The Rise of a Hunter (training)

[Connor Greaves]

Ooc: Half Ctp, half Sp

I hate being a Shinigami. I almost always refer to myself as a soul reaper, just to avoid the actual name. Being associated with those who call themselves gods leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I am not god, nor would I want to be one if given the option. The label of Shinigami is a badge of shame for me, but it is one I must wear. I am duty bound to follow through with saving those who suffer, those trapped between life and death, as well as defending those who have yet to die. A morbid job, but one I will do with what little pride I have.

Those were my thoughts, as I wandered this small town in Germany. I am still considered a new reaper, having only been accepted into their ranks roughly a week ago. Or maybe it was longer, the days were starting to blend together in that twisted purgatory. I wanted, no- NEEDED a change. It might not have been as bad if I had been accepted into my preferred squad, but alas, it was not to be. So I had requested a month to patrol in the human world. I had yet to prove myself, so the assigned me a town with low risk for hollow attacks.

I was fine with that. The less danger for the people the better. Once this month was over, I had the potential to move on to more exciting towns. Hopefully not anywhere near Karakura. That place was the highest rated spot for hollows and the like, and there was no way I would be ready for that any time soon. I could barely handle one hollow, let alone an army, like many of the horror stories told about that place. Whatever blessing God gave that place was almost certainly the only reason that city still stood.

I looked to the sky, admiring the beauty of the setting sun. A symphony of colors, mixing together in harmony. It was almost enough to bring a tear to the eye, to see that the world still had some beauty left in it. Still, I was the only one paying attention to it. What few people were still in the streets, shuffled or drove away, giving it only a passing glance. It hurt to see my fellow man ignore it so calously, but I was in no position to judge those with a duty to the world. Those who were unable to pause for even a moment, lest the world consume them for their weakness.

I should consider myself fortunate enough to be out of that vicious cycle, but a part of me craves it once more. Something about the prospect draws me towards it, towards being alive once more. Is it the challenge of surviving the world of man? Of being free of the burden of knowledge, knowing what happens when you finally leave life behind? Probably all of that and more. Before I knew it, the sun had finally fallen below the horizon, leaving the sky void of color. I sighed, knowing that I could not waste any more time. Much like the humans, I have my own job to do.

Some might say my job was easy, compared to some jobs that persisted in this town. I would vehemently disagree. Walking up to the next house on my list was a chore. The house was long since rotted, leaving a stench in the air I care not describe. An abandoned home, left to die like the last owners, was the latest place for me to search. I had my own fears, and despite being a ghost myself, I was far from being a fan of haunted houses. Fear gripped my heart for a brief moment, before my sense of duty overpowered it, giving me the strength to walk inside.

[Connor Greaves]

The building was as decrepit as I had imagined it would be. The house was old, far older than I myself was. Many years had past since any amongst the living claimed this to be a home. The wood floor was aged beyond what was safe, the wallpaper was yellowed and peeling, and the ceiling was dipping or collapsed in places. It was far beyond repair, no matter how much I would have enjoyed the challenge. There was no hope left in here, and left a depressed feeling in my gut. How sad, to see what was once a place of love, just die like this. I knew what I had to do, but that made it no easier.

I moved further into the former home. With each step I took, the floorboards creamed ominously, only using air ground when I felt my foot dip too far down. Someone could get seriously injured in here, careful or not. Still, I continued, making sure that this place had no soul left. And then I heard a shrill beeping from a room up ahead. Curious, I decided to make that room my first stop. And I instantly regretted doing so. Three humans, teenagers because who else, were in the middle of the room. I sighed, knowing my job just got needlessly harder.

They must have been thrill seekers of some kind, I believe they were called urban explorers. I say this, because they each had a sleeping bag laid out over a tarp. One of them had an annoying device, flashing lights on top of it, making the horrible noise. The one holding it looked worried, not understanding why it suddenly started to work. The other two just looked annoyed at the noise. Those same were in the middle of setting up cameras, mounted on tripods. They told the first boy something, and he responded with what he could only guess was an order. They took the cameras and looked around with them.

I needed to get them out of here. This place was not safe for them. That was probably the reason they were here though. Oh to be young. Is that envy I feel? More than likely, I have yet to remember my own childhood, having arrived in the soul society at what I guess as twenty two. It leaves me to believe I was never child. How depressing. And now these children were looking at me. How curious. I walked to the side, and the two with the camera followed with the devices. Could those little things see me? The third pulled out what I could guess to be a souls recorder. Ghost hunters huh? What an odd hobby.

The boys were talking to one another, but I was unable to understand them. They spoke German, but I could only speak English and Japanese. I wonder how disappointed they would be when they went through it later. And now the device was far too close to my masked face than I was comfortable with. I pushed the device back with my pointer finger. Not too hard, the child was only trying to have fun, but my touch did have a sense of firmness to it. Nonetheless, the boy jumped back in surprise, now screaming. And then the other two started screaming. Now I was groaning, my hands massaging my temples, fighting off the coming headache.

[Connor Greaves]

The boys were quick to flee, forgetting anything not already in their hands, and somehow made it outside, safe and with freshly soiled pants. I kindly deposited their bags and tarp outside, scaring them further, as they ran down the block as quickly as they could. I sighed again, returning to the task at hand. I searched the house, looking for the dearly departed. I searched the house top to bottom, with no sign of, well not life, I am not that ironic, but there was yet to be a soul found, but I was able to vaguely hear the rattling of chains somewhere in the house.

I soon found exactly what I did not want to find. The basement door. Or rather, I had hoped there would be no basement, because unlike those kids earlier, I took no joy is scaring myself half to death. I was going to need new analogies soon, the taste of irony was a poor flavor for me. As I opened the door, the first thing I noticed was lack of stairs. The second thing I noticed was all the stares. In the basement was a number of ghosts, most of them being children. My blood burned, as the souls flinched at my rage. That or my mask was doing too good a job.

I hopped down into the basement, doing my best to ignore the six inches of water I just landed in. There was at least thirty of them, and they looked miserable. Half of them were dressed in rags, and the other half... I needed to calm down. These children were not deserving of my anger. But someone was. I heard a laughing over in the corner, something that felt alien to such a morbid scene. I turned to face whatever just asked to die a second time in fewer words, and found an old man. He had a putrid look to him, and I knew he was the cause to this.

The souls made a path for me, moving to the damp and moldy walls, fearful of what was clear would happen. He was the oldest in the room, with a beard that reached his chest, and a crazed look in his eyes. He just smiled wickedly. "Is this your doing?" I asked in a quiet tone. He could understand me. One of the duties of this blade of mine was to translate my words to souls, and vise versa. His grin grew wider, and my eye narrowed further. That was all the answer I needed. My feet waded through the water, my course set in stone. My blade would cut down evil tonight.

He got up, with a rusted pipe in one hand, and the chains of the souls in the other. I could feel my body react to my anger, and my blood pumped faster and faster. I drew my blade, wanting to kill this monster. But I was rash, inexperienced, and this person was sly and cunning. He kicked the water at me, hitting me in the face. I staggered, and brought my hand to my face out of instinct. Blinded, the man struck me, nearly hitting my head, but striking my arm instead. With an angry battle cry, I ignored the pain, and brought my sword down on him.

He was quick, blocking with his pipe, but my weapon was beyond what a rusted metal could handle. I cut through the makeshift weapon, and sliced deep into his chest. He made a wet choking sound, and I could see blood he was coughing up. He staggered, hitting the wall, beginning to slump down. My fist slammed into his face, knocking him to his feet again. I had no idea what would happen if my blade was the part to send him off, but I was robbed of the chance to try it the normal way. The wall behind him transformed into a doorway, with two skeletons on each door. The evil was taken away, forever. I felt my blood freeze, as I realized what I had just done.

I fell to my knees, looking at my blade in horror. I had just... Sent him to... I started to cry. He had done this to himself, I knew this. I just... Never thought I would ever... But before I could fall further into depression, a small army of crying children rushed to me. Being weak in front of others was not something I was permitted to be. It took an hour, but I finally quelled them, and sent them to the next life. My heart hurt. The place they were headed was not a nice place, but it was at least better than this putrid hole in the ground. I refused to let this testament of sin stand any longer.

I left the house, a building where an evil man lived and died, and I left it ablaze.

[Connor Greaves]

A week has past since my encounter with that... The days were slow, dragging on and on. I could barely stand it, only the beautiful star-covered sky, and my duty to the dead kept me going. My assigned location was dreadfully small in the grand scheme of things. Thirty miles might seem like a big deal, but it was nothing for a soul reaper. Which is exactly why I was given this location... The reason thirty miles worth of people was, well, paltry to say the least, was because death is rarely in an abundance in small towns, unless there was something seriously wrong going on.

I continued wondering the streets, searching high and low for lingering spirits, but with little success. The past three days has given me just as many to pass on. This could not be allowed to be. I asked to be placed in the living world-no, I asked to be here on Earth for a reason. This is my second chance, and I refuse to screw it up by being complacent. I will not give up. If I am unable to find any souls unable to pass on to help, then I shall help the living, however I can. I gave a determined nod, and continued on, a destination finally set.

When I first past by this building, I was unable to guess what it was. It was a public building, that was for certain thanks to the automatic doors on the front, but with no name that I could read, it was a mystery to me. After the third or fourth time, I finally understood what it was. A hospital. Thank you ambulance, for nearly hitting me on your way to get to your destination. I hold no grudge though. How could the drivers know to avoid the invisible man?

It a small building, that was for certain. It looked like a clinic more than a hospital, but a page building would have been pointless, on top of costly. There were too few injuries to justify any attempts to expand it, so tiny it did remain. Not that I would complain. Trying to find anything in a larger building would have been wasting time, and I could not afford to do that right now, not on this mission. My higher ups needed to know that I was serious about this, or else I could be set back a good deal.

As luck would have it, there were actually a fair number of spirits here. Maybe luck is the wrong term. I was far from pleased that any had to suffer alone like this, but happy that I had for those that needed my aid. Three souls were chatting in the lobby, unknown to the receptionist. They were complaining to one another, not as alone as I first thought. They ignored me at first, not realizing what I was. I waited patiently for them to finish or notice.

The three ghosts certainly looked the part. Their bodies clearly never healed, leaving them as a grisly sight to behold. The oldest among them, a man looking nearly eighty, was wearing only underwear, and had his chest opened up. I would put my guess that he died on the operating table. Open heart surgery if I was a betting man. The woman next to him, probably died in her thirties, was missing the entire left half of her face, and her left arm. She somehow managed to look cheery. I frowned behind my mask. I hope she gets her arm back when she enters the soul society.

The final person as a man in his forties, looking like he had come from the forties. He was wearing slacks, loafers, and somehow kept his pipe. His shirt was opened up, revealing a small hole in his chest. Gunshot wound, still bleeding, still odd to see. None of them were in pain, thank goodness, but they had to go. For their sake, and of those who still live. I took a few steps closer, and the smoker finally noticed me. "Hey, what's with that guy?" He asked his friends, grabbing their attention as well.

[Connor Greaves]

My response was to simply remain where I was, watching them until they decided to approach me. "I don't know, he's giving me the creeps." The woman said with an invisible shiver. The old man squinted, clearly having poor vision. "Does it... Look like... He can... See us?" He wheezed, stating what the other two refused to notice. "That's impossible. Normal folks can't see us, as much as I want them to." The younger man said with a disbelieving tone, scoffing at his older counterpart.

They seemed content on ignoring me, even if they sent me the occasional wary glance. Fine, I will be the one to act then. I took another three steps, until I stood with them. All conversation died at this point, with looks of awe plastered on their faces, not understanding what I was. My large stature, along with my dark aura, made me quite the intimidating figure, especially to those unused to having to deal with outsiders. They looked like they were a breath away from running for their afterlives.

I bet forward, putting my masked face inches away from the younger man. "There is no such thing as impossible. Impossible is something people tell themselves as an excuse to stop trying." I told him with a calm determination. He gave me a short yelp, before stumbling backwards and falling into a potted plant. I stood straight after that, as the others just gaped at me. I had to continue. "You three have been left to linger for too long, and I am deeply sorry for that. Please, let me send you on your way to the next life." I told them calmly.

That broke them out of their stupor, as they all suddenly looked angry. They had every right to be. They had been let down and abandoned by those meant to free them. The human, how I hate having to refer to someone like that, came from behind their room, trying to find the source of the crash no doubt. "Who do you think you are!?" The younger man yelled in anger, quickly getting back to his feet. He grabbed the pot that the plant was in, and tried to strike me with it. I blocked it, crossing my arms in a flimsy block.

It shattered, leaving me covered in dirt, and a plant at my feet. The poor human screamed, unable to comprehend what was happening. The poor person... to be caught in the middle of something like this. I stood straight, letting the dead vent his frustrations without faulting him. "If you are done..." I said, trying to take back control of the situation. "I am here to give you all your rest." They deserved that and so much more. The three were still staring wide eyed at me, and were still equally upset.

The man growled at me. "If you're supposed to be death, then where have you been for the past seventy years!?" He yelled. I recoiled. Call it weak, but I was not the best at dealing with angry people, especially when their anger was directed at me. "Please, I just..." He refused to relent though. "Big bad death comes strolling in here like he owns the place, huh!? Think you're tough? Think you can come in here like you're our hero!? You don't get to toy with our lives!" He was cruel with his words, each one feeling like another dagger in my heart.

"I only wish to help you! If I could have gotten here sooner I would have-" He threw a punch at me, not letting me explain myself. My arm still hurt from the pot, so I avoided him the best I could, blocking when only necessary. He attacked like a man possessed, darn analogies, and kept on throwing punches. Eventually though, he got me in the gut, knocking the wind out of me. I doubled over, dropping to the floor like an undead sack of potatoes. He was far from done though, and continued punching, now hitting my mask. Losing to a plus soul... was there anything could could not screw up?

[Connor Greaves]

He knocked my mask aside, breaking it in two... and stopped? I opened my bruised eye, only to see him staring down in horrified awe. "You-you're just a kid!?" He exclaimed, backing away. His face was caught between being even more angry, or despairing over striking someone he considered a child. I pushed my bruised body to a sitting position, watching him warily. His friends came over to stop him from doing anything more to me, thankfully enough. Maybe I would have the chance to resolve this with words.

"Who are you, and what are you talking about?" The woman asked, speaking for the three of them, much to the displeasure of the man she held back. I struggled to my feet, but managed to stand unaided. With only the bandages covering my face, I felt naked, exposed, and very uncomfortable. Still, I owed it to them to help in any way I could. "My name, is Connor Greaves. I am what others call, a Shinigami." I spoke, my voice sounding raspy. She looked a little annoyed, but whether it was from my words, or the reason they sounded so painful, I cared not to guess.

I held a finger to her, wirelessly asking for a moment, before coughing violently. It took a few more, before I regained my bearings. I stood up straight once more, towering over the souls before me. I wished I was shorter... "Like he said, I am what is basicly death, but I am not omniscient to those who die, nor are the hundreds of others who share my title." I told them, answering what the man had said earlier, and the woman now. I was only forbidden to tell those still alive the knowledge of the afterlife. These people were dead, so it was not breaking any rules.

They looked unsatisfied, I would be as well if I were in their position. So I continued. "I was sent here to find any lingering souls, and pass them onto the next life." My voice was calm and collected. Her voice was not. "We've been here for at least fifty years! Some of us have been here even longer!" So there were more in here. I would have to convince them to guide me then. "The higher ups... They do not care when a soul passes into the next life as I do. Time is a fickle thing, for they have not felt its passing in a very long time." And most of them were nobles who cared not for anyone not born with a silver spoon in their mouths, but it would be better that they did not hear that.

They were still mad. "My duty is to pass every lingering spirit to the next life. You three, everyone who has yet to rest, and those within thirty miles of here, are mine to help." My voice was hardened with determination. "This is not a job to me. I will help you all. No matter what trespasses you have taken against me." I looked toward the man. "I forgive you. And I am truly sorry you have all suffered for this long." My conviction spoke to them, relaxing the tension between us, causing me to do the same. This much emotion was more effort than I needed.

The old man started to let out a wheezing laugh. "Better... Late than... Never." He chuckled. The other two gave him lukewarm smiles, but nonetheless agreeded with him. They looked ready to end this meaningless existence in the purgatory people called a hospital. But I still required their aid. "Before I send you all on," I said, catching their attention. "Would you please help me find the rest of those who haunt this place?" The three easily agreed, and I was able to quickly send them, and the resof of the souls on their way.

[Connor Greaves]

I spent a few days recovering after I left the hospital. The injuries were nothing major, but it was better to be safe than sorry. That was what I would tell my superior officers anyway, along with having saved several dozen souls at once. The truth is that, I had no way to replace the mask that I lost. I stared at the broken halves in my hands, as I sat on the edge of a small building. I was uncomfortable with only the bandages covering my face, and it was hard to fight off the feeling of being watched, even if I was invisible. Anxiety was a horrible feeling.

I let out a weary sigh, and placed the mask parts into my robes. Another thing I would have to change once I got higher into the ranks. I was too low a level to be creative right now. I would have to bide my time until I was stronger. But for now, I had to suck it up and return to my duties, and continue on for the ones without rest. I walked down to the street, creating platforms out of the air, something that has drastically reduced my fear of heights upon learning. Now if only there was something for my fear of drowning...

The streets sonehow seemed... Livelier. The air of the town had taken on a new life, as could be seen in tourists, holding cameras, dressed in shirts with ghosts on them, it was all oddly surreal. I knew that this was a response to my actions in the town, how could it not be? I burned down an abandoned home where murders had taken place years prior, not to mention the kids that I had more or less kicked out who had been filming me. The broken lobby of the hospital was most likely fuel for the fire that was tourism.

Thank goodness normal cameras were unable to see me, or I would be a laughingstock of a soul reaper. Honestly... Oh well, at least the town would benefit from this. More money for them and all that. A tubby man and a lanky... something that was standing next to him, were walking towards me, holding one of those noisy machines that the kids had. Knowing this, I quickly used Shumpo to vacate the area. My job was to protect the living, and I doubt causing a scene would keep anyone safe.

I wondered the streets once more. It was my final day on Earth, must everything I say sound so morbid? Once I returned to the soul society, my performance would be evaluated by someone, I was not sure who. I had been given a quota at the start of my month, that being at least ten souls a week. Safe to say, I managed that and more. I had managed at least sixty with my time here. Technically, I did not need any more, and could relax if I so chose. But I was not here to do that. I would keep working until my final hour. So I went to visit one final place.

It was an old factory, shut down for unknown reasons. Note to self, build device that translates languages for me. Preferably a mask of choker. I wondered into the building. It was large. Most of the machines had been removed, and the rest was littered with debris or graffiti. Truely the place to visit for fine art... Strangly, this building was not as silent as I had hoped. However, the sounds seemed to echo throughout the building, something plus souls were unable to cause. Normally I would chalk this up to more teenagers, but humans normally were above making snarling sounds.

I drew my blade, preparing myself for a fight, as I rushed further into the building. I hope there was something I could do to settle this peacefully, but I doubted it. It was in a room near the back, where a near overwhelming stench of blood hit me. I staggered, but fought my fear down, and marched forward. What awaited me was... horrifying. I could see three headless bodies littering the ground, with heads still gaping. Their mouths were filled with rows of dagger-like teeth. I looked around the room, trying to piece together What was even going on. A pile of bodies were in the corner, along with twenty or more frightened spirits, looking towards the corner.

I heard my neck crack at how fast my head turned to see What they saw. Two men with short swords, maybe machetes, fighting off three men and a woman, each with those horid teeth. I rushed in without a second thought, swinging to decapitate one of the danger men. He had no idea I was there, no hint or clue. His head flew from his body. The fighting stopped, leaving the remaining five wondering what happened. Until I separated the head of the woman from her body. The two armed men attacked their opponents without hesitation, dispatching them with ease.

I turned towards the only others still standing. I could feel a ton of blood all over my robes and mask, I could see my blade dripping with it, and I could feel the raw pleasure rolling off my unnamed weapon in waves. Somehow I suspected that my sword would not be pleasant to talk to. The men were searching, clearly not able to see me. "What the h#ll was that?" The irritated voice of the shorted man asked his partner. "I don't know. Show yourself!" The calmer voice of the taller man responded. It took me a minute to realize they were speaking English. It was a shame that I was without my gigai, or else this would be a very meaningful conversation.

As it was, I decided to carve a single kanji into the ground, catching their attention with the scraping noise, going epically slow for them. They walked over, carefully, as if expecting to be attacked at any moment. I left them the word 'shinigami', before freeing the trapped souls. I heard the clicking of a phone camera, and the men grumbling to each other, before they quickly left. I glared at their retreating forms. I would not forget what happened here, nor would I forget them. As I released the last of the spirits, my time was up. I opened a gateway, and left the Earth, knowing that I would soon return.

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

+120 CTP and 60 SP