Inter-Squad Training (Ranth and Aevus) [Closed, JT, DP, R]

[Ranth]

"Hey Ranth, put that away and come with me", the by now familiar voice of the 5th seated officer of the Kido corps, Artorius Sidonis startled Ranth out of his reverie as he mopped the floor of the main squad barracks. The unseated officers were on a weekly rotation for the more menial chores pertaining to the upkeep of the place and he'd drawn the short straw that week as his job basically boiled down to trying to scrub scorch marks off the walls and floors of the training areas. It was a thankless and- according to the general consensus of those tasked with the chore- pointless exercise, but orders were orders. "Oh, yes, right away sir", Ranth called back as he dropped the mop in the bucket and scooted it to one side before jogging to Artorius's side. "Where are we going, sir?" He asked curiously as he followed the man out of the building and across the finely manicured lawn outside.

"We're going to be trialling a new kind of joint training exercise with the Omnitskudo for our unseated officers", Artorius explained. "As you may know, both the Kido Corps and the Omnitskudo share several similarities in our overall fighting styles, more so than the other squads at least and so we've decided that having you train together might be a good way to promote growth", he continued and Ranth couldn't help but feel nervous anticipation begin to swell within him. "Of course, it's not quite as straightforward as just regular training. We thought it might be... fun, to take a slightly different approach. You'll be paired with a mentor from the Omnitskudo and your regular training regime will be superseded by the one your new mentor has prepared for you. At the end of the training regime, we'll be hosting a mock tournament between the students and the winning student's mentor gets a prize", he concluded.

By now, Artorius had led Ranth across the lawn and past the training fields that even now housed dozens of his squadmates practising various forms of Kido and Ranth realised with a jolt where they were going. "This new training, it starts today!?, er, sir". He added belatedly as he recovered from his surprise. Anyone who knew Ranth would also know that he enjoyed routine and when that routine was thrown off without notice it unsettled him and he couldn't help but wonder if even that was intended to be some form of training... or if it was just a last minute decision made by those higher ranked than him. Artorius for his part betrayed nothing to give any indiciation of which was more likely as he instead nodded as they arrived at a waiting carriage. "Your assigned mentor for this exercise is an... unusual case and you would do well to learn as much from him as you can

"Yes sir, of course sir", Ranth replied and this time Artorius rolled his eyes. "You can stop calling me sir all the time, it's embarrassing you know, he sighed and Ranth ducked his head apologetically. "Sorry si- ah, I mean, sorry", he caught himself before a question occurred to him. "Will I be coming back to the barracks when I'm not training?" The Kido Corps and the Omnitskudo weren't exactly close to each other and a daily trip between the locations would chew over an hour each way and that seemed... well... inefficient. "No, you'll be staying in accommodation organised by your mentor, Artorius clarified and looked like he might have been about to say more, but in the end he held his tongue. "I can't speak for Aevus, but as someone who will also be getting a mentee from the Omnitskudo, I've prepared a guest room and I'm sure you'll have something similar... probably.

The rest of the ride was spent in relative silence as Ranth contemplating what would be his new life for the next several weeks. He wondered what Artorius had meant when he'd said that his mentor was a 'special case', but thought it would be rude to ask. He also couldn't help but wonder not just about his own situation, but those of his peers. Were all of them going to be doing this too? Was it only a select few and if so, was it the better officers or the weaker ones? Was he being sent away because he was behind the others? Mercifully, Ranth's rapidly spiralling train of thought was interrupted as the carriage came to a halt and Artorius confirmed what he immediately suspected. "We're here", he announced as he opened the door and stepped out into the midday sun. Ranth followed close behind, shielding his eyes from the brightness as his eyes adjusted and took in his surroundings.

They'd passed through the main gate of the Omnitskudo compound and had come to a halt outside a large multistory building that Ranth could only assume was the main building where most visitors would go. "He should be here any minute and he'll have my mentee with him to take back with me", Artorius said as they waited patiently for his mentor to arrive. Ranth didn't know what to expect of him from the way Artorius had spoke of him, but he was bursting with anticipation, nerves and no small amount of anxiety as he tried to rehearse how he would greet him while he still had time to do so.

[☾ Aevus | Umbra ☽]

A masked messenger stood outside a sliding door, fidgeting with a bag, he would take out a single letter. Other unopened letters, sat stacked like a ever-building mountain beside his sandaled feet. He had generally left them for the Vice Captain but today was different. The messenger began muttering to himself as if practicing for an audition. Until finally letting out something that was audible. “Vice Captain?” There was no answer, per usual. His right hand shook as he took a breath, and readied himself to open the door. “Vice Captain-”

“He’s currently resting, What is it this time Hiroshima?” The silvery voice of a woman answered. Having his name called, Hiroshima would slink back. He could see the shadow of a wolf, past the door, and his fingers would leave the handle.
”Another letter from the Captain.”
”You know, you can just leave it at the door. Aevus will get to it.”

The messenger‘s eyes glanced downward at the building stack of letters once more. He would cough into his hand. “The Captain, specifically told me I should read this one... Well paraphrase it at least.” Opening the envelope, the man would begin to read the letter. ”It’s a reminder to the Vice Captain, that today is the Inter-Squad Training with the Kido Corps. In which Captain Shihoin has officially hand picked the Vice Captain of the Onmitsukido to take part in. He is to choose an unseated officer to be trained under the Kido Corps. And in turn, he is to train the participant chosen by the Kido Corps. In short it’s a Joint training between our squads.”

Past that door, an elongated yawn could be heard. “Joint training with the Kido Corps huh? Hiro, did I hear that right?” The messenger stood at attention as his name was called. “Yes Vice Captain. There’s been others...” His eyes once again trailed to that white stack. And as the door opened with a large thud. A small avalanche of letters would spill at his feet. A single hand rested on his right shoulder. Hiroshima would look up. His gaze meeting the tired blues of his Vice Captain. He was still shirtless as he passed the man with shirt and Zanpakuto in hand.

“It’s your lucky day Hiro. You get to learn at the fancy Kido Corps.”

Hiroshima gulped. “Apologies Vice Captain but my ability to even perform Kido is hazardous to both my and everyones health around me. Plus... i’m not an unseated officer.”
“Heh, don’t worry, we all start somewhere Hiro.” Aevus would slap the man’s back with a bandaged hand. “And as of now, you’re demoted. So that little detail wont be a problem now will it?” Aevus feigned a smile passing the messenger.

“Demoted...?” As if lost on those words. Hiroshima would drop his bag. Spilling out the other letters he was delivering onto the floor. They mixed with the large stack of letters his vice captain had left out. He winced, standing there slack jawed. Lumina eyed him and the mass of white that now littered the floor. “Oh my-” A moment of awkward silence befell the two as the white wolf jumped around the man and the bag. Leaving the now unseated officer to clean up his mess, and ready himself for his upcoming training.

It wouldn’t take long for Aevus to arrive half dressed. Lazily fixing his collar. His hair was a mess and his blue eyes were tired as ever. Lumina stood at his side. A white wolf, covered in darkly markings. Another yawn left the Vice Captain as he began to clip his Zanpakuto to the back of his waist. He would stretch as if filling out his robes. Commonly members of his squad wore a form fitting assassin attire but he much preferred a looser fit. After all Aevus didn’t as Ranth would soon see, fit the criteria of a common member of his squad.

“Hey Lumina-” Aevus yawned. “-where’s Hiro?” He would ask looking around himself.
“Gathering himself along with those letters. Aevus you should really have done that inside..." The wolf would shake her head.
“Yeah well, we’d be late otherwise. Speaking of which...” Aevus would pause turning to look at Ranth and the fifth seat. “I’m Aevus, Vice Captain of the Onmitsukido.”

[Ranth]

Ten minutes passed as Ranth and Artorius stood patiently in the foyer of the main barracks. This was one of the few places that visitors were allows, with the Omnitskudo having most of its facilities restricted. It made sense, Ranth supposed, given the role of the Omnitskudo as a sort of black ops hit squad that was used to surgically remove any dangerous elements as deemed as such by the central 46. In a lot of ways, the Omnitskudo was the closest relative to the Kido Corps since they too were outside the normal chain of command.

Of course, in the general course of events both squads would generally be expected to respond in an amiable fashion to the Captain Commander, but if push came to shove both squads had the capacity to operate autonomously and turn down orders. Naturally, this was practically unheard of due to the fact that the Captain Commander rarely had a reason to reach out to either squad in an official capacity and it would be a terrible strain on morale in the event of such a clash of wills.

Add to that the simple fact that the Kido Corps had been borderline defunct only a matter of a few months ago and there was even less reason for them to be factored into any great amount of decision making. However, with the Kido Corps beginning to show signs of revitalisation, it was perhaps only natural that the two squads that had the most in common with each other- and the least in common with the rest of the gotei 13- would come together for a joint training such as this.

Or at least... they would if the chosen representative from the Omnitskudo actually turned up Ranth thought as he looked up at the clock that now displayed that almost three quarters of an hour had elapsed since their arrival. The receptionist who had been sitting quietly behind the front counter looked increasingly uncomfortable as time passed and actually blushed as Ranth looked up at the clock for the third time and then glanced at Artorius questioningly, though the 5th seat simply shrugged his shoulders.

Finally, after more than an hour of waiting the sound of approaching footsteps broke the silence and both Ranth and Artorius looked to their left as a door opened to admit a man with messy medium length black hair that was currently sticking out at various angles and his Shinigami robes were creased and had quite obviously been sitting in a heap on the floor until very recently. This was Aevus, the Vice Captain of the Omnitskudo... and if Ranth didn't know any better, he'd have said the man looked hungover.

In stark contrast to Aevus's dishevelled appearance however, was a creature that Ranth could only have described as majestic. It was a wolf, standing as tall as Aevus's hip despite being on all fours. For all its bulk however, it possessed a certain elegance in its physique that spoke of speed whilst its eyes were silver and possessed a fierce intelligence that surprised Ranth... almost as much as he was surprised when the wolf spoke aloud and his jaw dropped involuntarily.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Vice Captain", Artorius said smoothly- apparently unsurprised by the talking wolf and showing no sign that he'd been waiting over an hour for Aevus to arrive. "My name is Artorius, fifth seat of the Kido Corps and this here is Ranth, one of our most promising new recruits", he introduced both himself and Ranth smoothly."I trust you'll take good care of him and... I believe I'm meant to be taking one of yours back with me?"

For his part, Ranth bowed politely to Aevus despite the fact that the man didn't seem to be behaving in a manner that he would have expected of someone of such high standing. Perhaps he was just the type to rest on his laurels once he'd managed to accomplish something. "It's a pleasure to meet you sir, I'll be in your care", he said before hesitating a moment as his eyes turned to the wolf and he wondered how he addressed a sentient wolf.

In the end, he bowed again- perhaps slightly lower than he had to Aevus- this time to the wolf. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, miss Lumina", he said having overheard the beautiful creatures name from Aevus shortly after he'd arrived. Now that introductions were out of the way, Ranth wondered if they'd have to wait another hour until the unseated officer that Artorius was meant to take back with him arrived. Maybe it wasn't just the Vice Captain, but rather a discipline problem within the Omnitskudo as a whole. It was a shocking thought, but if Aevus was any indication then perhaps the Kido Corps wasn't the only division that had fallen upon hard time.

In the meantime though, he amused himself by stealing glances at Lumina. Her silver-white fur seemed to practically glow in the light. He couldn't help but wonder if her fur was as soft as it looked and he imagined what it would be like to run his fingers through it. Of course, he wasn't about to try and pat her like some common house pet- she was clearly something much more, that much was obvious even if he hadn't just heard her speak.

[☾ Aevus | Umbra ☽]

"It's a pleasure to see you, Vice Captain. My name is Artorius, fifth seat of the Kido Corps and this here is Ranth, one of our most promising new recruits. I trust you'll take good care of him and... I believe I'm meant to be taking one of yours back with me?" "

It was obvious from the moment Artorius opened his mouth that Aevus wasn’t interested in what he was saying. In a sense he was practically ignoring him. His eyes idly trailed away as the fifth seat as he spoke. Only catching a few of the words coming out of his mouth. Something something fifth seat, something something Ranth, yada yada whatever. From what he heard, it sounded rehearsed. He’d look to the white haired Shinigami, who at the moment seemed to have lost something on the ground. Or was he bowing? Regardless it didn’t matter. He was gonna be dealing with him all day, and it was shaping up to be one hell of a long day.

Lumina blinked as the young man bowed before her. She would inch back, peering up at the young Shinigami with curious silver eyes before looking back at Aevus. She certainly wasn’t used to such mannerisms. Regardless of Aevus’s position as Vice Captain, she was only his Zanpakuto Spirit. There must have been a lot of letters in that bag... A sigh left Aevus’s lips as he searched his surrounding. Looking for any sign of Hiroshima, who certainly seemed to be taking his sweet time. There were quite a few.

Taping the handle of his Zanpakuto the Shinigami would swiftly turn on his heels. Only to take a passing glance at the unseated officer who had just bowed before him. “Alright, lets get going.” And with a simple wave of his hand and his back turned, he would address Artorius casually. “Hiro should be here soon. So you don’t mind waiting a little longer?” Aevus would ask but it didn’t matter how the fifth seat responded. In the end, he’d have to wait anyways. And like that Aevus would leave him there without another word.

Aevus... Lumina would shake her head. An apologetic expression painted her wolfish visage as she looked up at Artorius. Lumina. Her ears quivered even though Aevus’s voice appeared in her mind. And like that, the wolfish spirit would turn her attention to her Shinigami. Following after him as if she was his shadow. Aevus would wander outside the Onmitsukido compound. Walking at first, he would than begin to jog before heading into a full sprint. He ran quickly, hoping across rooftops, seemingly towards nothing. In what might have appeared as an aimless trek. Aevus gave no indication of where they were going or what they were doing. But he’d give Lumina a single instruction.

Make sure he keeps up.

They had wandered into the northern section of the Rukongai, towards a bustling section of one of the outer districts. It was poorer than the ones that came before and Ranth would notice a steadily change in scenery as he’d follow Lumina. Even out of view she could still follow her Shinigami’s scent. She would look back towards the unseated officer every few seconds to make sure he was still on her heels. Aevus would shortly come into view of Lumina and Ranth. He could be seen resting against a nearby wall, shrouded in shadow. He was wearing different clothing. His body seemingly covered in rags, while a straw hat covered his bed head.

If Ranth looked up he would notice the wall belonged to a towering ten story building. And next to that building was another of similiar size, and next to that one was another. They were all tightly knit and created a cramped square space. So much so that small darkly lit alleyways were seemingly the only entrance to the strange district. His eyes wandering the horizon for a short time and without warning he’d address Ranth with that same casualness as before. “So first things first. I want you to cut the formalities with me. I rather not see the top of your head again, it makes it difficult to look you in the eyes and past this point you’d just be exposing your neck.”

This was the first time he was actually getting a good look at the man before him. A pale face with snow blanketed hair. He was peculiar alright. But those pale golden eyes stood out the most. They stood out much like a Hollow. A darkly whisper drifted into his mind and a tinge of black flickered within a single iris. Lumina felt it immediately. A growl sounded within the Shinigami’s mind, and that black receded just as quickly as it appeared. He would look away from the unseated officer at that. His tired eyes aimlessly searching the horizon once more.

“I’m guessing you’re wondering what this place is huh? What you’re looking at is district 81. But us Onmitsukido like to call it. ‘The forgotten district.’ Taking up only about seven acres, this district houses over fifty thousand people. It is completely ungoverned, more so than any other district you’ve seen. Meaning there are no laws here. Gamblers, prostitutes, drug dealers, thieves and murders alike litter the alleyways and buildings of this foul place.

"Generally it’s left alone because in the eyes of Central it doesn’t exist. But recently a fellow Onmitsukido has gone missing. She was last seen following a target into one of these alleyways. Just like the one behind me. If you have any questions, i’d ask them now. And by the way put these on after you do. The last thing we want is you being noticed.” And with that Aevus would throw the unseated officer a change of clothing.

[Ranth]

Ranth started a little in surprise as Aevus quite blatantly dismissed Artorius- although the 5th seat showed no signs of taking offence. Perhaps Artorius had known what to expect from the man, but Ranth on the other hand was certainly quite taken aback to see a Vice Captain behaving in such a lax manner. Of course, he wasn't bold enough to give voice to such an opinion for much the same reason- a Vice Captain... any Vice Captain outranked him and should therefore be shown a minimum level of respect and Ranth wasn't about to let his personal feelings based on first impressions get in the way of that.

As Aevus left the room, followed closely by the white wolf, Ranth cast a questioning glance at Artorius who just nodded once- a faint curl at the edge of his mouth showing that he wasn't offended, but rather amused somehow at the way things had unfolded. "Be sure to pay close attention Ranth, he may be a little different to what you're used to, but different doesn't necessarily mean bad".

Nodding reluctantly, Ranth finally turned and followed after Aevus who had stopped to wait for him outside. The moment he saw Ranth however, he turned and began to walk away without a word. Confused, Ranth followed after him but as the Vice Captain broke into a jog and then a run and then a full blown sprint that Ranth almost would have believed was the speed of shunpo, he quickly found himself having extraordinary difficulty just keeping the man in his field of view- much less staying close behind him.

Instead, he kept his focus fixed upon the wolf- Lumina- who seemed to be hanging back behind her master to serve as some kind of guide for the young Shinigami to use- which he was certainly grateful for. Ranth was so focused on keeping up as best he could that he scarcely noticed where Aevus was actually leading him. When he finally did have a moment to take in his surroundings, he was surprised to find that they'd left the Seireitei and had in fact penetrated no small way into the Rukongai.

It had been years since he'd last set foot in the Rukongai and it's countless districts, but unless he was mistaken then they seemed to be moving through the poorer sections than where he'd grown up- as evidenced by the tattered clothing of the residents who he could see as he moved from rooftop to rooftop and from the general state of disrepair of the infrastructure. Curiosity burned in him now as to what possible training Aevus could put him through all the way out here, but as he finally caught up to the man, he soon found out.

Ranth almost didn't recognise Aevus at first, as the man had changed his Vice Captain's robes for something far more plain, but perhaps no less creased. It was only that Lumina literally led Ranth straight to him that enabled him to realise that what he'd taken at a glance for a vagrant was actually Aevus in disguise. Before Ranth could speak, Aevus beat him to it by outlining some basic ground rules and Ranth nodded once, swallowing heavily as he did so. "Yes sir, er, I mean.... yes."

What happened next might have been Ranth's imagination, but as his eyes met that of the Vice Captain's he could have almost swore that something moved behind the other man's eyes. Not so much in a physical sense... or in any sense that Ranth could adequately explain, but it was a feeling as though something unseen was watching him through the man's eyes and he felt an intense cold shiver run down his spine before the moment passed and Lumina growled, snapping both men out of whatever they'd been momentarily caught up in.

As Aevus explained to him at long last the purpose for them coming out here, Ranth blinked once as he looked down at the clothes that Aevus had tossed to him and then back at the Vice Captain and blinked again. "You... want me to... wait, is this... is this a mission?" Realising the stupidity of his question as soon as the words left his mouth, he spoke again before Aevus could respond. "Who was your colleague following, and why?",he asked as he began to change into the clothes Aevus had provided him. Of course, maybe such information was classified, but Ranth couldn't see how he'd be able to take part in this mission if he wasn't allowed to know anything about it.

[☾ Aevus | Umbra ☽]

Just from that look alone Aevus could tell that this unseated officer was green. For a moment he wondered just how long ago it was that he went on his first mission. It felt like ages had passed and it might as well have been... The Shinigami was silent for a time as a gentle breeze brushed his pale cheeks. He would sigh as Lumina glanced up at him. He knew she more than likely disapproved of him bringing along extra baggage. But it was more along the looks of worry. It was certainly dangerous, but how was this guy gonna learn? And maybe if he was lucky, he wouldn’t be too much of a burden.

It’ll be fine Lumina. I’ll look out for him. Aevus managed with hint of a smile perking under the shadow of that straw hat. “She was chasing a shadow...” Aevus answered before narrowing his tired eyes on the unseated officer, as if he was ready for another question. “And that’s not a riddle or some stupid joke either. If that’s what you’re thinking. That’s the only thing she managed to tell intel before going dark.” Yet again the Shinigami was dead pan. He would sigh before glancing tiredly into the alleyway.

“No more questions? Good, then lets get going.” It was already mid day by the time they had arrived, and he was already looking foreword to that sun setting. He could already feel his clothes sticking to his skin. At least under the shade of those tightly knit buildings, he was bound to get out of this unbearable heat. With a glance alone he would signal Lumina. And like that, the wolven Spirit would change before the two Shinigami. Taking the form of a snow owl, she spread her feathered wings before disappearing into the darkness of that alleyway.

Aevus’s hand left the handle of his Zanpakuto as he followed suit. The first thing the Shinigami noted was the strong smell. It was foul and reeked of odors Aevus couldn’t even begin to describe. Nor would he even want to try. He could only imagine the decrepit state that awaited him further inside that hovel of a district. Lowering the brim of his straw hat, Aevus would avoid eye contact from a passing stranger. His fingers nearly grazing the handle of his Zanpakuto as another bumped into his shoulder.

Even as a lieutenant he was still cautious. These streets were a maze and he certainly wasn’t looking forward to the possibility of fighting in them. Plus... unsheathing his Zanpakuto in such cramped corridors would prove to be difficult for the Shinigami. Even with his skill in Zanjutsu he doubted he had enough room to make the most out of his blade. Especially if he was going to be dancing with enemies in the dark. Aevus would shake his head at that. Was he really planning on coming here at night? Heh it a was good thing this unseated officer stepped in to prevent that tragedy.

Aevus... this place. I know, it’s a labyrinth. How are we supposed to find her in here? We’ll find her. Aevus could hear his Zanpakuto Spirit sigh at that. Aevus could picture her rolling her eyes and would sigh in turn. He would look back to Ranth for a moment, taking a passing glance to see how the man was holding up. But it was also reassurance to make sure he was still there and hadn’t strayed from his side. They’d pass by a small market, littered with a large group of people. The raw odor of dead fish filled his nostrils and he felt his stomach churn. Yet he could also see some sort of meat being cooked. His eyes glanced to the grill and a small grin began to paint his features, as a memory danced into mind.

---

He was younger then, a foreign spirit lost in a world he could barely even begin to understand. His bare feet carried him across the street as if they were hot coals. In his hands he held a burning slab of steak. Which he had previously just stolen from a grill, and ran off before the cook could even blink. His fingers and his hands burned as he ran into an alleyway. He could almost smell his own skin being cooked as he caught his breath at the edge of that alley. Using his ragged shirt as a plate Aevus would blow onto his palms in an attempt to cool them off.

His mouth watered, as he stared at that freshly cooked steak. He may have gotten burned but this was well worth it. He wasn’t going hungry tonight. Eagerly he would grab onto the edges of his shirt to bring that steak to his mouth. It was then that out of corner of his eyes he saw the shadow of a tail. It whipped against his burned hands, snatching forth that slab of meat. Standing atop a garbage can, a black cat with two burning emerald eyes narrowed. The damn beast clan had taken his meal...

Aevus was left awestruck before instinctively jumping to his feet in a feeble attempt to get back that steak. The black cat merely jumped away, curving around the young man. Her tail curling around his left ankle as she moved, thus forcing the him to lose his footing and thus trip. He would fall head first into the garbage can. Landing with a large thud, he could hear a snicker falter from the cat‘s maw. “Never will you catch me with those two helpless feet of yours, little mouse~” She remarked with a swish of her tail.

Yet again Aevus was up. Tossing aside the garbage he had landed in. “Oh my, how foul, do you need a tongue bath~?” The feline would remark slyly with a wink. She danced around him as he lunged, forcing the man into a wall this time. “Give it back, you damn cat!” Aevus gritted his teeth, his fingers scratching the surface of the wall. “Oh~ Would the cook even want it back after your dirty paws have soiled the meat?” Aevus grimaced at that remark. Was this just a game to her? Anger fueled his brash and blundering attempt to get back what he stole.

“I said It’s mine!”

“Now that’s a lie if I ever did hear one.” The lithely feline darted to the back of the alley. The shadows masking her until all Aevus could see was those glowing emerald lined eyes. Aevus was breathing heavily at this point. His burned fingers curled into two fists. He’d ignored the pain as both anger and hunger fueled his body. “Give it back, I wont ask twice.” Those burning eyes clung his blues and in the next moment he saw a cheshire smile paint the felines features. “My how demanding~”

And like that, he was on the ground. Razor sharp teeth grazed his neck shedding just a hint of blood. She’d pull herself up and he was met with those emerald lined eyes staring down at him. “Foolish little mouse. Your instincts must have told you to run, but you’re hungry and oh~ so angry.” He could feel her hot breath on his neck and he would gulp in turn. Was she gonna kill him? Was he gonna die for a scrap of meat? Aevus expected the worst. He had no idea what Beast Clan were capable of. What they could do...

He underestimated her. But no he wouldn’t die here. He took hold of her furs, shifting his weight to the side as he attempted to get on top of her. But the cat was not having it. Dagger like claws dug into his right shoulder causing the man to scream out. That cheshire smile returned as she’d rise, her tail slashing against the air ever so lightly. Her black fur shimmering from the faint light. “But you’re bold. I’ll give you that little mouse.” And with that she’d turn her back on him. Yet those glowing eyes still clung to his visage. Tearing but a tiny scrap of that steak she’d throw it to the man. Aevus was so caught off guard, that he nearly dropped it. His eyes widened as the feline smiled before disappearing into the darkness of that alley.

---

The smell of that cooking meat had made the Shinigami hungry. He hadn’t eaten at all today... He would roll his eyes with a sigh as he passed by that grill. This was no time to be thinking about food. Passing by that crowd, a new stench filled his nostrils. It smelled as if most of these people hadn’t washed in months. And they looked it too. He would lead Ranth to a side street. Leaning against the wall he began to gather his thoughts. Lumina... do you sense anything? Yes but it’s faint. Where? In there.

He would look up to see Lumina perched atop a clothesline. Her silver beady eyes narrowed on a small building. The entrance... it was in a narrow alleyway. Aevus would sigh once more. “I’ll go, alone.” Aevus whispered under his breath. Lumina, you should stay with him. The field trip was over now. “Watch the entrance. Make sure no one leaves.” His tone darkened as his fingers grazed the handle of his Zanpakuto. The air felt thin as if a strange pressure was pulling down on him as he walked into that alley.

It felt almost like someone was exuding a taste of their gravitational pressure. Had he been found out? This was not good at all. There was a moment of silence as he glanced around himself. He would look back at Ranth for a moment. but he couldn’t see anyone. Was it his imagination? The pressure disappeared soon after and he would turn his back on the unseated officer. He was quick as he moved. He'd find an entrance through a open window and like that, he was gone.

Through Ranth’s and Lumina’s eyes the events that would play out would be very different. From what only could be described as darkness igniting. That entire building, blacked out, disappearing in an explosion of shadow. It was quiet and left a bleak coldness as it blew through the alleyway. Like smoke it blew towards the two. “Aevus!” But the Shinigami didn’t anwser. A shadow erupted from that black smoke. Coiled in robes it attempted to tackle Ranth with inhuman strength. Skin seemingly drenched in black, eyes darker than the void narrowed upon the Shinigami. The shadow resembled a lithely figured woman but it was no woman. It held a tanto in its right hand as it tried to bury it into the Shinigami's throat.

[Ranth]

Ranth listened intently to the Vice Captain as they walked together into the twisting labyrinth of streets and alleyways that composed the 'forgotten district'. Aevus had previously mentioned in passing that Ranth had probably never heard of the place and he'd been correct. Despite having been born and raised as a citizen of the Rukongai, Ranth had been fortunate enough to have lived in a double digit district.

As a general rule, there was rarely any significant difference in quality of life between any district and its immediate neighbor. Rather, there was an incremental disadvantage that began to appear the further one went away from the Seireitei. Almost everything began with the Seireitei and spread outwards to the surroundings districts. Technological advancements, medicine, education, security, infrastructure and all manner of other forms of public services would obviously be received fastest by those who were closest.

Thus, when thought of in such a manner it suddenly became incredibly obvious as to why the outer districts were in such a sorry state compared to the inner districts. This was the same basic concept as urban sprawl, yet magnified to a degree that would be beyond impossible for the human world to recreate due to the theoretically infinite size of the Rukongai versus the definitively finite amount of space on Earth.

Yet the forgotten district was clearly on a level all of its own. That much was clear even to Ranth without needing to be told. He'd heard about the conditions in the districts numbered 100 and beyond, but even those- which he'd considered nightmarish at the time- paled in comparison to the sheer volume of people proporionate to the amount of space available. In fact, using just the figures that Aevus had provided, Rant was able to quickly calculate that there was roughly 1 person per 0.5 meters of available space.

Obviously this would have been impossible under ordinary circumstances, but this was where the towering buildings came into play. For each level of housing, the available living space could be increased by as much as 60%. Considering that the buildings possessed at least 54 floors (at which point Ranth had simply lost count), that was the only explanation for how they'd set foot within the district without immediately finding themselves literally unable to move due to a sheer lack of space. Then again, maybe the population and/or the amount of available space was simply exaggerated.

Whatever the case may have been, Ranth wasn't about to do something as brazen as share his mental math with his superior and instead was content to remain silent and simply absorb anything and everything Aevus said. He was naturally still very curious about the wolf, which Aevus had referred to as Luna on several occasions by now and seemed to have allocated to the role of watching over Ranth to some degree. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be an appropriate way to raise the topic with Aevus at the moment, so again he remained silent.

Of course, there were other things on Ranth mind beyond academic curiosity and novel fascination. Aevus had made it very clear that there was the very real potential of a significant threat harbored somewhere within this mess of a district. Eventually, Aevus fell silent and seemed to be either deep in thought or daydreaming- it was difficult for Ranth to tell just by looking at his face.

With nothing being said and nothing to say himself, Ranth could only cast his own eyes, ears and other senses about in an effort to better acquaint himself with his surroundings. The smell was the first thing that had assaulted him upon entering the district- the stench of unwashed bodies and human waste being most potent among them- and indicated a very poor or perhaps even nonexistent plumbing system. Eventually, a sweeter smell overcame them- or perhaps Ranth had simply become desensitised to it after such intense exposure- and he realised that someone somewhere was cooking something, although he dared not wonder what that something might be.

It was at that moment that Aevus finally broke the silence, indicating that he was going to investigate the alley that they'd just stopped outside of. Ranth wondered if there was any particular reason he'd chosen this specific alley out of the countless others that they'd passed, but thought better than to ask. Besides, before Ranth could have even asked a question or opened his mouth to protest, Aevus had given him orders to guard the entrance and vanished into the gloom beyond.

With nothing else for it but to do as instructed, Ranth turned away from the alley so that he could watch the street in both the direction they'd come from and the direction they had yet to explore. For now, Luna seemed to have remained with Ranth rather than accompanying Aevus, which served to reinforce his notion that her role- at least for now- was to keep an eye on Ranth, presumably for his protection.

They stood in silence, Ranth not knowing what to say to Luna and Luna obviously having no interest in speaking with the burden she'd been tasked with babysitting. This silence only lasted for perhaps 60 seconds before all of the already meager light sources around them blinked out as one. Ranth was blind in the moments following the sudden blackout, but his eyes adjusted quickly to the gloom, allowing him to make out the vague outlines of the things around him.

Luna's sudden shout startled him into turning around to look in the direction that Aevus had gone, perhaps thinking that she'd seen him or that Aevus might have needed assistance. As it turned out however, it wasn't Aevus who needed help but rather Ranth himself. As he turned towards the alley, the sound of rustling robes and the rapid pitter patter of bare feet on stone met his ears at the same time that he identified the vague black shape of an assailant charging towards him.

In that moment, if he'd had time to think about what was going on- Ranth would have died. Instead, as the dull glint of something metallic stood out amidst the gloom, Ranth's training kicked in automatically for the first time. Thousands of hours of meticulous drills and exhausting practice coiled within him and then exploded like a striking snake.

Without thinking about what he was doing, Ranth half pivoted backwards and in doing so he sidestepped the crazed lunge of the assailant. In that same fluid motion, he had left his stationary foot planted firmly in front of him as a deliberate obstacle for the assailant, who tripped catastrophically upon finding nothing but empty air where their target should have been. In the blink of an eye, all this happened and ended with the assailant sprawled face first on the ground at Luna's feet whilst Ranth stared almost stupidly at the end result. Had he done that?

Even though he'd been the one to have done it and only moments ago, he found that he couldn't properly recall what he'd done. It was almost as if his body had moved of its own accord in response to the threat. Feeling perplexed, Ranth could only wonder if he'd just fluked it, or if he should take this as a sign that his training was finally beginning to bear fruit.

Putting that aside however, Ranth realised that he had no reason to be pleased with himself whilst Aevus was still unaccounted for and who knew how many other potential assailants were waiting in the shadows as this one had been. "Is Aevus alright?", he asked Luna- remembering now that she'd called his name with what sounded like alarm. For her part, Luna was now in charge of keeping the downed assailant at bay. He didn't know exactly why he was asking her when logically speaking there was no way she could have known what Aevus was doing, but on some instinctual level he was vaguely aware that the relationship between the two wasn't ordinary.

[Johnwaluigi]

74 paragraphs: +370 CTP to Aevus and Ranth. As an incomplete thread, however, it cannot be counted towards SKP progress.