[BiTPR2] Bleach in The Playground: Renewed Revolution Thread I

[Julian84]

Soul Society
SSI

Ryuu bows at the waist. “Sawada-sama, I have returned from the world of the living with my mission objective complete.” He rises. “I am prepared to make my report.

He proceeds to recount the events of tracking the hollow down, battling it above Hong Kong, and finally subduing it. After finishing his report, he takes a slightly more relaxed stance. “As you can see, sir, the hollow is oddly mutated and possesses greater strength than the average hollow you would find wandering the world of the living. I have yet to make a basic hypothesis on why this is, but I’m certain rigorous study will accomplish the task.” He shifts his footing infinitesimally. “I hope that the study of the mutated hollow cells might provide some breakthroughs in my own research.”

Hueco Mundo
Arena of Las Noches

Ean’s interest in walking didn’t last long. With a burst of the sonido that came naturally to him, he covered the distance at a blistering pace, the speed of his passage fusing the sand into glass beneath his feet.

He arrived at the arena and watched the duel absently, gazing across the crowd with veiled interest, tasting the spiritual pressure in the air.

Perhaps he might find someone with information he needed.

[5a Violista]

Soul Society
Back at the Quarters
Late Afternoon

Suou Nicole blissfully returns to the quarters of the combat division. "Finally..." she says. She can rest from this crazy day that never seems to end.

...before she gets in bed, she turns around quickly, half-expecting the Vice Captain of Tomfoolery to show up. How great that there isn't one.


Mortal Realm
Tsukamoto Residence
Around Sunset

Miya gasps as soon as she recognizes it. Her grip loosens on the cup, and it falls towards the ground. However, before the glass even has the chance to shatter, she already has the pendant in her hand. She scans the paper with all her might, trying to understand what it means. Her mother is really alive? But that's impossible!

"I...but...we...I...wha...how?" Miya finds herself at a complete loss of words, unable to even complete a single thought.

Without bothering to clean up the glass shards, she leaps over them back into the house. She takes a record-breaking shower to clean up and dresses up nicely, before she runs back outside.

Disregarding the fact that it's now dark out, Miya begins her search for this address. She remains lost in thought on her way there, still trying with all her strength to understand what just happened.


Hueco Mundo
Arena Delas Noches

Valentina applauds the next combat moves.

That is what Ean and Creon will find when they arrive at the arena. The second Espada fighting another Arrancar, with a handful of fallen Arrancars on the ground; some slain, others, merely dazed or unconscious. In the audience, there's truly only one person who looks like she belongs there, close up and in the stands; that's Valentina, a scrawny, relatively young Arrancar.

Anyone else who was attracted by the fighting is keeping away from the stands, only watching from a safe distance. Safe meaning, of course, far enough away that they won't get hit. After all, the bird-arrancar just killed two or three others with a single move, and his opponent is one of the Espada. If they're not careful, his spiritual presence alone could kill the weaker hollows.

[Tebryn]

Soul Society
SSI

Ryuu bows at the waist. “Sawada-sama, I have returned from the world of the living with my mission objective complete.” He rises. “I am prepared to make my report.

He proceeds to recount the events of tracking the hollow down, battling it above Hong Kong, and finally subduing it. After finishing his report, he takes a slightly more relaxed stance. “As you can see, sir, the hollow is oddly mutated and possesses greater strength than the average hollow you would find wandering the world of the living. I have yet to make a basic hypothesis on why this is, but I’m certain rigorous study will accomplish the task.” He shifts his footing infinitesimally. “I hope that the study of the mutated hollow cells might provide some breakthroughs in my own research.”

Sawada perks a brow, tapping his chin as he slides back from his seat. "That so? Relax...no need to be so formal. I suspect perhaps it's on account of the recent attack on the Scarlet Garden. There were some predictions that after such an attack they may start ramping up an assault on the mortal world. This may be a prelude. I have investigated gathering outside help." He moves over to a small display, punching in some commands before a small display pops up displaying several mortals. "Before you go about your tasks, I'd like you to direct your attention to these three. I have given them tracking units that will collect data on any hollows they fight. I want you to monitor them when able without alerting the Internal Affairs of Recon Division. Are we understood?" he asks softly.

[Julian84]

Soul Society
SSI

Ryuu stares at the three. “Understood. I shall be discreet. If I may ask, what are their names? How closely should I be observing them?”

He pauses. “What if they need help?”

Hueco Mundo
Arena of Las Noches

They’re strong. Ean muses to himself. All of them.

[Viera Champion]

Soul Society
S.S.I

Eri sighed inwardly. Well this meeting was still important to have, whether or not they made any actual difference in how things were done.
[color"#8C92AC"]"I am fine with whatever you decide. I am shamed to admit that I have no particular ideas of my own, but if you feel what you have provided is sufficient, and there is nothing else you feel the need to contribute, then I am not one to question it."[/color]
He hopes that didn't sound as impolite as he felt it did. He wasn't trying to be rude.

Soul Society
Monastery of the Ho-ou

Hikaru frowns, taking a seat at Li's gesture.
"Kiba-san is too unready for his position I fear."
She says, accepting the papers.
"With the Kenpachi dead, the duty of leading the Combat Corps falls to him, yet he hardly seems capable at the moment of taking on such a responsibility. He is a fighter at heart, not a leader, and at such a time as this, I fear a leader is what is needed most."
She shakes her head sadly.
"On another note, on my most recent self-imposed mission—one where I sadly, though unknowingly, missed a Captain's meeting—I discovered an increase in unchecked spiritual pressure in the Mortal World. I had already taken a liberty with my time there than I should have, so I can provide no further details on the matter, but the information is important nonetheless. I will send some of my people out to gather information in the future."
She's not really sure why she's telling Li this. He always did seem to be the most trustworthy of the other Captain's, at least in her opinion.

[Frozen_Feet]

Li sighs. "I share your feelings regarding poor Kiba-san. Kenpachi-sama's death has not been kind on him. I feel he would do a lot better if he had someone more experienced to guide him."

"Unfortunately, ever since it's beginning as the 11th Division, the Pack has respected strenght of arms more than any other quality. It's not enough for us to find someone nominally competent, he'd need to be fit in their eyes. Meaning, he'd literally need to beat it to their heads. As it stands, I don't think we have a more apt close combatant in our ranks beyond Kiba-san."

The tea arrives, and Li picks up the kettle, wordlessly offering to pour Hikaru a cup. "Your news of the mortal world are... odd. Based on reports from the past few decades, I thought spirituality was on the decline in the realm of the living. I wonder what has reversed the trend since."

"Unfortunately, our forces are stretched thin enough as is that we might not be able to do much regarding the situation. It's your call to make, but I feel we might even be better off recalling our remaining patrollers here. They are too vulnerable out there, spread on the field."

[DiscipleofBob]

Mortal World
(The Classroom)

Kenzan has the watch in hand but has not strapped it on yet. He's still doesn't trust this Sawada guy, not yet anyway. He was going to wait for Sawada to leave before trying it out, but his curiosity overwhelms his patience and he tries to turn the watch on (if there's an obvious way to do so) to see just how the radar works. It was probably a better idea to try the watch's radar function at least while Sawada was still here in case he had any questions.

(Suburbia)

The awkward silence was unbearable. In an effort to break it, Miko speaks up again to Hayato. "So... are you just in hiding from the Shinigami? Or do you have other plans in mind?"

(Somewhere in the City)

The address leads Miya deep into the city, into a district full of old, abandoned inner city buildings. Not another soul was visible around the area, except for that one child who appeared briefly a few blocks away on an old urban playground. The building at the address is part of an old commercial district that had long since died out over the years. Several small businesses used to occupy the brick building, and the address Miya was given includes a suite number on the second floor.

Soul Society
(Combat Division Headquarters)

Kiba sneezed, rather violently at that. He had heard from one of his subordinates that that was an indication that someone was somewhere was talking about you. Complete nonsense.

It may have been well into the evening hours, but that's when Kiba functioned best: under the light of the moon. The Vice-Captain's "office," if it could be called that, was filled with stacks of unfinished paperwork. Paperwork that, unless Kiba bothered to find someone who could work it, would remain unfinished. Normally he would have just destroyed the paper without a second thought. But now that he was acting captain, some of it might have been important. He would have to find someone capable of explaining it to him.

It was far from the most important thing on his mind. The Combat Division had long functioned without paperwork or red tape. All these forms and memos and the like came from other divisions that still relied on that garbage to maintain themselves. Say what you want about "The Pack," but orders and schedules within the Pack ordered by the Pack were almost universally followed without error.

Kiba could see his officers sparring from his window. Right now he was poring over maps. They were the one piece of paper that actually mattered to him. Even if he didn't understand most of the labels, he knew Soul Society and the surrounding areas like the back of his hand and could read maps of terrain he had already memorized. Finishing the scribbles he hoped would be interpreted as the defense plan he had in mind for Soul Society. It should work if everyone took their positions, weren't interfered with by the other Divisions, and the other Division grounds could be expected to defend themselves. Then again, if anything like the force that had killed the previous Kenpachi showed up, no formation or application of forces could defend Soul Society.

Which brought up an important question. How come Recon hadn't known about the attack? What were they doing in the aftermath? Was anyone even trying to get intelligence on the invading hollow forces? Kiba decided he needed to have a talk with the Recon Division leader. If nothing else, he would have to lead a small team himself to try and scout out the hollow forces.

Kiba Shunpo's off, using his keen sense of smell, or whatever that sense actually was, to trace the spiritual energy of Tsukino Hikaru, attempting to hone in on her location. Of course he makes no effort to hide his approach.

Hueco Mundo
(The Arena)

The sudden reappearance of the blade and the complete stop of his attack startles Karasu. That much is apparent just from the look in his eyes. It's only a split second of hesitation, and if that alone doesn't doom him, then Karasu will flap his wings to shoot a barrage of bone feather missiles at Azmus in point-blank range.

[Tebryn]

Soul Society
SSI

Ryuu stares at the three. “Understood. I shall be discreet. If I may ask, what are their names? How closely should I be observing them?”

He pauses. “What if they need help?”

Sawada blinks, counting on his fingers before laughing. "Well...I don't actually think I caught them. I'll give you their profiles though when you go down." He shrugs, holding out a few fliers for the other young Shinigami. "Here...put those up before you go. We have to advertise the festival. If they need help." he trails off at the question, glancing out over the terrace of his office. "You come back here and let what happens happen. If they live they'll grow stronger from the experience. If they die...they'll be born here with a high chance of being a Shinigami. It's a win win for us really. Mortal lives are horribly short after all, death may very well be a blessing for what is to come. That's what we fight for though Ryuu. To erase the suffering on the mortal world. You and I both know it's not a promise that they'll have the chance to get an easy break up here either."

Soul Society
S.S.I

Eri sighed inwardly. Well this meeting was still important to have, whether or not they made any actual difference in how things were done.
[color"#8C92AC"]"I am fine with whatever you decide. I am shamed to admit that I have no particular ideas of my own, but if you feel what you have provided is sufficient, and there is nothing else you feel the need to contribute, then I am not one to question it."[/color]
He hopes that didn't sound as impolite as he felt it did. He wasn't trying to be rude.

((Your Hex Code is messed up Viera))

Sawada perks a brow, giving the Vice Captain an almost withering look as he brushes his hair from his face once more. "So what is it you came for exactly?" he asks briskly, folding his arms over his chest. "Surely you know that the S.S.I never sleeps, especially after losing it's Grand Sorcerer. You did not come just to waste my time and question our dedication to Soul Society?"

Mortal World
(The Classroom)

Kenzan has the watch in hand but has not strapped it on yet. He's still doesn't trust this Sawada guy, not yet anyway. He was going to wait for Sawada to leave before trying it out, but his curiosity overwhelms his patience and he tries to turn the watch on (if there's an obvious way to do so) to see just how the radar works. It was probably a better idea to try the watch's radar function at least while Sawada was still here in case he had any questions.

Sawada can't help a smirk as curiosity gets the better of one of the mortals, watching close as the watch springs to life. A full 3-D map of the city floats up from the watch face, red blinking dots moving about. "Red means dead. Hollows. The brighter the dot the stronger the enemy. Blue means Shinigami...I'd avoid them to just in case they mistake you for a threat. Same with Hollows, stronger the color the stronger the Shinigami. Black means a Captain level entity, blue outline is Shinigami and Red is...well let's just hope you don't find one of those. Yellow is a mortal like you." He points to the three yellow dots where they stand on the map. "Makes it easy to tell what's coming your way. If a hollow is in your area and you don't have the map up it'll emit a loud screeching sound that only spiritual entities can hear. Dogs may have adverse reactions too, we don't test for that sort of thing. The watch will also monitor your vitals by your Spiritual Pressure."

[Viera Champion]

Soul Society
Monastery of a Ho-ou

Tsukino Hikaru nodded at Li's words.
"Your advice is wise Li-san. I will think on it."
She turned, noticing an approaching presence.
"Well, well, seems our words have summoned the man."
She shakes her head. She was the Captain of Reconnaissance, she was the Woman Who Could See Without Being Seen. She supposed some would understand that she would not followed if she did not want to be, but obviously not everyone had figured that out.

Soul Society
S.S.I.

Eri looks at the ground embarrassed. This was going poorly. Very poorly. All of his meetings only seemed to make things worse.
"I am sorry for wasting your time Sawada-sama. Please forgive me."
Seireitei was a mess. Everyone would put their own division above the needs of Soul Society. At this rate, it was bound to collapse with a single push.

[Dorizzit]

Spoiler

Show

[Hueco Mundo]
Jehoel's island

Mikael lies down on one of the rocky protrusions. It's not long enough to hold his whole body, so his legs hang over its edge. Not the most comfortable position to sleep in, but it has to do. To avoid getting (more) sand into it, Mikael places his left hand on his lidless eye, resting his right arm on his chest.

Despite his exhaustion, it's not easy to fall asleep. His body aches, itches and prickles, and the cold rock is quite uncomfortable. Every once in a while, Mikael lifts his left hand, only to notice Jehoel is still in the same spot. Concluding not much time has passed yet, he resumes trying to rest.

Eventually, he starts drifting in and out of consciousness. In his slumber, he visions a bright red apple. But as he observes it, a worm emerges. He watches it gnaw the apple, and as he does, the apple becomes a heart, and the worm becomes a black dragon. Soon, there's nothing left of the heart, and in frustration, the dragon coils around itself, gnawing its tail. Past its legs, through the circle formed by its body, Mikael can see a glint of light, like a candle at the end of a tunnel... until he realizes he's awake again, and looking at the cave wall through Jehoel's Hollow hole. The Espada still hasn't budged an inch.

Huh. Mikael was certain it took a long, long time for the snake to eat the whole apple. Maybe dreams just distort his sense of time? Changing position slightly, he drifts back to sleep.

Now, he envisions... a void. A window suspended in air through which he can see this limitless, pitch-black space. But despite its utter emptiness, Mikael can still feel it is full of... something. Energy. Currents of invisible light, crashing against each other like waves of the sea. The window enlargens into a portal, and he steps through it. As the currents swirl and dance around him, he can once again see a glint of light in the distance.

The he realizes he's awake again, but the singing hasn't gone away. Confused, he crawls into a half-sitting position. Confirming that Jehoel still hasn't moved, the Espada obviously isn't the one singing. Mikael's uncovered eye drifts around the cave, until it fixes on an otherwise unremarkable spot at the middle of the cave. Faintly, Mikael recollects that was the place from where Jehoel stepped into the world of the living.

Odd. Didn't Jehoel close the portal after him? Why would a non-existent thing speak? Mikael shakes his head to clear the voice from his mind. "Hey. How long I've been sleeping?", he asks, glancing at Jehoel. Mikael's whole body feels sore and stiff, not really surprising giving the circumstances. A grumble echoes from the mortal's stomach. Mikael rubs it absentmindedly. "I'm hungry as hell. I don't suppose there's anything to eat around here, save for other Hollows?"

[Hueco Mundo]
Jehoel's Island

As Mikael goes to sleep, Jehoel leans back against the wall of the cave, folds his arms over his chest, and waits. Jehoel is very good at waiting. He can remain utterly still for extended periods of time, remaining only aware enough of his surroundings to notice movement or noise. When he enters this semi-catatonic state, he retreats deep into the ancient recesses of his memory. Looking back over his long, long life, Jehoel jumps from image to image. There are times of victory, times of chaos and times of utter boredom. Some memories are good. Some are bad. But none of them mean anything to him anymore. Still, it passes the time.

As Mikael awakes for the second time and addresses Jehoel, the ancient Hollow meets his eyes and stands.

"There is no food here, not as humans would define it."

[5a Violista]

[Mortal World]
Somewhere in the City, After Nightfall

As Miya approaches the district, she wonders if she's in the right place. After all, it's dark, and it's very abandoned...probably dangerous. Maybe she should just come back tomorrow? But then, she remembers why she's here. It's more important than the chance of running into a mugger. She increases her pace, just to get there more quickly.

Rechecking the address every ten or twenty seconds, Miya finds the correct building, and pauses to look it up and down.

Then, she enters.

The schoolgirl goes up the stairs, skipping every other step just to get there more quickly. Then, she searches for the suite before knocking (or ringing doorbell, if there is one, or clapping if there's neither a door nor a bell. "Hello?" she calls.

[CMOTDibbler]

[Soul Society]Training Grounds
Dosan uses the pressure on his blade to push himself out from under Naijeru, propelling himself on his back between his opponent's legs. The punch clips his shoulder, though, and Dosan lets out a grunt of pain as he uses his sword to push himself up to standing, facing Naijeru's back, smirking.

That was dirty.

Outside the IS Headquarters
Myojin walks directly back to his division's headquarters, sitting on the steps outside. After some minor difficulties with drawing his zanpakuto, he has it unsheathed, sitting on his lap. He pulls out a rag and a whetstone, and begins cleaning and sharpening the odachi.

[Mortal World] Higure's Classroom
Higure's eyes widen at the display.

I don't suppose you have one of those for me?

[Hueco Mundo] The Arena
Azmus, seeing his chance, grabs Karasu by the back of the head, and with a flick of his wrist has the point of his dagger millimeters away from Karasu's eye.

Will you serve under me?

If Azmus senses the other arrancar below, he doesn't show it.

[The Librarian]

Mortal World(Suburbia)

"Sorry..." Miko was having trouble being sympathetic. She had never lost anyone she truly cared about in her life, and other than Cutie Pie, she wasn't sure there was anyone like that she could lose.

.................

(Suburbia)

The awkward silence was unbearable. In an effort to break it, Miko speaks up again to Hayato. "So... are you just in hiding from the Shinigami? Or do you have other plans in mind?"

Hayato is finally broken from his thoughts still lingering on his long lost sister. The past seems rather dark when he thinks about it and is glad that this girl at least managed to break him from his despairing thoughts.
Hmm? Oh right in regards to the Shinigami I just need to be mindful their activity in this area. If one should approach me, barring the unlikely event its a Captain, I should be able to dispose of them quickly, maybe even avoid killing them.

More importantly though, at least in my mind, I want to know what's been going on with Hollow and Shinigami activity across the board. Over the few months I've been spending in exile I've noticed...abnormal Hollow activities, appearing in mass even places as far and remote as the Sakha Region of Russia. Its led me to believe something is going on in the Hollow World, known as Hueco Mundo.

Then of course there's you. The girl with a Living Hollow inside her, and yet you appear to be unharmed by its presence.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Hueco Mundo]
Jehoel's Island

Spoiler

Show

As Mikael goes to sleep, Jehoel leans back against the wall of the cave, folds his arms over his chest, and waits. Jehoel is very good at waiting. He can remain utterly still for extended periods of time, remaining only aware enough of his surroundings to notice movement or noise. When he enters this semi-catatonic state, he retreats deep into the ancient recesses of his memory. Looking back over his long, long life, Jehoel jumps from image to image. There are times of victory, times of chaos and times of utter boredom. Some memories are good. Some are bad. But none of them mean anything to him anymore. Still, it passes the time.

As Mikael awakes for the second time and addresses Jehoel, the ancient Hollow meets his eyes and stands.

"There is no food here, not as humans would define it."

"Figures." Mikael is a bit puzzled by lack of answer to his first question, but then realizes Jehoel might simply not know, or care. Even if the sun did rise outside, its light would be unlikely to reach bottom of the cave, and there are no clocks or other means of tracking time in it.

In the end, Mikael concludes it doesn't matter. It's not like he was in a hurry. He stands up and stretches his limbs. "So, I think I'll be going back to my world. To look for others of my kind. People with powers, I mean. It feels... a lot more sensible now that I know they exist."

"Of course, I'm going to need your help. I have no idea how to get back on my own. Besides, I think there's still a lot to learn from you. From this world in general. So I was thinking, is there a way I could contact you once I'm on my own? We could agree on a place to meet in a... month or so."

"If that sounds reasonable, could you drop me off in Helsinki? It's, errr, in southern Finland. 60 degrees North and 24 degrees East. I hope that tells you enough."

[DiscipleofBob]

[Mortal World]
(Mortal World)

Kenzan says nothing, but studies the map carefully, trying to pick out any more blue or red dots. Obviously yellow dots litter the city.

(Abandoned Inner City Building)

The suite door leads to an old dance studio. The place is in decent condition, despite not being used for years. Mirrors line the room, and there is another door in the back that leads either to an office or a utility closet or something. The second door is slightly ajar.

(Suburbia)

"Don't call her that," Miko responds quietly, but defensively. "Her name is Cutie Pie."

[Soul Society]
(Monastery of the Ho-ou)

Kiba was a little surprised to find his tracking led him to the monastery. He Shunpo'd to the entrance but walked inside normally. The Medical Division was one place where Kiba actually bothered to respect the grounds and to not cause any disrespect. He'd been patched up too many times here. He finds both captains in their meeting. "Captain Li. Captain Tsukino," he greets gruffly, but respectfully.

[Hueco Mundo]
(The Arena)

Karasu is caught and beaten. He can't attack again without the Espada delivering the finishing blow. The enigmatic arrrancar obviously can't speak, nor can he nod with a blade to his throat, but Karasu's eyes relax into submission, a nonverbal committal to Azmus.

[The Librarian]

[Mortal World] - Suburbia

Cutie Pie? Hayato repeats the name, raising an eyebrow out of curiosity towards the name.
A strange name, but it what you call him, her, it. So be it then. Doesn't change the fact that their is a for lack of a better term Monster living inside of you. If I may, can you tell me when you first noticed the presence of "Cutie Pie"?

[DiscipleofBob]

[Mortal World] - Suburbia

Cutie Pie? Hayato repeats the name, raising an eyebrow out of curiosity towards the name.
A strange name, but it what you call him, her, it. So be it then. Doesn't change the fact that their is a for lack of a better term Monster living inside of you. If I may, can you tell me when you first noticed the presence of "Cutie Pie"?

"She's not a monster!" Miko snaps, very defensively, giving Hayato a look like he just kicked a cat or something.

[Dorizzit]

Spoiler

Show

[Hueco Mundo]
Jehoel's Island

"Figures." Mikael is a bit puzzled by lack of answer to his first question, but then realizes Jehoel might simply not know, or care. Even if the sun did rise outside, its light would be unlikely to reach bottom of the cave, and there are no clocks or other means of tracking time in it.

In the end, Mikael concludes it doesn't matter. It's not like he was in a hurry. He stands up and stretches his limbs. "So, I think I'll be going back to my world. To look for others of my kind. People with powers, I mean. It feels... a lot more sensible now that I know they exist."

"Of course, I'm going to need your help. I have no idea how to get back on my own. Besides, I think there's still a lot to learn from you. From this world in general. So I was thinking, is there a way I could contact you once I'm on my own? We could agree on a place to meet in a... month or so."

"If that sounds reasonable, could you drop me off in Helsinki? It's, errr, in southern Finland. 60 degrees North and 24 degrees East. I hope that tells you enough."

[Hueco Mundo]
Jehoel's Island

Jehoel nods and stands at Mikael's declaration of his intention to return to the Mortal World. If he is stiff at all from his extended period of motionlessness, he does not show it. As a matter of fact, he did decide to ignore Mikael's question due to lack of knowledge. Time has little meaning in Hueco Mundo, and Jehoel simply doesn't keep track of it. Rather than admit his ignorance, he simply pushed past the question.

When Mikael continues and explains his plan to search for more people similar to him, Jehoel's mouth moves into the half smile that has shown itself a few times before. Rather than saying anything, he listens to Mikael's instructions about the location of his desired destination and then rips open a portal.

"I'll take you to the largest population center in southern Finland. It's easier to sense souls than use coordinates."

Jehoel steps into the Garganta, creating a platform wide enough to carry both him and Mikael with room left over. He beckons Mikael to follow him.

"Once you have found these others...those like you. What do you plan to do with them?"

[dancrilis]

[Soul Society]
(Shin'ō Academy)

Sho Sabitsura

She was sitting in a small room, something that she had gotten semi-used to over the last few weeks there were students present and an instructor speaking on philosophy or some-such, since she had encountered the one that convinced her to join the shinigami she had held her power in even greater check then normal.

Watch and observe, with and strike and kill.

The idea was much more interesting when you did not know exactly how weak the opponents were, Karia wanted to kill them anyway ... but Sho held her knife in check.

Jou smiled at her, the girl had tried to be her friend speaking about honour and justice and how lucky they were, it was odd as far as Sho was concerned for all her talk of the opportunity the girl lacked the focus to keep her eyes off Uira and consistently commented on his 'skills' when he practiced ... Sho had seen better drunks fight in her life.

She had came her for a potential challenge and so far other than people that were two distant to track properly she had encountered no-one worth killing - other then to make Karia happy.

Janiu was speaking again answering questions the man liked the sound of his own voice, he was focused, intelligent, stronger then the rest and had a gang of hangers on ... but still too weak to be worth this trip and time, she might kill him just to tide her over she supposed.

And the class ended.

"Wasn't that amazing" Jou was giddy "that theory on how a true warrior always explains there abilities first so as to strike fear into the enemy and also to allow weaker opponents the chance to surrender, and also ensuring that no one can accuse you of winning by deceit" her eyes went wide "that is how I will fight".

"That is stupid" it was all Sho had to saw really.

"What? why?, and what would you know anyway?" the girl had moods when her idealism was challenged, the thought of reaching out and snapping her neck as a demonstration of why was present, but there was something pleasant about Jou's company - and she would not kill her until she figured it out - and it would be far to easy.

"Soul eating monsters should be killed regardless of whether they are stronger or weaker then you, and giving them chances is poor practice", her voice flat.

Jou had no response which was not surprising really, the girl was dense at times.

Sho froze the feeling erupted from the training grounds, something dark and and powerful - "you should stay here", she moved quickly but not at an unreasonable pace, she had to see this for herself but she would not give herself away with undue haste.

The scene in the court yard was odd an incredible a number of hollows had entered the area, the students were being picked off like fleas - sweeping down on them, burrowing up from the ground and picking them off, fast ones blurring between students and cutting them open, and a large human shaped one at the back - the powerful one, drawing in the power that escaped from those it killed becoming stronger all the time it snapped the back of a Zanjutsu instructor - this was one to kill.

Watching the scene impassively she began to scroll the needed symbols in the air "Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat. Bakudō 9, Geki", she needed to stall the powerful one if she wanted to take out the remainder so that she could enjoy a satisfying kill at last.

The red spread over the body to freeze it and she moved immediately via Shunpo the flat of her hand shattering the mask of one of the hollows as she struck and a foot shattering the form of a weak one nearby ... and that was all the time she had before her Geki faded - she had underestimated the creature, or overestimated herself the blow to her back sent her reeling "foolish girl, you will be good food", she managed to escape an nasty collision with the wall only be using Shunpo again at the moment of impact.

Moving towards it Karia in hand she moved defensively but the borrowers moved against her and while not powerful a bite could hurt this - allowed the powerful one to outmaneuver her, and clearing to the higher areas allowed the fliers to attack her and she could not win like this - "kill, Karia" it was a whispered command as she stopped hiding her true power.

The hollows on the ground screamed as the mist filled they came to the surface, effectively dissolving on contact the wings of the flyers withered as they fell out of the sky with eerie silence to thud as mulch on impact.

The students fared no better, Janiu was present trying to use basic tactics to keep his group safe he had time to look in horror as their skin peeled off and the wounds showed through before meeting her eyes even as his own dissolved and he joined his friends - she could remember the look in them as she was focused on her opponent.

It was laughing at her - "I get to eat ones like you rarely - but more soon once done with you" it increased its speed to attack ignoring the blood while focusing on the knife, she backtracked away - including more students in her path and allowing it to step in the the blood drops that had dropped from her hand.

It began to feel the affects but there was still time before the true affect became obvious it roared at her to be still, even targeted other people to try to draw it out - Uira ran out into its path and was held as a hostage in front of the creature "fight me or he ... " Uira's body dissolved, and then the creature gasped in pain as a sore opened on its arm and burst the weakness of the taint affecting it coupled with the mist.

For the first time in the fight she smiled - it had given her too much time and finally she could kill it. She would not make the same mistake, "Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat. Bakudō 9, Geki", the mist would break it quickly but it would allow her the second to finish the creature.

Her shunpo closed the distance and her knife was brought to bare as part of the movement shattering the creatures mask even as she looked into its eyes and noted the fear in its aura, it had just long enough to experience the blood mist as it lost its power in death - she admitted to herself that she was happy with the death.

Sealing Karia she surveyed the scene, multiple dead, most bodies mulch ... she could get blamed for this, some students and an instructor ran in at this point and the look they gave her showed that they had at least the senses to have figured out what happened - she could likely kill them and create a cover story if needed - but with the amount of power from the battle others might be on the way - running might be best.

"What happened" an instructor asked clearly scared, "she murdered everyone" it was Jou who spoke "I recognize her aura - it was hidden but it was hers she fought her and killed" the girl was shaking "she wanted to kill".

"Hollows attacked so I killed them", shrugging "the others were in the way", her normal covering of her power was dropped leaving the students and instructor crumpled on the floor "you don't want to be in the way". She returned it to the level she normally maintained her aura at - but stronger then the vast weakness she had been displaying since she came here.

[5a Violista]

[Mortal World]
Abandoned Inner City Building

Oh. I've read this book before, thinks Miya, as she looks in the old dance studio. This is the part where the vampire attacks. The worst part is that vampires don't have reflections, so, with this many mirrors, you can't notice them until it's too late.

She walks slowly into the room of dance, feeling self-conscious with so many reflections of her. "Hello?" she calls out. "Mother, are you in here?" She thinks it slightly silly, talking to the dead, but today was a weird day, wasn't it? Besides, Miya believes in an afterlife. So of course her mother could come back to deliver a message. But what, exactly is the message, and why here?

She ponders this thought as she approaches the ajar door.


[Soul Society]
(Shin'ō Academy)

A young Shinigami-in-training shudders in pain, having barely survived. Yes, Sho probably saved his life. With his specific abilities, he wouldn't have stood a chance against those hollows. But she's probably just as much a monster as the hollows. There was no way he could fight back, and that's the thing he hated most. Nothing he could do.

And he hates that.

This woman probably would have easily killed him, and there was nothing he could do.

He crawls his way over to someone even closer to death than him, and tries to heal her with the rest of his strength, using what knowledge he does have about healing and first aid.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Hueco Mundo]
Jehoel's Island

Mikael takes a while to respond - he's distracted by the black gate before him. If he previously could push the singing from his mind, now it is impossible, as the roiling of the void almost overwhelms his senses.

"... that depends on how well they... co-operate", he finally states, stepping on the glowing portal. His uncovered eye doesn't look at Jehoel, instead wandering around the seemingly infinite black expanse. "I'm not the kind of man to plan too far ahead. No plan survives contact with the enemy, or so they say."

After the initial surprise wears off, the mortal follows Jehoel with steady step. That their path seems to appear from nothing and disintegrate to nothing as they walk doesn't seem to bother him that much. He decides it's not worth mentioning to Jehoel that the platform is not strictly necessary, as he could just fly if he wanted to.

"So you're saying it's easier to find people than places? That explains a thing or two." Mikael thinks of how he travelled alone in the wilderness before his "kidnapping". He must've stuck out like a sore thumb to a creature like Jehoel. It's still a wonder anyone bothered to look there at the right time. There's a clumsy change in his pace when the idea hits him. "Hey, compared to your average human being, how easy am I to "sense"?"

---

[Soul Society]
Monastery of the Ho-ou

Li blinks in surprise. "Kiba-san. What a peculiarly good timing. We were just talking about you. Tsukino-san here would like to..."

That's when a bright blue butterfly floats in from the opened reception room door. Li's brow furrows as Li brings the insect close to Li's ear to listen to its message. Upon hearing it, the elderly captain shoots up with surprising speed for someone who has only one working leg. "Gentlemen, I'm afraid the tea must wait. Hollows have assaulted the Academy." Clenching the bamboo cane, Li starts limping out of the room. "Follow me."

[AnimeKid]

Mortal World Higure's Classroom

Tamaki's eyes widened at the impressive piece of technology before looking at the one that was given as well before straping it on. At the very least this was something that could help them vastly instead of letting them stumble in the dark. He gave a curt nod of appreciation to Sawada as he says, "These will help vastly if we are to defend the city."

Soul Society Training grounds

Naijeru grinned as he turned to face Dosan who had managedto get behind him. In answer to Dosan he simply says ""Pi~rate!" He then charges once more slashing his blade in a fient towards Dosan's shoulder area before suddenly changing directions and slashing at his hips instead

Hueco Mundo (I will finish this later as I need to get to class. Plus I'm not sure where I can insert Kyoki where she won't immediately become background scenery.)

[Spacewolf]

Hueco Mundo- Arena

Relaxing as the fight finished and the spiritual power subsided Creon smiled behind his mask. It had been an interesting afternoon, shame the Espada hadn’t gone all out really, that would have been something to see.

Taking his eyes off the fighters now they weren’t going to be showing off anymore he took the time to look around the Arena properly, after a while his eyes were drawn to the scrawny looking girl at the front. Sitting that close to the fight she was either an Espada herself or was sure the Espada wouldn’t hurt her. Thinking it was probably best to try and get more information about the girl he tried to get a reading of the girls spiritual level, now that the Espada had calmed down he should be able to get a fairly accurate reading.

[5a Violista]

[Hueco Mundo]
Arena

Creon, assuming he is adequate at reading Spiritual Energy, should gather that the scrawny woman's Spiritual Strength is only slightly below that of Azmus. Valentina's clearly stronger than nearly everyone in the city.

Seeing that Azmus has finally made his decision, she starts to clap slowly. Oh, whichever gods there are to us, I hope he forgot our wager. Owing another Espada a favor isn't really great for morale.

[Dorizzit]

Spoiler

Show

[Hueco Mundo]
Jehoel's Island

Mikael takes a while to respond - he's distracted by the black gate before him. If he previously could push the singing from his mind, now it is impossible, as the roiling of the void almost overwhelms his senses.

"... that depends on how well they... co-operate", he finally states, stepping on the glowing portal. His uncovered eye doesn't look at Jehoel, instead wandering around the seemingly infinite black expanse. "I'm not the kind of man to plan too far ahead. No plan survives contact with the enemy, or so they say."

After the initial surprise wears off, the mortal follows Jehoel with steady step. That their path seems to appear from nothing and disintegrate to nothing as they walk doesn't seem to bother him that much. He decides it's not worth mentioning to Jehoel that the platform is not strictly necessary, as he could just fly if he wanted to.

"So you're saying it's easier to find people than places? That explains a thing or two." Mikael thinks of how he traveled alone in the wilderness before his "kidnapping". He must've stuck out like a sore thumb to a creature like Jehoel. It's still a wonder anyone bothered to look there at the right time. There's a clumsy change in his pace when the idea hits him. "Hey, compared to your average human being, how easy am I to "sense"?"

[Hueco Mundo]
Jehoel's Island

"... that depends on how well they... co-operate"

Jehoel does not let Mikael see the wider, true smile that splits his face at this proclamation. This mortal was proving to be very interesting indeed. He might actually change the world. He was this powerful, and still hadn't even begun developing his abilities in earnest. In all of his life, Jehoel has never seen another alike to him in potential.

"So you're saying it's easier to find people than places? That explains a thing or two."

"It is...difficult to explain. We Hollows can sense souls across the void, however. It is not precise, but more of a hunter's instinct. Strong souls, or great numbers are the easiest to find."

"Hey, compared to your average human being, how easy am I to "sense"?"

"Variable. Most of the time you feel like a particularly strong soul; ideal prey for a Hollow. When you are fighting, however, or actively using your powers, your Reiatsu spikes and your full power can be felt. This is incredibly easy to sense. You should learn to control your power."

They reach the end of the path, and Jehoel pulls through the exit, emerging several hundred feet over Helsinki. He steps out onto the air as if it was solid ground, then moves out of the way of the exit for Mikael to pass through.

"Now, then, where do you want to meet again?"

[Tebryn]

Soul Society
S.S.I.

Eri looks at the ground embarrassed. This was going poorly. Very poorly. All of his meetings only seemed to make things worse.
"I am sorry for wasting your time Sawada-sama. Please forgive me."
Seireitei was a mess. Everyone would put their own division above the needs of Soul Society. At this rate, it was bound to collapse with a single push.

[Soul Society]
(Shin'ō Academy)
*Snip*

Sawada was about to unleash all his annoyance with the other Captains upon the poor unsuspecting Vice Captain but before another breath could be taken sirens screamed across the entirety of S.S.I grounds. "Ah, a perfect example of our warning system at work. There is a Hollow within the Soul Society Grounds. If you will excuse me." he mumbles tersly as the siren call spread through out Soul Society, precautionary measures taking effect as safe houses suddenly slide out of the street from hidden panels for those not capable of fighting such a powerful threat.

Sawada moves to the Academy Grounds faster than he thought he'd ever moved, appearing at the scene of carnage as the lase Hollow falls. "Well...at least this was taken care of swiftly. I will keep the alert going for now. Can someone tell me what happened here?" he asks, his spiritual pressure suddenly exploding in all it's oppressive glory. The air around the Grand Sorcerer crackled and grew hot like standing in a working oven. Those below a Captain level would find it difficult to breath.

[Mortal World] Higure's Classroom
Higure's eyes widen at the display.

I don't suppose you have one of those for me?

"Course I do." Sawada smirks, holding out one more watch for the teacher, the third resting on his desk for Tamaki. "If that's all? Something's come up."

[Mina Kobold]

[Soul Society]
(Shin'ō Academy)

Short seconds after Sawada's appearance at the scene, a blur of white and red hits the ground at high speeds and immediately jolts away, reflexively avoiding the extreme spiritual presence. Coughing and gasping for air, the newly arrived Shinigami regains composure and stands up, adjusting a pair of half-moon spectacles.

"Grand Sorcerer! Senior Researcher A-"

Seeing the mass of dead Hollows and dead or wounded Shinigami, Alice Ruggles takes a defensive step back. Brushing a white hair away from a face paler than its already colourless tone, the Senior Researcher pauses before speaking again.

"Such magnitude, what has happened?"

Alice prepares to move ahead and assist the wounded, almost forgetting to await a response.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Mortal Realm]
Above Helsinki

"I see", Mikael mutters as a response. This is puzzling news. On one hand, it certainly would be desireable to learn to hide from unwanted challengers, like the White Devil. On another, it'd just make his task easier if the people he's searching will come to him, rather than him needing to find them. He'll have to ask Jehoel to teach him more on the subject later on. For now, he'll try to learn the basics on his own.

For the rest of their journey, Mikael focuses on thinking where to begin his search. People are easier to sense than places... so it would probably be a good idea to go into a place with as many people as possible. Anything else he could use as a clue? He is about to ask Jehoel, when he remembers a detail of the story Jehoel told of Dainichi Nyoria.

Shinigami. Gami. Kami. Isn't that Japanese? Mikael lifts his right hand to rub his temple, but lowers it when touching his bandages causes him pain. Yeah... he's fairly sure it's Japanese. It's the same "gami" as in "tsukumogami", the spirit or god of an object. But what does "Shini" mean? He's sure he's heard it somewhere... karate? In his mind, Mikael starts counting from one to ten. Ichi... ni... san... shi... there you go. But "god of four" makes no sense...

... wait. Death. Four is a homonym for death in Japanese. Mikael barely resists the urge to slap his forehead when the meaning dawns to him. Of course. "God of death". He's almost embarrassed that he took this ling to connect the dots. In his defense, he was quite tired when Jehoel recounted his story, but still.

Fortunately, this realization makes answering Jehoel's question much easier.

"Tokyo sounds like a fair start", Mikael replies, shielding his uncovered eye from the sun while staring down at the city from the heights. "Give me... one month. I'll be there then at latest. Of course, if you have nothing better to do, you could just go and wait for me there. It's your choice." Then, he jumps down from the platform, freefalling for a couple of seconds before suddenly slowing down and moving from falling to gliding down in wide spiral. Mikael turns around in the air and waves at Jehoel as a goodbye, before speeding up and heading for the central railway station.

[DiscipleofBob]

[Mortal Realm]
(The Classroom)

As much as Kenzan is silently begging for Sawada to leave, his sudden reaction perks his interest. "What do you mean something has come up? Is it a hollow?"

(Dance Studio)

As Miya steps into the dance studio, someone appears in the door where she entered. "Miya? Is that really you?" asks a hopeful, almost tearful voice, one that Miya hasn't heard in a long time and probably hadn't hoped to hear again.

[Soul Society]
(Shino Academy)

Kiba fails to follow Li from the Monastery. This is because as soon as Li mentions what has happened, his eyes widen as he Shunpo's off, no longer caring about any damage done to the decorum. There was a more important matter at hand.

His arrival is like thunder crashing on the Academy grounds, far different than the fast but quiet arrival of the other Shinigami. "What happened here?!" he growls before investigating the area. He sniffs the air and his nose recoils a bit. "Sawada, tone it down. I can't get a solid reading with you releasing all your energy like that!" He can still smell faint traces of the spiritual remains of the hollow, but something's wrong. First of all, something kind of irritates his nose, maybe some sort of airborne ability. It was only the faintest traces, and Kiba wasn't certain whether that belonged to the hollow or whatever had killed it. ((OOC: It's the latter)) Secondly, no way should a hollow have gotten this far into Seireitei. What about the perimeter? What about the patrols? Why hadn't the Recon Division heard anything about this? Why did it take so long for the SSI's sensors to go off? "Something's very wrong here."

[???]

"Journal Entry: Despite the recent setbacks during the experiment with 'Arachne', there have been a few unexpected breakthroughs in my research. Experiment 12-B-X involved the test of 'Minotauros' in an entirely new environment. One that I hypothesized would turn out similar to 8-A-1. But the results were far more promising than I'd hoped. The test run of Minotauros and its unique abilities was an overwhelming success.

"I will likely have to increase the overall quantity of experiments in the future, now that there are likely to be more interfering factors, but I believe if handled properly this should overall increase the amount of data from each experiment. I am hopeful for another breakthrough soon..."

As he finishes writing, on the opposite page a diagram of a bull-mask transcribes itself, one that just so happens to be very similar to the one worn by the hollow that attacked the academy.

[CMOTDibbler]

[Soul Society]Training Grounds
Dosan shrugs a little, then quickly swings his sword in a downward cut, straight at Naijeru's head, not even trying to block the attack coming at him.

Shino Academy
Myojin almost instantly appears near Kiba on a nearby roof, his odachi drawn and leaning on his shoulder. He says nothing, but stands looking around, frowning deeply.

[Mortal World] Higure's Classroom
Higure turns the watch over in his hands, inspecting it, then looks over at Kenzan as he speaks.

[Hueco Mundo] The Arena
Good.

Azmus smiles, sheathing his dagger and landing calmly on the ground in front of Valentina.

Seems I won, Valentina. He says, smirking.