Bleachitp Episode 21: The Execution Day Arrives! Does this mean Shirubaru's Death?

[Sucrose]

Siegfried glances around as Natsuko gets out.

"This is far too quiet for 1st Division. Someone should have come and tried to stop me by now. ...Do you know if they moved the execution time up?"

"Siegfried? I think I might know where they would've sent her cross."

"Oh? That's good. Let's move, then!"

With that, as soon as he knows that Natsuko is ready to follow, Siegfried begins to run again, blindly following Kachisuke's directions.

(to horngeek)

Spoiler

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Apologies for the minor godmodding, but I get the feeling that I'd best get this part of the plot moving. If necessary, I can edit. I'll also let you decide if Kachisuke's hunch is right.

[horngeek]

{{Yes, the hunch is right. Whatever it is.}}

Natsuko indeed follows. Where is it?

[Sucrose]

As they continue running, Kachisuke explains, occasionally taking a hand away from Siegfried's neck to emphasize a point.

"There's an archive near the Commander-General's office where they keep dangerous artifacts. More than a few of my favorite toys are there."

"Near the Commander-General's office? Oh, joy."

"Why would they keep it elsewhere?"

"..."

"Exactly."

Just as they round the next corner, a squad finally runs into them. Siegfried bowls them over, delivering dozens of incapacitating blows in an instant.

"It's just on our right here!"

Siegfried takes a right, and opens the first door he sees. It opens into a massive warehouse, seemingly much larger on the inside than the outside.

"....Do you have any way of detecting your cross?"

[horngeek]

Natsuko concentrates. And grins.

And all sixteen of my Seele Schneider.

She gathers all of them. Right. Let's get going.

----

Daisuke is still waiting for Shirubaru.

[Sucrose]

Siegfried nods.

"We might get out of here before Daisuke-taicho comes down on us."
With that, he takes off running, trusting Natsuko to keep up.

[horngeek]

Daisuke blows up the building to stop them

Daisuke is still waiting for Shirubaru's response.

----

Narsuko follows Siegfried. So, what's the plan?

Because I think the execution is starting right now. The Commander-General isn't going to come down on us because he is there right now.

[Sucrose]

Siegfried sighs, and speeds up.

"I'd been hoping to draw some of the shinigami off from the execution grounds to chase us. Seems like that won't happen. ...We'll just head there as quickly as possible, and aim to save Shirubaru-san before the Sokyoku is released. I have plans for if that fails, but they're pretty basic."

[horngeek]

Right. Then we'd better get moving.

Natsuko starts running towards the Sokyoku.

[Sucrose]

Siegfried tries to grab her by the shoulder.

"Stay where you are; we have a faster way. Sekienton."

A cloud of red smoke fills the block, easily visible from Sokyoku Hill.

When Vi arrives, Siegfried quickly says,

"Change of plans. Execution's now: please take us to the Tower of Penitence."

[Anyr]

Forsaking the usual places of observation for such a ceremony, Kiljaeran could be seen wandering a fair distance from the stands. His position had been selected for its view of the key points around the entire hill, allowing him to keep a steady watch on the full area. He wasn't interested in watching the execution itself, but given the circumstances it was practically certain that someone would try to disrupt it. The presence of so many captains and lieutenants didn't really comfort him; Given their track record, there was nothing to stop some of them from switching sides at a moment's notice. As the ceremony began he paced more rapidly and scanned the area constantly. If anything was going to attempt an attack on the stands, there would at least be one captain there whose aim was to stop it.

[H. Zee]

Daisuke is walking up to the execution grounds. He does not look happy. At all.

Shirubaru Reshiro, you have been convicted of the murder of House Daikano. For this, you have been scentenced to execution by use of the Sōkyoku.

Do you have any final requests?

A cigarette would be nice, says Shirubaru. With the sun in the sky and a cigarette in my mouth, it'll be a fine day to die.

[strawberryman]

Siegfried tries to grab her by the shoulder.

"Stay where you are; we have a faster way. Sekienton."

A cloud of red smoke fills the block, easily visible from Sokyoku Hill.

When Vi arrives, Siegfried quickly says,

"Change of plans. Execution's now: please take us to the Tower of Penitence."

Viatrix

Vi nods, instantly warping herself and the others to the Tower of Penitence through her black and vaguely blue dimensional portals.

Merumeru...

"There you go. Next stop?"

[horngeek]

Daisuke nods. A cigarette for the condemmed.

A cigarette is provided!

[Sucrose]

Viatrix

Vi nods, instantly warping herself and the others to the Tower of Penitence through her black and vaguely blue dimensional portals.

Merumeru...

"There you go. Next stop?"

Siegfried pinches the bridge of his nose, then steps out

"We'll launch our attack from here. Try to find the others, and bring them to the other side of the execution site as quickly as possible. Warp here to tell me when they've arrived. Our chances aren't good, but we may be able to create an opening for them."

[H. Zee]

Daisuke nods. A cigarette for the condemmed.

A cigarette is provided!

Shirubaru stares straight ahead, the cigarette clenched between his teeth.

What are you waiting for? Fire her up.

[horngeek]

Daisuke nods to the kido corps members. They start to activate the sokyoku.

----

When do we attack?

[strawberryman]

Viatrix

Merumeru...

"Don't even need to move..."

Piroriparopirirora... A bunch of Viatrix's Void Butterflies center on the area, and then she sends them off in opposite directions (avoiding the execution site, to also avoid suspicion) to scout for the others. Viatrix opens a large portal, which displays the images each individual butterfly sees. Merumeru...

"You think these are just for communication?" Vi smirks a little.

[OverWilliam]

It was here, Kenji thought. The 4th had done a good job cleaning it up-- already, in just a few days, one could hardly tell there had been any damage at all. But there was one spot Kenji suspected they had not noticed...

Gone were the scorch marks. Gone were the craters. Even the solid stone walls again looked... Solid. But there was an instinctual connection here; Kenji knew that his blood and the blood of his opponent both had been spilt here.

Kenji moved to a specific place. A place he remembered well; he bent down to pick something up, something that had (remarkably) been passed over in the cleanup and repair. Kenji picked up his Lieutenant's badge. Slowly and deliberately, he tied it back to his bare bicep, opposite his new tattoo. Droplets of blood still spattered its white band, as well as stains on the wooden device itself. Somehow, though, it only made it belong even more. Kenji straightened up. He was complete again; and it was then that he was assured of how much it had been missing, how much it had... belonged.

"I am Ryuunosuke Kenji, Vice Captain, 2nd Division. I am not an impostor, or a pretender. This is who I am, this is where I belong." He said out loud, informing the empty walls of this place, they who had witnessed his doubt before, a doubt now banished forever from his heart and from his mind.

"Be with me, Yen... Because I know what I have to do."

[Sucrose]

Siegfried sighs, responding first to Natsuko.

"When the others are in position, or the Sokyoku is fully active, whichever comes first. In the first case, we'll try to draw attention, and get those attending out of the way for Masato's group. In the second, I'll try to hold off the Sokyoku. If I can, I'll get Shirubaru free, and you can escape with him. If I can't, then try to get him yourself."

His only response to Vi is a slight smirk, and careful attention to the screens, which he tears his eyes away from occasionally to watch the Kido Corps firing up the Sokyoku.

We don't have much time left.

[Revlid]

Kinkuzo's eyes widen as the Sokyoku begins to activate, the readouts on the lens of his mask skittering madly.

He tilts his head slightly in Kessen's direction, a hint of envy in his voice. "They really did know how to build them back then, didn't they?"

It is only that chance tilt that draws his attention to the column of red smoke in the distance, and causes him to remotely ready his traps, eyes back on the crowd, and the road approaching the execution grounds.

[MageSparrowhawk]

Metta flickers back into sight, roaring along on the bike he had created. He had hidden and slowly cured some of his wounds after his fight, making sure not to overexert himself and harm his effectiveness in combat. He's been keeping to back-streets, but now discarding his stealth, he leaps onto the nearby roofs and increases his speed. That red glow...the Sokyouku is activating! S***!

[strawberryman]

Viatrix

Viatrix spots Metta on the screen... Wasting no time, she sticks her hand into the respective screen, in lieu of bringing him to where Siegfried directed, pulls him towards her (if that's fine). She looks to him, then Siegfried. Merumeru...

"He's with us, right? If not, I can put him back..."

[Sucrose]

Siegfried's grin widens.

"That'll be just fine, Vi. Didn't expect to see him again so soon."

When Metta arrives, he says,

"We're here to coordinate you. All of us will be assaulting the execution, either when Masato gets into position, or when the Sokyoku activates. It'll be most useful to have you on the team."

[MageSparrowhawk]

((...are you pulling him with or without the motorcycle he's riding on?))

[strawberryman]

((Without, she's not that strong. ))

[MageSparrowhawk]

((Ok, I was kinda confused, but this works...I guess...*shrug*))

"What the...oh. Huh. Hi everybody!" And people who I have no idea who they are...

"Um...so this is the part where we save Shiru's ass just before he gets toasted by the sokyoku?"

[Sucrose]

Siegfried raises an eyebrow, then nods.

"I'd rather it be a bit less narrow than that, but that's the right idea. We can do introductions later. Just know that we're on the same side."

[MageSparrowhawk]

"Plan? You actually made one? Nice." Metta glances around at those assembled. ((who is that actually?)) "So, do you think you could give me a rundown on that plan of yours?"

[strawberryman]

Viatrix

Viatrix stares at Metta. She does her weird wind trick by funnelling it off of a mountain somewhere. Shiiiiii...

[Sucrose]

((It's Siegfried, Viatrix, Natsuko, Kachisuke, and Metta himself))

Siegfried sighs.

"It's been shot to hell at this point, but the idea was to create a distraction by breaking Natsuko here out of First Division. The others would use the chaos to try to rescue Shirubaru. The fallback plan is what we're on now.

We'll attack directly when Masato's team is in position, hopefully creating an opening for them to rescue Shirubaru in. If they aren't ready when the Sokyoku is activated, we'll try for a snatch and grab."