Haunted Beneath the Lunar Eye [R, DE, H/E]]

OOC: Reserving a spot. Entering with Enma or Shinsei.

Kubi Tsure, Vice Captain of Squad 11, was sent to the Human World. Since his transfer and subsequent power increase, he had been sent out on a lot of missions; mostly trivial ones, of course. However, this time Kubi was sent on an important mission, one rumored to have even attracted the attention of someone more powerful than even a Captain. A frown crossed his face as he stepped out of the Senkeimon. More powerful than a captain ... who would have thought. He shook his head, staring down at the pristine village layed out before him, like a storybook. Kubi frowned, his hand resting on the hilt of his Joo Bachi, the pure blue blade at odds with the dark black of his outfit.

For this mission, Kubi had decided on more than his usual herbs, Shaping Crystals, and explosives. First and foremost, his belt had been replaced by a pitch black silken linen. Strapped to them were customized hilts for knives; Kunai, specifically, enabling easy draw. There were seven sets of knifes; one set of fivwe each of a red, light blue, brown, and yellow, and three sets of five each of a black kind. These were Kubi's Kunai, and though they weren't quite his fighting style, he decided they'd be useful. Looped onto this belt was ten feet of spiritually tempered stainless steel wire. Through a special loop on this belt was a long, electric blue spike; his very own Electronic Lockpick. Hanging from a pouch, made of silk, on his left hip, were three items; a Knockout Gas ball, a Poison Gas Bag, and a Disintegrative Gas Bag. Two hilts were hidden in a slit on his either leg, containing a blue dagger. And of course, strapped to his right and left wrists respectively were his Soul Gauge and Energy Shield, both of a blue color, of course. Needless to say, Kubi was ready for most situations. With a grin, he jumped off the air ground and landed near the town.

OOC: [/b]

Abilities

• [Street Fighting] IIII
  
  
• [Pain Tolerance] I
  
  
• [Mastery of Self] III
  
  
• [Mathematical Prediction] III
  
  
• Battle Analysis III

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A gate opened in the sky, right after the gigantic one closed. This one was horizontal, and everyone would see it. The Vice-Captain of Squad Four descended out of the gate. He was dressed in a gray sport-coat and a pair of acid-washed jeans. The coat was unbuttoned. This revealed a white dress shirt, which was also unbuttoned, and a black tie with red stripes that was yet to be tied. On his left wrist was a black watch with a white face, though it was covered by his sleeve. A pair of purple lensed sunglasses sat crooked on his face. The medic was such a mess because the order to deploy to the land of the living had come while he was in bed with a particularly fine woman. He had been reluctant to leave, but he had a job to do.

And so there the medic was, half dressed, in the middle of the sky. His orders had been clear, if brief. Hibiki was not here to put an end to any threat. He was here to make sure that Shinsei didn't accidental destroy a village. If that mistake was made, he was in charge of damage control.The medic would do his best to make sure that job was unnecessary, but it was a possibility in the back of his mind. Shinsei's power was simply overwhelming, and it would be challenging to contain it. No one really even understood why a member of the Zero Division deployed over something this minor, but it seemed like a bad omen to Hibiki.

The medic rapidly descended from his own Senkaimon, and quickly located both Shinsei and Kubi thanks to his above average energy sensory. By the time he had gotten onto solid ground, he had managed to button his shirt, but his tie still hung loosely around his neck and the shirttails were untucked. With his charismatic nature, it wouldn't be hard to play it off a fashion choice, but the healer consciously hoped that it didn't catch on. He had landed close to Shinsei, since this man was his objective. Speaking as politely as he could manage, the medic simply uttered. "Good evening, Shinsei-san. I've been tasked to accompany you on this mission, but they neglected to give me any details. Care to fill me in?"

OOC: If it pleases the court, I'd like to delay posting the stats and abilities until the change-it-up in a couple days comes around since abilities will be significantly altered in that time for Hibiki, and his powers will be significantly improved. If not, I'll enter as is.

Shinsei, almost immediately after landing, was greeted by a Shinigami. And then by another. The first to arrive greeted him by name. The second, obviously more clueless, was only there because he'd found the first Shinigami. The one to greet him by name surprised him. Shinsei did not show any visible sign of being surprised, but rather deduced that a natural reaction would be best. Still, he was surprised. He knows my name? Does he know my rank too? There's no way. No one in the Gotei Thirteen was even privy to the existence of the Zero Division, much less the name of a member that had arrived. He couldn't fathom how this Shinigami knew his name. Only Captains or higher were supposed to know about the Zero Division, much less know the name of someone from there.

Shinsei took a moment. He was attempting to deduce who this man was. He had come here with the intention of not grouping up with any Shinigami. He had come as a solo operative. This was why he utilized his Gigai. Royal Gigai Version 2, it was called. Serial number RGFRWEV211452. It allowed Shinsei a manageable control of his own power, and his own gravitational pressure as a Zero Division member. He could not utilize release or any Kido above 100 in number. It also slowed the fragmentation rate of the world's reiatsu tremendously from Shinsei's presence because the Gigai took that damage and gradually broke down. As stated, Shinsei had come to show warning to enemies of Soul Society. As a solo operative. Other Shinigami were not supposed to be present, much less know who he was.

Is he one of Shinra's? Shinsei thought to himself. Saix Shinra had been the Squad 11 Captain many years ago. While Shinsei was now aware of his death, the two of them had once engaged in battle. Saix Shinra would be the only Captain to know Shinsei's name. He could easily have told anyone from Squad 11. Noting that both men had the badges and insignias of Vice Captains, Shinsei figured if either were of that Squad, Saix could have told them, if they had ever served under him. But, thinking back, Saix had not had a Vice Captain when Shinsei first met him. And, to Shinsei's recollection, this had not changed during his death, else Squad 11 wouldn't have needed a replacement Captain so quickly. So then how did this man know his name?

Shinsei wore a wristwatch with a green rectangular screen on his right wrist, hidden by his tuxedo. His puzzling had all been done within a couple of seconds, and he came to the quick conclusion that it was simply necessity to check up on who these people were. While in one pocket he had the item called Zodac Version 3, serial number ZFIPV322451, the one on his wrist was the version one. A quick press of a couple of buttons pulled up the information Shinsei was looking for. Shinsei flashed a confident smile. He had what was without a doubt the best smile of any Shinigami ever. He had white teeth, perfect in alignment and shape. He just had that chin that ever man wanted. "Greetings, Vice Captains." Shinsei said.

His information on the Zodac screen disappeared into blackness. It had revealed what he needed to know. Kuchiki Hibiki and Tsure Kubi by traditional name formats. Hibiki, the one who knew his name, was a Kuchiki. He's one of Sozen's... Shinsei realized at that time. Squad 6, the keepers of history and information, were directly linked to the Kuchikis. They would know all about the Zero Division. Sozen also happened to be married to a Zero Division Member, Aoi Chika. Shinsei was acquainted with her, and they had worked together more than once on missions. It was no mystery after that. She'd told Sozen about this affair, and Sozen had told Hibiki. It all made perfect sense how Hibiki knew Shinsei's name and rank.

"The true purpose of this mission is destruction," Shinsei explained. "Intimidation. This village, full of strange happenings, has been deduced most likely as the origin of a threat or some kind of enemy. Our goal is to investigate, send back information, and destroy any hostiles which we encounter. This destruction should be at a large scale. They must be made aware of Soul Society's power, and the consequences of any form of attack. This is a worldwide message. That's why I'm here. Otherwise, you two would easily be enough for this mission." Shinsei motioned to the sword on his back. It was a short sword, sheathed. Only about a foot and a half long, two feet at most. "I'm presently in a special Gigai that restricts my power, so as not to draw too much attention. My reiatsu is difficult to sense while I'm in this body."

The sword that Shinsei had motioned to was not his Zanpakuto. It was one of the Zero Division's "substitute Zanpakuto." Two feet in length, but with a blade wide like a buster sword's. It was at least a foot in width. It was sheathed on his back as his weapon of choice, as his actual Zanpakuto was spiritually stored away on his spiritual body, locked inside of the Gigai. Inside the folds of his suit however, he had six chakrams and a wire used for slicing throats in assassination technique, all tucked away so well as to be invisible beneath the folds of his suit. He could not release. He could not use Kido above 100 in number. Despite this, he was sure the mission would be a success. "What we need to do first is fall into any traps laid for us," Shinsei said, taking lead. He was used to being leader of Zero Division squads, after all. "Once they trap us, we'll know everything. Any questions or alternative solutions?"

Almost as if on cue, and after anything else they might say in response to Shinsei, their hearts began to pound. Shinsei recognized the feeling. He was drawn towards the light. Resisting it was not futile, but it was difficult. He wanted it. He was curious of it. More than anything, he wished to head into it and discover its true meaning and purpose. It was something he could not help. It was justified too. It was part of the mission, so it was necessary to investigate. Rationally, Shinsei knew what was happening to him. There were similar existing phenomenons with similar effects. One was a powerful metal from Hell which was imbued with the weight of all sin and temptation, and cooled in the River Styx. He'd encountered this metal more than once. Even the smallest piece gave way to uncontrollable desire for it.

Shinsei, not entirely against his will, began to walk towards the light. He said nothing, expecting the others to come to their own decisions. Whatever it was, he decided that he wanted it, and that investigating it was best. He was not stupid nor incautious however. With his ages of experience, he knew what could be consequence to just wandering into it seemlessly. Shinsei arrived at the light, stopping before he actually went inside of it. Instead, he skirted at its borders, admiring it, looking at it. He was not entirely sure what it was, so he investigated it. He did not touch it with any part of his body, but rather scrutinized it. He wanted to know what it was. What it would do. Just what was this light? He had to know.

As soon as the two had come even close to the light, it simply vanished, winking out of sight. But the odd thing was, nothing seemed to change on a visual level. They could see as if the light was still there, but they no longer sensed it. There was no attraction, no pull. There was no reason to walk forward except if duty to complete the mission compelled them. Neither would feel the draw that had caused them to come as close as they had, but instead just found themselves looking into the highlighted area. Maybe they were disoriented, as the powerful allure just vanished. Maybe they were confused, or concerned that they had been pulled into a trap. Nonetheless, whatever their mental state, the fact remained: the lure was gone, and all that was left was a light.

That is, until they turned around. Upon turning, the two would suddenly find that they were looking into a dense fog. Neither of them felt condensation or chill air; the fog had simply just appeared. It was so thick that the road seemed to vanish into the cloudy sea before them, the world behind a thick curtain of gray. If either attempted to push through the fog, trying to find a source, they would suddenly find themselves emerging back where they started, completely turned around. Any attempt to determine direction would find the user disoriented, as north seemed to be in every direction at once, even outside of the fog. Effectively, they were sealed in by the suddenly-appearing dark vapors. Any attacks fired into the fog would simply vanish, swallowed up by the darkness without making an impact as the gray clouds rolled back in.

The only option was to go forward, into the town. As they watched, it was like a veil was being peeled away; lights started appearing, as did the silhouettes of people. Slowly things would clarify, a lens being brought into focus. Details would become noticeable on the silhouettes, and real people soon stood there, moving from building to building, chatting in low, worried tones. No children played in the streets, though there were several present; they were simply subdued, quiet. There was no merriment in the atmosphere, in the gray wall that seemed to surround the landscape and sucked the life out of the area. The mood was somber, an almost tangible pessimism coating the land. The only thing that shone out of the mist was an enormously full moon that let its pale light fall over the village.

Upon approaching the villagers, however, the two Shinigami would notice something unusual; whether or not Shinsei’s Gigai made him visible, Hibiki had dressed too hurriedly to grab a Gigai of his own. The Vice-Captain should have been invisible to all but a spiritually aware person or two, but as the pair walked into the town Hibiki would draw as much attention as his partner would, maybe even more with his disheveled appearance. It could be taken as people looking through him to see Shinsei, but then the murmurs would begin; even in the bleak atmosphere, women would comment on Hibiki’s looks, or the state of his clothing. Maybe he had been with a woman, and then gossip would start up about who it was. It seemed that even in the gloom, gossip managed to thrive. It was odd, but everyone seemed to be able to see the spiritual beings, when at least one of them should have been unseen by normal humans.

The streets were paved beneath their feet, but seemed recent rather than heavily-used, a sign of the town’s recent prosperity. There was a car or two parked on the side of the roads, but it seemed more people still walked than drove; clearly the area had remained rural for a long time. People would move aside to allow the two Shinigami to pass by, and then would close back together to begin talking. Whispers abounded in the small groups, and if the two Shinigami chose to eavesdrop, they would hear snippets of conversation: “…body found in…” “…an arm, as well as both legs…” “…monsters in the mist…” Clearly something was up, and it was up to the two Shinigami to gather more information.

((OOC: Feel free to post reactions, converse with one another, and end your posts bothering any NPC you feel like within reason. I’ll provide replies in the next post.))

The medic had merely nodded as he listened to Shinsei speak. He didn’t really care about what Shinsei’s answer was. All he really caught was “We don’t have time…” That was all the incentive he needed to enter the town. He had inadvertently followed Shinsei’s orders, without even realizing he had done so. Even though there was no longer an otherworldly attraction, the idea had still been set in the vice-captain’s head. There would be women in town, and he could hopefully get information out of them. If he was lucky, he might even be able to pick up where he left off with that other woman. What was her name again? Oh well, it didn’t really matter in the end. He was just looking for some fun, nothing more.

Normally, there would be a lot of problems with the medic’s plan. For one, it was entirely possible he was walking into an enemy’s trap. Secondly, he was not in a gigai. Normal humans wouldn’t be able to see him because of this. Yet by the time they had arrived in the town, it was apparent that this was not the case. These people could all see the vice-captain plain as day. They parted as he walked by while he idly listened to Shinsei. The cockiness of the man would be off-putting to some, but the medic actually found it to be slightly reassuring. The Zero Division Corp Leader had a certain charisma to him, and it helped to ease the healer’s concerns slightly.

As the pair strolled through the town, Shinsei said something that caught the medic’s attention. He had expected the bragging and he had hoped that Shinsei would know a bit of restraint. What got his attention was that his own destructive capabilities had been acknowledged. This meant Shinsei truly knew far more than Hibiki had realized. He knew everything about the medic’s release, no doubt. He also clearly knew his own limits in this form. The vice-captain had finally realized what level the Zero Division was at. They sat at a level that he couldn’t even hope to comprehend. Having realized this, the medic promptly responded to Shinsei’s banter with the utmost respect. “You’ll have to forgive me Shinsei-san. As you no doubt know, it’s my first time working with you, or any of the Zero Division. To be frank, it took a while for the reality of this to sink in. It’s not every day that you meet someone that could fight with the Captain Commander.”

After the vice-captain had done his best to save face, he then proceeded to diligently follow his orders from Shinsei. He scanned the area until he found an especially attractive woman. She was young, probably just over 18, and had her voluminous brown hair thrown back in a ponytail. Her outfit was simple, but with Hibiki’s experience, he knew it was only hiding a hell of a beauty. The vice-captain wandered up to her and coyly worked his charm. “Hey hon, I’m kinda new to town. Any chance you could show my friend and I around, and maybe even tell us a bit of the gossip around here? I’ll even buy ya something to drink for your time” He had motioned at Shinsei with his thumb when he’d mentioned his friend, and his charm had been in full swing the entire time. Hibiki was drop dead gorgeous, as was Shinsei. They were both exceptionally charismatic as well. This girl was probably having several less than pure fantasies play out in her mind when such a good looking pair of guys chose to ask her out of all the people around.