brightly as she walks past third division members scrambling in every direction.

Ducking into an alley she again begins the slow process of setting the time bombs. Soon this brings her to the staging area, and another evil grin crosses her mouth. "Oh, what fun!"

[tgva8889]

Officer Karashi

Karashi scoffs and laughs a bit. "Well, frankly, I'm very, very glad they don't just !@#$#@^ off the guys. Worked out better for some of us, didn't it? I'm sure you'd know." He stares at the stranger. "What do you know of right anyways? You're just !@#$#@^ like the rest of 'em. So high and mighty. You think you can just waltz in here, capture some guy and get him to spill the !@#$#@^ beans. Hilarious. !@#$#@^ hilarious."

"You keep on talkin' like the Nest is mine. Ha. Sure, yeah, maybe. But not in that way you keep on yakkin' about. The Nest is Takahashi's, and he makes you remember it. Wasn't even !@#$#@^ his. Was Mio's before. But he'd never let you remember it. Never. I'm sure you remember it, the way you keep on yakkin', the way you keep on usin' the Shinigami magic. He thinks some of us forgot it but no one really did."

"And yeah, they don't !@#$#@^ rehabilitate. You think anyone ever gets better? Pfft. Mio tried to make us better. She tried, all she could. And then some dumb &^%$#% went and offed her #$%. We weren't ever gonna get better in there. Crazy people don't get better. I'm sure you've had years of experience there. I've had way more than you ever have. Ya ever worked for a crazy guy? 'sides, you kill a crazy soul, he just comes back a crazy human and then dies and becomes a crazy soul again. It's a never-!@#$#@^-ending cycle. Better to let 'em rot in captivity as long as !@#$#@^ possible."

He turns his head down, then lifts it back and laughs. "You're a terrible !@#$#@^ kidnapper. Capturin' your prey without even looking into his background, figurin' out everything about him there is to know. Y'should ask a pro next time. Leave too many traces, someone might notice ya. And you sure left 4 pretty obvious traces. Or I guess I should say 7. Ha. HA! Maybe you'd get it. Anyways...you're pretty stupid. Average 10th Divisioner doesn't know @#%$ about the Nest. ^%#$, most of 'em probably haven't ever set a goddamn foot in there. You's lucky, though. Pretty !@#$#@^ lucky."

Karashi takes the pitcher of water, examines it, then throws it in the stranger's face. "You need the wake-up call way more than I !@#$#@^ do." He grabs the bread and rips off a piece of it. "You sit back with that pad of paper and that magical pain amp and I'll let you know when you're getting hot or cold. Only a billions of acres in Sereitei, you'll guess the right one eventually. D'ya ever wonder why you couldn't find the damn place? Hundreds in there and you can't detect a single one, can ya?" Karashi begins eating. "You'd think it'd be obvious. I guess you're just not !@#$#@^ crazy like Taiki."

[Kuroimaken]

"Us"? That certainly doesn't add up. At all. Ren Karashi's talking like he belongs with the convicts, not their wardens.

Kujo's pad gets a couple of extra notes in it.

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"Too far off the deep end? Let him keep taunting, maybe we'll get somewhere. Act indignant, if you will."

Wait. Can't detect? Someone would have noticed if a place was built to be undetectable. Such a blind spot in Seireitei's defenses would be unthinkable, lest the place held no strategic position or importance.

Soushi smiled to himself.

If he didn't know the location of Maggot's Nest before, he sure did now. But he'd let Kujo suffer through that a little while longer. It was not HIS plan going down the crapper, after all.

[Frozen_Feet]

The stranger non-chalantly wipes the water off his face, not minding the bruise left by the pitcher - hiding a slight hint of a smile that had crept on his face. It had taken a while, but it seems like the floodgates are opening. He takes care to press Karashi's words and resumes writing them down.

"Lucky? Well, I guess. But don't you think you could benefit from that luck a little?", he asks while watching the officer eat. "You don't seem to think highly of your superiors. You have my sympathies - it must be hard working for a monster like this Takahashi. So... why not take this chance to get back at him? Break the cycle?"

"No-one would blame you - it'd all be on my back. And deep down, you'd know you're a hero."

The stranger takes a momentary pause to ponder upon Karashi's words, leaving him to chew his bread. "Ah... not detect a thing. That's because they're deep underground, isn't it? It must've been a monumental task to dig a pit so deep - I must wonder where you put all the stone..."

[tgva8889]

"Pfft. Mio got the miners to do it for her 50 years before she needed the damn place. Smart one, Captain Osagawa. Only one of them I'd ever really seriously respected. Captains, they have a lot of #$%#$@! authority. But Mio, she never wielded it. She earned that damn authority, she earned that respect." Karashi smiles, a wide grin spanning his face.

At the stranger's insistence, Karashi laughs. "I can tell there's no point telling you anything. Takahashi'll #$%#$@! kill you. He'll shove your ^%# down your throat. And he won't even bother with me, he'll just throw me in with the others. Or he'll find some other way to make me suffer for 100 more years than I should have. Taiki knows how to push just the right buttons to earn respect without #$%#$@! up someone's perceptions of him. Us crazies, we can see right through him. But no one listens to us. Even other crazies."

[Frozen_Feet]

"So it's an old mine", the stranger states, writing it down. The rock had probably been put to some use or another to avoid suspicion. He thinks for a moment - "50 years before she needed the damn place". It didn't say much to him - but based on their prior discussion, he's fairly sure it says something to Soushi. He could tell the bastard was omitting things from him, or at least in possession of much more useful trivia than he'd seen fit to share with him.

To someone knowledgeable about Seireitei's history and past captaincies, Karashi's words would have, if not revealed the exact location, at least narrowed the search down considerably. The stranges scribbles a note to Soushi at the corner of his page:

"Hey smart guy, got a clue yet? I think you do. Any suggestions which buttons to push to get this bloke lead us straight in?"

"I don't care if this Takahashi will kill me or not", the stranger says. "I wouldn't have come this far if I was unwilling to risk my neck. But even if he does... I can make him do it such a way he can't excuse it away. He'll lose his face. And regardless of what happens to me... your Division will take one more step towards having a better lead. One step of progress."

The stranger puts his book away for a while and leans closer to Karashi again, lowering his voice and staring hypnotically into his eyes. "I can give you a voice. I can make sure your scream is heard all across Seireitei. It's chance of a lifetime, pal. And all you need to do - is to let me in. Simple as that. If it turns out pointless, hey - then it is. But isn't it worth a shot? Who knows, maybe you'll hit something..."

[Kuroimaken]

This Karashi sure seemed to be a lot more alike to him than Soushi thought. A very interesting pawn indeed.

Soushi chuckled silently to himself once Kujo wrote that down. So he noticed. Before he puts the book down, a couple of lines scribble themselves.

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"Hit the nail on the head, I think. He's probably talking about an old Sekkiseki mine. Aren't too many that fell out of use now either from lack of ore or structural integrity. Perfect place to build a prison no one's supposed to know about - and from my earlier investigations, there's only one of them that's big enough for it.

You're not gonna get methods of entry out of this guy, though. He doesn't really know any. I'll give you directions to the mine, you go ahead and I'll clean this up."

[tgva8889]

Karashi smiles. "Nice mumbo-jumbo. Losing face has never stopped Captain Takahashi before. You think he gained a lot of #$%@#$ face by keeping that dumbass Captain in a cell all these years? Millions of arguments and fighting with Central to keep him in there and not, you know, in 12th's custody for studying purposes. Mio started 'em but Takahashi kept 'em going. People thought he cared but he didn't give a @#$@. He just wanted to see the guy rot."

As much as the stranger may try, Karashi doesn't seem to be bending any further than he already has. "My division is never gonna have a better lead if you're right about what you're saying. So don't give me #@$% like that. I know better. No one alive is better suited to run 10th than Takahashi is, and I'll be #$%@#$ damned if you think you're gonna put someone better in his place."