A Night Out [Social, PG-13, Closed]

[Deleted]

(OOC: This is a social between Kazuko Shiba and Yoko Kusanagi, that may, depending on how things go, turn into a battle later on. The thread takes place in Austin, Texas, at an undisclosed date. Stats, items, and other such things will be posted if they are required later on. Edit: posted Stats and Abilities after discussing things on chat.)


It was late evening in the city, with the yellow light of the sun filtering through the high-rises that made up the background. There were probably two or three hours left of light before the sun completely faded from view behind the curtain of concrete and steel. In the midst of the city, there was a park, which was half grassy knoll, and half forest; it was customary in its design, with gravel paths snaking their way through most parts of the environment and groups of benches and tables lining those very paths. This was a place where families would come together to enjoy a nice picnic or a walk; a place where you could come after a long day of work maybe, sit down, and enjoy nature at its fullest without the vestige of city life clouding your vision. However, on this day, there was something special about this park; unlike the sky above it, which was slowly dimming as the day was coming to its end, the park itself was alive with lights and sounds of laughter and enjoyment; obviously, there was something special going on in the park itself.


On this particular day, a temporary carnival had been set up in one corner of the park away from the tall oak and maple trees of the area; apparently, this was something that only happened once a year or so, and for good reason. The city only allowed a handful of organizations to set up in the park since zoning laws restricted this sort of things happening near residential or industrial parts of the city. Thus, reserving, and managing these sort of carnivals needed to be done well in advance. In the matter of a week, machinery and giant masses of metal had been trucked and carried within the confines of the area before skilled hands assembled all the equipment. The end result was that there were many attractions and rides open for paying visitors to enjoy; things like merry-go-rounds, miniature roller coasters, and carousals were just some of the things present there. There were also, of course, stands for food, candy, games, and other things. The carnival in the park would be open for about a week before they would then pack up and leave to another city. That night then, was the final night that the park would be open, so many people had come to get their last "kicks" in.


Amidst all the music and people, unbeknownst to anyone there – well at least those without any aptitude with the spiritual arts – there was a collage of other sounds and lights joining the ones already there. High above the area, well out of way any danger, there was a battle-taking place. Though, no human there seemed to notice, not that it was there fault or anything, about what was taking place while they enjoyed themselves. Four Shinigami, two who looked to be in their twenties, one who appeared thirty, and one who was the youngest of all of them were floating in the air. Though they appeared to be a certain age, their real ages were something more unreal to those who might have only known human life spans. Three of those Shinigami, the three oldest to be exact, were locked in battle with a winged, eagle-like Hollow. The beast, which was all it really was in all its carnal fury, made passes at the group of Shinigami, talons poised to tear flesh, only to be met time and time again by the cold, unwavering spiritual steel of their zanpakutos. The Hollow, was a crimson and gray mass of feathers, which were each miniature blades all on their own.


“The thing doesn’t know when to give up, does it?” The man who looked to be in his thirties said, a grin plastered on his face. His body was drenched in sweat, but it did not detract from his combat ability. Obviously, he looked as if he enjoyed combat very much, while his other tow partners themselves were more serious and withdrawn. Every time the Hollow flew headlong into their positions, he was always the first to lock his blade with its claws and stop the pass. The other two Shinigami, who were younger, also had their parts in the battle. “Its slowing down though. The last two passes it made were sloppy has hell. It won’t be long now.” As he said that, he fired off two bolts of lightning, one after the other, and caused the beast to retreat, flying upward once again. One of the other two said, after assessing the Hollow’s combat abilities.“Yeah, he’s right. It should be over soon.”To any watching, it appeared that the eldest provided a front line defense while the other two supported with their knowledge of Kido.


The fourth, smallest, and youngest member of the group, stood back from all the action; his face was calm and lax, unlike those of his comrades. It almost looked like he was bored, or tired, with the whole battle. He looked to be about sixteen in terms of age, and his body was somewhat below average when compared to others in his age group. Meaning, he was smaller and skinnier than other "kids" his own age. His hair, cut short and combed back, was a dark-oak brown, the same like his eyes were and somewhat darker than his skin was. While he was not handsome, many, to his chagrin, had called him adorable and cute. Unlike the uniforms of the other men, which were slightly tattered and wrinkled due to all their movements, his was clean and unwrinkled. It was the same black robe that all Shinigami wore, but on the boy, it was a tad too large. While the other men wore their zanpakuto at their hips, this teen wore his strapped to his back, for utility, rather than some misplaced want. The only other thing that set him apart as different was the wooden, pentagonal badge tied to his upper arm, with the symbol “Nine” emblazoned on it.


This Shinigami, the boy, watched with his arms crossed as the other three Shinigami engaged the Hollow in battle. Every so often, the bright, vibrant lights of Kido would light up the dimming sky, as two of the Shinigami chanted and fired off the spells at the Hollow. Every time they did so, however, the beast would turn and evade the spells, sometimes responding to the attacks with its own – like Bala or cero. Every time it did so, however, the group of three would in turn evade, either with their speed or a quick, but effective step with Shunpo. At the same time, the boy stood there in the air almost as if he were judging the abilities of the Shinigami and despite his bored expression, never missed a detail in all the fighting. Eventually, when the battle looked like it was drawing out, he said, his voice rising that above those of the Hollow and the other Shinigami. “Finish it, now, while it tries to make another pass!” The other three Shinigami, all nodded in confirmation, the oldest of them flying to the head of the group to lock blades again with the beast once again.


When both Shinigami and Hollow collided, talons and sword sparking in the air, the other two Shinigami opened fire again, with two Shakkaho spells of their own. The orbs or red hot reiatsu flew toward and at the beast, who at the last second, disengaged from his opponent in an attempt to evade the blasts. However, it was too late, and one of the orbs managed to strike at one of its wings, singing the wing off completely, and burning a fragrant of its mask off with it. Hesitantly, as if grasping for life, the Hollow fell from the sky, shrieking in pain, as its body slowly faded into reiatsu; its soul was was being cleansed and judged. The three other Shinigami cheered in victory, however, a bit too early; as the Hollow dropped from the sky, an orb of red materialized from its mouth, before turning into a streak of crimson reiatsu: Cero. It moved with vicious speed at the three Shinigami, who only now were turning to meet the threat, unable to fully react. In the excitement of downing their first Hollow, the three men had dropped their guards, and would have to pay for their error.


However, just as the beam looked as if it would destroy the Shinigami, the boy, who had stayed back for the most of the battle, was suddenly at the head of the group, before the cero. With a blur, his zanpakuto streaked, a bluish-blur of movement and steel, and collided with the cero, causing the crimson reiatsu to burst and fade into nothingness. When pitted against the power behind the blade, the cero was extinguished easily, without an collateral damage. With his zanpakuto steaming, the boy slowly sheathed his blade at his back, and watched the falling hollow disappear completely, its last vestige of revenge thwarted by someone so small. He made sure that the Hollow was no more, as such a beast would threaten the living if allowed to roam. A few seconds passed, and the teen turned to meet the tired but relieved faces of his comrades. “You all did well, I must say. Though, you all got a little careless at the end. That’s too be expected, I suppose, as this mission was supposed to be to train you new recruits. But never drop your guards, even when your enemy appears defeated. Nonetheless, good job, overall.”


Relieved that the battle was over, and excited to have downed their first Hollow, the three Shinigami, who appeared to be lower in rank than the boy, took the time to rest and share their own takes on how the battle went. The boy allowed the men to have their time; their moral and confidence in the Gotei would likely grow if he did so. It was a few minutes later, when the boy, after spreading his sensory through the area and detecting no other Hollow signatures decided to call the mission a success. So, he unsheathed his zanpakuto from its scabbard at his back, and plunged the spiritual steel in the air, then turned it like a key in front of him. In response, a wooden set of sliding doors, with paper screens, materialized in front of him, shining light everywhere to any who could see spiritual things and slowly opened before them. He ordered the others go back to Soul Society – to go back home – and take a well-earned rest. They complied, saying their goodbyes, and after the doors shut and disappeared, left him there floating, high above the unaware people, alone. These sort of missions did not have much glory or honor to go along with them, but they were necessary, and it was his job to make sure they went off without a hitch.


The boy, then, pulled a black butterfly from within his robe and allowed the small spiritual denizen to fly up and land on his shoulder. It was a Hell Butterfly, and the Vice-Captain was always sure to keep at least one on hand for communication and such. He whispered to it, “This is Vice-Captain, Kazuko Shiba, of Squad Nine, reporting in. The training mission was a success, and the squad members in training from Squads Eleven, Three, and Five have returned. Note, that I’ll be returning after I make a sweep through the area to make sure all threats have been neutralized.” And with that, the Vice-Captain flew down, and was immediately greeted by the sounds of excitement and joy from the people below. The people there in the land of the living were eager to enjoy and lose themselves, it appeared. If only they knew how much trouble went into maintaining their vestige of life by those who were unseen. Nonetheless, the Vice-Captain, likewise, who had appeared bored and uninterested in the battle above, was now beaming with anticipation and excitement as he made out the shapes of rides and food stands.


He would return to Soul Society, yes, but only after he had a little fun here with all the rides and games. Kazuko was still a kid after all, and he was always eager to have fun and play when he could, even, if at times, he had to bend the truth a little to do it. The Vice-Captain, thus, landed near the trees, and scanned around for something hidden there. After a few seconds, he found it near some bushes, where he had left it beforehand: his Gigai. Slowly, the boy entered the physical body, which was an exact replica of his own spiritual body courtesy of the scientists in Squad Twelve. This body, however, was dressed in a red T-shirt, with the name “Marvel” in bold letters on the front of it; it also had khaki shorts, which reached all the way down to his knees before stopping. On top of it all, the Gigai came with a regular blue cap, with the yellow symbol of batman emblazoned on it. Moreover, in each pocket, there were handfuls of candy and some money stashed away, just in case; just as the backpack he had on his back was filled with other things as well.


Ready to go, the boy left the security of the trees, and scurried to where the carnival had been set up. The first thing he did, of course, was buy some ice-cream, like any self-respecting kid would do. He left the ice cream stand with two cones in either hand; both were stacked up a few inches with the scoops of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. He was in heaven as he took quick licks and bites from the cone on his left in an effort to finish it fast so he could eat the other one. Kazuko walked up to one of the stands set up for the people to get on one of the miniature roller coasters. Even with all the crowds making getting access to some rides difficult, the boy was eager to enjoy himself no matter how long it took him to do so. He worked his way up the line to the ride where, at last, the person in charge of the ride finally confronted him. A few seconds later, Kazuko responded his voice flaring like his temper, “What do you mean I can’t get on this ride?!” Of course, a few people turned and looked at the scene he was making.


After a few minutes of arguing, Kazuko left the line, grumbling at his luck. Apparently, the height limit for this particular ride was five feet, and Kazuko was five inches too short ride it without a parent or guardian to come along with him. It infuriated him to great lengths, being an officer in the Gotei and all, that he would not even be able to ride something as simple as a human ride when his role in life was to kill monsters and manage an army. “When I get back to Soul Society, I have to get those guys in Squad Twelve to make me an older looking Gigai… this stupid thing always gets me into trouble.” He muttered to himself, feeling cheated after a long day of work. In an effort to calm himself down, the boy sat down at a nearby bench and began eating his ice cream again with passion. At least nobody stopped him from eating things like sweets in this world, well, most of the time. Sometimes, the boy encountered women who mothered him around and tried to keep him from enjoying his time there. Apparently, people got protective when they saw a kid walking around alone, without anyone there to take care of him.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats/Abilities}

Kazuko Shiba: Level 2, Spiritual Genius

Strength – [100] (50) Limiter: 30
Speed – [400] Limiter: 240
Spiritual Pressure – [200] (400) Limiter: 240
Reiatsu Strength – [400] (800) Limiter: 480
Light Aura – [75]
Dark Aura – [25]
Instinct – [150]
Senses – [100]
Energy Sensory – [50] (150)
Healing Expertise – [0]

Total SP: 1400


Abilities

Weapons: Sword [3]
Hakuda [3]
Battle Analysis [3]
Mental Incantation [3]
Calm Mind [2]
Pain Tolerance [1]
Learning [1]

Total SKP: 16

[Deleted]

Another day, another headache of an assignment. Kazura and company were off to Texas on a business deal. Uzaki Enterprises’ CEO had plans to buy out a battery research and manufacturing firm. Apparently they had tech that could help out one of his latest toys, and it was cheaper to just buy the entire company than go through the hassle of setting up a deal to use a battery so similar to their patented designs. The business side was no big deal. The company was only worth a couple hundred million, and they turned a steady profit, so it wasn’t exactly a risky move for Uzaki Enterprises. Still, as with any travel, it meant a series of troubles along the way for Yoko.

Private jet or not, they still had to deal with American customs officials when they touched down at Austin-Bergstorm International Airport. [smear:00ffff]”What a bother…”[/smear:0000dd:1] American Security was horrible, and not only because they were incompetent. TSA officers, if they could even be called officers, didn’t know anything about how to handle security. Their personal property was subject to being checked, but they didn’t even bother to search the plane. Bringing her weapons into the country wasn’t exactly a challenge, but Yoko didn’t even bother to retrieve them in the end. If she actually faced any serious threats, she could probably deal with them with her bare hands. If they were really serious threats, she could always just release her fullbring. Either way, she wasn’t too worried about it.

Normal humans were rarely a threat to a fullbringer, but that didn’t stop them from trying to kill either her or her employer. The meeting between Kazura and the board of Valence Technology had started off fairly well from what Yoko had gathered. They all seemed decently content with everything, and there was a distinct lack of animosity in the air. Part way through the conversation, that all changed. Perhaps Kazura had said something he shouldn’t have, or perhaps this was their plan all along. It didn’t matter. They had been set up, and that meant Yoko had a job to do. She was, at that moment, the only member of Kazura’s personal security team, and she was up against half a dozen men. Each of them was built like a linebacker, and armed with a very shiny handgun.

It was a shame none of them realized what they had gotten into. Yoko exploded in a flurry of movement, and four of them were on the ground before they knew what hit them. She was nice enough to hold back her strength too. If she didn’t, then those men wouldn’t be breathing any more. The other two goons had a chance to actually do something before Yoko got to them. Clearly, she was the threat, so the guns were aimed at her rather than Kazura. It was too bad that Yoko could move faster than those bullets when she needed to. A quick use of movement brought her behind one of the still-standing thugs, and a quick strike to the back of the neck knocked him out. Realizing it was rather fruitless, the last of them simply surrendered.

And so it was over, just like that. To most folks, that would’ve been fairly exciting, but it was just another day at work for Yoko. She’d seen Kazura through far worse than a couple thugs with guns. Heck, the first time they met she’d fended off magically summoned versions of three comic book heroes to keep him safe. A few retired college football players with guns really weren’t a threat compared to things like that. With all the meatheads either unconscious or unwilling to do anything else, her work was done. She wasn’t paid to pay attention to the details of the business deal itself, but it seemed like Uzaki Enterprises was going to get a pretty good deal after this. Failed assassination attempts made for damn good blackmail after all.

That was just her morning too. Of course she was jet lagged to hell and back, so it felt like night for her, but that was all out of the way before noon. With the business deal all wrapped up, Yoko’s work was done for the time being. She headed off to the hotel room that was reserved for her, stripped, and crashed for the “night.” Of course jet lag meant she couldn’t sleep all that well. The blackout curtains in her room weren’t perfect, and so she eventually awoke to what appeared to be fireworks outside her room. They were off in the distance, so she couldn’t see what was going on perfectly, but she could tell it definitely wasn’t fireworks.

It was a battle.

Yoko threw on some clothes, but nothing too fancy. Her work uniform would do nothing but draw attention to her. She donned a simple outfit so that she’d blend into a crowd a bit. Some skinny jeans paired with a graphic tee formed the first layer, and a light sweater (left open) went on top of the shirt. Of course the outfit couldn’t be perfectly normal, since this was Yoko we were talking about. The graphic on the shirt was a skeletal head dressed like he was a World War One pilot. Oh, and she wore it with combat boots. It was close enough to normal that she wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows, but it still had enough of her style intact. Needless to say, the sealed form of both her fullbrings were on hand as well.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Outfit Reference}

With enough clothes on to be decent on public, she was ready to rock and roll. The battle didn’t directly concern her, so she wasn’t in too much of a rush to go check it out. She even bothered to take the stairs… though that was mostly because the window in her room didn’t actually open. Still, once she got outside the hotel, she just casually walked over towards the lights in the sky. It was a few minutes before she got close enough to figure out what was going on, and that had meant there was time to grab a smoke on the way over. The nicotine helped her wake up a bit, and it helped keep her from getting too bored on the walk over.

Keeping to a normal human speed was such a pain, but it was a necessary pain when trying to blend in. Her reiatsu was masked as well. The last thing she wanted to do was alert whoever was fighting that there was another threat nearby. Well, she wasn’t really a threat since she had no intention to get involved, but flaunting her power unnecessarily wasn’t wise. Anywho, she’d had her smoke, and she was finally close enough to see what was going on. The battle itself didn’t look too interesting. It was a few Shinigami against a hollow. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Heck, none of them even seemed threatening. Their attacks were all small scale enough that it was unlikely they were even officers.

One of them was interesting though. Just one of the Shinigami wasn’t doing anything in that fight, and he was pretty clearly bored. It was a look Yoko wore all too often. The foe was beneath that Shinigami, and that meant he was strong. It took the fullbringer a bit to recognize him. Kazuko was far older than the photo she had on file, so she didn’t realize who it was at first. This was someone she’d been brief on rather extensively though. Kazura had fought Kazuko on two occasions, so the file on this particular Shinigami was fairly thick. It seemed he had done a lot of growing up lately though, so it was hard to know if that information was still accurate.

Oh well. For now, it didn’t matter. Yoko just hung back, smoked a second cigarette, and watched the battle draw to a close. With her reiatsu masked, and the two never actually having met, there wasn’t much to tell Kazuko that Yoko was spiritually aware. She actively avoided approaching him until he got into his gigai. Kazura had told her about those of course. Yoko waited until after he walked out of line for one of the rides before she decided to actually make her move. It was pretty clear by that point that he wasn’t here for work anymore, and her curiosity was peaked. What reason could a Shinigami have for wandering around a fair?

[smear:00ffff]”Why do you linger in our world, Shinigami?[/smear:0000dd:1] She asked him that without even bothering with a hello. Her tone was mostly neutral, but it did hold a hint of that curiosity. There simply wasn’t any reason for him to be here. His job was done, and the other Shinigami had left. Though her question needed an answer, she had more to stay still. [smear:00ffff]”The hollow is slain. Your job here is done. Your allies have all left, and I see no reason for you to not have left with them.”[/smear:0000dd:1] Almost as an afterthought, she added one last thing. [smear:00ffff]”I have no quarrel with you specifically, but Shinigami have a history of drawing their blades against humans without good reason. Should that be your purpose here, know that I will stop you before you can cut down even a single innocent.”[/smear:0000dd:1] That last statement was a bit colder, and obviously more threatening, but it was just Yoko’s own misguided way of saying “I’d rather not fight you.”

Reiatsu: 1750/1750
((Earlier reiatsu from movement regained from an extended rest.))

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}
Strength - [400(600)] Points

Speed - [200(300)] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [350(175)] Points

Reiatsu Strength - [50(25)] Points

Light Aura - [40] Points

Dark Aura - [60] Points

Instinct - [165] Points

Senses [235] Points

Energy sensory - [0] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points


Total SP: [1400]

• [Martial Art: Kunlun] {2}
  
  
• [Weapon: Sword {3}
  
  
• [Pain Tolerance] {2}
  
  
• [Battle Analysis] {2}
  
  
• [Calm Mind] {2}
  
  
• [Anti-Stealth] {3}
  
  
• [Weapon:Guns] {1}
  

[Deleted]

With all the people milling about, enjoying themselves, and the sky slowly turning a cool shade of violet, like the skin of a plum, Kazuko felt quite at peace – more like happy – with himself. Finally, after months of nothing but desks full of paperwork, training sessions, reconstruction, and other things his Captain felt the need to drop on his shoulders, the boy felt quite content with himself. He could feel the stress drip from his shoulders just as his ice-cream was doing while sitting down. Not that he disliked his job; the teen, despite how naïve he could be at times, nonetheless felt a certain pleasure in his line of work. Shinigami preserved that which, no matter the cause, must never falter, even at the cost of untold sacrifice and conflict. Nonetheless, sometimes – which was becoming more like all the time – he felt like he would crack under the load he was tasked to bear. The fact that he basically ran Squad Nine, with his Captain always missing, on top of all his duties as a Vice-Captain, magnified things greatly. For that reason, the teen had planned this little… exertion, so that he could rest and, at least for one night, forget that he was an officer in an army – forget that he was a kid shackling himself early with the woes and burdens of men.


However, like a harbinger of things to come, the faint, but nonetheless present, smell of smoke drifted lightly through the area. It was not the stereotypical brand of smoke that signaled a great rolling inferno, but of the addictive kind that so many in this world fell prey to. This, of course, was not totally unexpected as many people smoked at such an event; however, what made this peculiar was the fact that there was someone close by Kazuko in his peripheral that accompanied the smell. He took one more lick from his ice-cream cone before glancing up at the sight of a woman looking straight at him. This was quite curious indeed; what could she possibly want with him, anyway? She was taller than him, of course, and she looked typical, if a little pretty, he dare say, so no alarm bells rang immediately in his head as she confronted him. Unfortunately, the teen had his question answered for him as this startling stranger flooded him with questions. Questions about things neither she, nor any human there for that matter, should even know about. For those brief few seconds, Kazuko stared back at her, mouth open in surprise, as she continued on with her “introduction”. Already, the Vice-Captain could feel his hopes for a peaceful, fun-filled night fall through his fingers like sand and blow off with the wind.


When she finished, the Vice-Captain had already reasserted control over his composure, and chose to adopt a look that seemed to scream: “what?” The teen stood up from the bench, slowly, never breaking sight of the girl; he tried desperately to look suspicious as he did so, but without any skill in acting or the performing arts, he did the best he could to play it off. “Shinigami? Hollow? Cutting down innocent people? I’m not sure what you’re talking about, miss." Deliberately, but slowly, Kazuko edged himself backward, to the side somewhat, to move around the bench and put some distance between both of them. She would notice, of course, and he felt the pangs of worry surge through his small body as hoped she would not try and make a mess of things with so many people around. At the same time, however, he focused his sensory on the woman, but found that she gave off no reiatsu or any such spiritual signs around her; was she masking it, or was she just another well-informed human like the brand he had met before? Darn it! How does she know? She talked about the hollow, so she must have seen the battle. How long as she been tracking me then? How careless could I be! I should have surveyed the area more thoroughly; who knows what she saw!


Kazuko edged carefully away, making sure not to make any sudden movements so as not to startle her; the last thing he needed was a battle to break out when he was not even supposed to be in the area anyway. “Look, miss,” he said trying to play coy again, “I’m not sure what you’re getting at with all this nonsense, but I need to get back to my friends already, so…” The teen turned around, dropping his ice-cream, and tried to make a break for it, hoping to lose her in the throngs of visitors at the carnival. Unfortunately, yet again, fate thought to throw one last wrench into his plans, as he realized, with a stomach full of dread, that his body did not share the same physical aptitude that his spiritual body did. With a real body to hold him back and his Limiter on top of that, Kazuko moved at the speed of someone his age… which was not very fast at all (so less than 50 probably). What made it worse was that in this restrained state, the teen found it difficult to move and weave through the crowd with any apt or dexterity whatsoever. Gigai, for the most part, were not designed for battle, or even intended for prolonged physical pressure, so this was just the icing on the cake, so to speak.


Without knowing what the capabilities of the woman were, since his sensory could not penetrate whatever veil she held, the Vice-Captain was taking a gamble, and a prayer, that the woman was just that… a woman and not some wolf in sheep’s clothing. Nonetheless, should the woman choose to pursue, there was nothing really stopping her from catching up to him and stopping him completely, whether by force or persuasion; even through the crowd, she was honed well enough to breeze through and around anyone that got in her way. Nonetheless, the destination the teen had in mind, of course, was a massive nearby tent – packed with tables and people – it was a makeshift food court/restaurant, per say. The Vice-Captain hoped to lose her there and blend in with one of the families sitting on the tables underneath the red and white striped canopy. Maybe he could even smile big and wide enough and get one of the woman there to pretend that he was their son or something – though, this was more of delusion of hope at salvaging his night than anything really tangible. His night of freedom, unfortunately, might boil away into something more trifling. Whether the strange woman pursued and caught him in the crowd, tent, or at all, she was at her own leisure to decide.


Remaining Reiatsu: 2400/2400

Combat Posts: 0/8

[Deleted]

Tonight, all were on a break from their responsibilities. It was a carnival, and that meant it was a place for all to come and have fun. The laypeople were here to get away from whatever trivial worries they had, and the same, sans the trivial bit, could be said of both Kazuko and Yoko. No doubt the Shinigami was escaping the tedium of army living. Yoko was able to sympathize with that easily enough. She was mostly out here because of boredom herself. The Shinigami wasn’t attacking anyone human… or anyone at all. She didn’t have any quarrel with him so long as that remained the truth, and thus she had no need to pursue his presence here any further. She had warned him that there were those with spiritual awareness here that could put him in his place if he got out of hand, and that was all that needed to be done.

Now, she was just having fun.

Her second cigarette still dangled from her lips, though it was nearly done. The smell it gave off was that of smoke, but it wasn’t quite the same as most cigarettes. Yoko had taken to smoking Parliaments as of late, and those didn’t smell quite as harsh as other brands. Someone like Kazuko, who neither a smoker nor had superhuman senses, probably wouldn’t notice the difference, but it definitely wasn’t as overwhelming of a smell as with other brands. This was the main reason that Yoko smoked the brand. It didn’t interfere with her sense of smell at all. Heightened though her senses were, the hint of smoke in the air wasn’t enough to prevent her from picking up the other scents around her. One of these scents was far more important than the rest, for it was Kazuko’s. For reasons Yoko couldn’t quite understand, his body smelled almost earthen, as if he had taken a mud bath recently, though not in a bad way. It wasn’t a bad scent, just not a usual one. Mixed with that was a slight hint of a few flavors of ice-cream, but it was no more than a slight note next to the seemingly overpowering earthen smell.

Amused, Yoko listened as Kazuko did what he could to deny Yoko’s accusation that he was a Shinigami. His efforts yielded nothing. Not only had Yoko been briefed on this specific Shinigami, but she’d watched video of his second fight with Kazura. On top of that, she’d just watched him float around in the sky wearing a black robe while carrying a sword on his back. Nothing he could say could possibly convince her that he was anything aside from a Shinigami. Despite that, she let him “run” away. There was no need to try and stop him. In his current condition, his speed was laughable. Keeping up wouldn’t even require her to move at more than a brisk walk, so she let him get some distance. She was kind enough to catch the frozen treat that he discarded though. She’d return that to him in a minute.

Thirty seconds seemed adequate. That was more than enough to give him time to think he had lost her, but reality was a cruel mistress. The fullbringer was simply toying with him. He was given the illusion that he could escape, but his scent was so easy to follow. It was an earthen scent, yes, but it was very different than the scent of the earth in Austin. He smelled more like a brown, damp soil that one would find just after a quick bit of rain. The ground here was arid and dusty. To some, dirt was dirt, but various types of earth smelled very different to a nose as keen as Yoko’s. And that was why the lead didn’t matter. He was out of eyesight, yes, but that was irrelevant. There was still a perfectly fresh scent trail to follow, and tracking him was easy enough for someone who was talented at finding those who wished to remain hidden.

Leisurely, Yoko walked after him. It didn’t take too long to catch up, even at a relaxed walk. If he had kept running, it could have gone on for a long time, but he had stopped at one of the large tents in the area. Picking him out of the crowd wasn’t hard either. He had been tracked by scent, and that was still enough to pinpoint his location. He’d sat next to some random girl. It was possible there were more Shinigami about, but the look on her face made it clear it was unlikely she knew him. The look on her face just said “who is this crazy kid?” Laughing a little bit, which was quite rare for Yoko mind you, she walked up to Kazuko for a second time. [smear:00ffff]”You’ll have to forgive my brother for making a scene. He’s a bit special sometimes, aren’t you now Kazuko?”[/smear:0000ff:1] Without giving him a moment to react to being called by his name, Yoko went to grab him and pull him out of the tent. [smear:00ffff]”Off we go now. You still need to finish your ice-cream.”[/smear:0000ff:1]

[Deleted]

The Vice-Captain, after making it through the crowd, found refuge underneath a food tent where many people were eating. Sadly, however, his attempt to coarse a woman sitting down to pretend she knew him did not yield anything less than an awkward silence. It was then that the woman from before – the person who Kazuko was hiding from – came over, introducing herself as his sister, and asking for the person he had sat with to forgive his behavior. Panicking, his nerves on fire, the teen could only nod back, feigning a smile – a forced one – before he was dragged out of the tent by force. She was not too rough with him, but the manner in which she handled suggested that she could, at a moments notice, be a bit more forceful. As it were, she was playing a part, and Kazuko, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention toward themselves, played along, despite any feelings he held against the whole situation. Right now, the Vice-Captain was confused and having difficulty piecing together the situation properly. Maybe it was all the sugar that was making his head a bit fuzzy?


She knows my name… how the hell does she know my name? Did she overhear something I said to the recruits? Did my name even come up? Darn it! I need to settle down, and handle things… especially if she is planning something dirty. The last thing I need is another ambush. Now that they were out of the tent and under open sky again, the teen turned around, hesitantly, in an effort to pull himself from her grip. He was not forceful at all, considering he had the strength of a child, but it was a gesture for her to let go of him now. He opened his mouth, in an attempt to make another excuse and play coy again, but closed it the next second. After a few moments, the teen sighed, as if to signal that he was dropping the charade, or at least for now he was. He started, “How do you know my name?" His tone, while once confused and childish through their whole encounter, was now flat. Kazuko, in most regards, was not an intimidating person, and he knew that, but he was serious now, and most people had enough sense to realize that that was somehow dangerous on its own.


“I disguised my reiatsu since I entered this world; not once have I dropped my guard… Still, you found me, and tracked me, and know my name apparently, so that at least implies that you’re… more than human, or know people that are.” The whole time, he kept his eyes locked on hers; however, at the same time, his left arm had been moving slowly, carefully, to his left pocket, taking hold of a pseudo packet of gum hidden within. This was not gum, exactly, but a physical means of purging his soul from his body. The Vice-Captain could do it forcefully, though, by exerting his presence beyond the confines of this shell, but that would put others in danger, so that was not advisable. At the back of his mind, the teen wondered whether he would be able to put the sliver of gum inside his mouth if things went south fast enough to react to whatever the woman had in store. He did not like the idea too much considering he knew so little about her. “I’m… I’m not here to cause trouble; Shinigami are guardians after all, or at least most of us are at least. I stayed because I wanted to have some… fun.”


The Vice-Captain was not comfortable divulging this much information, but none of this was really important or detrimental to anyone. If the woman knew his name, then she either overheard it mentioned by one of the recruits beforehand; this meant that she could detect their presence and was thus a spiritual being herself. If she was just a human, then that meant that she came by the information by some other source, which still implied that she had some knowledge of the spiritual realm. Either way, she knew things which she should not, and that in itself rang alarm bells in his mind. Nonetheless, Kazuko maintained his stoic expression; he was not acting the same way he had been doing beforehand, which meant that this woman had caught him in a way he normally did want to be seen like. Kazuko was a Vice-Captain after all, even if he was so young by Soul standards, so he had gotten into the habit of maintaining an appearance of seriousness around his subordinates. It was bad enough being so young, it would be worse if he gave everyone a reason to disrespect his command by acting so childish all the time.


“Can… can you tell me your name then?” he asked, gesturing for the ice-cream cone that she had caught beforehand. If she was indeed dangerous, then Kazuko needed to play things cool… or at least try to, so as not to get on the wrong foot with the woman. For now, he just needed an opportunity to break down and analyze the situation like he did any other piece of information that came through Squad Nine. Kazuko needed to know what he was dealing with first, before he could decide how to continue with the situation. If things proved dire, then he could at least make another break for it and buy himself enough time to get away from the general public. If he was far enough away, then shedding his physical body would not be as troublesome as it was here. The last thing the Vice-Captain wanted to do was harm someone by accident, or make the woman herself harm someone instead. He was a Shinigami after all, and valued law and order with a strict conduct… well, in front of his subordinates at least. Nonetheless, he would soon find out how this woman took in all this information and how she would choose to respond.


Remaining Reiatsu: 2400/2400

Combat Posts: 0/8

[Deleted]

Oh man. Yoko was enjoying this way too much. She’d barely even needed to lift a finger and she had Kazuko completely on the ropes. She knew a great deal about him, but he didn’t even know who she was. The fullbringer was the type that enjoyed power in all its forms, and right now she held quite a bit of psychological power over the Shinigami she was dealing with. While that in and of itself was quite enjoyable, it wasn’t worth her time to continue dragging it out much longer. It was obvious that Kazuko had been holding back his power thus far, and that he could pose a threat to Yoko if he wished, but the fact that he hadn’t already resorted to violence meant it was fine to simply leave him alone. It didn’t seem like he was the crazy sort that went around cutting people up, so there wasn’t much of a reason for her to stay and pester him… except for how fun it was.

“How do you know my name?" Ah, the question she had been waiting for. Before Yoko could get out anything more than a smug grin, Kazuko explained why it shouldn’t be possible for her to know him, and the only conclusion that was likely to him. “I disguised my reiatsu since I entered this world; not once have I dropped my guard… Still, you found me, and tracked me, and know my name apparently, so that at least implies that you’re… more than human, or know people that are.” With this, Yoko’s grin simply widened a bit. Kazuko was fairly sharp, but he wasn’t quite right with his assumptions. Sure, by some measure she was “more than human” in that she was a fullbringer… but Yoko didn’t consider herself anything but human. She still didn’t really care for explanations like “reiatsu” and instead preferred to think of herself as nothing more than an ordinary human with a special gift.

It would have been easy enough to save Kazuko the effort and answer all his questions right then and there, but where was the fun in that? Instead, she let him continue stumbling all over his attempt to come off as peaceful while still trying to get answers out of her. “I’m… I’m not here to cause trouble; Shinigami are guardians after all, or at least most of us are at least. I stayed because I wanted to have some… fun.” Honestly, she had to admit that it was fairly adorable that he was this much at a loss for words. The big bad Shinigami couldn’t bear to admit that he too was a normal kid buried underneath all his authority. Even if he tried to be serious, it was nearly impossible to consider him mature enough to respect when he was wearing an outfit like that. Who the hell mixed Marvel and DC anyway?

“Can… can you tell me your name then?”

Only with that last question did Yoko finally begin to provide answers. [smear:00ffff]”I suppose it’s fine for you to know a bit, but first let’s ditch the crowd.”[/smear:0000ff:1] That was all the warning Kazuko was given before Yoko’s lack of subtlety took over. First, the remains of her cigarette were blown into the air, where it immediately was consumed by a rapid growth of the fire at its tip. It was a simple parlor trick for a fullbringer like her, but it was definitely bizarre for Kazuko. That process took her no reiatsu, and thus she had no need to stop masking her own aura. Kazuko had just witnessed something he could only explain via reiatsu, yet he still couldn’t sense anything from the woman in front of him. He was surely confused at how his senses could continue to fail him, but there was no time to dwell on it.

For just a single moment, Kazuko would sense her energy, and that was just after she handed him back his ice cream. Rather than bringing her hand back to her side, she instead grabbed his wrist and pulled him along in a step of bringer light. As soon as the step vanished, her reiatsu was masked again and the two stood atop the Ferris Wheel. They were on a small section of catwalk used for maintenance. Since it was running fine, no one was up there, and thus their conversation could continue free from curious passersby. [smear:00ffff]”This should answer most of your questions.”[/smear:0000ff:1] Without any more explanation, Yoko released her grip on Kazuko, leaving a business card balanced carefully on his arm. It was a nice little card, printed on very high-quality cardstock, and it did tell Kazuko basically everything he needed to know.

Yoko Kusanagi
Chief of Security
Uzaki Enterprises

[smear:00ffff]”So now my cards are all laid out on the table, and I know why you claim you’re here… but you have to give me more credit than that. The Shinigami are an army, and if your story was true you’d be guilty of abandoning your duties. I don’t know much about your system, but I imagine summary execution wouldn’t be too unreasonable in an army that still relies on swords. Are you going to give me the real reason you’re still here, or not?”[/smear:0000ff:1] There were two very different ways that Kazuko could take that last message. On the one hand, Yoko was treating him like an equal. She saw herself as little more than a soldier, and was treating Kazuko as someone in that same role. She wasn’t acknowledging his status as a teenager, which was an outcome he often strived for. On the other hand, he had told the truth and Yoko didn’t believe it. That could certainly cause the tension to rise a good deal. Only time would tell which, if either, was the result of Yoko’s accusation.

Reiatsu: 1700/1750
-50 for Bringer Light

[Deleted]

The Vice-Captain watched the woman blow out her cigarette and sent it into the wind, where it was immediately consumed by flame. For a second, his eyes went wide with surprise; there was no spark of reiatsu that the teen could sense coming from the woman, yet she had done something extraordinary. However, the next second, he regained his calm demeanor, and narrowed his attention back toward the woman. Again… I couldn’t feel a thing from her; something is either wrong with my senses, or this woman is holding something back. Fortunately, the woman thought it best to reveal some information about herself, and she handed him back his ice cream. However, her hand did not return to her side, but went to grab his own wrist; with his body too slow to properly react, the woman latched on without fail, and with a step, they disappeared, the scenery rushing by in a blur. Nonetheless, for that fraction of a second, that moment when they disappeared, the Vice-Captain finally penetrated her veil. The moment was brief, but in that time, he was able to find out a rough estimate of her power along with her race, but soon afterward, there was no trace of either on her person. They appeared at the top of the Ferris wheel, which, for one reason or another, was not in motion.


“I see…” Kazuko muttered to himself. She was a Fullbringer; Kazuko had encountered Fullbringers before, and he recognized their own brand of step techniques as well. Bringer Light, if he had learned the name correctly. The woman was a cross between a human and a hollow, with her own brand of powers. More than that, however, the Vice-Captain had been able to extract some information of her strength level, though, given the time he had to sense her while they moved, it was not as concise as he would have preferred. Luckily, for everyone else’s sake, they had moved to a far off location; the teen could almost shudder as he realized what she could do in a crowd full of helpless people. The woman handed the Vice-Captain a crisp business card, in answer to his questions. “Yoko Kusanagi; Chief of Security; Uzaki Enterprises.” Kazuko said, reading the business card out loud to himself. A silence stretched between them, as both took in the implications of what had been given. Uzaki enterprises; the Vice-Captain recognized the name without delay. Then, like a dam bursting, things began to get clear and make sense.


It had been sometime since the Vice-Captain of Squad Nine had met with and spared with Kazura Uzaki. He was a businessman/vigilante, who, on two occasions, Kazuko had fought briefly with. Though he was only human, he had nonetheless shown great ingenuity with his work of technology and his broad resources and connections. Yes, it made sense for him to contract the services of a Fullbringer as his bodyguard. If he knew of the spiritual world, then he would likely employ some… foreign resources to help further his goals. “Kazura sure has been busy then…” Kazuko, said, half to Yoko, and half to himself. At that moment, the teen did not know quite how to continue or perceive the woman. Was she a threat, an ally, or neither? The young Shinigami did not have close ties with Uzaki Enterprises, save for the games he got from them, so he did not know how to treat their Head of Security of all people. Still, thus far, she had not proved dangerous, or at least, tried to maintain an amiable atmosphere around him. So, going off of that, he would withhold from discharging his Gigai just yet. There was no need to provoke her, after all.


It was then that Yoko explained their situation and, with suspicion clearly on her mind, asked the Vice-Captain yet again for why he was there. For his part, Kazuko looked a bit nervous talking to her; the whole thing made him uncomfortable, and it was no help for her to explain things to him. “Execution? No; Central would never think of executing a Vice-Captain while we were at war. Not after both invasions anyway… but, you’re right. I’m… not supposed to be here,” He admitted. He fidgeted around, trying his best to keep his composure, but found the whole thing difficult when there was someone eyeing him down. It was bad enough he had to lie to his superiors, let alone explain himself to some woman. “I had to pull dozens of strings for me to make it this far; I mean, just getting my Gigai here and hiding it at a checkpoint in the forest cost me an arm and a leg at Squad Twelve. But maybe you still don’t believe me then, huh?” As he said this, he took off his backpack, and set it down on the roof of the Ferris wheel, before kneeling down to open it. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the laughter that would soon come.


With an audible zip, he opened the bag, and spilled the contents within out on the hard metal of the ride. A number of things came out as he did so: candy, in an assortment of colors, was the most populous of what was within. There were a number of chocolates, sweet, sour, and other candies in that collection. More so, there were even a handful of comic books amidst the collection of sweets. The two most prevalent were those from Marvel and DC; he had a few issues from each, ranging from Spiderman to Batman. Not that those were his only ones, he had one or two popular Manga books as well, but the boy preferred his American heroes to those of the Japanese. Moreover, there a few handheld games and devises as well; one, however, if the woman paid close attention, was one she would recognize. It was the small, pet training game that Kazura had given Kazuko as a gift in their second encounter. Other than that, there was not anything else in the bag save for a few open wrappers and some spare change. He let the moment pass, so that Yoko could absorb what he had just revealed to her. If Kazuko was really there on some other sort of business, and if detection really was the least of his concerns, then why would he even carry this sort of stuff with him in the first place? Why not something more useful if say, he was on a mission?


He sighed, then continued, his face red and embarrassed, “Umm… please don’t laugh. Look, whether you believe me or not, I just came here to get away from the Gotei for a bit. Sometimes, we need to get some time off too… even if we have to lie to do so. Not that I lie a lot though! I mean, my Captain keeps telling me to cut loose and relax… then again, he’s always drunk, so that might not be the best example. No! Don’t get me wrong! He’s a strong leader – most of the time – I just wanted to have some fun like all those human teenagers get to do on the television. You know? Umm… am I stuttering? Oh, sorry then. Look, if Kazura sent you to get me or whatever, just tell him I’ll do so some other time. I just want to enjoy my time here in the Land of the Living for once without some Arrancar or Quincy getting in my way and causing trouble. You understand that, right? Oh, maybe not… I mean, not that you wouldn’t but... Ah! I’m doing it again! I hate it when I stutter so much...” It was then at that moment that a light bulb when off in his head, and he realized just how much information he had given away to the woman. His face turned to a stark red, and his shoulders slumped visibly; he did not know why, but he could not keep himself level headed. He was so stupid!


He hurriedly bent down again and tried to scoop up all the stuff on the roof of the Ferris wheel back into his backpack. It was as if the whole thing made him shameful, and the sooner he put it all away, the better. As soon as he was finished, he stood up again, and tried to clear his head. “Maybe you still don’t believe me, but that’s understandable, I guess. Just so you know, even with my Vice-Captains’ Limiter, I can still hold my own. So if you’re planning to fight me , then that can just wait too… But you still haven’t told me why you’re here, right? So maybe you don’t want to fight, I hope.” As he said this, he tried to laugh somewhat, trying to lighten the mood, but found that he could not get that right either. “Oh, I give up… I can’t think straight with you around.” He tossed his ice cream over the side of the Ferris wheel and let gravity do its work for him, he wasn't in the mood for sweets anymore; Kazuko, for the most part, was not really angry, or even showed it at that, but he was just too embarrassed and nervous to think straight. It was bad enough Yoko knew about his hobbies – what with all the comic books, games, and candy – now he had to deal with embarrassment that came with it. “Kazura is going to laugh himself half to death with this…” Kazuko, muttered to himself, his mood in disarray.


Remaining Reiatsu: 2400/2400

Combat Posts: 0/8

[Deleted]

At last, Yoko seemed to be satisfied with the answers Kazuko was giving. While Yoko wasn’t often the type to feel embarrassment herself, she wasn’t so emotionally dense that she couldn’t recognize such an obvious look of shame. Privately, she was amused by the contents of his backpack, and his reasoning, but felt no need to directly comment on them. Kazuko’s conduct had made it painfully obvious that he was sensitive about the subject, and Yoko had neither need nor desire to antagonize the Shinigami. Theirs was a relationship that could go any number of ways based on how she treated the situation at hand. If she was kind to Kazuko, they could emerge as allies or possibly even friends. If she was a bitch, then she’d probably make an enemy out of him, and that was the last thing she wanted. Not only would it be incredibly unprofessional to make enemies for Uzaki Enterprises, but Kazuko simply didn’t seem like the type of person that it would be wise to anger.

Besides, the least she could do was treat him with a bit of decency after he’d given her so much valuable information. He’d spoken of a war that was going on. Unless it was some kind of Shinigami version of the “war on drugs,” which couldn’t really be considered a war, then there was something serious going on that she was unaware of. The hollows didn’t seem like an actual threat considering the Shinigami’s strength, so there had to be something else going on there. There was plenty more that was just revealed to her, and Yoko easily could have spent a long time interrogating Kazuko about it all, but why bother? None of that was her concern, as neither side was trying to recruit them in the war yet. Until either that happened or one side openly declared war on either the human world as a whole or Uzaki Enterprises specifically, she had no reason to care.

In the end, even if Kazuko’s reasoning seemed a bit… odd… it seemed believable enough. Yoko had treated him like a fellow soldier, rather than the teen he appeared to be, but he was still a teen despite that role. When presented with the comics and candy, Yoko had no choice but to accept that fact. Honestly, she lost a bit of respect for him as a soldier at that moment, but he wasn’t too different from how she had acted when she was younger. She couldn’t really fault him too much for his hobbies and desire to relax. Doing so would have been far too hypocritical, even for someone who routinely used to smash into buildings while arresting people for reckless endangerment.

When all was said and done, Yoko chose to let it be. Her smile had decayed a bit, as she had grown bored with the whole situation. Kazuko had grown so defensive, and embarrassed, that the thrill of the hunt had vanished completely. It was far too easy to pressure him in this conversation. The comics and games could be discussed, but going from “I think you’re up to no good” to “so… batman?” was a bit of a leap. Chances are that wouldn’t go over well. Instead of trying to change it to a pleasant conversation, Yoko simply decided that made it a good time to leave. [smear:00ffff]”Well… I can’t really say you’d go to that much effort just to go run wild. Come find me when you get bored with the civilians and their versions of amusement. I’ve got nothing better to do while I’m stuck in this country, so maybe we could cut lose a bit… if you’re up to the challenge.”[/smear:0000ff:1] With that, Yoko reached over to ruffle Kazuko’s hair before vanishing in a step of Bringer Light. As she vanished, the wind carried a few parting words to Kazuko’s ears.

[smear:00ffff]”Later kid.”[/smear:0000ff:1]

Reiatsu:1650/1750
-50 for Bringer Light

[Deleted]

(OOC: Social is complete; the events in this thread will continue in Darker Before the Dawn.)